As Flaming Fire
John the Beloved's Greater Mission
I confess dissatisfaction with the information in LDS manual for our study of the Doctrine and Covenants this week.
One small reason for my dissatisfaction is that the manual seems to pass over one of the most amazing and consequential sections in the Doctrine and Covenants, and perhaps in all of scripture, with hardly a mention.
Doctrine and Covenants section 7 contains a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery at Harmony, Pennsylvania in 1829. Why was this revelation given? In the History of the Church, Joseph Smith recounted the background story for this revelation:
During the month of April I continued to translate, and he to write, with little cessation, during which time we received several revelations. A difference of opinion arising between us about the account of John the Apostle, mentioned in the New Testament, [5] as to whether he died or continued to live, we mutually agreed to settle it by the Urim and Thummim and the following is the word which we received:
From Revelations in Context we learn why Joseph and Oliver debated over the fate of the Apostle John:
In the meantime, Oliver continued to witness Joseph Smith employ his gift to translate. Sometime that same month, the two men were discussing the fate of the Apostle John—a topic of interest at the time. Joseph’s history records they differed in their opinions and “mutually agreed to settle [it] by the Urim and Thummim.”6 The answer came in a vision of a parchment that Joseph translated, which is now Doctrine and Covenants 7.
Lyndon' W. Cook’s book The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith contains an interesting and helpful comment on this revelation:
The parchment would not have been in the Prophet’s possession, rather, it would have been seen and translated by means of the Urim and Thummim. (p. 15)
Why was the fate of John the Beloved a topic of such interest at the time, and why did Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery debate this topic while translating the Book of Mormon? I don’t know the answer to these questions, but one thing that occurs to me is that the question and the debate may have arisen during the process of translation of the Book of Mormon. John Welch has carefully outlined the timing of the translation of the Book of Mormon along with related events in the early Restoration, and that outline may provide some clues.
Oliver Cowdery arrived in Harmony Pennsylvania on Sunday, April 5, 1829. Soon thereafter, Oliver began to work as Joseph Smith’s scribe. In early April they translated and recorded most of the Book of Mosiah. In May of that same year, John the Baptist appeared to Joseph and Oliver (to confer upon them the Aaronic Priesthood), and sometime before June of that same year, Peter, James, and John also appeared to Joseph and Oliver (to confer upon them the Melchizedek Priesthood).
Frank F. Judd Jr. and Terrence L. Szink surmise the following:
Joseph does not explicitly state how the issue of John’s mortality arose. A few scenarios could have led up to such a conversation. Perhaps the topic spontaneously came up during one of what must have been many heartfelt discussions between Joseph and Oliver. We know that the issue of what happened to John was a popular subject of debate in the early nineteenth century.[4]
Another possibility is that Joseph and Oliver were reading John 21, which prompted the discussion about John. In a slightly ambiguous conversation between the resurrected Savior and His chief Apostle, Jesus explained that Peter would eventually be martyred for his testimony of Christ (see John 21:18–19). Peter then asked, referring to John, “What shall this man do?” (John 21:21). The Savior responded with a question, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?” (John 21:22). The next verse shows that there was confusion about the precise fate of John from the very beginning: “Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?” (John 21:23). The reading of this account may have been the catalyst for the reception of section 7.
Yet because Joseph and Oliver were so busy translating the Book of Mormon during this period, it is unlikely that they had time to peruse the Bible in April 1829. The Lord stated in March 1829 that He had given the Prophet “a gift to translate the plates” and further instructed Joseph, “You should pretend to no other gift until my purpose is fulfilled in this; for I will grant unto you no other gift until it is finished” (D&C 5:4).
Another theory is that a discussion of John’s fate was sparked by the translation of the Book of Mormon, as were a number of other sections in the Doctrine and Covenants. For example, section 6 grants Oliver Cowdery permission to translate, rather than just act as scribe for Joseph (see D&C 6:25–27). Section 8 gives him instructions on how to translate (see D&C 8:1–2). Section 9 consoles Oliver after his unsuccessful attempt at translating the Book of Mormon (see D&C 9:1–10). All three sections are directly related to the early translation period of the Book of Mormon.[5] Except for a brief trip to Colesville for provisions, Joseph and Oliver spent virtually all their time translating the plates.[6] Their urgent focus on translation opens up the possibility for this third theory.
Robert J. Matthews said that “many of the revelations that comprise the Doctrine and Covenants have a direct relationship to the translation of the Bible which the Prophet Joseph was making at the time the revelations were received.”[7] Dr. Matthews was referring to the Prophet’s work on the Joseph Smith Translation, but the principle could also apply to his translation of the Book of Mormon.
In another instance of revelation prompted by translation, the question of Joseph and Oliver concerning baptism—which resulted in the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood at the hands of John the Baptist—was sparked by the translation of the plates. Concerning this, the Prophet stated, “We still continued the work of translation, when, in the ensuing month (May, 1829), we on a certain day went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins, that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates” (Joseph Smith—History 1:68). In addition, John W. Welch has shown that the manifestation of the Three Witnesses in June 1829 was likely “prompted by the translation of 2 Nephi 27:12,” which mentions that Three Witnesses would behold the plates.[8] Based on this model, it is possible that section 7 may have been revealed because of questions that arose while translating the Book of Mormon.
I agree, although my guess is that there may have been something in the translation of the 116 pages that were lost that prompted this debate because the mention of John the Beloved in 1 Nephi, if I’m not mistaken, was translated after Joseph and Oliver received the revelation that is recorded in D&C 7. The rest of Judd’s and Szink’s article is also worth reading, especially in connection with our study of D&C 7.
I’ve already recommended MacKay’s and Frederick’s excellent book Joseph Smith’s Seer Stones as the best resource (besides seer stones themselves) for understanding Joseph Smith’s use of seer stones and the Urim and Thummim. As mentioned above, Joseph Smith did not receive the parchment from John the Beloved, but he saw the parchment upon which John the Beloved had written this revelation, and Joseph Smith translated the writing that was on the parchment into English by the gift and power of God and by means of the Urim and Thummim.
Think of it. If the rest of the Christian world knew that John the Beloved had not only written this revelation on parchment but also that the contents of this revelation are now available for anyone to read, wouldn’t it be front page news everywhere? I think so, and yet it’s hardly even mentioned in our own LDS manual!
What, then, is the question, and what is the Lord’s answer? Joseph and Oliver wanted to know, like confused disciples before them, whether John, the beloved disciple tarried in the flesh or had died. Christian tradition suggests that John the Beloved died of natural causes (the only one of the original twelve who wasn’t martyred) in Ephesus, Turkey, around the year 100 AD. Nothing could be further from the truth.
John the Beloved himself recorded the truth that Joseph and Oliver translated many centuries later, namely that he will live until the Lord comes again, and that along with Peter and James, he holds gospel keys.
The LDS Come Follow Me manual focuses on the topic of desire with regards to this section and a couple of other sections in the Doctrine and Covenants. This is certainly an important topic that ties together Oliver Cowdery’s work with the work of John the Beloved. Oliver desired to translate. He was grateful for his gifts of revelation and the divining rod, but as he worked as the scribe for Joseph Smith, understandably he also desired to translate. The Lord recognized this righteous desire and provided Oliver with an opportunity to translate.
One key difference between these accounts of Oliver and John the Beloved is that John the Beloved was approaching the end of his first mission and ministry whereas Oliver had just begun his first mission and ministry. However, as indicated in the revelation in Doctrine and Covenants section 7, John the Beloved was also about to begin a greater mission:
And the Lord said unto me: John, my beloved, what desirest thou? For if you shall ask what you will, it shall be granted unto you.
And I said unto him: Lord, give unto me power over death, that I may live and bring souls unto thee.
And the Lord said unto me: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, because thou desirest this thou shalt tarry until I come in my glory, and shalt prophesy before nations, kindreds, tongues and people.
And for this cause the Lord said unto Peter: If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? For he desired of me that he might bring souls unto me, but thou desiredst that thou mightest speedily come unto me in my kingdom.
I say unto thee, Peter, this was a good desire; but my beloved has desired that he might do more, or a greater work yet among men than what he has before done.
Yea, he has undertaken a greater work; therefore I will make him as flaming fire and a ministering angel; he shall minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation who dwell on the earth.
And I will make thee to minister for him and for thy brother James; and unto you three I will give this power and the keys of this ministry until I come.
Verily I say unto you, ye shall both have according to your desires, for ye both joy in that which ye have desired. (D&C 7:1-8)
John the Beloved’s bold righteous desire and request, his record on parchment of the Lord’s response, and Joseph and Oliver’s translation of the same through the Urim and Thummim answers a question that had been debated since the time it was first given through the time of the early Restoration. Most Christians still debate this question today.
Nevertheless, because Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery inquired of the Lord, we now know that the Lord Jesus Christ granted John the Beloved power over death so that he could live and bring souls unto Him. This means that John the Beloved tarried on the earth and is still alive today, prophesying before nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. He is doing more, a greater work, and the Lord is making him as flaming fire and a ministering angel.