Seminary
Lesson 12—Doctrine and Covenants 2: Our Hearts Shall Turn to Our Ancestors

“Lesson 12—Doctrine and Covenants 2: Our Hearts Shall Turn to Our Ancestors,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)

“Doctrine and Covenants 2: Our Hearts Shall Turn to Our Ancestors,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual

Lesson 12: Doctrine and Covenants 2; Joseph Smith—History 1:27-65

Doctrine and Covenants 2; Joseph Smith—History 1:27–65

Our Hearts Shall Turn to Our Ancestors

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Family history work

When the angel Moroni, a Book of Mormon prophet, appeared to Joseph Smith, he quoted several scriptural prophecies. One was Malachi’s declaration that the prophet Elijah would return and “the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers” (Joseph Smith—History 1:38–39). This lesson can help students take part in the Lord’s prophecy of turning their hearts to their ancestors.

Possible Learning Activities

My family

To help students think about their ancestors and why we do family history, consider inviting students to do the following activity.

Note: Some students experience challenging family circumstances. Be sensitive to those who may have concerns, such as being eternally connected to their families or not knowing their biological families.

It may be helpful to share the Additional Resource “How can temple and family history work help heal family relationships?”

Write down as many people in your family tree as you can remember. See how many generations you can include.

  • How has your life been influenced by these individuals?

  • What is a meaningful experience you can share about one of these family members?

Help students understand that participating in family history and temple work is one way they can help bring to pass Heavenly Father’s plan to unite His children eternally. To help students assess how they currently feel about participating in family history, consider using the following prompts.

Which of these statements best reflects how you feel about family history?

  • I love doing family history and see a clear reason for doing it.

  • I know family history is important but don’t spend much time doing it.

  • I know family history is important, but I let other family members take care of it.

  • I don’t really see a clear reason for doing family history.

Encourage students to evaluate how their feelings about family history and temple work are influenced as they study Doctrine and Covenants 2.

Teach by the Spirit: For more training on creating student self-evaluations, see the training titled “Create settings and opportunities for learners to be taught by the Holy Ghost,” found in Teacher Development Skills: Teach by the Spirit.

The prophet Elijah’s return

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young Joseph Smith studying scriptures

To provide the context for Doctrine and Covenants 2, you could display an image of the angel Moroni appearing to Joseph and invite students to relate what they remember about his visit. Alternately, you might share the following paragraphs in your own words or invite a student to read them aloud.

When the angel Moroni appeared to 17-year-old Joseph Smith, Moroni quoted several ancient prophecies recorded in the Bible. These prophecies revealed more about Joseph’s future work and included events that would occur before and after the Savior’s Second Coming.

One Old Testament prophecy Moroni cited is Malachi 4:5–6. Moroni’s words are recorded in Joseph Smith—History 1:38–39 and Doctrine and Covenants 2, revealing that the prophet Elijah would return to the earth before the Savior’s Second Coming.

Students may be interested to know that Elijah’s return is referred to in each of the standard works (see Malachi 4:5–6; 3 Nephi 25:5–6; Doctrine and Covenants 2; Joseph Smith—History 1:38–39). As students read the following verses, help them define any words and phrases they may not understand.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 2, and look for why Elijah’s return is important to Heavenly Father’s children (see also Doctrine and Covenants 128:17–19).

  • What questions do you have about these verses?

    The following could help answer students’ questions regarding Doctrine and Covenants 2:

    • “The Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah” (verse 1) refers to the sealing power Elijah restored in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836 (see also Doctrine and Covenants 110:13–16).

    • “The great and dreadful day of the Lord” (verse 1) refers to the Savior’s Second Coming.

    • “The promises made to the fathers” (verse 2) can refer to the Abrahamic Covenant and promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see also Doctrine and Covenants 27:9–10).

    • One way the hearts of the children turn to their fathers is through temple and family history work.

    • Without the sealing of families, the purposes of the earth would not be accomplished; the earth would be “utterly wasted” (verse 3; see also Doctrine and Covenants 128:17–19).

  • How could Elijah’s return have impacted families?

  • What truths can you identify in Doctrine and Covenants 2?

Students could record on the board the truths they find. Among others, these truths might include: God promised to send Elijah to restore the sealing power of the priesthood to the earth before the Second Coming (see verse 1). Our hearts can be turned to our ancestors, and we can perform ordinances for them in temples (see verse 2). Without the power to unite families for eternity, the purposes for the earth would not be accomplished (see verse 3).

Our hearts shall turn to our fathers

The phrase our “hearts … shall turn to [our] fathers” (Doctrine and Covenants 2:2) can refer specifically to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the “fathers” of the House of Israel. Today this phrase is frequently used to refer to all our ancestors—mothers, fathers, and the entirety of our families throughout all generations.

  • What experiences with temple and family history have helped turn your heart to your families?

  • How can turning our hearts to our families help turn our hearts to the Savior?

To help students think about ways they can turn their hearts, consider inviting them to name ways they can or have already participated in temple and family history work. You could list their suggestions on the board, adding the following ideas if needed. Give students time during class to begin working on the activity they chose.

Prayerfully choose an activity that will help you fulfill the Lord’s prophecy of turning your heart to your family members. Some ideas include:

  • Prepare questions you could ask an older family member about their youth or what they have learned through their life experiences. Then record an interview with your family member.

  • Write down or share a meaningful story from your family history. For example, you might record how the first member of your family joined the Church.

  • Use FamilySearch.org or the Family Tree app to:

    • Explore your family tree and learn how you are connected to your ancestors.

    • Upload family photographs, including the names of individuals in each image.

    • Record favorite stories or memories about family members.

    • Identify deceased family members who can receive temple ordinances. (Select Temple, then Ordinances Ready.)

  • Plan a time for your family, group of friends, or youth group to attend the temple. Work together to find names of deceased family members who need to receive temple ordinances. Invite family members to serve the Lord by helping to perform these sacred ordinances.

Encourage students to follow through on the activity they have chosen. They may want to involve their family members or close friends in this process. You may want to plan a time for students to report on their progress or share their experiences with the class.

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