Come, Follow Me
Doctrine and Covenants 137–138; Articles of Faith
Hidden Treasures
The Doctrine and Covenants shows us revelation keeps coming.
We Know Things Our Ancestors Didn’t—and There’s More to Come
It’s comforting to know that those who died without the gospel who would have received it if they’d had the chance will be heirs of the celestial kingdom (see Doctrine and Covenants 137:7).
And that children who die before the age of eight are saved in the celestial kingdom (see Doctrine and Covenants 137:10).
And that the gospel is preached to the spirits of those who died without it so they can be converted too (see Doctrine and Covenants 138:29–32).
Most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints know these principles. We find them reassuring. We consider them essential.
But we didn’t know them until pretty recently!
The Prophet Joseph Smith received Doctrine and Covenants 137 in 1836. His nephew Joseph F. Smith (President of the Church from 1901 to 1918) received section 138 in 1918. That’s barely over a hundred years ago!
The Bible and the Book of Mormon hint at some of these things. For example, Peter briefly mentioned the Savior’s visit to the spirit world (see 1 Peter 3:18–20; 4:6).
But these comforting truths weren’t spelled out in detail until modern times.
The Prophet Joseph Smith later wrote in the Articles of Faith that the Lord would “yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (Articles of Faith 1:9). His nephew’s revelation several decades later was proof of that.
And there’s still more to come! President Russell M. Nelson has taught that “in coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen.”
Think of it. Heavenly Father isn’t done revealing things yet! He still has things to tell us—not minor details, either, but “great and important things.”
We should be grateful for the things we know that our forefathers didn’t—and be ready to accept the new things still to come.