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D&C 125–128
New from BMC
Watch videos from Gospel scholars and teachers to learn more about these sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. Book of Mormon Central produces weekly videos from Tyler Griffin, Taylor Halverson, John Hilton III, Anthony Sweat, Casey Griffiths, Stephanie Dibb Sorensen and Marianna Richardson. Read commentaries and other resources from KnoWhys, Steven C. Harper, Casey Griffiths, and Susan Easton Black.
Videos
Doctrine and Covenants 125
Doctrine and Covenants 126
Doctrine and Covenants 127
Doctrine and Covenants 128
Daily Reading Plan
Structure your personal scripture study by following a 15-minute, day-by-day plan. Each day's assignment includes the required scripture passages from the Come, Follow Me curriculum, as well as suggestions for additional resources to bring context and understanding to your study. For the best experience, use our Reading Plan in the free ScripturePlus app! You can track your progress and have access to the best resources.
Monday
- Commentary: Section 125 Context, Steven C. Harper
- Scripture: D&C 125:1–4
- Commentary: Casey Paul Griffiths, Doctrine and Covenants Minute, Doctrine and Covenants 125:1–4.
- Commentary: Section 126 Context, Steven C. Harper
- Scripture: D&C 126:1–3
- Commentary: Casey Paul Griffiths, Doctrine and Covenants Minute, Doctrine and Covenants 126:1–3.
Tuesday
- Commentary: Section 127 Context, Steven C. Harper
- Scripture: D&C 127:1–4
- Commentary: Casey Paul Griffiths, Doctrine and Covenants Minute, Doctrine and Covenants 127:1–4.
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Quote: The New Testament records the life of one Paul of Tarsus. From the day of his dramatic conversion, he experienced great trial and personal affliction. He was imprisoned for his faith, beaten, stoned, and in his own words, buffeted by Satan. Yet he wrote: “Most gladly … will I … glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9). Comparing his own adversity to that of Paul, the Prophet Joseph once wrote, “I feel, like Paul, to glory in tribulation; for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me” (D&C 127:2).
Howard W. Hunter, “God Will Have a Tried People,” April 1980 General Conference. -
Quote: Our work in the temple is tied to our eternal reward. Recently we have been put to the test. The Lord has called us to work in the temples with “diligence, … perseverance, and patience” (D&C 127:4). Being “recommended to the Lord” requires those qualities. We must be diligent in living the commandments, persevere in our attention to our temple covenants, and be grateful for what the Lord continues to teach about them and be patient as we wait for temples to reopen in their fulness.
Ronald A. Rasband, “Recommended to the Lord,” October 2020 General Conference.
Wednesday
- Scripture: D&C 127:5–12
- Commentary: Casey Paul Griffiths, Doctrine and Covenants Minute, Doctrine and Covenants 127:5–7.
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Quote: The doctrine of the family in relation to family history and temple work is clear. The Lord in initial revelatory instructions referred to “baptism for your dead” (D&C 127:5). Our doctrinal obligation is to our own ancestors. This is because the celestial organization of heaven is based on families. The First Presidency has encouraged members, especially youth and young single adults, to emphasize family history work and ordinances for their own family names or the names of ancestors of their ward and stake members. We need to be connected to both our roots and branches. The thought of being associated in the eternal realm is indeed glorious.
Quentin L. Cook, “Roots and Branches,” April 2014 General Conference. -
Quote: Almost the last words of the Lord to the Prophet, so far as we can tell, also pertained to temple work. The Lord commanded the Prophet to build a temple in Nauvoo. The Saints set about to do it.
Prior to its completion, the Lord revealed His sacred ordinances, “things which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fulness of times” (D&C 124:41). The order of performing baptism for the dead was revealed. Also the Lord required that witnesses verify the performance of ordinances, “that in all your recordings it may be recorded in heaven” (D&C 127:7).
A. Theodore Tuttle, “The First and the Last Words,” April 1982 General Conference.
Thursday
- Commentary: Section 128 Context, Steven C. Harper
- Scripture: D&C 128:1–5
- Commentary: Casey Paul Griffiths, Doctrine and Covenants Minute, Doctrine and Covenants 128:1–5.
- Video:
Friday
- Scripture: D&C 128:6–11
- Commentary: Casey Paul Griffiths, Doctrine and Covenants Minute, Doctrine and Covenants 128:6–9.
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Quote: What a glorious privilege it is to know that the family organization will remain intact. It is not destroyed. It does not come to an end wherein we have complied with the divine law by virtue of the keys which are held by the President of the Church. We may go into the house of the Lord and do these things and be baptized for our dead, those who have died, the scriptures say, and we have heard it repeated at this conference, who died without the knowledge of the gospel (D&C 128:5). Our duty is to search out our dead, and I am very grateful that the Church is helping us in these matters by securing the records of the dead that we might have them, and our duty is to perform the necessary ordinances in their behalf in our temples.
Joseph Fielding Smith, “Elijah's Mission to the World,” April 1948 General Conference. - Video:
Saturday
- Scripture: D&C 128:12–17
- Commentary: Casey Paul Griffiths, Doctrine and Covenants Minute, Doctrine and Covenants 128:10–14.
- Commentary: Casey Paul Griffiths, Doctrine and Covenants Minute, Doctrine and Covenants 128:15–16.
- Commentary: Casey Paul Griffiths, Doctrine and Covenants Minute, Doctrine and Covenants 128:17–18.
Sunday
- Scripture: D&C 128:18–25
- Commentary: Casey Paul Griffiths, Doctrine and Covenants Minute, Doctrine and Covenants 128:19–20.
- Commentary: Casey Paul Griffiths, Doctrine and Covenants Minute, Doctrine and Covenants 128:21.
- Commentary: Casey Paul Griffiths, Doctrine and Covenants Minute, Doctrine and Covenants 128:22–25.
Bibliography
Doctrine and Covenants 125
Steven C. Harper, “Section 125,” Doctrine and Covenants Contexts (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021), 329–330.
Susan Easton Black, “Zarahemla, Iowa - Insight Into D&C 125,” Restoration Voices Volume 2: Insights and Stories of the Doctrine and Covenants (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021).
Alex D. Smith, “Organizing the Church in Nauvoo,” Revelations in Context: The Stories Behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
“Missouri Extradition Attempts,” Church History Topics.
“Nauvoo, Illinois,” Doctrine and Covenant Central Places.
Book of Mormon Central, “Where Does the Name Nauvoo Come From? (3 Nephi 20:40),” KnoWhy 342 (July 21, 2017).
Doctrine and Covenants 126
Steven C. Harper, “Section 126,” Doctrine and Covenants Contexts (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021), 331–332.
Susan Easton Black, “My Servant Brigham - Insight Into D&C 126,” Restoration Voices Volume 2: Insights and Stories of the Doctrine and Covenants (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021).
Susan Easton Black, “Brigham Young,” Restoration Voices Volume 1: People of the Doctrine and Covenants (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021).
Lisa Olsen Tait and Chad M. Orton, “Take Special Care of Your Family,” Revelations in Context: The Stories Behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
Doctrine and Covenants 127
Steven C. Harper, “Section 127,” Doctrine and Covenants Contexts (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021), 333–335.
Susan Easton Black, “Baptism for the Dead - Insight Into D&C 127,” Restoration Voices Volume 2: Insights and Stories of the Doctrine and Covenants (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021).
Susan Easton Black, “Emma Hale Smith,” Restoration Voices Volume 1: People of the Doctrine and Covenants (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021).
Susan Easton Black, “Emma Hale Smith,” Restoration Voices Volume 1: People of the Doctrine and Covenants (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021).
Matthew McBride, “Letters on Baptism for the Dead,” Revelations in Context: The Stories Behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
Alexander L. Baugh, “’For Their Salvation Is Necessary and Essential to Our Salvation’: Joseph Smith and the Practice of Baptism and Confirmation for the Dead,” in An Eye of Faith: Essays in Honor of Richard O. Cowan, ed. Kenneth L. Alford and Richard E. Bennett (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City, 2015), 113–37.
R. Devan Jensen, Michael A. Goodman, and Barbara Morgan Gardner, “’Line upon Line’: Joseph Smith’s Growing Understanding of the Eternal Family,” Religious Educator 20, no. 1 (2019): 34–59.
A. Keith Thompson, “Joseph Smith and the Doctrine of Sealing,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 21 (2016): 1–21.
Matthew L. Bowen, “Not Leaving and Going On to Perfection,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 16 (2015): 131–150.
Daniel C. Petersen, “The Life-giving ‘Water’ of the Restoration,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 25 (2017): vii–xvi.
“The Seventh Trouble,” Saints, Volume 1: The Standard of Truth (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2018), 1:474–480.
“Endowed with Power,” Saints, Volume 1: The Standard of Truth (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2018), 1:578–581.
“Baptism for the Dead,” Church History Topics.
“Female Relief Society of Nauvoo,” Church History Topics.
“Emma Hale Smith,” Church History Topics.
“Sealing,” Church History Topics.
D&C 127:2
Sharon Anderson, “Water to Swim In,” in The Glory of the Son (Orem, UT: Time-Lines Etc., 2019), 28.
D&C 127:12
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Must Christ’s True Church Be Called after His Name? (3 Nephi 27:8),” KnoWhy 482 (November 6, 2018).
Sharon Anderson, “Prophet, Seer, and Revelator,” in The Glory of the Son (Orem, UT: Time-Lines Etc., 2019), 28.
Doctrine and Covenants 128
Steven C. Harper, “Section 128,” Doctrine and Covenants Contexts (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021), 336–340.
Susan Easton Black, “Records Kept of Baptisms for the Dead - Insight Into D&C 128,” Restoration Voices Volume 2: Insights and Stories of the Doctrine and Covenants (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2021).
Matthew McBride, “Letters on Baptism for the Dead,” Revelations in Context: The Stories Behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016.
Alexander L. Baugh, “’For Their Salvation Is Necessary and Essential to Our Salvation’: Joseph Smith and the Practice of Baptism and Confirmation for the Dead,” in An Eye of Faith: Essays in Honor of Richard O. Cowan, ed. Kenneth L. Alford and Richard E. Bennett (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City, 2015), 113–37.
R. Devan Jensen, Michael A. Goodman, and Barbara Morgan Gardner, “’Line upon Line’: Joseph Smith’s Growing Understanding of the Eternal Family,” Religious Educator 20, no. 1 (2019): 34–59.
A. Keith Thompson, “Joseph Smith and the Doctrine of Sealing,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 21 (2016): 1–21.
Matthew L. Bowen, “Not Leaving and Going On to Perfection,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 16 (2015): 131–150.
Daniel C. Petersen, “The Life-giving ‘Water’ of the Restoration,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 25 (2017): vii–xvi.
“The Seventh Trouble,” Saints, Volume 1: The Standard of Truth (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2018), 1:474–480.
“The Seventh Trouble,” Saints, Volume 1: The Standard of Truth (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2018), 1:474–480.
“Endowed with Power,” Saints, Volume 1: The Standard of Truth (Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2018), 1:578–581.
“Baptism for the Dead,” Church History Topics.
“Female Relief Society of Nauvoo,” Church History Topics.
“Emma Hale Smith,” Church History Topics.
“Sealing,” Church History Topics.
D&C 128:2–9
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Is It Important to Keep Records? (1 Nephi 9:5),” KnoWhy 345 (July 28, 2017).
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Are Ordinances So Important? (Alma 13:16),” KnoWhy 296 (April 5, 2017).
D&C 128:12
Book of Mormon Central, “What Does the Book of Mormon Teach Us about the Resurrection? (2 Nephi 9:6),” KnoWhy 511 (April 20, 2019).
D&C 128:15
Book of Mormon Central, “What Does It Mean to Be Perfect? (3 Nephi 12:48),” KnoWhy 335 (July 5, 2017).
D&C 128:17
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did Jesus Quote the Words of Malachi 3-4 in 3 Nephi 24-25? (3 Nephi 25:5-6),” KnoWhy 370 (October 5, 2017).
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Will God Turn the Hearts of the Fathers to the Children? (3 Nephi 25:6),” KnoWhy 219 (October 28, 2016).
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did Jesus Give the Nephites Malachi's Prophecies? (3 Nephi 24:1),” KnoWhy 218 (October 27, 2016).
D&C 128:20
Book of Mormon Central, “Where is the Location of the Hill Cumorah? (Mormon 6:6),” KnoWhy 489 (November 29, 2019).
Book of Mormon Central, “How Are Oliver Cowdery’s Messenger and Advocate Letters to Be Understood and Used? (Mormon 6:6),” KnoWhy 453 (July 26, 2018).
Book of Mormon Central, “Where Did the Book of Mormon Happen? (2 Nephi 1:8),” KnoWhy 431 (May 8, 2018).
Book of Mormon Central, “What Was Mormon’s Purpose in Writing the Book of Mormon? (Mormon 5:14),” KnoWhy 230 (November 14, 2016).
Sharon Anderson, “Ordained,” in Praising the Prophet: Joseph Smith and the Restoration in History and Verse (Orem, UT: Time-Lines Etc., 2005), 29.
D&C 128:21
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Must Christ’s True Church Be Called after His Name? (3 Nephi 27:8),” KnoWhy 482 (November 6, 2018).
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did Nephi Say That People Had to Learn Things Line Upon Line? (2 Nephi 28:30),” KnoWhy 292 (March 28, 2017).
D&C 128:22
Book of Mormon Central, “How the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament Help Us Understand What it Means to be Redeemed (2 Nephi 2:3),” KnoWhy 436 (May 24, 2018).
D&C 128:24
Book of Mormon Central. “What Does the Book of Mormon Teach about the Temple? (2 Nephi 5:16).” KnoWhy 309 (May 5, 2017).