Doctrine and Covenants Commentary - Section 130

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
SECTION 130 Items of instruction given by Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Ramus, Illinois, April 2, 1843. HC 5:323—325.	Items of instruction and critical informational items of understanding concerning God and the true order of heaven given by the Prophet Joseph Smith at Ramus, Illinois, April 2, 1843.
1—3, The Father and the Son may appear personally to men; 4—7, Angels reside in a celestial sphere; 8—9, The celestial earth will be a great Urim and Thummim; 10—11, A white stone is give to all who enter the celestial world; 12—17, The time of the Second Coming is withheld from the Prophet; 18—19, Intelligence gained in this life rises with us in the resurrection; 20—21, All blessings come by obedience to law; 22—23, The Father and the Son have bodies of flesh and bones.
D&C 130:1 WHEN the Savior shall ^aappear we shall see him as he is^a. We shall see that he is a ^bman like ourselves. D&C 130:2 And that same ^asociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with ^beternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy.	1^a we shall see him as he is	1^a 1 John 3:2 (1-4); TG Jesus Christ, Second Coming ^b TG God, Body-Corporeal Nature; TG Man, Potential to Become Like Heavenly Father 2^a TG Family, Eternal; ^b TG Family, Love within; TG Marriage, Continuing Courtship ^b TG Celestial Glory; TG Eternal Life
D&C 130:3 John 14:23—The ^aappearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse, is a personal ^bappearance; and the idea that the Father and the Son ^cdwell in a man's heart is an old sectarian notion^a, and is false.	3^a old sectarian notion Much of Christian understanding is founded in and upon 'old sectarian notions'. These often false notions, founded in man's interpretaions rather than the spirit's revealed truth, still find their way into the true church's theology and doctrinal concepts. As such is the nature, even the very basic truths of God seem to continually needs be taught in the classrooms of the church's sunday schools and from our pulpits. Even such simple doctrine that Jesus Christ is the same person as Jehovah the God of the Old Testament place to be our God by the divine investiture of the Father, must continually be taught to guard against the continual encrouchments of the old sectarian notions which would suggest something other than the truth of the matter.	3^a TG God, Privilege of Seeing ^b John 14:23 (21-23); D&C 93:1 TG Revelation ^c Alma 34:36; D&C 130:22
D&C 130:4 In answer to the question—Is not the reckoning of God's ^atime, angel's time, prophet's time, and man's time, according to the planet on which they reside? D&C 130:5 I answer, Yes. But there are no ^aangels who ^bminister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it^a. Only Those of This Estate Only those who are of this earth can minister unto this earth. Or stated another way, only those who belong to this second estate do administer unto this second estate. That means that God the Father of Spirit, who had long since progressed beyond any such second estate realm of 'fallen' mortal existance, would not be one who would administer to this second estate provided for his own spirit children. And such administrating authority would have to be upon the part of one who was of this second estate. And that would be Jehovah, who was the Father's Firstborn Son in the spirit. The Father would anoint and empower Jehovah to act in the Father's stead in all things to the end that the power of God and the purpose of God would be fulfilled within the realm of this second estate.	5^a there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it The 'ministering of angels' includes all, even Jehovah and the Holy Ghost, who do minister unto this earth under the power and position of the administration of angels to this earth. Thus this principle applies to all who do minister to this 'earth' or this 'second estate' that they do have to belong to this estate. That exclusive group of this 'second estate' are those spirit children of God the Father of Spirits who have kept their first estate (Abraham 3:24-26).	4^a Abr. 3:9 (4-10); Abr. 4:13 (13-14); Abr. 5:13; TG Time 5^a TG Angels Gen. 48:16; Ex. 3:2 (2-15) ^b D&C 7:6; D&C 43:25; D&C 129:3 (3, 6-7)
D&C 130:6 The angels do not reside on a planet like this earth; D&C 130:7 But ^athey reside in the ^bpresence of God, on a globe ^clike a ^dsea of glass and ^efire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord. D&C 130:8 The place where God resides is a great ^aUrim and Thummim.
D&C 130:9 This ^aearth, in its ^bsanctified and ^cimmortal state, will be made like unto ^dcrystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be ^eChrist's.
D&C 130:10 Then the white ^astone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a ^bhigher order of kingdoms will be made known; D&C 130:11 And a ^awhite stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new ^bname written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word.
D&C 130:12 I prophesy, in the name of the Lord God, that the commencement of the ^adifficulties which will cause much bloodshed previous to the coming of the Son of Man will be in South Carolina. D&C 130:13 It may probably arise through the slave question. This a ^avoice declared to me, while I was praying earnestly on the subject, December 25th, 1832.
D&C 130:14 I was once praying very earnestly to know the time of the ^acoming of the Son of Man, when I heard a voice repeat the following: D&C 130:15 Joseph, my son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man; therefore ^alet this suffice, and trouble me no more on this matter. D&C 130:16 I was left thus, without being able to decide whether this coming referred to the beginning of the millenium or to some previous appearing, or whether I should die and thus see his face. D&C 130:17 I believe the coming of the Son of Man will not be any sooner than that time.
D&C 130:18 Whatever principle of ^aintelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the ^bresurrection. D&C 130:19 And if a person gains more ^aknowledge and intelligence in this life through his ^bdiligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the ^cadvantage in the world to come.
D&C 130:20 There is a ^alaw, irrevocably decreed in ^bheaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all ^cblessings are predicated— D&C 130:21 And when we obtain any ^ablessing from God, it is by ^bobedience to that law upon which it is predicated.		20^a Jer. 26:4; D&C 82:10 ^b TG Council in Heaven; TG God, Law of ^c Ex. 32:29; Deut. 11:27 (26-28); D&C 132:5 (5-14) 20^a Deut. 6:24; Alma 45:16 (15-16); TG Blessing ^b TG Obedience
D&C 130:22 The ^aFather has a ^bbody of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of ^cSpirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not ^ddwell in us. D&C 130:23 A man may receive the ^aHoly Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not ^btarry with him. God the Father God the Father of Spirits, who we know as Elohiem, has a Celestial Body of flesh and bone just as tangible and real as man's. And he has had, just as we who become Gods like unto him will also have, his Celestial Body from before the foundation of this earth and this second estate which has been established for the purpose of providing for the Salvation and Eternal Life of His spirit children. Thus God the Father of Spirits is not one who belongs to this current 'second estate' which is exclusive for His spririt children. He had already previous to this second estate created by the hand of His Son Jehovah for the use of His spirit children, passed through his probationary estate and had already obtained his Celestial Glory. Thus the Father had his Celestial body of flesh and bone prior to the events of the preexistence, prior to the creative births of His spririt children, including his first born Son, Jehovah, and prior to the creation of this second estate within which we dwell. Thus the Father of Spirit, Elohiem, has not and does not belong to this current seond estate in which we are now in and thus he does not minister unto it and does only minister to it indirectly through Jehovah, whom he anointed and consecrated to be its God. on	God the Son Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ, now does have a body of flesh and bone as does the Father. But he did not receive it until his birth as the only begotten of the Father in the flesh when he was born of Mary. Prior to then, Jehovah of the Old Testament, Jehovah who created the heavens and earth of this second estate, Jehovah, the Firstborn spirit son of Elohiem, our old brother did not have such a body, but was a personage of spirit. Joseph Smith taught that spirit body was a body of material elements but of a different nature than the mortal body of flesh and bone. Jesus, that is Jehovah, was like unto us in that he too was a spirit child of God the Father of spirits. Thus Jesus did and has belonged to this current second estate. By the investiture of power from the Father, Jehovah is the creator of the heavens of this second estate and he does rule over it and because he is a part of it, he is the one as its God, minister unto it.	22^a TG God the Father—Elohim; TG Godhead; TG Man, Potential to Become Like Heavenly Father ^b John 4:24 (23-24); John 14:9; Acts 17:28 (25-29); Heb. 1:3; TG God, Body of—Corporeal; TG God, Knowledge about; TG God, Manifestations of ^c TG Spirit Body ^d 2 Tim. 1:14; TG Holy Ghost, Mission of 23^a TG Holy Ghost, Gift of ^b TG Holy Ghost, Loss of Holy Ghost Another of the great spirits of God the Father of spirits is that who we know as the Holy Ghost. We do not know him by name as his name is for the time being 'secret', though he does often perform in the office and calling of an Elias. He also is one of God's Sons and he also was anointed and consecrated to be a member of the Godhead along with the Father and the Son, have a special calling of performance to perform. He is God's messenger and being a spirit, he has the power to directly effect his immediate presence with in the very soul and being of another person. And since this is a part of his special calling and function, he will remain a spirit until all that is done which needs to be done for the Father's children.