LDS Doctrine and Covenants Critique
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The Doctrine and Covenants
SECTION 29
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, in
the presence of six elders, at Fayette, New York, September 1830. This
revelation was given some days prior to the conference, beginning
September 26, 1830.
1–8, Christ gathers His elect; 9–11, His coming ushers in the
Millennium; 12–13, The Twelve will judge all Israel; 14–21, Signs,
plagues, and desolations will precede the Second Coming; 22–28, The
last resurrection and final judgment follow the Millennium; 29–35, All
things are spiritual unto the Lord; 36–39, The devil and his hosts were
cast out of heaven to tempt man; 40–45, The Fall and Atonement bring
salvation; 46–50, Little children are redeemed through the Atonement.
1 Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I AM, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins;
Note: Believers have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the
kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14
2 Who will gather his people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under
her wings, even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble
themselves before me and call upon me in mighty prayer.
Note: Unbelievers will be gathered for judgment at the end of the age.
He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of
Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the
kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who
sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the
reapers are the angels. Therefore, as the tares are gathered and burned
in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will
send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things
that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them
into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:37-42
3 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that at this time your sins
are forgiven you, therefore ye receive these things; but remember to
sin no more, lest perils shall come upon you.
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you
have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
John 5:14
4 Verily, I say unto you that ye are chosen out of the world to declare
my gospel with the sound of rejoicing, as with the voice of a trump.
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
5 Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your
advocate with the Father; and it is his good will to give you the
kingdom.
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16
“I am there in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20
we have an Advocate with the Father 1 John 2:1
“it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32
6 And, as it is written—Whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, being united in prayer according to my command, ye shall receive.
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matthew 21:22
7 And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for
mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts; 8 Wherefore the
decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall be gathered in
unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts and
be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and
desolation are sent forth upon the wicked.
Note: Believers will hide in heaven from the wrath of God.
Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation
is past. For behold, the LORD comes out of His place to punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also
disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain. Isaiah 26:20-21
9 For the hour is nigh and the day soon at hand when the earth is ripe;
and all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I
will burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that wickedness shall not
be upon the earth; 10 For the hour is nigh, and that which was spoken
by mine apostles must be fulfilled; for as they spoke so shall it come
to pass; 11 For I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great
glory, with all the hosts thereof, and dwell in righteousness with men
on earth a thousand years, and the wicked shall not stand.
Note: Joseph Smith suffered from millennium madness.
In the 19th century, some groups—particularly certain Anabaptist and
Mennonite communities—developed radical prophetic teachings, fixed end
time dates, and even claimed prophetic roles.
12 And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, and it hath gone forth in
a firm decree, by the will of the Father, that mine apostles, the
Twelve which were with me in my ministry at Jerusalem, shall stand at
my right hand at the day of my coming in a pillar of fire, being
clothed with robes of righteousness, with crowns upon their heads, in
glory even as I am, to judge the whole house of Israel, even as many as
have loved me and kept my commandments, and none else.
Note: Jesus Christ will return to judge the world.
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on
him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and
makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were
many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He
was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The
Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and
clean, followed Him on white horses. Revelation 19:11-14
13 For a trump shall sound both long and loud, even as upon Mount
Sinai, and all the earth shall quake, and they shall come forth—yea,
even the dead which died in me, to receive a crown of righteousness,
and to be clothed upon, even as I am, to be with me, that we may be one.
Note: Believers in faith will receive the crown of righteousness.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of
my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished
the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give
to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved
His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8
14 But, behold, I say unto you that before this great day shall come
the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall be turned into blood, and
the stars shall fall from heaven, and there shall be greater signs in
heaven above and in the earth beneath;
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall
from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Matthew
24:29
15 And there shall be weeping and wailing among the hosts of men;
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
weeping and wailing Revelation 18:15
16 And there shall be a great hailstorm sent forth to destroy the crops of the earth.
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
And great hail from heaven fell upon men Revelation 16:21
17 And it shall come to pass, because of the wickedness of the world,
that I will take vengeance upon the wicked, for they will not repent;
for the cup of mine indignation is full; for behold, my blood shall not
cleanse them if they hear me not.
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is
poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. Revelation
14:10
18 Wherefore, I the Lord God will send forth flies upon the face of the
earth, which shall take hold of the inhabitants thereof, and shall eat
their flesh, and shall cause maggots to come in upon them;
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his
servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was
corrupted because of the swarms of flies. Exodus 8:24
19 And their tongues shall be stayed that they shall not utter against
me; and their flesh shall fall from off their bones, and their eyes
from their sockets; 20 And it shall come to pass that the beasts of the
forest and the fowls of the air shall devour them up.
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
“And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, speak to every
sort of bird and to every beast of the field: “Assemble yourselves and
come; Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal which I am
sacrificing for you, a great sacrificial meal on the mountains of
Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh
of the mighty, drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams and
lambs, of goats and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. You shall
eat fat till you are full, and drink blood till you are drunk, at My
sacrificial meal which I am sacrificing for you. You shall be filled at
My table with horses and riders, with mighty men and with all the men
of war,” says the Lord GOD.” Ezekiel 39:17-20
21 And the great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the
earth, shall be cast down by devouring fire, according as it is spoken
by the mouth of Ezekiel the prophet, who spoke of these things, which
have not come to pass but surely must, as I live, for abominations
shall not reign.
Note: Ezekiel wrote in Hebrew for the Old Testament.
The Hebrew letters themselves carry significance: Yod (י) represents
divine hand or power, Chet (ח) symbolizes life or fence, Zayin (ז) can
signify weapon or sustenance, Qof (ק) relates to holiness or the back
of the head, Aleph (א) represents God or unity, and Lamed (ל) denotes
learning or guidance. Together, the name conveys the idea of God’s
strength and guidance imparted to the prophet.
Note: The word church is from the New Testament.
The English word "church" originates from the Greek term kyriakē,
meaning "the Lord's house," and passed through Germanic and Old English
before becoming the modern English word.
22 And again, verily, verily, I say unto you that when the thousand
years are ended, and men again begin to deny their God, then will I
spare the earth but for a little season;
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from
his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four
corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle,
whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of
the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.
And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. Revelation
20:7-9
23 And the end shall come, and the heaven and the earth shall be
consumed and pass away, and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth.
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Revelation 21:1
24 For all old things shall pass away, and all things shall become new,
even the heaven and the earth, and all the fulness thereof, both men
and beasts, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea;
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
“Behold, I make all things new.” Revelation 21:5
25 And not one hair, neither mote, shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine hand.
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
“But not a hair of your head shall be lost.” Luke 21:18
26 But, behold, verily I say unto you, before the earth shall pass
away, Michael, mine archangel, shall sound his trump, and then shall
all the dead awake, for their graves shall be opened, and they shall
come forth—yea, even all.
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in
Christ will rise first 1 Thessalonians 4:16
27 And the righteous shall be gathered on my right hand unto eternal
life; and the wicked on my left hand will I be ashamed to own before
the Father; 28 Wherefore I will say unto them—Depart from me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
“And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” Matthew 25:33
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you
cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his
angels:” Matthew 25:41
29 And now, behold, I say unto you, never at any time have I declared
from mine own mouth that they should return, for where I am they cannot
come, for they have no power.
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
‘so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ Luke 16:26
30 But remember that all my judgments are not given unto men; and as
the words have gone forth out of my mouth even so shall they be
fulfilled, that the first shall be last, and that the last shall be
first in all things whatsoever I have created by the word of my power,
which is the power of my Spirit.
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
“But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Matthew 19:30
31 For by the power of my Spirit created I them; yea, all things both
spiritual and temporal—32 First spiritual, secondly temporal, which is
the beginning of my work; and again, first temporal, and secondly
spiritual, which is the last of my work—
Note: The Holy Bible was plagiarized.
However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 1 Corinthians 15:46
33 Speaking unto you that you may naturally understand; but unto myself
my works have no end, neither beginning; but it is given unto you that
ye may understand, because ye have asked it of me and are agreed.
Note: Joseph Smith was naturally confused.
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God,
for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14
34 Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are
spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was
temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your
father, whom I created.
Note: Believers will be grounded on Jesus Christ.
But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly
judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may
instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:15-16
35 Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself; and
I gave unto him commandment, but no temporal commandment gave I unto
him, for my commandments are spiritual; they are not natural nor
temporal, neither carnal nor sensual.
Note: Believers will be grounded on Jesus Christ.
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which
God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers
of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:7-8
36 And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for,
behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying,
Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the
hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency; 37 And
they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels; 38 And,
behold, there is a place prepared for them from the beginning, which
place is hell.
Note: There is no universal salvation.
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you
cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his
angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you
gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked
and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit
Me.’” Matthew 25:41-43
39 And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of
men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never
should have bitter they could not know the sweet—
Note: Believers will confess Jesus Christ and find grace in time of need.
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we
do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us
therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy
and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16
40 Wherefore, it came to pass that the devil tempted Adam, and he
partook of the forbidden fruit and transgressed the commandment,
wherein he became subject to the will of the devil, because he yielded
unto temptation.
Note: Believers have been made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men,
resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the
free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as
by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s
obedience many will be made righteous. Romans 5:18-19
41 Wherefore, I, the Lord God, caused that he should be cast out from
the Garden of Eden, from my presence, because of his transgression,
wherein he became spiritually dead, which is the first death, even that
same death which is the last death, which is spiritual, which shall be
pronounced upon the wicked when I shall say: Depart, ye cursed.
Note: Adam was cast out due to the tree of life.
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to
know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of
the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the LORD God
sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was
taken. So, He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of
the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to
guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:22-24
42 But, behold, I say unto you that I, the Lord God, gave unto Adam and
unto his seed, that they should not die as to the temporal death, until
I, the Lord God, should send forth angels to declare unto them
repentance and redemption, through faith on the name of mine Only
Begotten Son.
Note: Adam was told not to discover evil as it would result in death.
Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to
tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every
tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it
you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:15-17
43 And 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; 44 And they that
believe not unto eternal damnation; for they cannot be redeemed from
their spiritual fall, because they repent not; 45 For they love
darkness rather than light, and their deeds are evil, and they receive
their wages of whom they list to obey.
Note: Joseph Smith changed his mind on eternal damnation.
Starting around 1842, Joseph Smith and others appeared to be more open
to being viewed as Universalist. Smith said in a speech in 1844, "I
have no fear of hell fire, that doesn't exist, but the torment and
disappointment of the mind of man is as exquisite as a lake burning
with fire and brimstone."
46 But behold, I say unto you, that little children are redeemed from
the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten; 47 Wherefore,
they cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little
children, until they begin to become accountable before me; 48 For it
is given unto them even as I will, according to mine own pleasure, that
great things may be required at the hand of their fathers.
Note: Little children have faith until sin is taught to them.
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid
them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14
49 And, again, I say unto you, that whoso having knowledge, have I not
commanded to repent? 50 And he that hath no understanding, it remaineth
in me to do according as it is written. And now I declare no more unto
you at this time. Amen.
Note: Joseph Smith had no understanding of salvation.
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your
heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you
confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart
one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will
not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and
Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For
“whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” Romans 10:8-13