Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, and Leman Copley, at Kirtland, Ohio, March 1831. HC 1: 167—169. (Some historical sources give the date of this revelation as May 1831.) Leman Copley had embraced the gospel, but still held to some of the teachings of the Shakers (United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing) to which he had formerly belonged. Some of the beliefs of the Shakers were that Christ’s second coming had already occurred and he had appeared in the form of a woman, Ann Lee; baptism by water was not considered essential; the eating of pork was specifically forbidden, and many did not eat any meat; and a celibate life was considered higher than marriage. In prefacing this revelation, the Prophet wrote, “In order to have a more perfect understanding on the subject, I inquired of the Lord, and received the following.” The revelation refuted some of the basic concepts of the Shaker group. The aforementioned brethren took a copy of the revelation to the Shaker community (near Cleveland, Ohio) and read it to them in its entirety, but it was rejected.

1—7, Day and hour of Christ’s coming shall remain unknown until he comes; 8—14, Men must repent, believe the gospel, and obey the ordinances to gain salvation; 15—16, Marriage is ordained of God; 17—21, Eating of meat is approved; 22—28, Zion shall flourish and the Lamanites blossom as the rose before the Second Coming.

 HEARKEN unto my word, my servants Sidney, and Parley, and Leman; for behold, verily I say unto you, that I give unto you a commandment that you shall go and ^apreach my gospel which ye have received, even as ye have received it, unto the Shakers.

 Behold, I say unto you, that they desire to know the truth in part, but not all, for they are not ^aright^• before me and must needs repent.

 Wherefore, I send you, my servants Sidney and Parley, to preach the gospel unto them.

 And my servant Leman shall be ordained unto this work, that he may reason with them, not according to that which he has received of them, but according to that which shall be ^ataught him by you my servants; and by so doing I will bless him, otherwise he shall not prosper.

 Thus saith the Lord; for I am God, and have ^asent^• mine ^bOnly Begotten Son into the world for the ^credemption of the world, and have decreed that he that receiveth him shall be saved, and he that receiveth him not shall be ^ddamned—

 And they have done unto the ^aSon of Man even as they listed; and he has taken his power on the ^bright^• hand of his ^cglory, and now reigneth in the heavens, and will reign till he descends on the earth to put all enemies ^dunder^• his feet, which time is nigh at hand—

 I, the Lord God, have spoken it; but the hour and the ^aday^• no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they know until he comes.

 Wherefore, I will that all men shall repent, for all are under ^asin^•, except those which I have ^breserved^• unto myself, ^choly^• men that ye know not of.

 Wherefore, I say unto you that I have sent unto you mine everlasting ^acovenant^•, even that which was from the beginning.

 And that which I have promised I have so fulfilled, and the ^anations^• of the earth shall ^bbow^• to it; and, if not of themselves, they shall come down, for that which is now exalted of itself shall be laid ^clow^• of power.

 Wherefore, I give unto you a commandment that ye ^ago among this people, and say unto them, like unto mine apostle of old, whose name was ^bPeter^•:

 ^aBelieve on the name of the Lord Jesus, who was on the earth, and is to come, the beginning and the end;

 ^aRepent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, according to the holy commandment, for the remission of sins;

 And whoso doeth this shall receive the ^agift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of the ^bhands of the elders of the church.

 And again, verily I say unto you, that whoso ^aforbiddeth^• to marry is not ordained of God, for ^bmarriage^• is ordained of God unto man.

 Wherefore, it is lawful that he should have one ^awife, and they twain shall be ^bone flesh, and all this that the ^cearth might answer the end of its creation;

 And that it might be filled with the measure of man, according to his ^acreation ^bbefore the world was made.

 And whoso ^aforbiddeth^• to ^babstain from ^cmeats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God;

 For, behold, the ^abeasts^• of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which cometh of the earth, is ^bordained^• for the use of man for food and for ^craiment, and that he might have in abundance.

 But it is not given that one man should ^apossess^• that which is above another, wherefore the ^bworld lieth in ^csin.

 And wo be unto man that ^asheddeth^• blood or that ^bwasteth ^cflesh and hath no need.

 And again, verily I say unto you, that the Son of Man ^acometh^• not in the form of a woman, neither of a man traveling on the earth.

 Wherefore, be not ^adeceived^•, but continue in steadfastness, ^blooking^• forth for the heavens to be ^cshaken^•, and the earth to tremble and to reel to and fro as a drunken man, and for the ^dvalleys^• to be exalted, and for the ^emountains^• to be made low, and for the rough places to become smooth—and all this when the angel shall sound his ^ftrumpet^•.

 But before the great day of the Lord shall come, ^aJacob^• shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall ^bblossom^• as the rose.

 Zion shall ^aflourish^• upon the ^bhills^• and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed.

 Behold, I say unto you, go forth as I have commanded you; repent of all your sins; ^aask^• and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you.

 Behold, I will go before you and be your ^arearward^•; and I will be in your ^bmidst^•, and you shall not be ^cconfounded^•.

 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, and I come ^aquickly^•. Even so. Amen.