Doctrine and Covenants 102–105 contains instructions for the Camp of Israel, later referred to as Zion’s Camp. In the summer of 1834, Zion’s Camp marched from Michigan, Ohio, and New York to assist the persecuted Saints in Missouri. Their volunteer numbers were few, but those who went learned a valuable lesson about trials and blessings. And the ending revelation to this armed march was a message to “sue for peace … to all people” (Doctrine and Covenants 105:38)
God is aware of everything you are going through right now, and He has words of comfort for us. Doctrine and Covenants 98–101 has words from God given through Joseph Smith to the Saints at Jackson County. Even though Joseph did not know the details of their trials, God did, and we can trust that He knows ours as well. So, “let your hearts be comforted” (Doctrine and Covenants 98:1), no matter what you are facing.
The Saints in 1833 were split between two Zions and were commanded to build two temples to bless God’s people. Doctrine and Covenants 94–97 makes the commandment of building temples a priority. Today, temples are still being constructed across the many places we call Zion. And for those of us not on the building committee, we can still make visiting and honoring the house of the Lord a personal priority.
Doctrine and Covenants 93 contains eternal truths that overturned the traditional religious ideas of that time. While it is not the longest section of revelation by the number of verses, it is packed with doctrinal principles—from the nature of God to how we can learn about Him. The light and truth in these scriptures can illuminate the rest of the doctrine that we and the early Saints both will come to understand.
Understanding history is all in the stories of the people who lived it. This week’s Come, Follow Me study of Doctrine and Covenants 89–92 features the Word of Wisdom. But today, we’ll learn from a historian about Emma Smith, the School of the Prophets, the translation of the Bible, and the attitudes at the time toward alcohol and tobacco that colored the world when this revelation took place. We’ll also discuss a woman who lived a whole life of service around this one event in scripture.
Two days after the revelation on war given in Doctrine and Covenants 87, the Prophet Joseph Smith received a breath of fresh air with a revelation on peace in section 88. This section is known as the “olive leaf” revelation, containing eternal truths about our relationship with God and a command to draw closer to Him in a temple. We now live in the world they wished for—where temples dot the earth, and Zion can be anywhere we gather.
Jesus relays a parable in Matthew about wheat and weeds called tares. To us, these two plants can grow together and seem indistinguishable from each other. Sections 85–87 of the Doctrine and Covenants have more insight on who we are and what our job is (and isn’t) in this story.
Six years ago, in the October 2019 women’s session of general conference, President Nelson said to all the women, “I entreat you to study prayerfully all the truths you can find about priesthood power. You might begin with Doctrine and Covenants sections 84 and 107.” This week, we will be studying the first of those powerful revelations on the oath and covenant of the priesthood and how it holds truths relevant to all of God’s children.
In Doctrine and Covenants 81-83 the Lord reiterates a command to care for the poor and needy among the church. With this (and every commandment) he also gives a promise. We can learn in these sections about the nature of covenants and callings and the promises from God when we are faithful to the end.
Elder Renlund first suggests making sure we are doing what God has asked of us and “not something extra that we impose on ourselves.”
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Elder Kearon believes this truth “can console all of us.”
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These resources can help any family dive deeper into the Doctrine and Covenants in 2025.
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There are a lot of comforting words you can say to a friend or family member who is going through a hard time. And we can find many reassuring words in the scriptures, too. Our Come, Follow Me study this week in Doctrine and Covenants 58–59 contains a unique phrase for the Saints in Missouri. And no matter what we are going through, we can hope to “lay to heart” these words from God as well.
For Church members in the 1830s, gathering in Ohio and building the city of Zion were spiritual as well as temporal labors. In the revelations recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 51–57, the Lord appointed and instructed people to handle the tasks required for building a new place. He also taught the people about becoming a Zion people, which may have been more difficult than building, printing, or running a store.
Doctrine and Covenants 50 carries an invitation from the Lord that we accept every time we study, listen to a podcast, or go to church: “Let us reason together.” For today’s discussion on sections 49 and 50, we are joined by two educated women who are familiar with reasoning about the scriptures. And their insight will help us all be “edified and rejoice together.”
The early Church didn’t have manuals or study guides—they didn’t even have enough copies of the Book of Mormon to go around. But what they did have was ongoing revelation. Doctrine and Covenants 42–56 deal with organizing the Church better, resolving disputes between members, and combating deception. You could almost say these sections are like the earliest General Handbook for the Church. Sections 46–48 contain doctrine so vital to the organization of Christ’s Church that we still rely on it today.
In 1831, the exact circumstances and details of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ generated a lot of speculation among the Saints. Joseph Smith asked those questions to God and received an answer. Doctrine and Covenants section 45 is known as the Second Coming section, and while it does not predict when Jesus will come again, it does give us doctrine and signs to watch for—revelation that can help prepare us for when He does return someday.
The Saints arrived in Ohio to build their Zion community, and this effort took hard work. They needed to build homes, shops, and a temple while also building trust in each other. In Doctrine and Covenants 41–44, we learn about the new law their community would live under and how much was required to live up to it.