Sacred Texts: Mormons

Mormon Doctrine & Covenants 35. Revelation to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, at or near Fayette, New York, December 1830.

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This is a Latter-day Saint (Mormon) scriptural text — a recorded revelation from December 1830, canonized in early Mormon history and attributed to Jesus Christ speaking through Joseph Smith. The revelation is addressed primarily to Sidney Rigdon, a recent convert, affirming his calling and commissioning him to baptize converts who will also receive the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands, a restored practice the text presents as matching that of the ancient apostles. The text also makes distinctive claims about Joseph Smith's unique prophetic authority, stating he has been given "the keys of the mystery of those things which have been sealed" — a conditional grant contingent on his continued faithfulness. Apocalyptic in tone, it frames the early Latter-day Saint mission as an imminent precursor to Christ's Second Coming, promising miracles, the downfall of "Babylon," and the eventual gathering and salvation of Israel. A notably unusual claim is that Sidney Rigdon had been divinely prepared as a forerunner "even as John" (the Baptist) without knowing it, retroactively interpreting his pre-Mormon ministry as part of God's plan. The text is of interest to readers studying early Mormon theology, the formation of LDS scriptural canon, or 19th-century American religious restoration movements.

Mormon Doctrine & Covenants 35. Revelation to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, at or near Fayette, New York, December 1830.

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