1. Doctrinal Development in Nauvoo Doctrine & Covenants 124:36 For it is ordained that in Zion, and in her Stakes, and in Jerusalem, those places which I have appointed for refuge shall be the places for your baptisms for your dead. Baptisms for the dead will be performed in: a. Zionb. Stakesc. Jerusalem Elder Bednar told me personally that this revelation has now been fulfilled. How?

2. In the building of “Small Temples” on the same property as Stake Centers. Seymore Brunson died in 1840. He performed the first marriages in the Church. Seymore Brunson served on the High Council and was faithful and loyal to his death. He was forty years old when he died. He died at the Prophet’s home. There were three men who really worked hard on the Temple Ceremony: 1. Joseph Smith 2. Brigham Young 3. Harold B. Lee

3. A temporary baptismal font was made in the basement of the temple while the walls were just barely breaking ground level. The baptismal font was built out of wood. The architect was William Weeks who was one of the best architects in the United States at the time. Joseph really threw William a curve when he told him that the Lord had revealed to him that there should be “round windows” on the side walls of the temple. Brother Weeks said, “you can’t build a building like that.” The Prophet said, “I will show you how.” Joseph then said, “I will have it done the way the Lord showed it to me.”

4. William Weeks was a poor man. He was walking down the streets of Nauvoo when a man approached him. The man had his hand in his pocket jingling coins. He then pulled out a few 20 dollar gold pieces. He said to William, “The Mormons are not treating you very well. I own a large business back east and I need men of your skill and talent. If you will come to work for me I will let you name your price.” William, tempted for a minute, replied, “No, I will continue to finish the Temple, I know Joseph is a Prophet of God and he has asked me to do something very important.”

5. William Weeks walked away from the man in disgust. After a few steps he looked back and discovered that the stranger had disappeared. He knew that there was no place that the man could have gone. William determined that he had been tempted by someone from the other side who had tried to divert him from completing his work. William left the Church in 1848 and took his family back east.

6. Two men were killed while working on the temple. One was killed in Wisconsin at the pineries while floating wood down the river. Another man was killed in one of the stone quarries. We don’t know either of their names. The agreement was that men would work on the temple one day in ten as a tithe. Each ward was assigned to work on the Temple one day in ten.

7. Samuel Rolfe injured his hand while working on the temple. His hand became infected and he was told by doctors that it would be months before it would heal. Joseph told Samuel to go and wash his hand in the baptismal font and he would be healed. He did exactly what the Prophet told him to do and within two days his hand was completely healed. The closer the Temple got to being finished the more the devil intensified his efforts to stop it’s progress. Hosea Stout was in charge of the Nauvoo Police force and he and his men guarded the temple every night. Hosea was a strong faithful man who was loyal to the Prophet.

8. Joseph Smith Senior’s Death: (Monday, September 14th, 1840) Joseph and Hyrum were martyred three years and nine months after the death of their father. Don Carlos passed away just eleven months after Joseph Smith Sr. on the 7 th of August, 1841. He was twenty-five years old, married and had two kids. Joseph Jr. said Don Carlos was six feet four inches and weighed 200 pounds. Joseph Jr. and Emma named their seventh child after him. Samuel Smith passed away three years and ten months after his father. Lucy Mack Smith was a widow for almost sixteen years.

9. Joseph Smith Sr. was sixty-nine when he died. As he called his family around his bed he addressed his wife Lucy first. He said, “Mother, do you know that you are the mother of the greatest family that ever lived upon the face of the earth?” The world loves it’s own, but it does not love us. It hates us because we are not of the world; therefore, all their malice is poured out upon us, and they seek to take away our lives. Joseph Smith Sr. dreaded leaving his family surrounded by enemies.

10. Hyrum bent over his father and said, “Father, if you are taken away, will you not intercede for us at the throne of grace, that our enemies may not have so much power over us to distress and harass us?” Joseph Smith Sr. then laid his hands on Hyrum’s head and said: “My son, Hyrum, I seal upon your head your patriarchal blessing.”

11. Part of his blessing stated that he would have a season of peace that would be sufficient to accomplish the work which God had given him to do. To Joseph he said that he was called to a high and holy calling and that he would live to finish his work. At this Joseph cried out, “Oh, Father, shall I?” “Yes,” said his father. He blessed Don Carlos, Samuel, William, Sophronia, (Catharine was not there and arrived the following day) and Lucy.

12. He later asked for his wife Lucy and said, “Do you not know that you are one of the most singular women in the world?” She said, “No, I do not.” “Well,” said he, “I do, you have brought up my children for me by the fireside, and when I was gone from home, you comforted them. You have brought up all my children and could always comfort them when I could not. We have often wished that we might die at the same time, but you must not desire to die when I do. You must stay to comfort the children when I am gone. So do not mourn, but try to be comforted. Your last days shall be your best, as to be driven, for you shall have more power over your enemies than you have had. He paused, then said, “I see Alvin.” He paused again and said, “I shall live seven or eight minutes.” He departed so calmly that the Smith’s could not believe for some time, but that he would breathe again.

13. Lucy Mack Smith said, “I am convinced that no one but a widow can imagine the feelings of a widow.” She thought that there was no evil for her to fear upon the earth more than what she had experienced in the death of her beloved husband. It was all the grief which her nature was able to bear, and she thought that she could never again be called to suffer so great affliction. Lucy’s heart was broken and she had one reason to desire life, and that was to do as her husband had blessed her to do, comfort her children.

14. The Wentworth Letter In 1842 Joseph wrote the Wentworth letter. It provided the Church with Thirteen Articles of Faith and other significant developments. Orson Hyde and Orson Pratt had written “articles of faith” on their own, prior to Joseph. Orson Pratt actually had 14 and Orson Hyde wrote them a little differently than Joseph. It is however, Joseph’s “Thirteen Articles of Faith” that are used today. John Wentworth was the editor and Proprietor of the Chicago Democrat. He had a friend in New Hampshire who was doing a history of New Hampshire and wanted information about the Mormon Church. John Wentworth told Joseph that if he would write a brief history for him that he would put in the paper exactly how he wrote it. Joseph did so and Wentworth’s friend George Bastow never did use it.

15. It was however published in the Times and Season. It is one of the great documents of the Church. Joseph taught that the Father and the Son looked alike and that if you have seen one you have seen the other. He also taught that the gospel would go to all nations prior to the Millennium. He taught that he saw in vision the former inhabitants of America long before he received the plates. He taught that the twelve disciples on the American continent were Apostles. He taught this as early as 1832.

16. Relief Society March 17 th, 1842 Sarah Kimball was talking to a Miss Cook, (we don’t know who she was) and they wanted to do something nice for the temple workers. They decided to make them shirts. They invited other sisters to help with the project and discuss things they could do to help people in general.

17. Eliza R. Snow drew up a Constitution for the women’s organization which included by-laws. She took the by-laws to Joseph who stated that they were written well, but not quite what he thought they should be. Joseph wanted some time to look them over and meet with the brethren before he met with the sisters again.

18. Relief Society John Taylor proposed that they call the organization the “Nauvoo Female Benevolent Society.” Emma did not like the name. The official name ended up being the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo. Emma was elected President and served for two years.

19. Willard Richards was also there along with eighteen women, Joseph Smith and John Taylor. There were 26 sisters in the original organization. Eight sisters could not be present at the meeting but were given membership. By September 1842 there were 1,189 women who had joined.

20. Joseph Smith said, “The Church was never perfectly organized until the women were thus organized” (Church History in the Fullness of Times, 248-49). It disbanded when the Saints went out west and started again in 1860. It was officially reinstated in 1867.

21. The Book of Abraham was published in March, 1842. The endowment was given to seven men on May 4 th, 1842 in the Red Brick Store. This was at the same location where the Relief Society was organized.

22. Why Temples? Doctrine & Covenants 97:10-14 1. For the salvation of Zion. 2. A place of thanksgiving for all Saints. 3. A place of instruction (from pre-mortal existence to exaltation). 4. To be perfected in the understanding of the ministry.

23. The Rocky Mountain Prophecy August of 1842 Joseph, Hyrum and Heber went with James Adams over to Montrose, Iowa to install some into the Masonic order. James Adams, Heber C. Kimball and Hyrum were all high Masons. Some scholars say that Joseph Smith wasn’t. They went into the meeting while the Prophet remained outside. Anson Call said Joseph took a tumbler of water from a barrel of ice water to get a drink. Anson looked at Joseph and had seen Joseph in vision before, so he knew that Joseph was having another vision because his countenance had changed.

24. “Joseph than said, “Brethren I am gazing at the Rocky Mountains and will tell you that the water that runs down through those mountains is as clear and cold as this ice water you are now drinking. Many of you will live to go there and help to build up the kingdom of God. Shadrak Roundy you will be one who will build cities. Anson Call you will also go and build cities.”

25. Those prophecies were fulfilled. Anson Call helped to build Fillmore and also Bountiful. The vision changed and the Prophet turned another direction and said, “Oh the heartache and the hardships that lay between here and those mountains, the apostasy that will take place, and the deaths.” It has been estimated that 6,000 Latter-day Saints died while attempting to cross the plains. The Prophet saw it in vision and foretold it.

26. The Stephen Douglas Prophecy On May 18 th, 1843 Stephen Douglas met with Joseph Smith in Carthage, Illinois. Douglas listened for over three hours about the Missouri persecutions of the Saints. The judge was touched and shed tears that the Mormons had been through so much. The Prophet prophesied, “You will aspire to the presidency of the United States, and if you ever lift your hand against this people you will feel the weight of an offended God come down on your shoulders.”

27. In the 1850’s and 1860’s Stephen Douglas was considered to be the most popular man to win the election for President of the United States. Most people thought he would win easily. An unknown man challenged him to a debate in Illinois. You probably remember the Lincoln- Douglas Debates as taught in High School. In one of the debates “the Mormons” came up and Douglas said that the Mormons were a cancerous sore in the body politic and someone should take a surgical knife and remove them.

28. Stephen Douglas lost the election in 1860. Breckenridge divided the South and took all of the electoral votes of the Democrats in the southern states and Douglas ended up getting only one. Lincoln was literally swept into the White House. An unknown candidate became president of the United States, a man raised up for the hour. Douglas died a pauper (extremely poor, living on public charity) at the age of 48.

29. Joseph Tested the Brethren With Plural Marriage On July 12, 1843 the Savior gave the revelation on Celestial Marriage which included Plural Marriage. Joseph tested Brigham Young relative to his two wives. Miriam was Brigham’s first wife who had died. Brigham later married Mary Ann Angel. Joseph said to Brigham, “Brigham, which wife do you want for the eternities?” This put Brigham into a dilemma. Before Brigham could answer Joseph taught him about Plural Marriage which then put Brigham Young into even a greater dilemma.

30. Joseph called Heber C. Kimball in to his office and said, “Heber the Lord has revealed to me that in the worlds to come your lovely wife Vilate is to be my wife. Go home and bring her back and I will have her sealed to me. That is all I wanted to talk to you about, goodbye.” Heber loved his wife and went through turmoil for the next three weeks. He said in his own account that the heavens were as black as a piece of coal. Finally Heber came to the conclusion that what the Prophet was asking him to do was wrong. Vilate should be his and not Joseph’s. However, Joseph was the Prophet and he must be obeyed. Only one of the greatest men in the world could do such a thing.

31. Heber took Vilate to the Prophet and when Joseph opened the door Heber said, “I have come as you have requested.” Joseph began to sob and said, “Your test was a great as Abrahams.” He then sealed Heber and Vilate for time and all eternity. Joseph sent Vilate home and then lowered the second bombshell on Heber. Heber was called to live Plural Marriage. Heber said, “Oh no, don’t ask, I don’t think I can live it righteously.” Joseph taught Heber that before God would let him fall from the work he would take him in death. That can only mean one thing. Heber had made it.

32. Even though Heber and Vilate had visions, including that Vilate saw the glory that would be hers in eternity, they still had their struggles. Heber later wrote that Plural Marriage caused him to shed buckets of tears. I imagine the wives of plural marriage could say the same thing. It was tough any way you look at it. Remember, we are not talking about lustful men, but those who loved God and were asked to live the law.

33. It was estimated that fifty percent of the women who entered the Salt Lake Valley had no father or husband when they arrived. Orson Hyde was excited about eternal marriage and wanted to be sealed to Marinda. His test was different than Heber’s. The Prophet informed Orson that Marinda had already been sealed to him.

34. James Adams On October 9 th, 1843, Joseph Smith taught that James Adams who had been ordained a Patriarch was one of the spirits of just men made perfect.

35. The King Follett Discourse This discourse was the climax to the great doctrinal revelations received in Nauvoo. King Follett was the last man to come out of the Missouri prisons. He was working in a well where workers had filled a big basket with rocks and attempted to pull it up over the ledge. The rope broke and the rocks fell and crushed him. Joseph preached his funeral at General Conference in April 1844. It was one of the greatest discourses ever given on this earth.

36. Joseph took three and a half hours to give the discourse. There were 20,000 people in attendance. The four scribes were Willard Richards, Wilford Woodruff, Thomas Bullock and William Clayton. Joseph also received sections 124-134 during this time period.

37. Howard Cory Howard was born without his left arm just below the elbow. He weighed around 130 pounds and was considered small for a man in his day. He served faithfully as a clerk for Joseph Smith. While Howard and Joseph were walking down the street in Nauvoo, the Prophet said, “Howard, I wish you were a little bigger, I would love to wrestle you. Howard stared at Joseph, squared off with him and said, “Don’t let my size stop you Joseph!”

38. They started horsing around and Joseph got him in some kind of wrestling hold and accidentally snapped his leg in two. Joseph was just sick about what had happened and visited Howard almost every day while he was recovering. Howard asked Joseph if he would give him a blessing. Joseph told him that he was in a hurry and would send his father to give him a blessing instead. Howard said, “No, you broke my leg, you give me the blessing.” Howard then brought up the account when the angel wrestled with Jacob in the Old Testament and hurt his thigh (Genesis. 32:24-28).

39. Joseph blessed him and promised him that he would soon meet the girl of his dreams who would be his eternal companion and helpmeet. A few weeks later at one of the meetings in the groves, Joseph was preaching and Howard who was on crutches was scouting out the girls that were present. He saw a dark haired, dark eyed girl that he thought might be the one. He met her before the meeting was over. Her name was Martha Jane Knowlton. He married her shortly after their first meeting. Joseph’s prophecy was fulfilled.

40. Martha Jane Knowlton wrote the history of Joseph Smith by his mother Lucy Mack Smith. Lucy dictated it to her in her old age. Martha was the first woman to serve on the BYU Board of Directors.

41. The Human Side of Joseph The Saints were gathered in one of the groves that offered a little shade to hear a sermon from Joseph. Joseph began preaching when a flock of geese traveled directly over their heads in “V” formation. The Saints all looked up and made a big deal about it. Joseph got mad and said, “If you are more interested in a flock of geese than my sermon, I have no more to say to you.” He sat down and that was the end of the discourse.