THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS
SECTION 64
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to the elders of the Church, at Kirtland, Ohio, September 11, 1831. HC 1: 211—214. The Prophet was preparing to move to Hiram, Ohio, to renew his work on the translation of the Bible, which had been laid aside while he had been in Missouri. A company of brethren who had been commanded to journey to Zion (Missouri) was earnestly engaged in making preparations to leave in October. At this busy time, the revelation was received.
1—11, The saints are commanded to forgive one another, lest there remain in them the greater sin; 12—22, The unrepentant are to be tried in church courts; 23—25, He that is tithed shall not be burned at the Lord’s coming; 26—32, The saints are warned against debt; 33—36, The rebellious shall be cut off out of Zion; 37—40, The Church shall judge the nations; 41—43, Zion shall flourish.
1 BEHOLD, thus saith the Lord your God unto you, O ye elders of my church, hearken [ Hebrew "Shema" is translated here as hearken which means to "listen" and "obey". ] ye and hear, and receive my will concerning you. [ His strong suggestions, not commands. As we move closer to him he needs to command less because we are now trying to match our will with his will. ] .
[ Verse 2-7 : How and who the Lord forgives. ]
2 For verily I say unto you, I will that ye should overcome the world; [ D&C 63:20. Justice and mercy. The world would pull constantly is one direction or the other. Too much so either way and we will loose our focus. We can beat on the same piano key for far to long and the music is not desirable. We need to find the correct balance neither too much mercy nor too much of the law. ] wherefore I will have compassion upon you. [ The compassion is thus: In order for you to learn, to overcome pour physical bodies; to overcome we need to experience things. He knows we will make mistakes; that we are weak; but he has compassion on us. The judgement comes at the end. If we commit a sin we are not just immediately banished or zapped - but rather we can learn to repent. His compassion is further extended with an atonement that provides for a way for us to obtain a complete forgiveness. (1 John 5:4-5) ]
3 There are those among you who have sinned; [ Are subject to the demands of justice. ] but verily I say, for this once, [ Because God is trying to change us. As if to say Don't take advantage of my mercy, don't go and commit sin just because you know that you can be forgiven. Don't just run your tab up before you seek to repent. As Paul said "Don't presume upon it". Approach each sin as if it were your last need for mercy. ] for mine own glory, [ To bring about the immortality and eternal life of man. Hence in order to fulfill his work and glory he needs to work with us; teach us, encourage us and provide a way for us to return. Derivative of Isa. 48:9-11, also cp. Num. 11:14-20. Achieving His own long-term goals and upholding the sanctity of His name are two good reasons to forestall Justice at times. However, there are and will be times where people get so bad that the Lord has to clean house so to speak, to start over from scratch, like the day's of Noah. ] and for the salvation of souls, I have forgiven you your sins. [ Granted mercy through the atonement. ]
4 I will be merciful unto you, for I have given unto you the kingdom.
[ You have what you need in order to return and live with him. ]
5 And the keys of the mysteries of the kingdom shall not be taken from my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., [ Even though he may not be perfect, so as long as you are trying to do what God wants he will continue to work with Joseph Smith. Showing the compassion that God really does have toward us. Good thought for those who find fault with leaders, if God will overlook their faults them we should too. ] through the means I have appointed, while he liveth, inasmuch as he obeyeth mine ordinances. [ Commandments. ]
7 Nevertheless, he [ Joseph Smith. Interesting that Jospeh Smith does not hide the fact that God chastised him for his mistakes in Missouri. ] has sinned; but verily I say unto you, I, the Lord, forgive sins unto those who confess their sins before me and ask forgiveness, who have not sinned unto death. [ Or those who have not become a son of perdition. D&C 42:81. The things that you have to do to place yourself outside of the atonement: 1) deny the Holy Ghost 2) Murder 3) Repetition of sin, if you continue long enough in that coarse there will come a time that the Savior will say ok you don't really want my help or to change so you can make payment yourself. ]
[ Teachings that true disciples need to forgive each other. Vs 8-11. In the previous chapter the disciples were held up as an example of what to do; here they are referenced as what not to do. ]
8 My disciples, in days of old, sought occasion against one another and forgave not one another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened.
9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; [ Matt. 6:12-15, Matt. 18:21-35. ] for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. [ Whoa wait a minute. What if I am beaten severly, what if someone takes the life of my spouse or child, what if I am a victim of abuse, rape, incest... How can this be? Think about it this way. What if your actions do not allow the Savior to forgive the person until you can, it is kind of like a road block to forgiveness from God. If so then you are playing God, you are deciding who can get forgiven and who cannot. Pretty big responsibility. ]
10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.
[ Elder Scott suggested when speaking to victims of abuse and their perpetrators he said. "As impossible as it may seem to you now, in time the healing you can receive from the Savior will allow you to truly forgive the abuser and even have feelings of sorrow for him or her. When you can forgive the offense, you will be relieved of the pain and heartache that Satan wants in your life by encouraging you to hate the abuser. As a result, you will enjoy greater peace. While an important part of healing, if the thought of forgiveness causes you yet more pain, set that step aside until you have more experience with the Savior’s healing power in your own life." https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/04/to-heal-the-shattering-consequences-of-abuse?lang=eng ]
11 And ye ought to say in your hearts—let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds.
[ Verse 12-15 How the church is to handle forgiveness. ]
12 And him that repenteth not of his sins, and confesseth them not, ye shall bring before the church, and do with him as the scripture saith unto you, either by commandment or by revelation.
13 And this ye shall do that God may be glorified—not because ye forgive not, having not compassion, but that ye may be justified in the eyes of the law, that ye may not offend him who is your lawgiver—
[ Justice and mercy are meeted out in balance, don't just stand always on the side of justice, or the side of mercy. If you are always crying for compassion and mercy then you will never try to change, and if you are always crying for justice then you will not be showing love and compassion. The pendulum needs to stay in the middle not too far to either side. This is his will suggested from verse 1 to overcome the world - the big picture. ]
14 Verily I say, for this cause [ That ye may be justified, v.13. ] ye shall do these things. [ Bring the unrepentant before the Church, v. 12. ]
15 Behold, I, the Lord, was [ Yesterday, showing that the Lord does not always have to stay angry either for our mistakes, he moves on. ] angry with him who was [ No long is as he started to attack the church. So I am not angry with him anymore as my servant as he no longer is my servant. ] my servant Ezra Booth, [ He went down to Zion (Missouri) and all he could see was everything that was going wrong, as a result he started to attack the church and Joseph Smith in every way that he could. He left the church and spread all that he could about how bad the church was as seen through his eyes. ONe of the first anti-mormons. ] and also my servant Isaac Morley, for they kept not the law, neither the commandment; [ According to the Scriptures (commandment) or according to inspiration by the Holy Spirit (revelation), cp. D&C 63:22-23. ]
16 They [ Ezra Booth, and Isaac Morley. ] sought evil in their hearts, and I, the Lord, withheld my Spirit. They condemned for evil that thing in which there was no evil; [ They read into situations things that were not there for the purpose of destroying the church or to make Joseph Smith look bad. 1 example is the night on the missouri river. See notes to D&C 61. As well aas everything else that Ezra was not excited about, so he tried to turn each into a beef about how Jospeh was not right, the saints were wrong and it lead to him becoming anti-mormon. ] nevertheless I have forgiven my servant Isaac Morley.
[ He is a good guy, he is trying to do the right, he even gave up his farm. ]
17 And also my servant Edward Partridge, behold, he hath sinned, and Satan seeketh to destroy his soul; but when these things are made known unto them, and they repent of the evil, they shall be forgiven.
18 And now, verily I say that it is expedient in me that my servant Sidney Gilbert, [ Was acting as the agent for Edward Partridge while serving as the Bishop. He was helping with the temporal affairs. ] , after a few weeks, shall return upon his business, and to his agency in the land of Zion; [ He is to return to the saints in Missouri. ]
19 And that which he [ Sidney Gilbert. ] hath seen and heard may be made known unto my disciples, that they perish not. [ So Sidney is with the Prophet in Missouri then again back in Kirkland. But when the prophet said things in Missouri the saints in Kirkland did not hear or learn of them right away, the same with when the prophet taught in Kirkland on his return the saints in Missour did not hear them. Since Sidney was going back and for he could share what was taught with the other group of saints that had not heard the teachings so to speak. ] And for this cause have I spoken these things.
20 And again, I say unto you, that my servant Isaac Morley may not be tempted above that which he is able to bear, and counsel wrongfully to your hurt, I gave commandment that his farm should be sold. [ If we flip this verse around it becomes more clear. The Lord says I commanded Isaac to sell his farm so that he would not be tempted beyond that which he is able to bear. With his farm then consecrated to the Lord he would be in a better place to council others as well, as his heart was already in the right place. He realized that his farm was not really his but it was the Lord's anyway, and with that out of the way he could make better decisions. So your actions will have proved where you stand. ]
21 I will not that my servant Frederick G. Williams should sell his farm, for I, the Lord, will to retain a strong hold in the land of Kirtland, [ As indicated in v. 21, some are to stay in Kirtland for a time so that others may be saved. The reason is because a temple needs to be built here and priesthood keys restored. From Moses, Elijah and Elias. D&C 110. ] for the space of five years, in the which I will not overthrow the wicked, that thereby I may save some.
22 And after that day, I, the Lord, will not hold any guilty that shall go with an open heart up to the land of Zion; for I, the Lord, require the hearts of the children of men.
23 Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the son of Man, [ The earliest use of this title "Son of Man" (man here means "King") that I can find in the scriptures comes from the Book Of Enoch(Enoch 46:1-3). Other references to that title include Daniel(), Abraham() and Christ himself() and all of them would have had available the Book Of Enoch.
Enoch was given the title Son of Man as a descriptor for Jesus Christ. We find in written in the Book of Enoch 46:1-3 “And I asked the angel who went with me and showed me all the hidden things, concerning that Son of Man, who He was, and whence He was, (and) why he went with the Head of Days? And he answered and said unto me:
This is the Son of Man who hath righteousness, with whom dwelleth righteousness, and who revealeth all the treasures of that which is hidden, because the Lord of Spirits hath chosen Him, and whose lot hath the pre-eminence before the Lord of Spirits in uprightness forever. (BoE 46:1-3)”
So from these verses we can see that Enoch's angelic guide has declared that "the Son Of Man" is another name for Jesus Christ. This phrase is used by Daniel when he likens the person that he saw in his vision "like the Son of Man" (Daniel 7:13-14) as does Abraham when he described the individual who volunteered Himself to do the will of the Father as being “like unto the Son of Man.” Therefore the phrase “like the Son of Man” or “like unto the Son of Man,” (Abr 3:27) used in these two examples promote the familiarity through an external source to which both prophets would have had access to that being the Book of Enoch. (Abr 1:31)
This is also why Christ would have referred to himself as "the Son Of Man" because it was the messianic title that embodied the works and mission that would be preformed creation, example, atonement, resurrection, judgement(John 5:22-23,27) are all responsibilities that were given to the Son Of Man. Christ seems to use this title to place specific importance upon the subject matter He was teaching at the time, because the use of that title by Christ typically focuses on the prophecies of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord and His latter-day responsibilities.
There is no reason to belive otherwise than those Jews who heard Christ use this title would have been fully aware the title’s source and the bold declaration represented by the messianic prophecies for him as described in the Book of Enoch. ] , and verily it is a day of sacrifice,[ Root: sacer: sacred, holy + facere: to make or to do | So it means to make or to do something holy or sacred. ] and a day for the tithing of my people; [ Tithing was not given until later. So this is a general reference as tithing proper which will not come until 1838. So the reference here is to offerrings the term, "tithing," refers to "not just one tenth, but all free-will offerings, or contributions, to the Church funds."(From the heading for section 119) One may safely conclude that if the sacrifice has been great enough in the eyes of the Lord (in the payment of tithing, fast-offerings, sacrifice of one's time and talents), there is no reason to fear the destructions of the last days. The Lord is able to preserve the righteous by his power. For additional clarification see the heading of section 119 of The Doctrine And Covenants. ] for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming.
24 For after today cometh the burning [ When something is burned it is changed - the proud will either have to change or they will be burned.
From an eternal perspective we might relate the burning to another word - yearning - or seeing what they could have had and been - that will cause ones heart to burn with envy or desire. Why is Satan so Miserable?Because he is eternally left in the same state, he cannnot grow - he cannot have eternal increase.Think about it - How miserable, how bad would your heart burn if you were going to be in the same state forever?
When Joseph Smith had his first vision one of the words that he used to express what had happened was the use of the word fire. He later used the word glory to describe the presence of the Father and the son. Jospeh Smith said that he fully expected the leaves to be gone on all of the trees at the end of the first vision. That is how it appeared to him.
literal meaning: Joseph Fielding Smith Church History & Modern Revelation 1:238 - "It is not a figure of speech that is meaningless, or one not to be taken literally when the Lord speaks of the burning. All through the scriptures we have the word of the Lord that at his coming the wicked and the rebellious will be as stubble and will be consumed. Isaiah has so prophesied."
Christ is a glorified, celestial being, and the glory of such beings is comparable to that of the sun. The presence of Christ when he comes in His glory will be as a consuming fire. The mountains will flow down at hi presence, the elements will melt with fervent heat, and the waters will flow boil. Even the sun will hide its face in shame. see D&C 76:70; D&C 133:40-44; Hebrews 12:29; 2 Ne. 26:4-6 ] —this is speaking after the manner of the Lord—for verily I say, tomorrow all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, for I am the Lord of Hosts [ What exactly does “host” mean? The phrase “Lord of Hosts” is the same as the “Lord of Sabaoth.” “The Lord of Sabaoth was a title of Jehovah; the hosts were the armies of Israel (1 Sam. 17:45), but also included the angelic armies of heaven” (Bible Dictionary, “Sabaoth,” ] ; and I will not spare any that remain in Babylon.
From an eternal perspective we might relate the burning to another word - yearning - or seeing what they could have had and been - that will cause ones heart to burn with envy or desire. Why is Satan so Miserable?Because he is eternally left in the same state, he cannnot grow - he cannot have eternal increase.Think about it - How miserable, how bad would your heart burn if you were going to be in the same state forever?
When Joseph Smith had his first vision one of the words that he used to express what had happened was the use of the word fire. He later used the word glory to describe the presence of the Father and the son. Jospeh Smith said that he fully expected the leaves to be gone on all of the trees at the end of the first vision. That is how it appeared to him.
literal meaning: Joseph Fielding Smith Church History & Modern Revelation 1:238 - "It is not a figure of speech that is meaningless, or one not to be taken literally when the Lord speaks of the burning. All through the scriptures we have the word of the Lord that at his coming the wicked and the rebellious will be as stubble and will be consumed. Isaiah has so prophesied."
Christ is a glorified, celestial being, and the glory of such beings is comparable to that of the sun. The presence of Christ when he comes in His glory will be as a consuming fire. The mountains will flow down at hi presence, the elements will melt with fervent heat, and the waters will flow boil. Even the sun will hide its face in shame. see D&C 76:70; D&C 133:40-44; Hebrews 12:29; 2 Ne. 26:4-6 ] —this is speaking after the manner of the Lord—for verily I say, tomorrow all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, for I am the Lord of Hosts [ What exactly does “host” mean? The phrase “Lord of Hosts” is the same as the “Lord of Sabaoth.” “The Lord of Sabaoth was a title of Jehovah; the hosts were the armies of Israel (1 Sam. 17:45), but also included the angelic armies of heaven” (Bible Dictionary, “Sabaoth,” ] ; and I will not spare any that remain in Babylon.
26 And it is not meet that my servants, Newel K. Whitney and Sidney Gilbert, should sell their store and their possessions here; for this is not wisdom until the residue of the church, which remaineth in this place, shall go up unto the land of Zion.
28 But behold, it is not said at any time that the Lord should not take when he please, and pay as seemeth him good.
29 Wherefore, as ye are agents, ye are on the Lord’s errand; and whatever ye do according to the will of the Lord is the Lord’s business. [ When we are inspired to do something; when we do something as complete an assignment we need to remember we are on the Lord's errand. We are his representative, we are conducting his business, we have his authority. ]
30 And he hath set you to provide for his saints in these last days, that they may obtain an inheritance in the land of Zion.
31 And behold, I, the Lord, declare unto you, and my words are sure and shall not fail, [ Authority Statement: In Isaiah 41 and 46, the Lord holds court by summoning the nations and compares Himself to their idols. Throughout the text, the Lord shows that only He has the power to make predictions and fulfil them and to save and destroy the nations of the earth as He sees fit. Also cp. Isa. 55:10-11 and comments on D&C 63:5 above. ] that they shall obtain it.
32 But all things must come to pass in their time. [ Or the appointed time - the Lord's time no man's. ]
34 Behold, the Lord requireth the heart [ Why is the heart so important to the Lord? The body usually follows the heart in the long run. ] and a willing mind; [ What does a willing mind contribute to following the Lord with success? It is thru the open mind that the Lord provides inspration, and revelation of his will. If our mind is not open we are not looking for further light and knowledge in our lives. see also D&C 58:7, 63:35] and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.
35 And the rebellious shall be cut off out of the land of Zion, [ D&C 63:17-18 To be cut off with no inheritance implies you and all of your progeny are completely wiped out such that there are none left to inherit land. ] and shall be sent away, and shall not inherit the land.
36 For, verily I say that the rebellious are not of the blood of Ephraim, [ Ephraim in the birthright tribe. It is Ephraim that is to direct the work and preside in the work of the latter days. A figuratively spiritual description as the opposite is found in v. 34 which would be those who are of the "blood of Ephraim". When applied to a group that certainly contains Gentiles it shows how the Lord views the covenant with Israel to non-Israelites if they are worthy. ] wherefore they shall be plucked out.
37 Behold, I, the Lord, have made my church in these last days like unto a judge sitting on a hill, or in a high place, to judge the nations.
38 For it shall come to pass that the inhabitants of Zion shall judge all things pertaining to Zion.
39 And liars and hypocrites shall be proved by them, [ A follow up to the subject of D&C 63:1-6, of hypocrites within the Church, regardless of position, shall be removed and replaced. Given this context it is plain that in order for Zion to act as a judge those in Zion, particularly her leaders, must be just. As the Lord is no respecter of persons (cp. D&C 1:35, D&C 38:16), people have no claim to leniency based upon social standing or status within the Church (cp. D&C 58:20-21, see also Isa. 3:2-3). All are required to repent and be just. ] and they who are not apostles and prophets shall be known.
40 And even the bishop, who is a judge, and his counselors, if they are not faithful in their stewardships shall be condemned, and others shall be planted in their stead.
41 For, behold, I say unto you that Zion shall flourish, and the glory of the Lord shall be upon her;
42 And she shall be an ensign unto the people, and there shall come unto her out of every nation under heaven. [ Is derivative of Isaiah's descriptions of Zion. However, Isaiah's descriptions of Zion taken in context refer to old Jerusalem after the Day of the Lord. Rather, we would apply the 3 Ne. 20-22 description of the Zion of New Jerusalem (taken along with Moroni's comments in Ether 13), which selectively quotes a great deal from Isaiah and reinterprets it to apply to lineage of Ephraim in an eschatological setting as opposed to Judah in a Millennial setting. ]
43 And the day shall come when the nations of the earth shall tremble because of her, and shall fear because of her terrible ones. [ The descriptor of "terrible" is probably based upon KJV song of solomon 6:10 as it is employed in D&C 5:14. The Jewish Publication society (JPS) translation of songs 6:10 renders it "awesome" rather than "terrible", and indicates the meaning of the Hebrew is obscure. In any case, one of the standard covenant benedictions is your enemies will run away from you because the Lord is with you (cf. Lev. 26:7-8), this is what is being referrenced. ] The Lord hath spoken it. Amen.
[ Historical Material Pertaining to Doctrine & Covenants 64 Excerpt from History of the Church The early part of September was spent in making preparations to remove to the town of Hiram, and renew our work on the translation of the Bible. The brethren who were commanded to go up to Zion were earnestly engaged in getting ready to start in the coming October. On the 11th of September I received the following: [text of D&C 64 quoted] On the 12th of September, I removed with my family to the township of Hiram, and commenced living with John Johnson. Hiram was in Portage county, and about thirty miles southeasterly from Kirtland, From this time until the forepart of October, I did little more than prepare to re-commence the translation of the Bible. (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, volume 1, pages 211- 215) Excerpt from Book of John Whitmer soon after this, the time of holding the General Conference drew near; and Joseph the Seer, and Sidney the Scribe, moved from Kirtland, Ohio, to Hiram, Portage County, and continued the translation of the New Testament. On the twenty-fifth day of October, 1831, the elders assembled together at Irenus Burnett's in the township of Orange and county of Cuyahoga, Ohio. Twelve high priests; seventeen elders; five priests; and three teachers. At which conference were ordained one elder and fourteen priests, the names of whom you will find recorded in the conference minute book. (John Whitmer, Book of John Whitmer, chapter 10, paragraphs 2-3) Excerpt from History of Joseph Smith, by his Mother I shall now return to the month of September, 1831. Joseph, at this time, was engaged in translating the Bible, and Sidney Rigdon was writing for him. About the first of this month, Joseph came to the conclusion to remove himself and clerk, as well as their families, to the before-mentioned town of Hiram, in order to expedite the work. They moved to the house of Father John Johnson, and lived with him in peace until the following March... (Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, by his Mother, chapter 41, page 218). ]