Doctrine and Covenants 88

Every so often, the Lord gives us a glimpse of His boundless “majesty and power” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:47) through stunning revelations. Doctrine and Covenants 88 is that kind of revelation—one about light and glory and kingdoms that can make our earthly cares seem small by comparison. Even if we can’t comprehend it all, we can at least sense that there’s far more to eternity than we ever realized. Of course, the Lord doesn’t share these grand truths to intimidate us or make us feel small. In fact, He promised, “The day shall come when you shall comprehend even God” (verse 49; emphasis added). Perhaps it was to that glorious end that the Lord commanded His Saints in Kirtland to form the School of the Prophets. “Organize yourselves,” He said. “Prepare every needful thing; and establish … a house of God” (verse 119). More than anywhere else, it is within God’s holy house—and in our homes—that He can lift our vision beyond the mortal world, “unveil his face unto [us],” and prepare us to “abide a celestial glory” (verses 68, 22).

See Saints, 1:164–66.

Elder Quentin L. Cook shares insights about Doctrine and Covenants 85:6.

Section 87

Revelation and prophecy on war, given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at or near Kirtland, Ohio, December 25, 1832. At this time disputes in the United States over slavery and South Carolina’s nullification of federal tariffs were prevalent. Joseph Smith’s history states that “appearances of troubles among the nations” were becoming “more visible” to the Prophet “than they had previously been since the Church began her journey out of the wilderness.”

Section 86

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, December 6, 1832. This revelation was received while the Prophet was reviewing and editing the manuscript of the translation of the Bible.

Section 85

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, November 27, 1832. This section is an extract from a letter of the Prophet to William W. Phelps, who was living in Independence, Missouri. It answers questions about those Saints who had moved to Zion but who had not followed the commandment to consecrate their properties and had thus not received their inheritances according to the established order in the Church.

Doctrine and Covenants 85–87

Christmas Day is usually a time to ponder messages like “peace on earth” (see Luke 2:14). But on December 25, 1832, Joseph Smith’s mind was occupied with the threat of war. The state of South Carolina in the United States had just defied the government and was preparing for battle. And the Lord revealed that this was only the beginning: “War,” He declared, “will be poured out upon all nations” (Doctrine and Covenants 87:2). It seemed like this prophecy would be fulfilled very soon.

But then it wasn’t. Within a few weeks, South Carolina and the United States government reached a compromise, and war was averted. Prophecy, however, is not always fulfilled at the time or in the way we expect. Nearly 30 years later, long after Joseph Smith was martyred, South Carolina rebelled and civil war followed. Today, war throughout the world continues to cause “the earth [to] mourn” (Doctrine and Covenants 87:6). The value of this revelation is less in predicting when calamity will come and more in teaching what to do when it comes. The counsel is the same in 1831, 1861, and 2025: “Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved” (verse 8).

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, September 22 and 23, 1832. During the month of September, elders had begun to return from their missions in the eastern states and to make reports of their labors. It was while they were together in this season of joy that the following communication was received. The Prophet designated it a revelation on priesthood.

Doctrine and Covenants 84

Ever since the priesthood was restored in 1829, the early Saints had been blessed by the Lord’s sacred power. They were baptized, confirmed, and called to serve by priesthood authority, much like we are today. But having access to priesthood power is not the same thing as completely understanding it, and God had more He wanted His Saints to understand—particularly with the coming restoration of temple ordinances. The 1832 revelation on the priesthood, now Doctrine and Covenants 84, expanded the Saints’ vision of what the priesthood really is. And it can do the same for us today. After all, there is a lot to learn about the divine power that holds “the key of the knowledge of God,” that makes manifest “the power of godliness,” and that prepares us to “see the face of God, even the Father, and live” (verses 19–22).

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Independence, Missouri, April 30, 1832. This revelation was received as the Prophet sat in council with his brethren.

Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, April 26, 1832. The occasion was a council of high priests and elders of the Church. At the council, Joseph Smith was sustained as the President of the High Priesthood, to which office he had previously been ordained at a conference of high priests, elders, and members, at Amherst, Ohio, January 25, 1832 (see the heading to section 75). This revelation reiterates instructions given in an earlier revelation (section 78) to establish a firm—known as the United Firm (under Joseph Smith’s direction, the term “order” later replaced “firm”)—to govern the Church’s mercantile and publishing endeavors.