Episode 112: God lives on a great urim and thummim (129-131)

Doctrine and Covenants

Section 129

Instructions given by Joseph Smith at Nauvoo, Illinois, February 9, 1843

Is it an angel, a spirit, or the devil? Only a handshake will tell

¹ There are two kinds of beings in heaven: Angels, who are resurrected men, having flesh and bones. ² Jesus, for example, said, “Handle me and see. A spirit doesn't have flesh and bones, but I do.” ³ Secondly, there are the spirits of just men made perfect. They're not resurrected but have the same glory.

⁴ When a messenger comes to you saying he has a message from God, ask to shake his hand. ⁵ If he's an angel, he will shake your hand, and you'll feel his hand.

⁶ If he is the spirit of a just man made perfect, he will come in all his glory. ⁷ Ask him to shake hands. He will refuse to shake your hand, because it's against the law in heaven to deceive. But he'll still deliver his message.

⁸ If it's the devil pretending to be an angel of light, ask him to shake hands. He will shake hands with you, but you won't feel anything, and you'll detect him.

⁹ These are the three grand keys whereby you can tell if a messenger is from God.

Section 130

By Joseph Smith at Ramus, Illinois, April 2, 1843

God lives on a great Urim and Thummim

¹ When the savior arrives, we'll see him as he is: a man, like ourselves.

³ In John 14:23, the Father and Son appear in a personal appearance, and the idea that the Father and Son dwell in a man's heart is false.

⁶ There are no angels who live on earth. ⁷ They live with God on a globe like a sea of glass and fire.

⁸ God lives on a great Urim and Thummim.

The earth will become a crystal Urim and Thummim

⁹ The earth will be made into a crystal Urim and Thummim.

Each person in the celestial kingdom will get a white stone that turns into a Urim and Thummim (with a secret name on it)

¹⁰ The white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17 will become a Urim and Thummim. Each person who receives a white stone will that turns into a Urim and Thummim. ¹¹ A white stone is given to each person who comes to the celestial kingdom, where they receive a new name that no one else knows. The new name is the key word.

There will be trouble in South Carolina

¹² I prophesy that there will be difficulties and bloodshed before the Son of Man comes in South Carolina. ¹³ It might probably be associated with the slavery question. A voice told me so on December 25, 1832.

The Son of Man won't come before December 23, 1890

^14-15 Once while I was praying, I asked when the Son of Man would come. A voice said to me: “If you live to be 85 years old, you'll see the face of the Son of Man. This should satisfy you. Don't bother me any more about this.”

¹⁶ I didn't know what to make of this. Did it refer to the beginning of the millennium, or so some previous appearance, or whether I'd die and see his face. ¹⁷ But I believe the Son of Man won't be coming any time before then.

¹⁹ If a person gains knowledge in this life, they'll have that knowledge in the world to come.

The Father and the Son have bodies, but the Holy Ghost doesn't

²² The Father has a body of flesh and bones just like ours. And so does the Son. But not the Holy Ghost. It is a spirit, otherwise it couldn't live in us.

Section 131

Instructions by Joseph Smith given at Ramus, Illinois, May 16 and 17, 1843

To get the highest glory, you must get married

¹ There are three heavens or degrees in the celestial glory. ² To get to the highest level, you must enter this order of the priesthood - that is, you must be married in the new and everlasting covenant. ⁴ He can still get into the other, but that's the end of his kingdom.

We're living in a material world

⁶ Ignorant men can't be saved. ⁷ All spirit is matter, but you can only detect it with pure eyes. ⁸ We can't see it now, but when our bodies are purified, we'll see that everything is matter.