D&C Section Fifty Nine

During the trip from Kirtland to Nauvoo, Polly Knight, the wife of Joseph Knight senior became very ill. She refused to let them stop on her behalf because it was her dying wish that she would stand upon the land of Zion before her death. Even though they nearly lost her along the way, she lived long enough to see her dream come true. She became the first member of the church to die since the restoration began. On the day of her funeral, August 7th, Joseph also received this revelation. In it, the Lord blesses the members great promises after this life if they have come to the land of Zion with an eye single to him. The Lord reiterates the ten commandments with some differences. In the first commandment to love the Lord with all our hearts, he adds, "'and in the name of Christ thou shalt serve him." Another thing added is the command to thank the Lord in all things. One important for our day is he says thou shalt not kill, then adds this caveat, "nor do anything like unto it." I think abortion fits that perfectly and believe that those who perform abortions and those who have abortions (with certain exceptions) will be held responsible for the lives they have taken. I believe abortion is the most selfish sin of our time and pornography is not far behind.

Another important teaching in this section relates to the sabbath. The Lord tells us we should do no other thing than worship, be reverent, and have cheerful hearts of thanksgiving. I know I deny myself a lot of blessings for the way I keep the sabbath sometimes. I think if we were to realize the blessings of the sabbath, we would not want to do anything else but keep it in the appropriate way. We would find ourselves more at peace, more prepared for the coming week, more content and happy.

Two other teachings in this section are, the things of the earth are for the blessing of man. Everything that comes from the earth, all plant life, all of the animals, are given for the sustaining and enjoyment of man and as a reminder that God is pleased to provide for us. The second is stated very plainly, that nothing offends God more that those who do not see his hand in all things and refuse to keep the commandments. To me, to deny God is to deny life itself.