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Church History Matters
169 - D&C 125-127 CFM - Temple Work and Redeeming the Dead - E45 November 3-9
01:05:10
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- [00:00]
Casey
This is the start of something that's going to be really, really important.
- [00:04]
Scott
Baptisms for the dead is one of those things.
- [00:07]
Casey
This is where the big stuff of our dispensation are revealed. And that leads to the great work of family history and temple work that exists in the church and is such an important part of what we do nowadays.
- [00:19]
Scott
I mean, we've got it locked in now. This section gets it off the ground in that trajectory.
- [00:23]
Casey
Hello, Scott.
- [00:24]
Scott
Well, hello, Casey.
- [00:26]
Casey
We're back here and heading through the Nauvoo Revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants, which have a little practical matters, civic duty, then some theology that we've got to kind of deal with here, too.
- [00:38]
Scott
Yeah, some groundbreaking theology. Right. Today we enter into the realm of work for the dead, which is huge.
- [00:45]
Casey
And it's been previously hinted at in section 124, which talks about the Nauvoo Temple. And by the time section 124 was received, they were already practicing baptism for the dead. In fact, it's section 124 that moves baptism for the dead from the river to the temple, makes it a temple ordinance. But what we're talking about in section 127 and 128 has impact on the other ordinances of the temple. Endowments, initiatories, ceilings, big stuff here.
- [01:11]
Scott
Full scope of work for the dead. Although it's interesting that only baptisms for the dead will be explicitly mentioned, but it does lay the groundwork for everything else. So much to talk about in both practical and theological matter. So let's. Let's dive in, shall we? So, Casey, help us with section 125. This is just a super shorty, four little verses. What's going on in the background here with section125? What brings this about?
- [01:39]
Casey
Section125 is what we're referring to when we're talking about practical matters that have to be dealt with. So in the aftermath of what happened in Missouri, Latter Day Saints relocated to Illinois and the plot of land they purchased, this peninsula that kind of juts out into the Mississippi river is right. On the other side of the Mississippi river is Iowa. Latter Day Saint refugees are settling in Hancock County, Illinois, but also in a smaller number of communities on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River. And the primary Latter Day Saint settlement in Iowa was named Zarahemla after the Book of Mormon City. We don't know exactly when Joseph Smith gets this revelation which has to do with Zarahemla, but it's possible, in fact likely, that it came on March 11, 1841. When John Smith, who was the president of the Iowa stake and who's also Joseph Smith's uncle, visits the prophet to seek the will of the Lord concerning where the saints in Iowa should settle. According to John Smith, the prophet advised him that the saints should, in his words, move into the city speedily, but make large fields without land to raise grain. And John Smith also records that Joseph said, it was the will of the Lord that the brethren in general in Ambrosia, which was the word for the Iowa settlements, should move in and about the city of Zarahemla with all convenient speed, which the saints are willing to do, because it is the word of the Lord. O Lord, help thy people to gather out of Babylon. This meeting probably led to the question that section125 is the response to. It's also possible that the saints in Iowa were already moving to gather to Zarahemla before this was received. In fact, William Clayton, who's one of Joseph Smith's scribes during this time, privately noted in his diary that one of the purposes of the revelation in Section125 was to bring together the scattered Latter Day Saints in Iowa for the purpose of safety. And they may have been thinking about Latter Day Saints who'd lived in smaller settlements in places in Missouri like haunts Mill and DeWitt. And that may have raised the concerns of leaders of the church. So William Clayton records in his diary, brother Joseph, when speaking to one of the brethren on this subject, meaning the Iowa settlements, says, you have Hans Mill for a sample. Many of the brethren immediately made preparations for moving in here, and in the months following the time Joseph received section 125, church leaders continue to emphasize the importance of the Iowa saints gathering to zarahemla. And by August 1841, there were around 326 members of the church living in the Zarahemla branch. Now, this is also a section of the Doctrine and Covenants that's added by Orson Pratt and Brigham Young in 1876 as part of a new edition of the Doctrine and Covenants that included a lot of these Missouri and Nauvoo revelations that had previously not been in the Doctrine and Covenants. So that's the basic setup. Just a short, short, little practical revelation on where the saints in Iowa should go.
- [04:33]
Scott
No. Very good. I just have a question, I think, before we get into the content. I'm curious. Why was this revelation added in 1876? It seems so practical to that time. It seems timely rather than sort of universal. Plus, the batch of those revelations that were added in 1876 tended to do mostly with priesthood and temple type themes, but this one doesn't seem to do that. Any thoughts on that? I'm literally just asking this out of my own genuine curiosity.
- [04:57]
Casey
I don't have anything I can back up with doc documentation. So I am going to speculate here. It seems like one of the charges made, especially by movements that didn't like plural marriage was that Joseph Smith kind of went off the rails in Nauvoo. If they acknowledge that Joseph Smith practiced plural marriage at all, I'm going to speculate and say Brigham Young and Orson Pratt may have wanted to include this because it is a revelation received in the Nauvoo period. There are less consequential revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants and other places that were included as well. And so I'm guessing that might have been their reason is they wanted to counter critics that were saying Joseph Smith lost his inspiration once he got to Nauvoo. And as evidence of that, they were saying, look at how few revelations there are during the Nauvoo period, when in reality, Joseph Smith is getting a lot of revelations in the Nauvoo period. They're just not in the Doctrine and Covenants. We find them in other places like the temple, like the liturgy that's found there. That's my speculation that I have no documentation to back up. I'd love it if Orson Pratt had kept a journal that explained why he added what he did. But we kind of have to work backward forensically and say, well, why is this here? Here's a couple possible reasons, and that might be one.
- [06:10]
Scott
I think you're right. There have been those who are trying to say that by Nauvoo, Joseph has become a fallen prophet and the Spirit of the Lord has withdrawn from him. And so you're saying this is here to bolster his legitimacy during this time period.
- [06:23]
Casey
I still hear that argument even today from people that are in other restoration faiths that don't really like the Nauvoo revelations, that don't really follow the Nauvoo revelations. They'll still kind of say, well, look at how the number of revelations decreased, or how the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants here are mostly epistles and not dialogic revelations. So I could see Brigham and Orson basically saying, well, here's a couple examples. We'll canonize them. Just so you know that he was still inspired at this point in time and was still receiving revelations.
- [06:55]
Scott
That's really good. I once nerded out and made a chart of like, all the revelations that are canonized by year. Of course, Kirtland, like 1832, 33 is like huge. Like there's just so many during that time, also in a different color, how many sermons we have recorded from Joseph Smith. And in the early years, we have so few, almost none. In the very earliest years of the church, there's an interesting kind of X that happens where as the revelations decrease that are getting canonized, the number of sermons that Joseph is giving is going exponentially up. And in Nauvoo, the last five years of his life, there are so many sermons that Joseph Smith is giving now that we have recorded. And so it's him now making sense, I think, of a lot of the revelations. And like you said, a lot of them are coming toward building up the temple and the temple liturgy. And just because they're not canonized, they're not recorded, is not therefore evidence that Joseph Smith was not inspired. Like, in fact, some of the openings of some of his sermons. Like I'm thinking in the King Follet Discourse, he says, some of my critics call me a fallen prophet. By the end of today, by the end of this sermon, I think you'll see that the Lord is still with me. And then he gives the King Follett, like the sermon of sermons. And it's like, holy cow. Like. To say that Joseph was not continuing to receive revelation seems silly. It's a superficial argument based on the number of revelations during the Nauvoo time period that we have canonized, which under a little extra scrutiny, just, I think falls apart.
- [08:14]
Casey
And if you really want to put a finer point on it, a lot of the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants from this time period are from Joseph Smith's Discourses, section 130, section 131. These are instructions that he gives. Section 129, instructions that he gives. And my personal theory is that there's two factors here at play. One, Sidney Rigdon just isn't doing well health wise. And he's typically the person who speaks. He was Aaron to Joseph's Moses. And with him not doing so well, Joseph took it upon himself to speak more publicly. And I think that causes his confidence as a public speaker to increase. And the second thing is, I do think there's kind of a ticking clock after Liberty jail, where Joseph Smith is trying to get everything put together and keeps telling people, I may have to go away, they may kill me. And he's not holding back anymore. The last five years of his life. He really goes all in and introduces and carries out some things that he had been tiptoeing towards but hadn't fully initiated. And so this is the capstone period of his life, really. And I think Brigham Young and Orson Pratt were honoring that legacy when they include this section.
- [09:23]
Scott
I love it. It's the first time I've heard that theory, Casey. And I'm glad that we heard it first right here on Church History Matter. So. Okay, thanks for dropping it. Okay, we're ready for our next C. The content. So verse one actually drops us into the actual question that leads to the. The revelation. Right? The question here is, what is the will of the Lord concerning the Saints in the territory of Iowa? And here's the answer. Verily, thus saith the Lord, I say unto you, if those who call themselves by my name and are assaying to be my saints, if they will do my will and keep my commandments concerning them, let them gather themselves together unto the places which I shall appoint unto them by my servant Joseph, and build up cities unto my name, that they may be prepared for that which is in store for a time to come. Them, let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo across the river. He's referring to that place in Iowa. And let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it. And let all those who come from the east and the west and the north and the south that have desires to dwell therein take up their inheritance in the same as well as in the city of Nashville or in the city of Nauvoo. And in all the stakes which I have appointed, saith the Lord, End of Revelation. So simple, practical, straightforward. If you want to do my will, then gather to the cities that my servant Joseph appoints you to. Zarahemla, Nashville or Nauvoo at this point, or any of the other stakes that will be built up. So that's it.
- [10:50]
Casey
Well, that's pretty straightforward and pretty practical. So let's talk controversies for Section125. I'm going to throw one at you here. There is a group of people in the church, and I want to emphasize faithful people, good folks, who believe that this revelation is not only telling them to build a city in Iowa named Zarahemla, but that it's identifying the location of the city of Zarahemla in the Book of Mormon. And these are people that generally favor the geographical model that places the Book of Mormon within the boundary of the continental United States. And often they'll point to this revelation. In fact, when you go to Nauvoo, sometimes you can find little tracts and things like that that say that Zarahemla is just across the river. Meaning they're taking Section125 to be an identification of the Book of Mormon land and not just a naming of a city. So do you think that this revelation is identifying the place of Zarahemla? Why or why?
- [11:49]
Scott
Wow, big question. I'm going back to verse three here, looking at the language. Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo. Here it is. Let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it. So if we're only taking the text at face value, he's saying, call that place Zarahemla. That's it, right? I don't hear him saying that place is Zarahemla from the Book of Mormon. Now to put on our sleuthing spectacles to go a little deeper on this, I guess a really easy question to ask that could help us with this would be, did they already call this place Zarahemla prior to this revelation being given or not? Do we have any evidence of the Saints calling it this prior to this? Is the Lord just saying, like, yes, build that place up. And I like the name Zarahemla on there. Build it up. Or is he saying, that is Zarahemla? So I think if we found people referring to it as Zarahemla prior to this revelation, that would help us to say, no, he's not identifying that as the Book of Mormon, Zarah. Right. So here's a couple pieces of evidence scholar Matt Roper has done some good work on. You can find some of this on fairlatterdaysaints.org where he did a little deep dive on this. So there seems to be a booyah right off the bat that happens in the history of the church that reads like this. This is Joseph Smith, right? Well, at least it's in the history of the church. In Joseph Smith's first person voice says this quote, spent the forenoon of this day on the Iowa side of the river, Went in company with Elder Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith and Bishops Whitney and Knight and others to visit a purchase lately made by Bishop Knight as a location for a town and advised that the town be built there and called zarahemla. So that's 2nd of July, 1839. So that seems like a bullseye. We just found the place in the history of the church that Joseph Smith calls it zarahemla. Well before two years, almost before section125 is given. But then, Cayce, there's a plot twist. The last three words of this entry where it says and called Zarahemla were not actually written by Joseph Smith, but they were written into the manuscript by Elder Willard Richards when he recorded the history for that sometime after the Prophet's death in 1844. So that'd be two years after Section 125 is given. Dun dun. So then it's like, okay, so that's not a good source to like solve the controversy. So we have to look elsewhere. We do actually find. Here's a couple that really do call it zarahemla prior to 1841. Brigham Young, who began keeping a regular journal in 1839, he recorded on 2 July, 1839 that brothers Joseph Hyrum and others came over the river to Montreux and went out on the prairie and looked out the site for a city for the Saints, which was called Zarahemla. That's 1839. So that's pretty good. So Elias Smith, cousin of Joseph Smith, he, in his journal for 16 August, 1840, he records the death of the Prophet's brother, Don Carlos. And he noted that there was, quote, a conference at Zarahemla on that day. So there's another good. There's little things like that that are, I think, helpful to answer that question. Casey is like, were, were, were any Saints actually calling this place Zarahemla prior to the Lord instructing the Saints to build that city up? And the answer is yes. Yes, there was. Does that weaken the argument that the Lord is here pointing out that this is the Book of Mormon land of Zarahemla? I definitely think so, yes. The verse itself is not indicating that at all. And so I think that's an inference that some people are bringing to the text. I think we just need to recognize that the text is not saying that A, and that Saints were already calling it Zarahemla prior to this revelation B. I think both of those points are really helpful to say. Yeah, probably not. I don't know. What do you want to add to that?
- [15:15]
Casey
It does seem from Matt Roper's research that the early Saints didn't believe this was the Book of Mormon Zarahemla. I gotta believe that if they did, they would have made a much bigger deal out of it than they do. And it seems like they don't. So I'm not going to close the door entirely on it being the Book of Mormon Zarahemla, but it does seem like, yeah, they love the Book of Mormon and there's a precedent for naming things after the Book of Morm. Here in Utah, where you and I live, there's Nephi and I live just outside of Lehi. And where I grew up in Delta, there actually was a settlement called Zarahemla in Millard County. I take all those to mean that they were named after things in the Book of Mormon, that they're not identifying locations. And so, yeah, I mean, again, not a big deal, but it is a.
- [16:06]
Scott
Point of controversy that there are people that want to put on the gloves over this. And I would just say there's some gentle research and some thoughts to. To consider if you want to put the gloves on about that. You got to, you know, kind of think about a. You bring up a good point. Why did the people in Joseph Smith's day not suggest this? We have no record of them feeling like we found Zarahemla. B. Why is it already called Zarahemla prior to this revelation being given? C. Notice that verse three doesn't actually say what you're inferring that it says. Right. Just kind of think about that and try not to over claim. Right. This could be the Zarahemla was somewhere. But if you want to say that this revelation is designating as such, I think that's a stretch.
- [16:42]
Casey
And let me add, for those who are really concerned about Book of Mormon geography, there is a little church essay on Book of Mormon geography that you can find in Gospel Library. And the church really hasn't taken a position on which geographical model is correct. And I would just say, you know, for those who this is a major point of contention. I hope we all agree that accepting the Book of Mormon as scripture is way more important than identifying a geographic location. Recognizing that that can be really important. Important to some people. I'm no expert in either theory and why they're correct or incorrect, but yeah, I mean, it feels like this is a little flimsy if we're trying to use this as our primary evidence that the Book of Mormon took place in this area in and around Iowa, in Illinois.
- [17:28]
Scott
Awesome. Well, let's head over to then our final c for section125. The consequences. What flows out of this? Casey?
- [17:40]
Casey
Another thing that's flowing in the currents here is the idea of should we still gather? I think after Missouri there was a little trepidation about gathering because Anytime the saints gathered in large numbers, they faced serious persecution. And after the persecutions that happened in Ohio and Missouri, we'd say the doctrine of the gathering was changed maybe a little bit, but not ended. In the aftermath of their expulsion from Missouri and the apostasy in Kirtland, some saints might have had fears about gathering together in large numbers. And. And those are well founded. Right. In fact, in Illinois, we face persecution again. However, the Lord kind of emphasizes the saints needed to gather to create communities, to build temples. And the gathering was still an essential part of the work of the Lord, at least in this early phase of the restoration. And in section 125, the Lord reminds the saints in Iowa that their labors entailed not just providing for themselves and their families, but also, here's the wording in section 125, building up cities under my name, that they may be prepared for that which is in store for a time to come. So another important affect of section 125 is to say, we're still gathering. We're not going to scatter because of what happened. We're going to continue to gather. We're going to continue to build cities. We have to do this to accomplish what we need to do right now.
- [18:59]
Scott
Excellent with that. Yeah. Let's Transition to section 126. Casey. Section 126 is only three verses long. It's a revelation to Brigham Young. What was going on that brought about this revelation? By the way, this is July of 18, 1841. What's going on with Brigham Young in July of 1841?
- [19:17]
Casey
In July of 1841, Brigham Young has just come home from serving a mission in England. He was gone for a significant amount of time. The official departure on this mission is in 1839. In practicality, they don't leave until a couple months later, but that is a long time away from his family. And again, for a family man, you know, that has a wife and kids who were refugees when he left, that could have been distressing. In addition, this isn't Brigham Young's first mission. Brigham Young had pretty much been serving missions since he joined the church in 1832 in Menden, New York. So, for instance, shortly after his baptism, he served missions to New York and Upper Canada. Upper Canada is not Upper Canada. To them. It was Toronto. And the area is kind of around there. And then he's with Zion's Camp. He marches to Missouri and then marches back, which takes him away from his family for several months as well. Then in 1835, he's called to the Quorum of the Twelve. And they serve a mission in the eastern United states from roughly 1835 to 1837. Then, in response to the colon section 118, Brigham Young left from Nauvoo in September of 1839 with his fellow apostle, Heber C. Kimball to preach the gospel in England. And he is sort of the mission president in England, like the 12 are called to go to England. And by this point, Thomas B. Marsh is apostatized. David Patton is killed at the battle of Crooked River. Brigham Young is. Is the senior apostle and he's like the mission president over in England. And that's. We've talked at length and we've got a couple videos on Scripture central that show how important this mission of the 12 that happened in 1840 was. The other side of this is he's got a family. He left Nauvoo. This is the longest mission and his first internationally, first time he leaves the country. When he's leaving Nauvoo, he says goodbye to his wife Marianne and six children. Just to put this in perspective, two daughters, ages 13 and nine, a five year old son, a pair of three year old twins, a son and a daughter, and a newborn daughter who was born only 10 days earlier. So it's not just that he's leaving his wife Marianne with six kids. They're six little kids and not even under ideal circumstances. They're refugees. They're living in an abandoned army barracks. Brigham Young and his family were all really sick. We talked last time about how when people first arrived in Nauvoo, it was a swamp and a lot of people got really ill because of the bad environment. And Brigham Young himself talks about how hard it was to go on this mission to England. This is what he shares in a discourse. When I left my family to start for England, I was not able to walk one mile. I was not able to lift a small trunk which I took with me into the wagon. Every one of my family were sick. Yet he said, the prophet Joseph confidently assured him, if you will go, I promise you that your family shall live and you shall live. And you shall know that the hand of God is in the calling for you to go and preach the gospel of life and salvation to a perishing world. So he said, when I was ready to start, I went and left my family in the hands of the Lord and with the brethren.
- [22:27]
Scott
Yeah. And another reality, which you've already talked about a little bit, is how poor they were. I think it's interesting that Brigham Also talked about, he said, I left my wife and my six children without a second suit to their backs, for we had left all our property in possession of the mob in Missouri. In fact, we actually know that he was only able to leave his wife $2.72. Casey. Oh, yeah. And in a letter he wrote to Marianne only hours after parting, Brigham apologized about the lack of money. He said, quote, this is almost robbing you. I know, but I do not know what else to do. Brother Joseph has pledged himself that the wives of the 12 shall have what they wanted. And then concluding in faith, he says to his wife, I do feel as though the Lord would provide for you and me. Close to the quote. So Brigham's multi month journey to England with his fellow apostles is going to be tedious. He's going to be sick for much of the journey there. Yet once he finally sets foot on the dock at Liverpool, he says this quote, I gave a loud shout of Hosanna. I felt that the chains were broken and the bands that were upon me were burst asunder.
- [23:31]
Casey
If you're a fan of old church movies, yeah. This departure, when he leaves Marianne to go on his mission to England is the one that they made a church movie out of where. Where he and Heber C. Kimball are like riding away in the Wago. This is a true story. Like, this is hard. Let's rise up and give him a shout. And they stand up and shout, hurrah for Israel three times. And their wives who are both really sick, emerge at the door and goodbye, God bless you. Like, this is tough. So really he makes a huge sacrifice to leave his family during this time. It was a pretty big thing to ask of him to do.
- [24:09]
Scott
And in the wake of that sacrifice came incredible blessings. The British field, you could say, was white all ready to harvest. And Brigham Young and his fellow apostles pretty energetically thrust in their sickles over the next year to establish the church there and to bring souls to Christ. In fact, just over a week after his arrival in England, Brigham Young is appointed to be the president of the Quorum of the twelve Apostles, which was an appointment that was formally confirmed in doctrine and Covenants 124 the next January. And over the next several months, hundreds of contacts converts join the church. Hundreds. And Brigham Young led the efforts to publish printing materials for the British saints like the Book of Mormon hymn books church newspaper. Meanwhile, the heavy demands of young children in her own poor health had actually prevented Marianne from writing very often to Brigham. But through a letter from Valette Kimball to her Apostle husband Heber C. Kimball, Brigham learned that his family back in Nauvoo, quote, were needy, Their house hardly able to be called a shelter, and his two oldest daughters were sick with the chills. This prompts Brigham Young to write home to Marianne. He says, quote, how I long to see my family or to know they are well and provided for so they do not suffer for food and raiment. Sister valet says, your house could hardly be called a shelter. This makes me feel bad, but I will do all I can for you, to help you, to make you and the children comfortable while I am in the vineyard. Vineyard. And then, two months later, after informing Marianne of the welcome news that he and the 12 would start for home that next April, he said, quote, I pray for you and the children continually. It is all I can do, Adding his conviction that they were all in the hands of the Lord God of Israel. And in spite of her distressed circumstances, Marianne does express gratitude for her husband's kingdom building efforts. In a return letter to him, she said, quote, I am glad to hear the work of the Lord is prospering in England. It gives me much joy. So there's just some tender exchanges between Brigham and his wife when they're both in very trying circumstances. But the sacrifice starts yielding incredible amounts of converts and establishing the church in England.
- [26:09]
Casey
Yeah. In fact, the evening of April 20th, this is the night before they leave England to come home. Brigham writes in his journal on just how miraculously prosperous the last year had indeed been for him and his apostles. This is what he writes. It truly seemed a miracle to look upon the contrast between our landing and departing from Liverpool. We landed in the spring of 1840 as strangers in a strange land and penniless. But through the mercy of God, we have gained many friends, established churches in almost every noted town and city in the kingdom of Great Britain, baptized between 7 and 8,000, printed 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon, 3,000 hymn books, 2,500 copies of the Millennial Star and 50,000 tracts, and immigrated to Zion 1,000 souls and have sown in the hearts of many thousands the seeds of eternal truth which will bring forth fruit to the honor and glory of God. And yet we have lacked nothing to eat, drink or wear. In all these things, I acknowledge the hand of God. Brigham makes it home to Nauvoo on July 1, 1841, and is joyfully met by Joseph Smith, his friends, and most importantly, his family. And after their happy reunion, Brigham found that his family was living in a small, unfurnished log cabin situated on a low, wet, swampy lot in Nauvoo. And it's in this same house, eight days later, that Joseph Smith visits Brigham Young and gives him the brief revelation that becomes section 126. So that's. That's kind of the backstory. There's major stuff going on, even if this is a really small section of the Doctrine and Covenants and big things that have occurred in Brigham Young's life and the life of his family before this revelation was given.
- [27:56]
Scott
So let's look at the content of this three verse revelation, and I think all that backstory is really helpful to me to. To help these verses sink in, because if you don't understand what's going on with Brigham and his family and the sacrifice both sides are making, this section's not quite as sweet, but when you get it, it's like, oh, beautiful. So here's what verse one says. Dear and well beloved brother Brigham Young. This is Joseph Smith's words. Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you. Okay, now here comes the revelation. My servant Brigham, it is no more required at your hand to leave your family as in times past past. For your offering is acceptable to me. I have seen your labor and toil in journeyings for my name. I therefore command you to send my word abroad and take especial care of your family from this time henceforth and forever. Amen. That's so good. These welcome words were no doubt a relief to both Brigham Young and Marianne. In fact, we know, Casey, that because of this revelation, Brigham would never again leave his family so poor or for so long. Take especial care of your family, Brigham, from now on is the new call for him. Such a relief.
- [29:05]
Casey
Yeah. And he does go on a mission. He's famously gone from Nauvoo when Joseph Smith is killed in 1844 on a proselyting mission that's kind of a. Also presidential electioneering mission. Joseph Smith's running for president, but, yeah, I don't think he ever goes back to England, and he's never separated from his family for that period of time again. In fact, he makes a major point later on when he becomes president of the church to basically say the job of the First Presidency is to stay at church headquarters and manage things, and the 12 are supposed to go out and preach the gospel. In fact, that's a major motivating factor in why he chooses to reorganize the First Presidency, which isn't until three years after Joseph Smith's death, so that he.
- [29:46]
Scott
Can stay local with his family and govern the church from there.
- [29:50]
Casey
One of his big arguments was there needs to be a first presidency so that the 12 can be free to go out and do their designated role as given in the Doctrine covenants, particularly section 107, which is to preach the gospel and to get the word out to people.
- [30:03]
Scott
Awesome. So that's the content. This three little verses. But the backstory, I think, just makes this so much sweeter when you understand, like, wow, this man has sacrificed and his wife has sacrificed so much for him to be able to go and do this. And now the Lord says, I accept your sacrifice. Stay home. Okay, our next C. Controversies. Casey, any controversies you can think of with section 126?
- [30:31]
Casey
I guess the only one I can think of is the same one we brought up with section 125, which is why include this. And especially, I mean, it's under Brigham Young's direction that this is placed in the Doctrine and Covenants. So what do you think? Was Brigham Young trying to write himself into the Doctrine and Covenants? Why put this in? I'll be honest. I don't know if it was Brigham Young or Orson Pratt that was the major mover. It seems like it was Orson Pratt that was probably the person because he's the one that's always attributed with the major revamp. It's just Brigham Young is presiding officer at that time.
- [31:02]
Scott
Yeah. Again, the majority of those that were put into the Doctrine of covenants in 1876 were relative to temple and priesthood, and again, this is neither. So I'm going to default back to your answer, Casey, that you gave earlier, which I think is a good one. This is to help bolster the claim that Joseph Smith continued to receive Revelation against the attack of those who are saying Joseph is a fallen prophet and is not receiving Revelation. Revelation. So I actually really like that, and I'm going to go with that.
- [31:29]
Casey
I'm just going to add, too, in 1876, they also added section 136, which is the only Revelation, the Doctrine and Covenants that was received by Brigham Young. So I don't think it's like, off the reservation to say one of their motivations in 1876 was to show that Revelation continues to flow to the Church, that Brigham Young had a special role in the church in Nauvoo, and that Brigham Young was a good candidate to take over for Joseph Smith when Joseph Smith was killed. So I think all those factors are there and we can be transparent and say, yeah, that's probably at least a partial motivation. For why this was placed in the Doctrine and Covenants and why section 136 was put in the Doctrine and Covenants, too.
- [32:10]
Scott
Yeah, that's a great thought.
- [32:11]
Casey
Well, let's talk consequences of section 126, then.
- [32:15]
Scott
Yeah. So for the next few weeks, since Brigham had virtually uninterrupted time to devote to taking care of his family as this revelation directed, he actually sets out to doing some. Some work around the. The house. Casey. He goes out chinking the cracks in the cabin and prepares a garden, builds a cellar for their milk and meats and produce. He sets out an orchard. He builds a shed for his cow, draining, fencing, planting, cultivating his lab. Looks like Marianne may have had a big list for him when he got home, Casey. But he is happy to. To. To work on this. And then in the following weeks and months, the prophet Joseph assigns Brigham Young to lead the apostles in taking responsibility for the business of the church in Nauvoo, including settling immigrant converts, helping to print church materials, which they were doing over in England. So they're. They're ready to do that here, overseeing the collection of tithes and offerings and directing the missionary activities of the church throughout the world from Nauvoo. Right. All this in fulfillment of the Lord's command here in section 126, for Brigham Young to send my word abroad. Right. In other words, to be in charge of sending out the missionaries. But you get to stay home, Brigham. You stay home. I think those are some interesting things that this section does.
- [33:24]
Casey
I might add, too, that the home of Brigham Young that he lived in when he was in Nauvoo, in fact, May 31, 1843, Brother Brigham wrote, I moved out of my log cabin into a new brick house, which was 22ft by 16, two stories high, a good cellar under it, thankful to God for the privilege of having a comfortable, though small, habitation. That home is still. It's one of the things you should visit if you go to Nauvoo. And so having him stay at home does allow him to build, finally, a decent house for his family, which is a big deal. Right. And is still there. And so that's one of the consequences of the section, too. And by the way, this home becomes an important meeting center, especially in the months after Joseph Smith's death, when the 12 are kind of meeting together, together and consolidating their authority and basically getting the church back on its feet after those horrible events that happened surrounding Joseph Smith's death.
- [34:22]
Scott
And I'd throw out one more important thing. That this revelation does is that by allowing Brigham Young to remain in and around Nauvoo, this enables him to spend priceless time with the prophet Joseph Smith, where he could observe the prophet up closely. He could consult with him about important church matters regular. He could be intimately taught and tutored about some of the crowning doctrinal practices introduced by the prophet Joseph in his final years, particularly those dealing with the temple, which Brigham Young is going to be charged with carrying on. Right. This section actually ideally positions Brigham Young not only to strengthen his most sacred relationships with his family, but also to position him on the path to prepare for his own privilege. Prophetic future. That's pretty vital. And by the way, about the relief of his family when he comes home. We should just drop this one last line from his journal. After he got home, he said about his wife Marianne, this evening, I am with my love, alone by my fireside for the first time for years. We enjoy it and feel to praise the Lord.
- [35:31]
Casey
Very nice. Okay, well, let's keep going. So two short sections, and then we get into two epistles, two really important epistles that have to do with baptism for the dead. So let's talk a little bit about section 127 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
- [35:52]
Scott
Okay, so, Casey, we know that sections 127 and 128 are actually letters that the prophet wrote to the saints. And that's pretty different than almost every section of the Doctrine and Covenants up to this point. Why letters? Why. Why is this not a revelation? Or why is it not just a sermon that he gave to the saints in Nauvoo? Why is he writing letters? What's going on that has prompted the prophet to write letters to the saints that later get canonized?
- [36:18]
Casey
Well, this one has a really intriguing backstory. And writing letters is a legitimate. I mean, in the New Testament, there's epistles from Paul and Peter and James and everybody. So it's an established way of doing things. But the reason why it's a letter instead of a discord course is because of an assassination attempt. So let me. Let me fill you in on the backstory here. So, May 6, 1842, someone attempts to assassinate Lilburn W. Boggs, the former governor of Missouri, the guy who issued the extermination order against the saints. So Boggs is in his study in Independence, Missouri, and an unknown assailant fires a gun at him through a nearby window. And Boggs is hit by large buckshot and in the back of the head and the neck. And initially, he wasn't expected to survive, but he does eventually recover. Immediately after this assassination attempt, accusations began to be leveled that Joseph Smith had arranged for someone to kill Boggs in reprisal for the extermination order that was issued against the Saints in 1838. And in the controversy that followed, the saints of Nauvoo began to worry that Joseph might be extradited to Missouri where his life would be Be in serious danger. Like, let's be honest here. So during this time, Joseph Smith was forced into hiding to avoid arrest or abduction. Section127 and Section128 are both letters that Joseph Smith wrote about baptisms for the dead and the doctrine of work for the dead while he was in hiding. So he writes the letter that later becomes section127 to encourage the saints and to provide further instructions on. On best practices for baptism for the dead. And again, let me reiterate, the doctrine of proxy baptisms for the deceased had been being taught for several years at this point. It's first introduced in August of 1840. It's referenced in section 124. It's explained further here, but we've only kind of tiptoed around this. The saints first start doing their baptisms for the dead in the Mississippi river. Then section 124 comes, which says that they need to be done inside the temple in a font inside the temple. That's in section 124, 29, 36. But the Saints were really anxious to continue these ordinances. In fact, so anxious we mentioned this last time that they finished the Baptistry in the temple and then start doing baptisms while the temple is being constructed on top of the baptistery. Now, because Joseph Smith was in hiding when the letter about proxy baptisms was written, we don't know a lot about the immediate circumstances that led to its creation. So we don't know what prompted him to write the letter. But William Clayton, who's Joseph Smith's secretary during this time, recorded in Joseph Smith's journal that he wrote, when this letter was read before the brethren, it cheered their hearts and evidently had the effect of stimulating them and inspiring them with courage and faithfulness. The letter then becomes a section of the Doctrine and Covenants after it's published in the Nauvoo Times and Seasons. And then it is added into the Doctrine and Covenants by Joseph smith in the 1844 edition that is being created that's basically being printed while Joseph Smith is killed in Carthage jail. So this wasn't added by Orson Pratt. Or Brigham Young added under the instructions of Joseph Smith. So that maybe gives it a little weight, too, is that Joseph Smith felt this needed to be in the Doctrine and Covenants. It was that big a deal.
- [39:41]
Scott
That's really insightful. Okay, well, let's jump in now to the content of the letter. But when you look at this section, you'll Notice that verses 1 and 2 are actually really long, really thick. And then after that, verses 3 through 12 are just, like, normal size. And so it's kind of. Kind of fun to read. Like, it's as if when it was being broken up, like, they just couldn't break the thoughts up from verses one and two. It's all kind of this one beautiful thought in verse one and then two.
- [40:07]
Casey
And that makes sense because verses one and two kind of address the general subject of persecution. Here's why I'm in hiding. And then the rest are instructions on baptism for the dead. So it does shift from kind of inspiring the saints to have courage even though persecution is happening, to, here's some instructions. Here's some things I need you to do. Practical things about baptism for the dead.
- [40:27]
Scott
Yep. Good. So here we go into the two, two big verses. Let's read them. Number one. For as much as the Lord has revealed unto me that my enemies, both in Missouri and this state, were again in the pursuit of me, and inasmuch as they pursue me without a cause and have not the least shadow or coloring of justice or right on their side in the getting up of their prosecutions against me, and in as much as their pretensions are all founded in falsehood of the blackest dye, I have thought it expedient and wisdom in me to leave the place for a short season for my own safety and the safety of this people. Good idea, right? Yeah, you're right, Casey. Like, if they got him. If they. If they did get him back into Missouri, that would most likely be game over for Joseph. He knows it, really. He was in. He was in Illinois when this whole thing happened with Boggs. And so he's right when he says there's. There's not the least shadow or coloring of justice to somehow involve me in this. In this crime. Like, why are they doing this? Just because Boggs was the worst to us, I'm somehow not responsible. Anyway, he goes on, I would say to all those with whom I have business that I have left my affairs with agents and clerks who will transact all business in a prompt and proper manner and will see that all my debts are canceled in due time by turning out property or otherwise, as the case may require or as the circumstances may admit of when I learn that the storm is fully blown over, then I will will return to you again. So I'm not running from my debts, that those are going to be taken care of. No worries there. And as for the perils, verse two begins which I am called to pass through. They seem but a small thing to me, as the envy and wrath of man have been my common lot all the days of my life. And for what cause it seems mysterious unless I was ordained from before the foundation of the world for some good end or bad as you may choose to call it, judge ye for yourself, yourselves. God knoweth all these things, whether it be good or bad. But nevertheless, deep water is what I am. Want to swim in it all has become a second nature to me and I feel like Paul to glory in tribulation. For to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all and will deliver me from henceforth. For behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies. For the Lord God hath spoken it. The indefatigable Joseph Smith Casey. This is just who I am. These are the ones waters that I swim in. Don't worry guys, I'm used to this. It might be because I was foreordained from before the foundation of this world to do some good. That might be why I'm being so opposed. But which is interesting, right? Because recently they had published the book of Abraham in Nauvoo and he might be talking about premortal stature or whatever in this idea that he was foreordained possibly to do some good in this world or bad as you may choose to call it in light of a such of the Abraham texts that have recently been published, right? Where Abraham said that he found out that he was chosen before he was born to do some important work here. So I wonder, I don't know for sure, but I wonder if at all the Abraham text is influential there. But there is a discourse that Joseph gave about a year and a half after this was written where Joseph expands this concept actually a little bit about himself and ancient prophets and others that are called to minister. Here's what he says. Said, quote, every man who has a calling to the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of Heaven. I suppose he says that I was ordained to this very office in that grand Council. It is the testimony that I want that I am God's servant and that this people are his people. In the last days, the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom. And the very time that was calculated on, he said so this isn't all random. God has sent us here at certain times to do certain things. Things. This is all according to plan, right? Is how Joseph sees this. So I don't know if he's being just cheeky in verse two or he's just like, I guess maybe I was forwarding to do some good or bad in this world, as you may suppose, but my enemies continue to hound me and don't worry guys, I'm used to this and I'll be back when the storm has blown over. Don't worry.
- [44:22]
Casey
He's basically cheering them up in his absence now. Picking it up in verse three Let all the saints rejoice, therefore, and be exceedingly glad, for Israel's God is their God, and he will mete out a just recompense of reward upon the heads of all their oppressors. And again, verily, thus saith the Lord, let the work of my temple this is where he's shifting to talk about the temple and all the works which I have appointed unto you be continued on and not cease. And let your diligence and your perseverance and your patience and your works be redoubled, and you shall in no wise lose your reward, saith the Lord of hosts. And if they persecute you, so persecuted they the prophets and the righteous men that were before you, for all this there is a reward in heaven. Then this is where he shifts and starts to give specific instructions about baptism for the dead. So verse 5 again I give unto you a word in relation to the baptism for your dead. Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you concerning your dead. When any of you are baptized for your dead, let there be a Roman recorder, and let him be eyewitness of your baptisms. Let him hear with his ears that he may testify of a truth, saith the Lord, that in all your recordings it may be recorded in heaven. Whatsoever you bind on earth may be bound in heaven whatsoever you loose on earth may be loosed in heaven. For I am about to restore many things to the earth pertaining to the priesthood, saith the Lord of Hosts. And again, let all the records be had in order that they may be put in the archives of my holy, holy temple, to be held in remembrance from generation to generation, saith the Lord of hosts. I will say to all the saints that I desired with exceedingly great desire to have addressed them from the stand on the subject of baptism for the dead on the following Sabbath. But inasmuch as it is out of my power to do so, I will write the word of the Lord from time to time on that subject and send it to you by mail, as well as many other things. I now close my letter for the present for the want of more time, for the enemy is on the alert. And as the Savior said, the prince of this world cometh, but he hath nothing in me. Behold, my prayer to God is that you all may be saved. And I subscribe myself, your servant in the Lord, prophet and seer of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. So this is one of those sections where it's neat to see it actually literally carried out in the church today, where when you go to the temple and you do baptisms for the dead, I mean, right, there is a recorder who is making sure that everything is properly recorded. And over here are witnesses that are making sure the ordinance is carried out properly. This instruction is given here, and it prevents a lot of problems that would come if we weren't such assiduous record keepers, basically, that we might be baptizing people multiple times, which I understand happened in Nauvoo in several instances. And it allows us to be more diligent and to get the work done, because it's a big job. Like, we're literally seeking to do the baptisms of everybody we have records for, and that entails some serious recordkeeping.
- [47:23]
Scott
You can see the moment it began. And you go to the temple today and do baptisms for the dead. I've done this. I've sat there. You know, you get to sit in these little benches, and you get to watch people getting baptized. And I've opened up section127 and read this while I looked up and watched it being played out like, you're right, Casey.
- [47:40]
Casey
This just.
- [47:41]
Scott
We follow this to the T. Okay, let's go to our next C here, controversy. I don't think we got closure on the Governor Boggs situation, Casey, as far as controversies go, like, who tried to assassinate Governor Boggs? Do we know?
- [48:00]
Casey
We don't know. Here's what we know and what we don't know about the situation. Porter Rockwell, who was one of Joseph's close friends, who's. I mean, he was. He was baptized the day the church was organized, was in Independence when Governor Boggs was shot. That added to the controversy, essentially, that a lot of people were basically saying, well, Joseph Smith, you know, sent Porter to assassinate Governor Boggs. Porter was arrested and was put on trial but he was also released because of lack of evidence, essentially, and he makes his way back to Nauvoo, and Joe Joseph Smith embraces him. And so the facts are, Porter Rockwell was in Independence. Somebody shot Governor Boggs. Other historians that I've read have pushed back and said, you know, Porter Rockwell was there, but there were a lot of people that didn't like Governor Boggs. In fact, when he's shot, he's. He's finished his term as governor of Illinois and he's running for Senate. And so there may have been other motivations that haven't been explored as much because we tend to really explore our history. Now, Porter Rockwell was quoted and maybe misquoted by several people who claimed that he said he took a shot at Governor Boggs. The most famous one is Patrick Edward o', Connor, who was the head of the army in Utah. O' Connor said that while Porter was acting as a scout for the Army. This is before the Bear River Massacre, which happens several years later, in fact, during the American Civil War, that Porter Rockwell had said, yeah, I shot him, and I can't believe I didn't kill the son of a bleep or anything like that. But o' Connor was notoriously not a fan of the Saints, and I don't know if I would trust that he.
- [49:52]
Scott
Put those words in Porter's mouth potentially. But, Casey, is there any evidence whatsoever that Joseph sent Puerto Rico Rockwell to make an attempt, at least on Boggs life?
- [50:02]
Casey
That's one of the controversies is there are people that make that accusation. Now, a couple of them are pretty blatantly false. For instance, John C. Bennett, who we talked a little bit about in section 124 after he leaves the church, actually says that Joseph Smith predicted and prophesied in public. This is in his book about Nauvoo. He says, In 1841, Joe Smith pred. Or prophesied in public congregation in Nauvoo that Lilburn W. Boggs, ex governor of Missouri, should die by violent hands. Within one year, from one or two months prior to the attempted assassination of Governor Boggs, Mr. O.P. rockwell left Nauvoo for parts unknown to the citizens at large. I was then on terms of close intimacy with Joe Smith and asked him, where has Rockwell gone? Gone, he said, gone to fulfill prophecy. Rockwell returned to Nauvoo the day before the report of the assembly assassination reached here. A lot of that is in error. Porter didn't make it back to Nauvoo in time for that. Joseph Smith publicly says, no, I never Said that I never prophesied that. Another person that makes an accusation is Joe Jackson. Joe Jackson is an apostate that's closely affiliated with the people that are going to publish the Nauvoo Expositor. He said that Joseph Smith had paid Porter Rockwell to assassinate Lilburn Boggs. Both Porter Rockwell and Joseph Smith deny this. Then the last one is William Law. William Law is the leader of the apostates that published the Nova Expositor. And by the way, this was in 1887, about 40 years after these events. And to the Salt Lake Tribune, which was an avowedly anti Mormon newspaper at the time, he said that Joseph Smith had told him, I sent Rockwell to kill Boggs, but he missed him. It was a failure, and he wounded him instead of sending him to hell. So three accusations made by three apostates. Publicly, Joseph Smith said, no, I was never involved in that. No, I never prophesied that Governor Boggs would be assassinated. But he is under scrutiny when he writes section127 because of this assassination attempt. Like I said, other historians that have written about this have sort of said Governor Boggs wasn't well liked. He was running for Senate. There was a lot of controversial stuff happening. And so it might be a little bit of a leap to just assume the Latter Day Saints were the only ones that had a grudge or wanted him dead.
- [52:27]
Scott
Yeah, he had a lot of enemies. I'm trying to think of the motive. So John C. Bennett, Joe Jackson, and William Law, I think they all have the same motive, which is to stir up the public against the Saints, to bring about their ruin. Right. And to end this whole project that Joseph Smith had launched. And so one of the best ways to do that would be to get Missouri involved, because they already hate the Saints, get Missouri involved, to come and try to help, you know, get Joe Smith extradited back to Missouri. And so John C. Bennett just keeps playing that key like, no, he. He really tried to get Boggs assassinated. And I heard him say there was a prophecy, which is interesting. If Joseph said that prophecy, how come nobody else ever came forward? How come John C. Bennett's the only one that heard it? It's that, etc. Etc. There's lots of problems, there's lots of holes, but there you go.
- [53:15]
Casey
Let's try another one. So Joseph Smith talks about obtaining records to do baptisms for the dead. Are there any groups that we should have off limits? For instance, I know that a couple years ago there was a controversy about using records of Jewish Holocaust victims. There was A controversy that the work had been done on behalf of Barack Obama's deceased ancestors. In fact, if I remember correctly, there was a little old lady who was kind of bitter against the church who would go into the family history library and like literally try and look up stuff like this to sort of stir up controversy at the time. So are there, are there groups that we shouldn't be worrying about right now, or records that we don't need to worry about obtaining? Or what guidance should we follow when it comes to who we baptize for the dead?
- [54:05]
Scott
That question feels way above my pay grade. I think I will trust the first presidency and 12 to make those calls. So I know we have backed off Holocaust victim lists, haven't we? I don't think we do that anymore because of the request of family members related to them that say, please don't do that work for them. So I think we are trying to be sensitive to some of those requests. Eventually, I think between now and the end of the millennium, I think we're going to try to get to everybody eventually. But I know there are sensitive situations that again, I trust our first presidency in 12 to make the right calls on any lists to exclude for the present time.
- [54:46]
Casey
Let me share. This is a letter that was published by the First Presidency in March of 2012, and this does give a little guidance on the question. It reads as follows. And this was back when Thomas S. Monson was president of the Church. Counselors Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf. Dear brothers and sisters, we would like to reiterate the policies first stated in 1995 concerning the submission of names for proxy temple ordinances. And then they write, our preeminent obligation is to seek out and identify our own ancestors. Those whose names are submitted for proxy temple ordinances should be related to the submitter. Without exception, Church members must not submit for proxy temple ordinances any names from unauthorized groups such as celebrities and Jewish Holocaust victims. If any members do so, they may forfeit their new familysearch privileges and other corrective action may also be taken. Members are encouraged to participate in familysearch indexing, which is vital to family history and temple work. We appreciate the faithful adherence to these policies by all members of the Church. Sincerely yours, the First Presidency. So there is a little guidance here. I have a couple people that work with me that do dialogue with Jewish groups that there was some sensitivity because. Because the challenge here is the Nazis were terrible, but they were good record keepers. And so we have a large number of names of people that were taken to concentration camps and we know have passed on. So we have solid records. But Jewish people were somewhat offended by the idea that their ancestors had died for their religion. But now we're joining another church in the afterlife. And I think the leaders of the church tried to explain that like this. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're joining. It's like we're inviting them, we're offering an invitation to them. But the question was so sensitive that they did explain, okay, let's set this group aside. We've got plenty of other work to do. The other group listed there is celebrities. So maybe you really love CS Lewis or Elvis Presley, but unless you're related to Mr. Lewis or Mr. Presley, it's probably not appropriate. Appropriate to seek to do their work. And I get it. There's been tons of times when a celebrity has passed away and I've thought, well, let's wait a year and go to the temple and take care of Tom Petty or David Bowie or something like that. But again, it's family first. We work with our own family lines. And Joseph seems to emphasize that when in the letter he keeps saying, you're dead. You're dead like the people that belong to you, the. That you're connected to, because that's who the Saints were going for too. But I do hear that there was some excitement over baptizing, like political figures. Like everybody wanted to baptize George Washington and stuff like that in Nauvoo.
- [57:40]
Scott
There you go. I trust the First Presidency to manage those policies in a very thoughtful and careful way. So thank you, Casey. Very good. Okay, let's go to consequences. In our modern day, we. We see the direct impact this had in the more immediate aftermath. There's a lot to talk about. I mean, the Saints enthusiastically had embraced the doctrine of baptisms for the dead when it was first introduced, August 10, 1840. It's kind of a cool story, actually. The. The very first baptism for the dead that we know of is the baptism of a woman named Jane Nyman, who requested that a brother named Harvey Olmstead baptize her on behalf of her son, Cyrus Livingston, who had recently passed. He was, I think, a 15 year old teenager, if I remember right. And so there's a couple things about that that might seem a little off. First, that a woman is being baptized for a man. Second, they go down to the river and Harvey has never heard a baptismal prayer for the dead. He doesn't know exactly what to say. So he just kind of puts together the best he could think of what to say to baptize Jane for her deceased son Cyrus. And as far as witnesses go, there was a woman named Vienna Jacques who was on her horse, and she witnessed this. And I'm going to pause the story right there and just have you kind of think about how odd this kind of might seem, you know, to a modern. To the modern sensitivities, right. There's a couple things offer. We have a mom being baptized for a son. We got a guy who's doing the baptism in the river that doesn't quite know what to say. And our witnesses are Vienna and her horse. Does that count? And so Joseph Smith also was unaware of this baptism. And when he found out about it, he asked Harvey very carefully, he said, what words did you say? And when Harvey told him what he said, Joseph thought about it for a minute and said, essentially, okay, that counts. We're going to count it. But you could see some of the kind of the haphazard way they were doing this. Wilford Woodruff reported about like, you know, on a particular day, there were hundreds lined up on the river. And, you know, this elder was baptized in a hundred. He's like, I baptized 100. Joseph was down there. He baptized 100. We were just baptizing, but we didn't have the system down, right? And so the first baptisms, eventually that all has to be. Be redone so that they can now go and perform these baptisms and have recorders present who can record the names of the deceased who are baptized in order to now make it systematic, make it locked in so we don't have to keep redundantly baptizing people. And over and over again, we have a record. We know who, and once we know who, we know who to go to next and so on. And so that was kind of the. The beginnings of baptisms for the dead was, you can see why Joseph's right, the letter. And with the letter, things then start to become a lot more systematized until we get to where we're at today with computers and barcodes and scanning and, I mean, we've got it locked in now, but this section gets it off the ground in that trajectory, basically.
- [60:45]
Casey
Yeah. In fact, Wilford Woodruff, who's our record keeper in the church, right. He later on talks about how these early baptisms were carried out in kind of a haphazard, unsystematic manner. He said he recalled going to the river along with Joseph Smith and other church members to perform baptisms of the dead. They baptized hundreds of people but no one was assigned to record the names of the deceased that were baptized. And then President Woodruff later on says, the Lord told Joseph that he must have recorders present at these baptisms. Men who could see with their eyes and hear with their ears and record these things, of course, we had to do the work only over again. Nevertheless, that does not say that the work was not of God, so they have to do it again. And he's saying, well, do we get points for good intentions? Yes, but this is like almost every other thing in the church that we just assume came to us fully formed. The Lord gives them the principles and then kind of go and figure out how it works and provides instruction as they go. In fact, one of the discourses Joseph Smith gives to the Nauvoo Religious Relief society, this is August 21, 1842, the minutes of the Relief Society record. President Smith said he had one remark to make respecting baptism for the dead to suffice for the time being until he has opportunity to discuss the subject to greater length. That is, all persons baptized for the dead must have a recorder present that he may be an eyewitness to testify of it. And it will be necessary in the grand council that these things be tested, testified, let it be attended to from this time. But if there is any lack, it may be at the expense of our friends. They may not come forth. So from this small beginning, this kind of grassroots effort in Nauvoo, Church members start to create records of all the proxy baptisms performed in this dispensation. In section 127, Joseph also recorded the words of the Lord. I am about to restore many things to the earth pertaining to the priesthood, saith the Lord of Hosts. Baptisms for the dead are sort of the tip of the iceberg, I would say. Like this letter does indicate that the Lord is saying, this is the start of something that's going to be really, really important. And we see that, that as the history of the church has progressed, the central role of the temple has only become more and more important. Like it's just continued to increase in importance till we are where we are today, where we're very much a temple building people. And the ordinances of the temple represent a significant effort by the Latter Day Saints.
- [63:17]
Scott
That's a great insight. Yeah. Verse 8 says many things are about to be restored pertaining to the priesthood. Baptisms for the dead is one of those things. So we're going to talk more about this in our next episode. We're going to talk about section 128 and what that adds to the conversation about the priesthood. In fact, Joseph uses that phrase, the priest priesthood, in such a curious way in section 120A, that when we unpack it, it is filled with insights that are very relevant to the work that we're doing today. So I think we're going to park it there. We're going to pause this week's study here at section at the end of section127 and then join us in our next episode this week where we're going to do a deep dive into 128. We're just going to do that all on its own because it has so much substance there. We want to dig into it and especially to really dive deeper into this principle about the priesthood being restored and what surprising insights the prophet brings to that idea. So anything, Casey, and signing off here.
- [64:15]
Casey
That you wanted to say again, this is Nauvoo. This is where the big stuff of our dispensation are revealed. And section 127 is hinting it's not going to be haphazard. We're not just doing this out of sentiment mentality. It is going to be a uniform instrumental work that we have to systematize a little bit. And that leads to the great work of family history and temple work that exists in the church and is such an important part of what we do nowadays.
- [64:42]
Scott
Perfect. Okay. That that ends part one. Join us in part two this week as we dive into section 128, the other letter that Joseph wrote SA.