Though we can scarcely wrap our mortal minds around the vast concept of eternity or something always existing—having no beginning and no end—Joseph wants us to do our best to grasp that concept. He wants us to not only understand that God is an eternal, self-existent being, he wants us to understand that the same truth applies to us. Of all the stunning eternal truths taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith, none outranks his teachings about who we are and how we relate to our Father in Heaven.

When it comes to conscious beings, the first startling truth is: In the beginning there was no beginning. All the conscious beings we refer to—in whatever state of progression they may be—Gods, angels, unembodied spirits, disembodiedspirits, mortal men, women and children—as conscious thinking individuals, none had a beginning.