Sacred Texts: Mormons

Doctrine and Convenants: 56. Revelation through Joseph Smith, Kirtland, Ohio, June 1831.

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This is a scriptural revelation from the Doctrine and Covenants, the canonized book of modern revelations received by Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter-day Saint movement. The text presents itself as direct divine speech, commanding obedience and announcing the reassignment of specific named church members — Thomas B. Marsh, Ezra Thayre, Selah J. Griffin, and Newel Knight — to travel to Missouri, with prior commandments revoked due to the "stiffneckedness" and rebellion of members in Thompson. A notable claim is God's explicit assertion of the right to command and then revoke commandments at will, used here to justify the reshuffling of assignments. The revelation then broadens into moral condemnation of both the wealthy (for hoarding goods) and the poor (for covetousness and idleness), insisting neither class escapes judgment on the basis of economic status alone. Its most distinctive move is the beatitude directed at the "pure in heart" poor — promising them both spiritual and literal inheritance of the earth. The passage closes with an eschatological promise of Christ's return and universal recompense.

Doctrine and Convenants: 56. Revelation through Joseph Smith, Kirtland, Ohio, June 1831.

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