The Lord provides two reasons why the Saints in Jackson County were allowed to be persecuted. First, the Lord allowed the wicked to “fill up the measure of their iniquities” (D&C 103:3). The Book of Mormon records a similar situation in which Alma and Amulek are forced to watch the cold-blooded murder of innocent men, women, and children at the hands of the wicked. When Amulek asks Alma to use the power of the priesthood to end the bloodshed, Alma replies that he was constrained from acting by the influence of the Spirit. He then teaches Amulek that the Lord “doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day” (Alma 14:11).

Second, the Lord allowed the Saints to be persecuted to chasten them “because they did not hearken altogether unto the precepts and commandments which I gave unto them” (D&C 103:4). The Lord here simply emphasizes what was given in an earlier revelation: the Saints “polluted their inheritances” because of “jarrings, and contentions, and envying, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires among them” (D&C 101:6). But although the Saints in Jackson County were guilty of transgression, they were not cast off. The Lord had more for them to do. The primary purpose of section 103 is to rally the rest of the Church to help the suffering Saints in Missouri.

Even during this time of suffering, the Lord still extends His hand toward the Saints, if they will hearken “from this very hour unto the counsel” He gives to them (D&C 103:5). The Lord holds high expectations for the Saints and declares their purpose to be “a light unto the world, and to be the saviors of men” (D&C 103:9). Note that the Saints are given the title of “saviors” with a lowercase s; they are not on the same level as the Savior Jesus Christ. The title “saviors” is linked to the prophecy of Obadiah that “saviors shall come up on mount Zion” (Obadiah 1:20). This prophecy and the concept of the Saints becoming “saviors” would gain greater importance as the theology of the Restoration, specifically the role of temple ordinances, was revealed to Joseph Smith.

The tribulations of the Saints in Ohio and Missouri were soul rending, but they helped refine the Saints and bring them closer toward being a people who could truly act as “saviors on mount Zion” to the rest of the human race.

In verse 15 the Lord declares that “the redemption of Zion must needs come by power.” This prophecy will come to pass, though we do not know the timeframe. The Savior says specifically that He “will raise up unto my people a man, who shall lead them like as Moses led the children of Israel” (D&C 107:16). For the identity of this modern Moses, we need look no further than Doctrine and Covenants 107:91, in which the Lord declares that “the President of the office of the High Priesthood is [called] to preside over the whole church, and to be like Moses” (D&C 107:91). When the redemption of Zion is at last brought to pass, it will be under the direction of the President of the Church, whomever it will be in that day.

The Lord further identifies the Saints with the children of Israel and the seed of Abraham, telling them that they will be led “even as your fathers were led” (D&C 103:18). The day of the redemption of Zion will be a time of miracles. Just as the Israelites witnessed the parting of the Red Sea, followed a pillar of fire, and ate manna from heaven, so will their latter-day descendants see similar miracles. At the same time, when we compare the building of Zion to the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt, we should also take into account the Lord’s emphasis on purity among His people. The Lord allowed the children of Israel to wander for forty years before they were ready to move into their promised land. We do not know how long the period of purification for the Latter-day Saints will be before we can finally build the Lord’s holy city.

The Lord identifies Joseph Smith as the servant referred to in the parable of the redemption of Zion (see D&C 101:55). Though the Lord told the Saints that the redemption of Zion would come “by power” (D&C 103:15), this phrase does not refer to violence on the part of the Saints. A quick review of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants will show that the Saints were continually instructed to purchase the lands in Zion (D&C 103:23) and obtain the land through peaceful and legal means (see D&C 42:5; 45:65–66; 48:4–5; 57:4–6; 58:49–42; 63:27–30; 101:70–71; 105:28–30).

None of the men who chose to travel with Zion’s Camp was asked to fire a shot in anger. The most significant conflict the expedition experienced came when they arrived at Fishing River, just ten miles away from the beleaguered Missouri Saints. As the members of Zion’s Camp pitched their tents, five men rode into the camp. The visitors waved their weapons and announced that more than three hundred men were coming to destroy the Saints. Alarmed by this visit, Joseph posted guards around the area, and one member of the camp begged the Prophet to attack the mob first. Instead, Joseph told the group to “stand still and see the salvation of God.”¹

Shortly after Joseph’s declaration, dark clouds gathered overhead. Nathan Baldwin, a member of the camp, recalls, “A small black cloud appeared in the west and increased in size until shortly the whole blue arch was draped in black, presenting a vengeful appearance, while the rain descended in torrents, the winds bellowed[,] and such vivid flashes of lightning and such peals of thunder are seldom seen and heard.”²

A rainstorm of overwhelming fury burst upon the camp, driving the members of Zion’s Camp from their tents in search of better shelter. Many of the camp members huddled in a small church nearby. As they huddled inside the building, Joseph Smith entered, shaking the water from his hat and clothes. He looked around and exclaimed with exuberance, “Boys, there is some meaning to this—God is in this storm!” As the storm continued to rage, the men remained huddled in the church, singing hymns throughout the night. Nathan Baldwin later wrote, “The Lord had previously said He would fight the battles of His saints, and it seemed as though the mandate had gone forth from His presence, to ply the artillery of Heaven in defense of His servants.”³

When they emerged in the morning, camp members found that their belongings were scattered, but nothing was damaged beyond repair. In addition, the river separating them from their enemies had risen dramatically overnight, cutting them off from a possible attack. In a later history, Joseph Smith recalls that their enemies “declared that if that was the way God fought for the Mormons, they might as well go about their business.”⁴

1. Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, vol. 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, 2018, 203–4.

2. Matthew C. Godfrey, “The Acceptable Offering of Zion’s Camp,” in Revelations in Context, 2016, 216.

3. Godfrey, 216.

4. JS History, vol. A-1, pp. 15–16 [addenda], JSP.

Though the Lord in verse 30 instructed Church leaders that they could recruit as many as 500 men for the expedition to Zion, in the end Zion’s Camp numbered about 205 men and approximately 25 women and children.⁵ On May 3, 1834, Joseph Smith led the main party from Kirtland. A smaller group left the Michigan Territory on May 5 under the leadership of Lyman Wight and Hyrum Smith.

Joseph Smith had faith in the Lord and the charge given to him to lead the camp, but he also worried over the size of their group. A month into the expedition he wrote to his wife, Emma, “All the Camp is in as good a situation as could be expected; but our numbers and means are altogether too small for the accomplishment of such a great enterprise.”⁶ Still, Joseph had hope for a miracle to redeem Zion. “We believe the hand of the Lord is in it,” he wrote to Emma. “Now is the time for the Church abroad to come to Zion. It is our prayer day and night that God will open the heart of the Churches to pour in men and means to assist us, for the redemption and upbuilding of Zion.”⁷

5. Matthew C. Godfrey, “The Acceptable Offering of Zion’s Camp,” in Revelations in Context, 2016, 214.

6. Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834, p. 57, JSP.

7. Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834, p. 57, JSP.