Filling in the History

What leads a group of people to organize themselves enough to kill a man? The history of the summer of 1844 gives a few insights to the circumstances in Missouri, Illinois, and within the Church that led Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum to a jail in Carthage, Illinois along with John Taylor and Willard Richards. The jail was attacked, Joseph and Hyrum were killed by a mob while being left to fen...

Section 137 in the Doctrine and Covenants takes us back to the Kirtland Temple about 8 years previous and describes a vision of the afterlife by Joseph Smith. After this we get to the last year of Joseph Smith’s life. We see a few discourses that change doctrinal understanding for the Church as well as a volley of paperwork trying to protect Joseph Smith, more to try and keep the peace in Nauvoo,...

We will go back in time to the Appendix for the Book of Commandments and a statement on governments and what the Church's views and relationship to governments are. The Potawatomi tribe visits Joseph to gain a revelation from the Great Spirit on what to do with their lands and their future. Joseph is locked in a constant battle over extradition, the Avery brothers are kidnapped, and with some...

This episode is only Section 132. In this section we see a revelation about how people can be sealed for time and for eternity. This is part of the idea that welding links across generations and in the eternities are possible through Priesthood power. This section teaches that men and women sealed in these relationships have power to become like their Heavenly Father in all ways, including becomin...

At this point, Church history starts to turn into the controversial. Joseph describes how to detect an angel or other ministering spirits, plural marriage is instituted for more people in Joseph inner circle, Joseph is on the run from the law to avoid extradition in Missouri. All the while, Joseph is mayor of Nauvoo and the leader of the Nauvoo Legion. Due to the size of this episode, Section 132...

The Saints need a new home. Missouri successfully drove them out of their state, Joseph just escaped from Liberty Jail, and immigrants from Europe are showing up in America because of the efforts of the Apostles in England and other places. They buy some swamp land in a place called Commerce, rename it Nauvoo and get to work. Joseph starts teaching about work for the dead and how the Temple will b...

Joseph and his fellow prisoners escape from Liberty Jail and the first item of business is petitioning the US Government to honor the Constitution. Joseph Smith petitions Congress and meets with the President and nobody will help. They are moved to a new portion of Illinois which they later name Nauvoo and a temple is announced. Baptisms for the Dead are announced and major developments in Latter-...

The Church members of this time are going through horrible experiences, abuses, and strait up criminal activity from their enemies and from elected officials. Joseph Smith, Hyrum, and few others are arrested, tossed around jails and eventually land in Liberty Jail. Many letters and correspondence are shared to try to right these wrongs and get legal protections. From these letters we get sections...

Dissent is all over the Church and there are good reasons for it. We have a bank failure, people being driven from their homes, and persecution from all over. Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer are excommunicated along with several of the Apostles. Joseph and other leaders search for a new home, discover a place called Adam-ondi-Ahman, set up the law of Tithing, the official name of the Church, and...

This episode covers 1836-1838 with many struggles, excommunications, Apostles being disfellowshipped, and friendships breaking down. Debts mount, dissidents abound, and Joseph and others struggle to clear things up, straiten things out, and keep the Church moving in the right direction. It is a very difficult time in the history of the Church. We see revelations to the Twelve, David Patten, and an...

The dedication of the Kirtland House of the Lord and the events that follow are pivotal moments in the history of the Church and a major victory for the Latter-day Saints of the time. Despite their issues and the hard times they had to work through, they made it to a milestone day, an 8 hour event to dedicate their sacred structure. A week later during a sacrament meeting, Joseph and Oliver descri...

After years of turmoil and the Zion's Camp expedition, the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon select the Twelve Apostles. The Apostles are ordained and called on a mission to the surrounding areas armed with Section 107 as we now have it, which explains Priesthood and Church government. We get a serious brawl between Joseph and William Smith. We also see a set of mummies show up in Ohio, wh...

Part 1 of 2. One of the largest pivots in Church History surrounds Zion's Camp. This armed group of men and women, recruited from all over various branches of the Church who marched to Missouri to attempt to reclaim their lands and continue to build Zion in Independence. This was a major sacrifice for the members of this group, some left the Church, some died from disease, and the first cohort...

Part 2 of 2: One of the largest pivots in Church History surrounds Zion's Camp. This armed group of men and women, recruited from all over various branches of the Church who marched to Missouri to attempt to reclaim their lands and continue to build Zion in Independence. This was a major sacrifice for the members of this group, some left the Church, some died from disease, and the first cohort...

The battle over Zion begins with the destruction of the press office set up by Church members in Independence, MO. The Book of Commandments is never fully printed and the members are forced out of their homes and out of the area. Government helps do not function for this small group and there is little hope that things will turn to their favor. Despite all of this, we get a mission call, we get mo...

The Saints want to build their city of Zion and a House of the Lord. They are buying lands, gathering converts, sending out missionaries, and publishing at an increasing pace. We get to see the earliest plans for the Kirtland and Independence temple structures as well as the ambitious city planning ideas they hoped to accomplish. However, mobs formed to combat this growth and combined to assault t...

Several very remarkable events are reported during the period leading up to receiving Section 93. We get meetings where groups of people have shared visions, manifestations, and one very odd experience by Reynolds Cahoon. Joseph Smith receives a revelation describing pre-mortality, the definition of truth, and nature of God, and the potential destiny of humankind. Section 93 is a pivotal moment in...

This episode gives us the health code for the Latter-day Saints, the Word of Wisdom. Since this code tells people what they can and cannot drink or consume, it has been debated, reinterpreted, and provided a lot of tension since it was first given in 1833 to the present day. We also see the official beginning of the First Presidency of the Church, and a revelation explaining the status of the Apoc...

Two days after a prophecy about civil war, bloodshed, and national strife, Joseph Smith meets with 10 others in the upper room of the local store and gives a revelation of peace that extends over three days. This is the longest canonized revelation to date and this time it is filled with hope, history, clarity, and motivation for anybody who chooses to serve. This revelation is not about war, it i...

Joseph Smith travels to New York City and writes his wife a letter from hotel stationary. We get another letter to William W Phelps that we have now canonized to Section 85. Small meetings happen as people are ordained to callings and called on missions. We also get a revelation explaining the parable of the wheat and tares as well as a big prophesy about the United States entering into a Civil Wa...

While Joseph is traveling home, Newel K Whitney breaks his ankle on the stagecoach. Joseph stays with Newel and starts battling with some difficult feelings. In the throes of this moment, Joseph writes a letter to Emma that shares how difficult life has been including the death of Hyrum Smith's daughter, which is poignant considering that all of Joseph and Emma's children have died. Shortl...

Two unpublished revelations are given, one about paper to print the Book of Commandments, and another about bishops and their callings...which no bishop received. A conflict that was simmering for months between Sidney Rigdon and Newel K Whitney is resolved in public at a conference and the aftermath is a revelation that we now call Section 82. After all of this, we get a revelation detailing the...

Joseph Smith gives a question and answer about the Book of Revelation from the Bible, Jesse Gause is ordained to the First Presidency and later excommunicated, and we get a few missionary calls for preaching in this episode of Filling in the History. This episode will cover D&C 77-80, Enjoy.

The Vision (D&C 76) cannot be understated as one of the most important and powerful revelations to the early Church and to the modern Church. This vision, seen by Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon lays out a very different view of the purpose of life, qualifications for salvation, and the afterlife. How was this received? Who was involved? What does it all mean? Are we the only faith that believe...

We finally come to the end of 1831. A few people have become disaffected with the Church and in 1831 and 1832, they make major efforts to tear down and antagonize the Church by preaching and publishing criticisms. Joseph and Sidney are called to preach against these forces, many others are called on missions. In the middle of this, an explanation is revealed about New Testament scripture and who s...