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Revelation, 1 November 1831–B [D&C 1]

Source Note

Revelation, , OH, 1 Nov. 1831. Featured version, titled “77 Revelation Given in Hiram Novm. 1st. 1831,” copied [between 12 and 20 Nov. 1831] in Revelation Book 1, pp. 125–127; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Revelation Book 1.

Historical Introduction

At a of in , Ohio, on 1 November 1831, JS dictated a revelation designated as a preface for the Book of Commandments, a proposed compilation of JS’s revelations. According to the minutes of the 1 November conference, this revelatory preface was “received by inspiration” during a recess between the morning and afternoon sessions. , one of the conference participants, gave a more detailed account of the production of the preface fifty years later to William Kelley, an elder in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. According to Kelley’s account of the conversation, McLellin said that he, , and had been given the assignment to write the preface to the Book of Commandments, but when they presented their draft to the conference, the “Conference picked it all to pieces” and requested that JS petition the Lord for a preface. After JS and the elders bowed in prayer, JS, who was “sitting by a window,” dictated the preface “by the Spirit,” while Rigdon served as scribe. “Joseph would deliver a few sentences and Sydney would write them down,” McLellin told Kelley, “then read them aloud, and if correct, then Joseph would proceed and deliver more.” In this way, “the preface was given.”
As with prefaces to other published works, this revelation informed readers of the subject and purpose of the volume. Speaking in the voice of Deity, it told both the and the world why God revealed these to JS and painted an apocalyptic picture of the wrath that God would unleash against the wicked unless they responded to the new revelations by repenting. The revelations were thus a “voice of warning” to the world to prepare them for Jesus Christ’s second coming.
The original manuscript of the preface is no longer extant. copied the revelation into Revelation Book 1 likely between 12 November 1831, the date of the revelation that precedes it in the revelation book, and 20 November, the date that he and left for with the revelation book. The revelation was printed as the preface to the Book of Commandments about a year later.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    For additional information on this conference, see Minutes, 1–2 Nov. 1831.

  2. [2]

    Minutes, 1–2 Nov. 1831. A later JS history merely relates that the revelation came at a “Special Conference” in Hiram. (JS History, vol. A-1, 157.)

  3. [3]

    “Letter from Elder W. H. Kelley,” Saints’ Herald, 1 Mar. 1882, 67.

    Saints’ Herald. Independence, MO. 1860–.

  4. [4]

    See Historical Introduction to Revelation Book 1; Revelation, 1 Nov. 1831–B, in Revelation Book 1, pp. 125–127 [D&C 1]; Whitmer, History, 38.

  5. [5]

    The first gathering of the Book of Commandments was printed in December 1832; The Evening and the Morning Star published the preface in March 1833. (Notice, The Evening and the Morning Star, Dec. 1832, [8]; “Revelation Given, Hiram, Ohio, November 1, 1831,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Mar. 1833, [6].)

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Revelation, 1 November 1831–B [D&C 1] Revelation Book 1 Book of Commandments, 1833 Revelations printed in The Evening and the Morning Star, June 1832–June 1833 Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 Revelations printed in Evening and Morning Star, January 1835–June 1836 Revelation, 1 November 1831–B, as Published in Times and Seasons [D&C 1] History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834] Doctrine and Covenants, 1844 “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 126

hear may hear prepare ye prepare ye for that which is to come for the Lord is nigh & the anger of the Lord is kindled & his sword is bathed in heaven & it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the Earth & the arm of the Lord shall be revealled & the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord neither his servants neith[er] give heed to the words of the Prophets & shall be cut off from among the People for they have strayed from mine & have broken mine everlasting Covenant they seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness but every man walketh in his own way & after the Image of his own God whose Image is in the likeness of the world & whose substance is that of an Idol which waxeth old & shall perish in Babylon even Babylon the great, which shall fall wherefore I the Lord knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the Earth called upon my Servents Joseph & spake unto him from heaven & gave him & also & gave commandments to others that they should proclaim these things unto the world & all this that it might be fulfilled which was written by the Prophets the weak things of the world should come forth & break down the mighty & strong ones that men <​man​> should not council his fellow man neither trust in the arm of flesh but that every man might Speak in the name of God the Lord even the Saveiour of the world that faith also might increase in the Earth that mine everlasting Covenant might be established that the fullness of my Gospel might be proclaimed by the weak & the Simple unto the ends of the world & before kings & Rulers Behold I am God & have spoken it these are commandments are of me & were given unto my Servents in their weakness after the manner of their Language that they might come to understanding & in as much as they erred it might be made known & in as much as they sought wisdom it might be made known instructed & in as much as they sinned they might be chastened that they might repent & in as much as they were humble they might be made strong & blessed from on high & receive knowledge from time to time After they having received the record of the yea even my Servant Joseph might have power to through the mercy of God by the power of [God] the Book of Mormon & also those to whom these commandments were given might have power to lay the foundation of this & to bring it forth out of obscurity & out of darkness the only true & living Church upon the face of the whole Earth with which I [p. 126]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Revelation, 1 November 1831–B [D&C 1]
ID #
6529
Total Pages
3
Print Volume Location
JSP, D2:103–107
Handwriting on This Page
  • John Whitmer

Footnotes

  1. [7]

    See Isaiah 34:5.

  2. [8]

    See Isaiah 53:1; John 12:38; and Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 185 [Mosiah 14:1].

  3. [9]

    See Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 58, 497 [1 Nephi 22:20; 3 Nephi 20:23].

  4. [10]

    See Isaiah 24:5.

  5. [11]

    See Revelation 14:8; 18:2.

  6. [12]

    TEXT: Or “spoke”.

  7. [13]

    See 1 Corinthians 1:26–29; and Revelation, 7 Dec. 1830 [D&C 35:13].

  8. [14]

    See Genesis 17:7, 19; and Ezekiel 16:60.

  9. [15]

    See Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 118 [2 Nephi 31:3].

  10. [16]

    For examples of such chastening, see Revelation, July 1828 [D&C 3:5–9]; and Revelation, 1 Aug. 1831 [D&C 58:14–16].

  11. [17]

    See Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 564 [Ether 12:27].

  12. [18]

    That is, the Book of Mormon, which presents itself as the history of an ancient American people known as the Nephites.

  13. [19]

    Missing word supplied from the version of this revelation published in The Evening and the Morning Star. (“Revelation Given, Hiram, Ohio, November 1, 1831,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Mar. 1833, [6].)

    The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.

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