And now, verily I say that it is expedient in me that my
servant Sidney Gilbert, after a few weeks, shall return upon his business, and
to his agency in the land of Zion; And that which he hath seen and heard may be
made known unto my disciples, that they perish not. And for this cause have I
spoken these things. And again, I say unto you, that my servant Isaac Morley
may not be tempted above that which he is able to bear, and counsel wrongfully
to your hurt, I gave commandment that his farm should be sold. I will not that
my servant Frederick G. Williams should sell his farm, for I, the Lord, will to
retain a strong hold in the land of Kirtland, for the space of five years, in
the which I will not overthrow the wicked, that thereby I may save some. And
after that day, I, the Lord, will not hold any guilty that shall go with an
open heart up to the land of Zion; for I, the Lord, require the hearts of the
children of men. (D&C 64:18-22)
The prophecy made here that Kirtland will serve as a
stronghold for the Saints, but only for five years, is remarkably precise. Many
of the most important events in the early Restoration took place in Kirtland
during the five years following this revelation. The First Presidency and the
Quorum of the Twelve, along with other vital priesthood quorums, were organized
(see Doctrine and Covenants 107). Revelations on the nature of the Godhead and
the future state of the earth were given (see Doctrine and Covenants 93;
101:22-40). Most importantly, Kirtland is where the first temple of the Church would
arise, and in that temple the Savior, along with Moses, Elias, and Elijah,
appeared and bestowed further priesthood keys on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery
(see Doctrine and Covenants 109-110). However, Kirtland was a way section on
the path to Zion, for the final destination.
Five years following this revelation, signs of the great
trouble within the Church began to appear. In the fall of 1836 Church leaders
drew up a plan to create a bank in Kirtland to assist the poor and needy in
obtaining lands and other necessities. The Kirtland Safety Society opened a few
months later and quickly fell into difficulty. A nationwide economic panic led
to the closure of hundreds of banks throughout the United States, and the
Kirtland Safety Society was forced to close its doors in November 1837. Many members
of the Church were unable to reconcile Joseph Smith’s role as a prophet with
the losses they suffered. Many began to call for his removal as a President of
the Church, declaring him to be a fallen prophet. Joseph Smith was finally
forced to flee Kirtland in fear of his life on January 12, 1838. The five-year
span of prosperity in Kirtland set down by the Lord turned out to be remarkably
accurate. (Casey Paul Griffiths, Scripture Central Commentary on the Doctrine
and Covenants, 4 vols. [Springville, Utah: CFI, 2014], 2:240-41)
Further Reading:
Resources
on Joseph Smith’s Prophecies
To Support this Blog:
Email for Amazon Gift
card: ScripturalMormonism@gmail.com
Email for Logos.com Gift
Card: IrishLDS87@gmail.com
