1 HEARKEN, O ye people who profess my name, [ Suggesting some might be hypocritical - since this is in reference to those who claim to be followers - his people; but do not act like it. See D&C 41:1. ] saith the Lord your God; for behold, mine anger is kindled against the rebellious, [ Or those who have been taught and know the truth - the right way and choose of their own free will to disregard it. ] and they shall know mine arm [ When the Lord refers to "His Arm" he refers to his power, strength and might. ] and mine indignation, in the day of visitation [ The Day of the Lord; the second coming D&C 1:9-14. On this day those who are followers of him and his plan will be separated from those who are not, both on earth and in heaven. ] and of wrath upon the nations.

2 And he that will not take up his cross and follow me, and keep my commandments, the same shall not be saved.[ What does the Lord expect of us? To rise up, to live righteously, keeping the commandments as we go; if we are to be saved. ]

3 Behold, I, the Lord, command; and he that will not obey shall be cut off in mine own due time, [ How do we become cut off when we do not do the Lords will? 1) we cut ourselves of as usually we quit praying; become prideful; otherwise with draw from asking or receiving the Lords guidance. ] after I have commanded and the commandment is broken. [ Or when those whom he has commanded do not do as they were commanded. ]

4 Wherefore I, the Lord, command and revoke, as it seemeth me good; [ The Lord reserves the right to adapt the command based on the action or in-action of those whom he has called, so that his work may continue forth. ] and all this to be answered upon the heads of the rebellious, saith the Lord.

5 Wherefore, I revoke the commandment which was given unto my servants Thomas B. Marsh and Ezra Thayre, [ The Lord changes the assignment of Marsh and Thayne since Thayne is not ready to go as a result of the land controversy. In section 52 Ezra Thayer had been called as Thomas Marsh’s companion on a mission to Missouri. Thomas got ready to go as called. Ezra balked. ] and give a new commandment unto my servant Thomas, that he shall take up his journey speedily to the land of Missouri, and my servant Selah J. Griffin shall also go with him. [ Marsh gets a new companion - Selah Griffin. ]

6 For behold, I revoke the commandment which was given unto my servants Selah J. Griffin and Newel Knight, in consequence of the stiffneckedness of my people which are in Thompson, and their rebellions.

7 Wherefore, let my servant Newel Knight remain with them; and as many as will go may go, that are contrite before me, and be led by him to the land which I have appointed.

8 And again, verily I say unto you, that my servant Ezra Thayre must repent of his pride, [ Thayne is instructed that he either must repent and get with the program; do the Lord's will or leave (vs 10). Pretty harsh from the Lord. The Journal History alludes to the fact that Ezra Thayre, with Leman Copley had become involved in temporal affairs in a land sale arrangement at Thompson, Ohio, and were therefore not ready to leave on this mission, whereas Elder Marsh had readied himself for the journey. This became a problem to Marsh, and he, therefore, went to the Prophet to inquire as to what his course should be. ] and of his selfishness, and obey the former commandment which I have given him concerning the place upon which he lives.

9 And if he will do this, as there shall be no divisions made upon the land, [ This revelation was received just days before the elders called in the revelation had planned to depart from Kirtland to begin their journey. Complications arose when Thayer said that he would have to delay his departure for the mission. We do not know the precise reason why Thayer had to delay, but it is likely that the situation was linked to his investment in a piece of real estate. Doctrine and Covenants 56 refers to a “former commandment” given to Thayer “concerning the place upon which he lives” (D&C 56:8). This revelation was not placed in the Doctrine and Covenants but is found in Revelation Book 1 (Revelation, 15 May 1831, JSP). Ezra appears to have been concerned over his duties on the Frederick G. Williams farm, where Joseph Smith’s family was staying at the time. The property was being shared by at least three different parties, and Thayer apparently wanted his payment on his portion of the land secured before he left on his mission. ] he shall be appointed still to go to the land of Missouri;

10 Otherwise he shall receive the money which he has paid, and shall leave the place, and shall be cut off out of my church, saith the Lord God [ Hebrew - Yahweh ( or Jehovah which means "to become" or "to exist") translated as Lord; Elohim translated as God ("the Gods") which together the words mean "He will cause Gods to be". ] of hosts;

11 And though the heaven and the earth pass away, these words shall not pass away, but shall be fulfilled.

12 And if my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., must needs pay the money, [ Joseph is instructed that if he needs to pay the money to get the matter taken care of then just do it. ] behold, I, the Lord, will pay it unto him again in the land of Missouri, that those of whom he shall receive may be rewarded again according to that which they do;

13 For according to that which they do they shall receive, even in lands for their inheritance.

14 Behold, thus saith the Lord unto my people—you have many things to do and to repent of; for behold, your sins have come up unto me, and are not pardoned, because you seek to counsel in your own ways.

15 And your hearts are not satisfied. [ The greed of both the wealthy as well as the poor. ] And ye obey not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness. [ They had failed to obey the commands given in D&C 42:30-55. See also Mosiah 4:17-25. ]

16 Wo unto you rich men, [ The poor who are pure in heart are addressed, cp. Alma 32:12-16. Where the wicked and rebellious are cut off with the Day of the Lord, the poor who are pure in heart will inherit the earth for the generations spanning the Millennium. Note the Lord does not praise the rich who are pure in heart, because in the present situation there are none. Those with land, the rich, are not disbursing it to those who have none. Any rich who are pure in heart would have disbursed their lands, and therefore would no longer be rich, but would be pure in heart. ] that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved!

17 Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!

18 But blessed are the poor who are pure in heart, whose hearts are broken, and whose spirits are contrite, for they shall see the kingdom of God coming in power and great glory unto their deliverance; for the fatness of the earth shall be theirs.

19 For behold, the Lord shall come, and his recompense shall be with him, and he shall reward every man, and the poor shall rejoice;

20 And their generations shall inherit the earth from generation to generation, forever and ever. And now I make an end of speaking unto you. Even so. Amen.

 

[ Historical Material Pertaining to Doctrine & Covenants 56 The first excerpt is Smith’s recollection, the second is John Whitmer’s which suggests there were some problems among the members. The third and fourth are historical comments which detail the sources of the problems. Excerpt from History of the Church soon after I received the foregoing, Elder Thomas B. Marsh came to inquire what he should do; as Elder Ezra Thayre, his yoke-fellow in the ministry, could not get ready to start on his mission as soon as he (Marsh) would; and I inquired of the Lord, and received the following: [text of D&C 56 quoted] On the 19th of June, in company with Sidney Rigdon, Martin Harris, Edward Partridge, William W. Phelps, Joseph Coe, Algernon S. Gilbert and his wife, I started from Kirtland, Ohio, for the land of Missouri, agreeable to the commandment before received, wherein it was promised that if we were faithful, the land of our inheritance, even the place for the city of the New Jerusalem, should be revealed. (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, volume 1, pages 186-188) Excerpt from Book of John Whitmer After some of the elders had left and the time for Joseph Smith Jr. and others to leave. some of those who had been commanded to take their journey speedily, that some had denied the faith, and turned from the truth. And the Church at Thompson, Ohio, had not done according to the will of the (Lord): Therefore, before Joseph and his company left thus came the word of the Lord; saying: [text of D&C 56 quoted] The Church at Thompson made all possible haste to leave for Missouri, and left and none of their enemies harmed them. The Church at Chardon, Ohio, was also anxious to take their journey to Missouri, and by much teasing they obtained a permit to take their journey. (John Whitmer, Book of John Whitmer, chapter 8, paragraphs 4-5) Excerpt from Regional Studies in LDS History Upon arriving in Kirtland, Elder Marsh was busied with the responsibilities of settling his family. However, at a conference held 3 June 1831, he, with others, were ordained High Priests under the hands of Lyman Wight. Three days later on June 6th, fourteen sets of elders were called by revelation to journey to Missouri, preaching by the way. This revelation reads: And again, verily I say unto you, let my servant Thomas B. Marsh and my servant Ezra Thayre take their journey also, preaching the word by the way unto this same land. (D&C 52:22) The Journal History alludes to the fact that Ezra Thayre, with Leman Copley had become involved in temporal affairs in a land sale arrangement at Thompson, Ohio, and were therefore not ready to leave on this mission, whereas Elder Marsh had readied himself for the journey. This became a problem to Marsh, and he, therefore, went to the Prophet to inquire as to what his course should be. The Prophet made it a matter of prayer and received the following revelation as an answer to Thomas B. Marsh: Wherefore I, the Lord, command and revoke, as it seemeth me good; and all this to be answered upon the heads of the rebellious, saith the Lord. Wherefore, I revoke the commandment which was given unto my servants Thomas B. Marsh and Ezra Thayre, and give a new commandment unto my servant Thomas, that he shall take up his journey speedily to the land of Missouri, and my servant Selah J. Griffin shall also go with him. (D&C 56:4-5) (Larry C. Porter, Milton V. Backman, Jr., and Susan Easton Black, Regional Studies in LDS History Series: New York, page 137, appearing in an essay by A. Gary Anderson entitled “Thomas B. Marsh: The Preparation and Conversion of the Emerging Apostle”) Excerpt from Regional Studies in LDS History When faced with the dilemma of the Colesville Saints, the Prophet sought divine assistance and was directed to instruct the branch to leave the Thompson area and move immediately to Missouri (D&C 54). Parties on both sides of the tumultuous situation at the Copley farm received a sound rebuke for their participation (D&C 54, 56). Ezra Thayre was given a particularly direct chastisement and called upon to "repent of his pride, and his selfishness, and obey the former commandment which [the Lord had] given him concerning the place upon which he lives" (D&C 56:8). A synopsis of the action taken against Leman Copley was expressed by Joseph Knight, Jr., who recorded, "The man was turned out of the church for bad conduct;...he then began to persecute us and we had to leave his farm and pay sixty dollars damage for putting up his houses and planting his ground." (Arnold K. Garr and Clark V. Johnson, Regional Studies in LDS History Series: Missouri, page 283, from an essay by Larry C. Porter entitled “The Colesville Branch in Kaw Township, Jackson County, Missouri, 1831 to 1833”)]