The apostle Paul foresaw a time when God would “gather together in one all things in Christ” (Ephesians 1:10). The Savior illustrated how this is done when he visited Lehi’s descendants after His death and resurrection. He delivered a sermon in which He integrated passages from Isaiah, Micah, and Deuteronomy (3 Nephi 16, 20, 21, 22). He urged them to record the words of Samuel (3 Nephi 23:6-13). He recited for them some of the words of Malachi (3 Nephi 24, 25). And He “expounded all the scriptures in one” (3 Nephi 23:6, 14; 26:1-5).
In Doctrine and Covenants 133, we get another example of how the Savior integrates the words of multiple prophets in order to demonstrate the unity of His message. Nearly every one of the 74 verses in this section quotes a passage from the Bible, and many of those passages also appear in some form in the Book of Mormon. Here’s a list of those biblical allusions and corresponding Book of Mormon passages:
| D&C Reference | D&C Text | Bible Reference | Bible Text | Book of Mormon Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the Lord your God, and hear the word of the Lord concerning you | Isaiah 49:1; 34:1; 46:3, 12; 48:12; 51:1, 4, 7 | Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far [Common introductory phrase in the prophets] | 1 Nephi 20:1, 12; 21:1; 1 Nephi 25:4; Jacob 5:2 |
| 2 | The Lord who shall suddenly come to his temple; | Malachi 3:1 | the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple | 3 Nephi 24:1 |
| 2 | the Lord who shall come down upon the world with a curse to judgment; | Isaiah 34:5 | For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. | |
| 2 | yea, upon all the nations that forget God, | Psalm 9:17 | The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. | |
| 2 | and upon all the ungodly among you. | Jude 1:15 | To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed | |
| 3-5 | 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. 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. Go ye out from Babylon. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. | Isaiah 52:10-11 | The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord. | 3 Nephi 20:35, 41 (see also Mosiah 12:24, Mosiah 15:31, 3 Nephi 16:20) |
| 6 | Call your solemn assemblies, | Joel 1:14, Joel 2:15 | Call a solemn assembly | |
| 6 | and speak often one to another. | Malachi 3:16 | Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another | 3 Nephi 24:16 |
| 6 | And let every man call upon the name of the Lord. | Genesis 4:26; Psalm 116:13, 17; Zephaniah 3:9; Romans 10:13; 1 Corinthians 1:13 | Then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. | Ether 2:14-15 |
| 7 | Yea, verily I say unto you again, the time has come when the voice of the Lord is unto you: | |||
| 7 | Go ye out of Babylon; | Isaiah 48:20 | Go ye forth of Babylon | 1 Nephi 20:20 |
| 7 | gather ye out from among the nations, | Jeremiah 29:14 | I will gather you from all the nations | |
| 7 | from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. | Matthew 24:31 | they shall gather together his elect 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. | Isaiah 11:11 | the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. | 2 Nephi 21:11 |
| 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. | Isaiah 54:2 | Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; | 3 Nephi 22:2, See also Moroni 10:31 |
| 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. | Matthew 25:6 | And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. | |
| 11 | Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour. | Matthew 25:13 | Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. | |
| 12-13 | Let them, therefore, who are among the Gentiles flee unto Zion; And let them who be of Judah flee unto Jerusalem, | Matthew 24:16, Mark 13:14, Luke 21:21 | Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: | |
| 13 | unto the mountains of the Lord’s house. | Isaiah 2:2 | And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. | 2 Nephi 12:2 |
| 14-15 | Go ye out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon. But verily, thus saith the Lord, let not your flight be in haste, but let all things be prepared before you; | Isaiah 52:11-12 | Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward. | 3 Nephi 20:41-42, 3 Nephi 21:29 |
| 15 | and he that goeth, let him not look back lest sudden destruction shall come upon him. | Genesis 19:26 | But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. | |
| 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. | Acts 17:30 | And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent | 3 Nephi 11:32 |
| 17 | For behold, the Lord God hath sent forth the angel crying through the midst of heaven, saying: | Revelation 14:6 | And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven | |
| 17 | Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight, for the hour of his coming is nigh | Isaiah 40:3, Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4 | Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. | 1 Nephi 10:8, Alma 9:28 |
| 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. | Revelation 14:1 | And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. | |
| 19 | Wherefore, prepare ye for the coming of the Bridegroom; go ye, go ye out to meet him. | Matthew 25:6 | And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. | |
| 20 | For behold, he shall stand upon the mount of Olivet, and upon the mighty ocean, even the great deep, and upon the islands of the sea, and upon the land of Zion. | Zechariah 14:4 | And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, | |
| 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; | Joel 3:16, Amos 1:2 | LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem | |
| 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. | Ezekiel 43:2, Revelation 14:2, Revelation 19:6 | and his voice was like a noise of many waters | |
| 23 | He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land; | Isaiah 51:10 | Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? | 2 Nephi 4:20; 8:10; Helaman 12:16; Ether 2:25; 7:27; 8:9 |
| 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. | Genesis 10:25 | And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided | |
| 25 | And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh. | Luke 24:36; John 20:19, 26 | And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. | 3 Nephi 11:8; 17:12-13; 19:15; 20:22; 21:25; 27:2 |
| 26 | And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; | Jeremiah 31:8 | Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither. | Ether 13:11 |
| and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves; | Isaiah 29:9 | Stay yourselves, and wonder | 2 Nephi 27:4 | |
| and they shall smite the rocks, | Exodus 17:6 | Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. | 2 Nephi 25:20 | |
| 26 | and the ice shall flow down at their presence. | Isaiah 64:1 | that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, | |
| 27 | And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep. | Isaiah 62:10 | Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway | |
| 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. | Isaiah 35:7 | And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water | |
| 30 | And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants. | Isaiah 60 | [Kings will bring treasures to Israel] | |
| 31 | And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence. | Isaiah 64:2 | that the nations may tremble at thy 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. | Hebrews 2:9 | But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour | |
| 33 | And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy. | Isaiah 35:10 | And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. | |
| 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. | Ezekiel 37:19 | Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel 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. | Revelation 7:15 | Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. | |
| 36-39 | 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. And this gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. 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; And worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters— | Revelation 14:6-7 | And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come, and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. | |
| 40-45 | 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. 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. O Lord, thou shalt come down to make thy name known to thine adversaries, and all nations shall tremble at thy presence— When thou doest terrible things, things they look not for; 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. 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. | Isaiah 64:1-5 (See also 1 Corinth 2:9) | Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. | |
| 46-53 | 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? And he shall say: I am he who spake in righteousness, mighty to save. And the Lord shall be red in his apparel, and his garments like him that treadeth in the wine-vat. 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. 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; 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. 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, forever and ever. 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 bore them, and carried them all the days of old; | Isaiah 63:1-9, See also Matthew 24:29 | Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth. I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he 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 forever and ever. | Ezekiel 37:12-13; Matthew 27:52 | Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, | Helaman 14:25 |
| 57 | And for this cause, that men might be made partakers of the glories which were to be revealed, | 1 Peter 5:1 | The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: | |
| 57 | the Lord sent forth the fulness of his gospel, his everlasting covenant, reasoning in plainness and simplicity— | Genesis 9:16 | And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. | 3 Nephi 16:10, 12; 20:28, 30 [fulness of the gospel] |
| 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. | Deut 32:30 | How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up? | |
| 59 | And by the weak things of the earth the Lord shall thresh the nations by the power of his Spirit. | Micah 4:13 | Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion | |
| 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— | 3 Nephi 28:25 | ||
| 61 | And this according to the mind and will of the Lord, who ruleth over all flesh. | John 17:2 | As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him | |
| 62 | And unto him that repenteth and sanctifieth himself before the Lord shall be given eternal life. | 3 Nephi 27:20 | ||
| 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. | Acts 3:23 (Deut 18:19) | And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. | 1 Nephi 22:20, 3 Nephi 20:23 |
| 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. | Malachi 4:1 | 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. | 3 Nephi 25:1, See also 1 Nephi 22:15 |
| 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. | John 1:11 | He came unto his own, and his own received him not. | 3 Nephi 9:16 |
| 67-70 | 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. Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea. I make the rivers a wilderness; their fish stink, and die for thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness, and make sackcloth their covering. And this shall ye have of my hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow. | Isaiah 50:2-3, 11 | Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering…. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow. | 2 Nephi 7:2-3, 11 |
| 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. | Isaiah 5:29 | Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it. | 2 Nephi 15:29 |
| 72 | Wherefore, they sealed up the testimony and bound up the law, and ye were delivered over unto darkness. | Isaiah 8:16 | Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. | 2 Nephi 18:16 |
| 73 | These shall go away into outer darkness, where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. | Matthew 8:12, Matthew 22:13, Matthew 25:23, See also Luke 13:28 | But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. | Alma 40:13 |
| 74 | Behold the Lord your God hath spoken it. Amen. | Isaiah 1:20; 21;17; 22:25; 25:8; 40:5; 46:11; 58:14 | for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. [Common concluding phrase in the prophets] | 2 Nephi 9:16, 24; 10:9; Mosiah 2:41; 12:12; Alma 5:32, 52; 34:8; Mormon 8:26; Ether 4:19:10:28 |
The revelation delivers a unified message: We need to prepare for the Savior’s return by disconnecting from the evils of the world, receiving and preaching the gospel, and repenting. But the revelation also teaches us an important principle which can help us study the scriptures more effectively: God’s message is unified. You can combine passages written by different prophets at different times in order to hear a composite message from God. The prophetic voice is a unified voice, because the words of prophets are inspired from heaven.
Today, as I study and ponder Doctrine and Covenants 133, I will be grateful for the unity of inspired words of prophets through the ages. I will remember that I can learn from prophets in every time and place, and that their combined testimony is the voice of God to me.
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