Doctrine and Covenants 78

Doctrine and Covenants 78

Historical Context

During this early period of Church history, leaders constantly worked to balance the needs of the Church in Ohio and in Missouri. This revelation directed Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Newel K. Whitney to travel to Missouri to organize several business ventures of the Church. In July 1831 a revelation commanded Sidney Gilbert, the business partner of Newel K. Whitney, to establish a store in Independence, Missouri, to raise funds “to buy lands for the good of the Saints” and to “plant them in their inheritance “(D&C 57:8).

Another pressing concern was the need to raise funds for the publication of Joseph Smith’s revelations. At a conference held in November 1831, several Church leaders were charged with the “sacred writings which they have entrusted to them to carry to Zion.”1 A revelation given at the conference created the Literary Firm, a consecrated effort by several Church leaders, including Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, Martin Harris, and W. W. Phelps, to oversee the publication of the revelations. Funds raised from this venture were to be placed into a storehouse, and the leaders were instructed that “the benefits shall be consecrated unto the inhabitants of Zion, and unto their generations” (D&C 70:8).

The revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 78 directed Church leaders to organize these ventures into one firm. It was originally called the United Firm, but the name was later edited in the revelations to be called the “order” or the “United Order” (D&C 78:8; 82:20; 92:1; 104:1, 5, 10, 48).2 Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Newel K. Whitney were then asked to travel to Missouri to “sit in council with the saints which are in Zion” and organize the members of the Church in accordance with the revelations.

Doctrine and Covenants 78 was the first of several revelations given to Joseph Smith that were published with code names throughout the text. For instance, when section 78 was first published in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants, the code name Enoch was used for Joseph Smith, Pelogoram was used for Sidney Ridgon, and Ahashdah was used for Newel K. Whitney.3 These code names did not appear in the original revelation. Elder Orson Pratt explained why the code names were used in the publication of these revelations: “It was thought wisdom, in consequence of the persecutions of our enemies in Kirtland and some of the regions around, that some of the names should be changed, and Joseph was called Baurak Ale, which was a Hebrew word, meaning God bless you. He was also called Gazelem, being a person to whom the Lord had given the Urim and Thummim. Sidney Rigdon was given the name Beneemy. And the revelation where it read so many dollars into the treasure was changed to talents. And the city of New York was changed to Cainhannoch.”4 Once the need to conceal identities had passed, the code names were removed from the Doctrine and Covenants and replaced with the original names.

See “Historical Introduction,” Revelation, 1 March 1832 [D&C 78]

Verse-by-Verse Commentary

D&C 78:1–4

1 The Lord spake unto Joseph Smith, Jun., saying: Hearken unto me, saith the Lord your God, who are ordained unto the high priesthood of my church, who have assembled yourselves together;

2 And listen to the counsel of him who has ordained you from on high, who shall speak in your ears the words of wisdom, that salvation may be unto you in that thing which you have presented before me, saith the Lord God.

3 For verily I say unto you, the time has come, and is now at hand; and behold, and lo, it must needs be that there be an organization of my people, in regulating and establishing the affairs of the storehouse for the poor of my people, both in this place and in the land of Zion—

4 For a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto my church, to advance the cause, which ye have espoused, to the salvation of man, and to the glory of your Father who is in heaven;

The immediate context of this revelation is important in understanding how the revelation has developed. In the earliest version, the phrase “in regulating and establishing the affairs of the storehouse for the poor of my people” was not present. Instead, the revelation read that “it must needs be that there be an organization of the Literary and Mercantile establishments of my church.”5 The revelation referred to a group of Church leaders, known as the United Firm, who had consecrated their property to ensure the printing of the scriptures and other Church publications (D&C 70:1–5). The firm was also known as United Order and the Order of Enoch.6 This group covenanted to live an iteration of the law of consecration in which they gave of their resources to help ensure the printing of the scriptures. In exchange, their families were provided for from funds raised from the sale of the scriptures, and the surplus funds were used to operate the Church and to purchase land for the Saints in Ohio and Missouri.

By the time the Doctrine and Covenants was published in 1835, the United Firm had been reorganized as instructed in another revelation (D&C 104) that provided individual members with specific stewardships. However, the principles found in the revelation were still valuable to guide the Church in its attempts to live the law of consecration, so the revelation was revised with new phrasing that better fit the general needs of the Church. The word firm, which appeared in the revelation, was also replaced with order (D&C 78:8). The United Order referred only to this group, but in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it became common for Church leaders to refer to the United Order and the law of consecration as the same thing.

D&C 78:5–12

5 That you may be equal in the bonds of heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of heavenly things.

6 For if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things;

7 For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you.

8 And now, verily thus saith the Lord, it is expedient that all things be done unto my glory, by you who are joined together in this order;

9 Or, in other words, let my servant Newel K. Whitney and my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and my servant Sidney Rigdon sit in council with the saints which are in Zion;

10 Otherwise Satan seeketh to turn their hearts away from the truth, that they become blinded and understand not the things which are prepared for them.

11 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, to prepare and organize yourselves by a bond or everlasting covenant that cannot be broken.

12 And he who breaketh it shall lose his office and standing in the church, and shall be delivered over to the buffetings of Satan until the day of redemption.

In this revelation, the Lord says that the establishment of the law of consecration is necessary “for the salvation of man” (D&C 78:4). That may seem like an overly dramatic statement, but these verses explain why consecration was and remains such an important law for the members of the Church. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf has taught that “like two sides of a coin, the temporal and spiritual are inseparable. . . . Unfortunately, there are those who overlook the temporal because they consider it less important. They treasure the spiritual while minimizing the temporal. While it is important to have our thoughts inclined toward heaven, we miss the essence of our religion if our hands are not also inclined toward our fellowman.”7

The Lord teaches a similar principle in these verses. To be equal in heavenly things, we must strive to be united in earthly things. Those who cling too tightly to their temporal goods will have difficulty in living the laws of the gospel and gaining exaltation. Consecration was and is a sacred covenant for Church members, especially for those who have made temple covenants. The Lord warns that those who abuse or violate the law of consecration will lose their office and standing and be turned over to the buffetings of Satan. In particular, those who misuse the sacred funds of the Church or take advantage of the trust of Church members for financial gain are subject to severe penalties.

D&C 78:13–14

13 Behold, this is the preparation wherewith I prepare you, and the foundation, and the ensample which I give unto you, whereby you may accomplish the commandments which are given you;

14 That through my providence, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world;

Though the law of consecration asks members of the Church to depend on and trust each other and their leaders, the Lord instructs the Church to remain independent. Self-reliance is a term used in concert with consecration. Brigham Young counseled Church members, “Ye Latter-day Saints, learn to sustain yourselves. If you cannot obtain all you wish for today, learn to do without that which you cannot purchase and pay for; and bring your minds into subjection that you must and will live within your means.”8

What the Church asks of its members, it also asks of itself. President Gordon B. Hinckley taught, “In the financial operations of the Church, we have observed two basic and fixed principles: One, the Church will live within its means. It will not spend more than it receives. Two, a fixed percentage of the income will be set aside to build reserves against what might be called a possible ‘rainy day.’ For years, the Church has taught its membership the principle of setting aside a reserve of food, as well as money, to take care of emergency needs that might arise. We are only trying to follow the same principle for the Church as a whole.”9

D&C 78:15–16

15 That you may come up unto the crown prepared for you, and be made rulers over many kingdoms, saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Zion, who hath established the foundations of Adam-ondi-Ahman;

16 Who hath appointed Michael your prince, and established his feet, and set him upon high, and given unto him the keys of salvation under the counsel and direction of the Holy One, who is without beginning of days or end of life.

The last clause of verse 15 and all of verse 16 were added in by Joseph Smith during the publication of the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants. By that time Joseph Smith had received a revelation about Adam-ondi-Ahman being the place where Adam gathered his posterity to give them a final blessing before his death (D&C 107:53–57). Later, Spring Hill in Missouri was identified as the location of Adam-ondi-Ahman (D&C 116).

The Lord also identifies the authority of Michael as second to that of Jesus Christ Himself, or the Holy One. While many faiths disparage Adam for his role in the Fall, the revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants uphold him as Michael, the angel who fought against Satan and his minions in premortality (Revelation 12:7–9). Joseph Smith taught,

The priesthood was first given to Adam, he obtained the first presidency and held the keys of it from generation to generation; he obtained it in the creation before the world was formed as in Gen. 1:26, 28 [and] he had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel spoken of in the scriptures. Then to Noah who is Gabriel, he stands next in authority to Adam in the priesthood. He was called of God to this office and was the father of all living in his day and to him was given the dominion. These men held keys first on earth and then in heaven. The priesthood is an everlasting principle and existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years.10

D&C 78:17–22

17 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;

18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.

19 And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

20 Wherefore, do the things which I have commanded you, saith your Redeemer, even the Son Ahman, who prepareth all things before he taketh you;

21 For ye are the church of the Firstborn, and he will take you up in a cloud, and appoint every man his portion.

22 And he that is a faithful and wise steward shall inherit all things. Amen.

Doctrine and Covenants 78:20 uses a term, “Son Ahman,” that makes reference to a document, “Answers to Questions,” that became Doctrine and Covenants 77. The document is inscribed in the handwriting of Church Historian John Whitmer and is labeled “A Sample of pure Language given by Joseph the Seer.” The document reads as follows:

Apparently, John Whitmer’s spelling of the name was phonetic, because in this and other revelations the name is spelled as “Son Ahman” (see D&C 95:17). In Joseph Smith’s translation of the book of Genesis it is taught that “in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ” (Moses 6:57). If the pure language referred to in this document is the same as the language of Adam, then God’s name is Ahman, or Man of Holiness.

Footnotes

• 1. Minutes, 12 November 1831, p. 18, JSP.
• 2. Craig J. Ostler, “Consecration,” Doctrine and Covenants Reference Companion, 2012, 107.
• 3. See Doctrine and Covenants, 1835, p. 204­–205, JSP.
• 4. Robert J. Woodford, The Historical Development of the Doctrine and Covenants, 1974, 3 vols., 2:994.
• 5. Revelation, 1 March 1832 [D&C 78], JSP.
• 6. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1985, 167.
• 7. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Providing in the Lord’s Way,” October 2011 General Conference.
• 8. Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 1997, 231.
• 9. Gordon B. Hinckley, “The State of the Church,” April 1991 General Conference.
• 10. Discourse, between circa 26 June and circa 4 August 1839–A, as Reported by William Clayton, pp. 11–12, JSP.
• 11. Sample of Pure Language, between circa 4 and circa 20 March 1832, p. 144, JSP.