D&C 137-138 - Heavenly Visions

Unshaken Saints

Jared Halverson

Religion & Spirituality, Education

5 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 3 December 2025

⏱️ 95 minutes

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Summary

Imagine seeing your brother, who died before being baptized, standing as an heir of the celestial kingdom. This profound experience, recorded in D&C 137, opens the door to understanding God's infinite mercy. Decades later, another prophet received a vision (D&C 138) that dramatically expanded our knowledge of the work for the dead. D&C 137: The Desire of the Heart In January 1836, Joseph Smith beheld the celestial kingdom. He "marveled" to see his deceased brother, Alvin, there. The Lord revealed the magnificent principle that "all who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God". God judges all men according to their "works, according to the desire of their hearts". This section also confirms that "all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven". D&C 138: The Redemption of the Dead In 1918, during a time when death was on everyone's mind , Joseph F. Smith was "pondering over the scriptures". This act of study and reflection was crucial; he found that as he "wondered," his "eyes of my understanding were opened". Christ's Ministry: The prophet saw Christ's sojourn in the spirit world. Christ "went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient". The Mission Organization: Instead, He spent His time "instructing and preparing the faithful spirits of the prophets" who had testified of Him. He "organized his forces and appointed messengers" —Spirit World Missionaries—to "carry the message of redemption unto all the dead". The Eternal Work: This revelation clarifies that the faithful elders of this dispensation "continue their labors" after death. The great and mighty ones, including our latter-day prophets, were "chosen in the beginning" and received their "first lessons" in the world of spirits. This work of redemption and temple ordinances is truly a "continuation of the seeds"—a vast family effort. Call-to-Action: Which person—living or dead—can you extend the "great and wonderful love" of Christ to this week? Share your thoughts on "the desire of their hearts" in the comments! If this message helped clarify God's plan of mercy, please like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay "Unshaken" in your faith. Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 4:41 A Vision of Heaven 13:05 Heirs of the Celestial Kingdom 28:08 Pondering the Word 44:55 No Paradise, Only Prison 59:57 The Fate of the Unevangelized 1:12:00 Spirit World Missionaries 1:23:04 Preschool 1:32:07 One-Liners

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and shaken saints and welcome to heaven.
0:03.0	Heaven is going to be our word of the day, our place of the day, our dream of the day,
0:08.0	because that's where we're going today.
0:11.0	We're going to be studying heaven, we're going to be studying the celestial kingdom,
0:14.0	and seeing it in vision with the help of a pair of Joseph's,
0:18.0	a pair of Joseph Smith's, in fact.
0:20.0	Joseph Smith, the prophet of the restoration,
0:22.3	as well as his nephew, Joseph F. Smith, because we have two visions to study this week, Section 137 and
0:28.2	138, and I can't think of a better way to introduce Section 138 than by study in Section 137.
0:36.5	Because 138 is one of these mind-blowing revelations that helps us make sense
0:41.0	of a theological dilemma that people have scratched their heads over for the last 2,000 years, more or less.
0:48.8	It's an incredible understanding that Joseph F. Smith gives us based on this heavenly manifestation that he receives, his vision.
0:56.9	And technically, Section 137 shouldn't be the intro chronologically, but theologically, it's a perfect introduction.
1:05.6	Section 137 is a vision that Joseph Smith has of the celestial kingdom, but he has it back in 1836 in the Kirtland Temple.
1:13.4	And the Kirtland Temple hasn't even been dedicated yet.
1:15.8	If this vision, if it had been canonized in chronological order,
1:20.8	this would be Section 109.
1:22.7	And then we'd have to bump Section 109 down to 110.
1:25.5	That's the dedicatory of the prayer of the Kirtland Temple. And then the coming of these heavenly ministers with priested keys and so on,
1:32.7	the timetable is fascinating. I think the reason that we don't have it in chronological order
1:38.3	is that it wasn't canonized in Joseph's lifetime. He has this glorious vision. I mean, if there's
1:43.0	one thing you'd want to put in scripture, it's something like that. But he has this vision and he records it in his journal,
	...

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