The Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price Journal Edition (neutral)

And it's what gives the Doctrine and Covenants purpose and meaning.

We also have Doctrine and Covenants 77. This is Joseph's revelation in 1832 that offers answers to questions he had or those that were with him had particularly about these chapters.

It's section 61 about the destroyer on the water. And we're told he's riding on the water. Well, why is he riding?

It's really the answer to this. There have been people that read the book of Revelation and think, this sounds great. Let's get those bad guys.

What Joseph says, he says he's praying similar to that prayer we saw in section six, how long O Lord, deliver thou O Jehovah, we beseech thee thy servants from their hands, those untoward generation he talks about, and cleanse them from their blood.

But then in 43 it says, O Lord, we delight not in the destruction of our fellow men. Their souls are precious before thee, but thy word must be fulfilled.

And if you look at the revelations in the doctrine covenants, again, they cite and they quote all the time from the New Testament, the book of Revelation is again, the second most often cited New Testament text in the doctrine of covenants, so that's two books of scripture where the Lord and his prophets seem to be saying, study this book.

Joseph will continue all the way up through 1844 to give sermons on the book of Revelation, to give clues onto some of the symbols in the book of Revelation.

DNC 130, for example, contains some of those hints. What is the sea of glass mentioned in Revelation chapter four, right?

I think you could argue that in a way in 1842, when Joseph introduces the endowment ceremony, what is the endowment but a chance for not just the prophets, but all of us to find ourselves transported into the presence of God, conversing with his angels.

In the Book of Mormon, in 1 Nephi 21, when it says engraven thee upon the palms of my hands, it takes us to section 45 of the Doctrine and Covenants where they will look upon Him and say, what are those wounds in your hands and in your feet?

I think we see it in the 121st section of the Doctrine and Covenants. Remember it says, if we let our bowels be full of charity towards all men and let virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly and then shall what your confidence will act strong in the presence of God.

In the 131st section of the Doctrine and Covenants, when it talks about becoming like God and the attributes of God, not 131, it's 132.

I've suffered affliction to come upon them or what they have been afflicted consequence of their transgressions yet I will own them. I love that imagery.

Think about D&C 138 and Peter 3, talking about how Christ organized the spirits to minister to those that were imprisoned during the time before his death and resurrection.

From the Nephites for sure, but also from the people in the Old Testament and the New Testament and the Doctrine and Covenants and whatever else.

If you read Isaiah in the Bible dictionary, go to the last paragraph. It says, as one understands these works better, he will understand Isaiah better talking about the book of Mormon and the doctrine covenants.

And we did the Book of Mormon pretty much on schedule, and we got through the Doctrine and Covenants pretty much on schedule.

We are on a really important sections lesson, a couple of sections in the doctor and

I have looked forward to this. These three sections from Liberty Jail for a long time and so glad to have brother Baugh with us again.

And had he not put that in there, there would have been even less understanding of the situation he was in.

These sections, at least 1-21-122 are mentioned almost every conference. It just happens over and over again because there's so much meaning behind what Joseph Smith's experiencing here and what the Lord is trying to help him understand.

If you don't mind just for a minute section one thirty four now that's the marvelous section on laws pertaining to government in general you know.

So out of that very office here's your book Mormon, Dr. and Covenants and MSM now.

I've taken time and time again as we've gone through the doctrine of this year and John you can you can tell me if I'm saying this too much but this man Joseph Smith there is no doubt at all that he believes he's a prophet because if he was making this up as he went he sure is asking himself to do some really hard things right and it would be he's just saying you know and once he receives the revelation he goes I'm amazed that they even come to Ohio in the dead of winter right when the Lord says let's go to Ohio Joseph is the first to pack up his assay and I would say man if I was making this up I'd say go to Ohio when when it's convenient and you know when the weather's nice spring right yeah and a nice weather so he gets up and he gets started I like what you said there he doesn't he doesn't let the grass grow under his feet I'm going to use that Susan okay well

I don't know how you another doctor and Covenants teachers do that right I don't know how you keep people interested in the doctor and Covenants and now this year I'm going uh I need to some repenting I absolutely needed some repenting there's a lot in here oh I want to

He wants us to become like him as we're taught in the doctrine of covenant.

So I love 121 kind of says kind of makes that distinction. It might be conferred upon you. It doesn't mean you have it.

It's extremely important that we do for those who have entered the temple and received their endowments and especially their initiatives.

I think that's important that men also realize that the terminology and gender doesn't change for the women in the temple.

And so you look at this and how does it apply to women as well and I can kind of walk through this but before I even do that I just a simple testimony. I had sister Burton who was a general Lisa's ID president.

The Doctrine and Covenants is by far the greatest external witness in evidence which we have from the Lord that the Book of Mormon is true.

The book of Mormon brings men to Christ. The Doctrine and Covenants brings men to Christ's kingdom.

The book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion and the Doctrine and Covenants is the capstone with continuing revelation.

The Lord has placed his stamp of approval on both the keystone and the capstone.

God bless all of us to use all the scriptures but in particular the instrument he designed to bring us to Christ, the book of Mormon the keystone of our religion along with its companion volume the capstone the Doctrine and Covenants the instrument to bring us to Christ kingdom.

the whole doctrine of covenants begins with hark and hear listen so here it is in first one behold us say at the Lord your God unto you oh ye elders of my church hark and ye and hear and receive my will concerning you

the doctrine of covenants is a book about forgiveness I call it the forgiving book of the doctrine and covenants everybody's getting forgiven all the time in this one yeah constantly they're being forgiven and section 64 is what we do and so he starts out verse two veryly I say and you I will that you should overcome the world now notice what we're learning about the revealer it's it's Jesus and the Father I want to find in these sections I want you to overcome the world I say I want overcome it too Lord I will I will have compassion upon you I wish a compassionate God there are those among you who have sand

I can go to the doctrine covenant and son learn doctrine and covenants I can learn the ideas behind it ordinances I can look at history but what I really want to pull out of every section is the voice behind the words I want to know the revealer and in the doctrine and covenants is a book about forgiveness

I just look at 61 and because I was thinking about this, look how the Lord was just, Well, I want to revelation about this.

And I think that's important, especially in our day and age, we have a lot of young adults who sometimes I think that they think or not just them, many people, many of us may think that if we ask too many questions at some point, we might find that the church isn't true.

I just think we're gonna see this later on and the doctor kept us why I'm not going to blow it yet but they're going to be other times in the future where the Lord says you you think you can write a revelation yeah right I was just trying

However in the early days of the church there were some pretty funny councils that were going on and I think I can't remember the names that I apologize I don't have at all my head right now but the first accusation was speaking to loudly in public and then you learn more about this later in the doctrine of comments it will have more specific as to you know the the way in which people are going through these councils in response place is as individual but there was a lot to learn for the early Saints to regarding these councils.

It is it is the book that is meant to take us into the the fullness of the Abrahamic covenant and the blessings of exaltation it's just a beautiful book.

I think this year I personally John I know you've said this a couple of times I'll never look at the doctrine covenant same way again. At least these first 28 sections that we've gone through

The Doctrine and Covenants is the same way. It's not very ambiguous. It's the Lord speaking in most sections.

the pattern we've been seeing through the Doctrine and Covenants is the whole question-answer.

You sound like Joseph Smith. This is Doctrine and Covenants 128-22.