Doctrine and Covenants Commentary - Section 58

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
         SECTION 58

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, in Zion, Jackson County, Missouri, August 1, 1831. HC 1:190-195. On the first Sabbath after the arrival of the Prophet and party in Jackson County, Missouri, a religious service was held and two members were received by baptism. During that week, members of the Colesville saints from the Thompson Branch and others arrived. Many were eager to learn the will of the Lord concerning them in the new place of gathering.

    1—5, Those who endure tribulation shall be crowned with glory;
    6—12, The saints are to prepare for the marriage of the Lamb and the Supper of the Lord;
    13—18, Bishops are judges in Israel;
    19—23, The saints are to obey the laws of the land;
    24—29, Men should use their agency to do good;
    30—33, The Lord commands and revokes;
    34—43, To repent, men must confess and forsake their sins;
    44—58, The saints are to purchase their inheritance and gather in Missouri:
    59—65, The gospel must be preached unto every creature.
D&C 58:1 Hearken, O ye elders of my church, and give aear to my word, and learn of me what I will concerning you, and also concerning bthis land unto which I have sent you.
D&C 58:2 For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that akeepeth my commandments, whether in life or in bdeath; and he that is cfaithful in dtribulation, the ereward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

D&C 58:3 Ye cannot behold with your natural aeyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the bglory which shall follow after much tribulation.
D&C 58:4 For after much atribulation come the bblessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be ccrowned with much dglory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.
D&C 58:5 Remember this, which I tell you before, that you may alay it to heart, and receive that which is to follow.

D&C 58:6 Behold, verily I say unto you, for this cause I have sent you—that you might be obedient, and that your hearts might be aprepared to bbear ctestimony of the things which are to come;
D&C 58:7 And also that you might be honored in laying the foundationa, and in bearing record of the land upon which the aZion of God shall stand.
D&C 58:8 And also that a feast of fat things might be prepared for the apoor; yea, a feast of fat things, of wine on the blees well refined, that the earth may know that the mouths of the prophets shall not fail;

 7a honored in laying the foundation The early saints will not participate in or see the building of Zion, though they preceive that they are in that process. What the Lord does promise them is that they will be honored for laying the initial foundations of the work which does eventuate into the building of Zion in Missouri.
D&C 58:9 Yea, a supper of the house of the Lord, well prepared, unto which all anations shall be invited.
D&C 58:10 First, the rich and the learned, the wise and the noble;
D&C 58:11 And after that cometh the day of my power; then shall the apoor, the lame, and the blind, and the deaf, come in unto the bmarriage of the Lamb, and partake of the csupper of the Lord, prepared for the great day to come.
D&C 58:12 Behold, I, the Lord, have spoken it.

D&C 58:13 And that the atestimony might go forth from Zion, yea, from the mouth of the city of the heritage of God—
D&C 58:14 Yea, for this cause I have sent you hither, and have selected my servant, aEdward Partridge, and have appointed unto him his mission in the land.
D&C 58:15 But if he repent not of his sins, which are aunbelief and blindness of bheart, let him take heed lest he cfall.

D&C 58:16 Behold his mission is given unto him, and it shall not be given again.
D&C 58:17 And whoso standeth in this mission is appointed to be a ajudge in Israel, like as it was in ancient days, to bdivide the lands of the heritage of God unto his cchildren.
D&C 58:18 And to judge his people by the testimony of the just, and by the assistance of his acounselors, according to the laws of the kingdom which are given by the bprophets of God.

D&C 58:19 For verily I say unto you, my law shall be kept on this land.
D&C 58:20 Let no man think he is aruler; but let God rule that judgeth, according to the counsel of his own bwill, or, in other words, him that counseleth or sitteth upon the judgment seat.
D&C 58:21 Let no man break the alaws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land.

D&C 58:22 Wherefore, be asubject to the powers that be, buntil he reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet.
D&C 58:23 Behold, the alaws which ye have received from my hand are the laws of the church, and in this light ye shall hold them forth. Behold, here is wisdom.
D&C 58:24 And now, as I spake concerning my servant Edward Partridge, this land is the land of his aresidence, and those whom he has appointed for his counselors; and also the land of the residence of him whom I have appointed to keep my bstorehouse;

D&C 58:25 Wherefore, let them bring their families to this land, as they shall acounsel between themselves and me.
D&C 58:26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is acompelled in all things, the same is a bslothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

D&C 58:27 Verily, I say, men should be aanxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
D&C 58:28 For the power is in them, wherein they are aagents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their breward.
D&C 58:29 But he that adoeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with bdoubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is cdamned.

D&C 58:30 Who am I that amade man, saith the Lord, that will hold him bguiltless that obeys not my commandments?
D&C 58:31 Who am I, saith the Lord, that have apromised and have not fulfilled?
D&C 58:32 I command and men aobey not; I brevoke and they receive not the blessing.
D&C 58:33 Then they asay in their hearts: This is not the work of the Lord, for his promises are not fulfilled. But wo unto such, for their breward lurketh cbeneath, and not from above.

D&C 58:34 And now I give unto you further directions concerning this land.
D&C 58:35 It is wisdom in me that my servant Martin Harris should be an example unto the church, in alaying his moneys before the bishop of the church.
D&C 58:36 And also, this is a law unto every man that cometh unto this land to receive an inheritance; and he shall do with his moneys according as the law directs.
D&C 58:37 And it is wisdom also that there should be lands purchased in Independence, for the place of the storehouse, and also for the house of the aprinting.
D&C 58:38 And other directions concerning my servant Martin Harris shall be given him of the Spirit, that he may receive his inheritance as seemeth him good;
D&C 58:39 And let him repent of his sins, for he seeketh the apraise of the world.

D&C 58:40 And also let my servant aWilliam W. Phelps stand in the office to which I have appointed him, and receive his inheritance in the land;
D&C 58:41 And also he hath need to repent, for I, the Lord, am not well pleased with him, for he seeketh to excel, and he is not sufficiently meek before me.
D&C 58:42 Behold, he who has arepented of his bsins, the same is cforgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.
D&C 58:43 By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will aconfess them and bforsake them.

D&C 58:44 And now, verily, I say concerning the residue of the elders of my achurch, the time has not yet come, for many years, for them to receive their binheritance in this land, except they desire it through the prayer of faith, only as it shall be appointed unto them of the Lord.
D&C 58:45 For behold, they shall apush the people together from the bends of the earth.
D&C 58:46 Wherefore, assemble yourselves together; and they who are not appointed to stay in this land, let them preach the gospel in the regions round about; and after that let them return to their homes.

D&C 58:47 Let them preach by the way, and abear testimony of the truth in all places, and call upon the rich, the high and the low, and the poor to repent.
D&C 58:48 And let them build up achurches, inasmuch as the inhabitants of the earth will repent.
D&C 58:49 And let there be an agent appointed by the voice of the church, unto the church in Ohio, to receive moneys to apurchase lands in bZion.

D&C 58:50 And I give unto my servant Sidney Rigdon a commandment, that he shall awrite a description of the land of Zion, and a statement of the will of God, as it shall be made known by the Spirit unto him;
D&C 58:51 And an epistle and subscription, to be presented unto all the churches to obtain moneys, to be put into the hands of the bishop, of himself or the agent, as seemeth him good or as he shall direct, to apurchase lands for an binheritance for the children of God.
D&C 58:52 For, behold, verily I say unto you, the Lord willeth that the disciples and the children of men should open their hearts, even to purchase this whole region of country, as soon as time will permit.

D&C 58:53 Behold, here is wisdom. Let them do this lest they areceive none inheritance, save it be by the shedding of blood.
D&C 58:54 And again, inasmuch as there is land obtained, let there be workmen sent forth of all kinds unto this land, to labor for the saints of God.
D&C 58:55 Let all these things be done in aorder; and let the privileges of the lands be made known from time to time, by the bishop or the agent of the church.

D&C 58:56 And let the work of the agathering be not in bhaste, nor by flight; but let it be done as it shall be ccounseled by the elders of the church at the conferences, according to the knowledge which they receive from time to time.
D&C 58:57 And let my servant Sidney Rigdon aconsecrate and bdedicate this land, and the spot for the ctemple, unto the Lord.
D&C 58:58 And let a conference meeting be called; and after that let my servants Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith, Jun., return, and also Oliver Cowdery with them to accomplish the residue of the work which I have appointed unto them in their own land, and the residue as shall be aruled by the conferences.
D&C 58:59 And let no man return from this land except he bear arecord by the way, of that which he knows and most assuredly believes.

D&C 58:60 Let that which has been bestowed upon aZiba Peterson be taken from him; and let him stand as a member in the church, and labor with his own hands, with the brethren, until he is sufficiently bchastened for all his sins; for he confesseth them not, and he thinketh to hide them.
D&C 58:61 Let the residue of the elders of this church, who are coming to this land, some of whom are exceedingly blessed, even above measure, also hold a aconference upon this land.
D&C 58:62 And let my servant Edward Partridge direct the conference which shall be held by them.

D&C 58:63 And let them also return, preaching the gospel by the way, bearing record of the things which are revealed unto them.
D&C 58:64 For, verily, the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth—the gospel must be apreached unto every creature, with bsigns following them that believe.
D&C 58:65 And behold the Son of Man acometh. Amen.