D&C 37-38 To Gather and to Receive His Law In a footnote to his October 2020 general conference talk, “Let God Prevail,” President Russell M. Nelson revealed that in the more than 800 talks he has given since being ordained an apostle in April 1984, he...
read moreD&C 30:1-4 Do Not Fear Man We all struggle from time to time. After David Whitmer had seen the Angel Moroni and the gold plates and heard the voice of God, he slackened somewhat and the Lord saw fit to chasten him. What did the Lord say in verses 1-3 that David...
read moreD&C 27:5-14 “The Hour Cometh” After revealing what is important—and what is not—in relation to the ordinance of the sacrament (see verse 2), the Lord teaches Joseph Smith about a future event that will involve the sacrament. Jesus had also...
read moreD&C 20:1-36 “The Rise of the Church of Christ” Section 20 may be considered our first church “handbook,” given within a few days after the April 6, 1830 formal organization of the Church, and containing various instructions relating to...
read moreD&C 18:1-6 “The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail” This section is for Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, who (along with Martin Harris), would have a role in the calling of the twelve apostles. The Lord’s words to Oliver in verses 2-6 provide a...
read moreD&C 10:1-9 “It Is Now Restored” Section 10 (along with Section 3) addresses the loss of the first 116 pages of the Book of Mormon translation. Read the section heading and Words of Mormon 1:3-7. An important theme we can draw from Section 10 is that...
read moreTo better understand the Lord’s words in the Doctrine and Covenants, the thoughtful student will read the section headings for helpful background and other information. Occasional further information will be added herein. Section 4 was given for Joseph Smith,...
read moreJS—H 1:1-2 “In Truth and Righteousness” As stated in the Introduction to the Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith—History contains “excerpts from Joseph Smith’s official testimony and history, which he and his scribes prepared in 1838-39.”...
read moreBicentennial Proclamation to the World In the April 2020 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson shared a “proclamation” to all the world, titled, The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This one-page proclamation is found on...
read moreD&C 29:5; 38:7; 76:14, 20, 23; 110:2-4 He Lives Through all eternity, two of the greatest announcements ever made are “It is finished” and “He is Risen” (John 19:30; Matthew 28:6). In those few words it is declared that Jesus...
read moreD&C 29 A Perfect Plan Section 29 is delightfully packed with doctrine and prophecy. Among other questions, Joseph Smith was praying for further information regarding the Fall of Adam and Eve, and this revelation followed. In the first verse the Savior makes...
read moreD&C 23 The Lord Personalizes His Messages Section 23 is actually a series of five revelations. The Lord told the first four recipients that they were “under no condemnation,” but did not say this to Joseph Knight, perhaps because he was the only one of...
read moreD&C 19 What the Lord Said about Himself and About Martin Harris It had been almost two years since Martin Harris became interested in the Lord’s work and approached Joseph Smith to give him fifty dollars at a time of great need. Martin had been through the...
read moreD&C 12:7-9 Joseph Knight and You Joseph Knight, Sr. resided in Harmony, Pennsylvania, and he and his family had been supportive of Joseph Smith since they first met in 1825. The first six verses of this revelation, which is directed to Brother Knight, are...
read moreD&C 6 Oliver Cowdery and You In 1829 Joseph and Emma Smith were living near Emma’s parents in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Almost 300 miles away, 22-year-old Oliver Cowdery became acquainted with the Smith family in New York, and learned about Joseph and the gold...
read moreJS—H 1:27-28 “The Weakness of Youth” For three and a half years after the First Vision, Satan continued his attempts to derail the Lord’s great latter-day work, as Joseph Smith was “all the time suffering severe persecution,” in addition...
read moreDoctrine and Covenants 1 D&C 1 “My Preface” Eight years after the earliest section (Section 2), the Lord instructed the Prophet Joseph Smith to compile the revelations into what was titled Book of Commandments, published in 1833 (the Lord referred to...
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