The concept of a Grand Council in Heaven is a key doctrine in Latter-day Saint theology, rooted in revelations given to Joseph Smith. According to Latter-day Saint teachings, this council took place before the earth was created, in the premortal existence. It was during this council that Heavenly Father presented His plan for the salvation of His children, which included the Creation of the earth and gaining physical bodies (Abraham 3:22-28). This meeting is often referred to as the "Council in Heaven" and is an important element of the Latter-day Saint understanding of God’s plan for humanity.

Central to the Council in Heaven was the presentation of agency and the Atonement. In the book of Moses, it is recorded that God presented Jesus Christ as the chosen Savior. Accepting this role, Jesus volunteered to carry out the Father’s plan, stating, "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever" (Moses 4:2). The agency of God’s children was crucial, allowing each spirit the choice to follow God’s plan or reject it. Lucifer, whom Latter-day Saints identify as Satan, opposed this plan and proposed an alternative where agency would be removed, seeking to gain glory for himself (Moses 4:1, 3). Exactly how Lucifer intended to remove agency is not understood, though several plausible theories have emerged and have been explored by Latter-day Saint scholars and theologians.¹³⁴

The War in Heaven ensued as a result of this opposition. Revelation 12:7-9 describes a great conflict where Lucifer and those who followed him were cast out of heaven. This doctrinal account emphasizes the importance of agency and the necessity of choosing to follow Christ. The outcome established Jesus Christ as the Redeemer, and those who chose God’s plan were given the opportunity to come to earth and gain a physical body, learning through experience and making choices aligned with divine principles.

This Grand Council also highlighted the premortal existence of all human spirits. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that all men and women lived with God before this life and were taught about His plan during this council. Abraham 3:22-23 reflects this premortal life, stating that God showed Abraham the "intelligences that were organized before the world was," illustrating that spirits had individuality and roles even before their earthly life.

The concept of a Grand Council holds important resonances with the scholarly concept of the Divine Council. The term “Grand Council” refers most specifically to the council that Heavenly Father held with His premortal children before coming to this earth in which he presented His plan for them to come to earth and get a body. The term “Divine Council” describes the assembly of deities over which God holds presidency. There are numerous references recognized by mainstream academics in the Hebrew Bible,¹³⁵ the Book of Mormon,^136I the Book of Abraham,¹³⁷ and arguably in both the Book of Moses (Moses 4:1–4) and the Doctrine & Covenants (Doctrine & Covenants 121:32) to the Divine Council. This knowledge overturns prevailing notions held by mainstream Christians and Jews that the Bible strictly acknowledges the existence of one and only one God.

The doctrine of the Grand Council in Heaven fills a critical place in Latter-day Saint theology, providing context for human existence, the importance of agency, and the centrality of Jesus Christ as Savior. It underscores the eternal nature of God’s plan and the premortal choice made by each individual to follow Jesus Christ, allowing for growth, progression, and eventual return to God’s presence. This principle infuses life with purpose and recognition of an eternal identity and destiny according to Latter-day Saint belief.