Doctrine and Covenants Week 17: D&C 78, 80 83, 85, 92, 104

1) Introduction. a) The opening sections of this lesson bring us up to the spring of 1832. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon continued to work on the new translation of the Bible at the Johnson home in Hiram, Ohio. 2) D&C 78. a) It had been over a year since the Law of the Lord (D&C 42) had been revealed, and the Saints had still not established a bishops storehouse to provide for the needs of the poor, as the revelations directed. 1 i) [SLIDE 2] In order to push forward with this important step in the law of consecration, in this revelation the Lord commanded Joseph, Sidney, and Newel K. Whitney2 to start a business venture that would generate the income needed to get the Kirtland storehouse started. (1) This partnership was called the united firm, also known as the united order or order of Enoch. (2) [SLIDES 3 & 4] Newel Whitney consecrated his mercantile store in Kirtland, and it began to operate as a Church-owned corporation: Joseph, Sidney, and Newel drew salaries from the profits sufficient for their needs, and the remaining profits went to establish the store as the storehouse to care for the poor (78:3) and to purchase lands in the Kirtland area, including the site where the temple was eventually built. ii) Joseph, Sidney, and Newel were also directed to travel to Zion (i.e., Independence, Missouri; 78:9) and start a branch of the united firm there to aid the Missouri Saints in establishing their own storehouse. iii) [SLIDE 5] Its important to understand that the united order is one example of how to put the law of consecration into practice, but the united order is not the law of consecration. (1) This was really the beginning of the Church as a corporate entity, something that continues today in the Corporation of the First Presidency and the Corporation of the Presiding Bishop. These business entities own the Churchs lands and buildings, farms and welfare centers, copyrights, and other assets for the benefit of the members of the Church. It allows the Church to operate as a legal entity and protects the leaders of the Church from personal liability.

See D&C 42:34, 55; 51:13; 70:7; 72:10. Newel Kimball Whitney (17951850) was born in Marlborough, Vermont, and by age 19 had established himself as a merchant in Plattsburg, New York. He later moved to Painesville, Ohio, and became a business partner with Algernon Sydney Gilbert. They later established a mercantile store in Kirtland. Newel and his wife, Elizabeth, were converted and baptized by Sidney Rigdon in November 1830. On 4 December 1831, Whitney was called as the Churchs second bishop, responsible for the Ohio area (D&C 72); he was unsure if he could carry out this responsibility, but Joseph encouraged him to ask the Lord for confirmation, and Whitney heard an audible voice from heaven confirming that the Lords strength was with him. He later moved to Illinois, where he was one of the first group to receive the endowment from Joseph. He was sustained as presiding bishop and died in that office in Salt Lake City.
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For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Doctrine and Covenants Sections 78, 80 83, 85, 92, 104

Week 17, Page 2

3) D&C 80. a) This revelation commanded Stephen Burnett and Eden Smith to go and preach wherever they felt disposed to go. 4) D&C 81. a) This revelation is particularly interesting for two reasons: i) First, it tells us something about Joseph Smiths understanding of scripture. (1) [SLIDE 6] When the revelation was received on 15 March 1832, it was directed to Jesse Gause, and his name appeared at the beginning of what is now verse 1. 3 (a) Not much is known about Jesse Gause. 4 What we do know is that he was a former Quaker who had converted to the Shaker faith 5 and then was baptized a Mormon in late 1831. (b) He quickly gained the trust of Joseph Smith, who wrote on 8 March 1832: Chose this day and ordained brother Jesse Gause and Broth[er] Sidney [Rigdon] to be my councillers of the ministry of the presidency of th[e] high Pristhood.6 Seven days later Joseph received this revelation confirming Gauses ordination as a high priest in my church, and a counselor unto my servant Joseph Smith, Jun. (81:1). (c) Between April and June 1832 Gause accompanied Joseph to Missouri. After that he served a mission in August 1832, ending it apparently still firm in the faith. (d) [SLIDE 7] The only note about him after this comes from Joseph Smiths journal entry for 3 December 1832, in which he states that Br Jese and two other men was excommunicated from the church. 7 The reason for his excommunication is unknown, and from there Jesse Gause literally disappeared from history. (2) [SLIDE 8] In March 1833, Joseph called Frederick G. Williams as a counselor to replace Jesse Gause (90:6). All printed editions of the Doctrine and Covenants, beginning with the 1835 first edition, have included this revelation, but with Williams name instead of Gauses. 8

3 The earliest manuscript copies of this revelation are Revelation Book 1 , 139 (http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/revelation-book-1?p=127 ) and Revelation Book 2 , 17 (http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/revelation-book-2?p=27 ). In both copies, the revelation is directed to my servant Jesse. 4 What little is known is summarized in D. Michael Quinn, Jesse Gause: Joseph Smiths Little-Known Counselor, BYU Studies 23/4 (Fall 1983), 48793 ( https://byustudies.byu.edu/showtitle.aspx?title=5612 ). 5 For background on the Shaker religion, see lesson 12, page 78 (https://sites.google.com/site/hwsarc/home/dc/week12 ). 6 Revelation Book 2 , 1011 (http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/revelation-book-2?p=20 ). 7 Joseph Smith, Journal, 183234, 3 ( http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/journal-1832-1834?p=4 ). 8 See 1835 D&C 79 (http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/doctrine-and-covenants-1835?p=215 ).

2013, Mike Parker

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For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Doctrine and Covenants Sections 78, 80 83, 85, 92, 104

Week 17, Page 3

(3) What does this mean? (a) There are indications that Joseph received a new revelation in March 1833 that called Frederick G. Williams to be a counselor and scribe to Joseph, but this revelation has not been canonized in the Doctrine and Covenants. 9 The duties and blessings that were revealed to Jesse Gause applied equally to Williams, so Joseph apparently felt comfortable simply replacing Gauses name with Williams. (b) The same pattern has continued down today: Every new ordination in the Church does not require a brand new revelation; the fundamental principles of the priesthood offices are found in the Doctrine and Covenants, and an ordained individual can turn there and insert his name in the place of the person who previously served in that office. ii) [SLIDE 9] Second, this revelation is an important development in organization of the priesthood. (1) In a previous lesson we discussed how the first ordinations to the office of high priest took place in October 1831. (2) In a revelation received 11 November 1831, Joseph Smith was called as the Presiding high Priest over the high Priesthood of the Church (107:66). 10 (3) On 8 March 1832, Jesse Gause and Sidney Rigdon were called as councillers of the ministry of the presidency of th[e] high Pristhood. (4) This constitutes the beginning of the quorum now known as the First Presidency. (Something well discuss this more in our next lesson.) 5) D&C 82. a) [SLIDE 10] This revelation was received on 26 April 1832 in Zion, Jackson County, Missouri. Between the previous revelation and this one, some very ugly things took place which bear mentioning here: i) On 24 March 1832, a mob, led by ex-Mormon apostate Symonds Ryder, attacked the John Johnson home in the middle of the night. Joseph and Sidney were pulled from the house, beaten, and tarred and feathered. Sidney was dragged by his feet behind a horse. After the attack, Joseph was awake all night while his friends and family scraped the tar from his body. The next morning, Joseph preached a Sunday sermon on the subject on forgiveness; some of his attackers were in the congregation. ii) Five days later (29 March 1832), Joseph and Emmas adopted 11-month-old son Joseph Murdock Smith died, probably as a result of stress and exposure caused the night of the mobbing.

9 This revelation was received 5 January 1833, one month after Gauses excommunication. Frederick G. Williams Papers, Church Archives. 10 Portions of D&C 107 were received on 11 November 1831, and the remainder received in April 1835. These were combined and published as a single revelation beginning with the 1835 edition D&C. (Well discuss this in greater detail in the next lesson.)

2013, Mike Parker

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For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Doctrine and Covenants Sections 78, 80 83, 85, 92, 104

Week 17, Page 4

iii) Three days after that (1 April 1832), Joseph, Sidney, Jesse Gause, and Newel K. Whitney left for Missouri. They arrived after a journey of just over three weeks, and Joseph called general council of the Church, where he was acknowledged as the President of the High Priesthood, 11 and some hard feelings between some Church leaders were resolved. In the afternoon following this meeting, Joseph received this revelation. b) [SLIDE 11] 82:13. The Lord revealed some key principles related to obedience and repentance: i) 82:1. Gods forgiveness of us is dependent on our willingness to forgive others. ii) 82:2. All men and women have sinned. The Lord calls us to refrain from sin, but because of our sinful nature, we are all dependent on Christs atonement for salvation. (Cf. 82:6; Romans 3:23; 1 Nephi 10:6.) iii) 82:3. When we sin, our degree of guilt or responsibility is based on the extent of what the Lord has revealed and what we know. (1) A person who is an endowed adult who commits fornication is more guiltyand will receive more serious church disciplinethan an unendowed teenager. A man who holds a high office in the priesthood is more culpable than one who doesnt. The same act that could merit formal probation for one person could result in excommunication for another. (2) Likewise, those who have not received any law are not guilty of sins they would be if they had received the law. The prophet Mormon taught that they that are without the law are alive in Christfor the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law (Moroni 8:22). 12 iv) 82:810. The new commandment here is to organize the united firm in Zion, as had been done in Kirtland (see 82:1115). The salvationtemporal and spiritualof the Saints in Zion depended on this. (1) 82:10. We do not bind God; he binds himself. Our God is a God of law, who makes and keeps promises. When he promises to do something and we obey, he is bound to deliver the promised blessing. When we disobey, he is free to revoke his commandment or give it to someone else (56:34; 58:3133). (a) The Book of Mormon indicates that God must fulfill his promises, otherwise he would cease to be God (Alma 42:13, 22, 25; Mormon 9:19). 6) D&C 83. a) Joseph and his party remained in Missouri for two weeks, during which time they established the united firm and made financial arrangements to start a bishops storehouse. This revelation was probably received in connection with those activities. b) [SLIDE 12] This revelation is the foundation for our understanding of the Church welfare plan: i) Church members are taught to be self-reliant. Husbands have a responsibility to provide for their wives and children.

11 12

History of the Church 1:267 (http://byustudies.byu.edu/hc/1/21.html#267 ). See also 2 Nephi 9:26; Mosiah 3:11; D&C 45:54. http://bit.ly/ldsarc For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

2013, Mike Parker

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Doctrine and Covenants Sections 78, 80 83, 85, 92, 104

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ii) A woman who is widowed, a child who is orphaned, or individuals who are too poor to be self-reliant can come to the Church for assistance. The bishop is responsible to determine the needs of these individuals and provide appropriate support. 13 iii) [SLIDE 13] President Gordon B. Hinckley taught:
We teach self-reliance as a principle of life, that we ought to provide for ourselves and take care of our own needs. And so we encourage our people to have something, to plan ahead, keepfood on hand, to establish a savings account, if possible, against a rainy day. Catastrophes come to people sometimes when least expectedunemployment, sickness, things of that kind. The individual, as we teach, ought to do for himself all that he can. When he has exhausted his resources, he ought to turn to his family to assist him. When the family cant do it, the Church takes over. And when the Church takes over, our great desire is to first take care of his immediate needs and then to help him for so long as he needs to be helped, but in that process to assist him in training, in securing employment, in finding some way of getting on his feet again. Thats the whole objective of this great welfare program.14

7) D&C 85. a) We now fast-forward to November 1832. i) In September 1832, Joseph and Emma moved from Hiram, Ohio, back to Kirtland, where they stayed in a room above Newel K. Whitneys store. ii) Sometime in November, after returning from a mission to New York, Joseph received a letter from Church leaders in Missouri, detailing their concerns about some of the Saints who had moved to Zion but who had not followed the commandment to consecrate their properties. iii) [SLIDE 14] The Prophet wrote a reply on 27 November 1832. His letter was published in Church periodicals during his lifetime, 15 and portions of it were extracted and canonized in the 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. iv) Although the letter was addressed to W.W. Phelps, the portions in D&C 85 were directed to John Whitmer, the Church historian (or Lords clerk, 85:1). v) In the canonized portions of the letter, Joseph, through inspiration, issued a strong rebuke to those who agreed to consecrate their properties but then refused to follow through on their promises. b) 85:79. The one mighty and strong. 16 i) Perhaps no other passage in modern scripture has given rise to as much speculation as this one.
13 The revelation uses the word maintenance (83:2, 4), which means sustenance; sustentation; support by means of supplies of food, clothing and other conveniences. Noah Webster, American Dictionary of the English Language , 1828 ed., s.v. Maintenance ( http://www.1828-dictionary.com/d/word/maintenance ). 14 Gordon B. Hinckley, This Thing Was Not Done in a Corner, General Conference, October 1996; ellipses in the original (http://www.lds.org/ensign/1996/11/this-thing-was-not-done-in-a-corner ). 15 Portions of the letter were published in Independence, Missouri, in The Evening and the Morning Star 1/8 (January 1833), 12122 (http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/NCMP1820-1846/id/27935 ). The complete letter, minus a postscript, was published in Nauvoo, Illinois, in Times and Seasons 5/19 (15 October 1844), 67374 (http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/NCMP1820-1846/id/8321 ). 16 For a lengthy review of this passage and how it has been interpreted over time, see Bill Shepard, To Set in Order the House of God: The Search for the Elusive One Mighty and Strong, Dialogue 39/3 (Fall 2006), 1845 (https://dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V39N03_32.pdf ).

2013, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Doctrine and Covenants Sections 78, 80 83, 85, 92, 104

Week 17, Page 6

ii) The passage refers to the Lords promise to send one mighty and strong to Missouri to arrange inheritances for those whose names were recorded in the book of the law of God (85:35), but those who were not in the book would receive no inheritance in Zion. iii) [SLIDE 15] Since the mid-1800s, dozens of people have claimed to be or been identified by their followers as the one mighty and strong who would set the Church in order.17 Many of them have started schismatic groups that claim to be the Lords true Church; some of them have committed violent crimes. iv) [SLIDE 16] In a 1905 letter the First Presidency responded to questions about the identity of this individual with some fairly strong language:
Thosewho have so far proclaimed themselves as being the one mighty and strong have manifested the utmost ignorance of the things of God and the order of the Church. Indeed their insufferable ignorance and egotism have been at the bottom of all their pretensions, and the cause of all the trouble into which they have fallen.18

(1) In their letter they suggested the identity of that man, who was called of God and appointed, but who was out of line with the Lords instructions (85:8), was Bishop Edward Partridge, and that the one mighty and strong would come to put things in order in Zion if he did not repent. (2) They then offered two possibilities: (a) [16.1] Bishop Edward Partridge did repent and obtained a mitigation of the threatened judgment against him, and so the threatened judgment may be considered as having passed away and the whole incident of the prophecy closed. (b) They also granted that perhaps a future presiding bishop who will establish the Saints in Jackson County, Missouri. v) But who is the one mighty and strong? (1) [SLIDE 17] The context indicates that it is Jesus Christ (or Jehovah in the Old Testament), who is (a) the mighty One of Israel (Isaiah 1:24; 30:29; 1 Nephi 22:12; D&C 36:1). (b) the one strong and mighty (Psalm 24:8). (c) a mighty and strong one (Isaiah 28:2). (d) mighty in strength (Job 9:4; 36:5). (e) the one mighty and powerful (D&C 65:1). (f) the mighty God (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 50:1; 132:2, 5; Isaiah 9:6; 10:21; Jeremiah 32:18; 2 Nephi 6:17).

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leftright) James Strang, Joseph Smith III, Alma Dale LeBaron Sr., Nathaniel Baldwin, Joel LeBaron; (bottom row, leftright) Ervil LeBaron, Ross Wesley LeBaron, Ron Lafferty, Adam Swapp, Art Bulla, Brian David Mitchell. 18 Presidents Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, and Anthon H. Lund, One Mighty and Strong, Deseret Evening News, 11 November 1905, 4 (http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_ecwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=It0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=5498%2C6289691 ). 2013, Mike Parker http://bit.ly/ldsarc For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_mighty_and_strong . The individuals pictured in the accompanying slideshow are (top row,

A partial list of individuals who have claimed to be the one mighty and strong, or know who he is, can be found at

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

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(2) [SLIDE 18] Likewise, it is Jesus (a) who will hold the scepter (D&C 106:6; Numbers 24:17; Hebrews 1:8). (b) whose mouth utters eternal words (Matthew 13:35; John 6:68). (c) who is described as a fountain (Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13; Zechariah 13:1; 1 Nephi 11:25; Ether 8:26). 8) D&C 92. a) This revelation commands Frederick G. Williams, who had just been ordained a counselor to Joseph Smith, to enter into the united order in Kirtland, and for the other members of the order to receive him. 9) D&C 104. a) This is a lengthy revelation, and there arent any specific passages from it that I feel we need to discuss. (We already discussed some things in this section in previous lessons, including the one on the law of consecration. 19) b) Briefly, the context of this is April 1834, after the Saints had been run out of Jackson County, Missouri (something well discuss in an upcoming lesson). The Church had lost all of its property and no way to repay its debts, so the members of the united order in Kirtland agreed to dissolve the order and allot the stewardships as private property to protect the Church, in the short term, from its creditors. c) This revelation, received 13 days after that decision was made, ratified that course of action and directed the brethren to form two new, separate orders, one in Kirtland and one in Missouri (104:4750). 10)
[SLIDE 19] There is no class next week! Out next lesson will be in two weeks:

a) D&C 84, 107; Official Declaration2.

19

See lesson 10, page 3 ( https://sites.google.com/site/hwsarc/home/dc/week10 ). http://bit.ly/ldsarc For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

2013, Mike Parker