History of Joseph Smith, the Prophet and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph F. Smith
who shall be set apart for this ministry, shall be tried or condemned for any crime, save it be before the First Presidency of the Church;
23. And inasmuch as he is found guilty before this Presidency, by testimony that cannot be impeached, he shall be condemned;
24. And if he repent he shall be forgiven, according to the covenants and commandments of the Church.
25. And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.
26. For this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized;
27. And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands,
28. And they shall also teach their children to pray and to walk uprightly before the Lord.
29. And the inhabitants of Zion shall also observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
30. And the inhabitants of Zion also shall remember their labors, inasmuch as they are appointed to labor, in all faithfulness; for the idler shall be had in remembrance before the Lord.
31. Now, I the Lord, am not well pleased with the inhabitants of Zion, for there are idlers among them; and their children are also growing up in wickedness; they also seek not earnestly the riches of eternity, but their eyes are full of greediness.
32. These things ought not to be, and must be done away from among them: wherefore, let my servant Oliver Cowdery carry these sayings unto the land of Zion.
33. And a commandment I give unto them, that he that observeth not his prayers before the Lord in the season thereof, let him be had in remembrance before the judge of my people.
34. These sayings are true and faithful; wherefore transgress them not, neither take therefrom.
35. Behold, I am Alpha and Omega, and I come quickly. Amen.
Preparation of the Revelations for Publication, Nov. 1st-15th.
It had been decided by the conference that Elder Oliver Cowdery should carry the commandments and revelations to Independence, Missouri, for printing, and that I should arrange and get them in readiness by the time that he left, which was to be by—or, if possible, before—the 15th of the month [November]. At this time there were many things which the Elders desired to know relative to preaching the Gospel to the inhabitants of the earth, and concerning the gathering; and in order to walk by the true light, and be instructed from on high, on the 3rd of November, 1831, I inquired of the Lord and received the following important revelation, which has since been added to the book of Doctrine and Covenants, and called the Appendix:
Revelation, given November 3, 1831.16
1. Hearken, O ye people of my Church, saith the Lord your God, and hear the word of the Lord concerning you;
2. The Lord who shall suddenly come to His temple; the Lord who shall come down upon the world with a curse to judgment; yea, upon all the nations that forget God, and upon all the ungodly among you.
3. For He shall make bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of their God.
4. Wherefore, prepare ye, prepare ye, O my people; sanctify yourselves; gather ye together, O ye people of my Church, upon the land of Zion, all you that have not been commanded to tarry.
5. Go ye out from Babylon. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.
6. Call your solemn assemblies, and speak often one to another. And let every man call upon the name of the Lord;
7. Yea, verily I say unto you again, the time has come when the voice of the Lord is unto you, Go ye out of Babylon; gather ye out from among the nations, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
8. Send forth the Elders of my Church unto the nations which are afar off; unto the islands of the sea; send forth unto foreign lands; call upon all nations; first upon the Gentiles, and then upon the Jews.
9. And behold, and lo, this shall be their cry, and the voice of the Lord unto all people: Go ye forth unto the land of Zion, that the borders of my people may be enlarged, and that her stakes may be strengthened, and that Zion may go forth unto the regions round about;
10. Yea, let the cry go forth among all people: Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom: behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet Him. Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord.
11. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour.
12. Let them therefore, who are among the Gentiles, flee unto Zion.
13. And let them who be of Judah flee unto Jerusalem, unto the mountains of the Lord's house.
14. Go ye out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon.
15. But verily, thus saith the Lord, Let not your flight be in haste, but let all things be prepared before you; and he that goeth let him not look back, lest sudden destruction shall come upon him.
16. Hearken and hear, O ye inhabitants of the earth. Listen, ye Elders of my Church together, and hear the voice of the Lord; for He calleth upon all men, and He commandeth all men everywhere to repent.
17. For, behold, the Lord God hath sent forth the angel crying through the midst of heaven, saying, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight, for the hour of His coming is nigh—
18. When the Lamb shall stand upon Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads:
19. Wherefore, prepare ye for the coming of the Bridegroom; go ye, go ye out to meet Him,
20. For behold, He shall stand upon the mount of Olives, and upon the mighty ocean, even the great deep, and upon the islands of the sea, and upon the land of Zion;
21. And He shall utter His voice out of Zion, and He shall speak from Jerusalem, and His voice shall be heard among all people.
22. And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found;
23. He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land:
24. And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.
25. And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh.
26. And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord and their prophets shall hear His voice, and shall no longer stay themselves, and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence.
27. And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep.
28. Their enemies shall become a prey unto them,
29. And in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land.
30. And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants.
31. And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence.
32. And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim;
33. And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy.
34.