on the borders of the wilderness—laying the first log—dedication and consecration of the land of zion and temple site—back to civilization—sign-seeking and violence.
when will the wilderness blossom as the rose? when will zion be built up in her glory? and where will thy temple stand unto which all nations shall come in the last days?
the cry of the ancient prophets was repeated by the prophet of the last dispensation as he looked out upon the wilderness; and the lord answered the supplication with words of comfort and instruction. in a revelation given immediately after joseph's arrival with his party in july, 1831, the lord designated independence and the lands surrounding as the promised spot, appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints. it was the revealed purpose of the almighty to give to his devoted saints an everlasting inheritance in that region. independence was to be the centre place of zion, and the voice of the lord indicated the exact spot upon which he would have a temple erected to his glory.
in this revelation the prophet and his brethren were informed, also, concerning the division of lands among the saints, that all might be planted in their inheritances; and special instruction was given to such of the elders as were required to perform special duties.
on the first sunday after the prophet reached independence, william w. phelps preached a sermon over the western boundary line of the united states, joseph and the other elders being present. the strangers in the congregation were indians, negroes and many white citizens who dwelt in the borders of the wilderness. before the meeting adjourned two believers were baptized into the church.
within a week after this time the members of the colesville branch of the church, who had been instructed to establish themselves in the land of zion, arrived at independence. about the first of august the word of the lord was received, in which was made known many of his purposes concerning this land; that it should be the place upon which the zion of god should stand, and where a feast of fat things should be prepared for the poor.
god promised that unto this land all nations should be invited:
firstly, the rich and the learned, the wise and the noble; and after that cometh the day of my power; then shall the poor, the lame and the blind, and the deaf, come in unto the marriage of the lamb, and partake of the supper of the lord, prepared for the great day to come.
it was in this revelation that the lord made known his will concerning all rightful submission of his saints to earthly powers. he said:
let no man think he is ruler, but let god rule him that judgeth, according to the counsel of his own will;
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:
wherefore be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet.
behold the laws which ye have received from my hand are the laws of the church, and in this light ye shall hold them forth.
there was a disposition on the part of many, now that god had raised up a prophet, through whom the word of the lord could be given, to not act upon their own agency, nor even exert their own powers in many directions, without they received a command from the lord, or counsel from his servant to do so. the great anxiety of the people to comply with the will of the lord engendered this disposition. but there was danger of this being carried too far. the prophet could under the inspiration of the almighty, give general laws and counsel for the government and guidance of the church, and as occasion might require, receive special revelations making known to individuals the will of the lord concerning them and their labors. but as the church increased in numbers there was necessarily a limit to this. it was not the design of the lord to keep his people in leading strings; but to develop in them the attributes of deity inherited from himself. it was for them, therefore, to seek for his inspiration for themselves, and to exercise their own faculties ever subject to the general laws which he would give through him whom he had chosen as the leader of his people.
upon this subject his word came to the people at this time on this wise:
for behold, it is not meet that i should command in all things, for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.
verily, i say men should be actively 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 no wise lose their reward.
but he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with a doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned.
it was also declared that by the voice of sidney rigdon the land should be consecrated and dedicated unto the lord, and that the temple site should be blessed and set apart. further, the lord commanded that joseph and oliver and sidney, after the conference meeting of the church at independence, should return to kirtland and pursue their work there.
this revelation closed with the words:
verily, the sound [of the gospel] 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 behold the son of man cometh.
the first log for a house as a foundation for zion, was laid at kaw township, jackson county, missouri, twelve miles west of independence, on the 2nd day of august, 1831. in honor of the twelve tribes of israel, it was carried and placed in position by twelve men, the prophet being one of that number. this act was performed by the saints of the colesville branch, whose settlement in this region had been dictated through revelation by the almighty, and they were directed and assisted in the same by joseph himself. on the same day sidney rigdon offered the dedicatory prayer, in which this was consecrated to be the land of zion, and to be a gathering place of the saints. the promise of that inspired prayer "will yet," according to the words of the prophet, "be unfolded to the satisfaction of the faithful." it seemed to joseph that when the curse should be taken from this land, it would become one of the most blessed places on the face of the earth.
on the following day, the 3rd of august, the spot for the temple was dedicated. only eight men were present, but the prophet says that the scene was most solemn and impressive. the elders who were named by joseph as having been so favored as to participate with him in this most important work, were sidney rigdon, edward partridge, w. w. phelps, oliver cowdery, martin harris and joseph coe. the prayer of dedication was offered by the prophet himself; and his promises and supplications to heaven upon that spot have sanctified it for all time, and while earth shall endure.
on the fourth day of august, 1831, the fifth conference of the church and the first conference in the land of zion was held at the house of joshua lewis, in kaw township, joseph presided, and nearly if not quite all of the members of the church in that region were present.
these events which we have described—the selection and dedication of the centre place of zion and the spot upon which the temple was to be erected, the formal laying of a foundation for the first building, the holding of a conference, and the establishment of some of the saints in the land—attracted but slight attention at the time outside of the little circle of god's people. to merely human eyes, and viewed from the standpoint of men who had no faith in the promises of god, these must have seemed insignificant and, perhaps, contemptible proceedings to be the beginning of such great works as were predicted. but from the day that land was thus dedicated, unshaken confidence in the perfect fulfillment of every promise made concerning it, has filled the heart of every faithful member of the church. towards it the eyes of thousands upon thousands have been directed, around it their dearest hopes for themselves and their posterity have clustered, and their daily prayer has been that the lord would hasten the redemption of zion and build up the centre stake thereof.
having fulfilled the requirements of the almighty, joseph and ten companion elders departed from independence landing on the missouri river, for kirtland, ohio. it was on the 9th day of august, 1831, that they started to row down the river with a flotilla of sixteen canoes, carrying themselves and their provisions.
the prophet departed on this journey as cheerfully as he had left the land of civilization for the wilderness. if he knew the persecutions and tribulation into which he was advancing, he made no sign to his fellow voyagers. after three days of rowing down the missouri, joseph and sidney and oliver were directed to journey by land speedily to kirtland, while the others were instructed to proceed with the canoes.
on the day following this division, the 13th of august, joseph met several elders who were on their way to independence. a meeting was held in which joy abounded. after this the elders parted, the prophet and his two companions continuing their journey and the others advancing toward the land of zion.
it was on the 27th day of august, 1831, that the prophet and sidney and oliver reached kirtland. during their eventful absence they had enjoyed the spirit of inspiration to a great extent and had witnessed many manifestations of god's power. their faith had been strengthened, and the purposes of the almighty had been made more clear to their comprehension. they had also gained greater knowledge of the effort which satan was making to hide the light from the eyes of mankind. the lord had said to them:
ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon, and they rejoice for you.
after the return of the elders to kirtland the saints sought most earnestly for further instruction concerning zion and the gathering; and joseph received a revelation in which many things were made plain upon these subjects, and they were shown the proper manner of securing the land of zion to the best advantage.
there had been some seeking after signs, and the lord said:
wherefore, verily i say, let the wicked take heed, and let the rebellious fear and tremble; and let the unbelieving hold their lips, for the day of wrath shall come upon them as a whirlwind, and all flesh shall know that i am god.
and he that seeketh shall see signs, but not unto salvation. * * *
but behold faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow them that believe.
the ensuing few days were spent in earnest labor among the saints in kirtland, many of whom were preparing to go up to zion, hoping to start in the ensuing october. joseph and sidney were making ready to removing to the town of hiram in portage county, ohio, where the prophet intended to re-engage in the work of translating the bible. on the 12th day of september, 1831, joseph departed from kirtland to take up his abode at hiram, and here encountered anew and in violence the malicious spirit which, too often, accompanied those who seek after signs.
