Sacred Texts: Mormons

Mormon Doctrine & Covenants 84. Revelation through Joseph Smith, Kirtland, Ohio, September 22 and 23, 1832.

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This is a scriptural revelation from the Doctrine and Covenants (Section 84), a canonical text of the Latter-day Saint tradition, recorded as direct divine speech to Joseph Smith and six elders in September 1832. Its central content is a detailed theology of priesthood authority: it traces an unbroken lineage of the Melchizedek (higher) priesthood from Adam through Moses, Jethro, and Abraham, and argues that without this priesthood and its ordinances, no person can behold God or access divine power. The text introduces a sharp two-tier structure — the higher Melchizedek priesthood administers the fullness of the gospel, while the lesser Aaronic priesthood (retained after Israel rejected Moses) handles preparatory rites like baptism and repentance. A distinctive and striking claim is that the entire early LDS church stands under divine condemnation for treating the Book of Mormon and prior commandments "lightly," and will remain condemned until it actively lives by them — not merely professes them. The revelation closes with missionary instructions echoing the New Testament (signs following believers, apostolic commission, warnings of damnation for unbelievers) and practical directives against carrying purse or scrip. Someone deciding whether to read this would find it most valuable for its unusually explicit LDS priesthood genealogy and the condemnation passage, both of which carry significant theological weight within Mormon history and doctrine.

Mormon Doctrine & Covenants 84. Revelation through Joseph Smith, Kirtland, Ohio, September 22 and 23, 1832.

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