- Hearken unto me, says the Lord your God, O you who are ordained unto the high priesthood of my church, who have assembled yourselves together, and listen to the counsel of him who has ordained you from on high, who shall speak in your ear the words of wisdom, that salvation may be unto you in that thing which you have presented before me, says the Lord God.
- For verily I say unto you, the time has come and is now at hand, and behold and lo, it must needs be that there be an organization of the literary and the mercantile establishments of my church, both in this place and in the land of Zion, for a permanent and everlasting establishment and firm unto my church, to advance the cause which you have espoused, to the salvation of man, and to the glory of your Father who is in Heaven, that you may be equal in the bonds of Heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of Heavenly things. For if you are not equal in earthly things, you cannot be equal in obtaining Heavenly things, for if you will that I give unto you a place in the Celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded and required of you.
- And now, verily thus says the Lord: It is expedient that all things be done unto my glory, that you should, who are joined together in this firm — or in other words, that my servant Newel, and my servant Joseph, and my servant Sidney — sit in council with the saints who are in Zion; otherwise, Satan seeks to turn their hearts away from the truth, that they become blinded and understand not the things which are prepared for them.
- Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you to prepare and organize yourselves by a bond or an everlasting covenant which cannot be broken. And he who breaks it shall lose his office and standing in the church, and shall be delivered over unto the buffetings of Satan until the day of redemption. Behold, this is the preparation wherewith I prepare you, and the foundation and the example which I give unto you whereby you may accomplish the commandments which are given you, that through my providences, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that you may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the Celestial world, that you may come up unto the crown prepared for you, and be made rulers over many kingdoms, says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel.
- Verily, verily I say unto you, you are little children and you have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father has put into his own hands and prepared for you. And you cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours, and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours, and he who receives all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious and the things of this world shall be added unto him, even an hundredfold, yea, more. Wherefore, do the things which I have commanded you, says your Redeemer, even Jesus Christ, who prepares all things before he comes, and then he will come even with the church of the Firstborn, and receive you in the cloud and appoint every man his portion, and he that is a faithful and wise steward shall inherit all things. Amen.
SECTION 70
A revelation given at Kirtland, Ohio, 1 March 1832, through Joseph Smith Jr. to Newel K. Whitney, Joseph Smith Jr., and Sidney Rigdon.