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 DESERT BLOSSOMS #164
by Ted L. Gibbons
Latter-day Saints in
Hancock
County
had two objectives during the last half of 1844 through 1846. They wanted to finish the construction of the
Nauvoo
Temple, and
they wanted to leave it and go west.
“Following Joseph Smith’s death, Brigham Young was absolutely clear about priorities: first, the Saints must finish the
Nauvoo
Temple
and receive the endowment there. Then they must seek a new home, the prophesied place of refuge in the West.” (Ronald K. Esplin, “Fire in His Bones,” Ensign, Mar. 1993, 44).
The conflicting nature of those two objectives is powerful evidence of the revelatory foundation of this latter-day work. Disciples of Jesus were willing to work diligently to complete a structure they knew they would immediately leave behind. The words of D&C 57 come to mind: “let them act upon this land as for years, and this shall turn unto them for their good” (verse17).
“The
Nauvoo
Temple
was dedicated in October 1845, even before it was finished, and in December Brigham Young began to administer the temple ordinances day and night. Within two months, the first company of wagons crossed the frozen
Mississippi,
never to return.
“The story is told of a blind convert named Brother Williams who came from
Massachusetts
to Nauvoo in time to help complete the temple. Brother Williams had heard the stories of Kirtland, and he believed fervently that when the
Nauvoo
Temple
was dedicated, the Savior and even the resurrected Joseph would return. He anticipated great spiritual manifestations that would heal his blindness. He believed that each stone they were laying brought him one step closer to the Savior’s healing hand.
“But the
Nauvoo
Temple
dedication was no Kirtland. As far as we know, there were no visible manifestations, no angelic ministries, no Pentecost” (Bruce C. Hafen, “When Do the Angels Come?” Ensign, Apr. 1992, 15).
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Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul (Hebrews
10:35
-39).
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I have reflected on the events associated with the
Nauvoo
Temple
, and it may be that one of them has had a greater influence on the world than almost any spiritual manifestation since the restoration.
“The Prophet Joseph Smith said, ‘The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead’ (History of the Church, 6:313). From the beginning, Relief Society sisters have supported this great work. In Nauvoo in 1842, Sarah M. Kimball’s desire to help the temple construction workers prompted a group of sisters to organize themselves so that they could serve more effectively. As they began to meet, the Prophet told them that the Lord had something greater in mind for them, and he organized the first Relief Society after the pattern of the priesthood. From that time on, the Relief Society sisters helped further the work on the
Nauvoo
Temple
in any way they could so the Saints could receive their endowments there. They also helped to officiate in the ordinances of the temple before the Saints were driven from their homes” (see Jill Mulvay Derr and others, Women of Covenant [1992], 26–27, 41, 64, 451, note 26; cited byMary Ellen Smoot in “Family History: A Work of Love,” Ensign, Mar. 1999, 15).
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If the major purpose of all scripture is to bear testimony of Christ, (and I believe it is) then the D&C makes a remarkable contribution to that testimony. With few exceptions, everything the D&C teaches us about the Savior is taught in the actual words of the Savior. Almost all scriptures is in some way about Christ. But the D&C is by Christ. The words are His words. The voice is His voice. Most of the information in the Doctrine and Covenants is given in the first person singular by the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
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