As the following EldersOrson Hyde, Luke Johnson, Lyman E. Johnson, and William E. M'Lellinwere desirous to know the mind of the Lord concerning themselves, I inquired, and received the following:
Revelation, given November, 1831.[[15]]
1. My servant, Orson Hyde, was called by his ordination to proclaim the everlasting Gospel, by the Spirit of the living God, from people to people, and from land to land, in the congregations of the wicked, in their synagogues, reasoning with, and expounding all Scriptures unto them.
2. And, behold, and lo, this is an ensample unto all those who were ordained unto this Priesthood, whose mission is appointed unto them to go forth;
3. And this is the ensample unto them, that they shall speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost.
4. And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation;
5. Behold this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants;
6. Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.
7. This is the word of the Lord unto you my servant, Orson Hyde, and also unto my servant Luke Johnson, and unto my servant Lyman Johnson, and unto my servant William E. M'Lellin, and unto all the faithful Elders of my Church.
8. Go ye into all the world, preach the Gospel to every creature, acting in the authority which I have given you, baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;
9. And he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned;
10. And he that believeth shall be blest with signs following, even as it is written;
11. And unto you it shall be given to know the signs of the times, and the signs of the coming of the Son of Man;
12. And of as many as the Father shall bear record, to you shall be given power to seal them up unto eternal life. Amen.
13. And now concerning the items in addition to the covenants and commandments, they are these:
14. There remaineth hereafter, in the due time of the Lord, other Bishops to be set apart unto the Church, to minister even according to the first;
15. Wherefore they shall be High Priests who are worthy, and they shall be appointed by the First Presidency of the Melchisedek Priesthood, except they be literal descendants of Aaron,
16. And if they be literal descendants of Aaron, they have a legal right to the bishopric, if they are the firstborn among the sons of Aaron;
17. For the firstborn holds the right of presidency over this Priesthood, and the keys or authority of the same.
18. No man has a legal right to this office, to hold the keys of this Priesthood, except he be a literal descendant and the firstborn of Aaron.
19. But, as a high priest of the Melchisedek Priesthood has authority to officiate in all the lesser offices he may officiate in the office of Bishop when no literal descendant of Aaron can be found, provided he is called and set apart and ordained unto this power under the hands of the First Presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
20. And literal descendants of Aaron, also, must be designated by this Presidency, and found worthy, and anointed, and ordained under the hands of this Presidency, otherwise they are not legally authorized to officiate in their Priesthood;
21. But by virtue of the decree concerning their right of the Priesthood descending from father to son, they may claim their anointing if at any time they can prove their lineage, or do ascertain it by revelation from the Lord under the hands of the above named Presidency.
22. And again, no Bishop or High Priest who shall be set apart for this ministry, shall be tried or condemned for any crime, save it be before the First Presidency of the Church;
23. And inasmuch as he is found guilty before this Presidency, by testimony that cannot be impeached, he shall be condemned;
24. And if he repent he shall be forgiven, according to the covenants and commandments of the Church.
25. And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.
26. For this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized;
27. And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands,
28. And they shall also teach their children to pray and to walk uprightly before the Lord.
29. And the inhabitants of Zion shall also observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
30. And the inhabitants of Zion also shall remember their labors, inasmuch as they are appointed to labor, in all faithfulness; for the idler shall be had in remembrance before the Lord.
31. Now, I the Lord, am not well pleased with the inhabitants of Zion, for there are idlers among them; and their children are also growing up in wickedness; they also seek not earnestly the riches of eternity, but their eyes are full of greediness.
32. These things ought not to be, and must be done away from among them: wherefore, let my servant Oliver Cowdery carry these sayings unto the land of Zion.
33. And a commandment I give unto them, that he that observeth not his prayers before the Lord in the season thereof, let him be had in remembrance before the judge of my people.
34. These sayings are true and faithful; wherefore transgress them not, neither take therefrom.
35. Behold, I am Alpha and Omega, and I come quickly. Amen.
Preparation of the Revelations for Publication, Nov. 1st-15th.
It had been decided by the conference that Elder Oliver Cowdery should carry the commandments and revelations to Independence, Missouri, for printing, and that I should arrange and get them in readiness by the time that he left, which was to be byor, if possible, beforethe 15th of the month [November]. At this time there were many things which the Elders desired to know relative to preaching the Gospel to the inhabitants of the earth, and concerning the gathering; and in order to walk by the true light, and be instructed from on high, on the 3rd of November, 1831, I inquired of the Lord and received the following important revelation, which has since been added to the book of Doctrine and Covenants, and called the Appendix:
Revelation, given November 3, 1831.[[16]]
1. Hearken, O ye people of my Church, saith the Lord your God, and hear the word of the Lord concerning you;
2. The Lord who shall suddenly come to His temple; the Lord who shall come down upon the world with a curse to judgment; yea, upon all the nations that forget God, and upon all the ungodly among you.
3. For He shall make bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of their God.
4. Wherefore, prepare ye, prepare ye, O my people; sanctify yourselves; gather ye together, O ye people of my Church, upon the land of Zion, all you that have not been commanded to tarry.
5. Go ye out from Babylon. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.
6. Call your solemn assemblies, and speak often one to another. And let every man call upon the name of the Lord;
7. Yea, verily I say unto you again, the time has come when the voice of the Lord is unto you, Go ye out of Babylon; gather ye out from among the nations, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
8. Send forth the Elders of my Church unto the nations which are afar off; unto the islands of the sea; send forth unto foreign lands; call upon all nations; first upon the Gentiles, and then upon the Jews.
9. And behold, and lo, this shall be their cry, and the voice of the Lord unto all people: Go ye forth unto the land of Zion, that the borders of my people may be enlarged, and that her stakes may be strengthened, and that Zion may go forth unto the regions round about;
10. Yea, let the cry go forth among all people: Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom: behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet Him. Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord.
11. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour.
12. Let them therefore, who are among the Gentiles, flee unto Zion.
13. And let them who be of Judah flee unto Jerusalem, unto the mountains of the Lord's house.
14. Go ye out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon.
15. But verily, thus saith the Lord, Let not your flight be in haste, but let all things be prepared before you; and he that goeth let him not look back, lest sudden destruction shall come upon him.
16. Hearken and hear, O ye inhabitants of the earth. Listen, ye Elders of my Church together, and hear the voice of the Lord; for He calleth upon all men, and He commandeth all men everywhere to repent.
17. For, behold, the Lord God hath sent forth the angel crying through the midst of heaven, saying, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight, for the hour of His coming is nigh
18. When the Lamb shall stand upon Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads:
19. Wherefore, prepare ye for the coming of the Bridegroom; go ye, go ye out to meet Him,
20. For behold, He shall stand upon the mount of Olives, and upon the mighty ocean, even the great deep, and upon the islands of the sea, and upon the land of Zion;
21. And He shall utter His voice out of Zion, and He shall speak from Jerusalem, and His voice shall be heard among all people.
22. And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found;
23. He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land:
24. And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.
25. And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh.
26. And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord and their prophets shall hear His voice, and shall no longer stay themselves, and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence.
27. And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep.
28. Their enemies shall become a prey unto them,
29. And in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land.
30. And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants.
31. And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence.
32. And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim;
33. And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy.
34. Behold, this is the blessing of the everlasting God upon the tribes of Israel, and the richer blessing upon the head of Ephraim and his fellows.
35. And they also of the tribe of Judah, after their pain, shall be sanctified in holiness before the Lord, to dwell in his presence day and night, forever and ever.
36. And now, verily saith the Lord, That these things might be known among you, O inhabitants of the earth, I have sent forth mine angel flying through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel, who hath appeared unto some, and hath committed it unto man, who shall appear unto many that dwell on the earth;
37. And this Gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
38. And the servants of God shall go forth, saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come;
39. And worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters,
40. Calling upon the name of the Lord day and night, saying, O that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow down at Thy presence.
41. And it shall be answered upon their heads, for the presence of the Lord shall be as the melting fire that burneth, and as the fire which causeth the waters to boil.
42. O Lord, Thou shalt come down to make Thy name known to thine adversaries, and all nations shall tremble at Thy presence.
43. When Thou doest terrible thingsthings they look not for;
44. Yea, when Thou comest down, and the mountains flow down at Thy presence, Thou shalt meet him who rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, who remembereth Thee in Thy ways.
45. For since the beginning of the world have not men heard nor perceived by the ear, neither hath any eye seen, O God, besides Thee, how great things Thou hast prepared for him that waiteth for Thee.
46. And it shall be said: Who is this that cometh down from God in heaven with dyed garments; yea from the regions which are not known, clothed in His glorious apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength?
47. And He shall say; I am He who spake in righteousness, mighty to save.
48. And the Lord shall be red in His apparel, and His garments like him that treadeth in the wine vat,
49. And so great shall be the glory of His presence that the sun shall hide his face in shame; and the moon shall withhold its light; and the stars shall be hurled from their places;
50. And his voice shall be heard, I have trodden the wine-press alone, and have brought judgment upon all people; and none were with me;
51. And I have trampled them in my fury, and I did tread upon them in mine anger, and their blood have I sprinkled upon my garments, and stained all my raiment; for this was the day of vengeance which was in my heart.
52. And now the year of my redeemed is come, and they shall mention the loving kindness of their Lord, and all that He has bestowed upon them according to His goodness, and according to His loving kindness, for ever and ever.
53. In all their afflictions He was afflicted. And the angel of His presence saved them; and in His love, and in His pity, He redeemed them, and bare them, and carried them all the days of old;
54. Yea, and Enoch also, and they who were with him; the prophets who were before him; and Noah also, and they who were before him; and Moses also and they who were before him.
55. And from Moses to Elijah, and from Elijah to John, who were with Christ in His resurrection, and the holy Apostles, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, shall be in the presence of the Lamb.
56. And the graves of the saints shall be opened; and they shall come forth and stand on the right hand of the Lamb, when He shall stand upon Mount Zion, and upon the holy city the New Jerusalem; and they shall sing the song of the Lamb, day and night for ever and ever.
57. And for this cause, that men might be made partakers of the glories which were to be revealed, the Lord sent forth the fulness of His Gospel, His everlasting covenant, reasoning in plainness and simplicity,
58. To prepare the weak for those things which are coming on the earth, and for the Lord's errand in the day when the weak shall confound the wise, and the little one become a strong nation, and two shall put their tens of thousands to flight;
59. And by the weak things of the earth the Lord shall thrash the nations by the power of His Spirit.
60. And for this cause these commandments were given; they were commanded to be kept from the world in the day that they were given, but now are to go forth unto all flesh.
61. And this according to the mind and will of the Lord, who ruleth over all flesh.
62. And unto him that repenteth and sanctifieth himself before the Lord, shall be given eternal life;
63. And upon them that hearken not to the voice of the Lord shall be fulfilled that which was written by the Prophet Moses, that they should be cut off from among the people.
64. And also that which was written by the Prophet Malachi; For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
65. Wherefore, this shall be the answer of the Lord unto them:
66. In that day when I came unto mine own, no man among you received me, and you were driven out.
67. When I called again, there was none of you to answer, yet my arm was not shortened at all, that I could not redeem, neither my power to deliver.
68. Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea. I make the rivers a wilderness; their fish stink and die for thirst.
69. I clothe the heavens with blackness, and make sackcloth their covering.
70. And this shall ye have of my hand: Ye shall lie down in sorrow.
71. Behold, and lo, there are none to deliver you, for ye obeyed not my voice when I called to you out of the heavens; ye believed not my servants, and when they were sent unto you, ye received them not.
72. Wherefore, they sealed up the testimony and bound up the law, and ye were delivered over unto darkness;
73. These shall go away into outer darkness, where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.
74. Behold the Lord your God hath spoken it. Amen.
Dedication of the Book of Commandments.
The Book of Commandments and Revelations was to be dedicated by prayer to the service of Almighty God by me; and after I had done this, I inquired of the Lord concerning these things, and received the following:
Revelation, given November, 1831.[[17]]
1. Hearken unto me saith the Lord your God: For my servant Oliver Cowdery's sake, it is not wisdom in me that he should be entrusted with the commandments and the moneys which he shall carry unto the land of Zion, except one go with him who will be true and faithful;
2. Wherefore, I, the Lord will, that my servant, John Whitmer, should go with my servant Oliver Cowdery;
3. And also that he shall continue in writing and making a history of all the important things which he shall observe and know concerning my Church:
4. And also that he receive counsel and assistance from my servant Oliver Cowdery and others.
5. And also my servants who are abroad in the earth, should send forth the accounts of their stewardships to the land of Zion;
6. For the land of Zion shall be a seat and a place to receive and do all these things;
7. Nevertheless let my servant John Whitmer travel many times from place to place, and from church to church, that he may the more easily obtain knowledge;
8. Preaching and expounding, writing, copying, selecting, and obtaining all things which shall be for the good of the Church, and for the rising generations, that shall grow up on the land of Zion, to possess it from generation to generation, forever and ever. Amen.
Esteem in which the Conference Held the Book of Commandments and Book of Mormon.
My time was occupied closely in reviewing the commandments and sitting in conference, for nearly two weeks; for from the first to the twelfth of November we held four special conferences. In the last which was held at Brother Johnson's, in Hiram, after deliberate consideration, in consequence of the book of revelations, now to be printed, being the foundation of the Church in these last days, and a benefit to the world, showing that the keys of the mysteries of the kingdom of our Savior are again entrusted to man; and the riches of eternity within the compass of those who are willing to live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of Godtherefore the conference voted that they prize the revelations to be worth to the Church the riches of the whole earth, speaking temporally. The great benefits to the world which result from the Book of Mormon and the revelations, which the Lord has seen fit in His infinite wisdom to grant unto us for our salvation, and for the salvation of all that will believe, were duly appreciated;[[18]] and in answer to an inquiry, I received the following: