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Revelation, 15 June 1831 [D&C 56]

Source Note

Revelation, [, OH], 15 June 1831. Featured version, titled “59th. Commandment June 15th. 1831,” copied [ca. June 1831] in Revelation Book 1, pp. 91–93; handwriting of ; CHL. Includes redactions. For more complete source information, see the source note for Revelation Book 1.

Historical Introduction

When he copied the following revelation into Revelation Book 1, introduced it by writing, “ was desirous to know what he should do as the Lord had commanded him & to take their Journey to the land of but Thayer could not get ready as soon as Thomas wanted that he should.” Thayer and Marsh had been commanded in a 6 June 1831 revelation to “take their Journey also preaching the word by the way unto this same land [Missouri],” and nine days later, Marsh was apparently ready to depart with others traveling to Missouri while Thayer was not. An earlier revelation directed Thayer to board with on ’s farm. That same revelation directed that “all the Brethren immediately assemble together & put up an house for my Servent Ezra” on Williams’s property. It also instructed Thayer to “humble himself & at the conference meeting he shall be ordained unto power from on high & he shall go from thence (if he be obedient unto my commandments) & proclaim my Gospel unto the western regions with my Servents that must go forth even unto the borders of the .”
It is uncertain what prevented from accompanying , but this revelation refers to the “former which I have given him [Thayer] concerning the place upon which he lives” and the money Thayer had apparently paid for it. It is likely that he paid some of the balance owed Isaac Moore on the farm where he and the family lived and worked. Because the revelation asserts that “there shall no divisions be made upon the land,” Thayer may have previously requested that before his departure for , a title be assigned to him for the portion of land he had paid for. The revelation also suggests that he might have requested that the money he had paid toward the debt be returned to him if he was not assigned title.
The 6 June 1831 revelation had also directed that , leader of the then located at , Ohio, and travel together to . Both men received further instruction in this 15 June revelation. Recent difficulties between the Colesville, New York, believers and landowner , who withdrew his offer to allow them to settle on his property, prompted a 10 June revelation that directed the Colesville group to move to Missouri. That revelation further instructed the Thompson members to “appoint whom you will to be your leader & to pay moneyes for you.” Upon learning that revelations had both dictated their removal to Missouri and assigned their leader Newel Knight to leave them for a preaching mission, some of the members in Thompson may have voiced concerns to JS. Whatever the impetus, this revelation rescinded the command for Knight to leave on a mission and instead assigned Knight’s previously named missionary companion, Selah Griffin, to accompany in place of .

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Revelation, 6 June 1831 [D&C 52:22]. Thayer was also among those “ordained to the High Priesthood” at the June conference associated with this revelation. (Minutes, ca. 3–4 June 1831.)

  2. [2]

    Revelation, 15 May 1831.

  3. [3]

    See Historical Introduction to Revelation, 15 May 1831.

  4. [4]

    Revelation, 6 June 1831 [D&C 52:32].

  5. [5]

    Revelation, 10 June 1831 [D&C 54:7].

  6. [6]

    The compiler of Newel Knight’s history in 1871 included this note: “I will here introduce the facts as nearly as I am able to glean them. On taking the revelation to Thompson, concerning the removal of the Saints from there to Missouri, which gave them the privilege of appointing their own leader; and also the revelation appointing him to his mission, it appears that the Saints were grieved at the thought of brother Knight leaving them, for he had been with them from their first acquaintanc with the Church, and they leaned on him, as their guide and appointed him as their leader, from Thompson to Missouri. This reached the prophet Joseph’s ears, and in a revelation . . . brother Newel’s mission was revoked, and he was sustaind in leading them.” It is possible that this reconstruction of events was made with the benefit of sources that are no longer extant. (Knight, History, 310a–310b.)

    Knight, Newel. History. Private possession. Copy in CHL. MS 19156.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Revelation, 15 June 1831 [D&C 56] Revelation Book 1 Revelation, 15 June 1831, Unidentified Scribe Copy [D&C 56] Book of Commandments, 1833 Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834] Doctrine and Covenants, 1844 “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 92

And after that I have commanded & the commandment is broken Wherefore I the lord command & revoke as it seemeth me good & all this to be answered upon the heads of the rebelious saith the Lord Wherefore I revoke the commandment which was given unto my servent & & give a new commandment unto my Servent that he shall take up his Journey speedily to the land of & my servent shall also go with him for behold I revoke the commandment which was given to my servents & in consequence of the stiffneckedness of my people which are in & their rebelions Wherefore let my servent remain with them & as many as will go may go that are contrite before me & be led by him to the land which I have appointed & again verily I say unto you that my servent must repent of his pride & his selfishness & obey the former commandment which I have given him concerning the place upon which he lives & if he will do this as there shall no divisions be <​be​> made upon the land he shall be appointed still to go to the land of otherwise he shall receive the money which he has paid & shall leave the place & shall be cut off out of my Church saith the Lord god of host & though the Heavens & the Earth pass away these words shall not pass away but shall be fulfilled & if my servent Joseph must needs pay the money Behold I the Lord will pay <​it​> unto him again in the land of that those of whom he shall receive may be rewarded again according to that which they do they shall receive even in lands for their in heritance Behold thus saith the lord unto my people you have many things to do & to repent of for behold your sins have come up unto me & are not pardoned because you seek to council in your own ways & your hearts are not satisfied & y◊ obey not the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness wo! unto you rich men that will not give your substance to the poor for your riches will kanker your souls And this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation & of Judgement & of indignation the Harvest is past the summer is ended & my soul is not saved wo! unto you poor men whose hearts are not broken whose spirits are not contrite & whose bellys are not satisfied & whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other mens goods whose eyes are full of greediness whos will not labour with their own hands [p. 92]
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Page 92

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Revelation, 15 June 1831 [D&C 56]
ID #
6517
Total Pages
3
Print Volume Location
JSP, D1:339–342
Handwriting on This Page
  • John Whitmer

Footnotes

  1. [2]

    See Revelation, 6 June 1831 [D&C 52:22].

  2. [3]

    See Revelation, 6 June 1831 [D&C 52:32].

  3. [4]

    Another early copy of this revelation has “if he will not do this,” apparently a scribal error. (Revelations Collection, CHL [D&C 56:9].)

    Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583.

  4. [5]

    Another early copy of this revelation has “& those of whome he shal receive may be rewarded again in the land of according to that which they do for according to that which they do they shal receive.” The published versions of the revelation also use this wording. (Revelations Collection, CHL; Book of Commandments 58:14; Doctrine and Covenants 69:4, 1835 ed. [D&C 56:13].)

    Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583.

  5. [6]

    See 2 Thessalonians 2:12.

  6. [7]

    An earlier revelation used the same imagery and language. (Revelation, ca. 7 Mar. 1831 [D&C 45:2].)

  7. [8]

    The revealed law for the Church of Christ, recorded in February, had warned, “Thou Shalt not be Idle for he that is Idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garment of the labourer.” (Revelation, 9 Feb. 1831 [D&C 42:42].)

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