Doctrine and Covenants 137

Doctrine and Covenants 137

Historical Context

Doctrine and Covenants 137 consists of a vision given to Joseph Smith while he was in the Kirtland Temple on January 21, 1836. The vision was part of the pentecostal outpouring that occurred in the weeks and months leading up to the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in April 1836. The vision came after Joseph Smith and the Presidency of the Church met in preparation to receive the endowment ceremony as it was practiced in Kirtland. As part of their preparation, the Church leaders present washed and perfumed themselves “preparatory to the anointing with the holy oil.”1 As the sun was setting, the Church Presidency gathered with a group of leaders, including the Kirtland and Missouri high councils. Oliver Cowdery recorded that the members of the Presidency were “anointed with the same kind of oil and in the man[ner] that were Moses and Aaron, and those who stood before the Lord in ancient days.”2

Joseph’s journal recorded these events as follows: “I then took the seat, and father anointed my head, and sealed upon me the blessings of Moses, to lead Israel in the latter days, even as Moses led [them] in days of old,—also the blessings of Abraham[,] Isaac[,] and Jacob,—all of the presidency laid their hands upon me and pronounced upon my head many prophesies, and blessings, many of which I shall not notice at this time, but as Paul said, so say I, let us come to visions and revelations.”3 Joseph’s journal then record’s the vision found in Doctrine and Covenants 137 and noted, “Many of my brethren who received this ordinance [the Kirtland endowment] with me, saw glorious visions also,—angels ministered unto them, as well as myself, and the power of the highest rested upon us, the house was filled with the glory of God, and we shouted Hosannah to God and the Lamb.”4

Though the vision was recorded in Joseph Smith’s journal in 1836, Doctrine and Covenants 137 is a relatively new addition to the scriptural canon. It was formally added to the Pearl of Great Price on April 3, 1876, under the direction of President Spencer W. Kimball. On June 22, 1979, the First Presidency announced that this revelation would be moved to the Doctrine and Covenants and designated section 137 as part of the 1981 edition of the scriptures.5 Commenting on this new addition to the scriptural canon, President Boyd K. Packer said, “I was surprised, and I think all of the Brethren were surprised, at how casually that announcement of two additions to the standard works was received by the Church. But we will live to sense the significance of it; we will tell our grandchildren and our great grandchildren, and we will record in our diaries, that we were on the earth and remember when that took place.”6

Not all of the vision was placed into the scriptural canon. A part of the vision that concerned the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was left out of section 137. This portion of the vision was recorded in Joseph Smith’s journal as follows:

I saw the 12 apostles of the Lamb, who are now upon the earth [and] who hold the keys of this last ministry, in foreign lands, standing together in a circle much fatigued, with their clothes tattered and feet swollen, with their eyes cast downward, and Jesus standing in their midst, and they did not behold him, the Savior looked upon them and wept—I also beheld Elder McLellen [William E. McLellin]in the south, standing upon a hill surrounded with a vast multitude, preaching to them, and a lame man standing before him, supported by his crutches, he threw them down at his word, and leaped as an heart [hart] by the mighty power of God.

Also Elder Brigham Young standing in a strange land, in the far southwest, in a desert place, upon a rock in the midst of about a dozen men of color, who, appeared hostile[.] He was preaching to them in their own tongue, and the angel of God [was] standing above his head with a drawn sword in his hand protecting him, but he did not see it,—and I finally saw the 12, in the celestial kingdom of God,—I also beheld the redemption of Zion, and many things which the tongue of man, cannot describe in full.7

See “Historical Introduction,” Visions, 21 January 1836 [D&C 137].

Verse-by-Verse Commentary

D&C 137:1–6

1 The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell.

2 I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire;

3 Also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son.

4 I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold.

5 I saw Father Adam and Abraham; and my father and my mother; my brother Alvin, that has long since slept;

6 And marveled how it was that he had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to gather Israel the second time, and had not been baptized for the remission of sins.

The January 21, 1836, vision of the celestial kingdom was one of several visions given in Kirtland in which Joseph Smith or others saw the Father and the Son. The Father and the Son were also seen in vision at a June 1831 conference held on the Isaac Morley Farm, during the February 16, 1832, vision at the John Johnson Home (D&C 76), during a meeting held on March 18, 1833, in the Newel K. Whitney Store, and in other locations. Doctrine and Covenants 137 is unique in that, along with the Savior, Joseph also saw his own father and mother, his deceased brother Alvin, Father Adam, and Abraham. The presence of Joseph’s father and mother indicates that this was a vision of the future, since both of them were alive in 1836 and Joseph’s father was in the room with him when the vision was given.

Alvin Smith was Joseph’s oldest brother, who passed away on November 19, 1823. According to Lucy Mack Smith, Alvin became ill when a doctor gave him a dose of calomel, which lodged in Alvin’s stomach and became gangrenous. After several days of immense pain, Alvin called together the Smith children, providing each sibling with some final words of advice. When Alvin spoke to Joseph Jr., he said, “I want you to be a good boy, and do everything that lays in your power to obtain the record—be faithful in receiving instruction, and in keeping every commandment that is given you—your brother Alvin must leave now, but remember the example which he has set for you, and set the same example for the children that are younger than yourself—and always be kind to father and mother.”8

The vision of the Celestial Kingdom found in Doctrine and Covenants 137 came before God revealed to Joseph Smith that the sealing power made it possible for living individuals to be baptized on behalf of those who are deceased. A few months later in the Kirtland temple Elijah appeared to Joseph and gave him “the keys of this dispensation” necessary to perform these ordinances. Joseph later explained that Elijah “restored the authority to join families together forever in eternal relationships that transcend death.”9 It still took several more years until the principles surrounding work for the dead were fully revealed to Joseph. Once ordinances for the deceased were revealed, Alvin received the ordinances by proxy, including baptism, confirmation, initiatory, and the endowment. Alvin was also sealed to his mother and father, explaining their presence together in the celestial kingdom in this vision (D&C 137:5).10

D&C 138:7–9

7 Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;

8 Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom;

9 For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.

The death of his brother Alvin was a pivotal event in the life of Joseph Smith. Nearly two decades after Alvin’s passing, Joseph wrote of the nobility of his brother and the sorrow he felt over his death:

Alvin[,] my oldest brother, I remember well the pangs of sorrow that swelled my youthful bosom and almost burst my tender heart, when he died. He was the oldest, and the noblest of my father’s family. He was one of the noblest of the sons of men: Shall his name not be recorded in this Book? Yes, Alvin; let it be had here, and be handed down upon these sacred pages, forever and ever. In him there was no guile. He lived without spot from the time he was a child. From the time of his birth, he never knew mirth. He was candid and sober and never would play; and minded his father, and mother, in toiling all day. He was one of the soberest of men and when he died the Angel of the Lord visited him in his last moments.11

The truths revealed to Joseph Smith in Doctrine and Covenants 137 provide solace to all who have lost someone they loved. God, knowing all things, considers our knowledge and the state of our hearts before the Judgment. This system allows for perfect mercy and perfect justice for all people. The means for deceased individuals to make sacred covenants such as baptism came to Joseph Smith years later. But at this time, in 1836, all Joseph needed to know was that the door of salvation was still open for his brother. The Latter-day Saint view of the Savior’s conquest over death, a vital part of the message of the Restoration, took another step forward when Joseph saw his brother in the celestial kingdom. This brief glimpse allows all to understand the mercy of God and His infinite goodness. No person is lost. God will judge us based on the desires of our hearts.

D&C 137:10

10 And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.

Joseph Smith was already aware of the doctrine of the salvation of little children, in a general sense, through the teachings of prophets in the Book of Mormon. For example, Abinadi declared, “And little children also have eternal life” (Mosiah 15:25, see also Mosiah 3:18). Several other revelations found in the Doctrine and Covenants contain similar teachings (see D&C 29:46, 45:58, 68:25–28, 74:7). In an 1842 discourse recorded by Wilford Woodruff, Joseph Smith taught: “The Lord takes many away even in infancy that they may escape the envy of man, the sorrows and evils of this present world[,] and they were too pure and too lovely to live on Earth, Therefore[,] if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice, as they are delivered from evil & we shall soon have them again.”12

For Joseph and Emma Smith, who lost several children before the age of accountability, the doctrine of the salvation of little children must have been immensely comforting. Most people in the early days of the Church saw many children die before they reached the age of accountability. Knowing that their little ones are waiting for them in the celestial kingdom and are not lost forever has provided solace for parents in Joseph and Emma’s time and in ours.

Footnotes

• 1. Oliver Cowdery Diary, January 21, 1836, cited in “Historical Introduction,” Visions, 21 January 1836 [D&C 137], JSP.
• 2. Oliver Cowdery Diary, January 21, 1836, cited in “Historical Introduction,” Visions, 21 January 1836 [D&C 137], JSP.
• 3. JS Journal, 21 January 1836, p. 136, JSP.
• 4. JS Journal, 21 January 1836, p. 138, JSP.
• 5. Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, 2005, 4:295–96.
• 6. Boyd K. Packer, “Teach the Scriptures,” address delivered to CES personnel, October 14, 1977, Salt Lake City, in Charge to Religious Educators, 21.)
• 7. JS Journal, 21 January 1836, p. 138, JSP.
• 8. Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845, p. 91, JSP.
• 9. “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
• 10. According to FamilySearch.org, Alvin Smith received his baptism, confirmation, initiatory, and endowment on April 10–11, 1877, in the St. George Utah Temple. He was sealed to his parents in the Salt Lake Temple on August 25, 1897. “Alvin Smith,” accessed July 14, 2021, https://www.FamilySearch.org/tree/person/ordinances/KWVC-7KB.
• 11. Reflections and Blessings, 16 and 23 August 1842, p. 180, JSP.
• 12. Discourse, 20 March 1842, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff, p. 134, JSP.