Jesus is coming, look busy could be seen as the theme to Doctrine and Covenants 133. Near the same time that Section 1 was revealed as a preface to the Book of Commandments, Joseph Smith received Section 133 as an appendix. These closing words to the saints are focused on the coming of Christ and what we need to do to prepare.
God’s goal for His children is to see us with Him again. That eternal life is best described in John 17 and Doctrine and Covenants 132 as “knowing” God. This week’s Come, Follow Me lesson teaches sacred truths restored through Joseph Smith that allow us to know God and bring ourselves closer to Him—in this world and the world to come.
The doctrine of baptism for the dead is one of the ways we are welded together with our ancestors. Doctrine and Covenants 125–128 contains letters from Joseph Smith to the saints where his mind was on this eternal topic. And the people of the church reacted immediately to participate with gladness in this ordinance.
Persecution in Missouri led the early saints to the swamplands of Illinois, and over a year had passed since the last recorded revelation from the Lord. Doctrine and Covenants 124 is a message to the free saints making their way in a new community. It contains blueprints for the important buildings their growing town needs, and instructions for their lives.
Sections 121–123 of the Doctrine and Covenants start with the powerful voice of a prophet crying for God. Joseph Smith knew from first hand experience that the Lord was real and he hears prayers, but he still wasn’t above feeling alone. But God was there for him in his despair, and Joseph learned from that experience. And the letters from Liberty Jail can serve as a lesson for us in good times and a boon for us when times get hard.
In Doctrine and Covenants 115 the Lord revealed that the name of the church would be The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is a name we take seriously and can take ownership in. The light of that church is to be a standard to the nations. And we have a responsibility as members of that church to be examples everywhere we go.
Section 113 is one of the distinctive sections in the Doctrine and Covenants that reads like a question-and-answer session with God. The beginning introduces us to a pattern with the revelatory formula, “Thus saith the Lord…” To better understand the context behind the questions, the Lord’s answers, and the original text in Isaiah, we invited two biblical scholars to join us on the podcast and answer a few of our own questions.
As of this week’s Come, Follow Me study, there are 208 dedicated temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (including those in operation and those closed for renovation). Each was dedicated, and some re-dedicated, with a prayer after the pattern recorded in Doctrine and Covenants section 109. In this week’s sections, we can read the Lord’s inspired words over the first constructed temple of this dispensation, as well as the visions and miracles that took place in that holy house.
In 2019, President Russell M. Nelson encouraged all of us—but especially the women of the Church—to study the truths of priesthood power found in sections 84 and 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants. The Come, Follow Me study this week falls on that second scripture section, and we are going to take the prophet’s counsel seriously by learning all we can about the two priesthoods, their duties and responsibilities, and councils in the Church. Sections 106–108 truly testify that the blessings of the priesthood are readily available to all of God’s children.
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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In a group of meetings in November 1831, the Lord revealed that the Saints in the latter days should be able to read the revelations being received by Joseph Smith. A new book of scripture would be published, and the precursor to our current Doctrine and Covenants was in the works. During those meetings, the Lord revealed a preface in Doctrine and Covenants 1, an appendix that would become Doctrine and Covenants 133, and the four sections in our study this week: Doctrine and Covenants 67–70. And as recorded in section 70, these words would be “worth … the riches of the whole Earth.”
What is required for building Zion? The Saints in the early 1830s had land, resources, and plans, but they weren’t aligned in their attitude. In today’s discussion of Doctrine and Covenants 64–66, we learn what the Lord asks of us as we continue their mission to build Zion on the earth. And even though it won’t be just one city, the requirements from God are the same.
In early August 1831, Joseph Smith and other elders of the Church were preparing to return to Kirtland after a short visit to Missouri. The Lord wanted these men to preach the gospel during their trip. Some of the men had no problem with that, but others were hesitant. Doctrine and Covenants 60–63 set the Lord’s expectations and desires for the Saints on their journey home, whether on the road to Ohio or our eventual home with God again.
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.”