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Church History Matters
167 - D&C 124 CFM - Why God Told The Saints To Start Over - E44 Oct 27 - Nov 2
01:16:34
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- [00:00]
A
Let's build something so that people can come and just get to know us. And if they want to convert, great, let them come and contemplate the glories of Zion. But if they don't, at least they'll know us and they'll know that we're not ill intentioned, that we're not malevolent, that we're not doing secret things to try to destroy the world, that we're not satanic. And it does sort of work.
- [00:21]
B
This is it. This is the whole package.
- [00:23]
A
This is the beginning of something that's going to be really important in the church. In fact, it's at the heart of everything we do today.
- [00:29]
B
Yeah, this is like the climax of the entire a restoration. Hello, Casey.
- [00:34]
A
Hello, Scott. We're starting a whole new, I guess, epoch in church history here. Section124 is the start of a new era in church history. And it might be the most controversial, but maybe the most interesting era in the history of the church. I mean, they're all controversial and they're all interesting, but this one has some big things happening in it.
- [00:54]
B
Welcome to Nauvoo.
- [00:56]
A
Yes, things start happening really fast during the last five years of Joseph Smith's life. And section 124 kind of kicks that off.
- [01:04]
B
And this, by the way, Section 124 is the longest revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants. Welcome, brothers and sisters. We made it here in Nauvoo. And Casey, we don't have a lot of revelations in the period of Nauvoo, but boy, does the length of this one in some ways make up for that.
- [01:19]
A
Yeah, only 10 sections roughly given in the Nauvoo period. They're really important stuff, though. And you know, as somebody that studies restoration movements, I've talked about this before, but I work with a lot of churches that trace themselves back to Joseph Smith. We are the Nauvoo Church. Like that is what some of these other churches literally call us because it seems like a lot of churches like Community of Christ and others kind of cut the line off at Nauvoo because of some of the more difficult things to accept here. Things like plural marriage and eternal marriage and temple work and work for the dead. I just don't know very many other restoration churches that do those things. There's some that do work for the dead, but it's real, real, real rare. And we do. We kind of fully embrace everything that happened in Nauvoo, but it's complex and it's complic. We're going to try and walk you through it. But it's a lot. It's a lot to handle.
- [02:12]
B
Yeah. And you know, section 124 is absolutely packed with guidance about how to run the church in this new era, this new epoch. As you said, Casey, you can kind of think of it as an ecclesiastical charter, kind of as the church version of what they had just passed in the government of Nauvoo, something called the Nauvoo Charter, which helped kind of outline how you run the secular affairs of the city. This is kind of the. The yin to that yang of how to govern the ecclesiastical affairs of the church within the city. And so super valuable. Some of it's kind of technical, some of it is. Is about building projects, a couple building projects in the city, etc. Priesthood reorganization. But there's some things that are just absolutely sweeping in here. This is, for instance, where the Lord commands a really important building project called the Nauvoo Temple. That's going to be the first temple of its kind in our dispensation. All subsequent temples will be patterned after this prototype. A lot of really important stuff in here that's also kind of mixed in with some pract, practical and timely instructions that were relevant basically to the Saints back then only. And so, so let's, let's walk through all of this together, Casey, but drop us into our first c. The. The context, what was going on historically. Because a lot has happened since section 123, right. We're talking a couple years. So, yeah, lots to cover.
- [03:36]
A
I think this is the biggest gap between sections in the Doctrine and Covenants, if I'm not Wrong, between section 123 and 100. The biggest gap between canonized Revelations and the other thing to keep in mind is a couple colleagues when they taught this would call it the reconstruction of the Church. So the Church is devastated by the events that happened in Missouri and section 124 is kind of them getting back on their feet. Let's get the Zion Project moving again. I mean, a lot had happened since Joseph Smith's time in Liberty jail when Section 121 to 123 were received. In fact, like we mentioned, it has been almost two years since April 16, 1839, when Joseph and his fellow prisoners were allowed to escape from Missouri and they joined up with the other Saints who are essentially refugees in Quincy, Illinois. We'll always owe a debt to Quincy, Illinois, grateful for them for taking us in, but we need to find our own space too. So two weeks after they arrive in Quincy. This is around April 30, 1839. Church leaders purchased land in and around this little tiny settlement called Commerce, Illinois, as a new gathering place for the Saints. And the name Commerce was later changed to Nauvoo, which Joseph Smith explained. He said the name of our city, Nauvoo, is of Hebrew origin and signifies a beautiful situation or place, carrying with it also the idea of rest. And this was typical, optimistic Joseph Smith. It was more an expression of faith to call this place Nauvoo. It was them saying what the area could become rather than what it was since when the Saints first settled there. It's a malarial swamp. There's no nice way to put it. They're faced with extreme sickness, even death, due to these large malaria carrying mosquito populations that infested the swamps. Things later improved. They're able to drain the swamps, and as the Saints worked, it really did become a beautiful little place. And it's still beautiful today, but it's still got a lot of bugs.
- [05:35]
B
Would you say it still does have mosquitoes?
- [05:38]
A
Yeah, yeah. You and I typically visit Nauvoo in the summer and it's got a nice sizable mosquito population. So they purchased the land. And in October, church leaders officially voted to designate Nauvoo as a stake and a place for the gathering of the Saints. End of quote. In November that same year, Joseph and Elias Higbee traveled to Washington, D.C. where they meet with the President of the United States, Martin Van Buren, to try and get help and redress for the unlawful expulsion that they went through from the state of Missouri. And we've mentioned this before, but President Van Buren said he could do nothing for them. And after months of effort, they're not able to get any real assistance from the members of Congress as well. So Joseph returns to Nauvoo in March of 1840. And then later that year, several people who Joseph Smith really cared about, people that were close to him, people like Edward Partridge. Edward Partridge passes away on May 27. One of Joseph's bodyguards, Seymour Brunson, dies in August. And then Joseph's own father passes away on September 14, 1840. It's actually while Joseph Smith is speaking at Seymour Brunson's funeral on Aug. 15 that Joseph Smith announces the practice of baptism for the dead. And shortly thereafter, the Saints began to be baptized in the Missouri river on behalf of their loved ones who died without receiving baptism. So they're surrounded by death. They lose people in Missouri, in Nauvoo, they continue to lose people. And Joseph Smith is Trying to put to use the keys and powers he's given in the Kirtland temple. And this is where baptism for the dead is introduced.
- [07:18]
B
And in the river, no less. Like, so cool. Interesting. And then in October of that year, a letter from the First Presidency goes out, quote to the Saints scattered abroad, which was published, in which they announced that the time had come to build a temple in Nauvoo. And they invited all those interested to assist in that great work to gather to Nauvoo. What's fascinating is they anticipated a building of a temple in Nauvoo before the Lord officially commanded it in section 124, which is very interesting. And so by the time section 124 is received, we've got about 3,000 saints who have now gathered to Nauvoo, many more arriving all the time, and that's going to be super essential to help build that house. Then on December 16, the important Nauvoo charter was approved by the Illinois legislature, which granted the Saints the right to establish a municipal court, a university, a local militia in Nauvoo, as well as for the mayor and city councilors to be vested with executive and legislative powers. In other words, because of the Nauvoo Charter, the Saints are going to be empowered to thrive politically, educationally, and importantly here, Casey, militarily. Right. They have never had those rights before. And you can understand in the wake of Missouri why they would want to make that really explicit in their charter. Then, on January 15, 1841, only four days before this revelation was given, the First Presidency published what they called a proclamation to the Saints scattered abroad. It was the first ever, by the way, proclamation issued by church leaders in the modern church. Now, we've had several, right? Most recently the Proclamation on the Restoration. Before that, the Proclamation on the family, which is 30 years old, by the way, Happy birthday to the family proclamation. This is the very first one. And in this proclamation, they urge the Saints to gather to Nauvoo for the carrying out the great and glorious purposes of our God to which we have been called. Let the Saints come here. The First Presidency invited, assuring them that, quote, this is the word of the Lord and in accordance with the great work of the last days. So let's call this the second call to gather to Nauvoo. Very official from the First Presidency in a proclamation. They continued in this proclamation by saying that with the protections of the Nauvoo Charter in place, quote, we may expect a scene of peace and prosperity we have never before witnessed since the rise of our church and the happiness and prosperity which now await us is in all human probability incalculably great. So it's in, it's in this setting of relative peace, rapid city growth and an eager anticipation of future prosperity, even anticipation of a temple in their Midst, that section 124 was received. And we don't actually know, do we, Casey, what question Joseph asked to get this revelation? All we know from Joseph's history is that it says, I received the following revelation, close quote. So longest revelation in our doctrine and Covenants. And we don't even know what the actual question was. But we, we can kind of infer from the excitement of the proclamation of the First Presidency and everything else that's going on at this time is time of excitement and growth that the question is probably centered around, again, how do we properly reconstruct the church and move forward with this idea of building a temple here and moving on with the work of the gathering of Israel? So something like that, we don't know. I'm speculating, but I don't know. What do you think? Do you have any speculation on the actual question?
- [10:45]
A
I think it's exactly what you said earlier. It's the ecclesiastical charter of Nauvoo. And I mean right down to what is the heart of the city going to be. There's revelatory instructions here. And I will add too that Nauvoo is really sort of the first time they have a blank slate to start on. I mean, they had a blank slate in Far west, but they really didn't stay there long enough to get things going. Nauvoo is where Joseph Smith has about five years to fully carry out his vision for what a city should be like. And section 124 is right at the heart of that. So let's dive into the content of section 124 and it's a really long section. So let me just kind of overview here and give you the big picture and then we'll dive into the particulars. Verses 1 through 14 deal primarily with the commandment to write a proclamation to the kings and rulers of the nations of the earth. Then verses 15 through 21 contain counsel, commendation and blessings to various individuals. We're going to meet a lot of interesting characters here. Verses 22, 24 command the building of a boarding house called the Nauvoo House. We're going to talk about that. Verses 25 to 55 contain an official command to build the Nauvoo temple and release them from the former Commandment to build the temple and city of Jackson County, Missouri. Then verses 56, 72 provide additional instruction regarding the purposes and funding of the Nauvoo house. While verses 73 to 122 give descriptions of the will of the Lord to various individuals. Then finally, verses 123 to 145 officially reorganized church government by appointing and reaffirming various individuals as priesthood officers in various ecclesiastical quorums or councils. That's the big picture what the Revelation is doing. Now. Let's dive into what it says.
- [12:39]
B
We're not going to read all the verses, by the way, but verse one begins like this. I love verse one so much. Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant, Joseph Smith. I am well pleased with your offering and acknowledgments which you have made. For unto this end have I raised you up that I might show forth my wisdom through the weak things of the earth. Is that a compliment? Do you say thank you to that, Joseph, I raised you up so I could show the world what I can do through weak people.
- [13:04]
A
He uses that in several other places in the Doctrine and Covenants. So yeah, it's a compliment. You're weak. But I'm going to do great things for you and I wouldn't be offended. I'd be happy just to be acknowledged totally.
- [13:17]
B
I mean, who among us is not weak, right? I just love it's the Lord's testimony where he's saying, Joseph Smith, you are my object lesson to this dispensation. To show what I can do with weak people who offer themselves wholly to me, like you've done, Joseph Smith. So thank you for doing that. Your prayers are acceptable before me. The Lord continues. And in answer to them, I say unto you that you are now called immediately to make a solemn proclamation of my gospel to all the kings of the world, to the four corners thereof, to the honorable President elect, that is at this time, US President elect William Henry Harrison, and to the high minded governors of the nation in which you live, and to all the nations of the earth scattered abroad not. This is bold. However, the Lord says this proclamation is to be quote, written in the spirit of meekness and by the power of the Holy Ghost. For behold, the Lord says I am about to call upon them to give heed to the light and glory of Zion. For the set time has come to favor her. Call ye therefore upon them with loud proclamation and with your testimony, fearing them not that they may be left also without excuse. So on the one hand, the Lord is Saying this proclamation is to serve as a warning of calamity. He says, quote, if these leaders reject my servants and my testimony which I have revealed unto them. But on the other hand, he says it's to serve as an invitation for them to use their positions of influence to assist in the exaltation or lifting up of Zion. The Lord's message to all the global leaders is to, quote, awake, O kings of the earth, Come ye, O come ye with your gold and your silver to the help of my people, to the house of the daughters of Zion. The Lord then specifically assigns, quote, my servant Robert B. Thompson to help you write this proclamation. For I am well pleased with him and that he should be with you. And at this time, 29 year old Robert Thompson was a gifted writer and was then serving as clerk and scribe to Joseph Smith. And so the Lord says about him, let him be faithful and true in all things from henceforth, and he shall be great in mine eyes. But although Robert will begin drafting this proclamation shortly after this revelation is given, he unfortunately dies later this same year in August of the same lung infection that actually took the life of Joseph's younger brother, Don Carlos, a week earlier. And so he will not finish the writing of this proclamation.
- [15:41]
A
Yeah, in fact, it's not actually till November 1843 when Joseph kind of picks up the proclamation again and renews his efforts to obey this command. So he directs Willard Richards and Orson Hyde, John Taylor and William W. Feldman to write the proclamation. However, growing tensions in Nauvoo and Joseph Smith's presidential campaign, which launched in January of 1844, seems to have postponed the writing of the proclamation yet again. In fact, it's really not until about seven months after Joseph Smith is killed in June of 1844, that apostle parley P. Pratt finally writes the proclamation as he felt led by the Spirit to do so. And in request from his quorum president, who's Brigham Young. So, after receiving the approval of the rest of the quorum of the Twelve, Elder Pratt's proclamation was published in 1845 under the title Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to all the kings of the world, to the President of the United States of America, to the governors of the several states, and to the rulers and people of all nations, making this the second official proclamation issued in modern church history. So in verse 15, the Lord commends Hyrum Smith and the Lord actually says, for I, the Lord love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord. Then in verse 16, the Lord counsels another interesting character, my servant John C. Bennett, to help you in the labor of sending my word to the kings and peoples of the earth. Now, John C. Bennett is going to be a major figure in Nauvoo for good and for evil, I'm sorry to say he's a recent convert that at this time was really loved and respected by the prophet Joseph Smith. In fact, John C. Bennett does a ton to help the saints when they first arrive in Nauvoo. He assisted in drafting the Nauvoo charter and was soon after elected the first mayor of Nauvoo. But there's no evidence that Bennett ever assists in writing the proclamation as the Lord directs him to do so. Here he runs into trouble later on. In fact, instead of heeding the Lord's counsel to stand by my servant Joseph Smith in the hour of affliction, Bennett soon became a huge cause of affliction to Joseph Smith and event the most despicable enemies of the church. After his excommunication for adultery, which was just about a year after this section is given. John C. Bennett is a complicated guy. Is that the best way of saying it?
- [18:12]
B
Yeah, he's mixed, but he's complicated.
- [18:15]
A
Some people have said he was a con man that took the saints. In my read is that he experienced a genuine conversion, but he had been involved in some really bad stuff already up to that point. He'd abandoned his wife and children, things like that. But during this time, his love for the saints does seem genuine. And the help that he offers them, especially securing the Nauvoo charter, is a big deal. It's really, really helpful for them.
- [18:40]
B
That wasn't a con. Like, he had some legitimate gifts where he really helped not just create the Nauvoo Charter, but get it passed in the Illinois legislature. Like, he was genuinely helpful to the saints. And yeah, he's going to turn out to be like one of the most dastardly foes that's going to kick up so much nasty stuff about Joseph and the saints that people start to stuff that's totally not true. That's going to lead a lot of the enemies of the church to want to combine against and overthrow Joseph Smith. Like, yeah, he's going to become awful. But it seems like the way the Lord is talking to him here is that at this moment, at this time, his heart was right before the Lord. Otherwise, I mean, the Lord doesn't call him out in any way. Just he just seems to be acknowledging that he's doing good and continue to stand by my servant Joseph. Like interesting.
- [19:27]
A
His name is going to pop up a lot as we talk about the history of Nauvoo and the sections received here. Another reason why I feel like he underwent a genuine conversion is he spends, it feels like almost the rest of his life trying to get into some Latter Day Saint church. Brigham Young won't have a thing to do with him, but he goes to the Strangites and then bounces from movement to movement. But nobody can trust the guy. His failings are just greater than his charisma, which is pretty considerable. In fact, the Lord says here, and for his love he shall be great. The Lord acknowledged, I have seen the work which he hath done, which I accept if he continue, continue and will crown him with blessings and great glory. But Bennett doesn't continue as he began.
- [20:07]
B
Maybe that's it. If he continue, I will crown him with blessings and great glory. But okay, continuing in verses 18 through 21, the Lord here offers counsel and blessings, to quote my servant Lyman White, and he gives commendation to my servant George Miller, who's called to the office of bishop there. Then in verses 22 through 24, the Lord counsels, quote, my servant George, George Miller and my servant Lyman White and my servant John Snyder and others to build a house for boarding, a house that strangers may come from afar to lodge therein. Therefore, let it be a good house, the Lord says, worthy of all acceptation, that the weary traveler may find health and safety while he shall contemplate the word of the Lord. That's basically it, just a quick command to build a house for the weary traveler, like an inn of some kind. Then he just moves on to a different topic. But the Lord is going to later circle back to the topic of this boarding house or this hotel, beginning verse 56, and is going to give a lot of details about this. So this is the initial command. Then he changes subject. He first wants to talk about in greater detail another house to be built. A greater house to be built. Here's what the Lord says. Let all my saints come from afar gather and send ye swift messengers, saying to all church members, come ye with all your gold and your silver and your precious stones, and with all the precious trees of the earth, earth, and with all your precious things of the earth, and build a house to my name for the Most High to dwell therein. The purpose for building this house or temple, the Lord states, is that there is, quote, not a place found on earth that he may yet come to and restore again that which was lost unto you or which he hath taken away, even the fullness of the priesthood. That's really rich. If you ask, like, what's the one reason the Lord actually gives explicitly for the building of the Nauvoo temple there? It is. It is to restore the fullness of the priesthood. Now, this fullness of the priesthood, Joseph Smith will explain two and a half years later, is received by obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord. And it's about gathering men and women into the eternal holy order of God, like the eternal priesthood order of God. That was alluded to back in section 2 of the doctrine of Covenants. We talked about that, right? The sealing of all the generations together. They're creating an eternal priesthood or an order of priests and priestesses and queens and kings. Like, there is not a place on earth yet where that can happen. And so the Lord says, here, we need to build this house. This has got to happen. It's time. And I don't know, Casey, this is maybe a controversy we could talk about later, but do you know if there was an opportunity that the Lord offered this to them? The language here is funny. I've wondered about this. Where he says there is not a place found on earth that he may come to and restore again that which was lost unto to you or which he has taken away? Was there a moment previous to this where the Lord had offered the fullness of the priesthood to them, but then it was taken away or it was lost to them in this dispensation? Do you think he's alluding to Far west, the loss of the temple grounds there? Do you know, do you have any.
- [23:10]
A
Thoughts, I wonder, you know, at this point, they've lost the Kirtland temple, and they never really got a chance to build the temples they were planning in Far West. And Adam on Diamond. I suppose that this is pure speculation on my part that they could have happened in the Kirtland temple, because we do talk about how Nauvoo was built expressly and is sort of the first modern temple because it has a baptismal font. But everything else I think you could have done in the Kirtland temple, they had a big open space that they used for endowment rooms, which you could do in Kirtland. It's really not until Utah and the endowment house where they set up the structure where you move from room to to room. And so I'm guessing if they had retained the Kirtland Temple, these keys might have been restored, or the Lord would have continued the process of restoration that he's doing in Kirtland. But they get off track in a major way in Kirtland, lose the temple, aren't able to build another temple.
- [24:03]
B
His Achilles were restored in the Kirtland temple to do this. Right. That's interesting. And my mind was also. You're talking was also going to Missouri. They had clearly lost the Jackson County County Temple, which the Lord's going to bring up here in a couple verses and release them from the obligation to build that. But that had to be on Joseph's mind, right? Having just come from. Not only from his confinement in Liberty Jail, but also having come from Washington, D.C. where he tried to get the President, United States to intervene to help them get their land back. Like, I think this was something that concerned Joseph deeply, is that they had lost the ability to fulfill God's commandment to build the house that he commanded them to build in Jackson County, Missouri. I wonder if maybe the Jackson county temple would have been like the Navy Nauvoo Temple in the sense of being able to exercise all the priesthood keys restored in Kirtland in order to bring about the fullness of the priesthood. So anyway, it's just a curious way that he says it here. It was lost unto you and he's taken away. But I want to restore it here in Nauvoo.
- [25:00]
A
Yeah. And I'm not sure if I know exactly what that phrase means, but it could have been the Independence Temple, which never gets built. Could have been the Far West Temple, which never gets built. Could have been the temple in Adam on Diamond, which never really gets built either. But they're going to do it here in Nauvoo, and they still barely get it done in time before they have to go into the wilderness. And then it's going to be another 30 years before a full temple is completed.
- [25:25]
B
St. George Temple. Right. That's going to be the next one after this.
- [25:27]
A
Yeah. A whole bunch of intermediate places where they do ordinances. But yeah, it's 30 years. It's hard to build temples in the 19th century. We take that for granted today.
- [25:36]
B
Yeah. No. Great thoughts. Okay. The major point here in this verse is to say, like, the Nauvoo Temple is going to be the place God restores the fullness of the priesthood, which is so awesome. So we're going to watch that unfold.
- [25:47]
A
Let's pick it up again. Verses 29 through 39. The Lord then mentions some specific ordinances that are going to be Associated with this temple, he first mentions the ordinance of being baptized for those who are dead. And just remember that up to this time, the practice of doing baptisms for the dead had been introduced, but it had only been performed by the saints in the Mississippi River. So they're using the river to perform this ordinance, which seems odd to us today, but they were so anxious to do it, they didn't want to wait. So, speaking of the current practice, the Lord explains that this ordinance belongeth to my house and cannot be acceptable to me, meaning in the river only in the days of your poverty, wherein you're not able to build a house unto me. So for now, he's going to give them sufficient time to build a house unto me. And during this time, your river baptisms is the connotation here, shall be acceptable unto me. But behold, he says, at the end of this appointment, your baptisms for your dead, the ones that are done in the river, shall not be acceptable unto me. If you do not these things at the end of the appointment, he warns, and ye shall be rejected as a church with your dead, saith the Lord your God. Meaning if they fail to perform baptisms for the dead in the temple after he's given them sufficient time to build it, they will in some sense be rejected. Now, happily, the saints were really diligent on this front. In fact, after construction began on the temple, one of the first priorities was to build a baptismal font. A temporary wooden baptismal font was dedicated in the basement of the unfinished temple temple on the 8th of November, 1841, and was one of the earliest uses of this temple space. And so even while they're building the temple on top of the baptistery, they're down there performing baptisms, they're using it. So, I mean, they're really super diligent on this. Then in verses 37 and 39, the Lord mentions the next temple ordinances referred to as washings and anointings. On the nature of these, David O. McKay once explained that the washing ordinance is about cleanliness of one's thoughts, acts and deeds. And the anointing ordinance is about being anointed to become a king and a priest of the Most High, or a queen and a priestess in the realms of God. In fact, a little bit later, Boyd K. Packer is going to say, in connection with these ordinances, you will be officially clothed in the garment and promised marvelous blessings in connection with it. The Lord also mentions that the temple is a place for solemn assemblies, which is an actual thing that still happens in the church today. But it probably has a broader meaning here to mean like sacred meetings. And then he says, memorials for your sacrifices by the sons of Levi, which we're not totally sure what that means, but it seems to be tied in to this idea of doing work for the dead and creating records. He's going to explain a little bit more about that in section 128. Then he says, oracles were revelations for the foundation of Zion, for the glory, honor, and endowment of all her municipality principles, meaning the other stakes. This is the first reference to the ordinance of the Nauvoo endowment. And each of these purposes are, in his words, ordained by the ordinance or law of my holy house, which my people are always commanded to build under my holy name. So he's setting us up for something even bigger. He's broadening what the purpose of the temple is going to be. And a lot of these sacred ceremonies, especially those that sort of reach through the veil to help people on the other side make covenants with God, are going to happen in the temple like this. This is the beginning of something that's going to be really important in the church. In fact, it's at the heart of everything we do today.
- [29:26]
B
Yeah, this is like the climax of the entire restoration. Like, it's about getting the temple so that we can do these things for the living and for the dead in order to bring about the fullness of the priesthood, as he said, which is so cool. Okay, picking it back up in verse 41. 42. These verses are super important in my mind. He says, let this house be built unto me my name, that I may reveal mine ordinances therein unto my people. For I deign to reveal unto my church things which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fullness of times. And he says, I will show unto my servant Joseph all things pertaining to this house and the priesthood thereof, and the place whereon it shall be built, which he confirms to Joseph to be on the place where you've been contemplating building. He said, can we just pause and talk about this for a second, Casey? So the Lord is saying, if I'm understanding these verses, Casey, that the Nauvoo temple and the temples that come after that are patterned after the Nauvoo temple are different than what has been had in ancient times. Right. That, you know, sometimes we like to say that, you know, in the restoration, they had ancient temples. You know, now we have modern temples. We have, like a restoration of the ancient temples. But the Lord's not saying that here. And in fact, the more you think about that, the more you see the wisdom there. Because ancient temples, they were doing animals, animal sacrifices. They were doing lots of bloody stuff there. Just read the book of Leviticus. It's pretty graphic, like, what they would do. They're doing lots of different kinds of sacrifices there, which. Casey, we don't do that in modern temples. Right? Modern temples have nothing to do with that. And so you start to wonder, like, is what we do in modern temples today analogous to what they did anciently? And these verses, intriguingly, are telling me, Casey, that there are some things we do in our temples today that that had never been done in temples before that had been, quote, kept hid from before the foundation of the world. Things pertaining to the dispensation of the fullness of times. I find that incredibly fascinating.
- [31:18]
A
We need to make this clear to other Christians. A lot of times other Christians will come up to us and be like, hey, why do you guys build temples? Temples aren't necessary anymore.
- [31:29]
B
And we would say, Jesus fulfilled the temple purposes.
- [31:33]
A
Yeah, that is correct. Law of Moses. Temples aren't necessary anymore. Animal sacrifice isn't necessary anymore. The shedding of blood is not necessary anymore. The Book of Mormon teaches this. But the concept or idea of a house of the Lord did not go away and was honored by Jesus up until the time he died and honored by his disciples afterward. Like Paul goes to the temple, it's still a big deal to them. Even if the purpose of the temple had fundamentally changed because the law had been fulfilled.
- [32:04]
B
Our Christian friends will say sometimes, like Paul says, that, for instance, we are the temple now. Right? The Holy Spirit dwells within us. And therefore, you know, we don't need temples like Old Testament temples anymore because the body of Christ has now become the temple in which the Spirit of the Lord dwells. And I think that's super beautiful. I actually think that's really beautiful. I think Paul is right. But guess what? There's more. There's more that's specific. The Lord is saying here to the dispensation of the fullness of. Of times, which was not Paul's day. Right? This is temples 2.0. This is something new. I was teaching this recently in. In a class, Casey. One of my students raised their hand and said, can you be specific? Like, what do we do in our temples today that the ancients never did? And I think the bulk of that consists in work for the dead, of sealing the human family, especially using the keys of Elijah, to bind the hearts of the children to the fathers and the fathers to the children. Or in other words, to bind the generations together and creating that sealed network of. Of eternalized relationships that starts to form the structure of heaven. Like that's never been done before in the history. Were there washings and anointings? Anciently, yeah. Yeah. Exodus 40. Right. You know, Moses is commanded to bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and to wash them with water and anoint them with oil and to even clothe them in a garment in preparation to be temple prayer priests at the temple there. Right. We do that today. We do washings anointed today. But it's not to become temple priests. It's to become eternal kings and queens and priests and priestesses. Right. Like David O. McKay just said. So it's like we have conceptual similarities to the Old Testament. Like, we. We have a. A baptismal font on the back of 12 oxen. But that's not to say that in Solomon's temple, they were doing baptisms for the dead. There's conceptual connections, but there's a new thing happening. Right.
- [33:52]
A
And let me mention one other thing that's new in the Nauvoo Temple, and that is that women are going to perform ordinances as well. I think that might be one of those things that is unprecedented from the foundation of the world. I mean, I don't know anything about temples before the time of Moses, because there's really not anything in the scriptures about them. But in Nauvoo, men and women are going to perform ordinances with authority, and that's a new thing. That's really amazing, actually. And it shows the vital role that women have to play in the work of the Lord. In fact, in the temple and in the doctrine and covenants, words like priest and priestess are going to start to appear. And it shows that the Lord really is expanding the priesthood to include all people, regardless of their background or gender. That's just that. That's really neat and sometimes overlooked when we talk about why the Nauvoo period is so significant.
- [34:46]
B
Now, we're not typically used to calling the priesthood like the temple workers, but that's the original meaning. Like in Exodus 40, the first time that priesthood is ever like comes up in the King James Bible is Exodus 40, where the sons of Levi are called the priesthood, meaning the temple workers. I think that definition fits here, Casey, where he says, I'm going to show Joseph things pertaining this house and the temple workers or the Priesthood of the temple. And that's going to include women. Like you're bringing up like I think such a key thing that I don't think that was there in the law of Moses. That was not there in Jesus's day. They're not women officiators, right? There's, there's literally like the court of women. And then women cannot go past a certain point. Then you have like the wall of the Gentiles, then the Israelite women and they cannot pass a certain place. Then the priests get to go in and do the, the sacrifices etc. Like women can literally not go to a certain part of the temple in the ancient times, but in the dispensation of the fullness of times, Casey, that all changes. Joseph Smith really set up this group actually to be the temple workers. Sometimes they're called the Anointed quorum, sometimes they're called the Holy Order, sometimes they're just referred to as the priesthood. Like let me read a journal entry that's really interesting from Brigham Young. He said on October 29, 1843, he said sisters Thirza Cahoon, Louise Cutler and Phoebe Woodworth was taken into the order of the priesthood today. Here's another one about his wife Mary A. Young, admitted into the priest order priesthood. Here's another one from Heber C. Kimball. My wife Vilate and many females was received into the Holy Spirit order and was washed and anointed by Emma, meaning Emma smith. That was November 1st, just another day or two after Brigham Young's. And that's confusing to people who don't understand anything about this anointed quorum or the, the priesthood order that Joseph is setting up to be the temple workers. But when you understand that there's this group that this verse is talking about, the priesthood of the Nauvoo Temple is going to be men and women commissioned to administer the ordinances of salvation the way that men and women still do today in our temples. That group is an unprecedented thing to have both men and women like that working together to administer the ordinances. I think that's awesome.
- [36:49]
A
I gotta be honest, I think it's sort of misunderstood in the church today. I don't know if we always get what's going on when we go to the temple and how special it is. Like my wife, she is like forward thinking and progressive in all the best ways, but she had issues with women in the priesthood and going to the temple pretty much. Much just, oh, okay, we do this inside the temple. All right, I get it. It just seems so Clear when you go there. And I'm grateful that in the last couple of years, we've become a little bit more open to talk about what goes on inside temples. Because a lot of times presenting what happens in the temple is really the best way to explain why we see women as so important, so essential to the plan. So, yeah, this is revolutionary stuff. Right? And it's going to really change the game.
- [37:35]
B
Yeah. Literally. Today, Casey, I was teaching this in a class. We're talking about how men and women work together in the temples to help gather men and women on both sides of the veil into the eternal priesthood of men and women, this eternal holy order of kings and queens and priests and priestesses. We're just kind of diving into the teachings of Joseph Smith and the scriptures on this. And as we did that, literally, this student raises her hand almost apologetically, quietly, not wanting to offend people. She's like, brother Woodward, I don't know how to say this, but doesn't understanding this basically dissolve all the concerns of the people who are all angsty about women in the priesthood? And I was like, I think so. She's like, I don't want to offend anyone. I don't want to offend anyone here. But I think I used to be bothered by this. But this resolves all of it, doesn't it? You know? And there's a lot of girls in the class nodding their heads, and I think she's right.
- [38:25]
A
I think she's right. Okay, so then the Lord promises, if my people will hearken unto my voice and unto the voice of my servants whom I have appointed to lead my people. Behold, verily I say unto you, they shall not be moved out of their place. But if they will not hearken to my voice, nor unto the voice of these men whom I have appointed, they shall not be blessed because they pollute mine holy grounds and mine holy ordinances and charters, and mine holy words which I give unto them. And it shall come to pass, he continues, that if you build a house under my name and do not do the things that I say, I will not perform the oath which I made unto you, neither fulfill the promises which ye expect at my hands, saith the Lord. For instead of blessings, ye by your own works bring cursings, wrath, indignation, and judgments upon your own heads by your follies and by all your abominations which you practice before me, saith the Lord. Then in verses 49 to 54, he clarifies that what he just warned about the Nauvoo Temple is not what happened regarding the Jackson County, Missouri temple. This is a different scenario. So he's warning them, I need you to get this temple done. But then he switches gears and says, but understand independence. The temple intended for the city of Zion was different. In fact, he says this, and this is the most quoted part of section 124 so far in our discussions concerning the Temple in Independence in the city of Zion. Verily, verily, I say unto you that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto, unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work. Behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of the Son of men, but to accept of their offerings and the iniquity and transgression of my holy laws and commandments. I will visit upon the heads of those who hindered my work unto the third and fourth generations, so long as they replaced. Repent not and hate me, saith the Lord God. Therefore, he concludes, for this cause I have accepted the offerings of those whom I commanded to build up a city and house under my name in Jackson County, Missouri, and were hindered by their enemies, saith the Lord your God. And I will answer judgment, wrath and indignation, wailing and anguish and gnashing of teeth upon their heads unto the third and fourth generation, so long as they repent not and hate me, save, saith the Lord your God. So the Lord is releasing them from the commandment to build both the city and the temple in Jackson County, Missouri. And I think what we disagree on this, Scott, is if this is like a total release forever, you're good. Or if this is temporary, you don't have to do it now, but we're still going to eventually do it. And we've litigated this several times over.
- [41:09]
B
So we will not engage now. But yeah, that is the controversy.
- [41:14]
A
Regardless of whether or not you think we're still building Zion in Independence, Missouri, or you think the Lord released them here, it is clear that this does kind of mark a shift in at least the priorities of the early saints.
- [41:25]
B
You can almost feel a relief in Joseph Smith, right as the Lord says this. Like Joseph, you've done everything you could. You went to the President of the United States in Congress. And listen, you've done everything you can. Your enemies have driven you out. I require that at your Hands no more. How that must have felt to the prophet. It's just like, ah, the sigh of like, okay, we are not accountable anymore for that. Right. Such a cool moment for him, I imagine.
- [41:48]
A
And we don't realize what a burden that was. Like, there's so many letters from the 1830s where Joseph Smith is feeling anxiety over Zion or how are we going to get this done? And for the Lord to say, okay, you don't have to do that right now. Focus on this. Must have been a huge relief. And you can see Joe Joseph Smith, after this, talking about Zion a little bit differently. He gives a discourse where he says, all of north and South America are Zion. And just about a year after this revelation is written down, Joseph Smith writes article of faith 10 where he states his belief that Zion, the new Jerusalem, will be built upon the American continent, which some people think means somewhere, you know, it doesn't necessarily have to be in Jackson County. Precisely where is unclear in that article. So the Lord then explains his point in bringing up the annulment of the former commands for them regarding Missouri, saying, for your consolation concerning all those who have been commanded to do a work and have been hindered by the hands of their enemies and by oppression, saith the Lord your God, and adds kind of to comfort them, I am the Lord your God and will save all those of your brethren who have been pure in heart, who have been slain in the land of Missouri, saith the Lord. So again, I believe it's a temporary pause, but he is putting a pause on what they have to do in Missouri and kind of saying, let's focus on this for now.
- [43:11]
B
I think we could both agree that he's releasing that generation from that obligation, isn't he? Yeah, he's saying, you guys are done now. I think that this is the latest word of the Lord and it would take another revelation to say it's time to go and build it again. But as we have it, my reading is that's not our obligation currently. You, I think, have a really good point, though. Like, this could be temporary and we could go back someday. It would just take another revelation from the Lord, wouldn't you say?
- [43:37]
A
Yeah, and I agree. That would be a huge deal. I don't know if it does take another revelation. Can I disagree with you a little bit there? I just think that if you look at it as a, you don't have to do it now, but we're going to do it then. All the revelations, which right up until section 101 and is implied in The Kirtland Temple prayer and other places that say they're going to build Zion in Jackson county are still in effect. This is a temporary pause, but you are right. This is the latest word of the Lord on Jackson County. And I mean, I know what a big deal it is to the early saints to build there and to some current saints in the church as well. And I'm one of them, to be honest with you. But it is also one of those things that it seems like the leaders of the church in our time have been a little hesitant to talk about, because it's one of those big signs of the end times. And sometimes when we start to talk about the. The end times, sometimes people get a little strange. It tends to extremism. So he's going to go back to the Nauvoo Temple in the Revelation and repeats, I command you again to build a house to my name, even in this place, that you may prove yourselves unto me that you are faithful in all things whatsoever. I command you that I may bless you and crown you with honor, immortality and eternal life. So let's get this temple done. You don't have to worry about those temples for now.
- [44:53]
B
And we just got to acknowledge that the reason he brought all that up was not to open. Weigh in on this controversy, but was to. Was to comfort that group of people. That's it. Right. He's trying to comfort them, which was beautiful. That's. Yeah. So having said that much about the Nauvoo Temple, the Lord now turns his attention in verses 56 through 72 back to that boarding house he had mentioned earlier, back in verses 22 to 24, for the boarding of strangers, he called it. So he declares that this boarding house, or this hotel we could call it, is to, quote, be built unto my name. Which is interesting because that's how he talks about building temples. And then he says that Joseph Smith and his family are to, quote, have place in that house from generation to generation. It is to be called the Nauvoo House and to be a delightful habitation for man and a resting place for the weary traveler that he may contemplate the glory of Zion and the glory of this, the cornerstone thereof, meaning Nauvoo. That's cool. So Nauvoo is called the cornerstone of. Of Zion. I love that title. Those of the building committee, he goes on to say, are to, quote, appoint one of them to be a president over their quorum for the purpose of building that house, the Nauvoo House, and to form a constitution whereby they may receive stock for the building of that house. The construction of this Nauvoo House is going to be funded by allowing investors to buy stock. He goes on to say about at $50 per share. And any one person will be allowed to. To purchase only up to 300 shares of stock for a total of $15,000. And the Lord expected that all money invested in Nauvoo House stock be used by the committee exclusively for the purpose of building the house. Otherwise, he says, quote, they shall be accursed and shall be moved out of their place. So they need to be good stewards over the money they're receiving from shareholders who are going to invest to build this house. So this is meant to be investment. So this is really interesting that the Lord is saying, we need to do this wisely. We need to do this in kind of a business way. We're going to use stock, we're going to have people buy stock to get shares, and then from that investment, we're going to build the house. Right. You think back to the poverty that they experienced in Kirtland. And the Lord's saying, let's not do that again. Let's do this in a more wise business way, which is super interesting. And by the way, this is not even about the temple. This is about the. The hotel. And so don't go into debt for that.
- [47:11]
A
So picking it up from there in verses 73 through 122, we're going to move a little bit faster. Okay. There's a lot of short counsel here to those who the Revelation says, wish to know my will concerning them, for they have asked it at my hands. Now, eight individuals, those we're going to highlight here, are specifically counseled to put stock into the Nauvoo House. Additional counsel is often added as well. And again, we're not going to highlight everybody. So I'm sorry if we leave out your ancestor. They are in the doctrine Covenants, and that is honor enough. William Law is someone that shows up because he's going to be another big figure in Nauvoo. Just to give you some background here, he's a convert of nearly four years. He's called in verse 91 to be appointed, ordained and anointed as counselor under my servant Joseph to replace my servant Hyrum Smith. Hyrum had been serving as second counselor in the First Presidency. Hyrum was now to take the office of priesthood and patriarch, which was appointed unto him by his Father by blessing and also by right. And this alludes to the last blessing that Hyrum received from their dying father, Joseph Smith Sr. Who was serving as patriarch of the church when he passed away four months earlier. So according to Lucy Mack Smith, while it is his father's bedside, Hyrum was told by Joseph Sr. I now seal upon your head the patriarchal power and you shall bless the people. So Hyrum's going to take up that role of presiding patriarch within the church. And the Lord confirms, he says, that from henceforth he shall hold the keys of the patriarchal blessings upon the heads of all my people, that whosoever he blesses shall be blessed, and whoever he curses shall be cursed. And whatsoever he shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever he shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. And then the Lord does something a little remarkable here. He says, from this time forth, I appoint unto him that he may be a prophet and a seer and a revelator unto my church as well as my servant Joseph, that he may act in concert with my servant Joseph, being crowned with the same blessing and glory and honor and priesthood and gifts of the priesthood that were once put upon him. Who was my servant, Oliver Cowdery. Now you remember Oliver Cowdery are kind of the dynamic duo of the restoration. They're there at every major restorative priesthood event. It's Joseph and Oliver, John the Baptist, Peter James and John Kirtland Temple. And now the Lord is saying all those blessings and authorities that have been put on Oliver are now on Hyrum Smith, which makes him more than a counselor, I guess you would say, like.
- [49:47]
B
A co president or something, right?
- [49:49]
A
Like, yeah. I mean, sometimes the titles are a little bit hard to pin down, but Oliver Kadri is sometimes referred to as the co president or the assistant president or the associate president. Basically, Hyrum is going to take Oliver's place and this is going to be in addition to acting as church patriarch. So one of the things about the dynamic in Nauvoo is that there really are this. This co president relationship. And Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith are acting as co presidents. And then the Lord says, and his name would be had an honorable remembrance from generation to generation forever. Meanwhile, the Lord also counsels Hyrum's replacement as second counsel in the First Presidency, William Law, to be humble before me and be without guile with the promise that he shall receive of my spirit, even the comforter, which shall manifest unto him the truth of all things, and shall give him in the very hour what he shall Say now this is sort of a dark foreboding because William really doesn't remain humble or without guile. Instead, instead he turns against Joseph Smith in the latter part of 1843. And by 1844 he becomes one of the prophet's most bitter enemies. In fact, one of the people most responsible for Joseph Smith's martyrdom is going to be William Law and a few co conspirators that publish the Nauvoo Expositor.
- [51:04]
B
Yeah, that verse is so ironic. Like instead of being given what to say as the Lord promises him here, William's going to use his linguistic gifts to slander Joseph Smith. Like in a sequence of, like you said, that's going to lead to the prophet's death. Instead, as the next verse says of healing the sick, William becomes spiritually sick. Instead of casting out devils as he's promised he could do, he becomes a devil. Instead of being delivered from deadly poison, he becomes the one who administers the poison. Instead of being protected from serpents and raising the dead as the Lord promises he could, he became, as it were, a cunning snake. Right in a, in a state of spiritual death. Like William Law's story is so tragic. It's a tragic betrayal, it's a tragic disgrace. It's a story which may have been avoided had he humbly given heed to the Lord's counsel here in this revelation.
- [51:57]
A
Yeah, sound sad stuff. And I want to mention we've done, I think like a 10 episode series on Joseph Smith's martyrdom. We got deep into the psychology of William Law and the other people that are responsible for, for Joseph Smith's death. And it is sad. Like he was gifted. It's hard not to read these passages without, you know, reflecting on what happened later. But so then verses 103 to 110 address Sidney Rigdon, who's Joseph's first counselor in the First Presidency. Verily I say unto you, the Lord begins, if my servant Sidney will serve me and be a counselor under my servant Joseph, let him arise and come and stand in the office of his calling and humble himself before me. Now let's set the scene here a little bit. Sidney Rigdon is in pretty poor health after Liberty Jail and had been struggling in his calling as Joseph's counselor. In fact, during most of the 1840-1844 period, that's in Nauvoo, illness is a regular thing for Sidney and it really impedes his ability to serve. In fact, his son Wycliffe later writes, Sidney Rigdon, being of bilious temperament, was Sick by most of the time, while he remained at Nauvoo for weeks at a time, he would not be able to leave his bed. Nevertheless, in verse 104, the Lord promised Sidney if he will offer unto me an acceptable offering and acknowledgments and remain with my people. Behold, I the Lord your God will heal him that he shall be healed. And he shall lift up his voice again on the mountains and be a spokesman before my face. In fact, he's counseled to move his family to the neighborhood in which my servant Joseph resides, to again lift up his voice as with the sound of a trump, and warn the inhabitants of the earth to flee the wrath to come and to assist my servant Joseph in making a solemn proclamation unto the kings of the earth. Then the Lord adds, if he will hearken unto my voice, it shall be well with him. Even so. Amen. And let me just add, Sidney Rigdon's house really is like right next door to where Joseph Smith is living. Where Joseph Smith is living when this revelation is received, he's honestly about 100 yards to down the road. He's right next to the mansion house where Joseph Smith lives the last couple months of his life. So he is there. And we're a little hard on Sidney Rigton because of the way succession played out, but we also don't acknowledge that he really was not well during his time at Nauvoo. He was struggling health wise, and that affects a lot of what happens later on. Like, Sidney just struggles and he struggles with some of the things that are revealed in Nauvoo too, like plural marriage and that place a role in his kind of ending up where he ends up. But again, I don't want to ever criticize the guy. He gave a lot to the Gospel.
- [54:29]
B
Yeah, he did okay. So moving on, in verses 111 to 122, the Lord continues to offer counsel to individuals, primarily regarding investing in stock in the Nauvoo House. There's a lot about the Nauvoo House in here, Cayce. And then in the final portion of his revelation, from verses 123 to 145, the Lord officially reorganizes church government with which had become disordered since Missouri, due primarily to like, deaths and personal apostasy of a couple key individuals. And so here's what the Lord says. Verily I say unto you, I now give unto you the officers belonging to my priesthood, that ye may hold the keys thereof. Even the priesthood, which is after the order of Melchizedek, which is after the order of my only begotten son. First, setting up all the officers I give unto you, Hyrum Smith, to be a patriarchy unto you. Second, I give unto you my servant Joseph to be a presiding elder over all my church, to be a translator, a revelator, a seer and prophet. And to Joseph, for counselors are given Sidney Rigdon and William Law, that the three together, the Lord says, quote, may constitute a quorum and first presidency to receive the oracles for the whole church. Next comes Brigham Young to be a president over the 12 traveling council, meaning the 12 apostles, which 12, he emphasizes, hold the keys to open up the authority of my kingdom upon the four corners of the earth, and after that to send my word to every creature. The members of the 12 at that time are then named. Next he says, I give unto you a high council for the cornerstone of Zion, the 12 members of which he then names. And then he appoints a High Priest Quorum presidency, an Elders Quorum presidency, And then the seven presidents of the 7D, in each case offering a description of the purpose of that quorum, which is interesting. You should go read it. We're not going to go through all those verses right now. After appointing then a bishopric, he outlines the general necessity of having a president and counselors over priests, over teachers, over deacons, and over the stake. All he says of the above officers I have given unto you and the keys thereof for helps and for governments, for the work of the minister, ministry, and the perfecting of my saints. That's a cool way to think about all the quorums and classes in the church. And then he says, and a commandment I give unto you to Joseph Smith directly, that you should fill all these offices and approve of those names which I have mentioned, or else disapprove of them at my General conference. And that ye should prepare rooms for all these offices in my house when you build it unto my name, saith the Lord your God. Even so it amen in obedience to this last command. The original plans of the Nauvoo Temple called for rooms for these priesthood offices or quorums to be included in its top attic floor. And these were to serve as administrative offices for each and include a room for the bishops and the Aaronic Priesthood presidencies and the Stake Presidency and the High Council and the High Priest Quorum and the Elders Quorum, the seventies Quorum, the Quorum of the twelve, and the Quorum of the First Presidency. Each will have their own office in the original Nauvoo Temple plan, as the Lord says here, you should prepare rooms for all these offices in my house. And so they did. That, Casey, is the end of the content of section 124. All right, so, Casey, that brings us to our third C. The controversies of section 124. We talked about John C. Bennett. We talked about William Law. Both of these guys are not going to live up to the blessings the Lord offered them in this revelation. In fact, they're going to do the opposite. They're going to turn and stab Joseph in the back, literally. William Law is going to lead to the death of Joseph Smith. And John C. Bennett is no better. He was helped trying to foment hatred against the church, trying to get the public to come and eventually mob them again to bring about what happened in Missouri, again in Nauvoo. Like, John was angling at that. So I guess my question here goes back to kind of the omniscience of God question we've wrestled with a couple times in Doctrine and Covenants. Why would the Lord bring John C. Bennett into that position and William Lott, really to be the second counselor to Joseph Smith, knowing where their trajectories are going? Like, knowing that these men are going to become bitter enemies of the prophet Joseph. Like, why would the Lord let them get that close to Joseph? Like, do you have any thoughts on that?
- [58:43]
A
That comes up a lot in the scriptures. Like, my first thought was, didn't the Lord know that Judas was going to betray him? And it seems like he does, but he doesn't reveal that until the night that it happens. I just think that God gives people chances. And I'll admit it's a little bit harder with John C. Bennett than William Law, because it seems like William Law, even though he had his issues, had lived a more upright life to this point. But John C. Bennett, not really like, John C. Bennett, was involved in all kinds of. Of shady things before he arrived in Nauvoo. And maybe the Lord should have alerted them at the same time, too. You know, he was a friend. In a moment of crisis, like, when the saints get to Nauvoo, they are desperate for any kind of friend they can find. And Bennett, I'll say one thing for him, is very charismatic. Like, he goes in and he basically, like, gets the legislature of Illinois to turn Nauvoo into sort of an independent polity. Like, it's almost its own country. The Nauvoo charter is so generous, and John C. Bennett negotiates all that. And I've got to assume that he did so under the influence of the Holy Ghost. So maybe his crimes before this were something that he could have conceivably overcome if he had stayed on track. But unfortunately, this is a flawed individual whose past catches up to to him who goes back to those things that he had been guilty of before and then goes beyond what he had done before and really turns into a real son of a gun. Is the only way to describe what, what you call them, a dastardly scoundrel. There's a book on, on John C. Bennett that's literally called the Saintly Scoundrel. He was a real piece of work, I guess you'd say. At the same time, I don't want to stick up for John C. Bennett, but when the volume of the Joseph Smith papers came out that mentions him the most, in fact deals with his excommunication, he tried to take his life. So in many ways he is sort of a Judas, right? He's this conflicting mix of his past and his natural man tendencies and his genuine desire to try and want to turn a new page, turn over a new leaf. The saints did find him and they nourish him back to health and he's even reinstated in the the church. But then he attempts to take Joseph Smith's life. He's at the center of an assassination attempt and after that they have to exile him from Nauvoo. And so, I mean, there are hints, and maybe I'm too soft hearted, that he had good within him and there's no disputing that he did a lot of good for the Saints, but oh boy, I mean, it's just that basic conundrum. Did the Lord know Samson was going to turn out the way he did? Or Esau, or any of these people in the scriptures that have great promise but just don't live up to it? I think the Lord sees the best in them and tries to get the best out of them. But ultimately they're free agents. They can make their own decisions and that doesn't always lead to positive ends.
- [61:43]
B
I like that answer. Thank you. Can I throw another one out at you? Yeah. If we count them, there are more verses in section 124 about the Nauvoo house than there are about the building of the Nauvoo Temple. What's crazy is that they never actually finished the Nauvoo House. They abandoned it to get all hands on deck to complete the temple. Joseph Smith will die. Most of the saints will move west, Emma Smith will remarry, and then the Nauvoo House materials repurposed for to build a little house for that, for her and her husband to live in. This revelation makes the Nauvoo House seem so important, but nothing actually ever comes from it, ultimately. So what would you say about the Navu House and kind of the failed project that ends up ultimately being here?
- [62:25]
A
You're right. If we're dealing with, like, sheer real estate in section 124, the Nauvoo House gets a lot more concerned than the temple does. But I don't know if that's the best measure to figure out what's important to the Lord, how much he talks about one thing or another. I will say that the Nauvoo House, even though it's never completed while Joseph Smith is there, like you mentioned, Emma Smith's second husband, Louis Bideman, kind of repurposes the material materials. He built a structure that he calls the Riverside Mansion, which does serve as a hotel. It's still there today. It was actually part of the sale from Community of Christ of the Nauvoo properties. And now that we have it, I don't know what we're going to do with it. If we're going to fulfill section 124. That's way above my pay grade. But let me say this in principle. What section 124 is setting up are kind of the two poles of Nauvoo. One is going to be the temple, like the north and south pole of the structure of the city. One's going to be the temple. Right? And that is obvious. Every community we've built up to this point starts with the temple and radiates outward. And that's at the heart of all we do today. But the temple is, and I'm not using this in a negative way, in some ways, an exclusionary structure. You know, it's for the saints. It's for their worship. It's a sacred place. And there's good reason to be somewhat exclusionary, because if a person. Person's not ready to go to the temple and make sacred covenants, it could be a really negative experience for them. The Nauvoo House is an inclusionary structure. It's for everybody. And it seems like the saints at this time are really worried about why they keep getting kicked out of New York and Ohio and Missouri. And the Lord's saying, hey, let's build something so that people can come and just get to know us. And if they want to convert, great. Let them come and contemplate the. The glories of Zion. And if they want to join the church, wonderful. But if they don't, at least they'll know us and they'll know that we're not ill intentioned, that we're not malevolent, that we're not doing secret things to try to destroy the world, that we're not satanic. And it does sort of work. They don't complete the Nauvoo House because they have big plans for it. Like the same guy that designs the Nauvoo Temple, William Weeks, is also the architect for the Nauvoo House. And it was going to be a pretty significant hotel, a brick and mortar structure that was intended to last a long time. Like, the only equivalent I can think of is the Hotel Utah, which still stands in downtown Salt Lake. It's been repurposed as the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. But for almost a century, it was this giant hotel where people from all around the world, including almost every president of the United states in the 20th century, came and visited the Saints and got to know us better. So in a lot of ways, the Nauvoo House is a little. The first visitor center, I guess you'd say. And it does show that the Saints need to be as inclusive as possible. Like, it's the visitor's welcome sign for Nauvoo. And when you look at the structure of Nauvoo, the Nauvoo House was going to be built right by the docks. Most people that are coming to Nauvoo come up on a boat on the Mississippi River. And the idea was you step off the boat and then here's this nice big welcoming structure where anybody can stay. Now, again, even saying that they fail is maybe pushing it too far, because right down the road is the Mansion House House. And we've completely mischaracterized the Mansion House. The Mansion House. We go to Nauvoo and we point at it and we say, well, this is Joseph Smith's house. And I have people go, well, if he's such a man of the people, why is he living in the Mansion House? The Mansion House was a hotel. It did what the Revelation asked them to do with the Nauvoo House. It's just that the Mansion House was a frame building. It's made out of wood, so they can build it a lot faster. It's not his house. He rents rooms in the Mansion Mansion House and then eventually gives up those rooms because there's such demand and lives in the servants quarters. But a number of important conversations take place that's where Josiah Quincy, the mayor of Boston, who writes all that stuff about Joseph Smith, meets with Joseph too. So in principle, I love the idea of an exclusionary structure. Exclusionary only because it's sacred and it's special. In some ways, it's inclusionary because we're doing work for everybody there. And in any inclusive structure where anybody can come, where anybody can get to know us, I think that lesson has been learned by the church. When we build the temples, we do try to go out of our way to say, hey, anybody can come in and see. We're eventually going to use this for sacred purposes. So we can't let anybody in. But hey, a lot of temples, especially if they're in significant areas like rome or Washington D.C. or Los Angeles or Salt Lake, have visitors centers too, to kind of explain ourselves, because we started to realize that, hey, it's not just enough for us to be good neighbors, we also need to go out of our way to explain our beliefs and let people know. I mean, this is being recorded in the wake of the incident that happened in Michigan where a gunman attacked a Latter Day Saint chapel. In the days following, we worked with a couple people to film videos of Latter Day Saint chapels because the stuff being said online, some of it was, was just obscene about Latter Day Saints. And it shows that even in the digital world, we need inclusive spaces where we just explain what our deal is and who we are and let people know that we're good people. We might believe differently than you, but we don't have any ill intention towards you and we want to be good neighbors.
- [67:35]
B
That has a really good answer, Casey. So even though it's never built, you think we have gone on to fulfill what this is signaling that we needed to now do and to shift in terms of how we behave toward those who are not members of. Of our church. Meaning, welcome, come see. See us up close. It's hard to hate people up close, right? Come and see for yourself if you know what we are, who we are. Which dispels a lot of animosity. Right. People fear who they don't understand, and they typically persecute who they fear. And so I could see how this would just take away that whole element of suspicion and animosity toward the saints. That's so cool.
- [68:13]
A
It's not a really. You're either with us, you're against us. There needs to be a third space where we can say, hey, maybe you're not going to convert, but we do want you to know that we're kind People, we're good people. Don't discriminate because we're trying to do good here, even if you don't necessarily believe what we believe. Okay, I've got one that I'm anxious for you to tackle. Okay. So the word Nauvoo. We mentioned that Joseph Smith says this is a Hebrew word. But sometimes people will bring this up. Like, I remember when I went to Nauvoo, somebody telling me that Joseph Smith didn't know Hebrew. I'm going to quote from a source I don't like to quote from. This is from Fawn Brody's book on Joseph Smith, no Man Knows My History, which a lot of people have read. It's not great, to be honest with you, but this is one of the things that she writes, and I feel like we have an obligation to answer it. Fawn Brody wrote, when Joseph Smith stood on this hill after his escape from his in 1839, the spot was wooded and trackless, and swamps covered the lowlands behind him, but he could see the glistening river with its islands lying to the north like lush garden places and the green Iowa hills beyond. It is a beautiful sight, he said fervently, and it shall be called Nauvoo, which means in the Hebrew, a beautiful plantation. Then, Brody writes, the name sprang fresh out of his fancy. And though a few of his pedant followers were troubled that the word was not listed in their Hebrew dictionaries, most of the saints were pleased with the choice. Nauvoo had all the melancholy music of a mourning dove's call and somehow matched the magic of the site. She is a half decent writer. I've got to give it to her. But she's making the claim that Joseph Smith just made up the name Nauvoo and that it wasn't a Hebrew word. So, Scott, what do you say to that?
- [69:54]
B
Okay, so this one's easy. Nauvoo is, in fact, every real Hebrew word. Yeah, like it appears in Isaiah 52. 7. Like, I'm not a Hebrew scholar, but like, you can find this. It's in the song of Solomon, 1 verse 10. It's in there. It's a certain form of the verb na, or maybe you would say it nawu, like N, a, W, u. Sometimes when they're trying to write it in English, it means to be comely or beautiful. And so we also know that Joseph had been studying Hebrew with a scholar named Joshua Satius back in Kirtland. And we. We know that there's a. There's a Sephardic transition Transliteration system he learned from Joshua Satius, which we actually see in Satius's grammar that. That he was using to teach Joseph and those in the school in the Prophets Hebrew. We still have a copy of that. And you can see right in there, there's a transliteration N, A, U, V, O, O next to the Hebrew word. Literally Nauvoo. Like, anyway, so Joseph is pulling from the Hebrew that he had learned from an actual, like, Hebrew speaking Jewish. Jewish guy who had taught the saints, some of them in the school of the Prophets Hebrew. He's pulling from that training, Casey. And we can actually see the page that literally says Nauvoo next to the Hebrew word. And it's a transliteration that he went with.
- [71:09]
A
Yeah. And I would caution people, check this stuff out. I mean, Fawn Brody just made a blatantly false claim. When you hear something like that, be cautious.
- [71:17]
B
All right, last C. Let's go to the consequences of sexual intelligence. 24.
- [71:27]
A
It's the longest revelation of the Doctrine and Covenants. We've mentioned that. Here's a couple things that it does. They commission an important proclamation to the kings and leaders of the nations of the earth. It commands the building of the Nauvoo Temple, which is going to reveal crucial ordinances to the people. It commanded the building of the Nauvoo House as a respectable hotel which visitors to Nauvoo come. It's really the start of our visitors welcome culture. What else you got, Scott? What. What other consequences of the section?
- [71:55]
B
It's got a lot of those individualized counsel, commendation, blessings to people who are seeking blessings in Nauvoo. Maybe a really big consequence is at the end there, where it sets an order. Church government appointing or reaffirming various individuals as priesthood officers in the ecclesiastical quorums or councils of the church. That kind of positions things pretty well. So when Joseph passes away, the church structure remains really solid. That becomes a continuous pattern in Utah. But, yeah, I'm with you. I think the Nauvoo Temple is probably the most consequential thing because that becomes the prototype for all the temples we now have throughout the world. The ordinances that he mentioned, there are baptisms for the dead, washings and anointings, endowments. Later on will come ceilings. They're not mentioned in this section, but temple ceilings of spouses, houses, and parents to children. That rounds out the Nauvoo Temple. Theology which practice and theology which. You know, if we understand this theology right, Casey, that's the most consequential thing on both sides of the veil that's happening now or has ever happened. Right. Trying to unite the family of God into this eternal family kingdom of God through temple ordinances. So there's a lot of other interesting, timely things that happen because of this.
- [73:05]
A
There's so many distinctive and special things in Nauvoo that our church chooses to honor that. Yes, today among restoration faiths, we are known as the Nauvoo Church. And so many ideas that are important to me and my loved ones that start here in Nauvoo. Again, some other ideas that are tough, that are difficult, that are controversial. But this is the start of a really important period, the climax of Joseph Smith's prophetic ministry where, where he puts in places the final pieces of his theological superstructure that we today owe everything to.
- [73:39]
B
When you say this is our church, just so our listeners are all clear, like you're talking about how after Joseph Smith's death there was a fracture. There's a lot of different restoration branches that now exist in the world and none of them claim the Nauvoo Temple theology or practices except for us, which as you said, means everything.
- [73:57]
A
We're the defenders of Nauvoo, I guess you would say my restoration faith.
- [74:01]
B
And as you see everything building up from Joseph Smith's first vision, and you know, 14 year old Joseph all the way to 38 and a half and his martyrdom, and just before the martyrdom, as the temple theology is all coming together, Joseph saying, like, I now have given you everything, when he taught this to the 12 and conferred all the keys to them, and he says, like, this is it, this is the whole package. Now if my enemies kill me, that's fine because now you have everything. You've got the temple theology, you've got the doctrine and you know the practices of how to administer these ordinances to others. And so I think it's pretty clear in Joseph's mind like this was. Like this was the crescendo of where everything had been leading up to ever since his first vision. So I think we proudly will claim Nauvoo. We'll be the Nauvoo Church. Sure, we'll be the climax of where everything was heading from the beginning. So it's an honored position.
- [74:54]
A
And I should mention this revelation, which is received in January 1841, is read in April General Conference by John C. Bennett, but it's later published in June in the church's Nauvoo newspaper in September. This is a major thing too, in the church's Manchester, England paper. So this is happening while all the missionaries are over the 12th are in England doing amazing stuff. And just to recognize its importance to Joseph Smith, it is placed in the 1844 Doctrine Covenants. That's where it first appears. So Section 124, a new epoch begins, a new era in church history. The Nauvoo Era is off to the races.
- [75:34]
B
And by the way, wouldn't you say that this being printed in England has something to do with how many church members from England gather? Because the call is clear in this tower. Who gather, gather ye. Come help us build the temple. That's another consequence of section 124 that needs to be said. So really important things are underway.
- [75:51]
A
Next time, we're going to cover some of the theology surrounding work for the dead, which sets up temple work that still happens in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints today. So lots to look forward to. It gets really juicy from here on out, so stay with us as we cover the closing, the grand, the climactic revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants.
- [76:12]
B
Okay, we'll see you next week. Thanks, Casey.