The first part of the revelation addresses the apostasy beginning to take root among the members of the Church in Kirtland. Among the elders who traveled with Joseph Smith during the journey to Missouri, there was some antagonism, most notably from Ezra Booth, who soon apostatized (See D&C 64:15–16; D&C 71). The Lord expresses His anger against those who selfishly seek to take and to destroy for their own pleasure.

The anger the Lord expresses here is consistent with the Savior’s early acts and revelations. On several occasions, the Savior condemned anger, especially when it was unfounded (Matthew 5:22; 3 Nephi 11:30). On other occasions, the Lord expressed anger at unjust acts, unfair treatment, or sinful behavior. The Lord’s anger is a righteous indignation at the acts of those around Him. During His mortal ministry, the Savior looked with anger on those who claimed that healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath was a sin (Mark 3:1–5). In this revelation, the Lord’s anger is turned upon those seeking to arouse contention among the Saints.

Here, the Savior addresses Saints who have based their faith solely on signs and wonders instead of rooting it in the word of God and prayer. Again, it is likely that this is a reference to Ezra Booth, who was converted when he witnessed Joseph Smith heal the arthritic arm of Elsa Johnson (see commentary for D&C 42:19–20).

Signs often have a positive impact on a person’s faith, but they are primarily useful in strengthening faith that is already developing naturally. As a basis for a testimony, signs can be a sandy foundation to build upon. The Book of Mormon people experienced indisputable signs, such as a days and nights with no darkness that fell on precise dates, as foretold by Samuel the Lamanite (Helaman 14:2–4). We would expect such a grand sign to be a life-changing event for the majority of the people. Yet in the small span of a few years, many “began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen” (3 Nephi 2:1).

Both the Savior and Joseph Smith taught that excessive sign seeking is a symptom of greater spiritual problems. Jesus declared that “an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign” (Matthew 12:39). Joseph Smith taught that “he who seeketh a sign is an adulterous person. & that principle is Eternal undeviating & firm as the pillars of heaven. for whenever you see a man seeking after a sign you may set it down that he is an adulterous man” (Discourse, 2 July 1839, as Reported by Willard Richards, 15, JSP).

In a later history, Joseph Smith shared the following experience: “When I was preaching in Philadelphia, a Quaker called out for a sign, I told him to be still. After Sermon he again asked for a sign. I told the Congregation the man was an Adulterer, that a wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and that the Lord had said to me in a Revelation that any man who wanted a sign was an Adulterous person ‘it is true’ cried one ‘for I caught him in the very act,’ which the man afterwards confessed when he was baptized” (Joseph Smith—History, vol. D-1, 1466, JSP).

The list of sins given here is given in again in Doctrine and Covenants 76:103–106 as characteristics of those who are consigned to the telestial kingdom. These people are described as being cast into “that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone” and experiencing the “second death,” a phrase taken from Revelation 21:8. The description of the sufferings of the wicked as a “lake of fire and brimstone,” or something close to it, appears in scriptures several times (2 Nephi 9:18; 28:23; Jacob 3:11; 6:10; Alma 12:17). It is worth noting that this is ultimately not just a list of sins, but the states of unrepentant sinners. For example, the speaks not just of liars, but those who “love making a lie” (D&C 63:17). Those who sincerely repent, even of these serious transgressions, can find redemption through Jesus Christ.

While this imagery conjures common depictions of the final fate of the wicked as filled with flame and doom, it does not denote that God is cruel or takes delight in tormenting the wicked. In an 1844 discourse, Joseph Smith taught that “a sinner has his own mind and is his own condemner; the torment of the mind of man is as exquisite as a lake burning with fire and brimstone” (Discourse, 7 April 1844, as Reported by Thomas Bullock, 20, JSP). Torment is the natural conclusion of sin, and God does not have to actively seek to torment those who engage in unrighteous behavior. Eventually, they become their own tormentors.

In these verses, the Lord shifts direction from chastising the wicked to pointing the faithful toward the rewards planned for the righteous. The “day of transfiguration” refers to the day the earth “will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory” (Article of Faith 10). The word transfigured leads us to draw comparisons to the three Nephite disciples who were “changed from this body of flesh into an immortal state, that they could behold the things of God” (3 Nephi 28:15). The Savior further explains this transfiguration, which occurs at the time of His return to earth in glory, in a revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1833.

In that revelation the Lord declares that “every corruptible thing, both of man, or of the beasts of the field . . . shall be consumed.” He adds that “the enmity of all flesh shall cease,” “Satan will have no power,” and “there shall be no sorrow because there is no death” (D&C 101:24–29). This period of millennial glory is only a prelude to the final fate of the earth and its righteous inhabitants, for the earth will eventually die and be quickened (resurrected) again and “the righteous shall inherit it” (D&C 88:26). The earth will eventually be the home of those who endure to the end and receive all that the Father hath.

This is likely a reference to the moment chronicled in the synoptic gospels when Peter, James, and John were taken to a mountain where they saw the Savior transfigured, and where they saw Moses along with Elijah (Matthew 17:1–13; Mark 9:2–13; Luke 9:28–36). The Joseph Smith Translation (JST) adds that John the Baptist also appeared on the mount following his martyrdom at the hands of Herodias (JST Mark 9:3). The JST also reveals that Moses and Elijah spoke with the Savior “of his death, and also his resurrection, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem” (JST Luke 9:31). In verse 21, the Savior refers to this transfiguration as the pattern for the transfiguration of the earth after the Savior’s coming.

The transfiguration on the mount occurred when the three who accompanied the Savior saw him “transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his rainment was white as the light” (Matthew 17:2). The Apostle John later declared that “we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Peter spoke of he and his companions being “eyewitnesses of his majesty” and that Jesus “received from the Father honour and glory” (2 Peter 1:16–19). It is also possible that the invitation to Peter, James, and John on the mount was linked to the “more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19–20) or to being sealed up unto eternal life (D&C 131:5).

While we do not know everything about what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration, it is clear that what was shown to Peter, James, and John was of great importance to the future of God’s children and to the destiny of the earth itself.

Obedience to the commandments is key to opening up our understanding of the mysteries of godliness, and we demonstrate our faith in God by serving Him and keeping His commandments. The prophet Alma taught, “It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart ^conly according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him” (Alma 12:9).

This relationship between God and his children is not transactional. We really have nothing to offer to God other than our will. Rather, it is interpersonal. As we grow in our confidence to keep the commandments and enter into a relationship of trust and acceptance of God’s will, He is able to give us greater and greater power so that our confidence shall “wax strong in the presence of God” (D&C 121:45).

Having both addressed the wicked among the Church and promised blessings to the faithful, the Lord now turns to the specifics of the gathering to the land of Zion. He again emphasizes that the land will not be gained through bloodshed, an admonition the Lord gave earlier (D&C 58:53) and will repeat again to the Saints (D&C 105:5). Rather, the land is to be obtained by purchase through the consecrated efforts of the Saints (D&C 45:65). The Lord warns that Satan wanted the Saints to attempt to obtain the land by force (D&C 63:28, 31) instead of by peaceful means.

It was also important for the Saints gathering to Zion to obtain the land through legal means. In a letter written in July 1833 to the “Elders stationed in Zion and the churches abroad,” Church leaders counseled, “To suppose we can come up here and take possession of this land by the shedding of blood, would be setting at naught the law of the glorious Gospel, and also the word of our glorious Redeemer: and to suppose that we can take possession of this country, without making regular purchases of the same according to the laws of our nation, would be reproaching this great Republic, in which the most of us were born, and under whose auspices we all have protection” (Joseph Smith—History, vol. A-1, 322).

Church leaders also had to consider the speed of the migration to Zion. While the implementation of the law of consecration would help the Saints obtain Zion more quickly, Church members were counseled to first work, save, and obtain the financial means needed to gather to Zion. The same epistle referenced earlier also counseled, “We would advise in the first place that every disciple, if in his power, pay his just debts, so as to owe no man, and then if he has any property left, let him be careful of it; and he can help the poor, by consecrating some for their inheritances: for as yet, there has not been enough consecrated, to plant the poor in inheritance, according to the regulation of the Church and the desire of the faithful” (Joseph Smith—History, vol. A-1, 322). While the Saints’ desire to gather to Zion was increasing, the Lord emphasized that the Saints should not run faster than they had strength (Mosiah 4:27).

The Lord gives another reason for the gathering to Zion: the coming wars to proceed the Savior’s return to the earth. In an earlier revelation the Lord warned of “wars in foreign lands” and “wars in your own lands” (D&C 45:63). A central part of the drive to gather to Zion and build the city was to create “a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God” (D&C 45:66). The gathering was intended to save the Saints from these physical tribulations.

Throughout the history of the Church, the Lord has shown the Saints the wisdom in heeding the voice of His prophets. He has also shown that part of our mortal experience is being tested and tried by the misused agency of our brothers and sisters.

The farm mentioned in this portion of the revelation (D&C 63:38) was owned by Isaac Morley and located near Kirtland. Titus Billings and other Church members joined Morley in creating a communal order that lived on the farm. Joseph Smith lived on the farm for a few months after he emigrated from New York to Ohio (D&C 41:7). Newel K. Whitney’s store, also mentioned in the revelation (D&C 63:42), became the functional headquarters of the Church during this early period. For a time, Joseph Smith and his family lived on the second floor of the store, and many key sections of the Doctrine and Covenants were received there (D&C 84–98; 101). Newel K. Whitney’s designation as an “agent” for the Church foreshadowed his call as the Church’s second bishop (D&C 72:1–8).

The Lord asked all of the Church members in Kirtland to begin raising money to build the city of Zion in Missouri. Kirtland remained an important Church center and would eventually become the place where the first temple built by the Saints in this dispensation would rise. However, in the revelations Kirtland was designated as a “stake” (D&C 96:1; D&C 104:40), while Independence, Missouri, was designated as the “center place” of Zion (D&C 57:3). Over the next eight years, both Church centers in Ohio and Missouri played a vital role in the growth of the movement. However, in the grand story of the Restoration, the center place and location of the city of Zion remains in Independence, Missouri.

Just as the Lord pronounced blessings on the Church members who had already arrived in Zion (D&C 59:1–4), here He blesses the Saints in Ohio by pointing them toward the bright millennial future. The Lord speaks of the new way of life to be found after His coming, when death, scarcity, and wickedness will pass away and men and women will enter into a higher and holier state (see commentary for D&C 101:31). The Lord reminds the Saints, who were faced with the complexities of the practical creation of Zion, to keep their focus on the ultimate goal of the work and to prepare the earth for the millennium of peace following the Savior’s return. Not speaking in terms of years, decades, or centuries, but “after the manner of the Lord,” He confirms that the return of Jesus Christ to the earth is “nigh at hand.”

The Lord also refers to the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:5–13). While the assumption has often been made that the ten virgins represent the world as a whole, Latter-day prophets and the context of section 63 suggest that the parable is about the members of the Church. President Dallin H. Oaks taught, “The arithmetic of this parable is chilling. The ten virgins obviously represent members of Christ’s Church, for all were invited to the wedding feast and all knew what was required to be admitted when the bridegroom came. But only half were ready when he came” (“Preparation for the Second Coming,” General Conference April 2004). A theme throughout section 63 is the blessing of the Saints who are keeping the commandments and the stern warning to those who are engaged in adultery and lying (D&C 63:14–19).

The Lord had previously commanded Sidney Rigdon to write a description of the land of Zion to help emigrants know what to expect (D&C 58:50–51). Rather than the “description of the land of Zion” the Lord had commanded him to write, Sidney’s first attempt resulted in a letter that was a quasi-scriptural warning of the calamities of the last days. Sidney wrote of “the things which he has decreed upon the nations even wasting and destruction until they are utterly destroyed, and the earth made desolate by reason of the wickedness of its inhabitants according as he has made known in times past by the prophets and apostles, that such calamities should befall the inhabitants of the earth in the last days, unless they should repent, and turn to the living God” (John Whitmer History, 34, JSP).

Eventually another description of the land of Zion that was included in Joseph Smith’s official history (see commentary for D&C 58:44–52). This revised epistle seems to have been more effective at helping to raise funds to build Zion. John Whitmer recorded that “immediately after the commandment was given and the epistle written, Oliver Cowdery and Newel K. Whitney went from place to place; and from church to church preaching and expounding the scriptures and commandments and obtaining moneys of the disciples for the purpose of buying lands for the Saints according to commandments and the disciples truly opened their hearts, and thus there has been lands purchased, for the inheritance of the saints” (John Whitmer History, 37, JSP). By one estimate, the effort raised around three thousand dollars among the Saints for the building of Zion (Warren A. Jennings, “Zion Is Fled: The Expulsion of the Mormons from Jackson County, Missouri, PhD diss., University of Florida, 1963, 104–105).

Near the end of the revelation the Lord warns the disciples to take care with sacred things, particularly the name of the Savior. A later revelation informed the Saints that the original name of the Melchizedek Priesthood, “the holy priesthood after the Order of the Son of God,” was changed in common use out of “respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, [and] to avoid too frequent repetition of the name” (D&C 107:3–4).

If we are to avoid frequent repetition of the Lord’s name, then why did the Savior give His name to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and then lead the prophets to insist on the use of the correct name? In these verses the Lord warns specifically against those who lack authority using His name in vain (D&C 63:62). In Webster’s 1828 dictionary, the word vain meant “empty; worthless; having no substance, value or importance.” Certainly His name has meaning when taken as an identifier of the Lord’s true Church, or when used in any ordinances of the gospel. However, when His name is used in vain by people without authority, by people who take it upon themselves without serious commitment, or by people who use it as a profanity, these people come under the Lord’s condemnation.

Up to this point, Joseph Smith had been staying in a home built on Isaac Morley’s farm (D&C 41:7). After Isaac Morley arrived back from his mission to Missouri (D&C 52:23), he sold his farm in preparation to move to Missouri. In response to the Lord’s request to provide a home for Joseph and Sidney, John Johnson offered to have them live at his home in Hiram, Ohio. While living there in the following months, Joseph received fifteen different sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, and Joseph and Emma’s family endured some of the most harrowing events of their lives.