Section 56
Overview
Section 56 of the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants (canonized as Section 34 in the modern LDS Doctrine and Covenants) is a revelation dictated by Joseph Smith in November 1830 for Orson Pratt, who was nineteen years old at the time. The text is framed as the direct, first-person speech of Jesus Christ. It heavily synthesizes language from the King James Version of the Bible, particularly Johannine literature (John 1 and John 3) and apocalyptic texts (Joel 2, Matthew 24). The revelation affirms Pratt's status as a 'son of God' due to his belief, but places a heavy mandate on him to actively preach the gospel, cry repentance to a 'crooked and perverse generation,' and prophesy by the power of the Holy Ghost. The text is characterized by a strong sense of imminent eschatology, warning that the Second Coming is 'soon at hand' and will be preceded by cosmic signs and the destruction of the wicked. Theologically, it establishes Joseph Smith's role as the exclusive conduit for the voice of Christ while introducing a conditional element to Christ's abiding presence with the believer.
Key Figures
- Jesus Christ: Identified as the speaker, the Lord God, Redeemer, light and life of the world, who gave His life and is returning soon in glory.
- Orson Pratt: The recipient of the revelation, addressed as 'my son', commended for his belief, and commanded to preach, prophesy, and prepare the way for the Second Coming.
- Joseph Smith: The implicit author/prophetic conduit through whom this first-person revelation of Jesus Christ was delivered.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Continuous Revelation and Open Canon
Assertion
Jesus Christ continues to speak directly to individuals in the modern era through a prophetic mediator, providing new, binding scriptural mandates.
Evidence from Text
hearken and hear and behold what I the Lord God shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer
Evangelical Comparison
In Evangelical theology, the 66 books of the Bible represent the complete, sufficient, and final revelation of God to humanity (Sola Scriptura). While Evangelicals believe the Holy Spirit illuminates Scripture and guides believers, they reject the idea that new, authoritative, first-person dictations from Jesus Christ are being given today. This text asserts that Joseph Smith acts as a literal mouthpiece for Christ, generating new scripture that carries the same weight as the Bible. This violates the Evangelical understanding of Hebrews 1:1-2, which states that God has spoken finally through His Son in the apostolic era, and Jude 1:3, which speaks of the faith 'once for all delivered to the saints.'
Conditional Divine Presence
Assertion
The abiding presence of Jesus Christ with a believer is contingent upon their ongoing faithfulness and obedience to their calling.
Evidence from Text
and if you are faithful behold I am with you until I come
Evangelical Comparison
The text explicitly conditions Christ's presence on Orson Pratt's performance: 'if you are faithful behold I am with you'. In Evangelical theology, while faithfulness is the expected fruit of salvation, the presence of God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit are unconditional promises to those who are justified by faith. Jesus promises in Hebrews 13:5, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you,' and in Matthew 28:20, 'I am with you always, to the end of the age.' The Evangelical baseline views the conditional presence in this text as a shift toward works-righteousness, placing the burden of maintaining God's presence on human effort rather than divine fidelity.
Imminent Apocalypticism
Assertion
The Second Coming of Christ is 'soon at hand' and will be immediately preceded by cosmic disturbances and the destruction of the wicked.
Evidence from Text
the time is soon at hand, that I shall come in a cloud... the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood... and great destructions await the wicked
Evangelical Comparison
The eschatological framework presented here—a literal return of Christ in the clouds, preceded by cosmic signs (darkened sun, blood moon) and judgment on the wicked—is highly consistent with historical Evangelical premillennialism. Both traditions draw heavily on Matthew 24, Revelation, and Joel. The theological friction does not lie in the *nature* of the events, but in the *timing* and the *authority* of the claim. By stating in 1830 that the time is 'soon at hand' and 'I come quickly' in a new revelation, the text exposes itself to the biblical test of a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:22) regarding the fulfillment of specific timelines.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
While the text uses orthodox Christian terminology and heavily quotes the Bible, it diverges fundamentally by claiming to be a new, authoritative revelation that adds to the closed canon, and by making Christ's abiding presence conditional upon human faithfulness.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological gap between this text and Evangelical Christianity operates on two primary levels: epistemological authority and soteriological assurance. Epistemologically, the text violates Sola Scriptura. It does not merely offer commentary on biblical eschatology; it claims to be the direct, first-person voice of Jesus Christ dictating new scripture. By heavily plagiarizing exact phrases from the King James Version of John, Luke, and Joel, the text attempts to borrow biblical authority while simultaneously undermining the sufficiency of the biblical canon. For the Evangelical, the canon is closed (Jude 1:3, Revelation 22:18-19), and claims of new, binding revelation are rejected. Soteriologically, the text introduces a subtle but profound shift away from Sola Gratia (grace alone). While verse 1 beautifully echoes John 3:16 and John 1:12 regarding belief and becoming sons of God, verse 2 introduces a conditional clause regarding Christ's presence: 'if you are faithful behold I am with you until I come.' In Evangelical theology, the indwelling presence of God is the seal of salvation and is unconditional for the justified believer (Ephesians 1:13-14, Hebrews 13:5). By making Christ's presence contingent upon the believer's ongoing faithfulness, the text places a burden of performance on the adherent, subtly shifting the foundation of assurance from Christ's finished work to the believer's ongoing obedience.
For All Ages
Imagine you have a complete instruction manual from the creator of a game, and the creator said, 'This is the final rulebook.' That is how Evangelical Christians view the Bible. But this text is like someone coming along and saying, 'The creator just gave me a new chapter of rules, and he is speaking right through me.' Even if the new rules sound a lot like the old ones, Christians don't accept them because the rulebook is already finished. Also, the Bible says that once you are in God's family, Jesus promises to stay with you no matter what. But this text says Jesus will only stay with you *if* you keep being faithful and doing a good job. That makes people worry they might lose Jesus if they make a mistake.
Friction Points
Sola Scriptura
The text claims to be a new, direct revelation from Jesus Christ, adding to the closed biblical canon.
Sola Gratia / Sola Fide
The text makes the abiding presence of Christ conditional upon the believer's ongoing faithfulness ('if you are faithful... I am with you').
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"My gospel"
In This Text
In the broader context of early Mormonism, this includes the restored priesthood, new revelations, and eventually temple ordinances.
In Evangelicalism
The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, received by faith alone (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
"Sons of God"
In This Text
In LDS theology, this eventually develops into the concept that humans are literal spirit offspring of God with the potential to become gods themselves (exaltation).
In Evangelicalism
Adoption into God's family through faith in Christ, distinct from God's uncreated, eternal nature (Romans 8:15, Galatians 3:26).
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Becoming 'sons of God' and escaping the 'great destructions' that await the wicked at the Second Coming.
How Attained: Initially through belief ('as many as would believe'), but maintained through active obedience and preaching.
Basis of Assurance: Assurance is conditional, based on the believer's ongoing faithfulness to their calling ('if you are faithful').
Comparison to Sola Fide: While the text acknowledges that belief leads to becoming sons of God (echoing Sola Fide), it undermines the assurance of that state by making Christ's continued presence conditional on works (faithfulness). In contrast, Romans 8:38-39 declares that nothing can separate a believer from the love of God, and Ephesians 2:8-9 roots salvation entirely in grace, not human effort.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Hearken and hear
- Behold what the Lord God shall say
- Preach my gospel
- Lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud
- Cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse generation
- Prepare the way of the Lord for his second coming
- Lift up your voice and spare not
- Prophesy
- Be faithful
Implicit Obligations
- Accept Joseph Smith as the legitimate mouthpiece of Jesus Christ
- View the surrounding culture and non-adherents as a 'crooked and perverse generation'
- Maintain personal worthiness to ensure Christ's conditional presence
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- I noticed this revelation uses the exact phrasing from the King James Version of John 1 and John 3. Why do you think the Lord chose to speak in 17th-century English translation phrases when giving a new revelation in 1830?
- In verse 2, Jesus says, 'if you are faithful behold I am with you.' How does this compare to Jesus' promise in Hebrews 13:5 where He says, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'? Does Christ's presence depend on our performance?
- The text commands Orson to lift up his voice 'long and loud' to prepare for the Second Coming. Do you ever feel the pressure that if you don't share the gospel enough, you might be failing in your faithfulness?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
Jesus as the Light and Redeemer who gave His life out of love.
This is a perfect bridge to the biblical Gospel. The text accurately reflects the core of John 3:16. An Evangelical can enthusiastically agree with this statement and use it to pivot to a discussion about what it means that Jesus 'gave his life'—specifically, that His sacrifice was entirely sufficient to save us without our added works.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The text places a heavy, urgent burden on the believer to constantly preach ('long and loud', 'spare not') due to the imminent destruction of the wicked. This can create a perpetual sense of guilt that one is never doing enough missionary work.
By stating 'if you are faithful behold I am with you,' the text implies that if a believer struggles, sins, or loses zeal, Christ will withdraw His presence. This destroys the peace of eternal security and replaces it with a performance-based anxiety.