Sections 129-131 of the Doctrine and Covenants read like prophetic snapshots—brief moments of instruction preserved without transitions or explicit connections between them. They were not delivered as formal self-contained documents like most of the previous sections but were rather compiled from the notes of William Clayton, who served as Joseph Smith’s personal scribe from late 1842 to mid-1844. Here are some of the doctrines taught in these sections:
- Some angels have bodies, while others are spirits (Doctrine and Covenants 129).
- The Father and the Son have tangible bodies, but the Holy Ghost is a spirit (Doctrine and Covenants 130:1, 3, 22).
- Relationships can be eternal (Doctrine and Covenants 130:2).
- Knowledge and intelligence are also eternal (Doctrine and Covenants 130:18-19).
- Marriage is essential for our eternal happiness (Doctrine and Covenants 131:1-4).
- We can’t be saved in ignorance (Doctrine and Covenants 131:6).
Section 132, on the other hand, contains an intact message from God, similar to most of the earlier revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants. In this section, God teaches the importance of eternal marriage and emphasizes that only through Him can these relationships endure forever.
Together, these sections invite us to view our daily decisions in the context of their eternal implications. We prioritize building relationships and seeking knowledge because we know that we can carry them with us beyond the grave. We invite God to bless our marriages and strive to follow His law so that those marriages can last forever.
Here are some of my favorite passages from these revelations with relevant blog posts and Book of Mormon connections.
Scripture Highlights and Related Blog Posts
1. Angels minister to us.
Doctrine and Covenants 129:1, 3
There are two kinds of beings in heaven, namely: Angels, who are resurrected personages, having bodies of flesh and bones. …
Secondly: the spirits of just men made perfect, they who are not resurrected, but inherit the same glory.
Doctrine and Covenants 130:5
I answer, Yes. But there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it.
Blog Posts
📄 Angels
God never leaves us alone; His angels are with us, even if we are unaware of them.
Book of Mormon connection: Jacob 7:5; Mosiah 27:11-17; Alma 8:14-17, 20; Alma 10:7-9; Alma 36:6-9; Helaman 13:7; Moroni 7:36-37
📄 Authority Restored
Each of us receives unique opportunities to contribute to God’s work, and our work continues after we die.
Book of Mormon connection: 1 Nephi 10:9-10; 1 Nephi 11:28-29; 1 Nephi 12:9; 1 Nephi 13:24-26, 39-41; 1 Nephi 14:20-27; 2 Nephi 31:4; 3 Nephi 25:5-6
2. Relationships can endure beyond the grave.
Doctrine and Covenants 130:1-2
When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is. We shall see that he is a man like ourselves.
And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy.
Blog Posts
📄 Hearts Knit Together in Unity and in Love
Good friendships increase our happiness and give us a sense of purpose.
Book of Mormon connection: Mosiah 18:21
3. God’s knowledge is not limited by time.
Doctrine and Covenants 130:7
But they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord.
Blog Posts
📄 The Lord Knoweth All Things Which Are to Come
God knows everything: past, present, and future. All things are present before Him.
Book of Mormon connection: 2 Nephi 9:20; Words of Mormon 1:7; Alma 40:8
4. The knowledge we gain in this life will bless us in the next.
Doctrine and Covenants 130:18-19
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.
And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.
Blog Posts
📄 Knowledge
Investing in education will pay rich dividends, both in this life and in eternity.
Book of Mormon connection: 1 Nephi 1:1; 2 Nephi 9:29; Alma 12:9-11
5. Choices have consequences.
Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21
There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated–
And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.
Blog Posts
📄 Blessed in All Things
Act in accordance with the laws of God, recognizing that those laws will unlock blessings for you and for other people in this life and in eternity.
Book of Mormon connection: Mosiah 2:41
📄 Why Are Some Blessings Conditional on Our Faith?
Faith is a form of work, and when we exercise faith, we invite the power of God into our lives.
Book of Mormon connection: Enos 1:8; Ether 12:10-22
📄 The Straitness of the Path
Our precision in performing ordinances is symbolic of our desire to align ourselves with God’s will.
Book of Mormon connection: 2 Nephi 31:9
6. Spirits and bodies are both material.
Doctrine and Covenants 130:22
The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.
Doctrine and Covenants 131:7-8
There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes;
We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter.
Blog Posts
📄 Spirit
Spirits are real even if we don’t see them; we can become more attuned to spiritual things.
Book of Mormon connection: Ether 3:16
📄 All Things Present
God is not only aware of everything happening in the world right now; He is fully engaged, fully present.
Book of Mormon connection: Alma 40:8
📄 Flesh and Bones
After we die, we will all be resurrected. We will have bodies of flesh and bones, similar to the ones we have now, but glorified and perfected.
Book of Mormon connection: 3 Nephi 11:14
7. Personal revelation is important for salvation.
Doctrine and Covenants 131:5
(May 17th, 1843.) The more sure word of prophecy means a man’s knowing that he is sealed up unto eternal life, by revelation and the spirit of prophecy, through the power of the Holy Priesthood.
Blog Posts
📄 Testimony of Jesus = Spirit of Prophecy
A testimony of Jesus Christ must be received by revelation. Therefore, those who have a testimony of Jesus are those who receive revelation.
Book of Mormon connection: 2 Nephi 25:4; Jacob 4:6; Mosiah 12:25; Alma 3:27; Alma 4:13; Alma 5:47; Alma 6:8; Alma 9:21; Alma 10:12; Alma 12:7; Alma 13:26; Alma 16:5; Alma 17:3; Alma 25:16; Alma 37:15; Alma 43:2; Helaman 4:12, 23
8. Marriage can be eternal, with God’s help.
Doctrine and Covenants 132:7
And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead.
Blog Posts
📄 Marriage
If we want to have strong marriages which endure forever, we need God’s help.
Book of Mormon connection: Jacob 3:7; 4 Nephi 1:11
9. God’s work is orderly and disciplined.
Doctrine and Covenants 132:8
Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.
Blog Posts
📄 A House of Order
The Savior can help us overcome chaos and organize our lives.
Book of Mormon connection: 2 Nephi 19:7; Mosiah 4:27; Moroni 9:18
📄 According to the Order of God – Alma 6:1
The Lord’s church is organized: clearly defined and easily understood.
Book of Mormon connection: Mosiah 26:29-32; Alma 6:1
10. Covenants can be intergenerational.
Doctrine and Covenants 132:31
This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham, and the promise was made unto Abraham; and by this law is the continuation of the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself.
Blog Posts
📄 “Look unto Abraham…and Sarah”
When we make and keep covenants with God, we inherit the blessings He promised to the ancient patriarchs and matriarchs.
Book of Mormon connection: 2 Nephi 8:2
11. God empowers His servants to bless people.
Doctrine and Covenants 132:47
And again, verily I say, whomsoever you bless I will bless, and whomsoever you curse I will curse, saith the Lord; for I, the Lord, am thy God.
Blog Posts
📄 Blessings
The purpose of the priesthood is to bless.
Book of Mormon connection: Alma 10:11
Questions to Ponder
Here are some questions and topics I intend to study this week:
- What can we learn about life after death from these revelations?
- What do these revelations teach about obedience?
- What does it mean for a marriage relationship to be “by the Lord” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:13-15).
- How can I invest more time and energy in eternal things?
- How can I become more aware of the consequences of my choices and habits? (Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21)
- Why did God command early Church members to participate in plural marriage, and what can I learn from their experience? (Doctrine and Covenants 132)
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