The Papers
Browse the PapersDocumentsJournalsAdministrative RecordsRevelations and TranslationsHistoriesLegal RecordsFinancial RecordsOther Contemporary Papers
Reference
PeoplePlacesEventsGlossaryLegal GlossaryFinancial GlossaryCalendar of DocumentsWorks CitedFeatured TopicsLesson PlansRelated Publications
Media
VideosPhotographsIllustrationsChartsMapsPodcasts
News
Current NewsArchiveNewsletterSubscribeJSP Conferences
About
About the ProjectJoseph Smith and His PapersFAQAwardsEndorsementsReviewsEditorial MethodNote on TranscriptionsNote on Images of People and PlacesReferencing the ProjectCiting This WebsiteProject TeamContact Us
Published Volumes
  1. Home > 
  2. The Papers > 

Revelation, September 1830–A [D&C 29]

Source Note

Revelation, , Seneca Co., NY, Sept. 1830. Featured version, titled “29th Commandment AD September 1830,” copied [ca. Mar. 1831] in Revelation Book 1, pp. 36–40; handwriting of ; CHL. Includes redactions. For more complete source information, see the source note for Revelation Book 1.

Historical Introduction

This revelation addressed the interest of some early church members in a Book of Mormon prophecy that described the physical gathering of God’s chosen people in America. The Book of Mormon explained that during Christ’s ministry in the Americas he prophesied that his chosen people would establish a sacred city, the . According to the prophecies, “the remnant of Jacob,” which early church members identified as the American Indians, “and also, as many of the house of Israel as shall come” were to build this sacred city and gather to it, assisted by Gentiles who embraced the book’s message. Christ further prophesied that when the progeny of the people described in the Book of Mormon were taught “this Gospel” again, would be established among them.
According to the heading gave this text in Revelation Book 1, the setting for this revelation was a gathering of “Six of the Church & three members” who “understood from Holy Writ that the time had come that the People of God should see eye to eye.” The book of Isaiah declared that God’s people would “see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion”; the Book of Mormon expressed the same sentiment and located Zion in the Americas. The heading seems to indicate, then, that this small group, believing that the Book of Mormon prophecy about Zion would soon be fulfilled, therefore “enquired of the Lord & thus came the word of the Lord through Joseph the seer.”
The revelation affirmed the imminent advent of the Millennium and declared that members of the were called to help gather God’s people before the great event. It then turned to the creation of the world and the nature of Adam’s fall, subjects JS had recently taken up in his Bible revision. According to the heading, the small group had differing views about “the death of Adam (that is his transgression).” Near the end of the text, the revelation addressed the question of whether God’s commandment to Adam to not partake of the forbidden fruit was spiritual or temporal by declaring, “All things unto me are Spiritual & not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal neither any man nor the childern of men Neither Adam your father whom I created.” Thus Adam’s “temporal” act of eating the forbidden fruit rendered him “spiritually dead.”
This revelation called for the gathering of God’s people at the same time that a significant controversy had emerged among the membership of the Church of Christ. In September 1830, JS was attempting to address the problems arising from announcing his own revelations, the authenticity of which was accepted by a number of prominent church members, including and the Whitmer family. Page’s revelations, which concerned “the upbuilding of Zion, the order of the Church &c &c,” and this revelation’s call to gather God’s chosen people prompted another September revelation that clarified JS’s prophetic role as the sole revelator for the church, required Cowdery to correct Hiram Page, and called Cowdery to preach to American Indians in the West.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 501, 566 [3 Nephi 21:23–26]; see also Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 496–502 [3 Nephi 20:10–22:17].

  2. [2]

    Isaiah 52:8; Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 488, 498, 501 [3 Nephi 16:18; 20:32; 21:22–24].

  3. [3]

    See Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 63.

    Faulring, Scott H., Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds. Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004.

  4. [4]

    Newel Knight wrote that Page “had quite a roll of papers full of these revelations.” (Knight, History, 146; see Historical Introduction to Revelation, Sept. 1830–B [D&C 28] for more information on Page’s revelations.)

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

  5. [5]

    JS History, vol. A-1, 54.

  6. [6]

    Revelation, Sept. 1830–B [D&C 28:2, 8–9, 11]. JS’s history suggests that both revelations were received before the 26 September 1830 conference of the church. (See JS History, vol. A-1, 54–58.)

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Revelation, September 1830–A [D&C 29] Revelation Book 1 Revelation, September 1830–A, as Recorded in Hyde and Smith, Notebook [D&C 29] Revelations printed in The Evening and the Morning Star, June 1832–June 1833 Book of Commandments, 1833 Revelations printed in Evening and Morning Star, January 1835–June 1836 Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834] History, circa 1841, draft [Draft 3] History, circa 1841, fair copy “History of Joseph Smith” Doctrine and Covenants, 1844

Page 40

Die as to the temporal death untill I the Lord God should send forth Angels to declare unto them Repentance & redemption through faith on the name of mine only begotten Son & thus did I the Lord God appoint unto man the days of his probation that by his natural death he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life even as many as would believe on my name & they that believe not unto eternal damnation for they cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall Because they repent not for they love darkness more than light & their deeds are evil & they receive their wages of whom they list to obey But Behold I say unto you that little children are redeemed from the foundation of the word world through mine only begotten Wherefore they cannot sin for power is not given to Satan to tempt little children until they begin to be accountable before me for it is given unto them even as I will according to mine own will pleasure that great things may be required at the hand of their fathers & again I say unto you that whoso having knowledge have not I commanded to Repent & he that hath no understanding it remaineth in me to do according as it is written & now behold I declare no more unto you at this time amen [p. 40]
View entire transcript

|

Cite this page

Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 40

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Revelation, September 1830–A [D&C 29]
ID #
6484
Total Pages
5
Print Volume Location
JSP, D1:177–182
Handwriting on This Page
  • John Whitmer

Footnotes

  1. [24]

    See Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 65 [2 Nephi 2:21]. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines probation as “Moral trial; the state of man in the present life, in which he has the opportunity of proving his character and being qualified for a happier state.” (“Probation,” in American Dictionary.)

    An American Dictionary of the English Language: Intended to Exhibit, I. the Origin, Affinities and Primary Signification of English Words, as far as They Have Been Ascertained. . . . Edited by Noah Webster. New York: S. Converse, 1828.

  2. [25]

    Orson Hyde’s early copy of this revelation does not include “on my name.” (Hyde and Smith, Notebook, [37] [D&C 29:43].)

    Hyde, Orson, and Samuel Smith. Notebook of Revelations and Missionary Memoranda, ca. Oct. 1831–ca. Jan. 1832. Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583, box 1, fd. 2.

  3. [26]

    The Book of Mormon also strongly condemned infant baptism, teaching that young children are incapable of committing sin and that Christ’s atonement redeems them all. (Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 581–582 [Moroni 8:9–12].)

  4. [27]

    Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 582 [Moroni 8:22].

© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Terms of UseUpdated 2021-04-13Privacy NoticeUpdated 2021-04-06