DM: D&C/Church History

 

Doctrine and Covenants Doctrinal Mastery Passages

JS-H 1:15-20D&C 13:1D&C 29:10-11D&C 76:22-24D&C 107:8
D&C 1:30   D&C 18:10-11D&C 42:11D&C 82:10D&C 121:36, 41-42
D&C 1:37-38D&C 18:15-16D&C 49:15-17D&C 84:20-22D&C 130:22-23
D&C 6:36D&C 19:16-19D&C 58:42-43D&C 88:118D&C 131:1-4
D&C 8:2-3D&C 21:4-6D&C 64:9-11D&C 89:18-21D&C 135:3

JOSEPH SMITH-HISTORY 1:15-20

Mark this scripture as a Doctrinal Mastery.  Make it stand out!
  • Key Phrase: Joseph Smith "saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description"
  • Rhyme: This is my beloved Son
  • Tag: DM Restoration
  • Color: Green (highlighted)
  • Link:  DM Core Document
  • Break it Down:  Pick at least one phrase from this passage and go deep.  Ponder individual words or ideas, examine every word from different angles or look up definitions in the dictionary or other gospel resource, write 1-2 sentences about what your phrase means to you in your notes.
  1. (16) But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—
  2. just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
  3. (17)It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. 
  4. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
  • Memorize it:  Pick at least one phrase and copy it to your lock screen on your phone or onto a note in your pocket and try to memorize it this week.  Pass it off to your pet iguana.
  • Scripture Links/Cross-References: 
  1. 1 Samuel 3:1-12 (esp. vs 10)
  2. 3 Nephi 11:7 
  3. Matthew 17:5 
  4. What other scripture links can you find? Share one with a friend.
  • Prompt to Ponder: Read all of these verses and try to imagine being in this situation with Joseph.  What impresses you about Him? What does this experience teach you about God? Revelation? Satan? Truth?
  • Quotes (choose one to put into your scriptures by linking or copying and pasting):
  1. President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918) taught: "The greatest event that has ever occurred in the world, since the resurrection of the Son of God from the tomb and his ascension on high, was the coming of the Father and of the Son to [the] boy Joseph Smith. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 14)
  2. President Russell M. Nelson testified of what occurred because of the First Vision: "That theophany [the First Vision] initiated the Restoration of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and ushered in the dispensation of the fulness of times." (Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 90)
  3. President Russell M. Nelson shared some of the blessings we can receive because of the restored gospel:  "What does it mean for you that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth?  It means that you and your family can be sealed together forever! It means that because you have been baptized by one who has authority from Jesus Christ and have been confirmed a member of His Church, you can enjoy the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. He will guide and protect you. It means you will never be left comfortless or without access to the power of God to help you. It means that priesthood power can bless you as you receive essential ordinances and make covenants with God and keep them. What an anchor to our souls are these truths, especially during these times when the tempest is raging." (Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 88)
  4. President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) testified of the significance of the First Vision: "That sublime occasion, the First Vision, parted the curtains through which came the restoration to earth of the Church of Christ. It came out of the wilderness of darkness, out of the bleakness of ages past into the glorious dawn of a new day. ... It is [Christ’s] Church. It carries His name. It is governed by His priesthood. There is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved. Joseph Smith … became His great testator." (Gordon B. Hinckley, “My Redeemer Lives,” Ensign, Feb. 2001, 72)
  1. Deepen your study, understanding and conversion:
    1. Video: Ask of God: Joseph Smith's First Vision 
    2. Watch Origin and ponder how you can "know for yourself".  
    3. Other Accounts of the First Vision (Check out the podcasts on this page as well)
    4. Scripture Citation Index (Every conference talk that has used JSH)  
  • Ponder, Write and Apply:  What did you learn as you marked this verse?  What words and phrases stood out to you?  Why do you think the prophets picked this verse as one of the 100 DM passages?  Think of a time when you have needed the message of this verse or when you might need it in the future.  How will you use it?




D&C 1:30   
D&C 1:37-38
D&C 6:36
D&C 8:2-3
D&C 13:1
D&C 18:10-11
D&C 18:15-16
D&C 19:16-19
D&C 21:4-6
D&C 29:10-11
D&C 42:11
D&C 49:15-17
D&C 58:42-43
D&C 64:9-11
D&C 76:22-24
D&C 82:10
D&C 84:20-22
D&C 88:118
D&C 89:18-21
D&C 107:8
D&C 121:36, 41-42
D&C 130:22-23
D&C 131:1-4
D&C 135:3