Doctrine and Covenants 57
Historical Context
Fulfilling the Lord’s commandment (D&C 52:2), Joseph Smith and the other elders who had been called in the revelation left Kirtland on June 19, 1831. They arrived in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, on July 14. Upon their arrival, Joseph was greeted by Oliver Cowdery, other members of the Lamanite mission, and a small handful of converts from the area. Joseph Smith later wrote, “The meeting of our brethren, who had long waited our arrival, was a glorious one and moistened with many tears. It seemed good and pleasant for brethren to meet together in unity.” Joseph’s thoughts weren’t only with the members in his presence, however. He reflected while “standing now upon the confines, or western limits of the united States, and looking into the vast wilderness” on the plight of the American Indians.
Joseph wrote that “after viewing the country, seeking diligently at the hand of God, he manifested himself unto me, and designated to me and others, the very spot upon which he designed to commence the work of the gathering, and the upbuilding of an holy city, which should be called Zion:—Zion because it is to be a place of righteousness, and all who build thereon, are to worship the true and living God—and all believe in one doctrine even the doctrine of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The revelation, received a few days after Joseph arrived in the Missouri, was based on two questions, “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?”
See “Historical Introduction,” Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57].
Verse-by-Verse Commentary
D&C 57:1–3
1 Hearken, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, who have assembled yourselves together, according to my commandments, in this land, which is the land of Missouri, which is the land which I have appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints.
2 Wherefore, this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion.
3 And thus saith the Lord your God, if you will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse.
The journey of Joseph Smith and his companions to the land of the Missouri was the culmination of many hopes and promises for the early members of the Church. The first mention of this city was given to Joseph as he translated the words of Jesus Christ to the Nephites. The Savior prophesied that “the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem. And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem” (3 Nephi 21:23–34).
Later, as Joseph began his translation of the Old Testament, he learned of the city of Enoch named Zion that was built anciently. The Lord told Enoch, “Truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem” (Moses 7:62–64).
At the heart of the city of Zion will be a temple, and the city of Zion, along with a rebuilt and restored Jerusalem, is to be the center of the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ (Ether 13:10–11). From there the borders of Zion will spread to encompass the entire earth—Jackson County was just the starting place. Brigham Young recalled an instance when a woman asked if Jackson County was large enough to hold all who would gather to Zion. In response, he said, “Zion will extend, eventually, all over this earth. There will be no nook or corner upon the earth but what will be in Zion. It will all be Zion. . . . We are going to gather as many as we can, bless them, give them their endowments, etc., preach to them the truth, lay the principles of eternal life before them.”
D&C 57:4–7
4 Wherefore, it is wisdom that the land should be purchased by the saints, and also every tract lying westward, even unto the line running directly between Jew and Gentile;
5 And also every tract bordering by the prairies, inasmuch as my disciples are enabled to buy lands. Behold, this is wisdom, that they may obtain it for an everlasting inheritance.
6 And let my servant Sidney Gilbert stand in the office to which I have appointed him, to receive moneys, to be an agent unto the church, to buy land in all the regions round about, inasmuch as can be done in righteousness, and as wisdom shall direct.
7 And let my servant Edward Partridge stand in the office to which I have appointed him, and divide unto the saints their inheritance, even as I have commanded; and also those whom he has appointed to assist him.
Once the location of the city was identified, the revelation directed the Saints toward the practical aspects of obtaining the land to build the city. The “line running directly between Jew and Gentile” (D&C 57:4) is a reference to the boundary between the American Indians and the European settlers in Jackson County. With the Nephites and the Lamanites among the ancestors of the American Indians, they were designated as part of the house of Israel, referred to here simply as relatives to the Jewish people. Independence was located only twelve miles down the Missouri River from the state line that also served as the border to Indian Territory, which had been established by the United States Congress in the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Oliver Cowdery and the members of the Lamanite mission who had arrived in the region months earlier had made attempts to cross into Indian Territory, but they were rebuffed by federal Indian agents for not holding licenses to teach among the native people.
The European settlers already in Missouri were also a cause of concern to the Saints who were gathering there. When Newel Knight and the members of the Colesville Branch arrived in the area, he was taken aback by the roughness of the local settlers. He later acknowledged, “We could not but feel deeply the contrast as we now stood upon the western limits of the USA and were obliged to mingle and associate with those who had known nothing but a frontier life, until they were but a little above the native in the point of education and refinement.” Newel felt the settlers were “full of bigotry, superstition, and prejudice, the natural result of ignorance.” Despite the roughness of the land and the people, the Saints were commanded to enter the scene as peacemakers. A later commandment given to Joseph Smith instructed the Saints to “carefully gather together, as much in one region as can be consistently with the feelings of the people” (D&C 105:24).
D&C 57:8–16
8 And again, verily I say unto you, let my servant Sidney Gilbert plant himself in this place, and establish a store, that he may sell goods without fraud, that he may obtain money to buy lands for the good of the saints, and that he may obtain whatsoever things the disciples may need to plant them in their inheritance.
9 And also let my servant Sidney Gilbert obtain a license—behold here is wisdom, and whoso readeth let him understand—that he may send goods also unto the people, even by whom he will as clerks employed in his service;
10 And thus provide for my saints, that my gospel may be preached unto those who sit in darkness and in the region and shadow of death.
11 And again, verily I say unto you, let my servant William W. Phelps be planted in this place, and be established as a printer unto the church.
12 And lo, if the world receive his writings—behold here is wisdom—let him obtain whatsoever he can obtain in righteousness, for the good of the saints.
13 And let my servant Oliver Cowdery assist him, even as I have commanded, in whatsoever place I shall appoint unto him, to copy, and to correct, and select, that all things may be right before me, as it shall be proved by the Spirit through him.
14 And thus let those of whom I have spoken be planted in the land of Zion, as speedily as can be, with their families, to do those things even as I have spoken.
15 And now concerning the gathering—Let the bishop and the agent make preparations for those families which have been commanded to come to this land, as soon as possible, and plant them in their inheritance.
16 And unto the residue of both elders and members further directions shall be given hereafter. Even so. Amen.
Consistent throughout the revelation is the commandment for the missionaries to “plant” themselves in the new land. The Colesville Branch, after a journey of over 1,100 miles, had at last found a home. Edward Partridge, the bishop of the Church, and Sidney Gilbert, the agent of the Church, were directed to be begin preparations for the new home of the Colesville Branch, who settled near the Big Blue River, near Independence. The first Sunday after their arrival the elders held a worship service. Historian B. H. Roberts later reflected that “such a congregation was present as was only possible in an American frontier district.” The group included American Indians, enslaved African Americans, “and all classes and conditions of people from the surrounding counties—Universalists, Atheists, Deists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, both priests and people—a motley crowd truly!” After the service, two people who had already been meeting with the missionaries came forth and were baptized.
This moment captured all of the promise and peril in building the city of Zion. A diverse group of people met together, listening to the hopes of a shining new city of God to be built in their midst. At the same time, ominous signs emerged on the horizon. B. H. Roberts noted that, other than a small handful of converts, “the Church was made up wholly of Northern people, and therefore constituted a different class of settlers from the old inhabitants of Independence, who came chiefly from the south.” The millennial hopes of the Saints would soon collide with the culture of the frontier. But for now, Joseph and the other members of the Church rejoiced that at last the location of the New Jerusalem was known.
Footnotes
