Casey Griffiths: There’s some questions that lead to dead ends, like why is this happening to me? Or what caused this to occur? And he said there’s some questions that opened doors for us, like what am I supposed to learn from this? Each one of them made a choice when they saw the land, and that reflects so much about who they are and the faith that they have in God.

Scott Woodward: I think that’s a pretty valuable application for all of us.

Casey Griffiths: The Lord doesn’t want to hang on to these things. He’s ready and willing to move on once we’re ready and willing to move on. He wants us to heal, and then he wants us to get going again and not dwell on our past foibles.

Scott Woodward: Hey, Casey. Welcome back.

Casey Griffiths: Good to be back.

Scott Woodward: This week, we’re studying Section 58 and 59, which are the second and third recorded revelations. It’s given to Joseph Smith in Missouri.

Casey Griffiths: And it looks like with the sections we’re covering today, we’ve completed the journey to Zion. Now, these sections are sort of like life in Zion, the challenges, the promise, the ups and the downs, the goods and the bads about building the city of God on the American frontier.

Scott Woodward: They deal with several issues related to the building up the land of Zion, like you said. And we’re going to get the Colesville Saints that are going to be trickling in, and that’s going to precede Section 59. And these revelations are filled with a lot of prophetic and practical counsel and correction, all while making known the next steps in establishing Zion.

Casey Griffiths: All right, let’s talk context for Section 58 then. In the summer of 1831, as a result of the Lord’s commands to do so, in Section 52 through 55, Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, 14 companionships of elders, listed in Section 52, and then some recent converts like Sidney Gilbert and W. W. Phelps. And finally, around 60 people in the Colesville branch of the Church all travel to Missouri, and they arrive there, like we mentioned last time, in Section 57. So shortly after Joseph Smith and some of his traveling companions arrive in Jackson County, Missouri, Section 57 was received, which identifies Independence, Missouri as the center place of the Promised Land of Zion and the land which was appointed, according to the section, for the gathering of the Saints. Now, during the following week, the Colesville branch, Sidney Rigdon, Sidney and Elizabeth Gilbert, and the first companionship of elders, Isaac Morley and Ezra Booth arrive as well. So people are starting to kind of trickle in to this area, and these revelations are going to address some of those needs. Now, some of those arriving expressed disappointment in what they found there. According to Ezra Booth, who’s kind of the pessimistic guy on the trip, Joseph had led them to expect that when they arrived, there would be a large congregation of believers already built up by Oliver Cowdery and the other missionaries to the Lamanites who had been preaching in that area for around five months.

Casey Griffiths: But instead, they were underwhelmed by the harvest. They found maybe less than 10 converts, depending on the source that you look at. Now, additionally, it seems like there was tension between Bishop Edward Partridge and Joseph Smith when this revelation was received regarding the land to be purchased for the temple as designated in Section 57. Edward had been appointed in the same revelation with authority to manage the land and property for the Church in Zion with the assistance of Sidney Gilbert, who’d been appointed to buy the lands. Edward already seems like he was bothered by Joseph’s prediction that meeting a large congregation of believers upon their arrival, he argued with Joseph that the land selected for the temple was inferior in quality to some of the other plots nearby, and thereby assuming authority over Joseph and that causes Sidney Rigdon to intervene, accusing Edward of being in open violation to the laws of God. So Joseph and Edward get into an argument here. Adding to this unresolved tension with the prophet was the daunting task before Bishop Partridge of helping the Colesville Saints who are just barely getting there. And they’re arriving in this untamed frontier town on the edge of the United States with an eye towards eventually transforming this place into the city of Zion that it’s prophesied to become. And this is something that it seems like Edward is struggling with and feeling maybe inadequate towards the task.

Scott Woodward: People today feel the same way that Edward did. At least I know some have gone to Independence, Missouri, and looked around and said, this looks like kind of a normal place. It’s not particularly way more beautiful than other cities. It seems like a normal, kind of a smallish town, and nothing particularly glorious about it. So it seems like Edward was having a hard time catching the vision. Like, if that’s what it’s like for people today, I can only imagine when it was frontier America, and he’s looking around like, I just am having a hard time seeing this, Joseph. And the Lord is going to address that in this revelation for sure. But I can kind of sympathize where Edward’s coming from.

Casey Griffiths: Independence is about six miles away from Indian territory, and it’s this rough mix of like slaveholders and fur trappers and Native Americans and African-American slaves. And it may have, when they first got there and not seemed like, you know, the most beautiful plot of land ever given in the history of the world. But I got to be honest with you. A couple of weeks ago, I was in Jerusalem, and some people come to Jerusalem and they see, like, the Holy City on the mountain, and some people come and are kind of like, Is this it? This phenomenon happens everywhere that people go, especially places that are imbued with holy power.

Scott Woodward: Isn’t that typical of what the Lord does? I’m thinking about what he does with people, and maybe by analogy with this land, he takes some pretty rough-and-tumble people, and his goal is to transform them, to transform our hearts, our minds, to help us become saints through the atonement of Christ. Maybe this is an analogy. You see this kind of like not really attractive area that Joseph says through revelation he learned is going to be the New Jerusalem. And those outside are saying, I don’t know if I see that. And there you go. That’s typical of what the Lord does. He takes places and people and transforms them.

Casey Griffiths: So this revelation is meant to address those complicated feelings that happen now that they’ve arrived in Zion. It establishes the next steps for what they’re supposed to do to set up Zion. And in John Whitmer’s heading for this revelation in his history, he wrote that it was given to the elders who were assembled on the land of Zion to provide them directions on what to do. Then John Whitmer writes, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Love John Whitmer. So that’s the context. Let’s get into what the revelation says.

Scott Woodward: This revelation in verses one through five opens with a blend of both sobering and hopeful news. Three times, he soberly forecast tribulation or much tribulation in their future on this land. But at the same time, he promises blessings, a crown of glory, a great reward on the other side of that tribulation to those who keep his commandments and remain faithful, quote, “Whether in life or in death.” Even, he says, “When ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter.” So that context you just laid out actually really helps that verse to pop, verse three. You can’t see it with your natural eyes, Edward, looking at you, but these things will develop. These things will come to pass. So while the Lord is here implying that the glory of Zion is likely a ways off, he also announces in verses 6 through 14, five reasons for sending these people here to the land of Zion at this time, long before the triumphant day. There is going to be a lot of tribulation, and it’s going to come on pretty quickly. So it’s interesting that the very first revelation to that group of people here outside of Section 57, right at the get-go, he is prophesying tribulation and much tribulation, knowing that they’re not going to be able to establish Zion right away.

Scott Woodward: Like I said, this project is not going to get off the ground very far before it gets some serious pushback and comes to a halt in many ways. Why would the Lord have them come out so early at this time? Here’s the five reasons he says first. In verse 6, he says, I’ve “sent you that you might be obedient, and that your hearts might be prepared to bear testimony of the things which are to come.” Second, “that you might be honored in laying the foundation of Zion.” This group of people gets to be honored as the original Zion foundation layers, and we’re doing that right now in this podcast, honoring this great group. Third, that you can bear “record of the land upon which the Zion of God shall stand.” You can say you’ve been there, you can say you’ve seen it. Then fourth, he poetically describes preparations for the millennial day by quoting Isaiah. He says, They are here in this land, so, quote, “That a feast of fat things might be prepared for the poor; yea, a feast of fat things, of wine on the lees well refined.” That’s almost the verbatim quote of Isaiah 25:6, which describes, like, this final feast of nations at the end of times on the mountain of the Lord, the hill of Zion.

Scott Woodward: And this language of, like, the feast of fat things is just referring to rich and delicious foods. And then wine on the lees well refined just refers to wine that has allowed to age undisturbed. The picture being painted here is that basically of an all-out, luxurious banquet. Anciently, they would only do these kinds of banquets when a new king was crowned and at weddings, basically. Christ’s return is, in a sense, both of these. The supper of the Lord, the wedding of heaven and earth, and the Bridegroom, and the Church, and all of those awesome New Testament analogies. He says in verse 9, There’s going to be “a supper of the house of the Lord, well prepared, unto which all nations shall be invited.” And it’s now time for inviting and preparing the guest list for the feast, he says. So first, to be invited, verse 10, are “the rich, the learned, the wise, and the noble,” meaning those who can provide a solid base from which to build financially, intellectually, by way of leadership. Then once you’ve got that solid base set, after that verse 11, he says, “Comes the day of my power,” suggesting a day when Zion will be rich in financial and intellectual resources and be prepared to bring and support who he calls “the poor, the lame, the blind, the deaf, who are also to be invited to come in unto the marriage of the Lamb, and partake of the supper of the Lord, prepared for the great day to come.”

Scott Woodward: We can basically summarize this fourth point by saying the reason he sent this original group and the Colesville Saints, who’re going to start trickling in here, is for the purpose of making preparations for the millennial feast to which all nations will be invited. Fifth reason, he says, is they are here so that their “testimony might go forth from Zion, yea, from the mouth of the city of the heritage of God.” So this, he says, is why, quote, “I have sent you hither and have selected my servant, Edward Partridge, and have appointed unto him his mission in this land.” So Bishop Partridge gets to lead out in this super important mission. But the Lord says in verse 15, “If he,” meaning Edward Partridge, “repent not of his sins, which are unbelief and blindness of heart, let him take heed lest he fall. Behold his mission is given unto him, and it shall not be given again.” With that context you laid out, Casey, this verse pops, I think, a little extra, right? This chastening rebuke to Edward and this invitation for him to repent is quite specific, and it’s clearly tied to that recent intense exchange with Joseph, where he shared his doubts.

Scott Woodward: But to his credit, this is the good news here, Edward does repent, and he is ever humbly aware, both of his important calling that he’d been entrusted with and the real possibility that he could fall therefrom. So just a couple of days after this revelation station is given as proof of this point, he writes a letter to his wife, Lydia, in which he confides, quote, “You know that I stand in an important station, and as I am occasionally chastened, I sometimes fear my station is above what I can perform to the acceptance of my Heavenly Father. I hope you and I may conduct ourselves as at last to land our souls in the heaven of eternal rest.” And then he asks her to, quote, “Pray that I may not fall.” The bishop’s role, the Lord is highlighting here, is key to the project of Zion building. And Edward both knew that fact, and we can see from this letter, he also trembles under that fact.

Casey Griffiths: When the Lord calls Edward as a bishop, we pointed this out several times, but one of the things he says is that Edward is like Nathanael of old, a person in whom there’s no guile. Meaning, Edward is not dishonest about anything. When he sees something, he says something, basically. Edward, when he was disappointed, when he was upset with Joseph, spoke his mind, basically. That’s not a sin per se, but it can be if he becomes prideful to the extent that he doesn’t accept reproof. It’s a hard thing for everybody. But Edward is the person that’s been chosen to do this, and it’s not an easy thing. It’s definitely harder than he thought it was going to be. This is a compliment to him. It’s a great thing when a person can accept reproof and not let it damage their testimony. In fact, let it increase their testimony. In verse 17, Edward “is appointed to be a judge in Israel” and is asked to decide how “to divide the lands of the heritage of God unto his children.” He’s charged to judge with the assistance of his counselors “according to the laws of the kingdom, which are given by the prophets of God.”

Casey Griffiths: The revelation says, “For verily I say unto you, my law shall be kept in this land.” And the Lord’s law, which he’s talking about here, probably refers to Doctrine and Covenants 42, which by now has become known as the law. And this includes, but is not limited to, the law of consecration that’s explained in Section 42. If you’ll recall, the law in Section 42 contains the Lord’s law to develop a covenant community like the city of Enoch, where they could be of one heart and one mind and dwell in righteousness together and eliminate poverty from among them. And Bishop Partridge is in charge of that project. So in carrying this out, he’s been given this huge amount of responsibility, which, again, must have been one of those things that’s weighing on his mind, that’s causing him to be stressed and feel pressure. But the Lord also counsels him not to think of himself as a ruler. Lord says in verse 20, to “let God rule him that judgeth, according to the counsel of his own will.” In other words, as Edward lets God rule him, he will be best positioned to make righteous judgments in the project of building up Zion.

Casey Griffiths: So in verses 21 to 23, the Lord clarifies that those in Zion who are subject to the Lord’s law still have an obligation to keep the laws of the land and “to be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet.” Until then, the wisdom and the laws of the land should be obeyed alongside the laws of the Church. Missouri is very much a Southern state, a slave state. This is going to cause conflict later on because of the cultural differences. Some of these revelations in Section 58 and 59 are trying to mitigate those cultural differences between them and the original settlers.

Scott Woodward: So their marching orders are to follow Section 42, the law. But notwithstanding the Lord has given that, you also need to keep the laws of the land, which in Missouri are a little loose, a little loosey-goosey. We’re going to find out that the people that live there are not incredibly intent on following the laws. But I like how the Lord says that in verse 21, “Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land.” Now, verses 24 through 28 deal with a practical but potentially challenging issue. So verse 24 designates Independence, Missouri as a land of the residence of Edward and his counselors and Sidney Gilbert. So this whole thing now brings a little twist into their lives. When they left their families like a month or so ago, they thought they were going on a little road trip to Missouri and they would be back soon. But then D&C 57, we talked about last week, appointed them to be, quote, “planted” there. And in case the meaning of that word planted was unclear, the Lord is clarifying here, saying in verse 24 that he wants them to live there.

Scott Woodward: And in verse 25, he says, “Bring your families to this land.” So now the practical question is, how should they get their families here? The Lord answers that in verse 25, “As they shall counsel between themselves and me.” And as they do so, this is the background for some pretty famous verses. He says, as you do this, as you counsel together, you’ll be able to figure out what approach is best for your families to get here in your specific situations, because I don’t need to spell out those kinds of particulars. “For behold,” he says, introducing this very famous verse, “it’s not needful that I should command in all things, for he that is compelled in all things, the same as a slothful and not a wise servant, wherefore he receiveth no reward.” Then he drills this point a little deeper in the next verses, 27, 28. He says, “Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good, they shall in nowise lose their reward.”

Scott Woodward: I think the Lord is trying to highlight an attribute of Zion people. He’s trying to describe that the kind of people that he needs to build Zion are not the kid of people who just wait to be commanded in all things, but the kind that are anxiously engaged. Once they understand the good cause, they see the framework and the parameters of what the cause is, they just do it. The Lord says, Bring your families here. They’re just going to figure out a way to make it happen. And in contrast, verse 29, he says, “He that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned.” Is he still talking about just bringing their families here? He seems to kind of be shifting the issue back to the original context here of the doubt, right?

Casey Griffiths: In a Church where we’re led by revelation, there’s always this tendency to have to be told everything that you’re supposed to do. The Lord is reiterating an important principle, which is I’m going to gently nudge you and give you guidance, but most of this stuff I need you to figure out on your own. You’ve got a brain, you’ve got the intelligence that I imbued you with. I love that he basically says, I’ll give the guidance that you need, but when it comes to the particulars, I can’t command you in all things. You’ve got to be up and about yourself. You’ve got to do some of this stuff on your own without having to be told. Now, he could be shifting a little bit here to those that are doubting about Zion. The doubt that’s festering in the hearts of some that arrived there, like our classic example is Ezra Booth. Ezra had traveled to Zion as quickly as he could, and this was in disobedience to the command given in Doctrine and Covenants 52, that he was supposed to preach all along the way there. He said that he expected the closer he got to Zion, the greater he would feel the Spirit’s influence, which, by his own account, didn’t happen.

Casey Griffiths: He said that he expected once in Missouri, the elders would use what he called the supernatural talent of the gift of tongues to preach the gospel to the Indians in their own dialect, which also doesn’t happen. And he’s even further disappointed by both Joseph Smith’s temper and what he described as, these are his words, “his habitual proneness to jesting and joking,” which Ezra says ultimately concluded that Joseph Smith’s revelations were, in his words, “something short of infallible, and instead of being the production of divine wisdom, emanated from his own weak mind.” So Ezra becomes disillusioned on the road to Zion. Now, we should point out he’s not really following the commandments that he was given. And the trip to Zion, like journeys often do, caused him to see the foibles in his leaders rather than the things they were enamored with. If you recall, Ezra was converted because he saw a miraculous thing happen. He saw Joseph Smith heal Elsa Johnson’s arm. Now, when they get to Missouri and the miracles aren’t coming fast and furious, he really, really starts to struggle.

Scott Woodward: It’s interesting that the fact that he got there so quickly, he’s just eager to see the land, that shouldn’t have happened. They were supposed to slowly be going along their way, preaching, preaching, preaching until the next conference was appointed, that they’ll hold in Missouri. So just the fact that he got there so quickly already shows that disobedient spirit. And then we’ve alluded to this, but Ezra is going to leave the Church and denounce Mormonism as a delusion shortly after he returns from this trip. And it seems like the Lord is highlighting this kind of festering doubt in the hearts of some like Ezra. In verse 30, it just seems like this is the spirit he’s referring to. He says, quote, “Who am I that made man, saith the Lord, that will hold him guiltless that obeys not my commandments?” And then he challenges, “Who am I, saith the Lord, that have promised and have not fulfilled? I command and men obey not; I revoke and they receive not the blessing.” But then, ironically, “they say in their hearts,” the Lord says: “This is not the work of the Lord, for his promises are not fulfilled. But wo unto such,” the Lord says, “for their reward lurketh beneath and not from above.”

Scott Woodward: So those who don’t obey the commandment and still expect the blessing and then doubt the Lord’s work because they didn’t get the blessing associated with the commandment that they didn’t obey. It’s just this negative cycle the Lord says you need to be careful about.

Casey Griffiths: Yeah. And let’s contrast this where he’s kind of rebuking those that doubt in verses 34-39, where the Lord directly addresses Martin Harris. Now, this is another chance for us to redeem Martin Harris. I think we’ve done as much as we can, Scott. But the Lord speaks to Martin Harris, inviting him to “be an example under the church, in laying his moneys before the bishop of the church,” which Martin willingly does in a significant show of faith. In fact, years later, Orson Pratt reflected on Martin Harris’s reaction to this commandment. So Orson Pratt said, “In the summer of 1931, he,” meaning Martin, “journeyed nearly a thousand miles to the western part of Missouri to Jackson County. Martin was the first man that the Lord called by name to consecrate his money and laid the same at the feet of the bishop in Jackson County, Missouri, according to the order of consecration. He willingly did it. He knew the work to be true. He knew that the word of the Lord through the Prophet Joseph was just as sacred as any word that had ever come from the mouth of any prophet from the foundation of the world. He consecrated his money and his substance according to the word of the Lord. What for? As the revelation states, as an example to the rest of the Church.”

Casey Griffiths: That’s the end of Orson Pratt’s commentary. But if you’re reflecting on this, consecrating his money like Martin did, the Lord says in verse 36, “Is the law unto every man that cometh unto this land to receive an inheritance, and he shall do with his money as according as the law directs.” In fact, when the law was first given, this is Section 42, one of the directly-stated uses of consecrated funds is to build up the New Jerusalem. That’s in Section 42:35. And now here they are. And the current immediate needs, the Lord says, this is back in Section 58:37, are that “lands be purchased in Independence, for the place of the storehouse, and also for the place of printing.” And then continuing to speak to Martin Harris, the Lord says, “Other directions shall be given of him by the Spirit, that he may receive his inheritance as seemeth him good.” Also, he’s supposed to repent of his sins, specifically seeking the praise of the world. And one of the things that seems to really grate on Martin Harris over the next few years is the fact that he’s never called to any positions of prominence in the Church hierarchy, and he’s going to struggle with this.

Casey Griffiths: So Martin is a hero in the history of the Church, but there are some inherent problems. The Lord warns him that he’s still struggling with this idea that he needs to receive recognition for what he’s doing here and is warning him about it. This isn’t going to turn into a problem until several years later, but the seeds of that can be seen being planted right here.

Scott Woodward: His story is very instructive. He’s incredibly inspiring on the one hand. His weaknesses are so easy to see on the other hand. Part of that is what makes him so endearing and makes his witness of the Book of Mormon so powerful, honestly. Okay, so let’s move on then to verses 40 and 41, where the Lord addresses my servant William W. Phelps. He says, He is to “stand in the office to which I have appointed him,” as printer, “and receive his inheritance in the land; and he also hath need to repent, for I, the Lord, am not well pleased with him, for he seeketh to excel, and he is not sufficiently meek before me.” Excel there probably means something like unrighteous aspiring, rather than to do an excellent work. This now makes three men in this revelation, Edward, Martin, and now William Phelps, whom the Lord has directly called out and explicitly stated what their sins are and what they need to repent of. He’s done this with pinpoint specificity because these are the sins that are holding them back from purity of heart. Remember that Zion core, foundational idea, right? Zion is the pure in heart, one heart, one mind, dwelling in righteousness.

Scott Woodward: I think we should interpret this through a very hopeful lens, right? The Lord is encouraging them. Like, I see you, I need you. Your contributions are valuable. You still have a few snags in your soul that if you can work that out, you’re going to be a powerful instrument in my hands in building Zion. And he teaches them a really profound principle in some other very well-known verses in this section, verses 42 and 43. It’s so good. He encourages them and he says, quote, “He who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.” And then he gives the sign whereby you can know if a person has repented of their sins, he says, it is that “he will confess them and forsake them.” Then the Lord is done with it. He’s ready to move on. I think that’s a pretty valuable application for all of us, Casey, don’t you?

Casey Griffiths: Yeah, we need to keep in mind that the Lord doesn’t want to hang on to these things. He’s ready and willing to move on once we’re ready and willing to move on. He wants us to heal, and then he wants us to get going again and not dwell on our past foibles, on our sins that we’ve committed. In verses 44 to 48, the Lord tells them, “The residue of the elders of my church, the time has not yet come, for many years, for them to receive their inheritance in this land, unless they desire it through the prayer of faith, and then only as it shall be appointed unto them of the Lord.” So maybe we’re reading into this a little bit because we know what happened. But it does seem like there’s some subtle hints there that the Lord is telling them this is going to take a little bit longer and maybe be a little bit more difficult than you’re anticipating it’s going to be. He’s trying to manage their expectations. But he does go on to say, they are to “push the people together from the ends of the earth.” A close paraphrase of Deuteronomy 33, when he’s referring to the gathering of Israel throughout the world.

Casey Griffiths: He goes on to say, “For all those not appointed to stay in this land, let them preach the gospel in the regions round about, and after that let them return to their homes by preaching by the way, and bearing testimony of the truth in all places, and calling upon the rich, the high and the low, and the poor to repent.” In this way, they’re supposed to build up churches or congregations, “inasmuch as the inhabitants of the earth will repent.” And then he gives some specific instructions in verses 49 to 51. So these are specific directions about how to manage and raise the money to purchase lands for an inheritance for the children of God in Missouri. This includes first, they’re supposed to appoint an agent for the Church in Ohio “to receive moneys to purchase lands in Zion.” So people in Ohio are going to contribute to the Zion project. Two, Sidney Rigdon is directed to write “a description of the land of Zion, and a statement of the will of God concerning it, as it shall be made known by the Spirit unto him.” So people have to know what Zion is like.

Casey Griffiths: That’s going to be Sidney’s job. And then the description that Sidney writes of Zion would be included in an epistle, which Sidney should also write, which would then “be presented unto all the churches to obtain moneys, to be put into the hands of the bishop, or the agent, to purchase lands in Zion.” Sidney does write a description of the land of Zion, but the Lord rejects his first attempt. This is in Doctrine and Covenant 63 and asks him to try again. His second attempt is accepted. It’s included in an epistle he wrote to the Church. The epistle is distributed throughout all the branches of the Church by Oliver Cowdery and Bishop Newel K. Whitney, all of which succeeded in a measure to raise some funds to purchase lands in Missouri. Verse 52, the Lord’s clear he wants his disciples to “purchase this whole region of the country,” around Jackson County, “as soon as time will permit.”

Scott Woodward: We got to see how crucial this is to the Lord. In verse 52, he makes it really clear that he wants his disciples to, quote, “purchase this whole region of country” around Jackson County, Missouri, “as soon as time will permit.” So it’s going to require a lot of money. It’s going to require a lot of funds and a lot of people donating all around the Church. This is a big deal. And then as land is acquired, he goes on in verse 54 to say, “There are then to be workmen sent forth of all kinds unto this land to labor for the saints of God” to build this city. This is going to be a lot of practical construction work that’s going to need to be happening. And all of this is to be, quote, “done in order; with the bishop or the agent of the Church,” determining how many Saints could be accommodated on the land at any given time. This is not to be haphazard. It’s not to be a sudden influx of people that there’s no place for them to stay. The Lord says, “Let the work of the gathering” to New Jerusalem “be not in haste nor by flight.”

Scott Woodward: This is verse 56. “But to let it done as it shall be counseled by the elders of the church at the conferences” that they will hold periodically. That’s kind of the Lord’s vision here. Purchase the land, get workers here, but don’t do it in some hasty way. Let’s do this in a careful, planned-out, systematic, methodical way, and thus will Zion rise. Meanwhile, before he leaves, the Lord says, Sidney Rigdon is to “consecrate and dedicate this land, and the spot for the temple to the Lord.” In fact, the day after this revelation was received, Sidney obediently did that. He gives this speech where he asks the people if they’ll accept the land for their inheritance, and they answer yes. Will they keep the laws of God? And they answer yes. Will you pledge yourself to help others who come here and keep the laws of God? And they say yes. And so then he pronounces a dedicatory blessing upon the land. And then the day after that, August 3rd, Oliver Cowdery recorded that they then dedicated the ground on which this temple would lay. So Joseph Smith is going to lay a stone at the northeast corner of temple lot, Oliver Cowdery  says, and then Sidney Rigdon will pronounce that spot, “wholly dedicated to the Lord forever.”

Scott Woodward: So they’re going to fulfill those verses right away. Then verse 58, the Lord instructs that “a conference meeting be held” before they leave, after which Sidney and Joseph and Oliver were to return to Ohio “to accomplish the residue of the work which I have appointed unto them in their own land.” And as they leave, they are to “bear record by the way, of that which he knows and most assuredly believes.” I like that dichotomy, by the way. What do you know and what do you believe? Both are important. Share them as you go.

Casey Griffiths: All right. Now, there’s one last issue that this revelation deals with, which is concerning Ziba Peterson, who you remember is one of the original missionaries sent to the Lamanites. And this is, again, colorful part of history, part of life in Zion. Ziba Peterson is directed to be dropped from his priesthood office and to stand only as a member in this church “until he is sufficiently chasten for all his sins; for he confesseth them not, and thinketh to hide them.” And this is a little bit cryptic, but here’s what we know about this. While the nature of his exact transgression is not specified here, one account that we have implies that Ziba had been engaged to marry one woman, but then behind her back, courted and resolved to marry another woman. He’s a two-timer, if you will. To his credit, Ziba confesses his sins at the conference held on August 4th, and then a week later, he married Rebecca Hopper of Lafayette County, Missouri. So it seems like met a girl on his mission. And finally, the Lord directed the residue of the elders of his church who he had commanded in Section 52 to travel here, and most of whom would arrive in the next few weeks, to hold a conference upon this land to Edward Partridge, and that Edward Partridge was going to direct this conference.

Casey Griffiths: Following that, they were supposed to turn around and travel back Ohio, preaching the gospel by the way and bearing record of the things which had been revealed unto them. The Lord says, “Verily, the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth – the gospel must be preached unto every creature, with signs following them that believe.” And then he ends with, “and behold the Son of Man cometh. Amen.” So that’s the content. What are some things that might be controversial about this section?

Scott Woodward: One that I think kind of stands out is one that you mentioned in the context for the section itself is this idea that Joseph had assured them, apparently, that there was already a congregation built up in Zion. But once they showed up, they found that was not true. There’s less than 10 members there. And I wanted to dig a little bit deeper into the source material. The source on this is actually Ezra Booth. We’re reading this through a jaded lens. Let’s acknowledge that to begin with. He’s going to publish a couple of letters, and in one of those letters, he actually includes a letter he wrote to Bishop Partridge later. I think this is after Ezra had left the Church, and now he’s trying to get Edward Partridge to come out of the Church as well. And so in this jaded letter, Ezra explains what both he and Edward Partridge had seen. He said, quote, “The first thing that materially affected my mind so as to weaken my confidence in Joseph Smith was the falsehood of his vision. You know perfectly well that Joseph said that he had a vision or a revelation in which it was made known to him by the Spirit that Oliver had raised up a large church in Missouri.”

Scott Woodward: And then he says, When we got there, we both saw that that wasn’t true. And you told Joseph, you said, “I wish you not to tell us anymore that you know these things by the Spirit when you do not. You told us that Oliver had raised up a large church here, and there’s no such thing.” And then, Ezra says, You remember that Joseph replied to you, quote, “I see it, and it will be so.” And then, Ezra says that those words to him seem better suited to an imposter than to a true prophet of God. Whoa, right? So according to Ezra Booth here, Joseph had prophesied that when they got to Zion, they would find this congregation that’s been built up, maybe in the hundreds, he said in a different spot of this letter, maybe in the hundreds. But when they got there, it was less than 10. And that to him was the first indication Joseph is not a true prophet of God. And now he’s trying to get Edward to come out of the Church for that same reason. That’s interesting because we see in this revelation that the Lord addresses Edward’s unbelief and his blindness of heart is what he calls it, right?

Scott Woodward: And it seems to be circling around this if we can trust Ezra Booth, which I’m not sure we can, but the fact that he’s writing this letter to Edward tells us this is probably, at least in substance, fairly close to the facts. We’re going to proceed on that assumption. My question is, Casey, what do we do with that? Did Joseph blow it? Were Edward and Ezra justified in their doubts? Did Joseph give a false prophecy? Is this a false revelation? People who get into the weeds of the background here can start to have their own doubts. What do we do about that?

Casey Griffiths: First of all, I want to acknowledge, I don’t know if Ezra is a completely reliable source here. The wording that he uses seems to be really grandiose where he said, “Joseph said he had a vision or a revelation in which it was made known by the Spirit that Oliver had raised up a large church in Missouri.” Now, we’re just relying on him to say that that’s true. But let’s assume that it was. And the simple fact here is that when they get to Missouri, it seems like from hostile people like Ezra Booth and even non-hostile people like Edward Partridge, it isn’t exactly what they were expecting. When that happens, a lot of times a person’s own sort of inferences, their expectations, come to the surface. Being able to adjust your expectations or say, This isn’t what I thought it was going to be, is a mental skill. We talked about this when we did our series on good thinking a couple of months ago.

Scott Woodward: I think that’s really important. Last year, we did a series called Good Thinking, and this is one of the skills that we highlighted. It’s the skill of differentiating between facts and inferences that people make from those facts or to see it in ourselves. What do we acknowledge as fact of the matter? And then what story are we telling ourselves about the fact? For instance, Casey, you’re wearing a blue shirt. That is a fact. Now, some people might infer that because you wear a blue shirt, you are therefore more intelligent than the average person. Would that be a safe inference? I don’t know.

Casey Griffiths: I don’t know.

Scott Woodward: Maybe that’s a bad example, but there’s a fact that’s indisputable from anyone on any side. But then there’s the story you tell yourself. We call that the inference. It seems like that’s totally happening here in this case, don’t you think? Ezra and Edward saw the same thing, the same thing is they, apparently, heard Joseph say that there was going to be a big congregation built up when they got there. The fact of the matter is there wasn’t. Now they need to make some inferences. So kind of walk us through how that works.

Casey Griffiths: It seems like Ezra Booth’s inference is, Well, things aren’t exactly the way we thought they were going to be. And so Joseph Smith is not a prophet, and I’m out of here. And it seems like this is the point where he really starts to become a sour apple and struggle with this. Now, contrast him with Edward Partridge. It seems like Edward Partridge didn’t have his expectations met either. His thought process seems to be something like, this is going to be harder than I thought it was going to be. But I’m still all in. I’m still committed. You pointed out a wonderful thing in our preliminary conversations that Edward Partridge actually writes a hymn called Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise that’s still in the hymn book as of the recording of podcast.

Scott Woodward: Yeah, this is written by Edward after this whole thing happens and after Section 58 addresses his doubt. And you see the faith burning in his soul. Just the opening line, Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise. Remember, he’s in charge of making this happen. “Her light begins to shine.” Begins to shine, maybe is important here. “Ere long, her king will rend the skies majestic and divine. The gospel spreading through the land, a people to prepare to meet the Lord and Enoch’s band, triumphant in the air.” Go read the whole thing. But this hope of actually fulfilling these prophecies, right? He’s riffing off of the Moses 7 prophecy we talked about with Enoch, the promise that Enoch and his people would meet Zion that had been built up below. They’ll fall on each other’s necks, and there’s going to be a thousand years of peace. Edward totally believes that. We see that he goes a different way than Ezra Booth with this. He seems to address his doubts head-on. He accepts the Lord’s rebuke, repents. He seems totally fine. We know that Edward Partridge’s story ends really, really well. He dies faithful in Nauvoo. He’s buried there. It could have gone a very different direction, but he managed his inferences about the facts.

Casey Griffiths: There’s the contrast, right? Two people see the same thing, and their inferences are totally different. One, Oh, I’ve been deceived. One, Oh, this is different than I thought it was going to be. I’m going to manage my expectations. Then maybe let’s add in a third perspective here. Here, which is Joseph Smith. Ezra Booth, I guess if we’re trusting him, said that when he confronted Joseph Smith with this, Joseph Smith said, “I see it, and it will be so.” Now, again, to Ezra, that’s a megalomaniacal statement. But to me, that’s a profound statement of faith. It’s Joseph Smith saying, Hey, it’s not exactly what I expected, but I still see what it can be.

Scott Woodward: It seems like Joseph is not saying, I thought it was already going to be built up. He said, “I see it, and it will be so.” Like, so it’s possible that Ezra and Edward misunderstood what he was saying because when they confront him, he says, No, it’s going to happen. It will be so. That’s an interesting nuance, too.

Casey Griffiths: If we just remove a word like faith from the equation here, although that is really important. I think Ezra is showing little faith. Edward Partridge is showing a kind of realistic faith, and Joseph Smith is seeing with an eye of faith. You can see here kind of the pessimist, that’s Ezra Booth, and the realist, that’s Edward Partridge, and then the optimist, which is Joseph Smith. And boy, does this capture, I think, what drew people to Joseph Smith. He had this ethos of, Hey, I see it, and it will be so, you know. One of my favorite quotes is he’s sitting there with his cousin, George A. Smith, and I guess George A. Smith was discouraged, and Joseph Smith told him, George A, never be discouraged. If I was buried in the deepest coal pits of Nova Scotia with all the Rocky Mountains piled on top of me, I would hold on and exercise faith, and I would come out on top. And they’re all seeing the same thing here. It’s the inferences that they bring to the equation. It reminds me of another story, parable, told once about this parent who had a child who was an optimist and one who was a pessimist.

Casey Griffiths: And they decided to do a little experiment. They get the pessimist a pony, and they walk in and see the pessimist, and he’s sitting on the floor crying, and he’s like, How am I ever going to take care of a horse? I don’t even know how to ride a horse. Then the optimist child, they filled his room up with horse manure. And they came in, and the kid was just laughing and rejoicing and throwing the horse manure up. And they go, What’s going on? He goes, Oh, Daddy, I just know that there’s a pony in here somewhere. It’s the perspective that you bring. And it amazes me how characters in Church history, like Ezra Booth and Edward Partridge and Joseph Smith, are sometimes acting out former scriptural narratives and not even realizing it. Like, when we were talking about this, the example that came to mind was the Israelites in the Promised Land. You know the story that Moses is leading the Israelites of the Promised Land, and they send in a set of spies led by Caleb and Joshua. The spies come back and basically say, Oh, man, there’s walled cities, and there’s giants, and there’s no way we’re ever going to be able to capture this land.

Casey Griffiths: Joshua and Caleb are both like, No, we can do it if the Lord’s on our side. And Moses is saying, This is the land that the Lord has promised to us, so he’s going to find a way to make it happen. They get to this new Promised Land and as often happens, there are some that see Zion, and some that see Zion, but after much tribulation, and some that just see land, dirt, and nothing that can become of it. And again, a lot of it is the way that they choose to see, that faith is a choice and not necessarily something that just comes to us exactly the way we expected it to.

Scott Woodward: Joseph is unfazed by what he sees when he gets there. That comes through loud and clear. It’s also interesting. Again, I’d like to point out verse 3 in this very revelation where the Lord says, quote, “Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come from hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.” He’s acknowledging the fact that this is going to be difficult to visualize, but you got to trust me on this one. You got to trust me. Ezra Booth chose to not to. Edward said, Okay, I’m in, after repenting. And Joseph is, like you said, ever the optimist on this. So I think that’s good, Casey. I think that’s a good, helpful resolution to what can seem to be a pretty thorny moment in our Church’s history with Ezra Booth leaving the Church. He’s going to be the first person to write anti-Mormon, like, stuff, print it in newspapers. We’re going to meet him in future episodes, I promise. And he’s going to be addressed directly by the Lord, but…

Casey Griffiths: Sometimes the circumstances we find ourselves in say more about us than about the circumstances we’re in. The thought keeps coming to mind of this really raw conference address that Richard G. Scott gave after his wife passed away. And you remember, like, the last 20 years of his life from about 1995 to 2015, he mentioned his wife in almost every conference talk. But that first one, after she had passed, he said that there’s some questions that lead to dead ends, like why is this happening to me? Or what caused this to occur? And he said, there’s some questions that open doors for us, like, what am I supposed to learn from this, that are more useful. And it seems like the contrast between Ezra Booth and Edward Partridge kind of shows this whole, well, this was a dead end. Why did we do this? An Edward Partridge saying, Okay, how am I supposed to do this? Help me figure this out. I’m not giving up, but I recognize this is going to be tougher. And then bring in Joseph Smith to say, We will do this. It’s just each one them made a choice when they saw the land. And that reflects so much about who they are and the faith that they have in God.

Scott Woodward: Let’s talk consequences of Section 58. Maybe I’ll start out here. So I think there’s kind of six big, salient takeaways from Doctrine and Covenants 58. Number one, the Lord implies that in 1831, the glory of Zion was yet a far away off. I think that’s an important expectation to set. It’s somewhere on the other side, he said, of much tribulation. All right, and we’re going to see that play out. Number two, the foundation of Zion was to be laid at that time, and the testimony of that first group was to go forth about the land upon which the Zion of God shall stand. So these are the first missionaries to go out and tell the story of Zion, to start the whole thing moving where people are going to start gathering to this place. Third, this revelation underscores the crucial role that the bishop is going to play, Bishop Partridge, for the temporal success and the upbuilding of the land of Zion.

Casey Griffiths: Fourth, one of the things the Lord addresses is that success in establishing the city of Zion is going to depend on purchasing a great deal of Missouri land. Thus, there was an urgently pressing need for them to raise funds to this end. This is going to play into later revelations where the Lord emphasizes to the Saints, you can’t seize the land, you can’t take the land, get it through peaceful means, purchase the land. Fifth, self-motivated righteous actions, consecration, repentance of selfish motives, and purity of heart are highlighted as really crucial attributes for those needed and called to build up Zion. You can’t just sit and wait for me to tell you what to do. You got to get to work.

Scott Woodward: Zion, the people will build Zion, the place, right? It has to go in that order.

Casey Griffiths: Yeah. Here’s the principles, get to work, do things, whether or not I tell you to, that you judge as good. And then six, after the elders from Ohio briefly meet together in Missouri, they’re going to begin to sound the gospel of repentance by preaching as they go forth into all the world in preparation for the Savior’s return. That’s what happens when they arrive in Zion. Immediately, strife begins, but the promise is there that something great is going to happen as the result of the foundation that they lay.

Scott Woodward: Well, that, Casey, concludes Section 58, part one of our discussion. So stay tuned for part two, Section 59, that we’re studying this week in our next video.

Casey Griffiths: See you then.