Come Follow Me: D&C 121-123
The hope of building strong stakes of Zion in Far West and Adam-Ondi-Ahman was short-lived. Both places were considered sacred by the Lord, and a temple was planned for each of the cities, however the persecution they left behind in Kirtland and Jackson county soon followed them.
Far West temple site
Skirmishes occurred. David W. Patton, the president of the Twelve was killed in a battle. A massacre happened at Haun's Mill (situated between Far West and Adam-Ondi-Ahman) that killed over a dozen members and wounded many more. Fights broke out at county polling places, where members sought to cast their votes.
Joseph would call for all the saints to gather at Far West for protection. Sadly, he was betrayed by some of his closest friends, like W.W. Phelps, and fell into the hands of his enemies. The order was made for Joseph and the others to be shot the next day. General Alexander Doniphan refused to obey the order, saving their lives. Joseph, Hyrum, Sidney, Parley P. Pratt and others were led away to prison. Most of them stayed at Liberty Jail, while Parley and others were imprisoned in Richmond. They would be in prison from 4-6 months.
statue of Alesander Doniphan, Richmond courthouse
In Liberty Jail, they stayed in an underground room, with walls several feet thick. The only access was by a ladder through a hole in the ceiling. The ceiling was low, not allowing any of the men to stand straight up.
As terrible as it was in the jail, it was worse for many of the saints. Brigham Young was the new president of the Quorum of Twelve, and the chiefest leader in Missouri not in prison. It would be his responsibility to lead the saints out of the state. The Missourians stole their property, lands, homes and animals. Many were beaten by them. Some women were raped. Recent studies suggest that Eliza R. Snow was gang raped, leaving her barren. Thousands of saints walked across the frozen landscape to Illinois, where the kind people of Warsaw took many of them in.
After spending several months in prison, and hearing of the horrific things the Missourians were doing to the saints, Joseph plead to God regarding the tragedies befalling the saints.
"O God, art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy ?
" long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?
"Yea, O Lord, long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful , before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with toward them?
"O Lord God , maker of , earth, and seas, and of all things that in them are, and who controllest and subjectest the devil, and the dark and benighted dominion of Sheol—stretch forth thy hand; let thine eye pierce; let thy be taken up; let thy no longer be covered; let thine ear be inclined; let thine be softened, and thy bowels moved with compassion toward us.
"Let thine be kindled against our enemies; and, in the fury of thine heart, with thy us of our wrongs.
"Remember thy saints, O our God; and thy servants will rejoice in thy name forever." (D&C 121:1-6)
How difficult must it be for God to see such suffering and have to stay his hand, so that all of his works can come to pass! When the Lord showed Enoch that he was going to destroy the world by flood, God wept (Moses 7:28). When Jesus approached the tomb of his friend Lazarus, he wept. Much of the Christian world believe God is not moved, touched or phased by the things of this world. However, we know that God is the Most Moved Mover. He is all in. When we weep, he weeps. He cares when we hurt, fall, or are broken. He cared that Joseph was imprisoned and the saints were refugees.
Look at Jesus' kind response to Joseph's prayer:
"My son, be unto thy soul; thine and thine afflictions shall be but a moment;
"And then, if thou it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy .
"Thy do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands." (D&C 121: 7-9)
Speaking of the wicked Missourians, the Lord explained they would receive their judgment day:
"And not many years hence, that they and their shall be from under heaven, saith God, that not one of them is left to stand by the wall." (vs 15)Twenty-one years later, the Civil War would begin. In 1862 the area (particularly Independence) would be engaged in the first of two battles between the South (Missourians) under General Quantrille, and the northerners living in Kansas. Quantrille would win the first battle, and would harass the towns in Kansas. The Second battle of Independence would occur in 1864, where southern General Price would win, but soon lose as he advanced on Kansas City to union General Curtis. To prevent any more raids, General Curtis would invade northwestern Missouri and empty it of inhabitants for the rest of the Civil War.
Yet, during the winter of 1838-39, the saints would continue to suffer. Judgment of the wicked would have to wait until their wickedness was full and the Lord was prepared to judge.
However, the Lord could give promises to the saints:
"God shall give unto you by his , yea, by the unspeakable of the Holy Ghost, that has not been since the world was until now;
"Which our forefathers have awaited with expectation to be revealed in the last times, which their minds were pointed to by the angels, as held in reserve for the fulness of their glory;
"A time to come in the which shall be withheld, whether there be or many , they shall be manifest.
"All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be and set forth upon all who have endured for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
"And also, if there be set to the heavens or to the seas, or to the dry land, or to the sun, moon, or stars—
"All the times of their revolutions, all the appointed days, months, and years, and all the days of their days, months, and years, and all their , laws, and set times, shall be revealed in the days of the of the fulness of times..." (vs 26-31)
God would send the Holy Ghost to inspire and reveal truth, both to the saints and the world. To the saints, the Spirit would reveal spiritual truths: that there are many gods, and spiritual dominions and powers revealed - particularly in the Nauvoo temple period.
But, the Spirit would also inspire scientists, historians, and others to increase knowledge and light. Less than a century later, man would fly, Einstein would reveal the secrets of Relativity, Hubble would discover there are billions of galaxies in our universe. Man would plumb the depths of the ocean, and land on the moon. Captain Kirk would actually go into space in his 90th year.
In economics, capitalism would lift the human race, from 95% in extreme poverty in Joseph Smith's time, to less than 10% in extreme poverty in our day. Knowledge would flood the earth, as sbillions of us have access to all the information on the internet today.
God's promises in D&C 121 are fulfilled in our day, the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times.
Included in this section is the importance of righteously using the priesthood, whether in a Church calling or at home.
"No or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the , only by , by , by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
"By , and pure , which shall greatly enlarge the without , and without —
" betimes with , when upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
"That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of .
"Let thy also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy wax strong in the of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the from heaven.
"The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant , and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of and truth; and thy shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever." (vs 41-46)
In the October 2021 General Conference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland noted that the "first great commandment in the universe is to love God," with all our heart, might, mind and strength. He then noted that "the first great truth in the universe" is that God loves us that exact same way. When these two forces of love combine, creates an explosion of heavenly power that is unleashed upon the world for good. When we use such love of God and man with our families and those we serve, we create miracles that change lives in positive ways.
When this occurs, according to Elder Holland quoting Chardin, we will have discovered fire for the second time.
D&C 122
Often when we are in great trials, we will ask, "why me?" Here the Lord enumerates many things that DID occur to Joseph and more, to show that the righteous will often be tried by the actions of the wicked. But even through all these trials, who among us can say we have suffered more than Christ? Who of us has descended below ALL things? Who among us has taken upon ourselves all the sins and pains of the world? Who had to hang on a cross, alone, so that even the companionship of God has been removed ("Oh God! Why hast thou forsaken me?)?
Christ has not, nor will ever, forsake us. He will stand by us through out all of our struggles, trials, and pains. This is true whether evil is thrust upon us by others, by nature, we were born with difficulties, or we caused the trials ourselves. As noted above by Elder Holland, the first great truth of the universe is that God loves us. He will always be there. When others fail us, as others flee, Christ will stand with us and even carry us if necessary.
what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever." (vs 9)D&C 123
The Dispensation of the Fullness of Times opened with the Lord telling the 14 year old prophet that the creeds of man were an abomination to him. Here, the Lord explains that the wicked justify their murders, rapes, and evil with their false creed and traditions.
"It is an imperative duty that we owe to God, to angels, with whom we shall be brought to stand, and also to ourselves, to our wives and , who have been made to bow down with grief, sorrow, and care, under the most damning hand of murder, tyranny, and , supported and urged on and upheld by the influence of that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the whole groans under the weight of its iniquity.
"It is an iron , it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of ." (vs 7-8)
Latter-day Saints can also be caught up in false traditions and creeds that lead them to do terrible things. False beliefs justify wickedness, as we shall see among the saints about a decade later at the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Wrong creeds and beliefs will prevent those of African descent from the priesthood blessings for over a century. False beliefs cause many Americans to fear immigrants, and refuse vaccination (there are legitimate reasons to not be vaccinated, but many who refuse it do it for other reasons, including the belief that government has inserted nanobots in the vaccine). The list goes on.
There is difference between truth/doctrine and theory. "Jesus is the Christ" is a doctrine. How Jesus atoned for our sins is theory. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, is doctrine. Where the Book of Mormon took place is theory. There's nothing wrong with theory, as long as we recognize it as theory and not make it into a false creed. Such leads mankind, including saints, away from the Lord and His truth.
In the October 2021 General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson opening remarks encouraged us to seek "pure truth, the pure Doctrine of Christ, and pure revelation."
This begs the question: how much "impure" truth, doctrine and revelation have we accepted from the world, family, or even Sunday School teachers? How diligent are we in seeking the pure light from pure sources? Do we open our mind towards listening to the prophets in all things? Or only in the things we are comfortable with? Do we embrace the words of dead prophets over living ones, because they are more easily digested?
Are we searching for pure truth, doctrine and revelation, or do we casually sit by and wait for it to drop in our laps? In the meanwhile, do we allow the creeds of the world to corrupt our minds and faith? What are we doing to heed President Nelson's call?
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