Revelation, 7 December 1830 [D&C 35]
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Source Note
Revelation, [, Seneca Co., NY], to , 7 Dec. 1830. Featured version, titled “38th Commandment AD 1830. Dec.m. 7th,” copied [ca. Mar. 1831] in Revelation Book 1, pp. 46–48; handwriting of ; CHL. Includes redactions. For more complete source information, see the source note for Revelation Book 1.A portion of another early copy of this revelation in the handwriting of survived through the family, coming into the Church Historian’s Office in the 1960s. Symonds Rider supplied the text to the editor of the Ohio Star (Ravenna), which published it in the 5 January 1832 issue. Rider claimed that he received his version from David Whitmer. The text featured here, the Star version, and the existing portion of the Whitmer version from the Rider family are all similar, with no significant variants.
Footnotes
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1
Revelation, 7 Dec. 1830, in Revelations Collection, CHL [D&C 35:13–18]. The opposite side of this revelation fragment contains a few verses of Revelation, 9 Dec. 1830 [D&C 36].
Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583.
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2
“Mormonism,” Ohio Star (Ravenna), 5 Jan. 1832, [3]; Symonds Rider, Letter to the Editor, Ohio Star (Ravenna), 29 Dec. 1831, [3].
Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.
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1
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Historical Introduction
The conversion of and others in northeastern in fall 1830 transformed the new geographically and demographically. Within a few weeks after missionaries arrived in Ohio, more than one hundred individuals were , and by the end of December church members in were commanded to move to Ohio. , where the first baptisms in Ohio took place, became an important gathering place for church members for the next seven years. The visit of Sidney Rigdon and to only a few weeks after Rigdon’s baptism helped bring about this transition. According to ’s history, Rigdon made the trip because he had “much anxiety to see Joseph Smith Jr. the Seer whom the Lord had raised up in these last days.” Rigdon and Partridge arrived in early December 1830, and shortly thereafter JS dictated a revelation for each of them. This revelation, for Rigdon, praised his previous ministerial labors and positioned him as JS’s scribe for JS’s inspired of the Bible. Rigdon remained in New York with JS for the next two months until they both moved to Ohio.
Footnotes
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1
Pratt, Autobiography, 50; Anderson, “Impact of the First Preaching in Ohio,” 478.
Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.
Anderson, Richard Lloyd. “The Impact of the First Preaching in Ohio.” BYU Studies 11 (Summer 1971): 474–496.
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2
See Revelation, 30 Dec. 1830 [D&C 37:2–3]; and Revelation, 2 Jan. 1831 [D&C 38:32].
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3
See [Matthew S. Clapp], “Mormonism,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 15 Feb. 1831, [1] –[2]; Knight, Reminiscences, 8; and Walter Scott, “Mormon Bible.—No. V,” Evangelist, 1 June 1841, 132–136.
Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.
Knight, Joseph, Sr. Reminiscences, no date. CHL. MS 3470.
Evangelist. Carthage, OH. 1832–1844.
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4
Whitmer, History, 1.
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1
Document Transcript
Footnotes
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1
John Whitmer likely created this heading when he copied the text into Revelation Book 1.
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2
The version published in the Ohio Star in January 1832 has “an.” (“Mormonism,” Ohio Star [Ravenna], 5 Jan. 1832, [3].)
Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.
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3
See John 1:12; 17:21.
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4
During Rigdon’s nearly decade-long ministry in association with Alexander Campbell, he gained a reputation as a powerful preacher. One early follower recalled, “His action was graceful, his language copious, fluent in utterance, with articulation clear and musical.” (Hayden, Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, 192; see also Richardson, Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, 47; and Chase, “Sidney Rigdon—Early Mormon,” 24–32.)
Hayden, Amos Sutton. Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, Ohio; with Biographical Sketches of the Principal Agents in Their Religious Movement. Cincinnati: Chase and Hall, 1875.
Richardson, Robert. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, Embracing a View of the Origin, Progress and Principles of the Religious Reformation Which He Advocated. Vol. 2. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1870.
Chase, Daryl. “Sidney Rigdon—Early Mormon.” Master’s thesis, University of Chicago, 1931.
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An early follower of Alexander Campbell wrote that prior to the arrival of Mormon missionaries, Rigdon “was travailing with expectancy of some great event soon to be revealed to the surprise and astonishment of mankind” and “preparing others for the voice of some mysterious event soon to come.” Painesville, Ohio, Telegraph editor Eber D. Howe wrote in 1834 that Rigdon had so thoroughly “prepared the minds in a great measure, of nearly a hundred of those who had attended his ministration to be in readiness to embrace the first mysterious ism that should be presented” that surreptitiously he must have been “the original ‘author and proprietor’ of the whole Mormon conspiracy.” (Hayden, Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, 209; Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 290, italics in original.)
Hayden, Amos Sutton. Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, Ohio; with Biographical Sketches of the Principal Agents in Their Religious Movement. Cincinnati: Chase and Hall, 1875.
Howe, Eber D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time. With Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner in Which the Famous Golden Bible Was Brought before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquiries into the Probability That the Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written by One Solomon Spalding, More Than Twenty Years Ago, and by Him Intended to Have Been Published as a Romance. Painesville, OH: By the author, 1834.
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6
See Acts 8:18–19.
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7
See Mark 16:17–18. A similar promise was given in Revelation, July 1830–A [D&C 24:13].
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8
For “the time speedily cometh,” the Ohio Star version has “this speedily cometh.” (“Mormonism,” Ohio Star [Ravenna], 5 Jan. 1832, [3].)
Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.
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9
See Revelation 14:8.
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10
See 1 Corinthians 1:27.
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11
See 1 Corinthians 15:25.
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12
The Ohio Star version has “pursue them.” In August 1830, JS and John Whitmer wrote to the church members in Colesville, New York, “Brethren be not dis-couraged when we tell you of perilous times, for they must shortly come, for the sword, famine, and pestilence are approaching, for there shall be great destructions upon the face of this land . . . and the Lord hath said that a short work will he make of it, and the righteous shall be saved if it be as by fire.” (“Mormonism,” Ohio Star [Ravenna], 5 Jan. 1832, [3]; Letter to Newel Knight and the Church in Colesville, 28 Aug. 1830.)
Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.
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13
See Matthew 11:5.
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14
See Matthew 24:32. One of JS’s contemporaries recalled that the Mormons “gained many proselytes . . . even among persons of intelligence, who had been filled with vague expectations of a speedy millennium.” (Richardson, Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, 347.)
Richardson, Robert. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, Embracing a View of the Origin, Progress and Principles of the Religious Reformation Which He Advocated. Vol. 2. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1870.
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15
An 1828 revelation reprimanded JS for the loss of the first part of the Book of Mormon manuscript, warning him that if he did not repent, he would “be delivered up & become as other men & have no more gift.” The command here to Rigdon to “watch over” JS acknowledges JS’s gifts but also his fallibility. Similarly, an earlier revelation admonished Oliver Cowdery to “stand by my servant Joseph faithfully in whatsoever difficult circumstances he may be, for the word’s sake. Admonish him in his faults and also receive admonition of him.” (Revelation, July 1828 [D&C 3:11]; Revelation, Apr. 1829–A [D&C 6:18–19].)
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16
This passage refers to JS’s revision of the Bible, a project he commenced earlier in 1830. By December he had reached Genesis 5. Pursuant to this revelation, Rigdon promptly commenced his scribal labors, writing JS’s dictation of a lengthy expansion of Genesis 5:22–24. (See Old Testament Revision 1, pp. 12–19 [Moses 6:26–8:4].)
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17
See Malachi 3:2–3; and 1 John 3:2–3.
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18
Decades later, David Whitmer described Rigdon’s impact on JS: “He soon worked himself deep into Brother Joseph’s affections, and had more influence over him than any other man living. He was Brother Joseph’s private counsellor, and his most intimate friend and brother for some time after they met. Brother Joseph rejoiced, believing that the Lord had sent to him this great and mighty man Sydney Rigdon, to help him in the work.” (Whitmer, Address to All Believers in Christ, 35.)
Whitmer, David. An Address to All Believers in Christ. Richmond, MO: By the author, 1887.
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19
Eber D. Howe, a vocal critic of JS, interpreted the revelation in this way: “[Rigdon was] very intimate with the scriptures, a close reasoner, and . . . was forthwith appointed to promulgate . . . Mormonism, ‘and call on the Holy Prophets to prove’ all the words of Smith.” An early account of JS prophesying and Rigdon “proving” his words from the Bible is found in John Whitmer’s history. Whitmer wrote that after this revelation was dictated, “Joseph prophesied saying: God is about to destroy this generation, and Christ will descend from heaven in power and great glory, with all the holy angels with him, to take vengeance upon the wicked, and they that know not God: Sidny preached the gospel and proved his words from the holy prophets: and so powerful were thier words, that the people who heard them speak were amazed, and trembled, and knew not whereunto this thing would grow.” (Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 110; Whitmer, History, 5.)
Howe, Eber D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time. With Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner in Which the Famous Golden Bible Was Brought before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquiries into the Probability That the Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written by One Solomon Spalding, More Than Twenty Years Ago, and by Him Intended to Have Been Published as a Romance. Painesville, OH: By the author, 1834.
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20
See Luke 21:28; 12:32.
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21
See, for example, Revelation 3:11; 27:7, 12, 20. This phrase was also used in the October 1830 revelation commanding specific church members to evangelize. (Revelation, Oct. 1830–B [D&C 33:18]; see also Revelation, 4 Nov. 1830 [D&C 34:12].)