D&C 7

Section 7 is pretty interesting. The IM comments “The future of the Apostle John, sometimes called ‘the Beloved’ or ‘the Revelator,’ is a mystery to the world. Confusion comes because of the statement in John 21:20-23. Referring to John and speaking to Peter, the Savior said: ‘If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple (John) 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?’ From this statement questions naturally arise: Did John die? If not, what is his status? If he did, why did Jesus make the statement? The issue has been debated for centuries among the various Christian denominations, with some scholars saying that he indeed died and was buried at Ephesus, while others believe he still walks the earth. A third school of thought states that even though he was buried at Ephesus, he is not really dead but simply sleeps in the grave until the Second Coming of the Savior. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery finally solved the issue through an appeal to the Lord. The Prophet Joseph Smith recorded: ‘During the month of April (1829, at Harmony, Pennsylvania,) I continued to translate, and he (Oliver Cowdery) 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, as to whether he died or continued to live, we mutually agreed to settle it by the Urim and Thummim.’ The result of their inquiry is given in the heading of section 7. It is not known whether Joseph saw the parchment referred to and was given power to translate it, or if its contents were revealed to Joseph without his seeing the original source. It makes no difference, since the material was given by revelation to the Prophet.” The chapter heading says that this section “is a translated version of the record made on parchment by John and hidden up by himself.” Pretty interesting, I wonder what it was exactly that made them start the debate on the status of John. 7:1-8 - When Jesus asked John the beloved “John, my beloved, what desirest thou? For if you shall ask what you will, it shall be granted unto you.” If the Lord had asked me that question, I don’t think my answer would have been like John’s, in fact, I don’t think that I would have even thought to as what John did, “Lord, give unto me power over death, that I may live and bring souls unto thee.” The IM teaches, “See 3 Nephi 28:1-7 for a similar account of the Nephite disciples’ receiving the same gift because they had the same desires as John.” Exactly the same here, and I think that it’s interesting that both groups of people thought the same thing. Referencing “Power over death,” the IM teaches, “This passage does not refer to the fact that a person would never die, for all must die. Even Christ died, though he had power over death. To one who has power over death, death is held in abeyance according to the will of God. Such persons are called translated beings. The Prophet Joseph Smith said that ‘translated bodies cannot enter into rest until they have undergone a change equivalent to death. Translated bodies are designed for future missions.’” Interesting that there’s a whole doctrine on this, I wouldn’t have thought that it was prevalent enough, but apparently there is. The Lord promised John, “Because thou desirest this thou shalt tarry until I come in my glory, and shalt prophesy before nations, kindreds, tongues and people.” The IM explains how this is fulfilled saying, “Five of the books of the Bible were written by John: The Gospel of John, three epistles, and the book of Revelation. The world’s most widely distributed book if the Bible, portions of which have been translated into 2,233 languages as of 2000. It has been estimated that between 1815 and 1999 some 3.88 billion Bibles were printed. Certainly John’s written prophecy has gone forth among the nations. The Apostle John ministered to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 2819 when he assisted Peter and James in the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood. In a conference of the Church on 3 June 1831, the Prophet Joseph Smith taught concerning John’s ministry: ‘John the Revelator was then among the Ten Tribes of Israel who had been led away by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, to prepare them for their return from their long dispersion.’ Elder Heber C. Kimball recorded an appearance of John in the Kirtland Temple: ‘When the Prophet Joseph had finished the endowments of the First Presidency, the Twelve and the Presiding Bishops, the First Presidency proceeded to lay hands upon each of of them to seal and confirm the anointing; and at the close of each blessing the whole of the quorums responded to it with a loud shout of Hosanna! Hosanna! Etc. While these things were being attended to the beloved disciple John was seen in our midst by the Prophet Joseph, Oliver Cowdery and others.’” I don’t really have much to say about this, honestly. In verse 7, the Lord is still talking to Peter when he says, “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.” The IM asks, “What are the keys held by Peter, James, and John?” And answers saying, “The keys of the ministry which John says were given to Peter, James and himself, constituted the authority of Presidency of the Church in their dispensation. These keys were given at the transfiguration to these three Apostles, and they in turn gave them to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in this dispensation.”