Today’s topic of discussion in Sunday school was Joseph Smith’s vision of the three degrees of glory. I was particularly struck by a few of the verses in Doctrine and Covenants 76 that describe the people who inherit the terrestrial kingdom:

71 And again, we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the church of the Firstborn who have received the fulness of the Father, even as that of the moon differs from the sun in the firmament. 72 Behold, these are they who died without law; 73 And also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and preached the gospel unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh; 74 Who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it. (emphasis added)

After this vision in 1832, this was Joseph’s understanding of the terrestrial world: people who did not receive a testimony of Jesus, died without the law, and afterwards received a testimony of Jesus. In short, people who receive the gospel in the spirit world inherit the terrestrial kingdom.

It is not until four years later that Joseph learned more in a vision that has been canonized as D&C 137:

1 The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell. 5 I saw Father Adam and Abraham; and my father and my mother; my brother Alvin, that has long since slept; 6 And marveled how it was that he had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to gather Israel the second time, and had not been baptized for the remission of sins. 7 Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; 8 Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; 9 For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts. (emphasis added)

Joseph “marveled” at the new information that he learned from this second vision of the celestial kingdom. He thought that people like his brother had no hope of reaching the celestial kingdom because they died without the law or testimony in this life and only came to accept it in the next one. This was surprising to him—he thought that he understood how the eternities worked, and then God taught him more.

Joseph Smith’s visions teach us about what it means to see the things of God through a glass, darkly. We sometimes have impressive spiritual experiences that can trick us into feeling certain. We might expect that as we learn line upon line, precept upon precept, we will move in a smooth upward trajectory adding more and more certainties to our collection. Joseph’s example shows us that spiritual learning can occasionally upend our certainties and challenge us to shift our paradigms.

Joseph, a prophet of God, thought he understood, and he didn’t. Prophets have expressed certainty that polygamy or the racial ban on priesthood ordination would continue, and then God revealed that it was time to for those to end. Perhaps we can avoid thinking we understand and skip straight to trying to learn more. Instead of focusing on certainties, we can focus on asking questions in faith. Whether in the Sacred Grove, or with the majority of revelations he received, Joseph learned when he asked questions in faith. We can follow that example. We should be looking for the “great and important things” that God wants to reveal to us, not resting comfortably on our certainty that we have the fulness of the Gospel.