Leaving Missouri - building Nauvoo

When the saints were in Missouri, they were surrounded by people who were very coarse, crass, non-Christian, and wild-west style. Governor Boggs issued the famous extermination order against the Mormons basically giving all residents there permission to take property, belongs, and life from the Mormons. They put Joseph Smith and the whole first presidency (Joseph Smith, Sydney Rigdon, and Hyrum Smith), among others, in Liberty Jail. They were there from December to April – basically 4 months. Joseph was 33 and was told this would be “but a small moment.” Our “small moments” don’t feel so small when we’re going through them, but in the eternal scheme of things, it is small. 

Anyway, he was told that it would be a small moment and was also told that the saints would stay loyal, which they did.

While they were in prison, the presidency of the quorum of the twelve was in charge of the Church. The president was Brigham Young and one of his counselors was Heber C Kimball.  Also, new apostles were called to replace some who had apostatized or died. Among the new apostles were John taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and George Albert Smith.

In February Brigham Young were praying about what to do about the persecution and was inspired that they should leave Missouri and migrate to Illinois, which was back east, about as far as from here to Reno, NV.

They had to leave almost everything they had – their homes and their possessions. One man sold his 40 acres for a blind mare and a clock. Most property sold for $.50/acre.

They were forced to leave in winter, one of the worst winters – so cold that the Mississippi river froze over. The other time the river froze over was the last time the saints had to cross it. So they were a little blessed that it was frozen so they could cross, but it was bitter cold. 8,000 went to Illinois. 

Emma had to make the trip with her four children – she carried two and the other two held on to her skirts. She had a wagon with 2 horses, but was afraid the weight of them in the wagon would break the ice, so they walked. She had to gather the most important of their possessions to take with them. 

One of the things she took was the manuscripts of the translation that Joseph was doing of the Bible. He hadn’t finished and she put all of them in cloth bags (like pillowcases?) and tied them to her waist and wore them under her skirts because it was illegal for anyone to search women under their skirts. She knew they would be safe there, but it also caused that much more weight for her to carry while walking and holding two children.

The first saints arrived in Quincy, a town of about 1500 people, who had heard of them and what had happened in Missouri and welcomed the saints with open arms. Many opened their homes and took people in; they created a committee to collect money and goods for them and offered them jobs.

The jailors at Liberty jail were told to move the Joseph Smith and the other prisoners, and the jailors felt they were innocent, so in route they gave them horses and allowed them to escape. Joseph when he arrived in Quincy they held a council and decided to move another 35 miles north of Quincy. 

There they purchased land on credit from Quincy. It was originally called “Commerce”, but Joseph didn’t think that was an appropriate name, so changed it to Nauvoo, which is Hebrew for Beautiful.

The reason they could buy Nauvoo cheap was that it was a swamp and infested with mosquitoes. The set about draining the swamp, but the mosquitoes were a serious problem, carrying Malaria. Many of the saints got very, very sick, including Joseph Smith. July 22 was called the Day of Healing. Joseph decided he didn’t have time to be sick, so he got up and gave himself a Priesthood blessing and was healed immediately. Then he went about healing all those of his family and the other families they had taken in. Then he went from house to house and tent to tent, healing all the families as they went. 

People were healed immediately and began following him as he went on healing people. One man, Elijah Fordham was so near death, that his skin was grey and lips blue. Joseph asked him if he had to faith to be healed, and he said, “I fear I am beyond that”. Joseph said, “Do you believe in Christ?” and he said, “Yes.” Joseph blessed him and he leaped out of bed.

Word of this spread to non-members and one asked of the Mormon prophet would bless his twins. Joseph couldn’t go but sent his red silk handkerchief with someone else to heal them. He told them to wipe their heads with it. Laurel said sometimes God uses a visual to increase the faith of those involved.

In four years Nauvoo became one of the largest cities in Illinois. As soon families were settled, they were commanded to send the men on missions. Orson Hyde was called to go to Israel to dedicate the holy land. Brigham Young and Heber C Kimball were so sick with malaria when they left for their mission that they could barely climb into the wagon. But when they got to the top of the hill, Heber suggested that they try to stand to wave farewell. So they did and with their handkerchiefs looked back to their families who were still waiting and watching them go, and yelled “Hoorah, hoorah for Israel”.

That they said that, instead of “goodbye, we love you!” shows how well they understood the importance of the assignment of Ephriam from the premortal life to carry the gospel to the house of Israel. They understood that the gentiles will have no interest in the gospel – less than 10% of gentiles will accept but the House of Israel are those with “believing blood” and know the truth when they hear it.

Converts from those missionaries came by the thousands to gather in Nauvoo.

But Missouri was not to be forgotten. Joseph Smith made a list of grievances against those in Missouri. He made a careful record to take to the president of the U.S. He was told by the Lord, “Let us cheerfully do all that is in our power and then leave the rest to God.”

Joseph had hundreds of accounts of what had happened in Missouri that he took to the president. The U.S. congressman from Illinois went with him to give him more credibility. They traveled 1,000 miles to see President Van Buren. He asked the congressman to introduce him as a Latter-Day-Saint instead of a Mormon. The President listened then basically said that if he did anything about it, he would lose all the votes of those from Missouri in the next election. Turned out he lost anyway. He should have helped them!

Then Joseph sent a petition to congress, but they said they couldn’t do anything about it, so they sent their petition to God.

The saints worked hard to build the temple. Joseph Smith had received a revelation about vicarious work for the dead but hadn’t told anyone yet. When Joseph Smith Sr. was dying (he had started coughing up blood), they called all their kids to be there. Joseph jr. got to have some time alone with him and told him of the revelation of work for the dead and it made him very, very happy because when Alvin died, the minister told him it was a shame that he died so young and would go to hell. 

Joseph Smith Sr. asked JS.jr to please get Alvin’s work done immediately. J.S. Sr told blessed him and told him he would be able to live long enough to finish the work. Joseph jr. said, “Will I, father?” Will I really?” JS jr and sr were very close and when it was time for him to prepare, he told Emma he wanted to be buried next to his father. JS, sr told his wife, Lucy Mack Smith, “I know that we had planned to go together, but I need you to stay and be a comfort to our children.” Laurel said maybe this is the reason so many women outlive their husbands – so they can be of comfort to their children.

Then Joseph Smith Sr. looked up and said, “Oh Alvin! And then he crossed his arms and breathed his final breath.

In the October General Conference that year, Joseph announced the revelation of work for the dead. Everyone was so happy and excited that between that and the next session, people went to the river and were baptized for others who had died. Emma was baptized for her father, Isaac Hale. Later it was shown that women should be baptized for women and men for men.

D&C 24, they were told that doing the baptisms in the river was only temporary until the temple was ready.

Laurel talked about how happy the saints are on the other side when they see us in the temple doing the work. Great rejoicing!

Truth Will Prevail

Truth Will Prevail

Laurel Lawrence’s class 1/10/19

Elder Elder M. Russell Ballard gave a fireside:

What Came from Kirtland

Nov. 6, 1994 • Devotional

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/m-russell-ballard_came-kirtland/

The Lawrence’s were neighbors to Elder Ballard and got to know him very well while Elder Lawrence was a 70.

Joseph Smith was Elder Ballard’s great uncle, so he felt very close to him.

Joseph Smith lived in Kirtland 7 years. That was the longest he ever lived anywhere in his life. There were more heavenly manifestations there than anywhere else. Half of the D & C was received there. Kirtland is where Joseph Smith translated portions of the Bible and where they received the Pearl of Great Price!

  

At this time (1835) while the Kirtland temple was being built and new converts were arriving EVERY DAY, traveling salesmen found that it was a great place for commerce. One of the traveling salesmen was Michael Chandler, nephew of Lebolo, a famous Italian explorer who had discovered a bunch of ruins and had mummies and scrolls and such. Lebolo had kept all his ruins in a museum but when he died (in 1830 – amazing timing!), he willed all of them to Michael Chandler, and had them shipped to him in the United States.

Chandler didn’t really know what to do with them and eventually started a touring museum. Some place he went someone told him that he should show his stuff to Joseph Smith because everyone knew he was interested in ancient artifacts. So Chandler when to Kirtland, and yes – Joseph Smith was very interested in the scrolls that he had. Chandler wanted to sell all of it to Joseph Smith, so he let him take some home to try to translate. He had previously had a languages scholar translate a portion of the scrolls and he wanted to see if Joseph got the same translation as the scholar.

When Joseph Smith took them home and translated, he saw that they were writings from Moses and Abraham and of great worth, so he decided to buy them.  Chandler wanted to sell the 4 mummies with the scrolls, but JS didn’t want the mummies, just the scrolls.  Chandler was amazed that JS translated exactly the same as the experts! Joseph Smith bought them for $2400. The members there were so excited to get them that they put in $$ to help with the purchase. It is equal to $60,000 of our $$.

The Pearl of Great Price contains many things we don’t have anywhere else.

1.       Worlds without number

2     .       The creation – spiritual creation

3     .       Much more information about Cain and Able – that they were grandsons or great grandsons of Adam; that they held the Melchizedek priesthood and that’s why Cain could become a Son of Perdition – he sinned against the greater light.

4     .       The History of Abraham and how he was almost sacrificed as a child, so it was way harder for him when the Lord asked him to sacrifice his own son.

5     .       Facsimiles – it is the only scripture we have that has facsimiles.

6     .       The story of Enoch, that he was asked to preach, that he had many obstacles, that he was given the sealing power – all that compared to 1 sentence in the Bible. The saints at that time needed this example to know how to build up Zion.

7     .       Premortality – there is nothing in the D & C and only 1 verse in Jeremiah, but a lot in the Pearl of Great Price about the pre mortal life.

8     .       That 1 day to God is 1,000 of our years; This is also in Peter, but not as clear-"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."  Peter 3:8. Compared to the PofGP- "And the Lord said unto me, by the Urim and Thummim, that Kolob was after the manner of the Lord, according to its times and seasons in the revolutions thereof; that one revolution was a day unto the Lord, after his manner of reckoning, it being one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standest. This is the reckoning of the Lord's time, according to the reckoning of Kolob." Abr 3:4
-      Based on this, mathematically 1.5 times your age in years = minutes in God's time (it is only "approximate") So if you are 60 years old, that’s 60 + 30 = 90 minutes you’ve been gone from heaven.

Satan always strikes when God sends new light and knowledge. In spite of the new temple and new scriptures, the spirit of apostasy grew. It was the greatest apostasy in the history of the Church.

It was literally the best of times and the worst of times.

Joseph Smith prayed of what to do and the answer was to send missionaries to England. 6 of the most faithful men were sent. Among them was Heber C Kimball and Joseph Fielding.  

They were sent to England because much of the tribe of Ephriam dwells in those parts. Ephriam’s assignment is the Gathering of Israel. They had to gather to Zion. Whenever Israel is commanded to gather in any place, it is to increase/multiply and build temples. The saints needed to multiply and reproduce to create an army of missionaries.

Marriage has always been commanded to be between 1 man and 1 woman unless God needs to raise up righteous seed. Like Jacob 2:30 and like Jacob (Israel) had 4 wives.

Polygamy only lasted 40 years and only 20%-25% of the members participated. It was a calling; not something everyone was asked to do.  At the MTC, the whenever the president is asked why we practiced polygamy in the early years of the church, the answer was to raise up righteous army of missionaries. Then he would ask the missionaries to raise their hands if they knew they were descended from a polygamy marriage. 90% usually raise their hands.

In England, the missionaries were impressed to go to Preston where the brother of Mary Fielding and Joseph Fielding lived. His name was James and he was a preacher. They both had written to him many times about the new religion that they had found and had tried to convince him to investigate it, but he never did. When they went there, he agreed to let them come to his congregation to preach. He knew the members would find it interesting and he felt no threat of losing anyone, he just thought, as all his congregation did, that it would be something rather novel to listen to.

But after they preached, many were interested in knowing more, so John had to forbid them from listening more, and shut his doors to them, so they started teaching people in their own homes. It hardened his heart against the Church because he ended up losing most of his congregation. This was repeated in all the towns. The local preacher would invite them to preach to their congregation, they would convert many, then the preachers would forbid them to return and try to convince people to not listen to them.

When the missionaries first arrived in Preston, they felt very intimidated and insecure. They felt like hillbillies -  very inadequate in a highly educated town but when they arrived it was an election day, and there was a banner over the street that said, “Truth will prevail”. They all felt it was a sign that their truth  - what they were teaching from God – would prevail.

Satan tried to stop the work there. The first Sunday that they scheduled a baptism, 9 were ready to be baptized, one man, Isaac Russell went to Heber C Kimball and said that Satan had been bothering him all night. They laid their hands on Isaac and were struck to the floor. They had a vision of Satan and all the hosts for an hour. The spirits came at them with hate and hellish design. He said they were adult men spirits. It was a vision of sweat and pain and the most horrible experience they had ever had. https://scottwoodward.org/satan_eldersexperienceinEngland.html

After their mission, Kimball told Joseph Smith about it and JS said he already knew about it and was happy because he knew that the work had commenced.

At the first baptism, the men ran into the water because they each wanted to be the first to be baptized. Soon there were 27 members of the Preston branch which made James very angry.

Then the missionaries split up and went to different cities. The Preston branch grew; Ephriam means fruitful.

Later the converts were asked to immigrate to the U.S.

Charles Dickens was at the dock when 800 members were leaving and he wrote about the great quality of the people who left. He said they were the pick and flower of England – some of the choicest people. https://www.lds.org/new-era/1976/01/the-pick-and-flower-of-england?lang=eng&_r=1

The Captain of the ship was impressed because they were so organized and happy. He had never had a group of passengers like them.

In the meantime in Kirtland, Joseph Smith was trying to translate the Bible and he read about plural marriage. As always, he prayed about it and God told him it was true and that the Saints would be asked to do the same. He was shocked and ignored the counsel for a long time. He was told he had to be the first as an example but keep it sacred and not tell people. Then an angel appeared to him with a sword and essentially said, “do it or die” and commanded him to do it.

Reluctantly he married.

There was so much apostasy he hesitated but eventually told other leaders. 99% of those who practiced polygamy received a direct personal revelation about it. It was not a calling to all to do.

Many men were in a state of apostasy. They seized the temple and threatened to drive out all who followed Joseph. One of the wives of the men on a mission in England wrote to him and said she was glad he wasn’t there to see what was going on because it was terrible.

Joseph prayed about what to do now and was told to take everyone to Missouri .

It took weeks to get there but it was a fresh start. This is where Joseph Smith received the revelation to change the name of the Church from Church of Christ to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, to distinguish them from the ones who took over the temple and kicked them out of Kirtland. They were told that Far Went is Holy Ground but got no explanation as to why. As they wandered around and went to Spring Hill, it was revealed that this was Adam Ondi Ahman (D&C 107) where Adam dwelled. There Adam gathered all righteous to give his farewell. Jesus appeared and told them Adam was Michael. Adam lived to 900+ years.

It is a place that has perfect acoustics. There Adam will return and Christ and they will take the Sacrament with the saints – all who have held the Priesthood keys will give an accounting of their time. This will be right before the 2^nd coming.