Seven Visions: Images of Christ in the Doctrine and Covenants

by Adam S. Miller, Rosalynde F. Welch

Learning how to hear God’s voice should be vitally important to all of us, especially as our prophet has urged us to seek Christ more intentionally. President Russell M. Nelson recently asked, “What will happen as you more intentionally hear, hearken, and heed what the Savior has said and what He is saying now through His prophets?” (“Hear Him,” Liahona, May 2020).

As a people, we commonly strain our ears to “hear him” (Joseph Smith—History 1:17). We seek God’s voice in scripture. But are we also intentional about seeking his face, about not only hearing the words he speaks but seeing the visions he opens?

Following their co-authored Seven Gospels, Rosalynde Welch and Adam Miller turn their attention to visions of Christ recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants. Written as a series of letters between friends, the authors explore how Christ shows himself in seven of the revelations from the Doctrine and Covenants. Some visions are spectacular, some intimate. Some visual, some conceptual. But all increase our capacity to “see him as he is” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:1).

Genres: Lds, Church, Religion

150 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2024

Reviews

[RK Bitton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid entry. Love the work and thoughts of Adam and Rosalynde. Enjoy just sitting with scripture in a more contemplative moment. They are insightful and snappy writers. The letters to each other as a device works although it feels somewhat contrived and clunky at moments. These visions of Christ become more applicable as we ponder them through the unique viewpoints of contemporary theologians.

“If I’m serious about seeing the face of God…I have to learn how to live with my mind focused and single instead of distracted and divided. I have to stop trying to serve two masters.” Page 74

“I need it (D&C, scriptures, etc) to shake me free from a false life of ceaseless scrabbling for greater degrees of convenience and consumption. I am looking for degrees of glory, not degrees of comfort.” Page 82

On the power that comes from reading scripture. “…I’m transformed by the divine light that meets me in the arena of scripture. And if these encounters occur as we prayerfully search, interpret, question, translate, analyze, liken, ponder, and discuss the text then anything that draws our attention more deeply into its words serves the ultimate aim of keeping us engaged in our encounter with divine light.” Page 119

[Lisa Reising · Rating 4 out of 5]

The format was not my favorite - the letter writing idea. But the content by both authors was rewarding and thought-provoking. I read it in pieces, along with my reading of the D&C this year. Very worthwhile.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this fantastic book by Adam Miller and Rosalynde Welch. Similar to their previous book (Seven Gospels: The Many Lives of Christ in the Book of Mormon), this book is written as a series of letters back and forth between these two brilliant scholars of the gospel. Here, they focus their attention on seven different "visions" of Christ that are represented in the Doctrine of Covenants. The main premise is that we read of how other people had visions of Christ in the D&C, which helps us learn how we can seek out Christ ourselves, which we can pursue in a collaborative manner as we walk the path of discipleship. I found each letter to be very insightful, bringing up interesting perspectives and viewpoints that I hadn't considered. I found myself getting more and more excited to immerse myself in my own study of the D&C this year.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"When we see Christ, we see the love of the Father and we see the way back into his presence."

“If there is a single theme that unites all 139 sections, we believe a strong case can be made that this theme is the Prophet Joseph Smith’s quest to see the face of Christ. …Joseph’s prophetic mission was grounded in his desire to offer every Saint the opportunity to hear for themselves what he’d heard, to know for themselves that he knew, and to see for themselves what he’d seen.” “…everyone is welcome to witness Christ and enter the presence of God.”

“Happily, the Doctrine and Covenants is radiant with the presence of Christ. He is the personage we will see in these seven visions, of course, but – more – he is the light that makes all else visible.”

Speaking of glory (or “the sign that God is present in this place”), the book says that “God is the source”, the “he shares himself with his children”, and “thus we carry glory within us”. “That gift of glory, the manifestation of God’s brilliant essence in his sons and daughters, happens both at creation and, especially, at new creation, the new life we receive when we are born again in Christ.”

“For God’s light to shine in me and through me, I must get out of the way. My own will, like Christ’s, must become translucent.”

“To triumph, Christ doesn’t need to defeat his enemies. In fact, just the opposite. In order for his divine “purposes [to] fail not,” Christ needs his enemies to surrender their weapons give up being his enemies, and join him. To triumph, Christ must save his enemies. And he saves these enemies by – surprise! – stubbornly loving them.”

“We will inherit whatever degree of glory best corresponds to however far we’re willing to go in our efforts to love and minister. We will inherit whatever kingdom best corresponds to however much of God’s love and glory we’re willing to bear and share.” “These gradations of glory, then, seem to correspond to different degrees of activity or passivity in ministering. Those who inherit a celestial glory actively and unconditionally minister to others.” “If I love ministering the way God loves ministering, then I’ll see the world the way God does. I’ll go where God is. I’ll live as God lives. I’ll inherit the fulness of this ministerial work.”

“And when section 88 says “all things,” it isn’t kidding. It isn’t being poetic or hyperbolic. When it says the light of Christ is “in all and through all things,” it really means all things.”

“If I’m serious about seeing the face of God – about entering God’s and seeing the light of Christ in and through all things – I have to learn how to live in just this way. I have to learn how to cleave. I have to learn how to abide in truth. I have to learn how to live with my mind focused and single instead of distracted and divided. I have to stop trying to serve two masters.”

“As we read section 88, it occurs to me that we may be seeing here, in real time, a turning point in Joseph’s prophetic ministry: the dawning understanding that his people didn’t need to wait for the Second Coming, didn’t need to wait until Zion was built and prospering, to see Christ and enjoy the presence of God. They could build a house for God now and meet him there. This is of course just my own speculation, but maybe what you’ve noticed about the language of this section – its explosive, exhilarating, immersive quality – tracks Joseph’s own exploding prophetic awareness of the meaning of the true light and true life of Christ.”

“We need help learning to comprehend the light that shines in the darkness, and we need help finding the courage to dance under it. Indeed, learning this dance is precisely the point of the temple, the purifying ordinances, the school of the prophets, and everything else begins right here in section 88.”

“…the Doctrine and Covenants is predicated on the testimony that the Father and Son are no strangers to planet Earth. God is already here. We don’t need to wait to eat the sweet fruit of redemption, to rest in the bosom of the Father, to view the glory of the Godhead. God is bathing us in that light already.”

“Rather than fashioning the Lord in my own image, I must be refashioned in his. To see him, I must come to have his image in my countenance. I must come to see everything and everyone the way he sees me.”

“Scripture is freed up to be for readers what it is best suited to be: a place to build a personal relationship with God.” “…we come to scripture to be remade in light of the images of Christ we find in them.” “…as a reader, I’m transformed by the divine light that meets me in the arena of scripture.”

“…we begin to see that prophecies of the “first” and “second” comings were never meant to suggest that there were only to be two. In reality, if the record of the scriptures is to be believed, Christ offers his presence abundantly to his children in all times and in all places. The spiritual history of the world over the past two millennia is less like a long, dark night of divine absence strung between the sunset and sunrise of Christ’s presence – the Ascension and the Second Coming – and more like a canopy of brilliant stars."

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The recently-published book Seven Visions: Images of Christ in the Doctrine and Covenants by Adam S. Miller and Rosalynde F. Welch is a fantastic opportunity to listen in on a conversation between two brilliant theological minds as they explore seven different sections of the Doctrine and Covenants with a Christological focus. The book is structured as a series of letters back and forth between the two authors, discussing the seven sections in question (19, 45, 76, 88, 110, 130, and 138). It was a delightful blend of heartfelt discussion, analysis of text, and conclusions that could sometimes be a surprising take on a familiar text.


It was enjoyable to see what suggestions Rosalynde and Adam had for interpretation of the revelations and visions. For example, in section 19, Rosalynde discusses the meaning of “shrink” in the phrase “Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink” (D&C 19:18). She notes that while it is possible that this “refers to his innate human desire to ‘shrink away’ from pain and suffering,” there is another interpretation that offers its own theological richness. “Is ‘shrink’ here bundled with ‘drink the bitter cup’ as something that Christ is tempted not to do? … If this is the proper parsing of the grammar, it seems shrinking is equivalent to drinking the bitter cup, not its opposite. It is a shrinking of his own will, his own human instinct for self-preservation” (28). It’s a fascinating interpretation of the revelation – that Jesus was tempted to put himself first, but allowed that self-centered instinct to shrink in the face of God’s will.

Another of my favorite parts was Adam Miller’s analysis of the relationship between time and eternity in the Doctrine and Covenants. While traditional Christian thought places God outside of time and space (as both are creations of God), thus creating a dichotomy between eternity (the mode of existence that God experiences) and time (the mortal experience within the universe), Latter-day Saint theology is more open to God existing within the universe. Noting that the same sociality exists in the hereafter, “a relationship must involve interaction” and those interactions require “choices, actions, and consequences”, it means that “in this world, all relationships – that is, sociality itself – are about time. They’re made of time. They require time. Only time’s persistent flow can make actions and consequences, and thus marriages and families real and possible” (110). Because of this, “I don’t have the faintest idea what this … would mean without the ongoing reality of time, action, and consequence” and it seems likely that “eternal glory doesn’t stop time or supplant time or allow us to escape time. Rather, eternity shelters and blesses it” (113, 115). While I can only summarize brief snippets of the discussion here, it was the rich, thought-provoking analysis of time that I expected in Philip Barlow’s entry in the Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants and was surprised to find missing there.

While my own interest in theology and esoterica drew me to these two points as highlights of the experience of reading the book, there is a lot of beautiful and touching insight into experiencing and developing a relationship with Christ that could also be highlighted. For example, the concept of indwelling was a recurring theme – both Christ’s indwelling with God and our own indwelling with Christ. There is both brilliant analysis and a plethora of great quotes on this type of subject. For example, Rosalynde Welch wrote that when seeking Jesus, “the trick is not just to see, but to see and perceive” (78). In another place, she expresses gratitude for the future-facing focus of preparation in the Doctrine and Covenants, the “insistent not yet.” “I need it to cut through the complacency and self-congratulation I’m often tempted to wallow in. I need it to shake me free from a false life of ceaseless scrabbling for ever greater degrees of convenience and consumption. I am looking for degrees of glory, not degrees of comfort” (p. 82). And later again, “any approach to scripture, whether literal or literary, is faithful only to the extent that it ends by remaking me in the image of God that I encounter in its pages – not the other way round” (101).

Thus, there is a lot to love in Seven Visions: Images of Christ in the Doctrine and Covenants by Adam S. Miller and Rosalynde F. Welch, both for those seeking devotional reflection on the scriptures and those seeking stimulating theological discussion.

[Drew Tschirki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Miller / Welch book. I felt it a little gimmicky after last year’s “Seven Gospels.” The ideas presented don’t really get fleshed out to the extent they could in a longer book. I do not think that the dialogue format is conducive for the type of work that these visions really deserve. But it’s a nice, short book that is digestible.

Some of the ideas I enjoyed and hope to dive into more:

•willingness vs allowance for the kingdoms of glory. Are they a place we will ourselves to be, or are they a place we are allowed to be? Ultimately it comes down to how much we love God / our neighbor and how willing we are to humble ourselves.

•God as “already” and “not yet.” He has already come and visited us and is made known to us through the spirit / light of Christ. He is present. But he is also not physically present among us, in the sense that we do not see his body. He is present before us, but has not yet come to meet us. As I am a student of Buddhism, particularly Pure Land Buddhism, I am no stranger to this dichotomy. I had not, however, thought of it in an LDS context and would like to jump into this some more.

•similar to the above, the relationship between the “image” of Christ and the “presence” of Christ. It’s not a tension, but as Welch says, “a fusion of the overwhelming and the intimate, of the infinitely big and the incredibly small” that allows “the revelation of the visual image of Christ” to meet “the experience of being in his presence.” (95). Interesting stuff.

I’d recommend it, but I was expecting more.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letters. A clever structure. A sense of collegiality, and responsiveness is evoked which advances and enriches each respective concept and discussion.

Similarities and differences in each author’s thinking and seeing become apparent and richly complementary.

Thoughts are at times analytical, at times lyrical, and most often thought prompting and enlightening.

And, unexpectedly it is in total quite entertaining … a word I’d not have anticipated as a fitting description for a theologically-oriented work.

Of course the authors are absolutely skilled and gifted, hard-won abilities I imagine. And they are among a cadre of prized “disciple scholars” whose works I pursue and which have and continue to influence me in profound ways.

Truth and meaning at the intersection of faith and intellect. Delightful.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some quotes I liked: “We will inherit whatever degree of glory best corresponds to however far we’re willing to go in our efforts to love and minister. We will inherit whatever kingdom best corresponds to however much of God’s love and glory we’re willing to bear and share. “ page 55

“My life is a good gift I must give away, my selfishness is a prison I build for myself, my rescuer is Christ whom we wait, and my labor is in his vineyard.” page 138

“The written word, the uttered proclamation, and the broken-open heart work together to bring God into the present.” page 144

[David J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In light of this year’s study of the Doctrine and Covenants this year in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this was a wonderful read to help supplement. It covers seven visions from the D&C, their teachings and their applications to our lives.

[Apzmarshl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect way to begin the study of The Doctrine and Covenants. This book is poetic and beautiful and also seems like a personal study between two people that take a lot of liberty in telling their translation of the meanings.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. This is the same conversational format as last year’s Seven Gospels by the same two authors. I marked a lot of really great stuff. I also think the format hindered an in-depth analysis of the revelations.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read something aboutt he scriptures from someone who is an expert, it really makes you think and more importantly, try to be just a little bit better. These are smart people who present things in a way that is interesting and new. Highly recommended for the curious amony us.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and especially the comments on section 88 reminding us that God is with us now. We see through His light.

[Rae]

Broad religious study project. Spiritual connection. Time. Belief systems. Epistolary.

[Swhe641200 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libby. Sevens chapters in D and C that is Christ specifically or Christ speaking. Several different insights into these scriptures to give more insight and understanding and possibilities

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fan of the format— letters between the two authors.