RLDS Chapter Context

Intro: SECTION 36 In June 1830 Joseph Smith began an inspired correction of the Holy Scriptures, the necessity for which had been pointed out in the revelation of June 1830 (D. and C. 22:24). While engaged in this work in December 1830, Joseph received the following revelation which is an extract from the prophecy of Enoch. This revelation now forms Genesis 7:1-78 of the Inspired Version of the Holy Scriptures. It was given at Fayette, New York. The 1835 edition did not include this section. It has appeared as Section 36 since 1864 and was specifically approved at the 1970 World Conference for retention in its present place.

1a And it came to pass that Enoch continued his speech, saying, Behold, our father Adam taught these things, and many have believed and become the sons of God, and many have believed not and perished in their sins, and are looking forth with fear in torment, for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God to be poured out upon them.

1b And from that time forth Enoch began to prophesy, saying unto the people that, as I was journeying, and stood upon the place Manhujah, I cried unto the Lord, and there came a voice out of heaven, saying, Turn ye and get ye upon the Mount Simeon.

1c And it came to pass that I turned and went upon the mount, and, as I stood upon the mount, I beheld the heavens open, and I was clothed upon with glory, and I saw the Lord;

1d he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talks one with another, face to face; and he said unto me, Look, and I will show unto you the world for the space of many generations.

1e And it came to pass that I beheld the valley Shum, and lo! a great people which dwelt in tents, which were the people of Shum.

1f And again the Lord said unto me, Look, and I looked toward the north, and I beheld the people of Cainan, which dwelt in tents.

1g And the Lord said unto me, Prophesy, and I prophesied, saying, Behold the people of Cainan, which are numerous, shall go forth in battle array against the people of Shum, and shall slay them, that they shall utterly be destroyed;

1h and the people of Cainan shall divide themselves in the land, and the land shall be barren and unfruitful and none other people shall dwell there but the people of Cainan; for, behold, the Lord shall curse the land with much heat, and the barrenness thereof shall go forth for ever.

1i And there was blackness come unto all the children of Cainan, that they were despised among all people.

1j And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me, Look, and I looked and beheld the land of Sharon, and the land of Enoch, and the land of Omner, and the land of Heni, and the land of Shem, and the land of Haner, and the land of Hanannihah, and all the inhabitants thereof.

1k And the Lord said unto me, Go to this people and say unto them, Repent, lest I come out and smite them with a curse, and they die.

1l And he gave unto me a commandment that I should baptize in the name of the Father and the Son, which is full of grace and truth, and the Holy Spirit, which bears record of the Father and the Son.

2a And it came to pass that Enoch continued to call upon all the people, save it were the people of Cainan, to repent.

2b And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them, and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command;

2c and the rivers of water were turned out of their course, and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness, and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of language which God had given him.

2d There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea; and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off, and went upon the land which came up out of the depths of the sea.

2e And the giants of the land, also, stood afar off; and there went forth a curse upon all the people which fought against God.

2f And from that time forth there were wars and bloodsheds among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness.

2g The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord which was upon his people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish.

2h And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness;

2i and there was no poor among them; and Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God.

3a And it came to pass in his days that he built a city that was called the city of holiness, even ZION.

3b And it came to pass that Enoch talked with the Lord, and he said unto the Lord, Surely Zion shall dwell in safety forever.

3c But the Lord said unto Enoch, Zion have I blessed, but the residue of the people have I cursed.

3d And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth, and he beheld, and lo! Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven.

4 And the Lord said unto Enoch, Behold my abode for ever; and Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam, and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam, save it were the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them.

5a And after that Zion was taken up into heaven, Enoch beheld, and lo! all the nations of the earth were before him.

5b And there came generation upon generation, and Enoch was high and lifted up, even in the bosom of the Father and the Son of man; and, behold, the power of Satan was upon all the face of the earth.

5c And he saw angels descending out of heaven, and he heard a loud voice, saying, Woe, woe be unto the inhabitants of the earth!

5d And he beheld Satan, and he had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness, and he looked up and laughed, and his angels rejoiced.

6a And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Spirit fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.

6b And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept, and Enoch bore record of it, saying, How is it the heavens weep and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?

6c And Enoch said unto the Lord, How is it that you can weep, seeing you are holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?

6d And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, and millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of your creations;

6e and your curtains are stretched out still, and yet you are there, and your bosom is there; and also you are just; you are merciful and kind forever.

6f You have taken Zion to your own bosom from all your creations, from all eternity to all eternity, and naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of your throne; and mercy shall go before your face, and have no end. How is it that you can weep?

7a The Lord said unto Enoch, Behold these your brethren; they are the workmanship of my own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them;

7b and in the garden of Eden gave I unto man his agency; and unto your brethren have I said, and also gave commandments, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father;

7c but, behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood, and the fire of my indignation is kindled against them, and in my hot displeasure will I send in the floods upon them, for my fierce anger is kindled against them.

7d Behold, I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name, also.

7e Wherefore, I can stretch forth my hands and hold all the creations which I have made, and my eye can pierce them, also; and among all the workmanship of my hand there has not been so great wickedness as among your brethren; but, behold, their sins shall be upon the heads of their fathers.

7f Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of my hands.

7g Wherefore, should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?

7h But, behold, these which your eyes are upon, shall perish in the floods; and, behold, I will shut them up: a prison have I prepared for them.

7i And that which I have chosen has pleaded before my face. Wherefore he suffers for their sins, inasmuch as they will repent in the day that my chosen shall return unto me; and until that day they shall be in torment.

7j Wherefore, for this shall the heavens weep; yea, and all the workmanship of my hands.

8a And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Enoch, and told Enoch all the doings of the children of men.

8b Wherefore Enoch knew and looked upon their wickedness and their misery, and wept and stretched forth his arms, and his heart swelled wide as eternity, and his bowels yearned, and all eternity shook.

8c And Enoch saw Noah, also, and his family, that the posterity of all the sons of Noah should be saved with a temporal salvation.

8d Wherefore he saw that Noah built an ark, and the Lord smiled upon it, and held it in his own hand; but upon the residue of the wicked came floods and swallowed them up.

8e And as Enoch saw thus, he had bitterness of soul, and wept over his brethren, and said unto the heavens, I will refuse to be comforted; but the Lord said unto Enoch, Lift up your heart and be glad, and look.

9a And it came to pass that Enoch looked, and, from Noah, he beheld all the families of the earth; and he cried unto the Lord, saying, When shall the day of the Lord come?

9b When shall the blood of the righteous be shed, that all they that mourn may be sanctified, and have eternal life?

9c And the Lord said, It shall be in the meridian of time, in the days of wickedness and vengeance.

9d And, behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying, The righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and, through faith, I am in the bosom of the Father; and, behold, Zion is with me!

10a And it came to pass, that Enoch looked upon the earth, and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying, Woe, woe is me the mother of men! I am pained: I am weary because of the wickedness of my children!

10b When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which has gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness, for a season, abide upon my face?

10c And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying, O Lord, will you not have compassion upon the earth? Will you not bless the children of Noah?

10d And it came to pass that Enoch continued his cry unto the Lord, saying, I ask you, O Lord, in the name of your Only Begotten, even Jesus Christ, that you will have mercy upon Noah and his seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods?

10e And the Lord could not withhold; and he covenanted with Enoch, and swore unto him with an oath, that he would stay the floods; that he would call upon the children of Noah:

10f and he sent forth an unalterable decree, that a remnant of his seed should always be found among all nations, while the earth should stand;

10g and the Lord said, Blessed is he through whose seed Messiah shall come: for he says, I am Messiah, the King of Zion; the Rock of Heaven, which is broad as eternity.

10h Whoso comes in at the gate and climbs up by me shall never fall: wherefore, blessed are they of whom I have spoken, for they shall come forth with songs of everlasting joy.

11a And it came to pass, that Enoch cried unto the Lord, saying, When the Son of man comes in the flesh, shall the earth rest? I pray you show me these things.

11b And the Lord said unto Enoch, Look, and he looked and beheld the Son of man lifted upon the cross, after the manner of men; and he heard a loud voice; and the heavens were veiled; and all the creations of God mourned; and the earth groaned; and the rocks were rent;

11c and the saints arose and were crowned at the right hand of the Son of man, with crowns of glory; and as many of the spirits as were in prison, came forth and stood on the right hand of God; and the remainder were reserved in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day.

11d And again, Enoch wept and cried unto the Lord, saying, When shall the earth rest?

12a And Enoch beheld the Son of man ascend up unto the Father; and he called unto the Lord, saying, Will you not come again upon the earth, for inasmuch as you are God, and I know you, and you have sworn unto me, and commanded me that I should ask in the name of your Only Begotten,

12b you have made me, and given unto me a right to your throne, and not of myself, but through your own grace; wherefore, I ask you if you will not come again on the earth?

12c And the Lord said unto Enoch, As I live, even so will I come in the last days--in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfill the oath which I made unto you, concerning the children of Noah:

12d and the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day, shall the heavens be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth;

12e and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve; and righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of my Only Begotten;

12f his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out my own elect from the four quarters of the earth unto a place which I shall prepare;

12g a holy city, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.

13a And the Lord said unto Enoch, Then shall you and all your city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us, and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other,

13b and there shall be my abode, and it shall be Zion which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years shall the earth rest.

14a And it came to pass that Enoch saw the days of the coming of the Son of man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness, for the space of a thousand years.

14b But before that day he saw great tribulations among the wicked; and he also saw the sea, that it was troubled, and men's hearts failing them, looking forth with fear for the judgments of the Almighty God, which should come upon the wicked.

14c And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world; and he saw the day of the righteous, the hour of their redemption, and received a fullness of joy:

14d and all the days of Zion in the days of Enoch, were three hundred and sixty-five years:

14e and Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion: and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is fled.