by Richard E. Turley Jr. | Sep 26, 2021 | Church History, Come Follow Me, Priesthood, Revelation
The first temple of the Church was supposed to be built in Zion, Jackson County, Missouri, the center place for the gathering of the Saints and the planned site of the New Jerusalem. But mobs drove out the Saints before it could be completed. A second temple planned...
by Richard E. Turley Jr. | Sep 19, 2021 | Church History, Church Organization, Come Follow Me
As the Church grew and matured, it faced the perpetual challenge of growth: finding and training good leaders. After the march of the Camp of Israel, the Lord called members of that group to serve in two new leadership bodies, the Quorum of the Twelve and the Seventy....
by Richard E. Turley Jr. | Sep 12, 2021 | Church History, Church Organization, Come Follow Me
As the Church approached its fourth birthday, it had grown a great deal both in terms of size and complexity. Doctrine and Covenants sections 102 through 105 illustrate that complexity. They include organizational minutes for a high council, a revelation to organize...
by Richard E. Turley Jr. | Sep 6, 2021 | Church History, Come Follow Me
With one exception, Doctrine and Covenants sections 98 to 101 cover from August 6 to mid-December 1833, a turbulent period in Church history. This period saw the Saints in Jackson County attacked; their bishop publicly kidnapped, beaten, tarred, and feathered; the...
by Richard E. Turley Jr. | Aug 29, 2021 | Church History, Come Follow Me
The summer of 1833 was a busy time for the new Church and its members. Sections 94‒97 of the Doctrine and Covenants embody four of six revelations the Prophet Joseph Smith received during that busy summer. The revelations are not arranged in chronological order but...
by Richard E. Turley Jr. | Aug 23, 2021 | Church Doctrine, Come Follow Me, The Nature of God
The revelation that is now section 93 of the Doctrine and Covenants is one of the most fascinating and revolutionary of all received by Joseph Smith. It reveals characteristics of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ that had been lost through the centuries. It...