D&C 64-66 Quotes and Notes

D&C 64

During this time the Church at Kirtland, Ohio, experienced a limited apostasy. In addition to the problems of the Saints in Ohio who were seeking after signs and suffering the spiritual weaknesses caused by immorality (see D&C 63), Ezra Booth returned from his mission to Missouri, discontented with imperfections he had observed in the conduct of the Prophet Joseph Smith during their sojourn together in the land of Zion. Booth accused the Prophet of “lightness and levity,” a “proneness to jesting and joking,” and a “temper easily irritated” (Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, 1:266). In a bitter spirit of opposition to the Prophet Joseph Smith, Booth convinced some members to join him in withdrawing from the Church and later wrote letters to local newspapers attacking the Prophet (see D&C 71). By revelation, the Lord acknowledged that Joseph had weaknesses and warned the Saints of the debilitating spirit of faultfinding that existed among them.^[1]McConkie and Ostler, Revelations of the Restoration: A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants and Other Modern Revelations, Deseret Book, 2000, p. 458.

The day after this revelation was received, 12 September 1831, Joseph Smith, who had just returned from Missouri, moved with his family from Kirtland to Hiram, Ohio, which was approximately thirty- five miles south. There he and his family took residence with John Johnson, a prosperous farmer, with the hope that sufficient peace would be afforded him to continue his labor on the inspired translation of the Bible.

For the next six and one-half months the Johnson home would serve as the headquarters of the Church. Some of the greatest visions and revelations vouchsafed to this dispensation were received at this home, including “the vision” or revelation on the degrees of glory. Much work on the translation of the Bible was accomplished, and fifteen of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants were received here. Such a marvelous outpouring of divine truth did not go unnoticed by the prince of darkness. Opposition came swiftly, with apostates joining forces with other settlers in an attempt to interrupt the growth of the Church in the area. This organized resistance led to the mobbing of Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon and forced their departure.^[2]Ibid., p. 458-459. Joseph and Sidney were mobbed on March 24, 1832. While Joseph was sleeping on the trundle bed on the first floor of the Johnson home, a mob of approximately 25 attacked him and … Continue reading

In July 1833, when a mob destroyed the printing press in Missouri to prevent the publication of the Book of Commandments, a few copies of what had been printed were salvaged. They included this section down to the verse that reads, “For, verily I say that the rebellious are not of the blood of Ephraim” (D&C 64:36).^[3]Ibid., McConkie and Ostler, p. 459.

The keys of the mysteries of the kingdom shall not be taken from him – D&C 64.5

These keys include the right to receive revelation concerning things of the kingdom previously unknown in this dispensation. The Lord informed the Church that while Joseph lived, he, and he alone—not Oliver, not Sidney—would hold these keys on the single condition that he obey the Lord’s ordinances. In March 1833, the Lord further declared that Joseph Smith would hold these keys of the kingdom not only during his mortal life, but in eternity as well (see D&C 90.3).

In Doctrine and Covenants 28.7 the Lord had told Oliver Cowdery that Joseph would hold the keys of the mysteries “until I shall appoint unto them another in his stead.” In Doctrine and Covenants 35.18 the Lord told Sidney Rigdon that if Joseph did not “abide in me . . . another will I plant in his stead.” Doctrine and Covenants 43.4 also admits the possibility that Joseph could lose his place to another appointed in his stead.

By September 1831, some of the Saints in Kirtland had become antagonistic toward the Prophet (see D&C 64.6), and they could have used the above passages to suggest it was time for another to take Joseph’s place. This revelation made a well-defined statement that while Joseph Smith was obedient to the Lord he would continue to hold the keys of the kingdom as long as he lived upon the earth, and this was restated in open and plain terms a year and a half later in Doctrine and Covenants 90.3. In this verse the Lord informed the Church that Joseph Smith would hold the keys in this world and in the world to come. These statements are in direct conflict with the statements made by Ezra Booth and later William E. McLellin. The same principle holds true today. Barring unfaithfulness, those who hold the keys of the kingdom—the president of the Church individually and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles collectively—hold them for this life and the life to come.^[4] Members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles hold all the keys necessary for governing the Church. Only the President of the Church has the right to exercise all of those … Continue reading

Charles Penrose put it this way:

Here the promise was made to the Prophet Joseph Smith that he should have those keys as long as he lived, if he obeyed the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

Our testimony is that he lived and died a prophet of God, and that he sealed his testimony with his blood. The Lord promised that the keys should not be taken from him while he lived, inasmuch as he obeyed His ordinances, so when the Prophet Joseph was taken away, the keys were with him, as the Lord promised they should be, both in this world and in the world to come. I will read a verse from the 112th Section. The Lord says:

   Now, I say unto you, and what I say unto you I say unto all the Twelve, Arise and gird up your loins, take up your cross, follow me, and feed my sheep.

   Exalt not yourselves; rebel not against my servant Joseph, for verily I say unto you, I am with him and my hand shall be over him; and the keys which I have given unto him, and also to youward, shall not be taken from him till I come. (D&C 112.14-15)

Here is the promise of the Lord, not only to the Prophet Joseph Smith, but also to the Twelve, that the keys should not be taken from the Prophet until the Lord should come; for by this time he had been tested, proved, and found worthy… Now the Lord said to him and to the Twelve, that the keys, which had been given first of all temporarily, as if were, until he should be tested and proved, should abide with him until the Lord should come, and with the Twelve whom He had called and appointed.^[5]Conference Report, October 1905, Second Day, Morning Session 97.

Ye ought to forgive one another – 64.8-14

Joseph Smith had this to say about the character of God and his willingness to forgive us of our sins:

Sixthly, That he is love.

An acquaintance with these attributes in the divine character, is essentially necessary, in order that the faith of any rational being can center in him for life and salvation. For if he did not, in the first instance, believe him to be God, that is, the creator and upholder of all things, he could not center his faith in him for life and salvation, for fear there should be a greater than he, who would thwart all his plans, and he, like the gods of the heathen, would be unable to fulfill his promises; but seeing he is God over all, from everlasting to everlasting, the creator and upholder of all things, no such fear can exist in the minds of those who put their trust in him, so that in this respect their faith can be without wavering.

But secondly: Unless he was merciful, and gracious, slow to anger, long suffering, and full of goodness, such is the weakness of human nature, and so great the frailties and imperfections of men, that unless they believed that these excellencies existed in the divine character, the faith necessary to salvation could not exist; for doubt would take the place of faith, and those who know their weakness and liability to sin, would be in constant doubt of salvation, if it were not for the idea which they have of the excellency of the character of God, that he is slow to anger, and long suffering, and of a forgiving disposition, and does forgive iniquity, transgression and sin. An idea of these facts does away doubt, and makes faith exceedingly strong.^[6]Lectures on Faith, Lecture Third.

President Kimball encouraged the Saints to forgive one another. He said:

Once I heard a neighbor say, “I hate those people across the border. They are dirty men. They have done so much evil in the world.” This man had not stopped to think that among that people were numerous good men, honest and upright. They were not responsible for what the leaders of the country had done. All men were not as vicious or cruel. They should not be judged by the evil deeds of their fellow nationals. Most men were grieved by the kinds of evil committed.

Another neighbor was bitter against the people across his boundary. He often repeated, “I hate the men over there. They have been cruel, vicious, and unrelenting.”

I said to this neighbor, “I personally love that people. Only a limited number were cruel and vicious. There are mighty good people among them, some of them lovable sons of God.”

I knew of two soldiers on a fierce battlefront, when during a temporary armistice in the war, one young man crossed the battle line and asked his antagonist, “Is there a Mormon elder in your lines?”

The other answered, “Yes, I am a Mormon.”

He then asked, “Would you come behind our trench lines and help me administer to and bless a wounded buddy?” Across the “no-man’s land” they walked together, these two men, former enemies. One anointed and the other sealed the anointing, and the wounded chap was blessed. A great peace entered their souls. The other man returned to his front lines to his duty, and he also had a new feeling of peace.

Of course, we do not hold all men responsible for what individuals do. We learn to forgive…

Hard to do? Of course. The Lord never promised an easy road, nor a simple gospel, nor low standards, nor a low norm. The price is high, but the goods attained are worth all they cost. The Lord himself turned the other cheek; he suffered himself to be buffeted and beaten without remonstrance; he suffered every indignity and yet spoke no word of condemnation. And his question to all of us is: “Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be?” And his answer to us is: “Even as I am.” (3 Ne. 27:27.)

In his The Prince of Peace, William Jennings Bryan wrote:

“The most difficult of all the virtues to cultivate is the forgiving spirit. Revenge seems to be natural with man; it is human to want to get even with an enemy. It has even been popular to boast of vindictiveness; it was once inscribed on a man’s monument that he had repaid both friends and enemies more than he had received. This was not the spirit of Christ.”^[7](Independence, Zion’s Printing and Publishing Company, 1925, p. 35.

If we have been wronged or injured, forgiveness means to blot it completely from our minds. To forgive and forget is an ageless counsel. “To be wronged or robbed,” said the Chinese philosopher Confucius, “is nothing unless you continue to remember it.”

The injuries inflicted by neighbors, by relatives, or by spouses are generally of a minor nature, at least at first. We must forgive them. Since the Lord is so merciful, must not we be? “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (3 Ne. 12:7) is another version of the Golden Rule. “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men,” said the Lord, “but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.” (Matt. 12:31.) If the Lord is so gracious and kind, we must be also.^[8]President Spencer W. Kimball, The Power of Forgiveness, Ensign, Nov. 1977.

Removing the Poison of an Unforgiving Spirit – H. Burke Peterson

For much of our lives, we lived in central Arizona. Some years ago a group of teenagers from the local high school went on an all-day picnic into the desert on the outskirts of Phoenix. As some of you know, the desert foliage is rather sparse—mostly mesquite, cat-claw, and palo verde trees, with a few cactus scattered here and there. In the heat of the summer, where there are thickets of this desert growth, you may also find rattlesnakes as unwelcome residents. These young people were picnicking and playing, and during their frolicking, one of the girls was bitten on the ankle by a rattlesnake. As is the case with such a bite, the rattler’s fangs released venom almost immediately into her bloodstream.

This very moment was a time of critical decision. They could immediately begin to extract the poison from her leg, or they could search out the snake and destroy it. Their decision made, the girl and her young friends pursued the snake. It slipped quickly into the undergrowth and avoided them for fifteen or twenty minutes. Finally, they found it, and rocks and stones soon avenged the infliction.

Then they remembered: their companion had been bitten! They became aware of her discomfort, as by now the venom had had time to move from the surface of the skin deep into the tissues of her foot and leg. Within another thirty minutes they were at the emergency room of the hospital. By then, the venom was well into its work of destruction.

A couple of days later I was informed of the incident and was asked by some young members of the Church to visit their friend in the hospital. As I entered her room, I saw a pathetic sight. Her foot and leg were elevated—swollen almost beyond recognition. The tissue in her limb had been destroyed by the poison, and a few days later it was found her leg would have to be amputated below the knee.

It was a senseless sacrifice, this price of revenge. How much better it would have been if, after the young woman had been bitten, there had been an extraction of the venom from the leg in a process known to all desert dwellers.

As I have said, there are those today who have been bitten—or offended, if you will—by others. What can be done? What will you do when hurt by another? The safe way, the sure way, the right way is to look inward and immediately start the cleansing process. The wise and the happy person removes first the impurities from within. The longer the poison of resentment and unforgiveness stays in a body, the greater and longer lasting is its destructive effect. As long as we blame others for our condition or circumstance and build a wall of self-justification around ourselves, our strength will diminish and our power and ability to rise above our situation will fade away. The poison of revenge, or of unforgiving thoughts or attitudes, unless removed, will destroy the soul in which it is harbored.

Henry Home said, “No man ever did a designed injury to another, but at the same time he did a greater to himself.”^[9]H. Burke Peterson, Removing the Poison of an Unforgiving Spirit, October 1983 Ensign. See also: in The New Dictionary of Thoughts, n. p., p. 309.

If The Devil Applies for Baptism – Heber J. Grant

Some years ago a prominent man was excommunicated from the Church. He, years later, pleaded for baptism. President John Taylor referred the question of his baptism to the apostles, stating that if they unanimously consented to his baptism, he could be baptized, but that if there was one dissenting vote, he should not be admitted into the Church. As I remember the vote, it was five for baptism and seven against. A year or so later the question came up again and it was eight for baptism and four against. Later it came up again and it was ten for baptism and two against. Finally all of the Council of the Apostles, with the exception of your humble servant, consented that this man be baptized and I was then next to the junior member of the quorum. Later I was in the office of the president and he said:

Heber, I understand that eleven of the apostles have consented to the baptism of Brother So and So,” naming the man, “and that you alone are standing out. How will you feel when you get on the other side and you find that this man has pleaded for baptism and you find that you have perhaps kept him out from entering in with those who have repented of their sins and received some reward?”

I said, “President John Taylor, I can look the Lord squarely in the eye, if he asks me that question, and tell him that I did that which I thought was for the best good of the kingdom. When a man holding the holy Priesthood of God goes forth to proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, to call the wicked to. repentance; goes to proclaim that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that the gospel has been restored again to the earth, and that man in the mission home of the Church of Christ commits adultery, I can tell the Lord that he had disgraced this Church enough, and that I did not propose to let any such a man come back into the Church.”

Well,” said President Taylor, “my boy, that is all right, stay with your convictions, stay right with them.” …

I left the president’s office. I went home. My lunch was not ready. I was reading the D&C through for the third or fourth time systematically, and I had my bookmark in it, but as I picked it up, instead of opening where the bookmark was, it opened to:

I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men; but he that forgiveth not his brother standeth condemned before the Lord.

And I closed the book and said: “If the devil applies for baptism, and claims that he has repented, I will baptize him.” After lunch I returned to the office of President Taylor and I said, “President Taylor, I have had a change of heart. One hour ago I said, never while I live, did I expect to ever consent that Brother So and So should be baptized, but I have come to tell you he can be baptized, so far as I am concerned.”

President Taylor had a habit, when he was particularly pleased, of sitting up and laughing and shaking his whole body, and he laughed and said, “My boy, the change is very sudden, very sudden. I want to ask you a question. How did you feel when you left here an hour ago? Did you feel like you wanted to hit that man right squarely between the eyes and knock him down?”

I said, “That is just the way I felt.” He said, “How do you feel now?”

Well, to tell you the truth, President Taylor, I hope the Lord will forgive the sinner.”

He said, “You feel happy, don’t you, in comparison. You had the spirit of anger, you had the spirit of bitterness in your heart toward that man, because of his sin and because of the disgrace he had brought upon the Church. And now you have the spirit of forgiveness and you really feel happy, don’t you?”

And I said, “Yes I do; I felt mean and hateful and now I feel happy.”

And he said: “[I hoped that] you and some of the younger members of the apostles would learn the lesson that…to have in your heart the spirit of forgiveness and to eliminate from your hearts the spirit of hatred and bitterness, brings peace and joy; that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings joy, peace and happiness to every soul that lives it and follows its teachings.”^[10]Conference Report, October 1920, 5-7.

Ezra Booth and Isaac Morley – D&C 64.15-16

Ezra Booth and Isaac Morley were called to serve as missionary companions in traveling to Independence, Missouri (D&C 52.23). They had angered the Lord in that they had “kept not the law, neither the commandment.” A specific knowledge of what they did or did not do has not been preserved for us. It appears that they absorbed a self-centered and critical spirit relative to the leadership of the church and with regards to their assignment. Isaac Morley repented of that spirit and became a valiant servant of the Lord. Ezra Booth, on the other hand, fed his critical mind and eventually left the church to become its enemy, publishing articles against the church and its leaders. Booth returned to Ohio in September 1831, and denounced the church on 12 September 1831, the day after this revelation was received. And published a series of nine letters in the Ohio Star, a paper printed in Ravenna, Ohio, explaining the “Mormon Delusion.” Booth would eventually even lose his faith in God and become an agnostic.^[11]Revelations in Context, see also: J. N. Fradenburgh, History of Erie Conference, 2 vols. (Oil City, Pennsylvania: Derrick Publishing Company, 1907), 1:346. Six months later he joined the mob that tarred and feathered Joseph Smith.^[12]George A. Smith, Journal of Discourses, 11:6-7.

One historian^[13]See: Susan Easton Black, Who’s Who in the Doctrine and Covenants. made this assessment of Booth:

Little is known of the life of Ezra Booth after his participation in the tarring and feathering of Joseph Smith in 1832. Only a brief account written in 1860 of his being found residing on a farm in Mantua, Ohio, remains. Contrast his ignominious life with that of one convert, Ira V. Ames, who was attracted to the Church by reading letters from Ezra. Ira joined the Church, marched in defense of the Saints with Zion’s Camp to Missouri, and remained a faithful member throughout his life.^[14]Ira Ames, born 22 Sept. 1804, would serve a mission to the eastern states in 1842, and eventually make it to the Salt Lake valley in 1851, moving to Cache County in 1860, where we would die at the … Continue reading

Kirtland to be a “stronghold” for the space of five years – D&C 64.21

Explaining why this was necessary, President Joseph Fielding Smith said: “It was in that land where the first temple in this dispensation was to be built. In that Temple the essential keys of restoration were to be revealed. It seems apparent that had all the people moved to Zion in Missouri at that time, the building of a temple would have been frustrated by the enemies of the people. . . . The restoration of the keys of the Priesthood held by the ancient prophets was essential to the progress of the Church. The Lord decreed that a house to his name should be reared in Kirtland where he could come and where he could send his messengers with these keys of power. The building of such a temple required time, and while the elders went to work with their might this house was not ready for dedication until March 27, 1836. It was on the third day of April 1836, that the Lord appeared in that house and where Elias, Moses and Elijah appeared and conferred the keys of their dispensations and authorities. How many other messengers came at that time we do not know. We know, however, that it was necessary that every key and authority should be revealed. Some were revealed, of necessity, before there was temple to which these messengers could come, but it was according to the divine plan that keys of this nature should be revealed in a house built to the name of the Lord. The revelation in which the Lord called upon the Saints to keep a strong hold in Kirtland, was given Sept. 11, 1831. It was in March 1836 that the house of the Lord was dedicated and the following April when the holy keys were bestowed. After this glorious event, the members of the Church were at liberty to remove to Zion. In fact there followed a few months later an apostasy, and many turned away from the Church, but some were saved, and they were under the necessity of fleeing from the place. However, the Spirit of the Lord prevailed until his work in that place was accomplished and the appointed time had passed.” ^[15]Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:237.

A day for the tithing of my people – D&C 64.23

This first reference to tithing in the revelations of the Restoration does not carry the same meaning we have given that principle in our day. This revelation was given while the Church was living the law of consecration and thus is being used in the broad and general sense of giving liberally, of sacrificing without counting the cost. The law of tithing as it is presently practiced among the Saints was revealed in 1838 after the Saints had been driven out of Zion and were no longer practicing the law of consecration as it applied to the stewardship of lands.^[16]McConkie and Ostler, p. 466. See also: A Brief History of Tithing. Taken in its context, we can probably see the situation happening with Isaac Morley being asked to sell his farm (D&C 64.20), a sacrifice significantly greater than 10%. This sacrifice of the Morley family was as important to their growth in the gospel as the sacrifice required of the holy ones anciently. And this is all tied to the concept of redemption and “not being burned at his coming” (D&C 64.23.) For more on the development of how the Lord worked with the Saints regarding tithing, see A Brief History of Tithing.

He that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming – D&C 64.23

That is to say, he that serves the Lord with all his heart, might, mind, and strength will find safety in that great and dreadful day. This text is not suggesting that all but faithful Latter-day Saints will be burned as stubble when Christ returns.^[17] In fact, James E. Talmage said this: “The scriptures abound in declarations and reiterations, in repeated and solemn affirmations of the great fact that the day of the Lord’s coming will be … Continue reading The earth is at present subject to a telestial law. When Christ returns to usher in the millennial era, the earth will abide by a terrestrial and paradisiacal law. At that time all that is of a telestial order will be destroyed, while that which is terrestrial or celestial will be preserved.^[18]Ibid., p. 466. President Hinckley said this about the literal understanding of this text: Some years ago one of our brethren spoke of the payment of tithing as “fire insurance.” That … Continue reading

D&C 65 The Kingdom of God and the Keys of the Kingdom

Of this revelation, the Prophet Joseph Smith declared, “In the fore part of October, I received the following prayer through revelation.”^[19]History of the Church, 1:218. Such an inspired prayer is much like the psalms of the Old Testament-inspired petitions of praise and appreciation. One of the goals of our personal prayers should be to seek for that same level of inspiration.

No Unhallowed Hand

Our missionaries are going forth to different nations, and in Germany, Palestine, New Holland, Australia, the East Indies, and other places, the Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.^[20]Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4: 540.

Daniel’s Vision – D&C 65.2

This revelation should be read in connection with passages contained in Daniel and the image that is addressed in this section of scripture. In these verses, the king of Babylon sees an image, with a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, and legs of iron, with feet that are a mixture of iron and clay, representing the later kingdoms of the earth that are partly strong and also weak. These kingdoms would eventually cede control to a stone which was cut out of a mountain without hands:

“Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.”

“Thou art this head of gold,” Daniel explained to Nebuchadnezzar, “and after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.” Then was to come a fourth kingdom with the strength of iron; that kingdom would be divided and the iron would be mixed with clay. “And in the days of these kings,” Daniel explained, “shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure” (Daniel 2.1, 38, 44-45).

Through a careful reading of the prophecy, and in the context of these passages, it becomes clear that the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, or the Babylonian empire, which did reign supreme in the Ancient Near East for a number of years,^[21]Estimates of the Babylonian Empire vary, but it a good estimate is 1895 BCE to 539 BCE, when Babylon fell to the Persian king Cyrus the Great and Babylon became a vassal state of Cyrus’ empire. One … Continue readingwas the head of gold.

Orson Pratt said, “‘After thee shall come another kingdom represented by the breast and the arms of silver.’ That is the Medo-Persian kingdom. After that another kingdom still inferior, called the kingdom of brass, forasmuch as gold is better than silver, silver more precious than brass, so these kingdoms that were to arise, to succeed each other, were to be inferior as time should pass along. The third kingdom, of brass, represented the Macedonian empire; then after that another kingdom, great and terrible, whose legs were of iron, strong and powerful. The fourth kingdom bore rule over the earth; that is admitted, by all commentators, to be the great Roman Empire, and by the division of the Roman empire into two divisions, representing the legs, and afterwards into the feet and toes. . . . The present modern kingdoms of Europe that have grown out from the Roman empire represent the last vestiges of that great and powerful empire of Rome; that is, it fills up and makes the image complete.”^[22]Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, 15:71.

The Stone Cut out of the Mountain will Fill the Earth – D&C 65.2

The stone cut out of the mountain is the latter-day kingdom of God as it was restored by the Prophet Joseph Smith. As to how the stone is to fill the whole earth, Orson Pratt observed that the fulfillment of the prophecy would not come through the use of weapons of warfare, for the “kingdom or stone cut out of the mountain without hands is a power superior to that of carnal weapons—the power of truth, for the kingdom of God cannot be organized on the earth without truth being sent down from heaven, without authority being given from the Most High; without men again being called to the holy Priesthood and Apostleship, and sent forth to publish the truth in its naked simplicity and plainness to the inhabitants of the earth. This truth will be the weapon of warfare, this authority and power sent down from heaven will go forth and will proclaim the message of the everlasting Gospel, the Gospel of the latter- day kingdom, publishing it first among the nations that compose the feet and toes of the great image. Will they be broken to pieces? Yes, when this message is published to them. When they are sufficiently warned, when the servants of God have gone forth in obedience to his commandments, and published in their towns, villages, cities, States and governments these sacred and holy principles that God Almighty has sent down from heaven in the latter times, it will leave all people, nations and tongues that hear the Gospel, and the principles and message pertaining to that kingdom, without any excuse. It will be a warning that will be everlasting on the one hand, or on the other, either to the bringing of the people to repentance, reformation and obedience to the Gospel of the kingdom, or the judgments which are predicted in this prophecy of Daniel will be poured out upon the heads of those nations and kingdoms, and they will become like the chaff of the summer threshing floor, even all those kingdoms that compose the great image; for be it known that the remnants of the Babylonish kingdom, represented by the head of gold, still exist in Asia; the remnants of the silver kingdom, of the brass kingdom, and the kingdom of iron still have their existence; but when the Lord Almighty shall fulfil this prophecy, the toes and feet and legs of iron of that great image, or all these kingdoms, will be broken in pieces, and they will become like the chaff of the summer threshing floor; the wind will carry them away and no place will be found for them.”^[23]Journal of Discourses, 15:72.

D&C 66 William McClellin’s Five Questions

William E. McLellin (1806-1883) was an early Mormon apostle who later left the church. In his later years he questioned the authority of the prophet Joseph Smith, but he always said he believed that the Book of Mormon was truly the word of God.

In 1871 he wrote a notebook in which he recorded his contacts with men who had filled special roles as Book of Mormon witnesses in 1829. McLellin described his 1833 interview of Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, his circa-1850 visit with Martin Harris, his 1869 visit with John Whitmer, and a report of an 1833 event involving Hiram Page, another witness to the Book of Mormon plates.

Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Harris persistently confirmed that they had handled the Book of Mormon plates and were visited by an angel. John Whitmer and Hiram Page reaffirmed that they had handled the plates. All continually testified that they believed the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

McLellin’s 1871 notebook was thought to be lost but has actually survived an is in a private collection.^[24]As of the printing of the article “The Testimony of Men”: William E. McLellin and the Book of Mormon Witnesses” BYU Studies Quarterly, Iss. 1, Article 9, 2011, by Mitchell K. Schaefer, this … Continue reading

Within two months of his baptism on August 20, 1831, William E. McLellin, a former schoolteacher, became deeply involved in the work of the Restoration, being ordained an elder and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ with Hyrum Smith for a few weeks before traveling to Orange, Ohio, in late October for a general conference of the Church.

McLellin noted in his journal that it was at this conference that he “first saw brother Joseph the Seer, also brothers Oliver [Cowdery], John [Whitmer] & Sidney [Rigdon] and a great many other Elders.” At the conference, McLellin was ordained a high priest and heard Joseph teach about the powers and duties of that office. “This conference was attended by me with much spiritual edification & comfort to my heart,” he declared.^[25] Jan Shipps and John W. Welch, eds., The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831-1836, (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Studies, 1994), 44-45; Minute Book 2, 25-26 October 1831, Joseph Smith Papers.

After the conference, McLellin traveled to Kirtland and in the course of his journey “stepped off of a large log and strained my ankle very badly”—so much so that he petitioned Joseph to heal him. “He laid his hands on” the ankle, McLellin wrote in his journal, “and it was healed although It was swelled much and had pained me severely.”^[26]Jan Shipps and John W. Welch, eds., The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831-1836, (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Studies, 1994), 45. Just a few days later, McLellin decided to test Joseph Smith’s calling. After going to Joseph’s home in Hiram, Ohio, on October 29, McLellin “went before the Lord in secret, and on my knees asked him to reveal the answer to five questions through his Prophet.” Without letting Joseph know what these five questions were, McLellin asked Joseph to provide to him God’s will. The resulting revelation—section 66 in the current Doctrine and Covenants—answered McLellin’s five questions to his “full and entire satisfaction.” Even after he fell away from the Church, McLellin stated that he still considered this revelation an “evidence” of Joseph’s prophetic calling “which I cannot refute.”^[27]William E. McLellin, Ensign of Liberty, Kirtland, Ohio (Jan. 1848): 61.

These may have been McClellan’s five questions^[28]Matthew Godfrey, William McLellin’s Five Questions, Revelations in Context.

1. How does this little church that I have just joined organized by Joseph Smith, fit into the religious world? (D&C 66:2)

2. What is my spiritual standing? (D&C 66:3)

3. What is my role in the Church? I have closed my school and settled my affairs in Illinois. What am I to do now? (D&C 66:5-8)

4.. I have seen and personally experienced the power to heal by both Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Will I be able to have this power? (D&C 66:9)

5. How can I escape the temptation of adultery and other sins which have burdened me, especially since the recent death of my wife? (D&C 66: 9, 10, 12)

McLellin’s Later Life Choices

Although this revelation provided the answers that McLellin required, he did eventually falter in his faith and association with the Saints in May 1838. According to one historian^[29]Susan Easton Black, Who’s Who in the Doctrine and Covenants, Deseret Book, 1997, p. 190-193. In 1835 he wrote a letter censuring the First Presidency and by 1836 had apostatized. He explained his actions in a letter to James T. Cobb^[30]James Thornton Cobb was a graduate of Dartmouth and Amherst colleges and a resident of Salt Lake City. His mother Augusta Cobb was a polygamous wife of Brigham Young and he was a disaffected Mormon. … Continue reading: “I left the church in Aug. 1836 … because the Leading men to a great extent left their religion and run into and after speculation, pride, and popularity! … I quit because I could not uphold the Presidency as men of God.”^[31]Black, p. 191. As cited in Larry C. Porter, “William E. McLellin’s Testimony of the Book of Mormon,” BYU Studies 10 [Summer 1970]: 487.

On Friday, 11 May 1838, he appeared before a bishop’s court in Far West, Missouri. He explained that his apostasy centered on his lack of confidence in the Presidency of the Church. He volunteered that this lack had caused him to quit praying and keeping the commandments for a time and that he had indulged in sinful lusts.^[32] Ibid., See Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts, 7 vols. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-51., … Continue reading William was excommunicated in 1838 for “unbelief and apostasy.”^[33]Andrew Jenson, comp., Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 4 vols. 1901-36; reprint, Salt Lake City: Western Epics, 1971., 1:83.

After his excommunication he joined mobbers in robbing and driving the Saints from Missouri. While the brethren were imprisoned at Richmond, historical sources state that:

McLellin, who was a large and active man, went to the sheriff and asked for the privilege of flogging the Prophet. Permission was granted on condition that Joseph would fight. The sheriff made known to Joseph McLellin’s earnest request, to which Joseph consented, if his irons were taken off. McLellin then refused to fight unless he could have a club, to which Joseph was perfectly willing; but the sheriff would not allow them to fight on such unequal terms.^[34]Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts, 7 vols. (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-51), 3:215 n.

After his separation from the Church, William resided in Hampton, Illinois, where apostates William Law and Robert Foster also lived.^[35]Black, p. 192. See the journal of Lorenzo Brown, typescript, p. 11, Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. By 23 January 1847 he was with Martin Harris in Kirtland organizing a new church-the Church of Christ. Soon after the organization began William visited David Whitmer in Richmond, Missouri, and encouraged him to lead the new church; thereafter David was considered to be the church’s prophet. However, the sect apparently did not last beyond 1849.^[36]Black, p. 192. See Davis Bitton, “The Waning of Mormon Kirtland,” BYU Studies 12 (Summer 1972): 459.

On 5 June 1869 William joined the Hedrickites,^[37]The Church of Christ, informally called Hedrickites and the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement headquartered in Independence, Missouri, on what is known … Continue reading but by November he had lost interest in the religious organization. His wife joined the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and encouraged their move to Independence, Missouri, in 1870.^[38]See Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1985, p. 107.

During this time of William’s indecisive association with various splinter groups, questions arose about his testimony of the Book of Mormon. Three years before his death he affirmed that testimony in his letter to J. T. Cobb:

I have set to my seal that the Book of Mormon is a true, divine record and it will require more evidence than I have ever seen to ever shake me relative to its purity… When a man goes at the Book of M. he touches the apple of my eye. He fights against truth-against purity-against light-against the purist, or one of the truest, purist books on earth… Fight the wrongs of L.D.S.ism as much as you please, but let that unique, that inimitable book alone.^[39]Black, 192-193. As cited in Larry C. Porter, “William E. McLellin’s Testimony of the Book of Mormon,” BYU Studies 10 (Summer 1970): p. 486.

He further advised Cobb to “cease your opposition and strife against the Book, …for you might just as well fight against the rocky mountains as the Book!!”^[40]Ibid. See also: William E. McLellin’s statements near the end of his life regarding his faith. In this brief article I outline his basic arguments and also include a link to a PDF of his letter … Continue reading

McLellin personally heard David Whitmer bear his testimony of the Book of Mormon and his witness of the angel associated with its coming forth to the world. He stated in his letter to James Cobb:

David Whitmer has lost his thumb on his right hand several years ago, and cannot write… I saw him June 1879, and heard him bear his solemn testimony to the truth of the book—as sincerely and solemnly as when he bore it to me in Paris, Ill. in July 1831. I believed him then and still believe him. You seem to think he and I ought to come out and tell something—some darkness relative to that book. We should lie if we did, for we know nothing against its credibility or divine truth.^[41]Porter, p. 2.

During his last year William remained distant from all churches, holding the belief that the Lord would “establish the Church of Christ shortly, and then if they will accept me, I’ll unite with them!!!”^[42]Ibid., p. 487. He explained further, “Your life like all other exposers will be spent in vain, and worse than in vain. Then spend your time and energy at something more worthy of a lover of truth. … Continue reading He died on 24 April 1883 at the age of seventy-seven.

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