Well I was going to have this be my first post as a guest author on LDSAnarchy. But there is a brand new post, so to give that post sufficient time at the top I’ll put mine here. Maybe I’ll post this over there later, since there’s more traffic on that blog. So for those of you lucky few who visit my blog, here is a post that has a lot of inspiriation behind it.
Ever since my awakening and I learned about the Section 101 parable, I’ve been interested in finding various events that fulfill this parable. Yesterday and today I stumbled across some huge pieces of information. They were new to me, but probably nothing new to many people here. A lot of loose ends I had in my mind were tied up. It started by reading onewhoiswatching’s blog post about the priesthood. He linked to a page on the Book of Abraham Project that had quotes from Joseph Smith that pertained to this parable.
So let’s just dive in.
Doctrine and Covenants 101:43-62
43 And now, I will show unto you a parable, that you may know my will concerning the redemption of Zion.
44 A certain nobleman had a spot of land, very choice; and he said unto his servants: Go ye unto my vineyard, even upon this very choice piece of land, and plant twelve olive-trees;
45 And set watchmen round about them, and build a tower, that one may overlook the land round about, to be a watchman upon the tower, that mine olive-trees may not be broken down when the enemy shall come to spoil and take upon themselves the fruit of my vineyard.
So here the nobleman presents a plan. For a very choice piece of land. The Howard and Martha Coray Notebook stated Joseph’s comments about this:
¶ Afterwards read the parable of the 12 olive trees and said speaking of the Land of Zion that It consists of all N. & S America but that any place where the Saints gather is Zion which every righteous man will build up for a place of safety for his children that The olive trees are 12 stakes which are yet to be built not the Temple in Jackson [County, Missouri] as some suppose for while the 12 olive stakes are being built we will be at peace but the Nations of the Earth will be at war.
It is here we learn that the “very choice piece of land” doesn’t just represent the City of Zion. Rather it represents the Land of Zion which is all of North and South America.
The other piece of information here which blew me away was that the twelve olive trees represent twelve Stakes of Zion.
Joseph went on to state that “The redemption of Zion is the redemption of all N & S America and those 12 stake must be built up before the redemption of Zion can take place.”
This piece of information was amazing, as it supports a theory I had. The theory being that Cities like Far West, Nauvoo, Kirtland, etc. would need to be redeemed and built before the City of Zion could be built. This supports this idea.
Now I don’t know how many stakes existed in the Church prior at Joseph’s death. Were there only twelve, fewer, more? I haven’t found that out yet. If anyone knows please tell me. The reason being, it would help identify which Cities must be rebuilt prior to the building of Zion.
In the days of Joseph, cities of gathering were called “Stake of Zion, City of —.” For example, “Stake of Zion, City of Kirtland,” “Stake of Zion, City of Nauvoo,” “Stake of Zion City of Far West.” The City of Zion was not known as a Stake of Zion rather it was just the “City of Zion.”
So far I have been able to identify eight potential Stakes that could be the twelve stakes spoken of in Section 101. They are:
1. Kirtland
This image was made by John Hamer
2. Far West
Plat of Far West. Created by me, based on original plat.
3. Adam-ondi-Ahman
Plat of Adam-ondi-Ahman. Created by me, based on original plat.
4. Seth
5. Nauvoo
Photograph of Map of Nauvoo. CHurch History Museum, Salt Lake City.
6. Zarahemla
7. Voree
Plan of Voree Temple. Created by me, based on original woodcut.
8. Macedonia
The lesser known are Seth, Zarahemla, Voree, and Macedonia.
Seth was situated between Far West and Adam-ondi-Ahman. It was dedicated but nothing was ever built there.
Zarahemla was given in Section 125 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Doctrine and Covenants 125:3-4
3 Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.
4 And let all those who come from the east, and the west, and the north, and the south, that have desires to dwell therein, take up their inheritance in the same, as well as in the city of Nashville, or in the city of Nauvoo, and in all the stakes which I have appointed, saith the Lord.
As far as I know there was some settlement of Zarahemla but it was later abandoned. I don’t know if this section indicates that Nashville, Iowa(is there a Nashville, Iowa) is also one of the twelve.
Joseph Smith put James Strang in charge of preparing Voree to be a future settlement of the Saints. The foundations of a temple were laid with Strang incharge of a sect o fthe church after Joseph’s death. But because of dissension and poverty it was not able to be completed.
I found reference to Macedonia in the same page as the rest of Joseph’s comments concerning the 101 Parable. Macedonia is today known as Webster and seems to be mostly open fields. But again I don’t know if this is one of the twelve stakes because I don’t know how many stakes existed at Joseph’s death. I might just be listing a bunch of places that weren’t counted as cities but rather stakes like we know them today.
Continuing on.
46 Now, the servants of the nobleman went and did as their lord commanded them, and planted the olive-trees, and built a hedge round about, and set watchmen, and began to build a tower.
These servants when and did what they were told for the most part. They got the trees planted, built the hedge, set watchmen. They got started building the tower.
But…
47 And while they were yet laying the foundation thereof, they began to say among themselves: And what need hath my lord of this tower?
48 And consulted for a long time, saying among themselves: What need hath my lord of this tower, seeing this is a time of peace?
Joseph explained:
¶ We shall build the Zion of the Lord in peace untill the servants of that Lord shall begin to lay the foundation of a great and high watch Tower and then shall they begin to say within themselves what need hath my Lord of this tower seeing this is a time of peace
He also explained:
¶ Now from this hour bring every thing you can bring and build a Temple unto the Lord a house into the mighty God of Jacob. We will build upon the top of this Temple a great observatory a great and high watch tower and in the top thereof we will Suspend a tremendous bell whi that when it is rung shall rouse the inhabitants of Madison wake up the people of Warsaw and sound in the ears of men [in] Carthage
Would it be reasonable to conclude that the watch tower in the parable is the temple of Nauvoo. The Church History Museum in Salt Lake City has a display about the Nauvoo Temple. This display shows how tall the temple was at the time of Joseph Smith’s death. If I recall correctly it was only about ten feet tall. This would certainly qualify as being only the foundation. But this certainly doesn’t explain everything, since the Nauvoo Temple was completed. In fact Brigham Young often boasted that he got the Nauvoo Temple finished faster than Joseph finished the basement.
What may be worth noting is that the Nauvoo Temple was not completed as designed by Joseph Smith and William Weeks. After Joseph died Brigham Young altered the design of the temple. This is how the Nauvoo temple looked upon it’s completion:
Daguerreotype of Nauvoo Temple
Yet this is how the Nauvoo Temple would have looked had Joseph lived:
From the "Map of Nauvoo." Drawn by William Weeks
Does this difference in design play an important role in whether the Nauvoo Temple was acceptable to the Lord? I don’t really know. But I think it might, since after being completed the Nauvoo Temple did not fulfill the prophecies given in other places in the Doctrine and Covenants. It also should be noted that not only did Brigham Young attempt to sell the Nauvoo temple,
but that it was burned down and left to crumble.
The Remains of the Nauvoo Temple prior to 1999.
All that was left for many years were a few foundation stones in the ground. Yet at the same time the Kirtland temple stood and remains standing to this day.
Something that occurred to me is that maybe the watch tower does not refer to a single structure. Perhaps it refers to all the temples in all of those twelve stakes. There were three structures planned for Kirtland but only one temple was built. The Nauvoo temple was not completed as designed. The corner stones for Far West temple were laid. But no other temples were started by Joseph’s death. If we look at the watch tower as an amalgamation of all the temples in the twelve cities then we can see that only the foundation was laid.
49 Might not this money be given to the exchangers? For there is no need of these things.
50 And while they were at variance one with another they became very slothful, and they hearkened not unto the commandments of their lord.
These are the verses that to me don’t quite easily fit into the time table. Because according to my understanding the Saints were driven from Nauvoo and then the servants began dealing with Babylon. Perhaps there is some information I am unaware of. But regardless, when we look at the Church spending billions of dollars on the City Creek center, when that money could easily build the watch towers in all twelve Stakes of Zion, something is not right.
Something I just thought of while reading this is that while the servants are at variance with one another they are not going to the exchangers. They are just discussing it. So they haven’t started to trade money yet. Could this variance describe the succession crisis?
51 And the enemy came by night, and broke down the hedge; and the servants of the nobleman arose and were affrighted, and fled; and the enemy destroyed their works, and broke down the olive-trees.
This verse I feel really points to the current state of the Church today. And it wasn’t until yesterday that I saw this. The servants of the nobleman fled. We can see later in verse 55 that the nobleman orders a servant to gather the other servants. This means that the servants did not just flee but they scattered. The Church likewise scattered and split apart after Joseph died. We now have Brighamites, Josephites, Strangites, Fundementalists, Hedrickites, etc.
52 Now, behold, the nobleman, the lord of the vineyard, called upon his servants, and said unto them, Why! what is the cause of this great evil?
53 Ought ye not to have done even as I commanded you, and–after ye had planted the vineyard, and built the hedge round about, and set watchmen upon the walls thereof–built the tower also, and set a watchman upon the tower, and watched for my vineyard, and not have fallen asleep, lest the enemy should come upon you?
54 And behold, the watchman upon the tower would have seen the enemy while he was yet afar off; and then ye could have made ready and kept the enemy from breaking down the hedge thereof, and saved my vineyard from the hands of the destroyer.
The Nobleman gives the servants a pretty strong rebuke.
55 And the lord of the vineyard said unto one of his servants: Go and gather together the residue of my servants, and take all the strength of mine house, which are my warriors, my young men, and they that are of middle age also among all my servants, who are the strength of mine house, save those only whom I have appointed to tarry;
The Nobleman calls one of the servants, and this is the part that struck me, to gather together the residue of my servants. Look how this parallels the succession crisis. The church split apart and followed after “the servants” who scattered. The Brighamites in Utah. The Strangites in Wisconsin. The Hedrickites in Missouri. And there are many others. The divisions that followed after the various servants will be gathered together again.
But another interesting part is that some have been appointed to tarry. I don’t know what this means or why some people would be appointed to not gather to Zion. I’m sure others have more information on this.
56 And go ye straightway unto the land of my vineyard, and redeem my vineyard; for it is mine; I have bought it with money.
57 Therefore, get ye straightway unto my land; break down the walls of mine enemies; throw down their tower, and scatter their watchmen.
We can see that the enemies of the Nobleman have set up a similar organization to that of the Nobleman. They too have built a tower. They have built walls. They have set up watchmen. All of these were built in the same places as the original structures.
If we consider the Nauvoo Temple as the watch tower, which was thrown down and destroyed by the enemies, there must be another structure built on that same location. And in fact there is. In 1999-2002 the Nauvoo Illinois temple was rebuilt. It was built on the same spot as the Nauvoo Temple and was said to be a reconstruction of the original.
"Reconstructed" Nauvoo Temple
In fact there are a great many differences between the Nauvoo Illinois temple and the Nauvoo temple. One, I’m not sure of because I can’t find much information about it, is that the interior is built more like the modern temples. It doesn’t have the two meeting halls with offices and endowment spaces in the attic rather, one meeting hall and then endowment rooms. Another is that instead of using stone construction, it is cement clad in stone. It only replicates the look of stone. Now isn’t there a scripture somewhere about whited seplucres? Another is the Angel Moroni statue on top.
I’m sure there are many other differences. But even then it is patterned after Bigham Young’s Nauvoo temple rather than Joseph’s. It is still not fulfilling the Prophecies given in the Doctrine and Covenants. Also consider that today instead of the Saints sacrificing and building temple’s themselves the Church hires contractors. For more information read the comments of this post:
http://truthmarche.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/church-finance-part-iv/#comments
My point is though that, by using Joseph Smith’s interpretation, we might be able to identify the watchtower of the enemy as the rebuilt Nauvoo temple.
58 And inasmuch as they gather together against you, avenge me of mine enemies, that by and by I may come with the residue of mine house and possess the land.
An interesting clue here is that the reclaiming of the Stakes of Zion will be “by and by” or over time. But something else here really strikes at the new.mormon understanding(if there is any left) of redeeming Zion. The nobleman says, “avenge me of mine enemies.” The Lord will not redeem Zion for us. There will not be a time when the Brethren suddenly declare that we are to all move to Jackson County. There will not be a command from the “higher-ups.” Ths is something we must undertake ourselves. The Lord has commanded us, not the brethren, to avenge Him of His enemies who have overrun the land of Zion, the Stakes of Zion, and the City of Zion.
59 And the servant said unto his lord: When shall these things be?
60 And he said unto his servant: When I will; go ye straightway, and do all things whatsoever I have commanded you;
61 And this shall be my seal and blessing upon you–a faithful and wise steward in the midst of mine house, a ruler in my kingdom.
62 And his servant went straightway, and did all things whatsoever his lord commanded him; and after many days all things were fulfilled.
The time when the land of Zion will be redeemed is some time after the servants were scattered and the land over run. I think we are coming upon this time right now.
I’ve seen there is a common understanding that “the Servant” in here is Joseph Smith, who will come back. Or the One Mighty and Strong. But a thought has just occurred to me. Perhaps the Servant is also symbolic of any person the Lord has chosen to undertake rebuilding the Stakes of Zion.
So now I ask what are you doing to redeem the Land of Zion and the Stakes of Zion? Do you even view these things as important?
I have the feeling that it is important for all of us who have woken up is to gather together in tribal groups. Work within our local areas. Through these tribal groups we may be able to help others wake up to what is happening in Zion. We should be organizing our own tribal sacrament meetings. We should be doing our own tribal re-baptisms. We should keep the commandments of God as contained in the Scriptures. I believe that as we do such things the Gifts of the Spirit will become more manifest in our Tribal meetings. We should begin to build Zion in our hearts and mind. We should gather and support each other through online communication.
http://ldsanarchy.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/tribal-worship-services/
If you are where I was about a month ago I was too concerned with what the Church would do about my actions in the home. For those of you who feel this way I give you this from the most recent General Conference:
But the authority that presides in the family—whether father or single-parent mother—functions in family matters without the need to get authorization from anyone holding priesthood keys.
– Dallin H. Oaks
After we are of sufficient strength and have mentally and emotionally removed ourselves from Babylon; then the time will come to physically redeem the Stakes of Zion. We will need to remove ourselves physically from Babylon and gather to the Stakes of Zion. We will need to purchase land, as best we can(as counselled in the scriptures, this should not be done in haste), in Nauvoo, Voree, Kirtland, Far West, Adam-ondi-Ahman, Zarahemla, and all of the other twelve stakes. We should follow the plats give for each stake and use them as a guide for building up those cities.
We cannot do this alone, we must gather our brethren from the other sects of the church. “How could this be possible,” you may ask. Aren’t there too many theological difference between us and the other sects? Christ gave us wise council in 3 Nephi 11:28
28 And according as I have commanded you thus shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been.
We should not be concerned with other points such as Plural Marriage, “who was the true successor”, Nauvoo Endowments, etc. Rather we should do as Christ commands and recognize that the only Gospel of Jesus Christ, is Faith in Christ, Repentance, Baptism of Water, and Baptism of Fire and the Spirit. If we put any other principle on par with these then we are bringing evil upon us.
3 Nephi 11:40
40 And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.
As stated earlier Christ clarified just what the Gospel is. He did this so there would be no disputations among us. By focusing on the Gospel and not worrying about if other people are practicing “those other principles” then we can come to a unity of faith. The walls that have caused so much division among the various sects of the church, can be turned into bridges.
As we undertake to rebuild that which was destroyed by the enemy at the death of Joseph, others will “by and by” be called, by God to the cause of Zion. God will prepare a way for His works to be accomplished. I can personally witness that even something that seems completely impossible, can be made possible by God. The only question is whose side will you be on? Will you be on the side of God/Zion or the Enemy/Babylon? Choose now!
zomarah.wordpress.com 
If the 12 olive-trees are, indeed, 12 stakes, then according to this parable those 12 stakes were prophesied to be planted by the servants prior to the enemy breaking them down. How, then, can you only find 8 stakes? It would seem to me that if there were only 8 possible stakes, then those 8 stakes do not fulfill this prophecy and it is still a future event. In your opinion, is the number of the stakes important for fulfillment to occur? Or does 8 make the cut?
Good point. I’m not really sure if there were only 8 stakes or not. That’s just all I’ve found so far. And if the mention of Nashville in section 125 counts then that would bump the count up to 9. Here is a quote from the Book of Abraham Project page:
Some important things were shown to Brother Joseph in vision previous to his going off relative to the enlargement of our borders which has indeed become indispensably necessary for the inhabitants of Zion both here and in the west are crying the cities are too strait for us give place that we may dwell. The people are crowding in from all parts and as President Rigdon said in his last discourse here they will gather and earth and hell combined cannot hinder them for gather they will. Hence the necessity of planting new stakes which they received a command to do before they left and it is expected that after they have set in order the Church in the west they will fix upon 11 new stakes before they return but this is not spoken of in public for reasons you will be aware of. If this were generally known it would probably make there way much more difficult. [Mary Fielding Smith, October 7, 1837, LDS Archives.]
This seems to suggest that there could have been 12 stakes by 1844, since this account was given in 1837.
Everything else seems to fit about the stakes being planted and then broken down, servants scattering, etc. The only thing is the number of stakes. And I really think it’s because I haven’t been able to identify them yet. So I continue me search. THere is a quote in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith where he authorizes stakes to be built in existing cities wherever the saints live. So it makes me wonder just how many stakes overall there were. If there were more than twelve which ones were counted as the twelve stakes?
But you are right if there were less than this prophecy would not have been fulfilled back then. But I have a feeling that these twelve stakes will be found.
Hey go ahead and post this my post has had more than enough attention and it will be there for those who the Lord will direct. And those are the only people we care about seeing our words anyway right.
Wow good post. I don’t know that much about the 101 parable. I lived not too far from Nauvoo western Illinios area for some time. I went to the Nauvoo temple site 2 times before anything was done and attended the rebuilt temple 2 times. I was not aware of any problems with the LDS policy at that time. So now it is with a totally different eye that I view these things.
I have unsettled thoughts about seeing the Nauvoo temple as the center place for the parable. The center place of Zion will be Independence, MO. And the tenor of the rest of 101 seems directed at the center gathering place.
But I suppose that idea is what you had in past years and caused large gaps in the application of the parable also.
If nothing else I would want to direct my efforts there and not spend time with the off center Nauvoo.
Now the idea that Nauvoo temple is the tower which will be torn down might make the rest of it focused on Jackson county work better.
But what about the idea that there will yet be a temple built in Independence, MO by the LDS after the conference center falls. I mean if you have the US president Mitt C.F.R. Romney behind it things could go real fast. It would be like Saul offering a sacrifice. God would not let it stand and wanted it destroyed. I mean if we question upside down 5 point stars on the Nauvoo temple think what kind of temple an insider would authorize to be built.
Boy I can see the coronation ceremony for Mitt with a few of the remaining 70 (aslo CFR guys would not be in the conference center when it goes down because they would know before hand it was going down) using a priesthood ceremony to consecrate Mitt as the new latter day King of Israel ushering a new era of church government. And then he would be both the king of Zion (the fake Zion of the apostate LDS) and king of Babylon.
Well maybe those crazy thoughts on LDSA’s church as the new state religion are right on the mark. If they are it would really fill in a few balnks on the 101 parable.
You make some very good points. The centerplace of Zion is definately Indpendence. However I’m not sure if the watchtower in the parable symbolizes the City of Zion. First despite my illustrations the parable gives not indication that the watchtower is in the center of the choice spot of land. Granted Joseph Smith didn’t directly say that the Nauvoo temple was the watch tower. This is why I think the watch tower symbolizes all the temples in each of the twelve stakes. It explains how Nauvoo could be considered one of the twelve olive trees and also have (part of) the watch tower.
Based on the prophecies concerning Nauvoo, I think it will play a major role before Zion and it’s temples are built. I think it will be a place that the Saints will redeem pror to Zion and will be an important location.
But according to Joseph Smith all of the other twelve stakes must be redeemed before Zion can be.
So dyc maybe you can tell me. Does the rebuilt Nauvoo temple interior match the original pattern:
Third Floor – Offices/Endowment rooms
Second Floor – Meeting Hall
First floor – Meeting hall
Basement – Baptismal font
Or does it follow the more modern temple pattern?
I did go through the open house and so I should know the answer to that. But I do know that the Baptism font was in the basement. There is a large meeting room and that I am sure was on the first floor and the endowment rooms were on a floor above that whether one above or two above I do not recall. But is seems we walked up past a floor and so that would make the ordinance rooms on the 3rd floor. I can’t say what was on the 2nd floor for sure.
And so when I did an endowment session there I think that the meeting hall is used as the waiting room after you dress.
You quoted The Howard and Martha Coray Notebook as, “The olive trees are 12 stakes which are yet to be built“. What I wonder is what stakes were already established at the time that Joseph said this, because we can take all those stakes and cross them off the list. This quote indicates that the 12 stakes were to be future stakes (from that point onward.) So, do any of the stakes you listed get crossed off because they were established prior to that saying?
Excellent point!
Kirtland is definitely out, since it was planted prior to section 101.
Also, I wonder if searching for the 12 stakes should be so hard. Isaiah’s prophecies, when they are fulfilled, will be plainly manifest to all the people who are witnessing their fulfillment. No guessing required. I would think that Joseph’s prophecies (as well as those of other prophets) would have their fulfillments equally plain to see.
Another point, the first part of the parable doesn’t mention Joseph Smith, at all. It only mentions servants. Later, after the servants are disobedient and flee, we find the Nobleman speaking to one of his servants, identified in a later section as Joseph Smith. So, if Joseph isn’t on the scene during the first part of the parable (he isn’t one of the first group of disobedient servants), this may, indeed, be a still future prophecy, the whole of it.
Please pardon my multiple comments, but I’m just looking over your post again and analyzing it.
I notice that Joseph took the parable somewhat literally. The parable used the word tower and Joseph took that literally to be a tower. He doesn’t take it to mean a temple.
So, they were going to build a temple (which doesn’t fulfill the parable) and on top of the temple they were going to build a tower, which does fulfill the parable. He made a distinction between temple and tower. The temple had one purpose, the tower had an altogether different purpose, to watch and warn with a bell.
Did any of the temples that have been built in this dispensation, I wonder, have watchtowers (observatories) on top of them where a man could observe the stars and planets and the surrounding regions of land as well as a warning system (such as a bell, etc.) to alert people to impending destruction?
As I read this parable, the instructions were about the tower, not the temple. So these servants are going to this land with the intention of building a tower that will warn the people. Do the temples built or attempted to be built fit this description? If not, then the parable’s tower doesn’t fit as speaking of any general temple.
The Kirkland temple does have a bell that still works. My little brother rang the bell once on vacation
Btw, zo-ma-rah, “by and by” does not mean “over time.” It means a “close together (in position or succession); also, continuously”, b “in consecuence; therefore”, c “proximately in time: (1) immediately; at once (2) presently; pretty soon; before long.”
So, when the Nobleman says, “And inasmuch as they gather together against you, avenge me of mine enemies, that by and by I may come with the residue of mine house and possess the land,” he means he’ll be coming very soon (or immediately) after the vengence is meted out.
Thanks for the analysis. Yo9u certainly picked up on somethings I did not.
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I just stumbled across this – I’ m amazed that some LDS people can be so deceived. Repent and return to the Lord with full purpose of heart and he will receive you. Do not think that you can rise up and condemn the servants of God, as blind and deceived, while you yourselves are enlightened and in the grace of God. It is not possible. If so, Joseph could not be the Lord’s prophet, the Book of Mormon could not be true and Isaiah would have had to be delusional.
But this is not so. We know Joseph was called of God. That the Book of Mormon is the word of God, warning us and teaching us the truth of Isaiah: Jesus is the Christ, sent by the Father to gather his people and redeem them from death and hell.
Joseph and the brethern and the Latter-day Saints are the suffering servant who declares the truth to the Gentiles, but there are those who do not believe it and because of them the Lord’s servant shall be marred, but the Lord shall heal him, for he shall show the world that his wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.
The parable in D&C 101 will be fulfilled, after many days, but we must be faithful and wise stewards in the midst of his house, in the meantime.
Here’s some food for thought on how the Lord’s servant (see 3 Nephi) shall be marred, but healed:
The twelve trees are the twelve apostles, the hedge is the U.S. constitution, protecting the work of the twelve. The tower that was to be built that would have served to forewarn the servants, but which was only started and never finished, because of the doubts and disputations among the servants, is the political kingdom of God, known as “The Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof, and Judgment in the Hands of His Servants, Ahman Christ.”
The foundation which was laid for this tower was the Council of Fifty. It functioned for a while, but eventually it was regarded as redundant and not very useful, functioning as more of a “debating society” than anything else, and building it up was eventually abandoned by the servants of God.
However, now that the enemy is upon us and about to break down the hedge and the twelve trees, scattering the servants, and destroying their work, we can see that, had the tower been built, as the the Lord commanded in 1842, the approaching enemy (the works of darkness and secret combinations that are now spreading over the land of Zion), would have been detected long ago and the servants would have been able to make ready and prevent the loss of our freedoms and the triumph of our enemies in bringing us down into captivity, and this because iniquity abounds among us, especially in the government of the land.
Only the political organization of the kingdom could have prevented this, because the Church organization of the kingdom is politically bound. Now we can clearly see that there were many things that the Council of Fifty could have done to warn and to prepare the saints and the country for what has fallen upon us, but, alas, it is too late. The enemy is now upon us.
Yet, we know that, though he shall mar the Lord’s servant, he shall not destroy him, for no unhallowed hand can prevent this work from succeeding:
“Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.
Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!
Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.”
May the Lord bless the righteous that they may know that, though the wicked bend the bow and make ready the arrow upon the string that they may privately shoot at the upright in heart, to destroy their foundation, it is the the foundation of the wicked that shall be destroyed.
Those that are digging a pit for the Saints shall fall into it and fill it themselves. The terrible one shall be brought to naught, the scorner shall be consumed, and all that watch for iniquity shall be cut off, that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught.
Oh brethren, may the Lord bless you to be faithful and courageous in defending the truth that the Lord has sent forth from the earth and in following the righteousness that he sent down from heaven, that we may join our voices together with those now whispering from the dust the world over: Jesus rose from the dead with healing in his wings that he might raise us all from the dead to stand before our Eternal Father, cleansed in his blood, which he shed for all those who believe in him and trust in his name.
That’s interesting comparing the watch tower to the Council of Fifty. I had never thought of that. There are some parallels.
Indeed there are. The strength of the Lord’s house is immense today, compared to what it was in the days of Joseph. I think of D&C 87 too. The “slaves” are not the blacks, as I had always thought before, but the Gentiles, the Americans, who will eventually rise up against their masters, while the “remnant” will also be marshaled for war:
“And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations;
“That the cry of the saints, and of the blood of the saints, shall cease to come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies.
Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.”
It is in this context that the parable of the redemption of Zion fits perfectly.
@Zomarah – Ogden Kraut wrote 2 books about a man named John Koyle. Ogden worked for him and in his mine “The Dream Mine” before he left on a mission to California back in the 1940’s. Koyle was a bishop down in Salem Utah in the early 1900’s. He had the gift of dreams and was shown in a dream a Nephite cache of gold and records, he was charged to build a mine into this deposit that would later relieve the saints when the US and other nation’s governments would fall and reveal the source documents of the BoM. The purpose of the mine was to save the saints in temperal affairs by providing the grain, fertile soil and financial stability in order to build the kingdom of God.
Anyways to make a long story short. John Koyle was visited often by Joseph Smith and other angelic messengers who instructed him in his mission and answered his questions he comments on section 101 after receiving an explanation via a dream.
That the 12 olive trees are to represent the 12 tribes of Israel and that they are rooted in the principle of plural marriage or the 4 mothers that gave birth to them. That Brigham was the servant charged to go into the wilderness and build up a kingdom rooted in that very principle, and he was to instruct the saints to build up cities round about Salt Lake to be a hedge. That the tower was symbolic of the law of consecration and that the members “workers” became slothfull and never perfected or finished living that principle which allowed the enemy to get a foothold in the valley. Instead of the saints buying and selling only to saints they bought and sold to Gentiles, they sold land in salt lake that later turned into brothels and saloons etc. All this interaction with the gentiles and living capitalism vs Law of Consecration opened the door for the Government to come in and take out the trees or plural marriage with the Edmunds Tucker act. The trees were destroyed or the principle of plural marriage was destroyed, the Law of Consecration left unbuilt and like it says in the parable a servant will have to raise up priesthood holders and take it back by force. Which is a reference to the “One mighty and Strong” Sect: 85. Who Bishop Koyle says that will be the resurrected Joseph Smith. That Bro. Joseph spent an entire night with him in discussion and told him that, that prophecy in Sect. 85 and Isaiah 11 is him, Joseph.
There is a Yahoo group with tons of documentation about Bishop Koyles mission and dreams. Some are very fascinating, he was shown that section 111 about treasure being buried in Salem was a reference to his mission, that his mine in Salem Utah was misinterpreted as Salem Mass. 🙂
Good stuff, well worth the read. If you know anything about the Southern states mission in the 1880’s-90’s and the men it produced, Mathias Cowley, Rutger Clawson, Joseph Standing, John H Morgan, BH Roberts, J Golden Kimball this was the mission in which John Koyle was. He had a dream that saved J Golden Kimballs life, they were life long friends. enjoy the link.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The-Dream-Mine/
I’ve read some of Koyle’s dreams, but I didn’t know he had received something concerning D&C 101. I’d love to read this account in its entirety.
One of bishop Koyle’s prophecies that did stand out to me was something to do with having a Republican president during the time when the gold mines would be opened. Mitt Romney seems to fit the bill. Some might think it’s Ron Paul, but I suspect he would be assassinated on day one, were he to be elected. For awhile I thought Obama had the election in the bag, but more recently I’ve come to realize that he’s crossed the powers that be in such a big way that he’s ruined his chance for reelection, no matter how much campaign money he can get from his Muslim comrades. No doubt his forged birth certificate will be what is used to destroy him, although the media has been giving it a blind eye so far.
I totally concur with the high tower being a representation of the higher laws. Please read my lengthy reply to Zomarah’s post (which I will post below).
Zo- Have you read this post?
http://denversnuffer.blogspot.com/2012/04/criticism-of-church-part-3.html
It is about the Nauvo temple never being finished, just “considered sufficiently completed to dedicate.” It also goes into those who should lead the people, which is interesting considering what you’ve shared about the temples and the
I think the early Salt Lake City refugees from Nauvoo suffered through great want, difficulty and hunger. Because of their hunger, they were boiling saddles to soften the leather enough to be able to eat it. This was very real privation and seems to represent something other than God’s blessings upon them. In the context of Section 124, it is at least plausible it represented God’s displeasure, and not His vindication of the Saints. It states “If ye labor with all your might, I will consecrate that spot that it shall be made holy. And if my people will hearken unto my voice, and unto the voice of my servants whom I have appointed to lead my people, behold, verily I say unto you, they shall not be moved out of their place.” (124: 44-45.) This was the revelation given in January 1841, three and a half years before he death of Joseph and Hyrum. The “servants” appointed were Joseph Smith, and the new Co-President, prophet, seer and revelator who was also to be ordained to the Priesthood and given the sealing power by the word of God, Hyrum Smith. (See 124: 91-95.) The saints were warned that if they failed to complete the temple, according to the revelation that: “I will not perform the oath which I make unto you, neither fulfill the promises which ye expect at my hands, saith the Lord. For instead of blessings, ye, by your own works, bring cursings, wrath, indignation, and judgments upon your own heads, by your follies, and by all your abominations, which you practice before me, saith the Lord.” (124: 47-48.)
Hey Rob. I started to read that post but stopped as I had other things to do. I think that analysis is spot on. I’ll have to finish reading that post.
“There will not be a time when the Brethren suddenly declare that we are to all move to Jackson County. There will not be a command from the “higher-ups.” … I have the feeling that it is important for all of us who have woken up is to gather together in tribal groups.”
We are in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, a time when all things are to be gathered into one. If there are to be many churches, they will not be independent of one another, but all must be tied together by one central authority as in the days of Moses. There is always one central prophet leading God’s people under the command of God.
History shows us the pattern. After Joseph of Egypt rose to power, the Israelites experienced a period of great prosperity. Afterwhich they were drawn into slavery by this very same prosperity, because they began seeking the riches of this world and so forgot the God they once served. After a hundred years of bondage, God called Moses to led His people out of Egypt into the wilderness, where they wandered for 40 years. After Moses’ generation died, Joshua was called to lead the people back to the Promised Land.
We can see that this same sequence of events is occuring in our day. Joseph Smith (a modern day Joseph of Egypt) gathered the house of Joseph (Ephraim) together and rose to power and prosperity (Nauvoo Era). When Joseph died, Brigham Young took the majority of the Saints west. Here they grew even more prosperous. In fact when Brigham died in 1877, the Church had grown to 20 stakes. Unfortunately even during Brigham’s time, the Saints were showing signs that they were more interested in amassing wealth than in serving the God who had made them wealthy.
While the temple does physically represent the watchtower, the analogy goes even further. It represents the higher laws of God which, when obeyed, give man the ability to speak with God. This is why a prophet is called a watchman, because he can see afar off into the future. Without this divine guidance, the people of God (the olive tree) are brought into physical and spiritual bondage. We can see that this happened to the Church which Joseph founded. The most obvious historical marker is the Edmund-Tucker Act, which was passed in 1887. This act authorized the seizing of all Church assets, including the temples. The United States government used this to put pressure on the Church to abandon its practice of polygamy. Not surprisingly three years later in 1890, the Church issued a Manifesto stating that it would no longer practice plural marriage.
We also can find evidence that the Church did literally sell the temple to the exchangers during a time of peace. In 1923, the Church leadership used Church assets (including the Salt Lake Temple) as collateral to get a $30 million dollar loan from Chase National Bank. This capital was used to invest in a sugar beet company. The loan was repaid in the 1970s (likely in 1973, it being a 50 year loan). Interestingly, something else also occured around this time. The Edmund-Tucker Act was repealed in 1978, 91 years after it had been enacted. What do these events signify? Could a modern day Moses have been called around this time to lead the children of Israel into the desert? If so, then they have been wandering for over 30 years now. If their wandering period is to be the same as that of the ancient Israelites, then it will come to an end in 2018, when a modern day Joshua will be called to lead the people of God back to the Promised Land (Jackson County, Missouri). This would be the time of power spoken of in D&C 101. Moses’ administration was marked by waiting and purging. Joshua’s administration will be marked by power (marching and military conquest).
REFERENCES:
“At the time of the death of Brigham Young in 1877, there were twenty stakes in operation with a total of approximately 250 wards.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stake_(Latter_Day_Saints)
“Following the decision, the U.S. Attorney for Utah Territory reported seizing only $381,812 in assets. Real property, including LDS temples, was never seized although the ruling authorized it.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Corporation_of_the_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-Day_Saints_v._United_States
“In 1923, President Grant and his associates took out a $30 million loan, using the entire temple block in Salt Lake City as collateral. … The tabernacle, the lands, the Salt Lake Temple, Deseret Gymnasium, the Beehive House and everything in between was mortgaged to the hilt in order to finance various ‘business ventures.’ And, it was a mortgage that lasted into the 1970s. One of the chief financiers of this venture was Chase National Bank.”
“The act was repealed in 1978.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmunds%E2%80%93Tucker_Act
Also it should be noted that it was during President Heber J. Grant’s administration that not only was the temple mortgaged, but the Law of Consecration was replaced with the Law of Tithing. This is definitely a defining time in Church history.
The fact that the U.S. Constitution is also explained, later on in Section 101, lends strength to the argument that it is the “hedge” in the parable. In fact, I’ve even noticed, since I posted my first comment here, that non-members, who know little about the LDS and nothing about Section 101, let alone its parable, have referred to the Constitution as the “hedge of liberty.” Alex Jones was one of them.
The fact also that the Lord commanded the saints to teach each other things (D&C 88:77-80) that are never taught in Church today, and probably have never been on a stake and ward level, are precisely the sorts of things that would have enabled them to make ready and prevent the vineyard from falling into the hands of the destroyer, strengthens the argument that the Council of Fifty was the watch tower that was started but never finished, because it was considered as superfluous and a waste of money, something G.A. Smith ultimately dissed as a “debating school,” according to page 176-177 of Michael Quinn’s paper on the Council.
But it was precisely a “debating school” that would have proved most useful in preparing the saints all these years, because they met in secret and would not have been bound by the tax laws that came about decades later.
Finally, the fact that the twelve olive trees are the offices of the Quorum of the Twelve and not twelve settlements of the saints, is strengthened by the idea that the purpose of trees is to bear fruit, and the Twelve have produced much fruit since they were planted, fruit that the enemies of the Lord now want to “take upon themselves.”
Also, it’s worth noting that in D&C 103 Joseph is named by the Lord as the servant singled out and sent to gather the strength of his house, which implies a resurrected savior (Moses means “savior” and Smith was the prophet Joseph of Old prophesied would be “like unto Moses,” in gathering the elect in the latter days,)
The fact that the Jews have a rabbinical tradition of a descendant of Ephraim, Messiah Ben Joseph, who would gather the children of Israel, lead them out of captivity in a military march to Jerusalem, establish temple worship and a civil government there, conforms so perfectly to the leader in the parable, and the breaker in Bozrah deliverance of Micah 2, that it seems to leave little doubt in the parable’s proper interpretation.
Especially, now that we see the globalist cabal enabling Esau and creating Idumea in such a literal sense, everything seems to fit perfectly – alas!
Do you believe Joseph Smith to be the One Mighty & Strong? I personally do, since I’ve seen so much supporting evidence for it. I’ve been planning to write a blog on my findings for some time.
Yes, I do too.
Boy, I hope this doesn’t post twice, but I don’t see my comment, so I’m going to assume it was lost, when I had to log in after submitting it.
I’ll quote it to distinguish it:
Hey, sorry about that. It seems that when people first post here the spam filter catches their posts. When I logged in I approved your posts.
Howdy! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay. I’m definitely enjoying your blog and
look forward to new posts.
Concerning the unidentified other stakes, i am reading Heber c Kimball s biography written by Orson Whitney. On page 317 he describes a church conference on August 16 1841.
“They were also directed to build the cities which Joseph had designed, namely, Nauvoo, Zarahemla, Warren, Nashville and Ramus, and while attending to these duties in person, to send missionaries into different parts to preach the gospel”
turns out ramus is the same thing as macedonia
http://josephsmithpapers.org/place/ramus-illinois