Exterior view of the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple Between November and December 1832, Joseph Smith received specific revelation about multiple topics: CHURCH ADMINISTRATION (Doctrine and Covenants 85): How to manage inheritances for church members who refused to consecrate their properties. The Lord answered the question while clarifying the duties of the clerk, including the responsibility for... Continue Reading →

Icons used by Elder David A. Bednar in his talk, "Gather Together in One All Things in Christ" (General Conference, October 2018) Joseph Smith called Doctrine and Covenants 84 a revelation on priesthood. If you think of priesthood primarily in the context of roles, responsibilities, and official church actions, you may be puzzled by the... Continue Reading →

Portrait of Frederick G. Williams, unknown artist, circa 1836, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, as displayed on josephsmithpapers.org 81 - Frederick G. Williams becomes a counselor to Joseph Smith The president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has two counselors. Together, they form the First Presidency of the Church. In March... Continue Reading →

Fragment from the manuscript of Doctrine and Covenants 77, "Revelation Book 1," p. 141, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed July 7, 2021 77 As Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon produced an inspired translation of the Bible, they continually sought guidance from the Lord about the passages they were reading. Doctrine and Covenants 77 contains fifteen... Continue Reading →

"Glory in Degrees," by Annie Henrie As Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon worked on an inspired translation of the Bible, they had a number of questions about life after death. In particular, they wondered about a passage in which the Savior spoke of "the resurrection of life" and "the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:29). In... Continue Reading →

Between December 1831 and January 1832, Joseph Smith received revelations on at least three topics: missionary work, his translation of the Bible, and the role of a bishop. Here is a summary of these revelations, and some principles I've learned from them: December 1: The Lord instructed Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon to set aside... Continue Reading →

Manuscript book of revelations, known as Revelation Book 1, photo from the article "Publishing the Revelations" on josephsmithpapers.org In November 1831, church leaders in Kirtland decided to publish a collection of revelations received by Joseph Smith. This new publication would be called The Book of Commandments. During that month, church leaders met multiple times and... Continue Reading →

The John Johnson Home in Hiram, Ohio, photo by Jon Ridinger Shortly after returning to Ohio from Missouri, Joseph Smith received a revelation (Doctrine and Covenants 64) which provided guidance for church members on building Zion. Among the principles taught in this revelation were the importance of forgiving one another (v. 1-14) and paying tithing... Continue Reading →

The Isaac Morley Farm, where Joseph Smith and his family lived in 1831 After Joseph Smith and other church leaders returned to Ohio from Independence, Missouri, in August, 1831, he and other church members had many questions, most of them practical and immediate: How should they organize themselves to immigrate to Missouri? When should they... Continue Reading →

Detail from "Missouri River Scene" by Frederick Oakes Sylvester The journey from Missouri to Ohio was challenging. The problem wasn't the weather or the terrain. It was the travelers themselves. They made some poor decisions, clashed with one another, and neglected their most important responsibility. After dedicating the land near Independence, Missouri, identifying the location... Continue Reading →