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In reading the marvelous revelations in Section 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants, I was intrigued by some possible parallels to the enigmatic Hebrew text, “The Words of Gad the Seer.” That long-overlooked document found among an ancient colony of Jews in Cochin, India has indications of ancient roots and merits further examination. Dr. Meir Bar-Ilan, a noted professor in Israel, has spent decades examining “The Words of Gad the Seer.” He has provided not only an English translation of the text with its fourteen diverse chapters said to be written by King David’s seer, Gad (2 Samuel 24:11), but has also published an extensive Hebrew critical edition filled with scholarly examination of the text and its connections to other Hebrew writings and Jewish traditions. I hope to see that critical edition be translated into English and published to make the commentary and insights in that treasure more widely available.

“The Words of Gad the Seer” gives insight into God’s salvific work. It involves many topics, including apocalyptic themes and the day of judgment, as in Section 88. Citations of the English translation of “The Words of Gad the Seer” here refer to the translation by Meir Bar-Ilan, Words of Gad the Seer (Scotts Valley, CA: CreateSpace Publishing, 2016).

In Judgment, Three Classes of People

While Doctrine and Covenants Section 76 outlines the existence of three great kingdoms of glory in the afterlife, Section 88 builds on that concept, discussing the resurrection and the three kingdoms in vv. 17–32. Section 88 then reveals a dramatic scene that is part of the triumphal Second Coming of Jesus Christ where three classes of people are described, apparently in parallel to but not identical to the three kingdoms of glory. This scene follows declarations of angels and a great sign calling the world’s attention to the imminent Coming of the Lord (vv. 92–94). Then there is silence for half an hour, followed by the manifestation of the face of the Lord. There are further momentous wonders as Saints who are living and who have died join Him and descend with Him to the earth:

95 And there shall be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour; and immediately after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord shall be unveiled;

96 And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.

97 And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven—

98 They are Christ’s, the first fruits, they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice of the sounding of the trump of the angel of God.

99 And after this another angel shall sound, which is the second trump; and then cometh the redemption of those who are Christ’s at his coming; who have received their part in that prison which is prepared for them, that they might receive the gospel, and be judged according to men in the flesh.

100 And again, another trump shall sound, which is the third trump; and then come the spirits of men who are to be judged, and are found under condemnation;

101 And these are the rest of the dead; and they live not again until the thousand years are ended, neither again, until the end of the earth.

102 And another trump shall sound, which is the fourth trump, saying: There are found among those who are to remain until that great and last day, even the end, who shall remain filthy still.

Three categories of people at the Second Coming of Christ are identified:

  1. Saints, whether still living or previously deceased, who are Christ’s people. They are the first fruits. (v. 98).
  2. Next are “those who are Christ’s at his coming.” Their redemption seems to be completed at the time of Christ’s coming. These have “received their part in that prison which is prepared for them, that they might receive the gospel, and be judged according to men in the flesh” (v. 99). In other words, they were given time in the spirit world to accept Christ and become freed from their sins. They become “Christ’s at his coming.”
  3. Then there are those who are not Christ’s at His coming. They remain condemned and will not be resurrected until after the Millennium. Yet there is the implicit hope that during that time, some will yet repent, as did those in the second group, and accept the Gospel and be redeemed.

Those in the second group described in v. 99 took advantage of the opportunity to repent and accept Christ in the spirit world. They represent the expansive grace of Christ and the sweeping breadth of His Atoning work, as do those in the third group who may yet repent and come unto Christ. Doctrine and Covenants 88:99 may not be frequently cited when Latter-day Saints teach the restored early Christian concept of the ministry to those who have died, but the concept of “those who are Christ’s at his coming” who accepted him after death certainly merits attention. The ongoing ministry to those in the spirit world involves some of the most beautiful concepts of the Restored Gospel, including baptism for the dead, the blessings of the temple, the turning of the hearts of the children to their fathers and mothers, eternal families, and grace that sweeps across time and space to ensure that every soul has an opportunity to learn of and accept Christ.

What occurs in vv. 95–102 is not the final judgment of the whole world, for there will still be another thousand years for mortals to live and exercise their agency, and for some of those who have died, this will provide time to repent and accept Christ. But for those who are Christ’s at that time, they can be resurrected and move on to their eternal reward. We learn this after more angels make further declarations, culminating with the seventh angel who declares the victory of the Lamb of God:

106 And again, another angel shall sound his trump, which is the seventh angel, saying: It is finished; it is finished! The Lamb of God hath overcome and trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God.

107 And then shall the angels be crowned with the glory of his might, and the saints shall be filled with his glory, and receive their inheritance and be made equal with him.

While the Jewish document “The Words of Gad the Seer” is certainly not a Christian text, it has a judgment scene with a possible parallel to the three categories of people in Section 88. This is a visionary scene in Chapter 14, where Gad the Seer has a vision in the second year of Solomon’s reign (Words of Gad the Seer, v. 354):

355 And I raised my eyes and, lo, the heavens were open like a book, and I saw the glory of the Lord, sitting on a lofty and exceedingly high throne.

356 And this is the appearance of the throne: twelve stairs led up to the throne, six of gold and six of silver, and there was a square back to the throne, like a sapphire stone. . . .

358 And the appearance of the glory of the Lord is like the appearance of the rainbow, His covenant.

359 And the host of heaven standing before Him on His right hand and on His left, and Satan is standing by them and behind them.

360 And, lo, a man dressed in linen brought before the glory of the Lord three books that were written about every man.

361 And he read in the first one and it was found to have the just deeds of His people, and the Lord said: ‘These will live for ever’.

362 And Satan said: ‘Who are these guilty people?’ And the man dressed in linen cried to Satan like a ram’s horn, saying: ‘Keep silent, for this day is holy to our master’.

363 And he read in the second book, and it was found to have inadvertent sins of His people, and the Lord said: ‘Put aside this book but save it, until one third of the month elapses, to see what they will do’.

364 And he read in the third book, and it was found to have malicious deeds of His people.

365 And the Lord said to Satan: ‘These are your share, take them to do with them as it seemeth good to thee.

366 And Satan took those who acted maliciously and he went with them to a waste land to destroy them there.

367 And the man dressed in linen cried like a ram’s horn, saying:

368 ‘Happy is the people that know the joyful shout; that walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance’.

Here we have three books for three groups of people: 1) a book of the just deeds of God’s people, 2) a book with the inadvertent sins of God’s people, and 3) a book with the malicious deeds of his people. Those in the third group are under condemnation and are turned over to Satan for punishment, rather than having yet another thousand years. But for those in the second group, the book is put aside for a period of time in order to “see what they will do.” This delayed judgment could be a parallel with the concept of giving the souls of the dead time to repent and come unto the Lord, as in the second group for Doctrine and Covenants 88.

The Lamb of God

The Lamb of God that is mentioned in Section 88 in v. 106 (“The Lamb of God hath overcome and trodden the wine-press alone”) and in v. 115 (speaking of “him who sitteth upon the throne, even the Lamb) is also found in “The Words of Gad the Seer” with allusions to Isaiah 53. Examples include:

13 And, lo, the Sun came out of Heaven in the shape of a man, with a crown on his head, carrying over his right shoulder, a lamb, rejected and despised.

14 And on the crown on his head three shepherds are seen, shackled with twelve shackles

15 and these shackles were of gold coated with silver. And the voice of the lamb was heard. great and dreadful like the voice of a lion roaring over his prey: ‘Woe unto me! Woe unto me! Woe unto me! My image has been diminished, my refuge has been lost, my lot and destiny has turned me over to my spoilers, and I was defiled until evening by the touch of impurity’.

16 And it came to pass when the voice of the lamb was over, and, lo, a man dressed in linen came with three branches of vine and twelve palms in his hand.

17 And he took the lamb from the hand of the Sun and put the crown on its head, and the vine-branches and palms on his heart. . . .

30 And the lamb took of the pure, that had been mixed with the impure, and brought it as a peace-offerings sacrifice on the altar before El Shaddai Jealous Lord of hosts.

31 And I heard the sound of the song of the lamb, saying:

32 ‘I shall give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, for though Thou wast angry with me, You relented.

33 For the Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my redeemer. . . .

46 And I heard a voice crying from heaven, saying:

47 ‘You are My son, you are My firstborn, you are My first-fruit.

48 Have I not brought you from over Shihor to be my daily delight?

49 But you have thrown my presents away and dressed up the impure with pure, and that is why all these things happened to you.

50 And who is like unto Thee, among all creatures on earth? For in your shadow lived all these and by thy wounds they were healed!

For a detailed discussion, see Dr. Bar-Ilan’s 2025 paper, “The Heavenly Lamb, Sacrifices on the Heavenly Altar, and the Song of the Lamb” in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship and my observations on that paper). The Lamb of God, an important theme in the writings of Nephi1, may have been a Jewish concept that predated the New Testament, known by more than Nephi1 alone.

Filled with Glory: Variations on Isaiah 6:3

The judgment scene with the three books for three categories of people in “The Words of Gad the Seer” is followed by a passage alluding to the great vision and calling of Isaiah in Isaiah 6.

369 And I heard the voice of the host of heaven dancing and saying: ‘master of justice, the Lord of hosts, the whole heaven and earth is full of His glory‘.

370 And I was shocked by the vision since I did not know what the Lord had done to me.

371 Then flew unto me one of the cherubs and he put an olive leaf in my mouth, and said: ‘Lo, this hath touched thy mouth, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin expiated.

372 And this law that you have seen is a statute for Israel, and a law to the God of Abraham, and peace unto Isaac your father.

373 And the Lord will bless thy people in the trial with peace for ever’.

374 And I said: ‘Amen. May the Lord our God do this to us for ever and ever’.

375 And the angel answered: ‘Amen and amen’.

Compare this to Isaiah 6:

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. (Isaiah 6:1–7)

While Isaiah 6:3 (KJV) has “the whole earth is full of his glory,” Words of Gad the Seer expands that to “the whole heaven and earth is full of His glory” (v. 369). Perhaps even more interesting, in Chapter 8, Gad records the farewell speech of King David that he delivers to his people from a specially made pulpit (v. 182), similar to King Benjamin speaking from a tower in Mosiah 2:7. In his opening words, King David states that God “is God without end and there is no end to His end, Omnipotence, God of truth, whole worlds are full of His glory” (v. 183). So “The Words of Gad the Seer” seems to build on Isaiah 6:3 by having the earth, “the whole heaven,” and “whole worlds” that are full of God’s glory.

The glory of God is a major theme in Doctrine and Covenants 88, where His glory and kingdoms of glory are mentioned many times. In the judgment scene discussed above, we learn in v. 107 that “the angels [shall] be crowned with the glory of his might, and the saints shall be filled with his glory.” Not just the earth and the heavens, but now individual saints — this adds another dimension to God’s contagious glory.

Another element is added to the concept of “whole worlds” being full of God’s glory (Words of Gad the Seer, v. 183) when Section 88 discusses the motion of the earth, planets, the moon, and the sun:

42 And again, verily I say unto you, he hath given a law unto all things, by which they move in their times and their seasons;

43 And their courses are fixed, even the courses of the heavens and the earth, which comprehend the earth and all the planets.

44 And they give light to each other in their times and in their seasons, in their minutes, in their hours, in their days, in their weeks, in their months, in their years—all these are one year with God, but not with man.

45 The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day, and the moon giveth her light by night, and the stars also give their light, as they roll upon their wings in their glory, in the midst of the power of God.

Whole worlds filled with the glory of God also resonates with other latter-day scriptures. For example, Doctrine and Covenants 76:24 teaches us that by Christ, “the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.” In a vision of Moses recorded in Moses 1:29, he saw “he beheld many lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face thereof.” If other planets have been populated with God’s children and some have also become glorified celestial kingdoms or other kingdoms of glory, then such majestic works of the Lord, whether in fully glorified states or glorious mortal states like the Earth, may mean that the cosmos may be teeming with worlds displaying the glory of God in various ways. Truly whole worlds and whole kingdoms are filled with the glory of God.

Glory and Light

This glory of God that can fill the heavens and individuals is associated with light, light that helps God “comprehend” all things and which, when we are filled with it, will help us comprehend all things, as Section 88 explains:

6 He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;

7 Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.

8 As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;

9 As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made;

10 And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand.

11 And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;

12 Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—

13 The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things. . . .

Though we don’t yet understand the physics, this involves our bodies, especially our future resurrected bodies:

28 They who are of a celestial spirit shall receive the same body which was a natural body; even ye shall receive your bodies, and your glory shall be that glory by which your bodies are quickened.

29 Ye who are quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness. . . .

67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.

At the end of “The Words of Gad the Seer,” immediately before Gad “heard the voice of the host of heaven dancing and saying: ‘master of justice, the Lord of hosts, the whole heaven and earth is full of His glory’”(v. 369), “the man dressed in linen cried like a ram’s horn, saying: ‘Happy is the people that know the joyful shout; that walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance’” (vv. 367–68). This may connect the Lord’s glory to the light of His countenance.

Another connection occurs in Chapter 14 immediately before Gad the Seer sees the three books with information about three categories of people as he mentions the throne of God and the appearance of the Lord: “And the appearance of the glory of the Lord is like the appearance of the rainbow, His covenant” (v. 358). This may suggest the richness and beauty of the light being emitted by the Lord, or rather, by the glory of the Lord.

In the beginning of the text, Gad the Seer hears the song of the Lamb which mentions the light of God and His glory:

35 Rise up, Intelligence; Rise up, Power; Rise up, Kingship; Rise up, Majesty and Glory!

36 Rise up to help the Lord!

37 For God has saved one who had strayed and obliterated the impurity from the Earth.

38 He fought my fight and brought into the light my righteousness by His help.

39 My help cometh from Shaddai who made heaven and earth.

40 Verily, who is like unto Thee, O Lord? Verily, who is like unto Thee, glorious in holiness? – but not in impurity!

Light and truth are also mentioned together in Chapter 7, when David prays that God will “Send your light and truth to their [his people’s] help” (v. 274). Then in Chapter 8, as Tamar bravely resists the advances of a powerful man, she likewise pleads with God to “Send your light and your truth to hold me” (v. 306). Section 88 refers to the “light of truth” (vv. 6–7). Note that Psalm 43:3 also has “O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me.”

Though there are differences, both “The Words of Gad the Seer” and the revelations of Section 88 in the Doctrine and Covenants connect glory, light, and truth.

The Face of God

The light of the Lord’s countenance mentioned in “The Words of Gad the Seer” (vv. 367–68), associated with the happiness of the Lord’s people, can be understood as a reference to the physical face of the Lord. In his last words to Israel before King David died, as recorded in Chapter 7 of “The Words of Gad the Seer,” David spoke explicitly about the face of the Lord that his people would see in the (heavenly?) Jerusalem “that is concealed for your future”:

277 For that: Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.

278 Turn ye not unto the idols, for they are vain and utterly pass away.

279 Only unto God shall ye cleave, for Him be your dread and fortress

280 to defeat your enemies, enemies of spirit and enemies of flesh, beneath your feet.

281 To bring you to Jerusalem that is concealed for your future.

282 And there shall you see Him face to face, in the presence of a living God that is seen face to face. And you are one people, if you grow in belief you will be filled in gates of intelligence.

283 Blessed is the eye that has seen all these!

Section 88 also speaks seeing the face of the Lord:

68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will. . . .

95 And there shall be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour; and immediately after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord shall be unveiled.

The connection to “The Words of Gad the Seer” is further strengthened by the common use of the biblical phrase, “the light of [the Lord’s or someone else’s] countenance” (cf. Job 29:24; Psalm 4:6, 44:3, 89:15, 90:8, Proverbs 16:15). In a parable given in Section 88: 51–61, a master with a field hires twelve servants to dig in the field:

56 And the lord of the field went unto the first in the first hour, and tarried with him all that hour, and he was made glad with the light of the countenance of his lord.

57 And then he withdrew from the first that he might visit the second also, and the third, and the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth.

58 And thus they all received the light of the countenance of their lord, every man in his hour, and in his time, and in his season—

59 Beginning at the first, and so on unto the last, and from the last unto the first, and from the first unto the last;

60 Every man in his own order, until his hour was finished, even according as his lord had commanded him, that his lord might be glorified in him, and he in his lord, that they all might be glorified.

The light of the Lord’s countenance not only gladdens the servants, but glorifies them. Light and glory are linked, and happiness and the light of the Lord’s countenance are linked, adding to the parallels between “The Words of Gad the Seer” and Section 88.

Michael and the Final Battle

A dramatic passage in Section 88 involves the period at the end of the great Millennium when Satan is unbound and gathers his forces to wage war against God and the Saints. What that means physically is beyond comprehension to us now, but will surely be an epic conflict. It will be led and won by Michael:

111 And then he [Satan] shall be loosed for a little season, that he may gather together his armies.

112 And Michael, the seventh angel, even the archangel, shall gather together his armies, even the hosts of heaven.

113 And the devil shall gather together his armies; even the hosts of hell, and shall come up to battle against Michael and his armies.

114 And then cometh the battle of the great God; and the devil and his armies shall be cast away into their own place, that they shall not have power over the saints any more at all.

115 For Michael shall fight their battles, and shall overcome him who seeketh the throne of him who sitteth upon the throne, even the Lamb.

116 This is the glory of God, and the sanctified; and they shall not any more see death.

In Jewish and Christian traditions, Michael has long been considered a defender of God’s people, fighting battles in heaven and on earth for the good of Israel. He is a great prince who helps defend Israel in the book of Daniel (Daniel 10:13, 21 and 12:1), an archangel who disputed with Satan over the body of Moses (Jude 1:9), and the angel described in Revelation 12:7–9 who, during war in heaven, fought the dragon and his angels. This is often interpreted by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a reference to the premortal existence when Satan rebelled and was cast down to earth, though the declaration of victory in Revelation 12:10–11 makes it sound like a future battle, as many Christians interpret this passage. Perhaps both past and future battles are indicated.

Michael and a great war in the “end of days” are also mentioned in Chapter 2 of “The Words of Gad the Seer”:

89 At the end of days Michael the great prince shall stand up in war like a whirlwind.

90 At the end of days the robbed will overcome the robber, and the weak the strong, truly and in righteousness.

91 Your God is your saviour, O Israel, with Him you will be saved, for He is a merciful God, He will not abandon you.

92 For thou shalt keep on doing all that I commanded you in the law of Moses My servant’.

Little is said here, but it is enough to form an interesting parallel with Doctrine and Covenants 88.

Conclusion

“The Words of Gad the Seer” is an enigmatic Hebrew text with many concepts taught or implied that may be of interest to Latter-day Saints. The connections to Doctrine and Covenants 88 proposed here are not meant to imply any direct link between Joseph Smith and “The Words of Gad the Seer,” but the ancient origins of that Hebrew document may provide hints into some old views in Judaism that resonate with the doctrines of the Restoration. Considering those perspectives may be of value when studying Section 88 or other portions of our modern and ancient scriptures.

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