Elder Melvin J Ballard, an Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints gave this discourse in the Ogden Tabernacle on September 22 1922. It was published under the direction of the Mount Ogden Stake Genealogical Committee.
This is a very interesting discourse, and one that has a lot of inspirational thoughts. It has been quoted from once in a while--such as in Spencer W. Kimball's The Miracle of Forgiveness. The downside is that it has a lot of really deep thoughts that are Elder Ballard's opinions and are not necessarily LDS doctrine. It is a good read, but understand that some of it has to be taken with a grain of salt.
Since this was written , other Prophets have disavowed what Elder Ballard said about blacks and the Priesthood. I think this was an old belief that came down from Brigham Young and not Joseph Smith.
Excellent read, covers many topics concerning the three degrees of glory and the state of each. And how this relates to us, our dead and the scriptures and revelations given to us.
Three Degrees of Glory: A Discourse is a short but very insightful read. This book really helped me better understand the three degrees of glory. For example, while I know that our mortal time is a time to prepare to meet God and better ourselves, I did not know or understand that "It is much easier to overcome and serve the Lord when both flesh and spirit are combined as one." This is very thought provoking and definitely helps me understand that this mortal existence is a time we need to better ourselves.
There were several stories that made me think "Wow!" A number of statements by Elder Ballard also helped me better understand the doctrine of the Kingdoms of Glory. My favorite was the analogy of the three runners on an endless race. The discourse contains statements that demonstrate that it was given before the "Revelation on the Priesthood" so when you finish, go read "Race and the Priesthood" on LDS.org. An excellent Sunday afternoon read for any member of the Church.
The Prophet Joseph Smith observed, "...that death and spirit world are subjects we ought to study more than any other. If we have claim on our Heavenly Father for anything, it is for knowledge on this important subject." (History of the Church 6:50).
After reading that quote, I've been trying to do just that. This is a discourse given by Elder Ballard with regard to the Three Degrees of Glory.
I loved this discourse, it had a lot of interesting deep doctrine in it, and I love deep doctrine! You could tell it was from a segregated time period due to some of the remarks Elder Ballard said, that an apostle today wouldn't say!
Very informative -helped me better understand certain aspects of this important tenant of my faith. Elder Ballard is truly one of the Lord's finest servants.