Sacred Texts: Mormons

Doctrine and Convenants: 124. Revelation to Joseph Smith, Nauvoo, Illinois, January 19, 1841.

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This is a revelation from the Doctrine and Covenants (Section 124), a canonical scripture of the Latter-day Saint tradition, presented as a direct divine address from God to Joseph Smith. The Lord commands Smith to issue a proclamation of the gospel to all world rulers — kings, governors, and the U.S. president — warning them to heed the rise of Zion or face divine judgment, while also inviting them to contribute resources to its building. A central command is the construction of a temple (the Nauvoo Temple is implied), which the text frames as an urgent necessity because several sacred ordinances — including baptism for the dead, ritual washings, and anointings — are only valid when performed in a dedicated house built to God's name. The revelation includes a notable theological argument: if the Saints diligently attempt to build and are stopped by enemies (as happened in Jackson County, Missouri), God releases them from the obligation and transfers the guilt to their persecutors. The text also functions partly as an ecclesiastical document, individually blessing and assigning roles to named church figures including Hyrum Smith, John C. Bennett, Lyman Wight, and George Miller. Its most doctrinally distinctive feature is the explicit institutionalization of proxy baptism for the dead as a temple-bound, non-negotiable ordinance, with the warning that the church itself will be "rejected" if the temple is not built in time.

Doctrine and Convenants: 124. Revelation to Joseph Smith, Nauvoo, Illinois, January 19, 1841.

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