LDS Doctrine and Covenants Critique
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The Doctrine and Covenants
SECTION 28
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to
Oliver Cowdery, at Fayette, New York, September 1830. Hiram Page, a
member of the Church, had a certain stone and professed to be receiving
revelations by its aid concerning the upbuilding of Zion and the order
of the Church. Several members had been deceived by these claims, and
even Oliver Cowdery was wrongly influenced thereby. Just prior to an
appointed conference, the Prophet inquired earnestly of the Lord
concerning the matter, and this revelation followed.
1–7, Joseph Smith holds the keys of the mysteries, and only he receives
revelations for the Church; 8–10, Oliver Cowdery is to preach to the
Lamanites; 11–16, Satan deceived Hiram Page and gave him false
revelations.
1 Behold, I say unto thee, Oliver, that it shall be given unto thee
that thou shalt be heard by the church in all things whatsoever thou
shalt teach them by the Comforter, concerning the revelations and
commandments which I have given. 2 But, behold, verily, verily, I say
unto thee, no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and
revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for
he receiveth them even as Moses.
Note: Joseph Smith did not want to lose his church.
Page was living with his in-laws the Whitmers in Fayette, New York.
Joseph Smith Jr. arrived in August 1830 to discover Page using a black
"seerstone" to produce revelations for the church. The revelations were
regarding the organization and location of Zion. Cowdery and the
Whitmer family believed the revelations were authentic. In response,
Smith announced in a new revelation during the church's September
conference that Page's revelations were of the devil (Doctrine and
Covenants, Section 28:11).
3 And thou shalt be obedient unto the things which I shall give unto
him, even as Aaron, to declare faithfully the commandments and the
revelations, with power and authority unto the church.
Note: The New Covenant ended the office of prophet.
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the
fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His
Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He
made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express
image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power,
when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of
the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as
He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hebrews
1:1-4
4 And if thou art led at any time by the Comforter to speak or teach,
or at all times by the way of commandment unto the church, thou mayest
do it.
Note: The Holy Spirit will testify of Jesus Christ.
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of
Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from
the beginning.” John 15:26-27
5 But thou shalt not write by way of commandment, but by wisdom;
Note: Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God.
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from
God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is
written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” 1 Corinthians
1:30-31
6 And thou shalt not command him who is at thy head, and at the head of
the church; 7 For I have given him the keys of the mysteries, and the
revelations which are sealed, until I shall appoint unto them another
in his stead.
Note: The New Covenant ended the office of prophet.
“For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” Matthew 11:13
8 And now, behold, I say unto you that you shall go unto the Lamanites
and preach my gospel unto them; and inasmuch as they receive thy
teachings thou shalt cause my church to be established among them; and
thou shalt have revelations, but write them not by way of commandment.
Note: The Christian Gospel is Jesus Christ.
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to
you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you
are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless
you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I
also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third
day according to the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
9 And now, behold, I say unto you that it is not revealed, and no man
knoweth where the city Zion shall be built, but it shall be given
hereafter. Behold, I say unto you that it shall be on the borders by
the Lamanites.
Note: Joseph Smith falsely prophesied that Zion would be built in Missouri.
The early church grew westward as Smith sent missionaries to
proselytize. In 1831, the church moved to Kirtland, Ohio, where
missionaries had made a large number of converts, and Smith began
establishing an outpost in Jackson County, Missouri, where he planned
to eventually build the city of Zion (or the New Jerusalem).
10 Thou shalt not leave this place until after the conference; and my
servant Joseph shall be appointed to preside over the conference by the
voice of it, and what he saith to thee thou shalt tell. 11 And again,
thou shalt take thy brother, Hiram Page, between him and thee alone,
and tell him that those things which he hath written from that stone
are not of me and that Satan deceiveth him; 12 For, behold, these
things have not been appointed unto him, neither shall anything be
appointed unto any of this church contrary to the church covenants.
Note: Joseph Smith regained control of his church.
At the conference there was considerable discussion on the topic. Page
agreed to discard the stone and the revelations and join in following
Smith as the sole revelator for the church. The members present
confirmed this unanimously with a vote. The fate of the stone and
revelations was not recorded by contemporary sources and has been the
subject of interest ever since. Martin Harris's brother Emer stated
second-hand in 1856 that the stone was ground to powder and the
associated revelations were burned.
13 For all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith.
Note: God will establish believers in the faith by the Holy Bible.
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the
preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery
kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the
prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the
commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— to God,
alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. Romans 16:25-27
14 And thou shalt assist to settle all these things, according to the
covenants of the church, before thou shalt take thy journey among the
Lamanites. 15 And it shall be given thee from the time thou shalt go,
until the time thou shalt return, what thou shalt do. 16 And thou must
open thy mouth at all times, declaring my gospel with the sound of
rejoicing. Amen.
Note: The mission to the Indians failed but they called on Sidney Rigdon.
In his autobiography, Parley P. Pratt wrote that, while still in New
York, the four missionaries called on “an Indian [Seneca] nation at or
near Buffalo; and spent part of a day with them, instructing them in
the knowledge of the record of their forefathers.” In retrospect, the
greatest impact of their mission occurred partway through their
travels. Pratt tells how they continued on their journey until they
stopped in Mentor, Ohio, to call on Sidney Rigdon, Pratt’s “former
friend and instructor, in the Reformed Baptists Society.”