The heading to
section 116 states, “Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, near Wight’s
Ferry, at a place called Spring Hill, Daviess County, Missouri, May 19, 1838.”
Lyman Wight had established a homestead and ferry on the Grand River at a site
that became known as Wight’s Ferry. The revelation itself states (the whole section
is only one verse), “Spring Hill is named by the Lord Adam-ondi-Ahman, because,
said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient
of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet” (8).
In Doctrine and Covenants
107:53 we read, “Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos,
Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests,
with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of
Adam-ondi-Ahman, and these bestowed upon them with last blessing.”
The revelation
recorded in section 107 was received three years before the one in section 116.
It was “given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, about April 1835
. . . This section was associated with the organization of the Quorum of the
Twelve in February and March 1835. The Prophet likely delivered it in the
presence of those who were preparing to depart May 3, 1835, on their first
quorum mission.” No mention is made of Spring Hill, Missouri in this
revelation. Indeed, section 116 is the only scripture to mention Spring Hill.
We are told in
section 116 that “Spring Hill is named by the Lord Adam-ondi-Ahman, because,
said he, it is the place where Adam [the Ancient of Dyas] shall come to
visit his people” (italics added). There are two possible locations for
Adam-ondi-Ahman mentioned in Doctrine and Covenants section 107 and 116:1) they
are the same place or 2) they are not the same place. Section 107 describes an
event that occurred in the past, three years before Adam’s death, whereas
section 116 describes an event that shall happen in the future.
Elder Orson Pratt
made the following statement in a discourse delivered in the tabernacle in
Ogden, Utah, in 1873:
Adam-ondi-ahman, the
valley of God, where Adam dwelt, was located about fifty miles north of Jackson
County, in the State of Missouri. The Lord has revealed to us that Adam dwelt
there towards the latter period of his probation. Whether he had lived in that
region of country from the earliest period of his existence on the earth, we
know not. He might have lived thousands of miles distant, in his early days. It
might have been upon what we now term the great eastern hemispheres were one,
and were not divided asunder till the days of Peleg. Adam might have migrated
from the great east, gathered up with the people of God in connection with the
Church of Enoch, and formed a location in the western boundaries of Missouri.
This is not revealed. (Journal of Discourses 16:48)
Elder Pratt’s
opinion, which was common among some conservative biblical scholars, that the
entire world was one body of land before the days of Peleg, is not supported by
any data or any scripture, for that matter. Genesis 10:25 states, “And unto
Eber were born two sons; the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the
earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.” The earth being “divided” is
never mentioned in any other scripture. Furthermore, there is no reason to
believe that such division was a geological event. It is far more likely that
this describes a political division. Indeed, Josephus stated, “Heber begat
Joctan and Phaleg: he was called Phaleg, because he was born at the dispersion
of the nations to their several countries; for Phaleg among the Hebrews,
signifies division” (The Antiquities of the Jews Book I, Chapter VI,
paragraph 4)
By revealing the
location of Adam-ondi-Ahman to Joseph Smith, the Lord imbued the land in
Daviess County with a spiritual history as well as a spiritual future. At a
time when the development of the kingdom of God upon the earth appeared on the
brink of collapse as a result of apostasy and displacement, this revelation
reminded Joseph and the Saints of their place in an unfolding sacred history.
Church leaders were no longer solely working to establish a place for refugee
Kirtland Saints and others desiring to gather, but they were also engaged in
the gathering of the righteous to the location where Adam would one day turn
over his stewardship to the Lord prior to the Second Coming.
Five weeks later, on
June 28, 1838, with Joseph Smith acting as chair, the Adam-ondi-Ahman stake of
Zion was organized with John Smith called as president. (Conference Minutes, Elders’
Journal 1 no., August 4, 1838, 60-61)
On July 8, 1838,
Joseph Smith received a revelation (now Doctrine and Covenants 117) directed to
Marks and Whitney commanding them to “come forth, and not tarry.” The
revelation called Marks to “preside in the midst of my people in the City Far
West,” presumably as the new president of the Missouri stake presidency. As for
Whitney, the revelation directed him to “come up unto the land of
Adam-ondi-Ahman, and be a bishop unto my people.” Using the imagery of Adam’s
ancient homeland and the infinite blessings promised to Adam’s posterity, the
revelation queried: “Is there not room enough upon the mountains of
Adam-ondi-Ahman, and upon the plains of Olaha Shinehah, or in the land where
Adam dwelt, that you should … covet that which is but the drop, and neglect the
more weighty matters?” Oliver Granger was designated to settle all the Church’s
accounts in Kirtland, and he delivered a letter to Marks and Whitney containing
the revelation. In the letter, the First Presidency expressed confidence in the
pair’s willingness to obey the revelation and to “act accordingly.” Obedient to
the instruction, both Marks and Whitney forsook their possessions in Kirtland.
Eventually they joined with the main body of the Saints to attend to the “more
weighty matters” of administering to the needs of the Saints. (Trent Dee Stephens,
The Infinite Fall: A Scientific Approach to the Second Pillar of Eternity [Springville,
Utah: CFI, 2021], 75-77)