Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, when they inquired through the Urim and Thummim as to whether John, the beloved disciple, tarried in the flesh or had died. The revelation is a translated version of the record made on parchment by John and hidden up by himself. HC 1: 35—36.

[ There is not a lot of detail as to what prompted Joseph and Oliver to ask whether John was translated or was dead; but this we do know. This event happened during the first month or so of translation and there is a reference to John in 1 Ne. 114"19-27 So that may give us a clue.

Excerpt from Times and Seasons During the month of April I continued to translate, and he [i.e., Oliver Cowdery] to write, with little cessation, during which time we received several revelations. A difference of opinion arising between us about the account of John the apostle, mentioned in the New Testament, John, twenty first chapter and twenty second verse, whether he died or whether he continued we mutually agreed to settle it by the Urim and Thummim, and the following is the word which we received. [text of D&C 7 follows] (Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, Vol. 3, No. 18, July 15, 1842, page 853 [also appearing in History of the Church, Vol. 1, pages 35-36])

Excerpt from Doctrine and Covenants Commentary The prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, one day, discussed this passage of the Scriptures, and expressed different views on the meaning of it. In order to come to unity of faith on that question, the Prophet inquired of the Lord and received this Revelation. The question might be asked, whether the Prophet had actually seen the parchment written and hidden by John, or a copy of it; if so, where and when did he obtain it, and what became of it? The history of the Prophet does not furnish information on these subjects. But it is not necessary to suppose that the Prophet had St. John's parchment, or a copy of it, before him, when he received this Revelation. It was the contents of the document that were revealed. It was just as easy for the Spirit of the Lord to communicate the contents of that record to the Prophet, without the actual presence of it, as it would have been to enable him to understand the language in which John wrote it, whether Greek or Aramaean, which languages neither Joseph nor Oliver could have read, except by special divine interposition, even if they had had the manuscript before them. The miracle would have been practically the same. (Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, page 40) ]