Historical Background

 

“Settled by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1836, Far West became the commercial and ecclesiastical center of the Church, as well as the county seat. As members of the Church continued to gather in Far West and surrounding towns, local Missourians began to fear the growing population and its influence. Differences in religion and political views and many other factors led to discord between the two groups. Local mobs began harassing outlying Latter-day Saint settlements, forcing the Saints to consolidate into Far West.

 

“In October 1838 a Missouri army surrounded Far West. At the end of three days, the Prophet Joseph Smith and other Church leaders agreed to meet with militia leaders outside the city. However, instead of conducting talks, the militia leaders arrested and sentenced Joseph and the others to death by a firing squad. Brigadier General Alexander Doniphan refused the order, stating that it was illegal. Although their lives were saved at this time, Joseph and the other leaders were unjustly incarcerated for five months, suffering horrible conditions. (http://www.lds.org/placestovisit/location/0,10634,1808-1-1-1,00.html)

 

Lyman O. Littlefield

“Let the reader especially note this language made use of in the sacred revelation: ‘Let this city, Far West, be a holy and consecrated land unto me, and it shall be called most holy, for the ground upon which thou standest is holy.’

 

“Yes, I have looked upon that land when it was the peaceful abode of the Saints, who had found refuge there from Jackson and Clay Counties, from Kirtland and many other places. It was a delightsome country to look upon. It had been but little inhabited for hundreds of years… But when Joseph stood there, on April 6, 1838, the Lord said, ‘the land’ on which he stood was ‘holy.’ We may hope from this that the delightful region had escaped much of the pollutions of all the races that have dwelt upon it since Father Adam offered sacrifice upon the time-ruined altars of Adam-ondi-Ahman.

 

“While the Latter-day Saints dwelt there, a great majority of them, at least, tried to walk circumspectly before the Lord and serve Him. Lucifer, the arch enemy of Christ, was not pleased that this should continue, and so inflamed the hearts of the people against them that the strength of the wicked were marshaled and drove them from their inheritances. Inasmuch as this was the case, the Lord, so far as the Saints are concerned, will not hold them responsible, because His house is not built at Far West and the residue of His people are not gathered there, and because that beautiful country is not filled with cities and those sanctuaries of worship which He is ever pleased to accept at the hands of a sanctified people. But there is a most glorious future in store for that and other portions of the Land of Zion, to be revealed at the appointed times, when the Saints shall return with strength and wisdom sufficient to obey His laws and build up the waste places, that Zion may arise and put on her beautiful garments.” (Littlefield, Lyman O., Reminiscences of Latter-day Saints, 101 - 102.)

 

DC 115:1  Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Hyrum Smith constitute the First Presidency

 

Joseph Fielding Smith

On the 26th of April [1838] the Prophet received a very important revelation of instruction for the First Presidency, the apostles, the bishop, and the members of the Church. [D&C 115:1] It will be noted that the counselors named to serve with the Prophet were Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith. In the fall of the year 1837, Frederick G. Williams lost his standing because he had become disaffected and Hyrum Smith was called and sustained in his stead. President Williams was a man of high character and the Prophet, when he chose him as a counselor, spoke of him in the highest terms and expressed great confidence in him. During the days of tribulation he was overcome and was influenced by those who had turned away in bitterness against the Church. However, he soon repented of the evil and asked to come back into the Church. He was baptized on his show of repentance and confirmed Sunday, August 1, 1838, but he was not re-instated in his former position. (Roy W. Doxey, comp., Latter-day Prophets and the Doctrine and Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1978], 4: 147)

 

DC 115:3-4 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

 

What changes have been made in the name of the Church? Its full designation does not appear in the revelations until 1838. (D&C 115:4)

 

“Richard Lloyd Anderson, professor of religion and history, Brigham Young University A concise answer to this question is found by comparing the name of the Church on the title pages of the first three printings of the revelations: ‘The Church of Christ’ (Book of Commandments, 1833), ‘The Church of the Latter Day Saints’ (Doctrine and Covenants, 1835), and ‘The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’ (Doctrine and Covenants, 1844).

 

“The Savior told the Nephites that his church should be called in his name. (See 3 Ne. 27:8.) As a result, the restored Church’s official title from 1830 to 1834 was ‘The Church of Christ.’ That title is found in the revelation on the organization and government of the Church (D&C 20:1) and in early minute books. During this period, however, members of the Church regularly called themselves ‘saints’; the word saint is used approximately three dozen times in the D&C before 1834.

 

“On 3 May 1834, official action modified the name of the Church. In a priesthood conference presided over by Joseph Smith, a motion passed ‘by unanimous voice’ that the Church be known as ‘The Church of the Latter Day Saints.’ (See The Evening and the Morning Star, May 1834, 2:160.) This alteration was not seen as a de-emphasis of Christ; on the contrary, it was done in hopes that the name of the Church would more clearly reflect the fact that Christ was at its head.

 

“In the same issue of the Kirtland newspaper in which the announcement appeared, an editorial explained that the change stemmed from a misleading nickname: the ‘Mormonite’ church. The new name also had these advantages: (1) Since American Christians, including Congregationalists and reformers, frequently designated themselves as ‘The Church of Christ,’ that title did not distinguish the restored gospel from a host of Protestant sects. (2) Since Paul and Peter used the Greek word saint (‘a holy person’) to refer to believers in Christ, the term Latter-day Saints implied that Church members were modern followers of Christ. Thus it also asserted the claim of restoration.

 

“Just as the term saint flourished when the official name was ‘The Church of Christ,’ the name of Christ regularly supplemented the official name of ‘The Church of the Latter Day Saints.’ For example, in 1835, the church was referred to as ‘the church of Christ’ and the Twelve apostles were commissioned as ‘special witnesses of the name of Christ.’ (D&C 107:59, 23) The Saints certainly did not feel that the Church was leaving out the name of Christ.

 

“Sometimes during this period the first and second titles would be combined—‘the church of Christ of Latter Day saints’—as they were in priesthood minutes (Messenger and Advocate, Feb. 1836, 2:266) and in the publication of the first high council minutes (see headnote, D&C 5, 1835 edition).

 

“A vivid illustration of the way members then understood the official name of the Church is found in a letter from John Smith, the Prophet’s uncle, to his son Elias before the latter was converted. Writing 19 Oct. 1834, Uncle John answers the question of why the name could be changed:

 

‘The Church of Christ is the Church of Saints and always was. This is the reason why the apostle directed letters sometimes to the Church of God, others to the Church, and again to the Brethren, sometimes to the Saints, always meaning the Church of Christ.’ (Archives, University of Utah)

 

“Thus, the final version of the Church’s name was no radical shift from the previous practice of using both ‘Christ’ and ‘Saints’ in designating the restored Church and its members. Revealed on 26 April 1838 (D&C 115:4), the full title, ‘The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,’ is striking by comparison to the names of the scores of churches that obscure their Christianity under the label  of their founders or of some characteristic belief or aspect of church organization. It is a highly effective name, for while it is distinctive, it indicates that Jesus is at its head. It is also descriptive of divine restoration. And it is more than a name—it is a public commitment to a holy life through the Savior’s power.” (Richard Lloyd Anderson, “I Have a Question,” Ensign, Jan. 1979, 13-4)

 

Joseph L Wirthlin

The members of this Church carry a great and grave responsibility in using the title Latter-day Saints. As I think of my own life, I wonder if I merit the name Latter-day Saint. Do you ponder over this divine title, determining whether or not your lives are compatible with the title of Latter-day Saint? We only become Latter-day Saints insofar as we live the gospel of the Lord, Jesus Christ, and a real Latter-day Saint is willing to take upon him the full name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, keep his commandments, his covenants. It demands wholehearted, devoted loyalty to the anointed of the Lord who preside over his Church, and beyond that cleanliness of life is a prime requisite, for I am convinced that anyone who claims to be a Latter-day Saint and drinks a glass of beer or smokes a cigarette is not entitled to the divine title of Latter-day Saint. (Conference Report, April 1946, pp. 160-167)

 

Boyd K. Packer

In a revelation given in 1838, the Lord spoke to “the elders and people of my Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, scattered abroad in all the world,” saying, “For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

 

Others refer to us as Mormons. I do not mind if they use that title. However, sometimes we are prone ourselves to say “Mormon Church.” I do not think it best for us to do so.

 

The First Presidency has told us to “keep in mind that this is the Church of Jesus Christ; please emphasize that fact in making contacts with others. … We feel that some may be misled by the too frequent use of the term ‘Mormon Church.’ ” (“The Peaceable Followers of Christ,” Ensign, Apr. 1998, 63–64)

 

Russell M. Nelson

By divine directive, the title of the Church bears the sacred name of Jesus Christ, whose church this is. (See D&C 115:3–4.) He so decreed more than once. Nearly two thousand years ago, the Lord said, “Ye shall call the church in my name; …

 

“And how be it my church save it be called in my name?” (3 Ne. 27:7–8; italics added.)

 

We worship God the Eternal Father in the name of His Son by the power of the Holy Ghost. We know the premortal Jesus to be Jehovah, God of the Old Testament. We know Him to be “the chief corner stone” upon which the organization of His Church is based. (Eph. 2:20.) We know Him to be the Rock from whom revelation comes to His authorized agents (see 1 Cor. 10:4; Hel. 5:12) and to all who worthily seek Him (see D&C 88:63)… We revere the name of Jesus Christ. He is our risen Redeemer. (“Thus Shall My Church Be Called,” Ensign, May 1990, 17)

 

Gordon B. Hinckley

Many of our people are disturbed by the practice of the media, and of many others, to disregard totally the true name of the Church and to use the nickname “the Mormon Church.”… I suppose that regardless of our efforts, we may never convert the world to general use of the full and correct name of the Church. Because of the shortness of the word Mormon and the ease with which it is spoken and written, they will continue to call us the Mormons, the Mormon church, and so forth.

 

They could do worse. More than fifty years ago, when I was a missionary in England, I said to one of my associates, “How can we get people, including our own members, to speak of the Church by its proper name?”

 

He replied, “You can’t. The word Mormon is too deeply ingrained and too easy to say.” He went on, “…While I’m thankful for the privilege of being a follower of Jesus Christ and a member of the Church which bears His name, I am not ashamed of the nickname Mormon.”

 

“Look,” he went on to say, “if there is any name that is totally honorable in its derivation, it is the name Mormon. And so, when someone asks me about it and what it means, I quietly say—‘Mormon means more good.’ ” (The Prophet Joseph Smith first said this in 1843; see Times and Seasons, 4:194; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 299–300.)

 

His statement intrigued me—Mormon means “more good.” I knew, of course, that “more good” was not a derivative of the word Mormon. I had studied both Latin and Greek, and I knew that English is derived in some measure from those two languages and that the words more good are not a cognate of the word Mormon. But his was a positive attitude based on an interesting perception. And, as we all know, our lives are guided in large measure by our perceptions. Ever since, when I have seen the word Mormon used in the media to describe us—in a newspaper or a magazine or book or whatever—there flashes into my mind his statement, which has become my motto: Mormon means “more good.” (“Mormon Should Mean ‘More Good,’ ” Ensign, Nov. 1990, 51)

 

DC 115:5 Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations

 

Ezra Taft Benson

In this revelation is a command to let our light shine so it becomes a standard for the nations. A standard is a rule of measure by which one determines exactness or perfection. The Saints are to be a standard of holiness for the world to see! That is the beauty of Zion. (“Strengthen Thy Stakes,” Ensign, Jan. 1991, 2)

 

Ezra Taft Benson

Yes, beloved youth, you will have your trials and temptations through which you must pass, but there are great moments of eternity which lie ahead. You have our love and our confidence. We pray that you will be prepared for the reins of leadership. We say to you, “Arise and shine forth” (D&C 115:5), and be a light unto the world, a standard to others. You can live in the world and not partake of the sins of the world. You can live life joyously, beautifully, unmarred by the ugliness of sin. This is our confidence in you. (“A Message to the Rising Generation,” Ensign, Nov. 1977, 32)

 

Sheri Dew

This is a day when the adversary has launched an all-out attack against womanhood, because he knows—he absolutely knows—that the influence of a righteous woman is enormous and that it spans generations. He would have us be disinterested in marriage and motherhood, confused by the world’s view of men and women, too harried by the pace of life to really live the gospel and to let it penetrate our souls. At all costs, he wants to keep us at arm’s length from Jesus Christ. For if we don’t come unto Christ, meaning that we never turn our lives over to Him, we will go through our probation here on our own rather than experiencing what the Savior promised when He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

 

Each day we stand at the end of our own Parley Street. The Lord needed the strength of the women of this Church as the seeds of the Restoration were planted and nourished. And He needs us today. He needs us to speak up for what is right, even when doing so is unpopular. He needs us to develop the spiritual maturity to hear the voice of the Lord and detect the deceptions of the adversary. He delights in women who keep their covenants with precision, women who reverence the power of the priesthood, women who are willing to “lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10). He needs us to be everything we can be, to “arise and shine forth, that [our] light may be a standard for the nations” (D&C 115:5).

 

Are we the women the Lord needs us to be? (“Are You the Woman I Think You Are?” Ensign, Nov. 1997, 92–93)

 

DC 115:6 the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes

 

“[The Lord] revealed to the Prophet Joseph that the day would come when there would be ‘no more room’ for the Saints in Missouri; ‘and then I have other places which I will appoint unto them, and they shall be called stakes, for the curtains or the strength of Zion’ (D&C 101:21; emphasis added). In the dedicatory prayer on the Kirtland Temple in 1836, there was a plea that new converts to the Church ‘may come forth to Zion, or to her stakes’ (D&C 109:39; emphasis added). Two years later, another revelation taught that ‘the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth’ (D&C 115:6; emphasis added).

 

“More recently, President Spencer W. Kimball underscored this important doctrine: ‘The First Presidency and the Twelve see great wisdom in the multiple Zions, many gathering places where the Saints within their own culture and nation can act as a leaven in the building of the kingdom.’

 

“What, then, do we know relative to the future of Zion? Elder McConkie taught: ‘Let Israel gather to the stakes of Zion in all nations. Let every land be a Zion to those appointed to dwell there. … But still there is a center place, a place where the chief temple shall stand. … And that center place is what men now call Independence in Jackson County, Missouri.’  On another occasion he wrote: ‘The return to Jackson County will be by delegates, as it were. Those whose services are needed there will assemble as appointed. The rest of Israel will remain in their appointed places.’  (Arnold K. Garr, “Growing with a Living Church,” Ensign, Oct. 1996, 29-30)

 

James E. Faust

The stakes are “the curtains or the strength of Zion.”  They are to be spiritual centers of righteousness, strength, and protection. (“Responsibilities of Shepherds,” Ensign, May 1995, 47)

 

DC 115:6 refuge from the storm

 

“Having grown up in Florida, I’ve always understood hurricanes to be an inconvenience but not particularly threatening to people living 10 miles or more inland. My perception drastically changed, however, on the morning of 24 August 1992, when Hurricane Andrew cut a pathway of destruction through the South Miami Florida Stake (now the Homestead Florida Stake). The most costly natural disaster in United States history taught me—and thousands of other Saints throughout the Church’s North America Southeast Area—many lessons about inspired preparedness and charitable service…

 

“The Red Cross and the military ultimately accomplished most of the relief effort, but the Latter-day Saints were the only group effectively organized during the crucial first week after the disaster. Almost immediately, several meetinghouses in the stake—some of which had sustained damage—were made into temporary bishops’ storehouses, with classrooms used as places to organize food, fuel, tents, medical supplies, and other emergency equipment and goods. As people entered meetinghouses to seek assistance, they were directed to a bishop who spoke English, Portuguese, or Spanish, as needed. Families who didn’t have food at home were issued enough for four days, and other supplies were handed out as required. This system eventually distributed more than 10 trailer loads of supplies to hurricane victims of all faiths, with goods donated by the Red Cross, two retail stores, the Church, and many individual Saints and members of other faiths.

 

“The day after the disaster, Latter-day Saint volunteers began to pour into the area, first by the hundreds and later by the thousands. On the first day, the Latter-day Saint command center sent out 140 workers, and during the first weekend we received a flood of 1,800 volunteers. On the subsequent Labor Day weekend, some 5,100 volunteers canceled their holiday plans to respond to a call for assistance issued by the Area Presidency. They came not only from neighboring stakes but from as far away as North and South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

 

“At first we struggled to efficiently match members’ needs with available work crews. After finishing a cleanup or repair job, volunteers had to waste precious time locating a working telephone so they could call for their next assignment, and they also faced difficulty finding their way around the area because nearly all street signs were destroyed. To eliminate downtime, we instructed volunteers to simply go to work on neighboring homes after local members’ needs were met. In this way [page 28] the relief effort was able to help people of all faiths almost from the start, yet volunteers still met immediate Latter-day Saint needs within three or four days. Besides assisting Church members, Latter-day Saint volunteers installed temporary roofs on more than 3,000 homes and also on a Jewish synagogue and three Christian chapels.

 

“Through this experience, we learned not only the wisdom of emergency preparedness but also the truth of what Sister Virginia H. Pearce, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, said after rehearsing another story of Latter-day Saint disaster assistance: ‘Multiply this story by every natural and civil crisis. Bishops and quorum leaders accounting for families after hurricanes, members carrying food and blankets—it makes no difference where you live or what kind of chaos might occur, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will remain organized, and order will prevail. The wards and stakes of Zion will be a refuge from the storm (D&C 115:6) (Ensign, Nov. 1993, 80; emphasis in original).” (D. Michael Madsen, “The Flood after the Storm,” Ensign, Feb. 1997, 24-28)

 

DC 115:6 wrath... shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth

 

Joseph Smith

The time is soon coming, when no man will have any peace but in Zion and her stakes.

 

I saw men hunting the lives of their own sons, and brother murdering brother, women killing their own daughters, and daughters seeking the lives of their mothers. I saw armies arrayed against armies. I saw blood, desolation, fires. The Son of Man has said that the mother shall be against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother. These things are at our doors. They will follow the Saints of God from city to city. Satan will rage, and the spirit of the devil is now enraged. I know not how soon these things will take place; but with a view of them, shall I cry peace? No; I will lift up my voice and testify of them. How long you will have good crops, and the famine be kept off, I do not know; when the fig tree leaves, know then that the summer is nigh at hand. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 161)

 

Harold B. Lee

These organizations (stakes) were to be as stated in the revelation noted earlier, as a “refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth.” (D&C 115:6.)

 

In the preface to all the Lord’s revelations that he gave from the beginning of this dispensation, he issued this fateful warning, which must never be absent from our minds. This prophetic warning of 1831 was given, as the Lord declared, so that “all men shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.” (D&C 1:35.)

 

Now 142 years later we are witnessing the fury of this time, when Satan has power over his own dominion, with such might that even the Master in his day referred to him as the “prince of this world,” the “enemy of all righteousness.”

 

Despite these dire predictions and the evidences of their fulfillment truly before us today, there is promised in this same revelation even a greater power to thwart Satan’s plans to destroy the work of the Lord. Here the Lord makes this promise to the Saints of the Most High God, to the righteous in heart to whom he has referred as “the people of Zion.” This is what he said:

 

“And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst, and shall come down in judgment upon Idumea, or the world.” (D&C 1:36.) (“Strengthen the Stakes of Zion,” Ensign, Jul 1973, 2)

 

DC 115:7 Let the city, Far West, be a holy and a consecrated land unto me

 

Joseph Smith

Now, brethren, I would suggest for the consideration of the conference, its being carefully and wisely understood by the council or conferences that our brethren scattered abroad, who understood the spirit of the gathering, that they fall into the places and refuge of safety that God shall open unto them, between Kirtland and Far West. Those from the east and from the west, and from far countries, let them fall in somewhere between those two boundaries, in the most safe and quiet places they can find; and let this be the present understanding, until God shall open a more effectual door for us for further considerations. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 144)

 

DC 115:8 I command you to build a house unto me

 

“Announcement:  26 April 1838
Site Dedication:  4 July 1838 by Brigham Young

 

“Temple Locale

The Far West Temple site is located in Caldwell County, approximately 50 miles northwest of Kansas City. The property is maintained as a historic site by the Church, featuring attractive landscaping and a large monument that highlights Far West history. The aged cornerstones, laid for the temple in 1838, are beautifully preserved and displayed under protective glass. Visitors are welcome to come here and experience the brief but rich history of the Saints in Far West.

 

“Temple Facts

The Far West Temple was the second temple commenced but never constructed by the early Saints in Missouri. The Far West Temple site is located in Caldwell County, which was created specifically as a settlement for the Saints, who had been driven out of Jackson County several years earlier in 1833. Far West was the county seat.

 

“The cornerstones were laid for the Far West Temple on July 4, 1838, in the following order: southeast by the stake presidency, southwest by the elders quorum presidency, northwest by the bishop, and northeast by the teachers quorum presidency.  At the cornerstone laying for the Far West Temple, President Sidney Rigdon gave his famous Independence Day oration. The speech's passionate declarations fueled tension between the Saints and the citizens of Missouri, eventually culminating in the issuance of Governor Lilburn W. Boggs' extermination order on October 27, 1838.

 

“Despite the great risk of danger, five apostles—accompanied by several others—returned to the Far West Temple site just after midnight on the morning of April 26, 1839, in fulfillment of prophecy. A large stone was rolled on the southeast cornerstone as recommencement of work on the foundation, and the apostles left to prepare for their overseas missions.

 

“John Whitmer, one of the Eight Witnesses of the golden plates, was the only resident of Far West for many years after the Saints left.  Among his land holdings was the Far West Temple site.

 

“The Far West Temple site was reacquired by the LDS Church in 1909 under the direction of Joseph F. Smith. In 1968, the Church beautified the Far West Temple site and erected a monument, making it an attractive historic site for visitors.” (http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/farwest/)

 

Orson Pratt

It seems to be a standing command to the Saints, wherever they may be located, to build a house unto the Lord, wherever there is a stronghold pointed out for the gathering of the Saints, such as Kirtland, Nauvoo, Jackson County, Mo., and other places which are mentioned in revelation. The Lord has commanded his Saints in all these places to do a work, which will be effectually accomplished in due time. They are always commanded to build a house unto the Lord. (Journal of Discourses, 16:255)

 

Joseph Fielding Smith

It was also declared in this revelation that the City of Far West should be made holy by consecration, "and it shall be called most holy, for the ground upon which thou standest is holy." They were commanded to build a house unto the Lord, and the saints were to commence the preparatory work the coming summer, the time being set as July 4, 1838, when this should begin and from that time forth they were to labor diligently to build the house unto the name of the Lord. When this revelation was given there was no house, or temple, recognized by the Lord as his. He had promised to make holy the temple in Kirtland, but had declared also that if it should be defiled it should no longer be his house and his name would not be upon it. April 3, 1836, he accepted that house, but in the summer of 1837, it had been polluted and apostates wicked in spirit, had taken possession of that temple, hence the Lord rejected it as a sacred spot, an holy temple to His name. Now came the command to build another house on ground that was consecrated. This house was to be built according to the Lord's plan, for it was to be a temple to His name. (Church History and Modern Revelation, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1946-1949], 3: 115)

 

DC 115:11 one year from this day let them re-commence laying the foundation of my house

 

James E. Talmage

On the fourth day of July, 1838, the corner stones were laid to the accompaniment of military parade and solemn procession.  It is plain from the revelation of April 26, 1838, that even the laying of the foundation of this proposed temple would not proceed uninterruptedly. The corner stones were placed on July 4th as had been commanded, and on the 8th another mention of the site is made with a specific requirement respecting the future work of the apostles. "Let them take leave of my Saints in the city of Far West, on the 26th day of April next, on the building spot of my house, saith the Lord."  The months following were marked by persecution and violence; hostile opponents declared that the commission should never be fulfilled. History attests, however, that on the 26th day of April, 1839, the apostles, several other officers of the Church, and a number of the members, assembled in the early hours of the morning, sang their hymns, delivered their exhortations, and began the work of laying the foundation stones. On the occasion two vacancies in the Council of the Twelve were filled by the ordination of Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith, whose nominations had previously been voted upon. The apostles then took leave of the others present and proceeded on their missions. Almost immediately after the events last recorded, the Saints were forced to abandon their homes in Missouri. (The House of the Lord [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1968], 104)

 

DC 115:13 let not my servant Joseph… get in debt any more for the building of a house unto my name

 

“The Kirtland Temple had been built by the individual sacrifices of the Saints and the personal indebtedness of Church leaders.  The Lord had sanctioned this debt at that time so that the temple could be completed and the fullness of priesthood keys might be restored.  From this time forth, however, the Lord commanded the entire Church collectively (“my people,” vv. 15-16) to bear the financial burden of temple building, and it is presently the policy that no Church-owned building be dedicated until it is fully paid for.

 

‘This house was to be built according to the Lord’s plan, for it was to be a temple to His name.  In times past, and because of no fault of their own, the First Presidency had been greatly troubled because of debts.  Now the Lord gives to them, in making this new start, a commandment that they were to keep out of debt, and put forth their energies to build up settlements in Caldwell County and to send forth the word of the Lord into all the world.’” (Stephen E. Robinson, H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 2001] 4:113)

 

DC 115:14 let a house be built… according to the pattern which I will show unto them

 

“The patterns of the Kirtland and Independence Temples had been revealed to the First Presidency in 1833.  The Lord here reveals that the design of the Far West Temple will also be revealed to the First Presidency, but he prepares the Church to expect differences between the new temple and what they had built in Kirtland. ‘If this temple at Far West was not built according to the Lord’s plan, he said he would not receive it.  We have good reason to believe that his plan contemplated many changes not found in the house in Kirtland.  The keys for the sealing of both the living and the dead had been revealed since the Kirtland Temple was built.  The doctrine of salvation for the dead had been hinted at, but not yet clearly revealed.  The Lord certainly intended to place in this new temple if it should be built according to his plan, the provisions which were found in the Nauvoo temple and all the other temples erected since that day so that the ordinance of baptism for the dead, and all the ordinances of the gospel could be given to both the living and the dead, as outlined by the Lord to the Prophet, January 19, 1841.’” (Stephen E. Robinson, H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 2001] 4:113=114)