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Unfolding the Doctrines of the Kingdom

In the history of the restoration movement, one of the most productive periods in the disclosure of principles of the everlasting gospel was the 1830s. When The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized on April 6, 1830, the Book of Mormon had been available in print for less than two weeks, and there was no Doctrine and Covenants nor Pearl of Great Price to aid members in their understanding of the doctrines of God's kingdom. The basic beliefs of the first converts in New York and Pennsylvania were primarily the religious concepts described in the Book of Mormon, such as the first principles of the gospel, the resurrection of the body, a future state of happiness or misery, and a distinct belief concerning the antiquity of the gospel, the fall of Adam, and the atonement of Christ. As a consequence of Joseph Smith's early visions and revelations, members also shared a unique belief concerning the priesthood: that the power and authority to act in the name of God had been restored to the earth by the laying on of hands by angelic messengers.

An Unprecedented Era

As Latter-day Saints matured in their capacity to comprehend the doctrines of the kingdom of God, additional doctrines were unfolded to them. Many doctrinal disclosures were made in response to questions that the Prophet asked the Lord; at other times the Prophet was moved to petition the Lord by members of the Church who recognized a problem or did not understand a theological principle. During the 1830s, more revelations that currently appear in the Doctrine and Covenants were given than during any other period, and more of these revelations were recorded in Ohio than in any other state. Of the 138 sections in the current edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, almost half, or 65 (47 percent), were recorded in Ohio; and of the 65 Ohio revelations, 54 (83 percent) were recorded between February 1831 and January 1834.

Many of the revelations of the early thirties were received while Joseph Smith was working on his translation of the Bible. While reading and studying the Old and New Testament, he was stimulated to seek counsel from the Lord. One leading contemporary authority on this new translation of the Bible has written:

The real purpose of the Bible Translation was not so much to have a new corrected edition of the Bible, but rather, to bring the Prophet to a greater understanding of the gospel. Consequently, the real product is not so much a new Bible itself, but the doctrines that were revealed in the process. Consequently, the Prophet's work with the Bible is an indispensable element in the unfolding of the gospel and the building of the dispensation of the fulness of times-much of which occurred while the Prophet lived in the vicinity of Kirtland, Ohio.