The Necessity of the Ordinance

The immediate context for Doctrine and Covenants 128 is simple: clarification regarding baptism for the dead. Joseph Smith aimed to properly understand and record the sacred nature of this work. But the doctrine behind it is anything but simple—it is breathtaking.

I love how this revelation confirms that our work here isn't done in a vacuum. It speaks directly to the profound doctrine that God is no respecter of persons. For those who passed away without hearing the full gospel—or without the opportunity to participate in necessary ordinances—this work provides hope.

It settles the question of where they are: in spirit prison or the spirit world, awaiting the glorious day of the resurrection and eternal judgment. But crucially, it asserts that the mechanism of mercy—the atonement of Jesus Christ—is applied universally, extending even to them through the work we do on earth.

This is the very essence of merciful Mormon theology: a God who ensures that every soul has a chance to hear the message of repentance and accept the path to the celestial kingdom.

This "great and grand secret" is the welding link—the chain that unites fathers, mothers, and children from every dispensation.

To me, this means my destiny is inextricably linked to the destiny of my ancestors. I am not simply living my own life; I am completing a chain that extends backward and forward. The blessings of the sealing power ensure that our family relationships, begun during our earthly ministry, can continue eternally.

A Voice of Gladness in the Eternal Judgment

If the welding link gives us purpose, the conclusion of Doctrine and Covenants 128 gives us profound joy. After laying out the necessity of the work, Joseph Smith transitions to an inspiring, sweeping view of the future.

He recognizes the incredible responsibility they had as pioneers and record keepers, but he assures them—and us—that this work is meant to produce exultation, not just obligation. The ultimate goal isn't just surviving the eternal judgment but achieving a glorious, united resurrection.

I find tremendous comfort in verse 19, where the Prophet calls for a unifying celebration:

This isn't just a quiet sense of duty; it’s a call to shout the good news! It is the knowledge that the atonement is comprehensive, the plan is perfect, and the scattered family of God shall ultimately be gathered in the highest degree of glory.

My Takeaway: Act with Exultation

Studying Doctrine and Covenants 128 has solidified my belief that God’s plan is detailed, glorious, and unbelievably fair. It emphasizes that this life is our opportunity to extend mercy and ensure that the blessings of the sealing power reach every generation.

When I think about the resurrection and the ultimate reward in the celestial kingdom, I realize it won't be a solitary event. It will be a grand family reunion, made possible by the revelations given through Joseph Smith and sealed by the ordinances we perform today.

We are indeed laborers together with God, ensuring that the great chain of the priesthood and the family of God is complete and unbroken. What a magnificent work to be engaged in!

What have we learned?

1. What is the main purpose of Doctrine and Covenants 128?

2. What exactly is the "Welding Link," and how does it relate to family?

3. Why is the ordinance of baptism for the dead so essential to God’s plan of mercy?

4. The scripture mentions the earth being "utterly wasted" if this work isn't done. What does that mean?

5. How does D&C 128 fundamentally change our view of eternal family and destiny?

ANSWERS:

1. Answer: At its simplest, D&C 128 is a powerful letter written by the Prophet Joseph Smith to the Saints in 1842. Its main purpose was to provide crucial clarification and instruction regarding the ordinance of baptism for the dead and to introduce the profound concept of the sealing power. It serves as a necessary bridge, connecting the work we do on earth (ordinances and record-keeping) to the spiritual welfare and eternal destiny of our ancestors (post-mortal life). Essentially, it explains why this temple work is not optional, but absolutely central to God's plan of salvation.

2. Answer: The "Welding Link" is a beautiful metaphor used by Joseph Smith to describe the sealing power that binds generations together. Imagine a vast metal chain; each link is a family member from a different generation (fathers, mothers, and children). The "welding link" ensures this chain is continuous and unbroken.

D&C 128 teaches that through temple ordinances, we are creating a continuous, eternal family unit. Our destiny is linked to our ancestors; we are not just living our own lives but actively completing this chain. This sealing power ensures that the precious family relationships begun here on earth can continue eternally in the celestial kingdom.

3. Answer: This doctrine confirms that God is entirely fair—He is "no respecter of persons." Since countless people have lived and died throughout history without ever hearing the gospel or having the opportunity to receive necessary ordinances (like baptism), God provides a way for them to accept these blessings.

Baptism for the dead allows us to act as proxies on earth for those who have passed away. This work is the mechanism of mercy that ensures the Atonement of Jesus Christ can be applied universally, extending hope and opportunity to every single soul. Those in the spirit world have the chance to hear the full gospel and accept the ordinances performed on their behalf.

4. Answer: This powerful phrase highlights the absolute necessity of completing the "welding link." It doesn't mean the earth would be physically destroyed, but rather that it would fail to achieve its divine purpose.

The purpose of creation is to establish an eternal, perfect, and unified family of God. If the chain of generations is not secured—if the connecting ordinances are not performed to bind children to their fathers and mothers across all dispensations—then God's grand plan for a complete family unit would be left unfinished. The earth would have been created in vain, unable to support the highest degree of glory (the Celestial Kingdom), which requires this completed, sealed family structure.

5. Answer: D&C 128 transforms our view of salvation from a solitary pursuit to a cooperative, family-focused effort. Instead of worrying only about our own spiritual state, we realize that our destiny is inextricably linked to those who came before us.

The revelation shows that the greatest reward in the celestial kingdom will not be a single accomplishment but a large family reunion. We are called to labor with God, ensuring that the blessings of the sealing power reach every generation. As the Prophet Joseph Smith exultantly declared (D&C 128:19), this work should Fill us with joy and gladness, knowing that we are actively participating in the comprehensive gathering of the family of God.

1. As I stated to you in my letter before I left my place, that I would write to you from time to time and give you information in relation to many subjects. I now resume the subject of the baptism for the dead, as that subject seems to occupy my mind and press itself upon my feelings the strongest since I have been pursued by my enemies.

2. I wrote a few words of revelation to you concerning a recorder. I have had a few additional views in relation to this matter, which I now certify. That is, it was declared in my former letter that there should be a recorder, who should be an eyewitness and also hear with his ears, that he might make a record of a truth before the Lord.

3. Now, in relation to this matter, it would be very difficult for one recorder to be present at all times and to do all the business. To obviate this difficulty, there can be a recorder appointed in each ward of the city, who is well qualified for taking accurate minutes; and let him be very particular and precise in taking the whole proceedings, certifying in his record that he saw with his eyes and heard with his ears, giving the date and names and so forth and the history of the whole transaction, and naming also some three individuals that are present, if there be any present, who can at any time when called upon certify to the same, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

4. Then, let there be a general recorder, to whom these other records can be handed, being attended with certificates over their own signatures, certifying that the record they have made is true. Then the general church recorder can enter the record on the general church book, with the certificates and all the attending witnesses, with his own statement that he verily believes the above statement and records to be true, from his knowledge of the general character and appointment of those men by the church. And when this is done on the general church book, the record shall be just as holy and shall answer the ordinance just the same as if he had seen with his eyes and heard with his ears and made a record of the same on the general church book.

5. You may think this order of things to be very particular, but let me tell you that it is only to answer the will of God by conforming to the ordinance and preparation that the Lord ordained and prepared before the foundation of the world for the salvation of the dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel.

6 And further, I want you to remember that John the Revelator was contemplating this very subject in relation to the dead when he declared, as you will find recorded in Revelation 20:12—And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

7. You will discover in this quotation that the books were opened, and another book was opened, which was the book of life, but the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works; consequently, the books spoken of must be the books which contained the record of their works and refer to the records which are kept on the earth. And the book, which was the book of life, is the record which is kept in heaven; the principle agreeing precisely with the doctrine which is commanded you in the revelation contained in the letter which I wrote to you previous to my leaving my place—that in all your recordings it may be recorded in heaven.

8 Now, the nature of this ordinance consists in the power of the priesthood, by the revelation of Jesus Christ, wherein it is granted that whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Or, in other words, taking a different view of the translation, whatsoever you record on earth shall be recorded in heaven, and whatsoever you do not record on earth shall not be recorded in heaven; for out of the books shall your dead be judged, according to their own works, whether they themselves have attended to the ordinances in their own propria persona or by the means of their own agents, according to the ordinance which God has prepared for their salvation from before the foundation of the world, according to the records which they have kept concerning their dead.

9 It may seem to some to be a very bold doctrine that we talk of—a power which records or binds on earth and binds in heaven. Nevertheless, in all ages of the world, whenever the Lord has given a dispensation of the priesthood to any man by actual revelation, or any set of men, this power has always been given. Hence, whatsoever those men did in authority, in the name of the Lord, and did it truly and faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of the same, it became a law on earth and in heaven and could not be annulled, according to the decrees of the great Jehovah. This is a faithful saying. Who can hear it?

10 And again, for the precedent, Matthew 16:18, 19: And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

11. Now the great and grand secret of the whole matter, and the summum bonum of the whole subject that is lying before us, consists in obtaining the powers of the Holy Priesthood. For him to whom these keys are given, there is no difficulty in obtaining a knowledge of facts in relation to the salvation of the children of men, both for the dead as for the living.

12. Herein is glory and honor, and immortality and eternal life—The ordinance of baptism by water, to be immersed therein in order to answer to the likeness of the dead, that one principle might accord with the other; to be immersed in the water and come forth out of the water is in the likeness of the resurrection of the dead in coming forth out of their graves; hence, this ordinance was instituted to form a relationship with the ordinance of baptism for the dead, being in likeness of the dead.

13. Consequently, the baptismal font was instituted as a similitude of the grave and was commanded to be in a place underneath where the living are wont to assemble, to show forth the living and the dead, and that all things may have their likeness, and that they may accord one with another—that which is earthly conforming to that which is heavenly, as Paul hath declared, 1 Corinthians 15:46, 47, and 48:

14 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as are the records on the earth in relation to your dead, which are truly made out, so also are the records in heaven. This, therefore, is the sealing and binding power, and, in one sense of the word, the keys of the kingdom, which consist in the key of knowledge.

15 And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect.

16 And now, in relation to the baptism for the dead, I will give you another quotation of Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:29: Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?

17 And again, in connection with this quotation, I will give you a quotation from one of the prophets, who had his eye fixed on the restoration of the priesthood, the glories to be revealed in the last days, and in an especial manner this most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel, namely, the baptism for the dead; for Malachi says, last chapter, verses 5th and 6, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

18 I might have rendered a plainer translation of this, but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other—and behold, what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union and welding together of dispensations and keys and powers and glories should take place and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world but have been kept hidden from the wise and prudent shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.

19 Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things and that say unto Zion, "Behold, thy God reigneth!" As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of God descend upon them!

20 And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfillment of the prophets—the book to be revealed. A voice of the Lord in the wilderness of Fayette, Seneca county, declaring the three witnesses to bear record of the book! The voice of Michael on the banks of the Susquehanna, detecting the devil when he appeared as an angel of light! The voice of Peter, James, and John in the wilderness between Harmony, Susquehanna county, and Colesville, Broome county, on the Susquehanna river, declaring themselves as possessing the keys of the kingdom and of the dispensation of the fulness of times!

21 And again, the voice of God in the chamber of old Father Whitmer, in Fayette, Seneca county, and at sundry times, and in divers places through all the travels and tribulations of this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! And the voice of Michael, the archangel; the voice of Gabriel and of Raphael and of divers angels, from Michael or Adam down to the present time, all declaring their dispensation, their rights, their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their priesthood; giving line upon line, precept upon precept; here a little, and there a little; giving us consolation by holding forth that which is to come, confirming our hope!

22 Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren, and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison, for the prisoners shall go free.

23 Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud, and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord, and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears glory,salvation, honor, immortality, eternal life, kingdoms, principalities, and powers!

24 Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.

25 Brethren, I have many things to say to you on the subject but shall now close for the present and continue the subject another time. I am, as ever, your humble servant and never-deviating friend.

                                                                               Joseph Smith

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