Why the Delay?
Background and Introduction to Doctrine and Covenants 29
During this week before the LDS general conference we are studying Doctrine and Covenants 29. Lyndon W. Cook’s Historical Note in his book The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith sets the background for this section:
The headnote in the Book of Commandments states that section 29 is, “a Revelation to the church of Christ, given in the presence of six elders, in Fayette, New York 1830.” The minutes of the second conference of the Church (26 September 1830), cound in the “Far West Record,” list six elders present in addition to Joseph Smith: Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, John Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Samuel H. Smith, and Thomas B. Marsh. These six men are undoubtedly the same six referred to in the headnote. The second conference of the Church was held in the home of Peter Whitmer, Sr.
Drawing on biblical and Book of Mormon passages, the message of this revelation is doctrinal and eschatological.
Publication Note. Section 29 was first published in the Evening and Morning Star (September 1832) and was included as chapter 29 in the Book of Commandments in 1833.
Date. September 1830 (on or about 26 September, according to Newel Knight Journal.)
Place. Fayette, Seneca County, New York.
It is fitting to study this section before general conference because this revelation was given just prior to the second conference of the Church. In this revelation the Lord teaches of the gathering of His elect, the imminence of His second coming, the calamities that will result from the sinful state of the world, the Millennium and the judgments of God, the distinction between the spiritual and the temporal creation, the purpose of this mortal probation, the agency of man, and the assured redemption of children who die in infancy. (see Smith and Sjodahl, pp. 144-45)
Since there are 50 verses in this section, we can focus on about ten verses per day this week. The early Saints had many questions about the gathering of Israel and the building up of Zion and other doctrines of the Gospel. These questions, and the answers that they received, are even more relevant to us today than they were at this early period in the restoration. In fact, the light and knowledge bestowed through the Lord’s revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 29 exceeded the Saints meager but growing capacities for faithful inquiry.
One thing that stands out to me from the beginning of this revelation is the Lord’s great mercy and willingness to forgive sin. The Lord promised to gather His people even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and He explained the qualifications for all those who desire to be gathered to safety:
Hearken unto the voice of the Lord
Humble ourselves before the Lord
Call upon the Lord in mighty prayer
The Lord specifies that the reason why this small group of elders received this revelation is because their sins were forgiven. Repentance and forgiveness of sin precede revelation. The following two verses I remember well from my mission in southern Italy because we had a poster on the inside of the door of one of the apartments where I lived, and we read these verses together every morning before leaving the apartment to preach the Gospel:
Verily, I say unto you that ye are chosen out of the world to declare my gospel with the sound of rejoicing, as with the voice of a trump.
Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your advocate with the Father; and it is his good will to give you the kingdom. (D&C 29:4-5)
These are very encouraging verses for missionaries and for anyone of us who has been chosen out of the world to declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Because Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, John Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Samuel H. Smith, and Thomas B. Marsh were united together in prayer, and because they asked in faith, they received this marvelous revelation that is now D&C 29.
In verse 7, the Lord specifies what the calling of these early missionaries was, whom they were called to gather, and the definition of the Lord’s elect:
And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts; (D&C 29:7)
I have been thinking a lot lately about the doctrine contained in the next verses:
Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked.
For the hour is nigh and the day soon at hand when the earth is ripe; and all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that wickedness shall not be upon the earth;
For the hour is nigh, and that which was spoken by mine apostles must be fulfilled; for as they spoke so shall it come to pass; (D&C 29:8-10)
If the hour was nigh and the day soon at hand in 1830 when this revelation was given, how much closer are we now, almost two hundred years later? I’m sure that, like me, many other latter-day Saints today are just as anxious as the early Saints were then to know when and how we will gather together in the manner prophesied.
The Smith and Sjodahl commentary on these verses is enlightening and instructive:
The Saints at Fayette were looking forward with anticipation to the conference that was to be held on the 26th of September, 1830. The first conference had been the occasion of a Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and there was every reason to believe that the second would be a similar spiritual feast. Some time before the September Conference this Revelation was given in the presence of six Elders. In it the Lord (1) reveals the doctrine of gathering (1-8); (2) makes the important announcement that the second Advent and the Millennium are near (9-11); (3) makes known the position of the first Apostles in the coming of the Kingdom (12); (4) speaks of the first resurrection (13), (5) and the signs preceding the Advent (14-21); and (6) of events after the Millennium and the resurrection (22-29); (7) reveals important truths regarding the creation (30-35), the fall (36-45), and the innocence of little children (46-50)
I Am] The same as JEHOVAH, Jesus Christ is Jehovah.
Arm of mercy] This is an unusual expression, but it occurs in the Book of Mormon (Jacob 6:5, III. Nephi 9:14), where it refers to Christ’s gracious offer of salvation. It is the equivalent to His love, which prompted Him to make the atonment for the sins of the world. In Isa. 51:5, the Lord declares that His “arms” shall judge the people. That is, He shall exert His mighty power in judgment; in this Revelation He promises to exert that power in mercy. He is as “mighty to save” as to judge.
Who will gather His people] Our Lord, immediately before the end of His earthly mission, exclaimed, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem *** how often would I have gathered thy children together *** and ye would not” (Matt. 23:37). By gathering they might have been saved from the destruction that awaited the City. But they would not, and so, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” The dispensation that followed was not a gathering dispensation, but rather a scattering. Our dispensation is one of gathering.
8. The decree hath gone forth] In the councils of heaven it had been decreed that the Saints should gather to one place on the American continent, in order to be prepared against the last tribulation of the world.
Gathered in unto one place] Jackson County, Mo., is the central gathering place of the Saints. On this subject the Prophet Joseph, in a letter to the Elders of the Church, dated September 1st, 1835, and published in the Messenger and Advocate, said, in part: -
“I received, by a heavenly vision, a commandment in June following [1831], to take my journey to the Western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and there designate the very spot which was to be the central place for the commencement of the gathering together of those who embrace the fulness of the everlasting gospel. Accordingly I undertook the journey, with certain ones of my brethren, and, after a long and tedious journey, suffering many privations and hardships, arrived in Jackson County, Mo., and after viewing the country, seeking diligently at the hand of God, He manifested Himself unto us, and designated unto me and others, the very spot upon which He designed to commence the work of the gathering, and the upbuilding of an Holy City: which should be called Zion - Zion, because it is a place of righteousness, and all who build thereon are to worship the true and living God, and all believe in one doctrine, even the doctrine of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (History of the Church, Vol. II, p. 254).
The Saints were scattered, and established themselves in the Rocky Mountains, according to the prophetic word (Sec. 35: 24; 49:25), but “Zion” was not “moved out of her place,” and the Saints will return and build it up. “Will our mission end here [in Utah]? Is the State of Utah the proper monument of the ‘Mormon’ people? No. *** The monument to ‘Mormonism’ will stand in Jackson County, Mo. There the great City will be built: There Zion will arise and shine, ‘the joy of the whole Earth,’ and there the Lord will come to His temple in His own time, when His people shall have made the required preparation” (Orson F. Whitney, in an address, Salt Lake City, April 9, 1916).
9. The hour is nigh] The hour of judgment. The world was ripe; the harvest was about to begin; the wheat would be gathered in and the stubble burned. The warning is repeated (v. 10) because of its great importance.
That which was spoken] By Paul, John the Revelator, and other prophets, concerning the coming of the Lord and the judgments of the latter days; all was about to be fulfilled. The great and terrible “day of the Lord” was nigh, when this Revelation was given. We have seen the dawn of it in blood. (pp. 146-47)
WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR ?!?!?
It has been almost 200 hundred years since this revelation was given, and the Saints are still scattered about. What are we waiting for? The world is ripening in iniquity, and even many of the supposed “Saints” seem much more focused on building Babylon in their daily lives than they are on building up the Kingdom of God on the earth, and Zion and the New Jerusalem. Why the delay?
The traditional and conventional response to these questions is that we are building Zion in our own communities all over the world, in our homes, branches, wards, and stakes, in preparation for this greater gathering. Another traditional and conventional response to these questions is that Temples are being built all over the world to help prepare a Zion people for this great gathering.
To be honest, I don’t buy it. Already in the early 1830’s Joseph Smith and his colleagues were preparing for the New Jerusalem, and they had little to nothing in terms of worldly wealth. The Lord already designated the very spot upon which He designated unto Joseph Smith and others where He, the Lord, designed to commence the work of the gathering, and the upbuilding of an Holy City. That place is in Jackson County, Missouri. The Saints will return and build it up. The Lord will return only when His people have made the required preparation.
Again, what are we waiting for? Why the delay?
Zion will be a place of righteousness where all who build thereon will worship the true and living God, believe in one doctrine, the doctrine of Christ, and be filled with the love of God, the pure love of Christ, and with love for each other. Only the Pure in Heart will gather there, a people of one heart and one mind.
Enoch and his people figured it out. Why can’t we?
And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.
And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even Zion. (Moses 7:18-19)
I have many thoughts and opinions on this matter, but I’m wondering what you think? Why the delay? What are we waiting for? What obstacles stand in the way of building Zion, the New Jerusalem, and gathering the Lord’s people to the spot that He designated for that purpose?
