Visions of Deity in the Kirtland Temple

Editor’s note: This article features the chapter “Visions of Deity in the Kirtland Temple” from Karl Ricks Anderson’s book The Savior in Kirtland.

Cover photo: Joseph Smith’s office, west end of the third floor of the Kirtland Temple. 

In the Kirtland Temple, visions of Deity and unparalleled spiritual manifestations flowed down upon the Saints. Most visions came during meetings as Joseph Smith conducted recently revealed sacred temple ordinances. When the Saints erected the first house of the Lord in this last dispensation, with humble faith and under direction of their prophet, they fully expected to see or feel the presence of the Savior and experience heavenly manifestations. Joseph taught the new Twelve Apostles, “All who are prepared and are sufficiently pure to abide the presence of the Saviour will see him in the solemn assembly.”¹

Letters from Church leaders indicated that ordinary Church members had been prepared to expect visions and heavenly manifestations. In one letter they wrote: “Within that house God will pour out his spirit in great majesty and glory and encircle his people with fire more gloriously and marvelously than at Pentecost because the work to be performed in the last days is greater than was in that day.”²

Modern-Day Pentecost

Because people of that period knew the Bible, they were familiar with the pentecostal period in the New Testament that surrounded the ascension of Christ and the descent of the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem. Large numbers of Jews witnessed speaking in tongues and seeing “cloven tongues like as of fire.”³ After the outpourings of the Holy Ghost, the Saints of the primitive Church had visions, participated in healings, and beheld wonders and signs. So it was in Kirtland. These modern disciples likewise experienced such spiritual manifestations.

The magnitude, depth, and variety of these manifestations in the Kirtland Temple compelled the Prophet Joseph Smith to record the following:

It was a Pentecost and an endowment indeed, long to be remembered, for the sound shall go forth from this place into all the world, and the occurrences of this day shall be handed down upon the pages of sacred history, to all generations; as the day of Pentecost, so shall this day be numbered and celebrated as a year of jubilee, and time of rejoicing to the Saints of the Most High God.⁴

The Lord’s inspired prophets of old foresaw and taught of future pentecostal periods such as Kirtland’s. Joel prophesied anciently: “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.”⁵

During Pentecost, Peter recognized that Joel’s prophecy had descended upon the Saints in Jerusalem. He informed the Jews: “These are not drunken, as ye suppose. . . . But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.”⁶ The manifestations spoken of by Peter were not the complete fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, however. As Moroni instructed young Joseph in 1823, he “quoted the second chapter of Joel, from the twenty-eighth verse to the last. He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be.”⁷

Lorenzo Snow declared that the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy began for the Latter-day dispensation in the Kirtland Temple. He said:

[The] magnificent [Kirtland] Temple was completed and dedicated to the Lord in the presence of thousands. The day of blessings, and of rejoicings in the history of the Saints, had now arrived. . . . The youth, the middle aged, both men and women, clothed with the spirit of inspiration, would speak, as with the tongue of angels. . . . One would exercise the gift of tongues, another that of interpretation, and some would have the gift of prophecy. One would speak of the blessings of faith, another would testify of knowledge, and some would have the spirit of exhortation. Thus were their gifts exercised, and all edified together, proving they lived in the time of the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy.⁸

This latter-day pentecostal manifestation indeed fulfilled Joel’s prophecy. Visions and spiritual manifestations flowed down from the heavens as he had prophesied.⁹ The Savior appeared in the temple in at least eight different visions (see chart, p. 229). The Father and the Son were seen together in four visions. In more than ten meetings, such as the two temple dedications, sacrament services, and priesthood leadership meetings, congregations experienced the presence of heavenly beings. Many Saints saw and heard manifestations such as the gift of tongues, sounds of a mighty wind, a pillar of fire resting upon the temple roof, prophesying, and voices of angels.

Benjamin Brown recorded that this pentecostal period was “even greater than at the day of Penti[cost].” He further elaborated, declaring:

Some have seen the heavens opend& seen the savior[;] others have seen angels on the four corners of the house of the Lord with drawn swords & also stood thick on the ridge Elisha with his chariot of Fire, Peter John & James. . . . Old father Adam was seen B[ea]utiful man his hair stood back & curled most b[ea]utiful even down on his shoulders.¹⁰

Following are accounts of visions of Deity in the Kirtland Temple on four different glorious days from January to April 1836.

Visions of Deity, January 21, 1836

The first recorded visions of Deity in the Kirtland Temple occurred January 21, 1836, in Joseph Smith’s office on the temple’s highest level. Joseph gave detailed descriptions of at least two extended visions experienced on that remarkable day. Each vision consisted of distinct parts. The occasion for each vision was the ordinance of anointing the head with oil of the First Presidency, bishoprics, and high councilors.

Vision of the Father and the Son in the Celestial Kingdom

The promised visions began as Joseph Smith was meeting with fifteen other Church leaders.¹¹ As the visions occurred, the Prophet introduced, for the first time in this dispensation, the ordinance of anointing with oil in a temple of the Lord. He described the start of the first vision of the day: “The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell.

I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire;

Also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son.

I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold.

I saw Father Adam and Abraham; and my father and my mother; my brother Alvin, that has long since slept.¹²

Vision of Christ and the Latter-day Twelve Apostles

In the next part of his visions of this day, Joseph saw the Savior weep over His discouraged band of Apostles. He recorded:

I saw the 12, apostles of the Lamb, who are now upon the earth who hold the keys of this last ministry, in foreign lands, standing together in a circle much fatiegued, with their clothes tattered and feet swolen, with their eyes cast downward, and Jesus <standing> in their midst, and they did not behold him, . . . the Saviour looked upon them and wept.¹³

Twelve Apostles in the Celestial Kingdom

In the concluding scene of these visions, Joseph apparently watched until the Twelve arrived at the gate to the celestial kingdom and found Father Adam acting as gatekeeper and escort of the faithful to the throne. In recording this part of the vision, Joseph stated simply, “I finally saw the 12, in the celestial Kingdom of God.”¹⁴ Nonetheless, Heber C. Kimball remembered further details of Joseph’s vision, undoubtedly told him by the Prophet:

He (Joseph) saw until they [the Twelve] had accomplished their work, and arrived at the gate of the celestial city; there Father Adam stood and opened the gate to them, and as they entered he embraced them one by one and kissed them. He then led them to the throne of God, and then the Savior embraced each one of them and kissed them, and crowned each one of them in the presence of God. He saw that they all had beautiful heads of hair and all looked alike. The impression this vision left on Brother Joseph’s mind was of so acute a nature, that he never could refrain from weeping while rehearsing it.¹⁵

Vision of Christ with the High Councils of Kirtland and Zion

Later on January 21, the high councilors of Kirtland and Zion joined the ones already in the meeting, which increased attendance to forty brethren. These brethren also participated in visions of Deity that day. Joseph recorded:

The vision of heaven . . . <was> opened to these also, some of them saw the face of the Saviour, and others were ministered unto by holy angels, and the spirit of propesey and revelation was poured out in mighty power, and loud hosanahs and glory to God in the highest, saluted the heavens for we all communed with the h[e]avenly hosts.¹⁶

According to Joseph, “Some of them saw the face of the Savior.” This probably indicates that at least three¹⁷ other Church leaders besides Joseph became eyewitnesses to Christ’s existence and leadership of the Church.¹⁸

Vision of the Presidency in the Celestial Kingdom

During this final meeting of leaders that now included the high councilors of Kirtland and Zion, Joseph Smith beheld his third vision of the celestial kingdom that day. This time he saw many of those forty brethren, including the presidency, in that celestial setting. He stated: “I saw in my vision all of the presidency in the Celistial Kingdom of God, and, many others who were present.”¹⁹ In each of his two other visions of the celestial kingdom that day, the Prophet had seen the Father and the Son and also men who were assisting Joseph in leading the Church, many of whom were present in the meetings. In the first of those visions, Joseph saw God’s throne, the Father and the Son, and others, including his father, who had just anointed him. In the next vision, he saw the Twelve being embraced by the Savior in the presence of the Father. In the third vision, he sees the presidency there with other leaders who are with him in the meeting. Although he didn’t state it directly, it is probable that this final vision also included the Father and Son, because that was the pattern set in the two other visions.

Apparently because of the sacred nature of the visions, Oliver Cowdery, who was present at the meeting, did not record many details. He leaves us wishing for more details, however, with what he did write: “The glorious scene is too great to be described in this book, therefore, I only say, that the heavens were opened to many, and great and marvelous things were shown.”²⁰

God the Father and Christ Seen in Meeting of Quorums, January 28, 1836

Seven days following the incredible visions of January 21, Joseph Smith and his counselors instructed high priests, seventies, and elders assembled in the Kirtland Temple. The leaders introduced to this group the ancient ordinance of anointing with oil. In addition, Joseph Smith conducted the procedure of sealing blessings given them in the anointing. During the proceedings, marvelous visions were distilled upon the priesthood quorums. In this meeting, Zebedee Coltrin saw the Savior. The Prophet recorded this and other visions: “Elder Roger Orton saw a mighty angel riding upon a horse of fire, with a flaming sword in his hand, followed by five others, encircle the house, and protect the Saints, even the Lord’s anointed, from the power of Satan and a host of evil spirits, which were striving to disturb the Saints.

“President William Smith, one of the Twelve, saw the heavens opened, and the Lord’s host protecting the Lord’s anointed.

“President Zebedee Coltrin, one of the seven presidents of the Seventy, saw the Savior extended before him, as upon the cross, and a little after, crowned with glory upon his head above the b[r]ightness of the sun.”²¹

Harrison Burgess added that Joseph Smith also saw the Savior. In his autobiography, Harrison vividly recalled that in the middle of the meeting, “Joseph exclaimed aloud, ‘I behold the Saviour, the Son of God.’”²² He recorded the following:

The Lord blessed His people abundantly in that Temple with the Spirit of prophecy, the ministering of angels, visions, etc. I will here relate a vision which was shown to me. It was near the close of the endowments. I was in a meeting for instruction in the upper part of the Temple, with about a hundred of the High Priests, Seventies and Elders. The Saints felt to shout “Hosannah!” and the Spirit of God rested upon me in mighty power and I beheld the room lighted up with a peculiar light such as I had never seen before. It was soft and clear and the room looked to me as though it had neither roof nor floor to the building and I beheld the Prophet Joseph and Hyrum Smith and Roger Orton enveloped in the light: Joseph exclaimed aloud, “I behold the Savior, the Son of God.” Hyrum said, “I behold the angels of heaven.” Brother Orton exclaimed, “I behold the chariots of Israel.”²³

Two journal accounts lead to a conclusion that both the Father and the Son appeared in vision in this meeting. In an 1879 Sunday meeting, Harrison supplemented his journal account by adding that Joseph Smith also saw God the Father at that time. Charles Lowell Walker, one of the Church’s foremost diary keepers, heard Harrison say that Joseph saw both the Father and the Son. Charles then carefully recorded Harrison’s words in his journal entry:

Br Harrison Burgess spoke of the first Endowments given in the Kirtland Temple and that all the quorums met at one time in the Attic; Joseph and Hyrum met with them. He said that all at once there was a Heavenly and Divine Atmosphere surrounded them, and it seemed as if the rafters and Beams were all gone and Joseph gazing up said, I See the Son of God sitting at the right hand of the Father. Hyrum at the same instant said, I behold the Angels of Heaven, and Roger Orton said, I see the Horses and Chariots of Heaven.²⁴

Although Joseph omitted in his journal account that he saw a vision of Deity, he did record that he saw “a glorious vision.”²⁵ In his journal Harrison concluded that all present experienced the power of God. He wrote, “All who were in the room felt the power of God to that degree that many prophesied, and the power of God was made manifest, . . . the remembrance of which I shall never forget while I live upon the earth.”²⁶

Another account attests to both the Father and the Son appearing, probably on this day. David Patten, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, also attended. David visited Abraham Smoot, a recent convert, in Kentucky within weeks of the temple dedication and told him about seeing God the Father and Jesus Christ in vision. Wilford Woodruff recorded his account:

He [Abraham Smoot] had Been with Elder Patten & his wife for several days. Br Smoot related the news to me from Br Patten which was glorious in the first degree. He gave me an account of the endowment at Kirtland Ohio. The heavens Was opened unto them. Angels & Jesus Christ was seen of them sitting at the right hand of the father.²⁷

Joseph Smith described how the impact of the vision stayed with him during the night: “After these quorums were dismissed, I retired to my home, filled with the Spirit, and my soul cried hosanna to God and the Lamb, through the silent watches of the night; and while my eyes were closed in sleep, the visions of the Lord were sweet unto me, and His glory was round about me. Praise the Lord.”²⁸

Divine Presence Felt in Dedicatory Services, March 27, 1836

Many journals testifying of heavenly manifestations on the day the temple was dedicated made reference to a divine presence. In what may have been a reference to Deity, Nancy Tracy recorded that “the heavenly influence rested down upon that house. . . . Heavenly Beings appeared to many. . . . It was heaven on earth.”²⁹

Eliza R. Snow stated that “an abiding holy heavenly influence was realized.”³⁰ In another account she wrote that the whole congregation felt the presence of divinity: “The ceremonies of that dedication may be rehearsed, but no mortal language can describe the heavenly manifestations of that memorable day. Angels appeared to some, while a sense of divine presence was realized by all present, and each heart was filled with ‘joy inexpressible and full of glory.’”³¹

Other spiritual manifestations were evident. Participants such as Benjamin Brown testified: “There the Spirit of the Lord, as on the day of Pentecost, was profusely poured out. . . .

“We had a most glorious and never-to-be-forgotten time. Angels were seen by numbers present.”³² A heavenly messenger who Joseph Smith said was Peter and who had “come to accept the dedication” was seen entering the temple and sat between Frederick G. Williams and Joseph Smith Sr.³³ It seems that on the day of dedication, the Savior sent Peter, the presiding Apostle of the prior dispensation, to visibly accept the dedication. Then, a week later, Christ Himself appeared.

The Pentecost Continues in Priesthood Meeting, March 27, 1836

At a priesthood meeting held in the temple the evening of the temple dedication, additional pentecostal manifestations were given to the Saints. Benjamin Brown recorded:

Sunday Evening . . . Joseph spoke . . . & told them the day of Penticost was continued the . . . Brethren began to
. . . prophesy many prophesied in the name of the Lord then began speaking in tongues and it filled as it were the whole house, perhaps there were forty speaking at once Cloven tongues of fire was seen to sit on many of them an hand was seen laid upon one when he spake in tongues . . . many Visions seen, one saw a [pillar] or cloud rest down upon the house bright as when the sun shines on a cloud like as gold, two others saw three personages hovering in the room with bright keys in their hands, and also a bright chain in their hands. . . .

. . . The west end of the House was illuminated by a light from heaven seen on the outside by many. . . .

Father Stephens saw . . . two rows of Angels through the House, at another time the glory of God came down on the Elders from the head down half way.³⁴

Joseph Smith recorded the events of this evening meeting. He made a note about personally beholding a pillar of fire, writing:

All the congregation simultaneously arose, being moved upon by an invisible power; many began to speak in tongues and prophesy; others saw glorious visions; and I beheld the Temple was filled with angels, which fact I declared to the congregation. The people of the neighborhood came running together (hearing an unusual sound within, and seeing a bright light like a pillar of fire resting upon the Temple), and were astonished at what was taking place.³⁵

Oliver Cowdery, present on the evening of the dedication, saw the glory of God descend upon the temple. He recorded:

In the evening I met with the officers of the church in the Lord’s house. The Spirit was poured out—I saw the glory of God, like a great cloud, come down and rest upon the house, and fill the same like a mighty rushing wind. I also saw cloven tongues, like as of fire rest upon many, (for there were 316 present,) while they spake with other tongues and prophesied.³⁶

On the day of dedication, the Lord indeed rewarded His valiant people by opening the heavens.³⁷ These Saints, in addition to building the Kirtland Temple, had sanctified their lives so that “the Son of Man might have a place to manifest himself to his people.”³⁸

The Savior Appears at the Solemn Assembly in the Kirtland Temple, March 30, 1836

Joseph Smith, upon convening the long-awaited solemn assembly, said, “The presidency, the 12, the seventies, the high . . . councils, the Bishops and their entire quorums, the Elders, and all the official members in this stake of Zion amounting to about 300 met in the temple of the Lord.”³⁹ Heber C. Kimball remembered the procedure followed in the solemn assembly:

When the Prophet Joseph had finished the endowments of the First Presidency, the Twelve and the Presiding Bishops, the First Presidency proceeded to lay hands upon each one of them to seal and confirm the anointing; and at the close of each blessing the whole of the quorums responded to it with a loud shout of Hosanna! Hosanna! etc.

While these things were being attended to the beloved disciple John was seen in our midst by the Prophet Joseph, Oliver Cowdery and others. After this all the quorums arose in order, together with the three Presidencies; and the Twelve then presented themselves separately and individually before the First Presidency, with hands uplifted towards heaven, and asked of God whatever they felt to desire; and after each individual petition the whole of the quorums answered aloud Amen! Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! To God and the Lamb, forever and ever, amen and amen.

. . . As a reward for their preparation, the Prophet promised, “All who are prepared, and are sufficiently pure to abide the presence of the Savior, will see Him in the solemn assembly.”⁴⁰

The reward came to those who were prepared. The Savior appeared to some of the priesthood as described by Joseph:

The brethren continued exhorting, prophesying, and speaking in tongues until five o’clock in the morning. The Savior made His appearance to some, while angels ministered to others, and it was a Pentecost and an endowment indeed, long to be remembered, for the sound shall go forth from this place into all the world, and the occurrences of this day shall be handed down upon the pages of sacred history, to all generations; as the day of Pentecost, so shall this day be numbered and celebrated as a year of jubilee, and time of rejoicing to the Saints of the Most High God.⁴¹

Benjamin Brown recorded additional details of these and other spiritual manifestations in a letter to his wife. He mentioned two brethren who saw Christ. Although he wrote without punctuation and in seemingly disjointed thoughts, he provides a more complete account. He wrote: “Many Prop[h]esys [were] given & speaking in tongues . . . two corums continued all night in the House the twelve guarded it the Heavens was opened two saw the savior some saw chariots and other thing[s] one lay about half an hour & saw from Eternity to Eternity many Miracilous Experiences told Many Visions told.”⁴²

Vision of Christ, Moses, Elias, and Elijah, April 3, 1836

The pinnacle of all the holy events transpiring in Kirtland and possibly even in the history of the young latter-day Church was reached with the supernal visions of this day. The Savior Jesus Christ—followed by Moses, Elias, and Elijah—stood before Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to instruct them and to bestow on them long-awaited priesthood keys and authority to carry out the missions of the Church. Joseph’s journal relates that as he and Oliver rose from prayer, Christ stood before them in His full glory. After testifying of Himself and His resurrection, He acknowledged His acceptance of His house, the temple. He then promised to appear again to His faithful servants. Joseph testified:

We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us. . . . His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying: I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father. . . . I have accepted this house. . . . I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my commandments, and do not pollute this holy house.⁴³

Joseph and Oliver related this vision to other early leaders. In turn, William W. Phelps told his wife of the vision, saying, “On Sunday, April 3, the twelve held meeting and administered the sacrament. It was a glorious time. The curtains were dropt in the afternoon. And there was a manifestation of the Lord to Br Joseph and Oliver, [by] which they [learned] thus the great & terrible day of the Lord as mentioned by Mal[a]chi, was near, even at the doors.”⁴⁴

Lorenzo Snow remembered the testimonies of Joseph and Oliver almost fifty years later. He said, “Those who saw Him testify to this fact.”⁴⁵ He made particular reference to his association with Joseph and Oliver and to their vision. He said, “There were two persons [Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery] with whom I was very well acquainted who saw [Christ] . . . in the Temple in Kirtland, Ohio.”⁴⁶ Lorenzo was so well acquainted with the vision that he gave these details: “They were sitting side by side, as my brethren are sitting here on this stand, and the Son of God appeared to them.” Lorenzo had obviously heard them relate the vision in 1836. He knew which pulpit Christ stood upon. He later said, “I have preached from that pulpit many times.”⁴⁷ In relating his feelings in his journal, he tells of the first time he preached from the pulpit:

No language can describe my feelings when, for the first time, I stood up in one of those pulpits to address an audience—a pulpit on the breastwork of which, only a short time before, this holy Personage stood—‘his hair as white as pure snow, his eyes as a flame of fire’—where also Moses, Elias and Elijah came and committed the keys of their dispensations to Joseph Smith.⁴⁸

The appearance of these divine heavenly visitors was even stamped on the memory of children. Mary Ann Stearnes Winters, a stalwart Utah pioneer, always remembered how, when she was a child, her mother showed her the exact spot where the Savior stood. She said, “Mother took me to the stand and showed me the place on the pulpit where the Savior had stood when He appeared to the Prophet, and where afterwards Moses and Elias came and delivered the keys for the gathering of the Saints (Israel), and the redemption of the dead.”⁴⁹

Seemingly, the non-LDS community was aware of the Savior’s visit. One week after this vision of Christ, Lucius Parsons, a local resident, wrote of it to his sister: “They report that the Savior appeared personally with angels and endowed the Elders with powers to work Miracles.”⁵⁰

Orson Pratt, who no doubt was present on April 3, 1836, concluded that this vision of Christ, Moses, Elias, and Elijah in itself rewarded the Saints for all they had endured in building the temple. He said:

Then you see that even this one revelation, which God gave in that Temple, paid the people for the toil they had endured in erecting it. What a satisfaction it was to them to know that angels administered in that Temple! What a satisfaction it was for them to go into that Temple and have the heavens opened to them so that they could gaze on the glory of God! What a satisfaction it was for them to know that the Lord accepted, as His own, the house which they had built according to the pattern which He had given! And what a satisfaction it was for them to know that they loved God by keeping His commandments!⁵¹

The Voice of God

Other manifestations experienced by the early Saints in the Kirtland Temple were preserved. For example, Warren Snow testified: “I have seen the power of God manifested. . . . I remember when receiving my endowments in the Temple at Kirtland, I heard the voice of God as plain as I hear my own, and this testimony I have borne for thirty-one years.”⁵²

That We Might Know Jesus Christ

Through visions, appearances, manifestations, and an infusion of glory, the Lord bestowed His divine love upon His new Saints. With His voice from the heavens, He defined the path to be taken for His children to return and dwell with Him forever. When the accounts of the visions are read through spiritual eyes, a sense of overwhelming love seems to draw us closer to the Savior. From the Kirtland Temple, there comes an assurance that the crucified Savior truly did rise from the tomb. As He declared to Joseph and Oliver, He was slain, was resurrected, bears our sins, and truly is our advocate with the Father.⁵³

Footnotes

1. Dean C. Jessee, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds.,Journals, 1832–1839, vol. 1 of the Journals series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008), 99.

2. Sidney Rigdon, Newel K. Whitney, and Oliver Cowdery, May 6, 1834, in Stanley R. Gunn, Oliver Cowdery: Second Elder and Scribe (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1962),101.

3. Acts 2:3.

4. Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts, 7 vols., 2d ed. rev. (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932–51), 2:432–33; Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:216.

5. Joel 2:28–29.

6. Acts 2:15–16.

7. Joseph Smith–History 1:41.

8. Eliza R. Snow Smith, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1884), 144–45; Joel 2:28–29.

9. Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled in Peter’s day as well as in the Kirtland Temple, but its further fulfillment continues today. President Henry B. Eyring, in speaking to religious educators stated that Joel gave “a promise of an outpouring of the Spirit. It was quoted by Peter and by Moroni. . . . This is not poetry, nor is it allegory; it is description of reality as it will be. Some of it will happen so gradually that you may not notice it. Some has already begun across the Church and we may not have seen the blessing developing. . . .

     “That scripture does not say that your sons and your daughters may claim the gift of prophecy by the Spirit. It says that they will. It doesn’t say that your young men may see visions. It says that they will. And it will come because the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. Not only will the youth you love and serve have the Spirit poured out on them, but so will the people around them and those who lead them” (“Raising Expectations,” CES Satellite Training Broadcast, August 2004; in author’s possession).

10. Benjamin Brown, in Steven C. Harper, “‘A Pentecost and Endowment Indeed’: Six Eyewitness Accounts of the Kirtland Temple Experience,” in Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820–1844, ed. John W. Welch and Erick B. Carlson (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2005), 335; paragraphing altered. The events described here seem to describe happenings in the solemn assembly held March 30, 1836. However, this part of Brown’s record is disjointed; therefore, it is not possible to link it to one particular meeting with certainty.

11. These men were his five counselors and the presidents of the Church in Missouri, his scribe, and the bishoprics of the Church in Ohio and Missouri.

12. Doctrine & Covenants 137:1–5.

13. Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:168.

14. Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:168.

15. Heber C. Kimball, in Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1945), 93–94. It is assumed that this account relates to the January 21 visions for the following reasons: (1) Accounts of both Joseph and Heber refer to the gate through which the faithful enter the celestial kingdom. (2) This vision is the final scene of Joseph’s extended vision. In Heber’s account he said this scene was preceded by Joseph seeing the Twelve “in a far distant land . . . their clothes all ragged, and their knees and feet sore. They formed into a circle, and all stood with their eyes fixed upon the ground. The Savior appeared and stood in their midst and wept over them” (Heber C. Kimball, in Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, 93). (3) Joseph sees the throne of God. (4) Christ is present at the throne. (5) Adam is part of the vision. In recording this vision in his journal, Joseph Smith also recorded seeing Michael (Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, comp. Dean C. Jessee, rev. ed. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2002], 175). Doctrine & Covenants 137 follows the current edition of the History of the Church (2:380), which simplifies Joseph Smith’s journal by eliminating “and Michael” after Abraham. Perhaps this was done because the editors knew that Michael was another name for Adam. Heber C. Kimball’s account gives Adam, or Michael, the double roles of gatekeeper and the one who escorts the faithful to the throne. This double role may account for his double mention in the Prophet’s report of the vision.

16. Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:170; Doctrine & Covenants 137.

17. Although it is not known how many leaders saw the Savior, Joseph’s use of the word some would probably indicate more than two.

18. Newel Knight, a member of the high council in Zion, may have been one who saw the Savior in this meeting. He is a witness of Christ because he saw both the Father and the Son in a vision in June 1830 in Fayette, New York (History of the Church, 1:85). He is not listed as a witness in this book, however, because no record exists of his bearing witness of this vision in Kirtland.

19. Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:170. In recording these visions, Joseph was characteristically succinct, leaving others to fill in details such as Heber C. Kimball provided for the second vision of the day. For this third vision no additional details have surfaced.

20. Leonard J. Arrington,“Oliver Cowdery’s Kirtland, Ohio, ‘Sketch Book,’” BYU Studies 12, no. 4 (1972): 419.

21. History of the Church, 2:386–87; Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:174–75.

22. Harrison Burgess, Autobiography, in Windows: A Mormon Family, comp. and ed. Kenneth Glyn Hales (Tucson, Ariz.: Skyline Printing, 1985), 102–3. The account Harrison recorded does not specify a date for the meeting he described; however, a careful comparison of the events correlates with the January 28 meeting. No other meeting during this period comes close. Both Joseph Smith (History of the Church, 2:386) and Harrison identify the meeting location as the attic of the temple. Both indicate that Roger Orton saw a vision of heavenly horses in the meeting. Both say Hyrum Smith was present. Both indicate that the Melchizedek Priesthood quorums were present. Both refer to endowments or anointings given in the meeting. Both describe a heavenly atmosphere that surrounded them. Both specifically mention that instruction was received in the meeting.

23. Harrison Burgess, “Sketch of a Well-Spent Life,” in Labors in the Vineyard in Classic Experiences and Adventures (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969), 67; History of the Church, 2:387.

24. Diary of Charles Lowell Walker, ed. A. Karl Larson and Katharine Miles Larson, 2 vols. (Logan: Utah State University Press, 1980), 2:483. Harrison Burgess does not give the date of this meeting, but because its details correlate with Joseph Smith’s account of the January 28meeting, we can conclude that Harrison’s recollection was from the same meeting (see 234n22).

25. History of the Church, 2:387; Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:175.

26. Burgess, Windows, 102–3.

27. Wilford Woodruff, Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1833–1898, ed. Scott G. Kenney, typescript, 9 vols. (Midvale, Utah: Signature Books, 1983–85), 1:67. David Patten does not specify the date of the vision; however, the account seems to correlate more closely with January 28 than with any other meeting because David and the others of the Twelve were not present on January 21, when Joseph saw both the Father and the Son, but David and other members of the Twelve were present on January 28. Therefore, if we assume that the word “them” includes David Patten, this vision probably occurred January 28. The word also implies that more witnesses saw the Father and the Son in the vision.

28. History of the Church, 2:387; Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:175.

29. Nancy Naomi Alexander Tracy, Autobiography, typescript, 9–10, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah; hereafter cited as BYU Special Collections.

30. Eliza R. Snow, an Immortal: Selected Writings of Eliza R. Snow, ed. Nicholas G. Morgan Sr. (Salt Lake City: Nicholas G. Morgan Sr. Foundation, 1957), 63.

31. Edward W. Tullidge, The Women of Mormondom (New York: Tullidge& Crandall, 1877; repr., Salt Lake City: n.p., 1975), 95.

32. Benjamin Brown, Testimonies for the Truth: A Record of Manifestations of the Power of God, Miraculous and Providential, Witnessed in the Travels and Experience of Benjamin Brown, High Priest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Pastor of the London, Reading, Kent, and Essex Conferences (Liverpool: S. W. Richards, 1853), 6.

33. Carter, “Truman Angell Autobiography,” 10:198; Truman O. Angell, Journal 5, typescript, BYU Special Collections; Heber C. Kimball 1801–1868, Journal Excerpts (1833–1837), Church History Library; Heber C. Kimball, in Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, 91.

35. History of the Church, 2:428.

36. Arrington,“Oliver Cowdery’s ‘Sketch Book,’” 426.

37. Accounts for the two meetings on dedication day indicate that the Savior might have been present, although unseen, as indicated in chapter 9 regarding a meeting with the Smith family attended by Mary Elizabeth Lightner in 1831 (see pp. 172–73 herein). In that meeting, Joseph Smith announced, “The Savior has been in your midst. . . . [But] there is a veil over your eyes for you could not endure to look upon Him” (Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner, typescript, April 14, 1905, 1, BYU Special Collections). That could account for the outward manifestations and sense of the divine reported on dedication day.

38. Doctrine & Covenants 109:5.

39. Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:213.

40. History of the Church, 2:310; Karen Lynn Davidson, David J. Whittaker, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds.,Histories, 1832–1844, vol. 1 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2012), 1:123.

41. History of the Church, 2:432–33; Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:215–16.

42. Benjamin Brown, Harper, in Opening the Heavens, 337. Benjamin Brown attributes these events to a meeting on March 29, 1836, but the events he describes seem more compatible with a March 30, 1836, meeting. Some problems exist in his account, however. Benjamin says the Twelve guarded the temple, but the Twelve were not present on March 29 to guard the temple. He first dates the meeting on April 29 and then changes it to March 29. If he confused the month, he could have confused the day, especially in light of the fact that his letter is somewhat disjointed at the end. Benjamin would not have been in attendance on March 29. The March 30 meeting is more in line with Joseph’s account because he makes reference to greater spiritual manifestations and pentecostal events on March 30 than he does on March 29 (History of the Church, 2:428–33). Because the March 29 meeting continued all night, Benjamin could have begun his entry with the March 29 meeting and then continued it into the March 30 meeting. Therefore, it is likely these events took place March 30, not March 29.

43. Doctrine & Covenants110:2–4, 7–8.

44. William W. Phelps, Journal, April 1836 (letter 27), 3, William Wines Phelps (1792–1872) Papers, Vault MSS 810, BYU Special Collections.

45. Lorenzo Snow, in Journal of Discourses, 23:342.

46. Snow, in Journal of Discourses, 23:291.

47. Lorenzo Snow, discourse at the Brigham City Tabernacle, March 6, 1887, reported by John Burroughs, in Collected Discourses: Delivered by Wilford Woodruff, His Two Counselors, the Twelve Apostles, and Others, comp. and ed. Brian H. Stuy, 5 vols. (Burbank, Calif.: B. H. S. Publishing, 1987–92), 1:28.

48. Snow Smith, Biography and Family Record, 11–12.

49. Relief Society Magazine 3, no. 8 (August 1916), 432.

50. Lucius Pomeroy Parsons to Pamelia Parsons, April 10, 1836, Church History Library, in Harper, in Opening the Heavens, 329. Parson’s letter does not identify in which meeting the Savior appeared. He wrote in the letter that the manifestation occurred “behind the curtains.” He dated the time for the meeting as being “of late” and around the time of the solemn assembly (March 30, 1836). It is concluded that it was the April 3 meeting because this was the only vision of Christ in the Kirtland Temple that occurred behind the dropped curtains with angels (likely a reference to Moses, Elias, and Elijah).

51. Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 13:359.

52. Millennial Star 26 (January 23, 1864): 51.

53. Doctrine & Covenants 110:4–5.

Face to Face: How Hebrew Reveals Women’s Priesthood Power

The following was originally published on Public Square Magazine. To visit their website, CLICK HERE. 

In English, idioms appear only occasionally as colorful expressions, but in biblical Hebrew, idioms are constant, shaping the way meaning is conveyed.

Think of the phrase “kick the bucket.” To an English speaker, it is perfectly clear that no one is literally striking a pail with their foot. To someone learning English, however, the image is more than confusing. They would have to be told that it is an idiom, a soft turn of phrase that carries a meaning larger than the literal words.

The Hebrew Bible is filled with phrases like this: to “harden the heart,” to “lift up the face,” to “walk in the way,” to “know” someone, to “cover the feet,” to “gird up the loins,” to “set the face,” or to “eat bread.” These are simple examples, yet in a conceptual language, most phrases carry layers of idiom that remain difficult for us to perceive.

Now, you can imagine how this creates a problem for our modern understanding. For those of us who speak in hard languages like English, that creates a particular challenge. Hard languages train us to expect precision, one-to-one meanings, and fixed categories. Our minds are shaped by that rigidity, so the polysemy of this biblical Hebrew can feel foreign or even flattened when we encounter it. Ancient hearers lived in the flow of those multiple meanings and felt at home in them. We, as hard-language speakers, have to work against our instincts to even begin to comprehend the depth that biblical Hebrew carried so naturally.

Soft vs. Hard Language

Soft languages like Hebrew are capacious. A single word can hold multiple meanings at once. Take the word shema. In English translations, it appears as the command “hear,” as in Shema Yisrael—“Hear, O Israel.” To the ancient ear, shema held so much more depth than the flattened translation we hear today. It carried the sense of listening with understanding and responding in obedience. The Israelites, when specifically using the word shema, could not separate hearing from doing, so when they heard the call to shema, they understood it as a summons to act.

Hard languages, like modern English, are driven by categorization. They crave exactness: this word means this and not that. This is why idioms tend to puzzle us. If we insist that shema must be only “hear,” then the depth of the word is lost. For ancient Israel, shema joined hearing, understanding, and obedience into one living act. To flatten it into a single definition cuts away the conceptual depth that gave the word its power.

English and other modern hard languages perform well when clarity and efficiency matter. But they struggle with conveying layers of meaning that soft languages carry naturally. God speaks to us according to our understanding. Isn’t it interesting that even today, He draws on the conceptual depth in these soft languages when communicating with us? Could it be that modern English is too rigid to hold the mysteries in the language of God? Perhaps God is still speaking in soft, polysemic, and conceptual terms. If so, we would want to invest effort to learn the conceptual depth by which God has always communicated. As Joseph Smith, the first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, wrote to an early church editor W. W. Phelps on November 27, 1832, he offered a heartfelt plea to God: “Oh Lord God, deliver us from this prison, almost as it were, of paper, pen, and ink, and of a crooked, broken, scattered and imperfect language.” That prayer is more true for us today than it was for them then.

The Puzzle of Kenegdo

The story of Adam and Eve has been told and retold for centuries. But what many of us receive today is a story shaped by layers of tradition. Generations of interpreters passed it down through debate, dogma, and politics. Artists gave it form in iconography, each picture coloring how Eve was seen. Over time, the narrative hardened into a familiar version in which Eve was created as subordinate to Adam and both were commanded to avoid the fruit.

Linguistics tells another story. When the Hebrew text is examined diachronically, tracing the earliest layers and the way meanings shifted over time, a very different picture appears. The text itself only records Adam being directly commanded concerning the fruit (see also Moses 3:16, which is even clearer on this point). This sets the stage for a problem. Adam alone could not fulfill the divine command. The ancient oral tradition left a clue in the ṭipḥa (¶)—a cantillation mark that signals a pause in the verse. Readers in antiquity would have recognized this as a deliberate stopping point. This is the moment where Adam stands in stasis. Something more was required to move the story forward.

The very next verse introduces that solution: “It is not good that man should be alone.” The Hebrew word ṭov, usually rendered “good,” can also mean “sufficient.” In other words, Adam by himself lacked sufficiency. Ancient oral tradition and semantic studies show that ṭov often implied functionality or adequacy rather than strictly moral value.

Into this insufficiency steps the figure we too quickly name Eve. The text first introduces her as ezer. Most translations reduce this word to “help,” but that translation obscures the deeper meaning. Hebrew has other words for ordinary “help.” Ezer is different. It appears only 21 times in the Hebrew Bible, and in nearly every case, it is bound to salvation or deliverance (Exodus 18:4; Deuteronomy 33:7; Psalm 33:20). Eve enters the story as ezer, the one who brings salvation to the problem Adam could not solve.

Her title is extended with the word kenegdo. Translations often render it as “meet” or “fit,” as in “an help meet for him.” This choice at least hints at equality, which was remarkable in the world of the translators at the time. But it still falls short of what the Hebrew conveys. Kenegdo literally means “standing opposite of” or “face-to-face with.” It’s an idiom that, taken at face value, describes one who stands across from another as an equal counterpart. Yet, as with all idioms, its real meaning lies in the depth of the concept it conveys.

Each time God entrusts a servant, the language is “face to face.” Jacob names the place Peniel because he saw God “face to face” and his life was preserved. Moses speaks with the Lord “face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” at the moment of his prophetic calling. The Levites stand before the Lord face to face to minister, signifying presence and commission. In each of these earliest instances and many more, the idiom marks the moment of authorization. Understanding the nature of soft language, to stand face to face is to receive priesthood.

Adam was not authorized to move forward in the story. Eve enters as the one who bears authorization. She stands face to face, fulfilling the very definition of priesthood. This idiom is difficult for hard-language speakers to grasp, yet in the Hebrew Bible it is unmistakably tied to authority.

The garden scene follows the same pattern. Eve is introduced not as subordinate but as salvation, as a priestly partner, as the one authorized to open the way forward. Let’s reiterate that one more time. Priesthood, at its core, is the authority of God given to act where others cannot. The narrative of Genesis sets up Adam in a position where he cannot move forward, bound by the command he received. Into that insufficiency enters Eve. She is introduced as ezer, the one who brings salvation, and as kenegdo, the one who stands face to face. The language ties her directly to the priesthood idiom that will echo throughout the Old Testament. This is not a derivative gift but the very solution God placed at the heart of the temple narrative.

Standing Face to Face in Nauvoo

The idiom of priesthood begins in Eden, but it does not end there. Eve as ezer kenegdo, standing face to face and embodying salvation and priesthood, is reborn in that same language when Joseph Smith restored the Relief Society, a women’s group of Latter-day Saints, in Nauvoo, Illinois. The archetype did not just disappear. Joseph Smith reestablished the Eden pattern when he invited women into the temple ritual.

In the Kirtland Temple, the first temple of the Church of Jesus Christ, women had no organized ritual role. They witnessed, sang, and rejoiced at visions, but the temple order remained incomplete. By the time the Latter-day Saints had moved to Nauvoo, three years after the Kirtland Temple, questions about women’s authority had come to the forefront of Joseph Smith’s mind. In March 1842, he organized women into the Relief Society. Emma Smith was sustained as president, fulfilling the earlier revelation that she was to be an “Elect Lady.” To the women gathered, Joseph Smith declared, “I now turn the key to you in the name of God.”

Week after week, Joseph Smith expanded their charge. He taught that women could heal, prophesy, and bless with divine sanction. He even described their role as “to save,” echoing the ancient role of ezer in Eden. Eliza R. Snow recorded that Joseph Smith promised the sisters they would form “a kingdom of priests as in Enoch’s day.” The culmination of this vision came in the Nauvoo Temple, where women participated alongside men in the ordinance they called “the endowment.” They clothed themselves in the same garments, entered the same covenants, and received the same blessings.

This was the difference between Kirtland and Nauvoo. In Kirtland, women stood as witnesses. In Nauvoo, they stood face to face with men in ritual, equal counterparts in the order of the priesthood, clothed in the same robes, speaking the same covenants. That balance echoes all the way back to Eden. Eve was the one who moved creation forward, standing as salvation, ezer kenegdo, face to face with Adam when he could go no further. In Nauvoo, women once again stood in that role. They moved salvation forward, clothed in priesthood, equal in covenant, bearing authority in the same idiom restored. The archetype of Eve was never a symbol frozen in the past. It was restored as living practice, carried into the temple, where women and men stood together as counterparts in the image of God.

The temple is not finished. Its forms unfold in time, line upon line, precept upon precept. What Eden revealed in Eve as ezer kenegdo—salvation standing face to face—was restored again in Nauvoo, where women received what Joseph Smith called “keys.” There they receive the same endowment of priesthood power, and the same promises of future blessing and authority from God beside their brethren. Yet that restoration itself remains incomplete. The archetype of Eve continues to rise. Revelation never arrives in a single moment. Joseph Smith taught that light comes in increments, the way morning breaks upon the horizon. In the same way, the role of women as priestly partners was glimpsed in Eden, renewed in Nauvoo, and will be revealed with greater clarity as time moves forward. The archetype of Eve is not locked in the past. It is the pattern of the Elohim themselves, the image of God, male and female, and it continues to unfold.

If the garden was the beginning, and Nauvoo was a renewal, then the future still holds further unveiling. The temple is the vessel of that unveiling, carrying us deeper into the truths that were spoken from the beginning. We can trust that revelation will not stop. It will grow, it will deepen, and it will carry us into the fullness of what it means to stand face to face with God, as Adam and Eve once did.

To visit the Public Square Magazine website, CLICK HERE. 

Come Follow Me Podcast #40: “I Will Order All Things for Your Good”, Doctrine and Covenants 111-114

Scot

As you begin this week’s reading assignment, and you don’t skip over the headnotes in Section 111, you realize this revelation was given in Salem, Massachusetts. Isn’t the central leadership of the Church in Kirtland, Ohio? What is the First Presidency doing in Salem nearly 650 miles to the east and a whopping 1,500 miles from Western Missouri? Isn’t this the same city of the famous Salem Witch Trials 144 years before in 1692? This will all make sense as we study together this week.

Maurine

Welcome to Meridian Magazine’s Come Follow Me Podcast. We are Scot and Maurine Proctor and this week we have been reading section 111 through 114 of the Doctrine and Covenants with the lesson entitled “I Will Order All Things for Your Good.” Just a quick reminder, the 2026 Old Testament Come Follow Me Calendar has just arrived and we are thrilled. The photography is gorgeous and the aids to your Come Follow Me studies this next year will be wonderful. This is a beautiful, full-color wall calendar with images from Egypt, Israel, and other places. This will help bring the Old Testament to life for you, your family, your friends, your ministering families and your Christmas gift-giving list. Order yours today at latterdaysaintmag.com/2026 That’s latterdaysaintmag.com/2026. You’ll love having this hanging in your home or office.

Scot

Before we answer the questions about Salem, Massachusetts, Maurine, there are two very important events we have to talk about that happened in February 1835 in Kirtland. You remember Zion’s Camp March with its 202 men, 11 women and 7 children? Well, after the horrible attack of the cholera where 68 were afflicted and 14 passed away (including one of the women) the main body returned to Ohio. This had been a great test of their faith, some were disappointed in the whole thing. They didn’t get it. Sometime later the Prophet Joseph said: “Brethren, some of you are angry with me, because you did not fight in Missouri; but let me tell you, God did not want you to fight. He could not organize His kingdom with twelve men to open the Gospel door to the nations of the earth, and with seventy men under their direction to follow in their tracks, unless He took them from a body of men who had offered their lives, and who had made as great a sacrifice as did Abraham. Now the Lord has got His Twelve and His Seventy.” (From Elder Joseph Young’s Account, History of the Church, Vol. 2, p. 182, footnote 4)

Eight of the original twelve apostles were with Zion’s Camp March and all of the Seventy were chosen from that company!

Maurine

On Saturday, February 14, 1835 in the Printing Office located just adjacent to and behind the construction site of the Kirtland Temple, the First Presidency and the Three Witnesses and some select men from Zion’s Camp gathered. Though the charge to find the Twelve had been given to the Three Witnesses in 1829, the Prophet Joseph had consistently said that the time was not right yet. Now, he said, the time had come and the callings were to be made. The Twelve who were chosen, in order of their appointments were: Lyman Johnson, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, David W. Patten, Luke Johnson, William McLellin, John F. Boynton, Orson Pratt, William Smith, Thomas B. Marsh and lastly, Parley P. Pratt. The average age of the Twelve was 28! And how did they determine seniority in the Twelve since they were all called at the same time? It was by age. David Patten wasn’t sure whether he was born in 1799 or 1800—but he knew the date was November 14. That was common in those days. He thought he was 34 or 35 years old. This did make a difference because Thomas B. Marsh’s birthdate was 13 days earlier but he knew his was in the year 1800. Thomas became the senior member of the Twelve, therefore, the President of the Quorum—although later it was discovered that David was actually 13 days older.

Scot

And Oliver Cowdery gave the Twelve a solemn charge. Here is a portion of that charge:

“You have been ordained to this holy Priesthood, you have received it from those who have the power and authority from an angel; you are to preach the Gospel to every nation… Let your ministry be first. Remember, the souls of men are committed to your charge; and if you mind your calling, you shall always prosper… it is necessary that you receive a testimony from heaven for yourselves; so that you can bear testimony to the truth of the Book of Mormon, and that you have seen the face of God… Never cease striving until you have seen God face to face… You are as one; you are equal in bearing the keys of the Kingdom to all nations. You are called to preach the Gospel of the Son of God to the nations of the earth; it is the will of your heavenly Father, that you proclaim His Gospel to the ends of the earth and the islands of the sea…Be zealous to save souls. The soul of one man is as precious as the soul of another…[Oliver] then took them separately by the hand, and said, “Do you with full purpose of heart take part in this ministry, to proclaim the Gospel with all diligence, with these your brethren, according to the tenor and intent of the charge you have received?” Each of them answered in the affirmative.” (See History of the Church, Vol. 2, pp. 194-980)

Maurine

That is quite the charge. And you have to remember again, these were very young men for such a task! Four of the Twelve were only 23 years old! And the First Quorum of the Seventy was organized exactly two weeks later, on Saturday, February 28, 1835. Out of small things proceedeth that which is great! And we see it here. I was especially moved by the Twelve bearing the keys of the Kingdom to all nations. That reminded me of Elder Russell M. Nelson when, as a young apostle, he was given the charge over Eastern Europe. And this was when most of those countries were in the Soviet Bloc! Biographer Sheri Dew wrote:

“For the better part of five years, Elder Nelson traipsed back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean seeking meetings with government officials and trying to further the Church’s interests in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, the German Democratic Republic, Turkey, Estonia, Ukraine, and the Soviet Union. And that didn’t count the trips to Washington, DC, to meet with ambassadors and other dignitaries from the countries he supervised.

Scot

“He was never wanted and rarely welcome. Many government leaders wouldn’t even give appointments to a man who professed faith in God. Over time, he was both thwarted in his efforts and helped along the way; treated poorly in some circumstances and graciously in others; spied on by secret police and later greeted as friends by officials who got to know him; and treated suspiciously in some corners while being sought for medical consultation by others. Some trips seemed utterly futile, while on others, doors opened he could never have predicted or planned for. Each of these countries was different,” Elder Nelson later reflected. “But the message to me was the same: ‘Work your heart out, Russ. Take the risks. Then when you can’t go any further, I’ll help you.’”

“The message in Bulgaria as well as every other country was the same: “We are not here to do anything but bless the lives of your people,” Elder Nelson summarized. “Our missionaries look at themselves as young and inexperienced in the ways of the world, and of course, initially they are. When they finally realize how helpful they can be, they become an entirely different brand of missionary. The gospel has the power to help people progress, grow, and deal with whatever challenges they’re facing.” Elder Nelson delivered this truth over and over again between 1985 and the early 1990s. During a six-year period he went to the former USSR twenty-seven times and to other eastern bloc countries several dozen times.”

Maurine

“When later asked what he learned from the assignment to open the countries in Eastern Europe for the preaching of the gospel, particularly in light of the many stops and starts, failed meetings, and ups and downs, Elder Nelson replied simply: “The Lord likes effort. He could have said to Moses, ‘I’ll meet you halfway.’ But Moses had to go all the way to the top of Mount Sinai. He required effort from Moses and Joshua and Joseph Smith and from all of the subsequent Presidents of the Church. He requires effort from bishops and stake Relief Society presidents and elders quorum presidents. There is always a test. Are you willing to do really hard things? Once you’ve shown you’re willing to do your part, He will help you.”” (Insights from a Prophet’s Life, Russell M. Nelson, by Sheri Dew, Chapter 40)

And here are these young apostles in the early days of the Church:  27-year-old Parley P. Pratt opened Canada to the Gospel—with apostolic keys, and Heber C. Kimball with Orson Hyde opened the British Isles, again, with apostolic keys.

Scot

Maurine, every time we visit the Latter-day Saints in various nations, as you know, these precious ones are aware of the apostles visits to their countries. Many of them know the very place where their country was dedicated by an apostle. They know many of the miraculous stories of the apostles’ visits. This has become part of their spiritual heritage and foundation.

Now, before we talk more about the mission of the Twelve, it’s important to answer that question about what the First Presidency was doing in Salem, Massachusetts. Look at the date of Section 111—August 6, 1836. This is just over four months after the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. This was indeed a miracle to get this temple completed, but it didn’t come without a heavy price. The cost by most accounts was over $40,000 which, with inflation, would be an equivalent worth of at least $1.2 million dollars in our day’s money. This left the Church in extreme debt. The brethren had heard from one member of the Church that a widow who lived in Salem, had a large amount of treasure hidden in her basement and it would be available to the church. The hope for financial relief was powerful and the brethren thought they would give this venture a try.

Maurine

Salem was an extremely prosperous port city. It had been 14 decades since the Salem Witch Trials where 200 were accused, 30 were found guilty and 19 were executed–14 women and 5 men—including John Proctor. On a personal note, I thought it was funny, Scot, because people ask you all the time if you are related to the famous John Proctor of the Salem Witch Trials and you did the research and you are related to him—but only because you are married to me! That made us both laugh so much.

But, again, Salem had a huge trade in tea, silks, spices, porcelain, ivory and gold dust with China, India and Malaysia. One historian wrote, “Boston was the Spain, Salem the Portugal, in the race for Oriental opulence.” Salem’s hugely profitable trade transformed this New England seaport into a global powerhouse and by this time, the wealthiest city per capita in the United States. (see Stewart, Doug, Smithsonian Magazine, June 2004, Salem Sets Sail). All of this certainly attracted the interest of the brethren in coming here to seek for financial relief.

Scot

The Prophet sought revelation on where they should stay while they were in Salem and if their journey was pleasing to the Lord. They had not found the treasure and were quite disappointed. Look at Section 111, verse 8:

8 And the place where it is my will that you should tarry, for the main, shall be signalized unto you by the peace and power of my Spirit, that shall flow unto you.

I love that verse because we learn so much about the workings of the Spirit of the Lord. I love the word “signalized”—signalized unto you by the peace and power of my Spirit, that shall flow unto you. Those are all very descriptive. Have you ever been in a fast and testimony meeting and you had no plans to bear your testimony and then you get the signal from the Spirit? You hear it all the time from fellow ward members, “I wasn’t planning on bearing my testimony, but I feel like my heart is going to burst and I just had to get up and testify…you know the routine. It happens all the time. And that word flow certainly speaks to my heart.

Maurine

The brethren found lodgings on Union Street, which is a short street, about 750 feet long, in the heart of Salem. It was only a five-minute walk from there to the East India Marine Society Museum. The brethren did go there and learned more about the ancient inhabitants of the area. This museum, established in 1799, is now the Peabody Essex Museum, the oldest continuously operated museum in the United States. In Joseph’s day it had more than 4,000 curios collected by world-traveling sea captains and traders. Now it contains more than one million works of art in 24 historic buildings and a library of 1.4 million books.

In verse 9 of Section 111 we read:

And inquire diligently concerning the more ancient inhabitants and founders of this city;

10 For there are more treasures than one for you in this city. (D&C 111:9-10)

The brethren did not find the money they were looking for to help alleviate the debt pain they were feeling, but Joseph was able to seek more information about his own family lines who had come here—and perhaps this helped lay the foundation, in Joseph’s mind, for future revelations on the great work for the dead. Some may look at this venture as a failure, but the Lord assured them:

I, the Lord your God, am not displeased with your coming this journey, notwithstanding your follies. (D&C 111:1)

Scot

Now, you remember that the Prophet Joseph called Heber C. Kimball to open Great Britain to the preaching of the Gospel. When Heber left for that first mission, he would be leaving his family destitute. Robert B. Thompson, who happened by the Kimballs’ partly opened door described the scene of their parting:

Heber “was pouring out his soul [to God] that he would…make him useful wherever his lot should be cast…that He…would supply the wants of his wife and little ones in his absence…He then…laid his hands upon their heads individually, leaving a father’s blessing upon them and…which thus engaged his voice was almost lost in the sobs of those around, who tried in vain to suppress them. The idea of being separated from their protector and father for so long a time was indeed painful. He proceeded, but his heart was too much affected to do so regularly. His emotions were great, and he was obliged to stop at intervals, while the big tears rolled down his cheeks.” (Proctor, Maurine Jensen and Proctor, Scot Facer, The Gathering, Mormon Pioneers on the Trail to Zion, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 1996, p. 17)

Maurine

Heber was joined on this mission by fellow apostle Orson Hyde, and friends Willard Richards, Joseph Fielding, and three other converts from Parley Pratt’s mission to Canada, John Goodson, Isaac Russell and John Snider. All of these latter five missionaries had British roots. They made the crossing to England under July’s fair skies in a quick eighteen days on the packet ship Garrick, perhaps not aware that the mission they undertook would turn a throng of people with British accents into American pioneers. When the missionaries came up the River Mersey and were let down on a small boat from the Garrick due to the tide, they were within six or seven feet of the shore and Heber, feeling the joy and urgency of his mission, leaped onto the pier. The missionaries were overcome by the great contrast in Liverpool of wealth and poverty. They would look one way and see how wealth and luxury abounded and the other way with penury and want.

Scot

The elders joined in prayer to seek the guidance of their Heavenly Father in how to start so great a task as to open the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ to so great a nation. They felt inspired and directed by the Spirit to begin thirty-one miles to the north in Preston, Lancashire, England, where Joseph Fielding’s brother, James lived and preached. Now, you have to remember, young, eighteen-year-old Queen Victoria had just been crowned on June 20, 1837, just a month before the missionaries reached that Liverpool dock. The missionaries arrived in Preston, on Saturday, July 22, the holiday before a Monday parliamentary election. Released from labor at the textile mills and breweries for the day, people crowded the streets, bearing the colorful ribbons of the candidates they supported. Bands played, and political banners flew with an air of gaiety. Just as the missionaries’ coach arrived, a flag was, I believe, Providentially unfurled over their heads reading “Truth Will Prevail” in large, gilt letters. Seeing this, the missionaries cried aloud as if with one voice, “Amen! Thanks be to God. Truth will prevail!” Joseph Fielding went to stay with his brother, James and the other missionaries took lodgings at a flat on the corner of Fox and St. Wilfrid Streets. The next day would be Sunday, July 23, 1837—and Heber would preach the first sermon at the Obelisk in the Marketplace in Preston. On this same day, in Kirtland, Joseph Smith received Section 112 of the Doctrine and Covenants—a revelation directed to Thomas B. Marsh and the twelve.

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The missionaries found great success this first week especially preaching to the congregation of James Fielding in his Vauxall Chapel that very Sabbath day. They told the Brits of the Restoration of the Gospel in America and the return of priesthood keys from the heavens and the reception of the Book of Mormon. Many in the crowds of listeners were overcome with excitement and joy. By that next Sunday, July 30, 1837, nine candidates were prepared for baptism.

Now, you know that the Adversary, Satan, was not going to let this group get away without some major opposition. He, the devil, could see what would happen if he did not stop this great work and the preaching of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of England. So, just as there had been an outpouring of light, so the forces of darkness conspired against the work. That early Sunday morning, the day those first baptisms would be performed, Isaac Russell came upstairs from his room to ask for a blessing from Heber because he was tormented by devils. Heber knew Russell had complained of such troubles before and was not certain he fully believed him, yet he began to give a blessing.

Scot

Heber later wrote: “I was struck with a great force by some invisible power and fell senseless on the floor as if I had been shot, and the first thing that I recollected was, that I was supported by Brothers Hyde and Russell, who were beseeching the throne of grace in my behalf. They then laid me on the bed, but my agony was so great that I could not endure, and I was obliged to get out, and fell on my knees and began to pray. I then sat on the bed and could distinctly see the evil spirits, who foamed and gnashed their teeth upon us. We gazed upon them about an hour and a half by Willard’s watch. We saw the devils coming in legions, [thousands of them] with their leaders…They came towards us like armies rushing to battle.”

“They appeared to be men of full stature, possessing every form and feature of men in the flesh, who were angry and desperate; and I shall never forget the vindicative malignity depicted on their countenances as they looked me in the eye…I felt excessive pain, and was in the greatest distress for some time. I cannot even look back on the scene without feelings of horror; yet by it I learned the power of the adversary, his enmity against the servants of God, and got some understanding of the invisible world. We distinctly heard those spirits talk and express their wrath and hellish designs against us.”

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Orson Hyde later wrote a letter to Heber of this experience: “After you were overcome by them and had fallen, their awful rush upon me with knives, threats, imprecations and hellish grins, amply convinced me that they were no friends of mine…I stood between you and the devils and fought them and contended with them face to face, until they began to diminish in number to retreat from the room. The last imp that left turned round to me as he was going out and said, as if to apologize, and appease my determined opposition to them, ‘I never said anything against you!’ I replied to him thus: ‘It matters not to me whether you have or have not; you are a liar from the beginning! In the name of Jesus Christ, depart!” He immediately left, and the room was clear.” (Whitney, Orson F., Life of Heber C. Kimball, Bookcraft, Salt Lake City, 1945, pp. 129-31)

Now, we have been to those First Lodgings in Preston many times, Scot, and we even take our groups there and tell them this story while gazing up at the very windows of the room where this horrible experience took place. But why would we want to give you all these details? Why the description of this scene of darkness?

Scot

I like what Heber said about this, “yet by [this experience] I learned the power of the adversary.” The Prophet Joseph was shown the same thing in his training sessions with the Angel Moroni. “Now I will show you,” Moroni taught Joseph, “the distance between light and darkness, and the operation of a good spirit and an evil one. An evil spirit will try to crowd your mind with every evil and wicked thing to keep every good thought and feeling out of your mind, but you must keep your mind always staid upon God, that no evil may come into your heart.”

“The angel showed him, by contrast, the difference between good and evil, and likewise the consequences of both obedience and disobedience to the commandments of God, in such a striking manner, that the impression was always vivid in his memory until the very end of his days; and in giving a relation of this circumstance, not long prior to his death, he remarked that ever afterwards he was willing to keep the commandments of God.” (Revised and Enhanced History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, Proctor and Proctor, Bookcraft, Salt Lake City, 1996, p. 109)

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Heber Kimball was concerned about this experience with darkness and years later was talking to the Prophet Joseph about that day in Preston. “Was there anything wrong with me that I should have such a manifestation?” he asked Joseph.

“No, Brother Heber,” he replied, “at that time you were nigh unto the Lord; there was only a veil between you and Him, but you could not see Him. When I heard of [this experience in Preston], it gave me great joy, for I then knew that the work of God had taken root in that land. It was this that caused the devil to make a struggle to kill you.”

Joseph then related some of his own experience, in many contests he had had with the evil one, and said, “The nearer a person approached the Lord, a greater power will be manifested by the adversary to prevent the accomplishment of His purposes.” (Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 131-32)

I do think, Scot, this is something we all need to be aware of. Let me be clear, the adversary, Satan, Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness, hates and spurns this work. He hates Jesus Christ. He hates the work of salvation. He hates families and women and babies. He hates holders of the priesthood. He hates marriage. He hates the scriptures. He hates the prophets. He hates the temple. He will do anything to thwart us from this work.

Scot

And we must shore ourselves up by staying as close to the Lord and to His Church and His prophets as we possibly can. President Nelson said, “But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” (Nelson, Russell M., Revelation for the Church, Revelation for our Lives, General Conference, April 2018) Oh, how we all need this in our lives. And back to that Sunday morning, July 30, 1837 in Preston, England: The missionaries had nine people ready for baptism. And because of the holiday and the Sabbath, hundreds, if not thousands, by some accounts, were gathered at Avenham Park along the banks of the River Ribble when the missionaries came for the baptisms. Two of the converts, George D. Watt and Henry Clegg raced to the river, by tradition, across the bridge there, to see who would be first to be baptized.

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The exuberant run was a moment in history not lost on its participants. They ran because the silence of centuries when humanity concocted their own religions had ended and God had spoken again. They ran because the priesthood and power and pattern of the ancient church had been restored. They ran because even if their ministers scowled, they had felt the Spirit whispering to them that God knew them intimately and loved them. George Watt, who was twenty-two years younger than Clegg and had youth on his side, won the race. Imagine that scene as those American missionaries entered the waters of the River Ribble with George Watt and Henry Clegg and seven others and raised their arms one by one to the square and boldly baptized them with power and authority from heaven. Hundreds looked on. It was a scene never to be forgotten.

Scot

And I know you remember, Maurine, when I, too, had my own race across that same bridge at the River Ribble there in Preston. I raced our daughter, Michaela, age 12. She had the advantage of youth and well, I had the advantage of age. Youth won out that day, but I loved the experience and the memory. On the same day that the missionaries began preaching in England, Joseph received a revelation concerning the Twelve Apostles. The Lord said in verse 10 of Section 112:

10 Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.

This is given to the Twelve but is said unto us all. Spencer W. Kimball taught:

“When one becomes conscious of his great humility, he’s already lost it. When one begins boasting of his humility, it has already become pride, the antithesis of humility. Humility is repentant and seeks not to justify its follies. It is forgiving of others… Let us not forget to be humble, to remember where our blessings, gifts, and accomplishments really come from. Humility will bring us closer to Christ.” (Spencer W. Kimball, Humility, BYU Speeches, January 16, 1963)

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And further counsel is given to the Twelve in verse 14:

14 Now, I say unto you, and what I say unto you, I say unto all the Twelve [and this is also unto us all]: Arise and gird up your loins, take up your cross, follow me, and feed my sheep.

Now, first of all, the term “girt up your loins” is so common to us as Latter-day Saints because we sing it in one of our favorite hymns: “Gird up your loins, fresh courage take, Our God will never us forsake.”

But what does it really mean?  In ancient times men and women wore long tunics and if they were worn regularly, the person would not be able to do any heavy labor or fight in battle. If you were told to ‘gird up your loins’ you would tuck up the traditional long robe into a girdle, or a belt, so that it would not hamper you from physical activity. The term was a way of saying: “Get ready for hard work and be ready for battle.”

Scot

That’s right. And what does it mean to “take up your cross”? The Prophet Joseph gives the answer in the revealed translation of Matthew 16:24: “And now for a man to take up his cross, is to deny himself all ungodliness, and every worldly lust, and keep my commandments.” (JST Matt. 16:26)

The Book of Mormon expands this doctrine even further in Moroni 10: 32:

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

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Then Moroni goes on in verse 33, of chapter 10:

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

The Lord is asking us to get ready to work and to work hard and to get ready for battle, because, as we saw in Preston, England at the First Lodgings, it IS a battle. And He then asks us to take up our cross—meaning to deny ourselves of all the things of this world. We are truly not to incorporate Babylon or Babylonian thinking into our souls, whatsoever. We are to keep all His commandments and then we come unto Christ and love Him with all our might, mind and strength. And it is through the merits and mercy of Jesus Christ, and by His grace that we are not only saved, but we are perfected in Him and sanctified in Him. And we, through Him, can become Holy, without spot. That is not only the charge to the Twelve, it is the charge to us all.

Scot

That’s all for today. We’ve loved being with you. Next week our lesson will cover Doctrine and Covenants, Sections 115-120 and is entitled: “His Sacrifice Shall Be More Sacred unto Me Than His Increase.” May the Lord’s choicest blessings be upon you this very week. Our thanks to Jenny Oaks Baker for the inspiring music and to our producer, Michaela Proctor Hutchins. See you next time.

“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” Performed by Jenny Oaks Baker. Used with permission ©2003 Shadow Mountain Records

Come Follow Me Podcast #39: “It Is Thy House, a Place of Thy Holiness,” Doctrine and Covenants 109-110

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The building of the Kirtland temple marked a pivotal moment in the history of the earth, a time yearned for for centuries, when this key part of the covenant would be restored to the earth. The Lord said, “I gave unto you a commandment, that you should build an house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen, with power from on high” (Sec. 95:8).” That power was manifest in astonishing ways that we will talk about today.

Scot

Hello, we’re Scot and Maurine Proctor and welcome to Meridian Magazine’s Come Follow Me podcast where today we are looking at Doctrine and Covenants Section 109 and 110. These include the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple and the restoring of priesthood keys to the earth that happened the next week.

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Latter-day covenant Israel, which we are, must understand clearly, that the restoring of the “Abrahamic covenant path leads to and through the temple.” The temple is a template that gives us that special, covenant connection to God. It gives us that covenant blessing that He is our God and we are His people. When we talk about the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, then, we are talking about a renewing and restoring of that which had been lost for centuries—the opportunity for covenant blessings, without which life can seem very random and barren. We hardly recognize the blessings that flow to us, that began at the Kirtland Temple. The astonishing sacrifice that went into building the temple was met with astonishing, unprecedented, divine manifestations that many beheld. What the restored gospel did that had been lost and was therefore not evident in any other religion, was tie the covenants of Abraham and the ancient prophets to this day. The Lord works with His children in covenants. We’ll explore the awe-inspiring manifestations, but first some context.

We have talked about Kerry Muhlestein’s book God Will Prevail, before, but we highly recommend it. This is what he says about how restoring the covenant with its attendant blessings had been part of the restoration from the beginning.

Scot

He says, “By Joseph Smith’s day, the world had spent too long wandering in mists of darkness rather than pursuing the covenant path. The need for the reinstatement of the Abrahamic covenant was stressed in the opening moments of the Restoration. In his First Vision, Joseph Smith was taught that one of the reasons God was displeased with the world was that ‘the Everlasting Covenant was broken.’ In the next phase of bringing about the Restoration, the angel Moroni expanded on the need for restoring the covenant. Moroni taught the young prophet that he had been ‘sent to bring the joyful tidings, that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled, that the preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah commence.’

“This emphasis on the renewed covenant continued throughout Joseph Smith’s ministry, but it was especially prevalent in the early years of the Church. The first section of the Doctrine and Covenants teaches that mankind had broken the everlasting covenant, but that part of the purpose of the Restoration was so that God’s ‘everlasting covenant might be established’ (D&C 1:15, 22). As Joseph Smith was translating the Book of Mormon, he learned that an important part of his role was to make the covenant known, for Joseph of Egypt was told that a latter-day Joseph would ‘do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers’ (2 Nephi 3:7–8).

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Muhlestein continues: “Just after this, in the same year that the Book of Mormon was published (1830), God told Joseph Smith that the promises of the covenant with Joseph, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham remained in force with their descendants (D&C 27:10). The next year, God made repeated references to the importance of the covenant, such as when He sent forth missionaries with instructions to baptize people and gather them together so that ‘ye may be my people and I will be your God’ (D&C 42:9). This use of the most oft-employed covenant catch phrase makes it clear that God was having His saints spread the gospel so that the Abrahamic covenant could be restored.

‘Similarly, a short time later, God instructed the Saints to gather together in a land which He would ‘consecrate unto my people, which are a remnant of Jacob, and those who are heirs according to the covenant’ (D&C 52:2).115 In the months between those revelations, God said specifically that He was sending forth ‘mine everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning’ (D&C 49:9). Sometime during that year, Joseph Smith learned that the promises made to Abraham were still in effect, that he was descended from Abraham (D&C 132:30–31),116 and that the blessings promised to the tribes of Israel—especially Ephraim and Judah—were still to be fulfilled (D&C 133:30–35).

Scot

When you begin to see these scriptures all lined up together, the emphasis on covenants broken and covenants restored becomes so clear and important. The Lord’s hand has been over the covenant from the beginning and continues to the end. In the eyes of the world we may be a new religion, but in God’s eyes we are part of an ancient order and promise.

Muhlestein said, “The next year [in section 84], the Lord revealed that those who obtained the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods became sons of Aaron, Moses, and Abraham (D&C 84:33–34). The same revelation said that ‘the Lord hath redeemed his people, Israel, according to the election of grace, which was brought to pass by the faith and covenant of their fathers’ (D&C 84:99). In 1835, more information about those covenants was provided as Joseph Smith translated the records of Abraham, which expanded the Saints’ understanding of what the covenant was…

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Muhlestein said, “The Book of Mormon teaches that the covenant needed to be restored. In Nephi’s great vision, he saw a book that was written by the Jews and would go forth to the world. This book was clearly the Bible. In describing the book to Nephi, an angel told him that it ‘is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; . . . [and] they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore they are of great worth unto the Gentiles’ (1 Nephi 13:23). As the Bible was introduced to Nephi, the emphasis was on the covenants it contained.

Scot

“Nephi then saw that a great and abominable church would arise. He was told its members ‘have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away’ (1 Nephi 13:26). In this way, it was made clear to Nephi, and to us, that while teachings about the covenant were once abundant in the Bible, many were excised at some point, and the loss of these covenant teachings and the attendant covenant consciousness was one of the great losses of doctrine from the Bible It is likely that the covenant teachings given to Abraham, as recorded in the Book of Abraham, which were so clear as to the need to share the gospel and spread the covenant (Abraham 2:9–11), were among the things that were removed from the Bible. God’s children have suffered as a result, and thus one of the major purposes of the Restoration was to renew the covenant.” [End Quote] (Kerry Muhlestein, God Will Prevail, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book).

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Remember the covenant leads to and through the temple. A temple is required for the covenant blessings and power to be available. No wonder the Lord gave such urgent instructions to build the temple, despite their impoverished conditions and lack of manpower. His people had to be given the covenant blessings and power.

Karl Ricks Anderson said, “These sacred manifestations came after disciplined schooling, methodical organization, and difficult trials. The Saints met the prerequisites necessary for their spiritual rewards by consecrating their worldly goods and their efforts to the Lord’s work.” (Karl Ricks Anderson, “The Kirtland Temple—‘A Pentecost and a Time of Rejoicing’, Meridian Magazine.)

Scot

Karl Ricks Anderson has done more research on the Kirtland period than anyone else. We love his work and rely on it here. He notes, “The major activity in Kirtland from July 1833 through March 1836 centered around construction of the temple. According to the Prophet’s mother, the Saints ‘had to endure great fatigue and privation, in consequence of the opposition they met with from their enemies, and which was so great, that they were compelled to keep a guard around the walls much of the time until they were completed. They “gave no sleep to their eyes, nor slumber to their eyelids, until they found a place for the Lord, a habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.’ . . . There was but one mainspring to all our thoughts and actions, and that was, the building of the Lord’s house.’” (Karl Ricks Anderson, Joseph Smith’s Kirtland, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book).

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Though the brethren had first thought to build the temple out of brick, they changed to stone since the Stannard Stone Quarry was so close by. “Heber C. Kimball told how, when the brethren returned to Kirtland from the march of Zion’s Camp, ‘Joseph said, “Come, brethren, let us go into the stone quarry and work for the Lord.” And the Prophet went himself, in his tow frock and tow breeches and worked at quarrying stone like the rest of us. Then, every Saturday we brought out every team to draw stone to the temple, and so we continued until that house was finished.’” (See Ricks, Joseph Smith’s Kirtland). In fact, Joseph Smith was the foreman of the quarry, doing the hard, dirty work, shoulder to shoulder with the rest.

Anderson notes, “Obtaining sufficient wood for the temple was a problem because a vast quantity was needed quickly. Much of the freshly cut wood from neighboring forests had to be dried and seasoned before it could be cut and used. In order to expedite the drying and seasoning process, a board kiln was built in the flats. The board kiln was apparently located adjacent to the sawmill so that when the wood was ready, it could be cut.

Scot

“The kiln, which required heat and evidently open flame, caught fire frequently. The Prophet recorded in his diary on December 10, 1835, ‘The board kiln had taken fire, and on our return we found the brethren engaged in extinguishing the flames. After laboring about one hour against this destructive element, we succeeded in conquering it, and probably saved about one-fourth part of the lumber. I do not know the amount of loss the committee have sustained, but it must have been considerable, as there was much lumber in the kiln. There were about two hundred brethren engaged on this occasion; they displayed much activity and interest, and deserve much credit.’

“Three days later he wrote, ‘Today the board kiln, took fire again,’ and the next day he recorded that he met ‘to make ar[r]angements to guard against fire, and organized a company for this purpose.’”

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“Daniel Tyler recalled:

“’How often have I seen those humble, faithful servants of the Lord, after toiling all day in the quarry, or on the building, when the walls were in course of erection, weary and faint, yet with cheerful countenances, retiring to their homes with a few pounds of corn meal that had been donated. And, in the case of those who lacked a cow to give a little milk, the corn meal was sometimes, for days together, all that they and their families had to subsist upon. When a little flour, butter or meat came in, they were luxuries. Sometimes a little New Orleans molasses, not as good as our sorghum, would be donated; but oftener the hands had to seek a job elsewhere to get a gallon or so, and then return to the labor on the temple.”

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Karl Ricks Anderson notes:

“The women in Kirtland contributed toward completing the temple by providing support for the workers. Heber C. Kimball reported:

“’Our women were engaged in spinning and knitting in order to clothe those who were laboring at the building, and the Lord only knows the scenes of poverty, tribulation, and distress which we passed through in order to accomplish this thing. My wife toiled all summer in lending her aid towards its accomplishment. She had a hundred pounds of wool, which, with the assistance of a girl, she spun in order to furnish clothing for those engaged in the building of the Temple, and although she had the privilege of keeping half the quantity of wool for herself, as a recompense for her labor, she did not reserve even so much as would make her a pair of stockings; but gave it for those who were laboring at the house of the Lord. She spun and wove and got the cloth dressed, and cut and made up into garments, and gave them to those men who labored on the Temple; almost all the sisters in Kirtland labored in knitting, sewing, spinning, etc., for the purpose of forwarding the work of the Lord.”

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When the building was nearing completion, the women also made carpets and heavy canvas veils or curtains to divide the large rooms into smaller rooms.
Polly Angell, wife of the Church architect, said that the Prophet told them: “Well, sisters, you are always on hand. The sisters are always first and foremost in all good works. Mary was first at the resurrection; and the sisters now are the first to work on the inside of the temple.”

Scot

Anderson continues: “Many accounts tell of persecution and mob violence. Heber C. Kimball wrote from firsthand experience: ‘While we were building the Temple, in Kirtland, . . . we were persecuted and were under the necessity of laying upon the floor with our firelocks by our sides to sustain ourselves, as there were mobs gathering all around to destroy us, and prevent us from building the Temple. And when they were driven, every man that was in the church, arose, and we took our firelocks, to reinstate our brethren, and in the night we laid upon the floor; we laid upon Brother Joseph’s floor, and upon Sidney Rigdon’s floor, so as to be ready to keep our enemies at bay.’

Joel Hills Johnson said that the Saints had ‘but very few friends’ while they also had ‘thousands of enemies who were holding their secret meetings to devise plans to thwart and overthrow all of our arrangements. . . . We were obliged . . . to keep up night watches to prevent being mobbed, and our work being overthrown.’

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“In December 1833 the Prophet wrote to Church members in Missouri: ‘The inhabitants of this county threaten our destruction, and we know not how soon they may be permitted to follow the example of the Missourians; but our trust is in God, and we are determined, His grace assisting us, to maintain the cause and hold out faithful unto the end.’” Consider what a very real threat this possible violence and secret plans against them were to the Saints. They had already seen what enemies of the Church could do in Missouri. This was not an abstract idea or an unfounded fear, but a living, breathing reality.

Seeing the great poverty of the Church, Sidney Rigdon “frequently used to go upon the walls of the building both by night and day and . . . wetting the walls with his tears, crying aloud to the Almighty to send means whereby we might accomplish the building,” wrote Heber C. Kimball.

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“After nearly three years of sacrifice, when many families had lived together in small quarters or even without homes, this magnificent structure was completed. There was a thrill in every heart on Sunday, March 27, 1836, when a large congregation began to assemble at the temple at seven o’clock in the morning for its dedication. Six hundred were there before the doors were to be opened. Joseph and Sidney and Oliver seated as many of the Saints as they could. Nearly a thousand packed into the first meeting.

“Sidney Rigdon said to those assembled, ‘There [are] many houses, many sufficiently large, built for the worship of God, but not one except this, on the face of the whole earth, that was built by divine revelation; and were it not for this the dear Redeemer might, in this day of science, this day of intelligence, this day of religion, say to those who would follow Him: ‘The foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.’

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“Hymns sung at the temple dedication emphasized the Saints’ feelings: ‘In faith we’ll rely on the arm of Jehovah/To guide through these last days of trouble and gloom.’ Then the dedicatory prayer was offered by the Prophet Joseph: ‘We ask thee, Holy Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of thy bosom . . . to accept of this house. . . . For thou knowest that we have done this work through great tribulation; and out of our poverty we have given of our substance to build a house to thy name, that the Son of Man might have a place to manifest himself to his people.’ (D&C 109:4-5.)

“The choir then rose to their feet and sang a hymn written for the occasion, thrilling every soul: ‘The Spirit of God like a fire is burning!/The latter-day glory begins to come forth;/The visions and blessings of old are returning,/The angels are coming to visit the earth./We’ll sing and we’ll shout with the armies of heaven—/ Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb!/Let glory to them in the highest be given,/Henceforth and forever: amen and amen!’” (Scot Facer Proctor, Maurine Jensen Proctor, Witness of the Light, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book).

Scot

As it is in all temples, the dedicatory prayer that morning was a written prayer, and as we said became Section 109 of the Doctrine and Covenants. We know that Oliver Cowdery assisted in its writing. We mentioned that this temple was to restore and renew the opportunity to create a covenant people and the very first verse starts with that: “Thanks be to thy name, O Lord God of Israel, who keepest covenant.” Then Joseph prays, what we also hear in all temple dedications: “we ask thee, O Lord, to accept of this house,” a house that they had given so much for.(v 4). One could build the most beautiful building in the world and it wouldn’t be a temple, unless the Lord accepted it as such. In this case, God answers that prayer the following Sunday, 3 April, 1836, when the Lord appeared to Joseph and Oliver saying, “I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here” (D&C 100:7). We will talk more about this.

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They have sought to obey the commandments and prepare, following this, “Organize yourselves, prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.” If ever there were a description of a temple—a place of prayer, fasting, faith, learning, glory, order and a house of God, this is it. “That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord, that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord” (vv. 8,9).

This reminds us of something we learned in Israel. In sifting through the soil just south of the temple mount, archaeologists found a bullae from the second Temple period. A bullae is an ancient clay seal about the size of a coin, and hundreds of these are found, but this one caused a stir because on it were these significant words “deka Leyah.” In Aramaic, this means “pure for God.” Another translation of this could be Holiness to the Lord.

Why did this seal matter so much? It gave us a critical glimpse into ancient temple worship. This was a seal of purity required to mark any products that could be brought into the temple and used in worship. They had to be “ure for God” or they could not be brought into the temple, into that holy place. They had been marked, sealed, approved as pure, ready for the Lord’s house. Nothing profane was allowed there.

Scot

Just as any item that came into the house of the Lord, had to be pure for God, so did the people through discipline and sacrifice. “No unclean thing shall be permitted to come unto thy house to pollute it” (v. 20). Their ingoings and outgoings had to be in the name of the Lord and they sought to be worthy, “that thy glory may rest down upon thy people, and upon this thy house..that all people who shall enter upon the threshold of the Lord’s house may feel thy power and feel constrained to acknowledge that thou hast sanctified it, and that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness” (vv. 12, 13).

Think of this marvelous prayer, “We ask thee Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them.” These are covenant promises, and again they are reiterated.

“Put upon thy servants the testimony of the covenant, that when they go out and proclaim thy word, they may seal up the law, and prepare the hearts of thy saints for all those judgments thou art about to send..that thy people may not faint in the day of trouble” (v. 38).

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Since it is the privilege and charge of those who have the covenant to bear this news to the whole world and bring others to it, Joseph asks that “from this place they may bear exceedingly great and glorious tidings, in truth, unto the ends of the earth” (v. 23) and that “no weapon formed against them shall prosper,” “that no combination of wickedness shall have power to rise up and prevail over thy people upon whom thy name shall be put in thy house” (v. 26).He is asking here for the covenant promise of protection against all enemies who would come against God’s people. This theme of protection rings throughout the Old Testament. The covenant people are protected against their enemies, including “all those who have spread lying reports abroad” (v. 29).

Remember the fear of Elisha’s servant when he arose and saw the city compassed about with a great host of Assyrian horses and chariots? “Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6: 17) He said, “They that be with us are more than they that be with them.” This is the same covenant promise that Joseph asks for

Scot

Joseph also prays for the same power of heavenly outpouring that was seen on the day of Pentecost in the New Testament. “Let the gift of tongues be poured out upon thy people, even cloven tongues be poured out upon thy people…and let thy house be filled, as with a rushing mighty wind with thy glory” (vv. 36,37). This was answered in an unprecedented outpouring.

Again, we turn to Karl Ricks Anderson, who has researched journals and gathered these quotes which involve so many witnesses there is no doubt of their veracity.

“Joseph Smith called this period ‘a pentecost . . . a year of jubilee, and time of rejoicing.’ Daniel Tyler testified, ‘All felt that they had a foretaste of heaven . . . and we wondered whether the millennium had commenced.’  Orson Pratt declared that ‘the people were blessed as they never had been blessed for generations and generations.’

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“Lorenzo Snow enumerated blessings received in the temple during this pentecostal period: ‘There we had the gift of prophecy—the gift of tongues—the interpretation of tongues—visions and marvelous dreams were related—the singing of heavenly choirs was heard, and wonderful manifestations of the healing power, through the administrations of the Elders, were witnessed. The sick were healed—the deaf made to hear—the blind to see and the lame to walk, in very many instances. It was plainly manifest that a sacred and divine influence—a spiritual atmosphere pervaded that holy edifice.’

Anderson noted, ”The Savior appeared in five different meetings held in the temple. Visions, including a vision of the Father and Son, were beheld at eight meetings, and the congregation saw heavenly beings or angels in nine meetings. In other sessions many Saints reported that they experienced such manifestations as the gift of tongues, the sounds of a mighty wind, a pillar of fire resting down upon the temple roof, prophesying, and the voices of angels…

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Anderson said, “The Savior himself spoke of the far-reaching implications of these blessings when he appeared and accepted the temple in April 1836. He told Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery: ‘Yea the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this house. And the fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands; and this is the beginning of the blessing which shall be poured out upon the heads of my people.’ (D&C 110:9-10.)

“The pentecostal experiences in the temple [leading up to the dedication] commenced with an overpowering vision of Deity accompanied by the ministering of angels, communion with heavenly beings, and glorious visions given to key priesthood leaders. On January 21, 1836, Joseph Smith and others experienced a vision of the Father and Son at a meeting on the west end of the temple’s upper story,” that became Section 137. They saw the celestial kingdom, the “blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son” and much more.

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The building of the temple ushered in a pentecostal period, and when the day of dedication came, it was astonishing in its power and left no question that these people were involved in the Lord’s great work.

“Heber C. Kimball relates that during the ceremonies of the dedication, an angel appeared and sat near Joseph Smith, Sr., and Frederick G. Williams, so that they had a fair view of his person. He was tall, had black eyes and white hair; wore a garment extending to near his ankles, and had sandals on his feet. ‘He was sent,’ President Kimball says, ‘as a messenger to accept of the dedication’ (Whitney’s Life of Heber C. Kimball, p. 103). A few days afterwards. a solemn assembly was held in accordance with a commandment received (See Sec. 108:4), and blessings were given. ‘While these things were being attended to,’ Heber C. Kimball says, ‘the beloved disciple John was seen in our midst by the Prophet Joseph, Oliver Cowdery, and others’ (Ibid., p. 104). (Hyrum M. Smith, Janne M. Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book).

Scot

“In the evening meeting, Brother George A. Smith arose and began to prophesy, ‘when a noise was heard like the sound of a rushing mighty wind, which filled the temple, and all the congregation simultaneously arose, being moved upon by an invisible power; many began to speak in tongues and prophesy; others saw glorious visions; and ‘I beheld,’ Joseph recorded, ‘the Temple was filled with angels, which fact I declared to the congregation. The people of the neighborhood came running together (hearing an unusual sound within, and seeing a bright light like a pillar of fire resting upon the Temple), and were astonished at what was taking place.’ Eliza R. Snow wrote, ‘The ceremonies of that dedication may be rehearsed, but no mortal language can describe the heavenly manifestations of that memorable day. Angels appeared to some, while a sense of divine presence was realized by all present.’” (Scot Facer Proctor, Maurine Jensen Proctor, Witness of the Light, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book.)

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“Prescindia Huntington’s records tell of pentecostal events in two temple meetings:

“’I was in the temple with my sister Zina. The whole of the congregation were on their knees, praying vocally, for such was the custom at the close of these meetings when Father Smith presided; yet there was no confusion; the voices of the congregation mingled softly together. While the congregation was thus praying, we both heard, from one corner of the room above our heads, a choir of angels singing most beautifully. They were invisible to us, but myriads of angelic voices seemed to be united in singing some song of Zion, and their sweet harmony filled the temple of God.

“’We were also in the temple at the pentecost. In the morning Father Smith prayed for a pentecost, in opening the meeting. That day the power of God rested mightily upon the saints. There was poured out upon us abundantly the spirit of revelation, prophe[c]y and tongues. The Holy Ghost filled the house; and along in the afternoon a noise was heard. It was the sound of a mighty rushing wind’”.

Scot

Prescindia also described a meeting she did not attend:

“A little girl came to my door and in wonder called me out, exclaiming, “The meeting is on the top of the meeting house!” I went to the door, and there I saw on the temple angels clothed in white covering the roof from end to end. They seemed to be walking to and fro; they appeared and disappeared. The third time they appeared and disappeared before I realized that they were not mortal men. Each time in a moment they vanished, and their reappearance was the same. This was in broad daylight, in the afternoon. A number of the children in Kirtland saw the same.

“When the brethren and sisters came home in the evening, they told of the power of God manifested in the temple that day, and of the prophesying and speaking in tongues. It was also said, in the interpretation of tongues, ‘That the angels were resting down upon the house.’ (See Anderson Joseph Smith’s Kirtland).

Maurine

Speaking of angels and fire upon the roof of the temple as we’ve seen described in these journals, you and I, Scot, chased down a story that had been passed down for generations to see if it was true and we could publish it. The story goes that a reporter from the anti-Mormon newspaper The Painesville Telegraph had come to report on the temple and, seeing the bright lights on the temple, assumed it was on fire and hurried back to write a story about the Kirtland Temple burning to the ground. We wanted to know if that was true or just a pleasing rumor. Nothing could diminish or add the magnificent manifestations that actually did happen at the temple, but we wanted to know the truth of this. The Kirtland Temple dedication happened on March 27 and, since the newspaper was published every Friday, it would have been in that Friday, April 1st issue. We wanted to check it out. We started at the Church historian’s library, and went through the file of Painesville Telegraph newspapers. We found all the issues, but Friday, April 1^st was mysteriously missing.

Next, we turned to the Library of Congress. We made the inquiry about this April 1^st issue of the Painesville Telegraph, and they reported back, that they had all the issues, but this one. Why didn’t we try the Western Reserve archives that would have the most thorough record of all? We called them, asked for the the April lst issue and the librarian said, “Oh, I’m sure we have this.” She called back a couple of hours later dismayed. They, too, had every issue but April 1, 1836. She said, “It’s almost as if it has been pulled.”

Scot

So we may never be able to verify that story, but we do not need it because the witnesses to this divine outpouring are so many and so fervent. The Sunday, following the dedication was April 3, 1836, an Easter Sunday and also Passover. A congregation of 1000 people had gathered and after much prayer and speaking, the veils were dropped around the pulpits, and Joseph and Oliver bowed themselves in solemn and silent prayer.

They arose from their prayer, and a great vision opened to their view. Before them, on the breastwork of the pulpit, stood the risen Lord, and “under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber.” (D&C 110:2.)

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“His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:

“I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.

“Behold your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me; therefore lift up your heads and rejoice” (Doctrine and Covenants 11: 3-5).

Scot

What we see in this description of the Lord, is that His glory is indescribable in something as weak as the words we have, and so metaphors like “the brightness of the sun” and “the rushing of many waters” is used instead. Since no unclean thing can stand in the presence of God, their sins must be forgiven them. He accepts this house. This partitioned off area of the temple becomes for this period of time a Holy of Holies where man goes to meet God.

What follows is a series of priesthood keys that were necessary now for the kingdom to roll forth and covenant blessings to be fulfilled. The heavens were opened Moses appeared before them and “committed unto [them] the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.” (D&C 110:11.)

What this means is that missionary work will begin in greater earnest. Moses had the keys to gather Israel out of Egypt, and now those keys are given again. It is noteworthy that it is after this that the first missionaries are called to England where such a bumper crop of people are waiting, who will become some of the most stalwart converts ot the church.

Maurine

Right. In June, 1837, when things are in an uproar in Kirtland and it couldn’t be a more unlikely time to send one of your most stalwart lieutenants away, Heber C. Kimball was sitting in the Kirtland Temple and the Prophet came to him and said quietly, “The Spirit of the Lord has whispered to me, “let my servant Heber go to England and proclaim my Gospel, and open the door of salvation to that nation.”

Heber, who would have spared no sacrifice for the restored gospel, was staggered by the weight of the call and his own weakness. “O Lord,” he payed, “I am a man of stammering tongue, and altogether unfit for such a work; how can I go to preach in that land, which is so famed throughout Christendom for learning, knowledge and piety; the nursery of religion, and a people whose intelligence is proverbial!” He later wrote, “The idea of such a mission was almost more than I could bear up under. I was almost ready to sink under the burden which was placed upon me.” (Maurine Jensen Proctor, Scot Facer Proctor, The Gathering: Mormon Pioneers on the Road to Zion, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book.) But go he did, and many missionaries followed. That entirely changed the future of the Church.

Scot

After this Elias appeared and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham to them.

Then, Joseph wrote, “another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet . . . stood before us, and said: Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” (D&C 110:12-14.)

“The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that the ‘spirit, power, and calling of Elijah is, that ye have power to hold the key of the revelation, ordinances, oracles, powers and endowments of the fullness of the Melchizedec Priesthood and of the kingdom of God on the earth; and to receive, obtain, and perform all the ordinances belonging to the kingdom of God, even unto the turning of the hearts of the fathers unto the children, and the hearts of the children unto the fathers, even those who are in heaven.’ Why would the earth be wasted without the coming of Elijah? ‘Because there could be no sealing up against the day of destruction, no sealing of parents to each other, no sealing of children to parents, no contracts, bonds, obligations entered into that would be valid on the other side—because the clinching power was not there.” The mission of Elijah is to complete, finish, seal, or—to use President Joseph Fielding Smith’s word— clinch the work of the priesthood upon the earth and thus prepare it for the return of the Savior.” ( Garrett and Robinson, Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 4, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book)

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It is noteworthy that Elijah came during the Jewish Passover, as he had been anticipated since ancient times. Remember the Jewish tradition of leaving an empty chair at their Passover meal for him. What an intriguing fulfillment.

That’s all for today. We’re Scot and Maurine Proctor and this has been Meridian’s Come Follow Me Podcast. Next week we’ll study Doctrine and Covenants 111-114 called “I Will Order All Things for Your Good.”  Thanks to Paul Cardall for the music and Michaela Proctor Hutchins who produces this show. See you next week.

Come Follow Me Podcast #37: “After Much Tribulation Cometh the Blessings,” Doctrine and Covenants 102-105

Maurine

The material we talk about today gives us specifics about a dramatic, heart-rending series of events from the 19^th century, but is also so relevant for our times, as if the story was written just for us. It simply could not be more to the point.

Scot

Hello our dear friends and welcome to Meridian Magazine’s Come Follow Me podcast . We’re Scot and Maurine Proctor and today we are talking about Doctrine and Covenants 102-105 in a lesson called “After Much Tribulation…Cometh the Blessings.”

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Maurine

Today, as we study Doctrine and Covenants sections 103-105, you may be surprised how these sections work together to address a major problem facing the Saints, as well as became an important pivotal moment in gospel understanding. Yet, these may be hard to connect together and deeply understand without the back story, which, we just so happen to be giving you today. Section 103 instructs Joseph Smith and the leaders of the Church to organize Zion’s Camp. This, of course, calls for money and resources, and with the loss of the property in Missouri and challenges in Kirtland, the Church is struggling in debt. The Lord gives section 104 to address this problem, and finally Section 105 is given when Zion’s Camp is disbanded at Fishing River.

So let’s take our story back to Missouri. In November 1833, the Saints are driven out of Missouri, forced from the property they had purchased and the land the Lord had consecrated to them.

The mobs rejoiced as they saw the Mormons driven north to Clay County out of their midst.

Scot

These were exiles, first huddled along the banks of the Missouri River and later scattered in counties, looking for shelter and work and seeking redress. What should be done about this?  In February, 1834, Parley P. Pratt and Lyman Wight arrived in Kirtland with the sad news of the Missouri Saints and a letter from William Phelps saying that the Missouri Governor Dunklin would be willing to help the Saints return to their homes in Jackson County, but he could not maintain a militia to protect them beyond that.  The Church would have to raise and arm a force sufficiently big to maintain the safety of the Saints once these displaced returned back home.

Joseph had already been told in Section 101, that the “the strength of mine house” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:55), would be called to go to Zion and redeem the land and aid “the dispossessed Saints in Missouri…This was no vigilante movement. It was Joseph’s clear intention to work within the law and in cooperation with the state of Missouri in returning the Jackson County Saints to their homes,” (H. Dean Garrett, Stephen E. Robinson, Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 3).  The moment had come.

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Before Zion’s Camp could leave, however, 8 recruiters, including Joseph, were sent out  to find 500 volunteers, as the Lord said was necessary, that these companies could “go up unto the land of Zion by tens, or by twenties, or by fifties, or by an hundred, until they have obtained to the number of five hundred of the strength of my house” (Doctrine and Covenants 103:30). This was not an easy task.

Zion will be reclaimed “by power”, we learn in Doctrine and Covenants 103:15, but the Lord does not specify what power. Joseph is compared to Moses as he is called upon to gather an army of Israel, and as the children of Israel were led out of bondage, “so shall the redemption of Zion be” (v. 18). They will leave not knowing if they will face violence and certainly without the promise that they would all come home. The Lord says, “Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake” (vv. 20, 27).

Scot

Heber Kimball said they gathered “with what means they could spare to go up to Zion and render all the assistance that we could to our afflicted brethren. We gathered clothing and other necessaries to carry up to our brethren and sisters who had been plundered; and putting our horses to the wagons and taking our firelocks and ammunition, we started on our journey.”( http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/HCKimball.html)

They had hoped for gathering of 500, but they ended up with only a little over 200. They were hardy, and willing, and about to face an Abrahamic test.

Little money was available among them to make this journey, and they all gave it to a general fund. What that really meant was that they could starve together equally, living on poor rations, with aching and sometimes swollen feet in the march from Kirtland to Jackson County.

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Wilford recorded: ““He [Joseph] said . . . ‘Brethren, don’t be discouraged about our not having means. The Lord will provide, and He will put it into the heart of somebody to send me some money.’ The very next day he received a letter from Sister Vose, containing one hundred and fifty dollars. When he opened the letter and took out the money, he held it up and exclaimed: ‘See here, did I not tell you the Lord would send me some money to help us on our journey? Here it is.’ I felt satisfied that Joseph was a Prophet of God in very deed.”

Joseph spoke to the group before leaving: “I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap. You don’t comprehend it. It is only a little handful . . . you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America—it will fill the world. It will fill the Rocky Mountains. There will be tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints who will be gathered in the Rocky Mountains.”

The little group departed on their thousand-mile march to western Missouri, calling themselves “Zion’s Camp.” They armed themselves with weapons, many supplies, and great faith.

Scot

The Lord says, “let not your hearts faint, for I say not unto you as I said unto your fathers: Mine angel shall go up before you, but not my presence. But I say unto you: Mine angels shall go before you, and also my presence and in time ye shall possess the goodly land” (vv. 19,20).

Now the question might be legitimately asked, why did the Lord let their enemies prevail against the Saints in Jackson County any way? He answers here that “those who call themselves after my name might be chastened for a little season with sore and grievous chastisement, because they did not hearken altogether unto the precepts and commandments which I gave them.”

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The Lord also promised that He would “pour out his wrath without measure in mine own time”(v. 2) on the persecutors, but he has “suffered them thus far, that they might fill up the measure of their iniquities, that their cup might be full” (v. 3). In other words, he allows people their agency to act out their evil intent that it might stand in judgment against them.

This reminds me of the moment in the Book of Mormon where Alma and Amulek are forced to watch the believers, who are their own converts, burn by fire. Alma says, that the Lord allowed it “that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just, and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them” (Alma 14:11).

Scot

Twelve hundred homeless Saints were scattered through the counties of Missouri, their dream of a Zion at the center place vanished like smoke on the wind. Elizabeth Haven, who endured many persecutions, recorded in a letter to a friend: “God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. Many have been sifted out of the Church, while others have been rooted . . . in love and are the salt of the earth. . . . We are to be tried (everyone who inhabits the celestial kingdom) like gold seven times purified.” (in Scot Facer Proctor, Maurine Jensen Proctor, Witness of the Light, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book).

What the Lord must build first, before Zion can come to be, is people.

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In verses 5-10, the Lord gives them an if-then proposition. If the people will “hearken from this very hour unto the counsel which I, the Lord their God shall give them,” and hearken “to observe all the words which I, the Lord their God shall speak unto them”, they will “begin to prevail against [their] enemies from this very hour” and “shall never cease to prevail.” If not, that promise does not hold.

So often we want a world with no expectations, where nothing is demanded of us. We believe we are entitled to rewards even if we do nothing or follow the lowest or laziest common denominator of our natures. A God of high expectations might even be offensive to us, opting instead for a world where little is expected of us. That’s not the God we have.

Scot

He tells us why here. “Those who want to build and live in Zion were set to be a light unto the world, and to be the saviors of men.”

This is a calling and a privilege. Who can the Lord send to be a light and the saviors of men in this mortal world, if not us. We’re not much, but we are what he’s got.

“And…as they are not the saviors of men, they are as salt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men” (vv. 9-10). His rewards are conditioned upon obedience.

Maurine

This image of being salt that has lost its savor is interesting. You can trace the history of the world through the need to acquire salt. Roman soldiers were often paid in salt instead of money-thus the word salary comes into our language from salt. Not only does salt improve the flavor of food, but foremost, it is a preservative. It is used to preserve meat, fish and vegetables. When you are called to be the salt of the earth, you are called both to have a positive influence in the life of others, but, more importantly, you are called to preserve a world. That need for preservation is even greater when a world is in decline. It’s a remarkable calling and a powerful one.

How does salt lose its savor? Salt doesn’t lose its savor by becoming old. It does not go stale or mold or rot. Salt loses its savor when it becomes corrupted with something else, another element. If salt is not pure, it loses its savor. That’s quite a metaphor for what the Lord expects. If ye are the salt of the earth, ye are the preservers of the earth, and the Lord will sanctify you, even with hardship, to make you pure. It is his gift to you.

Scot

Before Zion’s Camp could leave for Missouri to help the Saints in the spring of 1834, the Prophet Joseph Smith had to solve huge financial challenges for the Church. H.Dean Garrett and Stephen E. Robinson note, “Joseph wrote to Orson Hyde on 7 April, ‘[U]nless we can obtain [financial] help, I myself cannot go to Zion, and if I do not go, it will be impossible to get my brethren in Kirtland, any of them, to go; and if we do not go, it is in vain for our eastern brethren to think of going.’

“Two years earlier, in April 1832, the united order (or united firm) had secured a five-year loan for $15,000, an immense sum at the time, primarily for purchasing goods and property in Missouri. When the Saints were driven out of Jackson County, not only did they suffer staggering financial losses and abject poverty, but the united order also lost its collateral on this loan and its primary means of paying it back. Added to this were other debts incurred by the order on behalf of the Church in Missouri and in Kirtland. The provisioning of Zion’s Camp also would require a great outlay of funds, as did continuing construction on the Kirtland Temple. Further, an apostate named Philastus Hurlbut was trying to acquire property owned by the united order by suing Church leaders, and defending themselves in court was causing escalating legal fees. And, as always, the needs of Kirtland’s poor Saints also had to be met. For all of these reasons, the Church in the spring of 1834 was deeply in debt.” (H. Dean Garrett, Stephen E. Robinson, Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 3, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book).

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Garrett and Robinson continue: “At a conference in Avon, New York, on 17 March 1834, Joseph Smith proposed, besides raising volunteers and contributions for Zion’s Camp, also raising two thousand dollars to pay the debts of the Church in Kirtland. On 7 April 1834, Joseph wrote in Kirtland, ‘Bishop Whitney, Elder Frederick G. Williams, Oliver Cowdery, Heber C. Kimball, and myself, met in the council room, and bowed down before the Lord, and prayed that He would furnish the means to deliver the Firm [the united order] from debt, that they might be set at liberty; also, that I might prevail against that wicked man, Hurlburt, and that he might be put to shame.’ Two days later, Hurlbut lost his lawsuit, was put under bond to keep the peace, and was forced to pay court costs.”

What came two weeks later was Section 104, which contains one of the most emphatic sections in all of scripture on consecration, something the Lord calls “an everlasting order” (v. 1). The scripture has much that is practical. Under the threat of lawsuit from Hurlbut, the brethren had considered dissolving the United Firm or what we generally know as the United Order, but in this section instead the united order in Kirtland and the one in Zion are to operate separately. Stewardships are given. Treasuries are established.

Scot

But here is the key, and the first principle of consecration, said with the greatest clarity.

“I, the Lord, stretched out the heavens, and built the earth, my very handiwork; and all things therein are mine” (D&C 104:14). What is His? The air we breathe, the land we stand on, the food we eat, the things we think we own. Our lives, our time, our talents, all are His.

The Lord as the creator of the earth decrees the rules of stewardship and accountability over it.  He says, “It is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine.”

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“But it must needs be done in mine own way; and behold this is the way that I, the Lord, have decreed to provide for my saints, that the poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low.

“For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves” (vv. 15-17).

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If the Saints would not willingly consecrate, Joseph said, “God shall…prevent them from ever obtaining a place of refuge or an inheritance upon the Land of Zion.”

Those who left on Zion’s Camp in May and June 1834, led by Joseph Smith, traveled about 900 miles from Kirtland to Clay County, Missouri. The participants in that group included names we are familiar with: Parley P. Pratt, Orson Hyde, Wilford Woodruff, Heber C. Kimball, and Brigham Young. These were willing to stake their lives and time on the line for the aid of their ailing friends in Missouri.

“As Wilford Woodruff was settling his business affairs and preparing to join Zion’s Camp, his friends and neighbors warned him not to undertake such a hazardous journey. They counseled, ‘Do not go, if you do you will lose your life.” He replied, “If I know that I should have a ball put through my heart the first step I took in the state of Missouri I would go.’”(in David A. Bednar, On the Lord’s Side: Lessons from Zion’s Camp, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2017/07/on-the-lords-side-lessons-from-zions-camp?lang=eng)

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“Wilford Woodruff later declared while serving as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: ‘We gained an experience that we never could have gained in any other way. We had the privilege of … traveling a thousand miles with [the Prophet], and seeing the workings of the Spirit of God with him, and the revelations of Jesus Christ unto him and the fulfilment of those revelations. … Had I not gone up with Zion’s Camp I should not have been here today.’” (See Bednar https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2017/07/on-the-lords-side-lessons-from-zions-camp?lang=eng)

“George A. Smith described in his journal the reaction of the Prophet to the daily challenges of the march to Missouri.

“’The Prophet Joseph took a full share of the fatigues of the entire journey. In addition to the care of providing for the Camp and presiding over it, he walked most of the time and had a full proportion of blistered, bloody and sore feet. … But during the entire trip he never uttered a murmur or complaint, while most of the men in the Camp complained to him of sore toes, blistered feet, long drives, scanty supply of provisions, poor quality of bread, bad corn dodger, frouzy butter, strong honey, maggoty bacon and cheese, etc., even a dog could not bark at some men without their murmuring at Joseph. If they had to camp with bad water it would nearly cause rebellion, yet we were the Camp of Zion, and many of us were prayerless, thoughtless, careless, heedless, foolish or devilish, and yet we did not know it. Joseph had to bear with us and tutor us, like children.’”(See Bednar).

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“On one occasion, three prairie rattlesnakes were found in the spot where Joseph had pitched his tent. Some of the brethren were about to kill them, but Joseph said: ‘Let them alone—don’t hurt them! How will the serpent ever lose his venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition, and continue to make war upon it?’ The brethren took the snakes carefully on sticks and carried them across the creek to safety. Joseph felt that “men must become harmless, before the brute creation; and when men lose their vicious dispositions . . . the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the sucking child can play with the serpent in safety.”

“‘Notwithstanding our enemies were continually breathing threats of violence,’ wrote Joseph, ‘we did not fear, neither did we hesitate to [take] our journey, for God was with us, and His angels went before us, and the faith of our little band was unwavering.’” (See Proctor, Witness).

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After walking eight hundred miles in six weeks, Zion’s Camp arrived in Clay County to a threatening environment and disappointing news. Governor Dunklin refused to fulfill his promise to provide a force to assist the Saints to regain their homes in Jackson County. Rumors had spread that about the size and intentions of the camp, and several hundred Missourians had gathered, threatening attack. Five marauders rode wildly through the camp to warn them of their impending doom.

“When the five men entered the camp, not a cloud was to be seen in the whole heavens, but soon a small cloud like a black spot appeared in the northwest and began to unroll itself like a scroll. In a few minutes, the whole heavens were covered with a pall as black as ink. The storm soon broke with wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and hail. Many Saints fled to a nearby Baptist meetinghouse. Wilford Woodruff remembered: ‘As the Prophet Joseph came in shaking the water from his hat and clothing he said, ‘Boys, there is some meaning to this. God is in this storm.’ We sang praises to God, and lay all night on benches under cover while our enemies were in the pelting storm.”

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Wilford Woodruff continued, “Very little hail fell in our camp . . . the lightning flashed incessantly. . . . The earth trembled and quaked, the rain fell in torrents, and, united, it seemed as if the mandate of vengeance had gone forth from the God of battles.”  The water in nearby Big Fishing River, which had been only ankle deep the night before, had risen to forty feet deep, drowned some of the mob, and sent the others running for shelter and galloping off to their homes. They declared that if that was the way God fought for the Mormons, they might as well go about their business.

“While their enemies attacked them from without, a deadly enemy attacked the army from within. Cholera broke out, ravaging about sixty-eight of the men and women, fourteen of whom died. The brethren rolled the corpses in blankets and buried them on the bank of Brush Creek. Heber C. Kimball remembered, ‘We felt to sit and weep over our brethren, and so great was our sorrow that we could have washed them with our tears, to realize that they had traveled one thousand miles through so much fatigue to lay down their lives for our brethren.’” (See Proctor, Witness).

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Joseph and Hyrum related this account to their mother:

“Soon after arriving at the point of destination, the cholera  broke out among us, and the brethren were so violently attacked that it seemed impossible to render them any assistance. They immediately sent for us to lay hands on them, but we soon discovered that this also was the judgment of the Almighty, for when we laid our hands upon them in the name of the Lord in order that they might be healed, the disease instantly fastened itself upon us. And in a few minutes we were in awful distress. We made mute signals to each other and left the house for the purpose of going into some secluded place to join in prayer that God would deliver us from this awful influence; but before we could get a sufficient distance to be secure from interruption, we were scarcely able to stand upon our feet and we were greatly alarmed, fearing that we should die in this western wilderness so far from our families, without even the privilege of blessing our children or giving them one word of parting counsel. Hyrum cried out, ‘Joseph, what shall we do? Must we be cut off from the face of the earth by this horrid curse?’

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“‘Let us,’ said Joseph, ‘get down upon our knees and pray to God to remove the cramp and other distress and restore us to health, that we may return to our families.’ We did so but without receiving any benefit, but still grew worse. We concluded, however, to make a second effort, and when we kneeled again, the cramp seized the calves of Joseph’s legs, gathering the cords into bunches, and then the operation extended in like manner all over his system. He cried heartily unto God, but the heavens seemed sealed against us and every power that could render us any assistance shut within its gates. The universe was still. ‘When we arose again,’ said Joseph, ‘I found Hyrum was in the same situation with myself.’

“We soon came to the resolution of appealing again to God for mercy, and not to rise from our knees until one or the other got a testimony that we should be healed, and he who received the first intimation from the Spirit should inform the other of the same. We prayed some time, first one and then the other, and soon perceived that the cramp began to loose its hold. In a short time Hyrum sprang to his feet and exclaimed, ‘Joseph, we shall return, for I have seen an open vision in which I saw Mother on her knees under an apple tree praying for us, and she is even now asking God, in tears, to spare our lives, that she may behold us again in the flesh. The Spirit testifies to me that her prayers and ours shall be heard’-and from that moment we were healed and went on our way rejoicing.” (Lucy Mack Smith, and Scot Facer Proctor, Maurine Jensen Proctor, editors. The Revised and Enhanced History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book.)

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On June 21, the Saints met with county and militia officials hoping to resolve the issue. Joseph assured them that they were anxious for a settlement to the difficulties upon constitutional principles. These meetings went nowhere, and, finally, Joseph, seeing his little band of Zion’s Camp was badly outnumbered, appealed to the Lord and received Section 105 on June 22, 1834. Here he was assured, “For behold, I do not require at their hands to fight the battles of Zion: for, as I said in a former commandment, even so will I fulfil—I will fight your battles” (v. 14). The Lord said, “I have heard their prayers, and will accept their offering.”

The building of Zion must be postponed “for a little season” (v. 9) “that my people may be taught more perfectly, and have experience, and know more perfectly concerning their duty, and the things which I require at their hands.”

We asked earlier, what kind of power would it take to redeem Zion?  Now the Lord gives the answer, “This cannot be brought to pass until mine elders are endowed with power from on high” (v. 11) It is not military power, nor any kind of power that man can scramble together. Instead, “I have prepared a great endowment and blessing to be poured out upon them, inasmuch as they are faithful and continue in humility before me” (v. 12). It is the Lord’s power, and the Lord postpones the building of Zion, until the people are ready to receive it. Zion’s Camp is to be disbanded.

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Steven Harper notes, “The revelation which is both pacifistic and militant, marks a turning point in Church history. It is a document of détente. It calls for a proclamation of peace now even as it foreshadows a future role for the army of Israel. It postpones Zion in Jackson County for an ambiguous ‘little season’ (v. 9). It commands Saints in the meantime to receive the anticipated endowment of power to help them gain experience, to learn their duty and doctrine better, and to increase in number and holiness. They are to continue to purchase western Missouri lands but to avoid gathering in numbers perceived as threatening by non-Mormon settlers.

“Doctrine and Covenants 105 gives Joseph and his army orders to retreat. They are instructed to seek redress lawfully. But the war is far from over. These tactics will buy time ‘until the army of Israel becomes very great’ (v. 26) while more land in Jackson and adjoining counties can be legally purchased. Once it is, the revelation says, ‘I will hold the armies of Israel guiltless in taking possession of their own lands, which they have previously purchased with their moneys, and of throwing down the towers of mine enemies that may be upon them’ (v. 30). First, however, ‘let my army become very great, and let it be sanctified before me, that it may become fair as the sun, and clear as the moon, and that her banners may be terrible unto all nations; that the kingdoms of this world may be constrained to acknowledge that the kingdom of Zion is in very deed the kingdom of our God and his Christ; therefore, let us become subject unto her laws’ (vv. 31–32).”

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Meanwhile, Latter-day Saints are to “sue for peace, not only to the people that have smitten you, but also to all people; and lift up an ensign of peace, and make a proclamation of peace unto the ends of the earth” (vv. 38–39)…

“The brethren were to return to the house of the Lord in Kirtland, to be endowed with power on conditions of humility and faithfulness (v. 12), and then spread out over the globe to gather Israel. Then, when the army became very great both numerically and in”

“obedience to the law of consecration, they would regain Zion.”

“Back in Kirtland [Joseph] urged the Saints to finish the house of the Lord, and he began holding sanctifying training meetings to prepare the brethren for the solemn assembly.” (Steven C. Harper, Making Sense of the Doctrine and Covenants, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book).

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Some who had come on Zion’s Camp were disgruntled when it was disbanded and questioned the prophet, but the Lord revealed this to Joseph in Section 105. “It is expedient in me that they should be brought thus far for a trial of their faith” (v. 19).

Elder David A. Bednar said, “Because of the failure to reestablish the Saints on their lands in Jackson County, Zion’s Camp was considered by some an unsuccessful and unprofitable endeavor. A brother in Kirtland—one who lacked the faith to volunteer to go with the camp—met Brigham Young on his return from Missouri and asked, “‘Well, what did you gain on this useless journey to Missouri with Joseph Smith?’ ‘All we went for,’ promptly replied Brigham Young. ‘I would not exchange the experience I gained in that expedition for all the wealth of Geauga County,’” the county in which Kirtland was then located.”

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Elder Bednar continued, “In a most literal way, the physical and spiritual challenges of Zion’s Camp constituted a sifting of the wheat from the tares (see Matthew 13:25, 29–30; D&C 101:65), a dividing of the sheep from the goats (see Matthew 25:32–33), a separating of the spiritually strong from the weak. Thus, each man and woman who enlisted in the army of the Lord faced and answered the penetrating question of ‘Who’s on the Lord’s side?’”

“Indeed, ‘the time to show’ for those faithful men and women was the summer of 1834. But the decision to march with the Prophet Joseph to Missouri was not necessarily a one-time, all-inclusive, or immediate response to the question of ‘Who’s on the Lord’s side?’ The time to show for those Saints arose frequently and repeatedly through mental and physical fatigue, through bloody blisters on their feet, through inadequate food and unclean water, through a multitude of disappointments, through dissensions and rebellions within the camp, and through external threats from vicious enemies.”

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Elder Bednar said, “The time to show came in the experiences and privations of every hour, of every day, and of every week. It was the grand combination of the many seemingly small choices and actions in the lives of these devoted Saints that provided the conclusive answer to the question ‘Who’s on the Lord’s side?’

“How did the testing and sifting that occurred in the lives of the Zion’s Camp participants serve as a preparation? Interestingly, eight of the brethren called into the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1835, as well as all of the Seventies called at that same time, were veterans of Zion’s Camp. At a meeting following the call of the Seventies, the Prophet Joseph Smith declared:

“’Brethren, some of you are angry with me, because you did not fight in Missouri; but let me tell you, God did not want you to fight. He could not organize his kingdom with twelve men to open the gospel door to the nations of the earth, and with seventy men under their direction to follow in their tracks, unless he took them from a body of men who had offered their lives, and who had made as great a sacrifice as did Abraham.’

“Now, the Lord has got his Twelve and his Seventy, and there will be other quorums of Seventies called.”(David A. Bednar, On the Lord’s Side: Lessons from Zion/s Camp, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2017/07/on-the-lords-side-lessons-from-zions-camp?lang=eng).

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The call to join Zion’s Camp was an opportunity for testing, sifting and proving your spiritual mettle. We mentioned at the beginning of this podcast that these sections were particularly relevant for our time—and they are. Surely when the call came from the prophet to join Zion’s Camp, a great number would not make that sacrifice. Surely, when the group was disbanded, after much sacrifice, without achieving an apparent purpose, many felt justified in criticizing the prophet.

I am surprised at how many not only resist our prophet’s counsel, today,but are angered by it. They don’t want to hear things they don’t want to hear. I love what Elder Bednar continued to say as he reflected on Zion’s Camp.

He said, “As a result of my call in 2004 to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, I have a decidedly distinctive perspective about what it means to observe, to learn from, and to follow the Brethren. I now see on a daily basis the individual personalities, the various preferences, and the noble characters of the leaders of this Church. Some people find the human limitations and shortcomings of the Brethren troubling and faith diminishing. For me, those weaknesses are faith promoting. The Lord’s revealed pattern of governance in His Church provides for and attenuates the impact of human frailty. It is truly miraculous to me to witness the Lord accomplishing His will through His servants despite the flaws and failings of His chosen leaders. These men never have claimed to be and are not perfect; they certainly are, however, called of God.

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Elder Bednar said, “Since my call as a General Authority, I have tried to observe and learn as some of my Brethren have faced the effects of aging or the relentless demands of physical limitations and constant pain. You cannot and will never know the private and silent suffering some of these men live through as they serve publicly with all of their heart, might, mind, and strength. Serving with and watching President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008), President James E. Faust (1920–2007), Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008), President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015), Elder L. Tom Perry (1922–2015), Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015), and my other apostolic associates empower me to declare clearly and authoritatively that the Brethren with whom I serve are warriors—noble and great spiritual warriors—in the truest and most admirable sense of that word! Their patience, persistence, and courage enable them to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ” (2 Nephi 31:20) that is worthy of our emulation.” (Bednar, Lessons).

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That’s all for today. Next week we’ll discuss Doctrine and Covenants Sections 106-108 in a lesson called “To Have the Heavens Opened”. Thanks to Paul Cardall for our music and to Michaela Proctor Hutchins who produces this podcast. See you next week.

Come Follow Me Podcast #35: “For the Salvation of Zion,” Doctrine & Covenants 94-97

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How important are temples to the Lord? When Joseph Smith was on his first mission to Missouri in the summer of 1831, only 17 months after the Church was organized, on August 3, 1831, he received a revelation about a temple to be built in Independence in Jackson County. (D&C 57:3). Then, on December 27, 1832 in Section 88 (v. 119), the Lord revealed that a temple was to be built in Kirtland. So, the Saints had been commanded to build two temples, one in Jackson County and one in Kirtland, but, honestly, in mortal eyes, it was a task that looked impossible.

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Welcome to Meridian Magazine’s Come Follow Me podcast. We’re Scot and Maurine Proctor and today we look at Doctrine and Covenants Sections 94-97 “For the Salvation of Zion.”

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We’re so glad to be with you again this week and dive into the scriptures together. Remember the revelation in Section 88 to build a temple in Kirtland was given in December of 1832, but by June 1, 1833 when Section 95 was received little progress had been made.

Now remember who Joseph Smith is. He is the prophet who would say this the following year, in November 1834.

“No month ever found me more busily engaged than November; but as my life consisted of activity and unyielding exertions, I made this my rule: When the Lord commands, do it.” Smith, Joseph Jr. and Roberts, B.H. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 1904, 2:170.

Why, then, had the temple not been started in Kirtland? The Lord had said, “Organize yourselves, prepare every needful thing: and establish a house, even a house…of glory, a house of order, a house of God.” Why not begin?

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The condition of the Latter-day Saints at that time was almost impossible. Kirtland had only about 175 Latter-day Saints, and all of them poor. Karl Ricks Anderson noted, “Nearly all who gathered to Kirtland needed assistance of some kind. Even Brigham Young, who, because of his industry and good business sense, was generally able to provide very well for himself and his family, had virtually nothing when he arrived in Kirtland. He described how he responded with faith to the Prophet’s call to gather:

“When we arrived in Kirtland [in September [1833], if any man that ever did gather with the Saints was any poorer than I was—it was because he had nothing. . . . I had two children to take care of—that was all. I was a widower. “Brother Brigham, had you any shoes?” No; not a shoe to my foot, except a pair of borrowed boots. I had no winter clothing, except a homemade coat that I had had three or four years. “Any pantaloons?” No. “What did you do? Did you go without?” No; I borrowed a pair to wear till I could get another pair. I had travelled and preached and given away every dollar of my property. I was worth a little property when I started to preach. . . . I had traveled and preached until I had nothing left to gather with; but Joseph said: ‘come up;’ and I went up the best I could.” (See Karl Ricks Anderson, Joseph Smith’s Kirtland)

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Karl Ricks Anderson also wrote, “For the early members of the Church, [building the Kirtland Temple] was an unthinkable task. Consider the existing obstacles:

• Most members were poverty-stricken.
• The Church had no financial reserves. (Cost of the temple would be about forty thousand dollars.)
• Few members had construction experience.
• Few members were available to contribute time and resources. (Only 175 Church members lived in the Kirtland area in 1833.)
• The Church did not own the land upon which the temple was to be built.
• Few members possessed construction tools.
• Church enemies swore to stop temple construction.”

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Anderson continued, “The following Kirtland Saints painted a dismal picture of their circumstances:

“Eliza R. Snow: “The Saints were few in number, and most of them very poor.”

“Benjamin F. Johnson: “There was not a scraper (hoe) and hardly a plow that could be obtained among the Saints.”

“Heber C. Kimball: “The church was in a state of poverty and distress . . . at the same time our enemies were raging and threatening destruction upon us.”

“Joseph Smith: “Our means are already exhausted, and we are deeply in debt, and know of no means whereby we shall be able to extricate ourselves.”

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“Joel Hills Johnson: “We had but very few friends . . . while we had thousands of enemies who were holding their secret meetings to devise a plan to thwart and overthrow all our arrangements. We were obliged to keep night watchers to prevent being mobbed and our workers being overthrown.”

“Heber C. Kimball: “We were persecuted . . . there were mobs gathering all around us to destroy us, and prevent us from building the Temple. . . we took our firelocks, to reinstate our brethren, and in the night we layed upon the floor . . . so as to be ready to keep our enemies at bay.”

“Brigham Young: “[we were] a mere handful of men, living on air, and a little hominy (ground com) and milk . . . holding the sword in one hand to protect themselves from the mob, while they placed the stone and moved the trowel with the other.” (Karl Ricks Anderson, Kirtland Temple: How the Lord Helped the Saints Do the Seemingly Impossible https://latterdaysaintmag.com/kirtland-temple-how-the-lord-helped-the-saints-do-the-seemingly-impossible/#_edn20).

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These were the staggering realities of the Saints’ situation. And remember, there are only about 175 of them at the time this commandment was given. That’s like asking half the members of your ward to come together and build a temple. Truly, can the Lord really expect this? The answer in Section 95 is a resounding, yes! In fact, he chastens them because they haven’t begun 6 months ago when the command was given.

“Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement, I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you.

“Wherefore, ye must needs be chastened and stand rebuked before my face;

“For ye have sinned against me a very grievous sin, in that ye have not considered the great commandment in all things, that I have given unto you concerning the building of mine house” (vs. 1-3).

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Now the idea of being chastened by the Lord sounds chilling, but note what He says, this chastisement is to prepare a way for your deliverance because He loves you. It seems important then to understand the meaning of chastisement. It is not to punish or to constrict or to lock in chains, but to make you free. This does not mean, of course, that chastisement may not be difficult. The Lord might ask us to do not only what seems impossible, given our weakness or our mortal condition as is shown in the Saints being asked to build the Kirtland Temple. He might ask you to do something that frightens you, stretches you beyond your comfort, demands courage or strength you don’t think you have.

He might ask you to sacrifice your time, your comfort, your ease. He might ask you to do something you just plain don’t want to do, that you have no inclination for, or that, in fact, you disagree with. He might stretch you to the point you think you will break.

This is such an important key that the Lord chastises us for our deliverance. We cannot be with Him and stay where we are at the same time. The Saints could not receive the endowment of power they could only receive in the temple if they did not build the temple.

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Did the Lord not see their situation clearly? Of course, He did. No one could have seen it clearer, nor seen with such compassion the state of each soul who had already sacrificed so much to come to Kirtland.

Elder Lynn Robbins said, “Compassion doesn’t nullify the need for discipline. The word discipline comes from the Latin word discere “to learn,” or discipulus, “learner,” making a disciple a student and follower. To discipline in the Lord’s way is to lovingly and patiently teach. In the scriptures the Lord often uses the word chasten when speaking of discipline The word chasten comes from the Latin castus, meaning “chaste or pure,” and chasten means “to purify.”

“In the world, it is an earthly judge who condemns a man and locks him in prison. In contrast, the Book of Mormon teaches us that when we willfully sin, we become our “own judges”  Alma 41:7 and consign ourselves to spiritual prison. Ironically, the common judge in this case holds the keys that unlock the prison gates; “for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation”  D&C 95:1 emphasis added). The proceedings of a righteous judge are merciful, loving, and redemptive, not condemning.”

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Elder Robbins continues: “Young Joseph Smith was disciplined with a four-year probation before obtaining the golden plates, ‘because you have not kept the commandments of the Lord.’ Later, when Joseph lost the 116 manuscript pages, he was disciplined again. Though Joseph was truly remorseful, the Lord still withdrew his privileges for a short season because “whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven” (Doctrine and Covenants 95:1)

“Joseph said, ‘The angel was rejoiced when he gave me back the Urim and Thummim and said that God was pleased with my faithfulness and humility, and loved me for my penitence and diligence in prayer.” Because the Lord wanted to teach Joseph a heart-changing lesson, He required a heartrending sacrifice of him—sacrifice being an essential part of discipline.” (Lynn G. Robbins, “The Righteous Judge” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/10/the-righteous-judge?lang=eng).

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Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “Our Heavenly Father is a God of high expectations. His expectations for us are expressed by His Son, Jesus Christ, in these words: “I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect” (3 Nephi 12:48). He proposes to make us holy so that we may “abide a celestial glory” (D&C 88:22) and “dwell in his presence” (Moses 6:57). He knows what is required, He provides His commandments and covenants, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and most important, the Atonement and Resurrection of His Beloved Son.”

I am so grateful that my transformation isn’t a do-it-yourself project. It is through the atonement that the Lord does everything for me in this journey, which I can’t do—which, I have learned, are most things. We are all so incomplete. But, we give what we have and yield to what He asks even when it is hard. He does demand that willingness on our part. He asks us to submit to His will and His guidance, even when from our tiny perspective, living in one little place, in one little time, where we don’t see very much or very far, we may not see why.

What makes submitting to the Lord’s will more difficult is the time we live in. Everything about our culture, every idea in the very air we breathe says we should listen to no authority but ourselves, that there is not a God, and if there is He has no right to make any demands on us. How dare God have a different thought than I do, about what I should do or what I should become?

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Elder Christofferson continued, “Sadly, much of modern Christianity does not acknowledge that God makes any real demands on those who believe in Him, seeing Him rather as a butler ‘who meets their needs when summoned’ or a therapist whose role is to help people “feel good about themselves.” It is a religious outlook that ‘makes no pretense at changing lives.’ ‘By contrast’ as one author declares, ‘the God portrayed in both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures asks, not just for commitment, but for our very lives. The God of the Bible traffics in life and death, not niceness, and calls for sacrificial love, not benign whatever-ism.’”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks explained: “The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account.” (Dallin H. Oaks, “The Challenge to Become”)

Maurine

Thus, to be who we are going to be, who we have chosen to be since before this world was, we have to be brave and do even the very hard things, things that may seem even impossible. That means we follow the commandments given to all of us, but also, the directions the Spirit gives you personally. That is how we become trustworthy and more able to hear the Spirit. This may demand that we are courageous in the face of some very real weaknesses in our own soul, and courageous before a world that is moving swiftly toward marginalizing those who believe as we do about basic gospel tenets.

With the direction the world is going, with speech circumscribed and an ideology that is embraced by the media, the government, professional associations, entertainment, sports and much more that stands at odds with basic doctrines of our gospel, it may mean that we have to stand alone, even to the point of putting our lives in peril some time in the future.

We all have our personal hurdles to overcome. The Lord has asked me to do a project that I fear doing. I fear not being good enough to do it. I keep hesitating before it, and He keeps insisting. I seem to find every excuse not to do this thing I have been asked, and I see, even as we are talking about this, that I can no longer halt.

The Lord knows why He asks what He asks, and he understands the timing.

Scot

Joseph Smith said, “The law of heaven is presented to man, and as such guarantees to all who obey it a reward far beyond any earthly consideration; though it does not promise that the believer in every age should be exempt from the afflictions and troubles arising from different sources in consequence of the acts of wicked men on earth.”

Here’s an aside. It also does not mean that it will be easy to fulfill, as with building the Kirtland Temple. Fulfilling the laws of heaven might even seem impossible.

Joseph continued, “Still in the midst of all this there is a promise predicated upon the fact that it is the law of heaven, which transcends the law of man, as far as eternal life the temporal; and as the blessings which God is able to give, are greater than those which can be given by man. Then, certainly, if the law of man is binding upon man when acknowledged, how much more must the law of heaven be! And as much as the law of heaven is more perfect than the law of man, so much greater must be the reward if obeyed… The law of God promises that life which is eternal, even an inheritance at God’s own right hand, secure from all the powers of the wicked one.” (See https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-13?lang=eng

Maurine

So the realities of the Saints conditions in Kirtland were staggering when they were asked to build a temple, but the promises of the Lord back to them were even greater.

“Yea, verily I say unto you, I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high” (v. 8).

So they would be given magnificent promises for their sacrifice, and more:

“If you keep my commandments you shall have power to build it” (v.11).

That promise holds true in our own lives. He will give us power to do the impossible things he asks of us. It is like the scripture we know so well, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandment unto the Children of Men save he prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” (1 Nephi 3:7). We have reminded ourselves of that scripture hundreds of times when we couldn’t see the way forward.

Scot

The Saints were chastised and they started on the temple, counting on the Lord.

Millennia had come and gone since the Lord first commanded His people to build a temple. He said, “I commanded Moses that he should build a tabernacle…and to build a house in the land of promise, that those ordinances might be revealed which had been hid from before the world was” (Doctrine and Covenants 124: 38). The Saints had to be endowed with this power, given specific priesthood keys, and it had to be for a particular date, thus no waiting until a more convenient time came.

Lucy Mack Smith recorded her son’s view on building the temple:

“Some were in favor of building a frame house, but others were of a mind to put up a log house. Joseph reminded them that they were not building a house for a man, but for God; ‘and shall we, brethren, . . . build a house for our God, of logs? No, I have a better plan than that. I have a plan of the house of the Lord, given by himself; and you will soon see by this, the difference between our calculations and his idea of things.’”

Maurine

He and his counselors were given a unique revelation of how the temple should look.

“We went upon our knees,” said Frederick G. Williams, “called on the Lord, and the Building appeared within viewing distance. . . . Then all of us viewed it together. After we had taken a good look at the exterior, the building seemed to come right over us, and the makeup of this hall seemed to coincide with what I there saw to a minutia.” Now they had the vision of the temple, but they needed an architect.

“Because there were not many skilled workers among the Saints, Joseph asked his counselors who might be capable of taking charge of the work. ‘Lorenzo Young exclaimed to the Prophet ‘I know the very man who is capable of doing this work.’ ‘Who is he?’ asked the Prophet. Lorenzo replied, [‘it] is Artemus Millet’ up in Canada. . . a successful builder . . . well known for his work. The Prophet turned to Brigham [Young] and said ‘I give you a mission to go to Canada and baptise Brother Artemus Millet, and bring him here. Tell him to bring a thousand dollars with him.’” Brigham obeyed, and so did Artemus!

Scot

Karl Ricks Anderson notes, “The work of building began in earnest in the summer of 1833 with great opposition and promises from the mobs that the walls of that temple would never be erected.”

But the miracles continued. Joseph was praying mightily for financial help, and this temple would cost $70,000 to build in that day’s money—a veritable fortune.

Anderson tells this story about John Tanner: “About the middle of December he received an impression by dream or vision of the night, that he was needed and must go immediately to [Kirtland]. . . . His neighbors . . . tried their utmost to dissuade him; but he knew the will of God in the present crisis and nothing could deter him from doing it.

“On Christmas day he commenced his journey with all his earthly effects, and in the dead of Winter traveled the distance of five hundred miles, to Kirtland. . . .

“On his arrival in Kirtland, he learned that at the time he received the impression . . . the Prophet Joseph and some of the brethren had met in prayer-meeting and asked the Lord to send them a brother or some brethren with means to assist them. . . .He loaned the prophet two thousand dollars.” (Karl Ricks Anderson, Kirtland Temple: How the Lord Helped the Saints Do the Seemingly Impossible https://latterdaysaintmag.com/kirtland-temple-how-the-lord-helped-the-saints-do-the-seemingly-impossible/#_edn20).

Maurine

The temple began to be built, and, of course, we know the famous story. A wheat field was chosen as the location, and Hyrum Smith ran to get a scythe to begin clearing the field. He said, “We are preparing to build a house for the Lord,” he said, “and I am determined to be the first at the work. (in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 271, 273).

Don’t think this is the only time Latter-day Saints took on the impossible to build a temple. It took 40 years of effort to build the temple in Paris. It was Aug. 1, 1976 when President Spencer W. Kimball first alluded to a temple for France and it wasn’t dedicated until 21 May 2017.

Elder Doug Todd, who served with his wife, Pauline, as construction service missionaries said, “In France, building a temple requires some unique situations. You have to show what you are going to build to get approvals, but you can’t show your plans until you own the property, and then you can get turned down. Getting approvals is a long, complicated process. I think the Church considered and did due diligence on over 90 sites. That has to be some kind of record. Some sites had strings attached. Other sites had difficult issues. Sometimes it takes time for the right site to come along.”

Scot

Nothing is impossible for the Lord—and just like the Lord gave Moses specific details on the pattern, dimensions and completion of the Tabernacle, and the same to Solomon for the first temple in Jerusalem, so he did with the Kirtland Temple in the last three verses of Section 95. These specifics have greater meaning than we readily see in the Lord’s economy. He also in Section 94 gave specific instructions for the building for the First Presidency—in other words a Church administration building–and a printing office.

Now, on to Section 97, which also requires context. We don’t know the exact date of the reception of Section 97, but we know that Joseph included it in a letter he wrote to Missouri August 6, 1833, so it was some time before then. The date is important because of what had just already happened in Missouri which Joseph probably did not know about.

As we have mentioned before, the Latter-day Saints who moved to Independence to build Zion, were a vastly different people from the rough people who lived at the edge of the United States. There was bound to be suspicion between them.

Maurine

B.H. Roberts describes it this way: “The Saints could not join the Missourians in their way of life—in Sabbath-breaking, profanity, horse-racing, idleness, drunkenness, and debauchery. They had been commanded to keep the Sabbath day holy, to keep themselves unspotted from the sins of the world. The fact of people having so little in common with each other was of itself calculated to beget a coldness and suspicion, which would soon ripen into dislike. The saints, too, had come, for the most part, from the Northern and New England States, and the hatred that existed at that time between the people of the slave-holding and free states, was manifested toward the saints by their ‘southern’ neighbors. Moreover, the old settlers were dear lovers of office, and the honors and emoluments growing out of it; and they greatly feared that the rapidly increasing saints would soon outnumber them, and that the offices would be wrested from them. Political jealousy is always cruel and unscrupulous, and is not slow to find excuses for destroying the object of its hatred.” (B.H. Roberts, Missouri Persecutions)/

Scot

A whirlwind was stirring in the hearts of old-time Jackson County residents, who began to be increasingly suspicious as the new settlers swelled in number. Many feared that they would be outnumbered by the religiously motivated settlers from the East. It was easy to predict that with a few hundred more Saints, they could change the political scene and wrest control of the county.

Entrepreneurial Saints took over some of the Santa Fe Trail trade business from local residents with considerable success. They established a printing business, and The Evening and Morning Star, the first periodical in the area, was published. Because this was an exclusive newspaper, catering to the needs of the Saints, local and national issues were represented from that point of view. Some of the Saints, too, boasted that a great many more members of the Church would be arriving soon to claim their inheritance in Zion. This caused great alarm among the locals.

The Missouri frontiersmen hated the Indians, while the Saints claimed the Indians to be one of the tribes of Israel and a chosen people. The Missourians were slave owners, while the Saints were against slavery. This last issue became especially hot when an article was published in the Star cautioning missionaries about proselyting among former slaves, known as “free people of color.” The Missourians misinterpreted the article as encouragement for slaves to join the Saints in western Missouri, and they felt pushed about as far as they could go.

When you consider how volatile the issue of slavery was and that Missouri had come into the nation specifically as a slave-holding state to balance Maine in 1821, it is clear that violence was brewing.

Maurine

During the summer of 1833, hundreds of Missourians circulated a “secret constitution” denouncing the Mormons. In July, about five hundred Missourians gathered at the Independence courthouse to draft a document outlining their demands and to issue a bitter ultimatum that no Latter-day Saints would be allowed to move to or settle in Jackson County and that those who were already there must pledge to leave in a reasonable time. The document also called for the immediate cessation of the Church newspaper. The leaders of the Church, upon receiving the demands, asked for three months to consider the proposition and consult with Church leaders in Ohio. This request was denied, and they pleaded for ten days. This was also denied, and the Saints were given fifteen minutes to look over and agree to the resolution.

This meeting quickly erupted from discussions into an angry mob as the Missourians, smoldering with resentment, decided to immediately implement a resolution to destroy the printing press. They went en masse to the printing office and the residence of the publisher, W. W. Phelps. They threw furniture into the street and garden, destroyed and hauled away the press, scattered type everywhere, and threw the printing job in process out of the building into piles to be burned. This was the sacred Book of Commandments, a publication of the revelations given to Joseph Smith to this point. Bishop Edward Partridge was seized and tarred, and feathered.

Scot

In another podcast, we’ll go into more details of the Missouri persecutions because they are key to understanding Church history, but now back to Section 97. Here, the Lord praises the “truly humble” who are “seeking diligently to learn wisdom and to find truth.” He is “well pleased” with Parley P. Pratt, for his work in the school in Zion, which was patterned after the School of the Prophets. The Lord says in verse 8 that those “hearts are broken, and their spirit contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me” (v. 8).

Then we see a meaningful juxtaposition of verses.

“The ax is laid at the root of the trees; and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire. I, the Lord, have spoken it (v. 7). Then two verses later, “it is my will that a house should be built in the land of Zion, like unto the pattern which I have given you” (vs. 7,10).

Maurine

The ax being laid to the tree, uses similar language, according to H. Dean Garrett and Stephen E. Robinson to other scriptures. “In the Book of Mormon, this warning is given to the people of Alma who were about to experience the great Lamanite wars. In the New Testament, it was delivered to the Jews who would soon be devastated by their failed First Revolt against Rome. The same warning is now addressed here specifically to the faltering Saints in Missouri, for whom persecutions had already begun but for whom deliverance was still possible if they would only repent.

“Trees can’t move; they can’t run away or hide from the woodsman’s ax. Their only defense against being cut down for firewood lies in producing valuable fruit.”

Now the ax reference is in verse 7. In verse 8 the Lord says that those who are accepted of him, will be those who make every sacrifice that the Lord commands. Then, finally in verse 10, the Lord reminds them that a temple should be built in the land of Zion.

Scot

Garrett and Robinson note, “The chief sacrifice that the Lord required of the Missouri Saints was that they should build a temple in Independence, just as the Kirtland Saints were being required to build one in Ohio. This commandment cannot have been a complete surprise for the Missouri Saints, for a temple site had been selected and consecrated two years earlier, yet no further action had been taken. They had received an explicit commandment to proceed, together with rough plans for their temple, of which the Kirtland Temple was a duplicate, in a letter dated 25 June 1833, well before Doctrine and Covenants 97 was sent to them. However, they took no action to begin construction. Doctrine and Covenants 97 makes it clear that the commandment to build this temple was as binding upon the Missouri Saints as building the Kirtland Temple was on the Ohio Saints (see D&C 95:3), and still they took no action.

“According to verses 18 and 25–26, had the Missouri Saints kept the commandment to build a temple, Zion would have been established, never to be removed. Had the Missouri Saints collectively been as committed to building a temple as the Ohio Saints were, the Lord would have opened up the way for them to succeed. However, as Elder Parley P. Pratt, who taught the elders in Missouri, observed: “This revelation was not complied with by the leaders and Church in Missouri, as a whole; notwithstanding many were humble and faithful. Therefore, the threatened judgment was poured out to the uttermost, as the history of the five following years will show.” The obligation of this commandment was formally removed from the Saints as a practical impossibility in 1841 (see D&C 124:49–51), though it would have been possible in 1833 had they collectively proved more faithful.

Maurine

This is not to say that the Saints in Missouri were not faithful and good people. The Lord obviously says that many were and pleased him. Yet Zion is of one heart and one mind, and some among them could not make the difficult, extremely difficult choice to build a temple.

Parley P. Pratt describes the Missouri Saints, “They lived in peace and quiet; no lawsuits with each other or with the world; few or no debts were contracted; few promises broken; there were no thieves, robbers, or murderers; few or no idlers; all seemed to worship God with a ready heart.”

The implication from Section 97 is that a temple might have protected them.

Scot

Again, quoting from Garrett and Robinson, “As President Ezra Taft Benson observed at the dedication of the Jordan River Temple: ‘The saints have been commanded to stand in holy places, such as this temple, in order to avoid the tribulations which are to come in the latter days…

‘The saints in this temple district will be better able to meet any temporal tribulation because of this temple. Faith will increase as a result of the divine power associated with the ordinances of heaven and the assurance of eternal associations.

‘I repeat what I said at the groundbreaking of this temple two years ago: This valley will be preserved, our families will be protected, and our children will be safeguarded as we live the gospel, visit the temple, and live close to the Lord.’” (Dean H. Garrett, Stephen E. Robinson, Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 3,  Salt Lake City: Deseret Book.)

Maurine

The Lord says in Section 97, “Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion—the pure in heart;

“The Lord’s scourge shall pass over by night and by day” (v. 23) Garrett and Robinson note, “The “overflowing scourge” (D&C 45:31) of the last days will reduce the world, with the exception of Zion, to a state of anarchy and chaos that will continue until the second coming of Christ (see D&C 87:6–8). As the end approaches, all the peoples of the earth will have to choose one kingdom or the other: the risks and plagues of Babylon, or the joys and the safety of Zion.”

The promise of the Lord, however, is that “Zion shall escape if she observe to do all things whatsoever I have commanded her” (v. 25).

Scot

So much to say. So little time. That’s all for today. This has been Scot and Maurine Proctor with Meridian Magazine’s Come Follow Me podcast. Next week, we will study Sections 98-101 called “Be Still and Know that I am God.” Thanks to Paul Cardall for the music that begins and ends this podcast and to our producer, our daughter Michaela Proctor Hutchins. See you next week.

Believing Joseph Smith Was A Prophet: Focus On The Fruits

Interested in FREE sheet music downloads of sacred and inspirational music? You’ll find them on Lynne Perry Christofferson’s music website: https://christoffersonmusic.com/

I am knee deep in the Come, Follow Me study of the Doctrine and Covenants. Having just passed the halfway mark of the year, we also passed the anniversary of the Prophet Joseph’s martyrdom, June 27, 1844. Though I have written about him before, I feel compelled to write again in this day when many people question whether Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God.

My husband and I recently returned from Palmyra, New York and Kirtland, Ohio. Eighteen years ago, we visited church history sites there with our children, but felt a desire to revisit some of those places. We stayed in an Airbnb attached to a large home in Kirtland. The first morning there, I peeked out the upstairs window and was happy to see luscious red strawberries growing in the garden below. They brought back memories of the strawberries my brother, Robb, used to grow when he was our next-door neighbor. My mouth watered just thinking of those tender berries.

 

Seeing the fruit growing in that Kirtland garden sparked another memory. Years ago, while crossing a temple parking lot, my eyes were drawn to the low-growing ground cover in the landscaping. Are those strawberry plants? I wondered, surprised. The leaves looked similar to what my brother raised in his garden, but it seemed odd that there would be strawberries growing on the temple grounds. I examined the leaves more closely. Though a few tiny yellow flowers bloomed among them, I couldn’t detect any fruit.

Once I arrived home, I pulled out my gardening book and discovered that the plants I’d seen earlier were Barren Strawberry–so called because they produce no edible fruit.

 

Though the Prophet Joseph Smith may have little in common with strawberries, I believe that anyone struggling with a testimony of the Prophet will benefit from examining the fruits of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the fulness of the gospel which Joseph restored. Unlike the Barren Strawberry plant, which is all leaves and no fruit, the great work Joseph accomplished under the power and direction of God continues to bear beautiful fruit two centuries after the first seeds were sown.

FOCUS ON THE FRUITS

Prophecy fulfilled

One “fruit” of a true prophet is that their prophecies are eventually fulfilled. In 1834, Joseph Smith publicly made what seemed like an audacious claim, considering how small the membership and reach of the Church were at that time. He asked all priesthood holders to gather into a 14 x 14-foot square schoolhouse in Kirtland.

At one point in the meeting, Joseph made this prophecy: “… I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap. You don’t comprehend it. … It is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America — it will fill the world” (1)

The 2024 statistical report of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shows Church membership at 17,509,781. Nearly 75,000 fulltime missionaries are teaching the gospel worldwide. Joseph’s prophecy has certainly been fulfilled.

Temples

A second fruit of Joseph’s ministry is the spreading of holy temples throughout the earth. This is more than just building statistics. Because Joseph received the temple endowment by revelation, those who worthily visit these edifices to make covenants and engage in sacred ordinances are blessed in every aspect of their lives. I can testify of this from personal experience.

On a lovely evening last month, my husband and I took a rambling drive around the western and northern reaches of our valley, ending up at the future site of the Lehi temple, exactly one mile from our home. We sat on the foothills of Traverse Mountain, gazing across the valley just as dusk was falling and the temples were lit up. Saratoga Springs, Mount Timpanogos, Orem, and the Lindon temple–which will be dedicated soon.

Though the Provo Rock Canyon temple no longer stands, we could see where the new building is taking shape. A hill obscured the view of the Provo City Center temple, but we could picture it in our minds. And lastly, past the far tip of Utah lake, we could just make out the ghostly glow of the Payson temple.

As teenagers, Brad and I often heard President Joseph F. Smith’s quote that, “The time will come when this land will be dotted with temples.” We had no inkling back then that our beloved valley would someday be blessed with multiple houses of the Lord. The recent announcement of a new temple in Spanish Fork brings the total to nine. Across the globe, tens of thousands of ordinances are performed in holy spaces each week, unlocking endowments of heavenly power, and binding families together. Temples are one of the most visible fruits of the work Joseph Smith set in motion when he prayed in the Sacred Grove.

The Book of Mormon

In my mind, the most powerful proof that Joseph was a true prophet of God is the Book of Mormon. Historical evidence–including the words of his wife, Emma–points to the fact that Joseph’s writing and spelling skills were poor. Though he later improved markedly in these areas, at the time he translated the Book of Mormon, he was only twenty-three years old. He simply could not have written this volume of scripture.

Elder Tad R. Callister once asked, “…how did Joseph produce a book that radiates with the Spirit, and where did he get such profound doctrine, much of which clarifies or contradicts the Christian beliefs of his time?

“… In addition, one might ask: where did Joseph get the powerful insight that because of Christ’s Atonement, He can not only cleanse us but also perfect us? Where did he get the stunning sermon on faith in Alma 32? Or King Benjamin’s sermon on the Savior’s Atonement, perhaps the most remarkable sermon on this subject in all scripture? Or the allegory of the olive tree with all its complexity and doctrinal richness? When I read this allegory, I have to map it out to follow its intricacies. Are we now supposed to believe that Joseph Smith just dictated these sermons off the top of his head with no notes whatsoever?

“… To suggest that Joseph Smith at age twenty-three possessed the skills necessary to write this monumental work in a single draft in approximately sixty-five working days is simply counter to the realities of life.” (2)

I can testify with Elder Callister that I “… have come closer to God by reading this book than any other …” The most astonishing fact about the Book of Mormon is not that a young adult with limited education translated it from ancient records. The stunning truth about the Book of Mormon is that it can change your life. I know it has changed mine.

Powerful Revelations

A major motivation for my husband and I to return to Palmyra and Kirtland recently was the knowledge that our dear friends, Wayne and Dianne, currently serve as missionaries at the Kirtland and Hiram historical sites. They were kind enough to give us a private tour of the John and Elsa Johnson home and the Kirtland temple. As we listened to them bear testimony and share accounts of heavenly visions and revelations received in these sacred spaces, we were reminded of the staggering amount of truth and light that came by way of the Prophet Joseph. He referred to the upper room of the John and Elsa Johnson home as “the room of revelation,” for scores of revelations were received there.
As someone who grew up in a Latter-day Saint home and was taught the restored gospel since childhood, I suppose I have occasionally taken for granted many of the basic tenets of our faith. But the people of Joseph’s day were “blown away” by much of what he revealed. The First Vision, for instance, gave a true understanding of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. No one at the time was teaching that these were two separate Beings. Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants, with its teachings about the three degrees of glory, was shocking to most Christians who had been taught that very few of God’s children would be saved, and only those that He chose.

“Because of the Prophet Joseph Smith, we know that God loves us and still speaks to us today. We know that He has a plan for His children and has prepared a way for them to live with Him again. And we know that this is “[His] work and [His] glory–to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39) (3)

The name of Joseph Smith has certainly been had “… for good and evil among all nations …” (4) as the angel Moroni prophesied. As I have studied the Doctrine and Covenants this year and listened to many Come Follow Me-based podcasts, the words and testimonies of countless Latter-day Saint historians have impressed upon me this significant truth, which is compelling evidence in the Prophet’s favor:

Those who knew Joseph best, loved him most, trusted him most.

In 2018, I wrote of the foundation of my testimony of the Prophet: “My earliest memory of a spiritual experience involves Joseph Smith and Carthage Jail. I recall perching on a tiny chair in a Bloomington, Indiana church as my Jr. Sunday school teacher shared Joseph’s story, touching on the major points of his life. The teacher ended with the martyrdom of the prophet, showing a picture of the old Carthage Jail. Nearly [fifty-seven] years later I can still visualize the small classroom and remember the feeling that washed over me as my teacher bore her testimony to a group of children no more than five years old. Although I was too young back then to recognize that witness of the Holy Spirit for what it was, I have since learned why the experience left such an impression on my young heart.” (5)

The fruits of Joseph’s work are all around us. The church and gospel which he restored continue to roll forward like a “stone… cut out of the mountain without hands.” (Daniel 2:45) For decades, as I have studied, lived, and taught the precepts of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and stood in sacred spaces where Joseph communed with the Father and the Son, the Spirit has testified to me that Joseph Smith was called of God and was an instrument in bringing the true church and gospel back to the earth. By the witness of the Holy Ghost, you can know it too as you focus on the beautiful fruits of Joseph’s ministry.

Below, you can listen to recordings and download FREE sheet music of my compositions related to Joseph Smith and the Restoration:

O How Lovely Was the Morning (new musical setting):

Link to mp3:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/154HBdc6trc_a4N7pBGPi-LDvP_YhU_Qr/view

FREE sheet music pdf:

https://www.christoffersonmusic.com/_files/ugd/e7467c_999a7428e12848c0b473ef6a5d8110f0.pdf

 

 He Was Just a Boy:

FREE sheet music pdf: https://www.christoffersonmusic.com/_files/ugd/e7467c_3fa91f79d5214f0a9a5432619d5dc2e3.pdf

  

Hallowed Ground:

(No sheet music available yet.)

Notes:

1. Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff (2004), p. 25-26.
2. Elder Tad R. Callister, God’s Compelling Witness: The Book of Mormon, October 2017, general conference.
3. Gospel Study Guide: Joseph Smith, lds.org.com
4. Joseph Smith–History 1:33, Pearl of Great Price.
5. https://latterdaysaintmag.com/hallowed-ground-the-sacred-path-of-the-prophet-joseph/

 

How Did Saints in Kirtland Testify of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection?

View the original post on Scripture Central. 

Can You Really Put 1,000 People in the Kirtland Temple?

I have a gift. It’s a spiritual gift and I don’t know why it was given to me, but I exercise it fairly often. I don’t know the proper name for it, but it’s a gift for spatial vision. I can see in fairly short order whether or not these items will fit into that space. It took me a few years to understand it was a gift, because I could just see a space and see whether or not something would fit in that space—but it was often instantaneous. I exercised that gift recently as I sat in the Kirtland Temple and tried to see how the early Saints could possibly put 1,000 people in the Kirtland Temple for the dedication. It took me about two minutes. Let’s take a look together.

Now, this gift doesn’t help me with jigsaw puzzles or Tetris. It’s more like: Here’s the space, will all these things fit in that space? Do we need a 20’ truck or a 26’ truck to help move this young family? Will all that stuff we need for the hike fit in this backpack? Can we get all those items in that box? I know, it’s not as useful as the gift of tongues or of healing, but it just came with me.

Sunday, March 27, 1836 was one of the most significant days in early Church history. It was on this cold morning that hundreds gathered even before the doors of the Kirtland Temple were opened so that they could attend the dedication services. An estimated one thousand people gathered inside for the dedication—on the main floor. But is that even possible? We take tours here every year with 55 people gathering in that main level room. Could we put 945 more people in there with us? Let’s see.

As the doors opened just after 8:00 AM, Latter-day Saints began pouring into this part of the temple like a river overflowing its banks. They were enthusiastic to attend because most of them had given of their time and means to build this sacred structure—and that giving had gone on for about three years. Their sacrifices were deeply felt and the promises of this season were great to the Saints.[i]

Many of the saints, upon entering, may have looked up to see the grandeur of this magnificent House of the Lord that they had helped build. Thirty-three steps went steeply up to the left and to the right to lead to the next floor. The inside handrail on either staircase is the original to this day (188 years old). Some of the panes of glass on the inner window are still original from the time of the dedication.

As they entered the lower court or main floor, they would see a beautiful room filled with seating and magnificently hand-carved wood fluting on the columns and around the pulpits at either end of the room. Windows surrounded the room to let in outside light. But where was everyone going to sit? And how would they seat 1,000 individuals in this room? Let’s do some calculations.

We do not know how many people sang in the choir. No early accounts that I have studied give specifics on this as to numbers. At least twelve hymns were sung for the dedicatory service, many of which are sung in our congregations to this day.[ii] The most famous hymn, written for this very occasion, was Hymn 90 in the newly published (February 1836) hymnbook compiled by Sister Emma Hale Smith entitled “The Spirit of God like a fire is burning.” Written by William Wines Phelps, the newly composed hymn barely fit on the last pages of the little hymnal and had to be set in a smaller type font. Now, I have been in these choir boxes (seen above in the corner of the room). They are composed of four tiers and this same choir box configuration is in each corner of the room. You can “squeeze” 12 people in each of the boxes. So, from the choir seats alone, we can have 192 people; ie, 12 x 4 = 48 x 4 corners = 192. Whew! We are 19% of the way there!

Look to either side of the pulpits here. There are four boxed-in areas on either side. These are smaller than the choir seating boxes, but let’s add those into the mix. You can easily seat six people in each boxed area.

Yes, it would be tight, but you can do it. But, there is easily enough space there to put another row of six in each box. So, that’s 48 people on each side of the pulpits, making 96 in total. But wait! There’s a matching set in the back (eastern) side on this lower court, so double that number. We now can add 192 to our total. 192 + 192 = 384 people. We’re 38% of the way there.

Let’s look at the main seating areas. From this angle you can see that there are 9 boxed-in areas and two sets of these in the center seating area. I know how many people we get into these areas as tourists, but you can’t think that way. Take a look at how we have seated our tours—here we are singing The Spirt of God.

We usually put three couples, or six people in one boxed area. They have plenty of room to sit and listen to the tour or stand and sing as called upon. We have also put eight people in the boxed areas. Side note: Do you know the reason for those boxed areas in the early part of our country (and in Europe)? It was not only to keep children corralled; it was just for sheer warmth. Those pews, confined by the wooden walls and a latched entry were sold (not in the Latter-day Saint tradition) to congregant families to raise money for the church and help pay for the minister, priest or vicar. A plaque, often of brass, was placed at the entrance door to that pew area with the family’s name. These were often yearly dues that were then a continual stream of income for the local church (minister). By these means, that pew was forever that family’s (unless the fees weren’t paid). We do the same thing in our Latter-day Saint chapels today except we don’t have boxed areas or latched doors and we don’t pay any money for our pews; we just know which pew is ours by where we sit every week. Don’t you hate it when there’s a farewell or a homecoming and someone’s extended family has arrived early and they are sitting in “your pew”?! Ha! It’s all in our minds. I digress. Back to the Kirtland Temple.

The Sunday, March 27, 1836 dedicatory services were much anticipated and people would be willing to sacrifice their comfort to be a part of such an auspicious and sacred occasion. These main areas were actually divided into four sections. Veils or curtains could be lowered from the ceiling to then create four sections that were used as teaching areas (similar idea to what we use in overflow areas of our chapels or a young women’s room with multiple teaching areas with that locking curtain that we open or close to section off teaching areas today).

Yes, we put 8 people in one of these boxed areas, but at the dedication, they would likely have sat tighter and put two benches in the area so that sixteen people would have sat tightly together in each box. There are a total of 18 boxes in the center section. That’s another 288 people. Yes, it’s not comfortable in our standards of personal space today, but it’s reality for the early Latter-day Saints. That brings our total, 384 + 288, to 672. We’re over 67% now!

We’re running out of room, aren’t we? Let’s look further. On the north side and south side of the lower court (the main floor) we have another two sets of nine boxed areas. These sit right next to the windows and for that reason would have been colder than the center sections. At some point, the Prophet Joseph directed that the windows be opened so that people who were not able to get into the services could try to hear the proceeding through those opened windows. You can seat 12 in each of these areas, perhaps more, but let’s go with 12. That means we have 12 x 9 = 108 x 2 = 216 more people. That means we are at 888! We are getting so close! Let’s hope that the services don’t go on too long!

Now, we have three sets of pulpits at the west end and three sets of pulpits at the east end of the court. There is also a lower area for seating (and for blessing the sacrament) at the bottom of the pulpits. Three people can easily and symbolically be placed in each of those pulpit areas and in the bottom section. This gives us 12 more people at each end of the room (the most comfortably seated of anyone) and these were reserved from the Prophet Joseph and other leaders of the Church. That’s 24 more people. You can also put at least two people beside the pulpits, one on either side, which would add (3 x 2 = 6 x 2 = 12) 12 more people. We are now up to 924! We are packed in as tight as possible! But the reports say more than 1,000 people attended.

Wait! From the records we know that there were at least 72 children who sat on laps through the services! And that first dedicatory session went on for more than 7 hours! That was one of the miracles that day! So, we are at 996 and that does not account for any ushers (two at each entry would make 4) or standing-room-only people, plus there are some sitting areas in the very front of the room as well that may have been used. And this doesn’t account for all the angels that were present, both seen and unseen!

And now, you can picture this.

 

Notes: 

[i] See, for example, Doctrine and Covenants 97:15-16. Herein the Lord promises that His “glory shall rest upon [the temple]” and “all the pure in heart that shall come unto it shall see God.”

[ii] From extent historical records we know the following hymns were sung at the dedication: Redeemer of Israel; O Thou in Whose Presence; Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken; How Firm a Foundation; Guide Us, O Thou Great Jehovah (the original words were: Guide me, O thou great Jehovah; Pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but thou are mighty; Hold me with thy powerful hand; Bread of heaven, Bread of Heaven, Feed me till I want no more. Feed me till I want no more.); O Happy Souls; Lord of the Worlds Above; How Pleased and Blest Was I; This Earth Was Once a Garden Place; E’er Long the Veil Will Rend in Twain; Now Let Us Rejoice; The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning. What a glorious heritage of music we have from the dedication of the Kirtland Temple!

An Interview with Joseph Smith

Cover image via Gospel Media Library. 

All of the following are Joseph Smith’s words, excepting those in italics.

Me: Today, I have the honor and privilege of interviewing Joseph Smith Jr., the Prophet of the Restoration. I am humbled and intimidated. Thank you, President Smith, for agreeing to this interview. I have wondered how I should address you. I have read that in your day you were called Joseph and Brother Joseph by Church members. Today, when we speak of our prophet, we use the dignity of his full name and title—President Russell M. Nelson. If I were to interview him, I would address him as “President Nelson.” In like manner, I would like to call you, President Smith. May I begin by asking you what is your role in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? 

President Smith: I have the honor, under God, of being the founder. And since you have taken the proper steps to obtain correct information from me all that I shall ask… is that you publish the account entire, ungarnished, and without misrepresentation. 

Me: I will. Using the technology of today, here is the link to the full text of the Wentworth Letter from which these statements come: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/6720/6720-h/6720-h.htm.

President Smith: Thank you.

Me: May we begin by learning a little about your early life?

President Smith: I was born in the town of Sharon, Windsor co., Vermont, on the 23d of December, A.D. 1805. When ten years old my parents removed to Palmyra, New York, where we resided about four years, and from thence we removed to the town of Manchester. My father was a farmer and taught me the art of husbandry. Because my time here is short, rather than rehearse my personal history, I would like to discuss the rise, progress, persecution, and faith of the Latter-day Saints.

Me: Of course. I do know that many of the details of your early life are in the Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith-History. Is asking you how old were you when you began to think about God a good place to begin?

President Smith: When about fourteen years of age I began to reflect upon the importance of being prepared for a future state, and upon enquiring [of] the plan of salvation I found that there was a great clash in religious sentiment; if I went to one society they referred me to one plan, and another to another, each one pointing to his own particular creed as the summum bonum of perfection: considering that all could not be right, and that God could not be the author of so much confusion I determined to investigate the subject more fully, believing that if God had a church, it would not be split up into factions, and that if he taught one society to worship one way, and administer in one set of ordinances, He would not teach another, principles which were diametrically opposed.

Me: May I ask where you went to find answers?

President Smith: Believing the word of God, I had confidence in the declaration of James; “If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him.”

Me: That is incredible. Do I understand that you read a verse in the book of James in the Bible and founded a church from there?

President Smith: No. I pondered intently on how to proceed and “at length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God.” (Joseph Smith-History 1:13). At length I retired to a secret place in a grove and began to call upon the Lord, while fervently engaged in supplication my mind was taken away from the objects with which I was surrounded, and I was enwrapped in a heavenly vision and saw two glorious personages who exactly resembled each other in features and likeness, surrounded with a brilliant light which eclipsed the sun at noon-day. They told me that all religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines and that none of them was acknowledged of God as His Church and kingdom. And I was expressly commanded to “go not after them,” at the same time receiving a promise that the fullness of the gospel should at some future time be made known unto me. 

Me: What a truly, remarkable experience. It reminds me of the story in the Bible when the boy Samuel was called to be a prophet. I assume you followed the instruction not to join any church and that you were anxious to receive the gospel in its fullness.

President Smith: Yes. But I heard nothing more for three and one-half years. Then on the evening of the 21st of September, A.D. 1823, while I was praying unto God, and endeavoring to exercise faith in the precious promises of scripture on a sudden a light like that of day, only of a far purer and more glorious appearance, and brightness burst into the room, indeed the first sight was as though the house was filled with consuming fire; the appearance produced a shock that affected the whole body; in a moment a personage stood before me surrounded with a glory yet greater than that with which I was already surrounded. This messenger proclaimed himself to be an angel of God sent to bring the joyful tidings, that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled, that the preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah was speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the gospel, in all its fulness to be preached in power, unto all nations that a people might be prepared for the millennial reign.

Me: You were so young, just seventeen. Were you told why you were receiving this information?

President Smith: I was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God to bring about some of His purposes in this glorious dispensation.

Me: Oh, how much was placed upon your young shoulders. May I ask what else you learned? 

President Smith: I was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this country (America), and shown who they were, and from whence they came; a brief sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws, governments, of their righteousness and iniquity, and the blessings of God being finally withdrawn from them as a people was made known unto me.

Me: I assume by “aboriginal inhabitants of this country,” you mean the Native Americans.

President Smith: Correct. I was also told where there was deposited some plates on which were engraven an abridgment of the records of the ancient prophets that had existed on this continent. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country.

Me: That’s a lot to take in. I’m surprised you remember the details.

President Smith: The angel appeared to me three times the same night and unfolded the same things. 

Me: The very same things?

President Smith: That is how I could remember so well. The angel also appeared to me the next morning and repeated, yet again, the same information and instructions.

 Me: I’m curious about the Indians. Did you learn anything more about them?

President Smith: I did. On the plates, the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the Tower of Babel, at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites and came directly from the Tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites, of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century.

Me: That would be interesting to read. Did you ever see the plates or read these writings. 

President Smith: After having received many visits from the angels of God unfolding the majesty and glory of the events that should transpire in the last days, on the morning of the 22d of September, A.D. 1827, the angel of the Lord delivered the records into my hands.

Me: What did the plates look like?

President Smith Jr: These records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold, each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long and not quite so thick as common tin. They were filled with engravings, in Egyptian characters and bound together in a volume, as the leaves of a book with three rings running through the whole. The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed. The characters on the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction and much skill in the art of engraving.

Me: Did you know how to read Egyptian?

President Smith: No, but with the records was found a curious instrument which the ancients called “Urim and Thummim,” which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breastplate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift, and power of God.

Me: From what you said, the story on the plates is all about war.

President Smith: No, not at all. The book tells us that our Savior made his appearance upon this continent after his resurrection, that he planted the gospel here in all its fulness, and richness, and power, and blessing; that they had apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists; the same order, the same priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers, and blessings, as was enjoyed on the eastern continent, that the people were cut off in consequence of their transgressions, that the last of their prophets who existed among them was commanded to write an abridgment of their prophecies, history, &c., and to hide it up in the earth, and that it should come forth and be united with the bible for the accomplishment of the purposes of God in the last days. 

Me: Do you encourage others to read this book? 

President Smith: Yes, absolutely. For a more particular account I would refer to the Book of Mormon, which can be purchased at Nauvoo, or from any of our travelling elders.

Me: At what point did you organize the church? 

President Smith: On the 6th of April, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was first organized in the town of Manchester, Ontario co., state of New York. Some few were called and ordained by the spirit of revelation, and prophecy, and began to preach as the spirit gave them utterance, and though weak, yet were they strengthened by the power of God, and many were brought to repentance, were immersed in the water, and were filled with the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. They saw visions and prophesied, devils were cast out and the sick healed by the laying on of hands. From that time the work rolled forth with astonishing rapidity, and churches were formed in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri; in the last-named state a considerable settlement was formed in Jackson co.; numbers joined the Church and we were increasing rapidly; we made large purchases of land, our farms teemed with plenty, and peace and happiness were enjoyed in our domestic circle and throughout our neighborhood.

Me: Earlier you mention that you experienced persecution.

President Smith: Soon after my first vision, I told a minister about it. From that point on false reports, misrepresentation, and slander flew as on the wings of the wind in every direction. Persecution increased and forced us from place to place. In Missouri an organized mob assembled and burned our houses, tarred and feathered, and whipped many of our brethren and finally drove them from their habitations; who, houseless, and homeless, contrary to law, justice, and humanity, had to wander on the bleak prairies till the children left the tracks of their blood on the prairie, this took place in the month of November, and they had no other covering but the canopy of heaven, in this inclement season of the year; this proceeding was winked at by the government and although we had warrantee deeds for our land, and had violated no law we could obtain no redress.

Me: How horrific. Where did you go then?

President Smith: We arrived in the state of Illinois in 1839, where we found a hospitable people and a friendly home; a people who were willing to be governed by the principles of law and humanity. We have commenced to build a city called “Nauvoo” in Hancock co., we number from six to eight thousand here besides vast numbers in the county around and in almost every county of the state. We have a city charter granted us and a charter for a legion the troops of which now number 1,500. We have also a charter for a university, for an agricultural and manufacturing society, have our own laws and administrators, and possess all the privileges that other free and enlightened citizens enjoy.

Me: How has the Church grown so rapidly?

President Smith: Persecution has not stopped the progress of truth, but has only added fuel to the flame, it has spread with increasing rapidity… into England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. In the year 1839 where a few of our missionaries were sent over five thousand joined the standard of truth, there are numbers now joining in every land. Our missionaries are going forth to different nations, and in Germany, Palestine, New Holland, the East Indies, and other places.

Me: What do you feel is the future of the Church?

President Smith: The standard of truth has been erected: no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing, persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.

Me: Thank you for this profound interview.

President Smith: I must say in parting that the Book of Mormon is “the most correct of any book on earth” (Introduction to the Book of Mormon) and another testament of Jesus Christ. I must also say that after dedicating the temple at Kirtland, Oliver Cowdery and I saw Jesus Christ “on the right hand of God…. Jesus is the Only Begotten of the Father… and we are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:22-24). This “work… is destined to bring about the destruction of the powers of darkness, the renovation of the earth, the glory of God, and the salvation of the human family” (Teaching, 232).