What Does D&C 77 Say About the Age of the Earth?

Section 77 of the Doctrine and Covenants contains statements indicating that the Earth will exist for 7,000 years. Some Latter-day Saints interpret this literally, while the revelation’s historical context also allows for scientific understandings of how old the Earth is. For instance, Joseph Smith’s focus in D&C 77 was the Book of Revelation, known for its symbolism. His later teachings also seem to challenge a strict 7,000-year timeline. In this interview, Nicholas Frederick examines the background of Doctrine and Covenants 77, emphasizing the central role of Jesus Christ.

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Cover of the book The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and Evolution, published by BYU’s College of Life Sciences. — “The Seven Seals, the Age of the Earth, and Continuing Revelation” is a chapter by Nicholas Frederick in *The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and Evolution*, published by BYU Life Sciences.

Historical Context
Book of Revelation
Age of the Earth
Joseph Smith’s Later Teachings
Studying D&C 77

D&C 77 Explained: Context, Format, and Purpose

What makes D&C 77 unique among Joseph Smith’s revelations?

Doctrine and Covenants 77 is a “question and answer” session (of sorts) between Joseph Smith and the Lord. The Prophet didn’t use this style very often, making it distinctive among all of his recorded revelations.

It was originally entitled “Revelation Explained,” and was likely received between March 4 and March 20, 1832. The revelation was first published in the Times and Seasons on August 1, 1844, and was later canonized in the 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants.

Interestingly, the questions posed in D&C 77 cover only the first half of the Book of Revelation, specifically chapters 4 through 11. It’s possible that Joseph intended to return to the project later. However, as far as we can tell, he never did—and it remains unfinished.

How often did Joseph Smith use the Q&A format in his revelations?

The Prophet seldom used the question-and-answer style in his revelations, which is one reason why D&C 77 is so unique. There are only a few instances of the Q&A format:

Doctrine and Covenants 77: A series of 15 verses utilizing a question-and-answer format in which Joseph Smith queries the Lord about topics from the “Revelation of St. John,” including discussions about well-known topics like the four beasts, seven seals, and 144,000.
A Sample of Pure Language: The next revelation recorded by the Prophet during this March 1832 time period was entitled “A Sample of pure Language. It featured eight questions in a similar back-and-forth dialogue about the “pure language” spoken by Adam, and is one of Joseph Smith’s uncanonized revelations.
Doctrine and Covenants 113: A shorter Q&A discussion about Isaiah 11 and Isaiah 52. In this case, Elias Higbee posed the questions, while Joseph Smith appears to have authored the replies. The document received sometime during March 1838 was originally entitled, “Questions by Elias Higby,” and is now canonized as Section 113 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

The Pure Language Project and the Book of Abraham

How did D&C 77 emerge from Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible?

The Prophet received Doctrine and Covenants 77 during his efforts to create what we now know as the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. He had closely studied John 5:29 a month or so before he reached the end of the New Testament, and that experience resulted in his reception of “The Vision” (Doctrine and Covenants 76).

It’s possible that Joseph felt as though a similar in-depth study of the Book of Revelation could result in a similar experience, and he made a fair number of changes to the biblical text during this time period.

How Did Early Latter-day Saints React to D&C 76?

D&C 77 and the Book of Revelation

How often did Joseph Smith publicly teach about the Book of Revelation?

The Prophet rarely discussed the Book of Revelation in his recorded sermons. Aside from D&C 77, the main exception is when he corrected people whose speculation may have caused them to err in their interpretations.

For example, Joseph Smith appears to have done this several times in March and April 1843. During this time period, Latter-day Saints had been speculating about the Book of Revelation, in large part because a Baptist preacher by the name of William Miller predicted that Christ would appear to usher in the millennium in 1843 or 1844.

Joseph repeatedly warned against speculation.

This led Joseph to repeatedly warn against speculative examples he saw playing out in Nauvoo, like misapplying Daniel’s prophecies to the Book of Revelation, or assigning literal representations to the beasts.

????Fun Fact. In 1839, the Quorum of the Twelve also instructed missionaries to focus on the key principles of the gospel and avoid speculating on mysteries like the beasts in Revelation.

How were the seven seals understood in Joseph Smith’s day?

In the centuries leading up to Joseph Smith’s reception of Doctrine and Covenants 77, it was common to view the seals in Revelation as a description of literal historical events. This was known as the historicist interpretation.

Learn more about how the seven seals in this Come Follow Me episode with Casey Griffiths focused on Doctrine and Covenants 77-80.

The historicist interpretation was especially popular among Joseph Smith’s Protestant contemporaries. They wanted to equate the Catholic Church with the anti-Christ, and believed that John’s account in Revelation could provide evidence that the church had been corrupted.

Doctrine and Covenants 77:7 also reflects the historicist viewpoint, interpreting the seven seals as “containing the things” of seven distinct periods of time, described explicitly as units of a “thousand years.”

What Is the 1832 Account of the First Vision?

Age of the Earth in Latter-day Saint Thought

What is the “millennial day” theory?

The millennial day theory assumes that the Earth has a temporal existence of 7,000 years, and seeks to mathematically assign a 1,000-year millennial sabbath to the final seal.

The theory is connected with the historicist view of the Book of Revelation, and comes from very literal readings of biblical scripture, such as the Earth being created in “seven days” and Peter’s claim that one day for God is a “thousand years” for people on the Earth (2 Peter 3:8). An early Christian text, the Epistle of Barnabas, also promoted this type of reading.

Millennial day theorists use a 7,000-year framework for the age of the Earth.

Some millennial day theorists have dated the origin of the Earth to about 4,000 BC by adding all of the patriarchs’ ages from Genesis. Using a 7,000 framework, those calculations project an end sometime around 3,000 AD.

What Does Genesis Really Say About Creation?

Understood in this fashion:

The first seal would be a description of events from 4,000 BC–3,000 BC.
The second seal 3,000 BC–2,000 BC.
The third seal 2000 BC–1,000 BC.
And so forth.

Is D&C 77:6-7 meant to assign a literal age of the Earth?

One thing we miss when discussing Doctrine and Covenants 77 is the focus of Joseph Smith’s questions.

He was considering the Book of Revelation, a text laden with bizarre imagery and symbolism that was, in all likelihood, not meant to be taken literally. That can make it challenging to facilitate a literal interpretation of D&C 77:6-7.

Symbolic Numbers

Consider how numbers are portrayed symbolically in the Book of Revelation. We create unnecessary confusion when adopting a literal interpretation of the same numbers in Doctrine and Covenants 77.

For example, the numbers “7” and “1,000” were likely intended to convey symbolic meanings in the Book of Revelation:

7 tends to signify perfection or completion.
1,000 tends to signify immensity.

Thus, “7,000 years” could be God’s way of designating the immensity of his perfect, temporal plan for the Earth’s existence.

Ambiguity in D&C 77:6

Additionally, a literal reading of D&C 77:6 becomes challenging when considering the wording of the verse.

For example, what does “temporal existence” mean in verse six:

6. Q. What are we to understand by the book which John saw, which was sealed on the back with seven seals?

A. We are to understand that it contains the revealed will, mysteries, and the works of God; the hidden things of his economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence.
Doctrine and Covenants 77:6, emphasis added.

Does this language refer to the Earth from the moment of its creation? To the Earth following the fall of Adam and Eve?

The gap between these two moments in time could be significantly large.

Do Latter-day Saints take the 7,000 years in D&C 77 literally?

From what I’ve seen, heard, and been taught, I think many faithful church members likely understand the 7,000 years mentioned in Doctrine and Covenants 77 to be literal.

Joseph Fielding Smith wrote:

We have evidence beyond dispute that Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden about 6,000 years ago, or perhaps a short time less.

It is possible for us, by using the Bible chronology and that given by the Lord in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants to figure this almost accurately.
Doctrines of Salvation, 1:79.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie’s Doctrinal New Testament Commentary treats the seven seals similarly, positing possible historical figures and circumstances for each seal.

Is Bruce R. McConkie Treated Unfairly?

How old is the Earth according to the Church?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no official position on the age of the Earth.

I’ve seen some undue stress and tension between those who support scientific views on the age of the Earth and those who believe that the scriptures specifically teach a literal 7,000-year existence of the planet.

Positions about the age of the Earth don’t need to be irreconcilable. The language used in D&C 77 allows for a view of the Earth’s temporal existence more in line with what modern science is telling us, without opening ourselves up to “false doctrine.”

Joseph Smith’s Later Teachings

Did Joseph Smith ever take a non-literal approach to the seals?

Yes. Joseph Smith later clarified that the seals in the Book of Revelation didn’t refer to past historical events.

In 1843, he taught:

none of the things John saw had any allusion [to] the days of Adam, Enock Ab[raham] or Jesus— only as represented to John & clearly set forth— John saw that which was shortly to come to pass . . . those things that John saw in h[eaven] had no allusion to any things that had been on the earth because John saw what was to shortly come to pass— John saw beasts that had to do with things on the earth— but not in past ages.
David W. Grua and others, Documents Volume 12: March—July 1843, Joseph Smith Papers [Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2021], 187.

Joseph’s statement implies that John witnessed future events/persons, not past. This is more in line with what John himself says, that what he witnessed were “things which must shortly come to pass,” (Rev. 1:1).

The Prophet’s later teachings make it difficult to see the first four seals as representative of time periods from roughly 4,000 BC to 0 BC.

What are the consequences of viewing D&C 77:7 without Joseph Smith’s later teachings?

We miss what it’s all about—Jesus Christ. Too often, we approach the Book of Revelation as a cryptic text full of numbers and bizarre images waiting for readers to “crack the code.” We look for ways to reveal all of these hidden secrets, such as the mysterious identity of the third horseman, or what historical institution the beast from the sea represents. (This is also true for many readers outside of our faith tradition.)

But John tells us upfront that this book is the “revelation of Jesus Christ.”

We can sometimes miss all the wonderful things the book teaches about the Savior when we’re so concerned with locating everything else but Jesus.

Studying Doctrine and Covenants 77

What does D&C 77 teach about how to receive revelation?

Doctrine and Covenants 77 is a wonderful witness to the reality of revelation. Joseph Smith studied the Book of Revelation carefully, composing questions and taking them to the Lord. The prophet believed that he would get answers—and he did.

Joseph’s approach to Section 77 provides an insightful and actionable example for modern Latter-day Saints.

Emma Smith’s Role in Shaping the ‘Elect Lady’ Revelation (D&C 25)

How many of us have done something similar in our own study of the scriptures? I could certainly do better in this respect.

Furthermore, D&C 77 covers only the first half of the Book of Revelation—leaving the second half to its readers to figure out.

Perhaps we could see this as the Lord’s invitation to finish what Joseph started through our own scripture study.

Did You Enjoy This?

About the Scholar

Nicholas J. Frederick is an Associate Professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University. He has written extensively about the Book of Revelation in Latter-day Saint thought, including a recently published chapter about how old the Earth is according to D&C 77 in The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and Evolution. He holds a PhD in the History of Christianity from Claremont Graduate University. He has previously done several From the Desk interviews about topics like Atonement in the Book of Mormon and Brandon Sanderson.

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