Section 6
Overview
Section 6 of the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants (known as Section 86 in the modern LDS edition) presents a radical reinterpretation of Jesus Christ's parable of the wheat and the tares from Matthew 13. The text claims that after the original apostles died ('fallen asleep'), Satan and the 'whore of Babylon' sowed tares that choked the wheat, resulting in the true church being driven entirely into the wilderness. This establishes the foundational Mormon doctrine of the Great Apostasy, asserting that historical Christianity became entirely corrupt and devoid of authority. The revelation then pivots to address Joseph Smith and his associates, claiming that the true priesthood authority was secretly preserved through their physical, genealogical lineage ('lawful heirs according to the flesh'). It asserts that this priesthood was 'hid from the world with Christ in God' and has now been restored in the last days to prepare for the final harvest. The text concludes by placing a conditional blessing and a mediatorial burden on these priesthood holders, commanding them to continue in goodness so they can be a light to the Gentiles and a 'savor' (or savior) to the people of Israel.
Key Figures
- The Lord: The divine speaker directing the harvest and granting the priesthood.
- The Apostles: Identified as the original sowers of the good seed who subsequently 'fell asleep' (died).
- Satan / The Apostate / The Whore / Babylon: The enemy who sowed the tares, corrupted the church, and drove it into the wilderness.
- Angels: Heavenly beings crying day and night, waiting to reap the harvest of the earth.
- My servants (Joseph Smith and early leaders): Addressees of the revelation, identified as lawful heirs of the priesthood according to the flesh.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
The Great Apostasy
Assertion
The true church was completely overcome by Satan and driven into the wilderness after the death of the original apostles, leaving the earth without true divine authority.
Evidence from Text
...after they have fallen asleep, the great persecutor of the church, the apostate, the whore, even Babylon... Behold he soweth the tares; wherefore the tares choke the wheat and drive the church into the wilderness.
Evangelical Comparison
This text asserts that the 'tares' (Satan's influence) successfully choked the wheat and drove the church into the wilderness, resulting in a total loss of the true church on earth. This is the bedrock of Mormonism's claim to be a 'restoration' rather than a reformation. In stark contrast, Evangelical Christianity holds to the indefectibility of the Church based on Christ's explicit promise in Matthew 16:18 that 'the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.' Furthermore, Ephesians 3:21 declares that God will receive glory in the church 'throughout all ages, world without end.' While Evangelicals acknowledge periods of severe corruption and the presence of false teachers (as the original parable of the wheat and tares warns), they deny that the Holy Spirit ever abandoned the true body of believers or that the Gospel was ever lost from the earth.
Genealogical Priesthood
Assertion
Divine priesthood authority is passed down through physical, fleshly lineage and is required for the restoration of all things.
Evidence from Text
...with whom the priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers, for ye are lawful heirs according to the flesh...
Evangelical Comparison
The text claims that Joseph Smith and his associates hold the priesthood because they are 'lawful heirs according to the flesh,' meaning it was passed down through their physical ancestry. This directly contradicts the New Testament teaching on priesthood. The Book of Hebrews explicitly demonstrates that the genealogical, fleshly priesthood of the Levites was insufficient and has been permanently replaced by Jesus Christ, who holds the eternal Melchizedek priesthood 'not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life' (Hebrews 7:16). Furthermore, under the New Covenant, all born-again believers are made part of a 'royal priesthood' (1 Peter 2:9) with direct access to God through Christ, rendering exclusive, genealogical priesthood claims obsolete and unbiblical.
Mediatorial Role of Believers
Assertion
Priesthood holders act as a 'savor' (savior) to Israel and a light to the Gentiles through their priesthood authority.
Evidence from Text
Therefore, blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness, a light unto the Gentiles, and through this priesthood, a savor unto my people Israel...
Evangelical Comparison
The text commands the priesthood holders to be a 'savor' (often interpreted in LDS theology as 'savior', referencing Obadiah 1:21) unto Israel through their priesthood. This places a mediatorial and redemptive burden on human beings. Evangelical Christianity strictly adheres to 1 Timothy 2:5, which states, 'For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.' While Christians are called to be the 'salt of the earth' and the 'light of the world' (Matthew 5:13-14) in a witnessing capacity, they do not possess a priesthood that mediates salvation or acts in a saving capacity for others. Christ's work is entirely sufficient and non-transferable.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text replaces the biblical doctrine of Christ's indestructible church with a narrative of total apostasy, and replaces the universal priesthood of believers with an exclusive, genealogical priesthood.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological gap between this text and Evangelical Christianity is foundational and irreconcilable, centering on Ecclesiology and Christology. First, the text asserts the 'Great Apostasy'—the idea that Satan successfully choked the wheat and drove the true church into the wilderness, necessitating a modern restoration. This directly violates the Evangelical belief in the indefectibility of the Church, rooted in Christ's promise in Matthew 16:18. If the church totally fell, Christ's promise failed. Second, the text claims that divine authority is mediated through a 'priesthood' that is passed down as 'lawful heirs according to the flesh.' This violates the New Covenant theology of Hebrews, which explicitly states that fleshly, genealogical priesthoods have been abolished and superseded by Christ's eternal Melchizedek priesthood (Hebrews 7). By re-instituting a genealogical priesthood, the text regresses to Old Covenant shadows and denies the present reality of the universal priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9). Finally, by calling these men a 'savor' (savior) to Israel, it encroaches upon the exclusive mediatorial role of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5).
For All Ages
Imagine you built a really strong house and promised your friends that no storm would ever knock it down. That's what Jesus did with His church. He promised that even the gates of hell wouldn't beat it. But this text says that right after Jesus's first helpers died, a big storm came and completely destroyed the house, so God had to secretly hide the blueprints with a specific family for hundreds of years until Joseph Smith could rebuild it. Evangelical Christians believe Jesus kept His promise the first time—the house never fell down. Also, this text says you need a special 'priesthood' passed down through your family DNA to do God's work. But the Bible says that when Jesus died on the cross, He made everyone who believes in Him part of His royal family and priesthood, no special DNA required.
Friction Points
Ecclesiology (Indefectibility of the Church)
Claims the true church was completely overcome by Satan and driven into the wilderness, contradicting Matthew 16:18.
Universal Priesthood / Christology
Re-establishes a fleshly, genealogical priesthood, denying the sufficiency of Christ's final priesthood and the priesthood of all believers.
Sola Scriptura
Alters the meaning of a biblical parable through new, extra-biblical revelation.
Solus Christus
Assigns a mediatorial/saving role ('savor unto my people') to human priesthood holders.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Priesthood"
In This Text
An exclusive authority to act in God's name, passed down through physical lineage to specific males.
In Evangelicalism
The status of all born-again believers who have direct access to God through the sole high priesthood of Jesus Christ.
"The Church"
In This Text
The specific institutional organization possessing the restored priesthood, which was lost for centuries.
In Evangelicalism
The universal, unbroken body of all true believers across all time, indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
"Babylon / The Whore"
In This Text
Historical, traditional Christianity that existed between the death of the apostles and the time of Joseph Smith.
In Evangelicalism
Worldly, anti-God systems of power, economics, and false religion that oppose God's kingdom.
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Being gathered as 'wheat' in the last days and fulfilling one's role as a priesthood holder to save others.
How Attained: By possessing the restored priesthood and continuing in goodness.
Basis of Assurance: Conditional upon ongoing performance ('blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness').
Comparison to Sola Fide: The text ignores justification by faith alone. Instead of resting in Christ's finished work, the believer's blessing is contingent upon their continuation in 'goodness' and their possession of a genealogical priesthood, directly contradicting Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 4:4-5.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe.
- Continue in my goodness.
Implicit Obligations
- Accept the narrative that historical Christianity is apostate ('Babylon', 'the whore').
- Submit to the authority of those claiming to be 'lawful heirs' of the priesthood.
- Act as a light to the Gentiles and a savor to Israel.
Ritual Requirements
- Implicit requirement to operate under the restored 'priesthood' for spiritual validity.
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. If the church was completely driven into the wilderness and overcome by Babylon, how do we understand Jesus's promise?
- Hebrews 7 explains that the priesthood changed from a physical, fleshly lineage (the Levites) to an eternal one held only by Jesus. Why would God restore a priesthood based on being 'lawful heirs according to the flesh' when the New Testament says that system is finished?
- If all believers are called a 'royal priesthood' in 1 Peter 2:9, why is a separate, exclusive priesthood necessary today?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The Harvest and the Angels
The text taps into a genuine biblical truth: God will ultimately judge the world, separate the righteous from the wicked, and establish perfect justice. This longing for a pure kingdom can be bridged to the Gospel promise that Christ will return to judge the living and the dead, and that our only hope in that harvest is being clothed in Christ's righteousness by faith, not our own goodness.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
By teaching that all other Christian churches are 'Babylon' and 'the whore' that choked out the truth, adherents are forced into a posture of spiritual isolation. They must view the rest of the Christian world with suspicion, believing they alone possess the 'hidden' truth and authority. This creates an 'us vs. them' mentality that cuts them off from the broader body of Christ.
The text places the burden of being a 'light' and a 'savor' (savior) to Israel squarely on the shoulders of the priesthood holders, conditional upon them continuing in goodness. This creates immense performance anxiety, as their ability to bless others and maintain their own standing is dependent on their works, rather than resting in the finished, perfect mediation of Jesus Christ.