Lesson 33: President Brigham Young Leads the Saints

Purpose

To help class members understand the process of succession in Church leadership and to show how Brigham Young began preparing the Saints for their journey west.

Preparation

• Prayerfully study the following scriptures and other materials:
  • Doctrine and Covenants 107:22–24.
  • Our Heritage, pages 66–71.
• To gain a greater understanding of historical events related to the doctrine in this lesson, consider reviewing the following:
  • "Preparation of Brigham Young: The Preparation of a Leader": This two-minute video gives background on Brigham Young. 
  • "Preparation of Brigham Young: A Friend of the Prophet Joseph Smith": This two-minute video describes Brigham Young's relationship with Joseph Smith.

Discussion and Application 

With the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith, many people predicted that the Church would cease to exist.

• What did such people fail to understand about the leadership of the Church?

  Read the following statement by President Joseph Fielding Smith:

  "No man of himself can lead this church. It is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ; he is at the head. …

  "He chooses men and calls them to be instruments in his hands to accomplish his purposes, and he guides and directs them in their labors. But men are only instruments in the Lord's hands, and the honor and glory for all that his servants accomplish is and should be ascribed unto him forever.

  "If this were the work of man, it would fail, but it is the work of the Lord, and he does not fail" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1970, 113; or Improvement Era, June 1970, 26).

Following the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Brigham Young became the leader of the Church through an inspired process of succession that continues in the Church today. This lesson discusses the process of succession in the Presidency of the Church and describes how Brigham Young began to prepare the Saints for their westward trek to the Salt Lake Valley.
 

1. The Prophet Joseph Smith gave the Twelve the keys of the kingdom and taught the principles of succession in the Presidency.

In Nauvoo in the winter of 1843–44, the Prophet Joseph Smith spent several days giving the Quorum of the Twelve their temple endowments and teaching them about their responsibilities. He told the Twelve that he had been concerned that he would soon die without having bestowed the keys of the kingdom on others. Wilford Woodruff, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve at the time, recalled the following words from the Prophet Joseph:

"Now, brethren, I thank God I have lived to see the day that I have been enabled to give you your endowments, and I have now sealed upon your heads all the powers of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods and Apostleship, with all the keys and powers thereof, which God has sealed upon me; and I now roll off all the labor, burden and care of this Church and Kingdom of God upon your shoulders, and I now command you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to round up your shoulders, and bear off this Church and Kingdom of God before heaven and earth, and before God, angels and men" (in James R. Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 vols. [1965–75], 3:134).

• An important principle relating to succession in the Presidency is recorded in D&C 107:22–24. What do these verses teach about the relationship of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles?
• Why is it important to understand this relationship between these two presiding quorums of the Church?
• President Harold B. Lee said: "The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that 'where the president is not, there is no First Presidency.' Immediately following the death of a President, the next ranking body, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, becomes the presiding authority, with the President of the Twelve automatically becoming the acting President of the Church until a President of the Church is officially ordained and sustained in his office" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1970, 123; or Improvement Era, June 1970, 28).

2. After Joseph Smith's martyrdom, the Twelve presided over the Church until Brigham Young was sustained as President.

When Joseph Smith died, the First Presidency was dissolved, and the Quorum of the Twelve became the presiding authority in the Church. Read Our Heritage, pages 66–67.

President Brigham Young

• What did Sidney Rigdon fail to understand about Church leadership? What was Brigham Young's initial response to the question of who would lead the Church? (See Our Heritage, page 66) What can we learn from Brigham Young's example?
• In the afternoon session of the meeting to discuss Church leadership, Brigham Young prophesied that those who did not follow the Twelve Apostles would not be successful and that only the Apostles would be able to build the kingdom of God (Our Heritage,page 67). How has this proved true in the history of the Church and in our own day?

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Saints voted unanimously to sustain the Quorum of the Twelve as the leaders of the Church (Our Heritage, page 67). The Quorum of the Twelve, with Brigham Young as President of the quorum, presided over the Church for three and one-half years. On 27 December 1847, the First Presidency was formally reorganized with Brigham Young as the President.

3. Before leaving Nauvoo, the Saints received temple ordinances.

At the same time the Saints were preparing to leave Nauvoo, they worked hard to complete the temple. As soon as the temple was ready, they gathered in large numbers to receive their temple ordinances. The following entries from President Brigham Young's journal show how anxious the Saints were to receive these ordinances:

"This morning there was an immense crowd at the reception room waiting for admission. … One hundred twenty-one persons received ordinances" (History of the Church, 7:565).

"Such has been the anxiety manifested by the saints to receive the ordinances [of the Temple], and such the anxiety on our part to administer to them, that I have given myself up entirely to the work of the Lord in the Temple night and day, not taking more than four hours of sleep, upon an average, per day, and going home but once a week.

"Elder Heber C. Kimball and the others of the Twelve Apostles were in constant attendance but in consequence of close application some of them have had to leave the Temple to rest and recruit their health" (History of the Church, 7:567).

Persecution against the Saints increased in January 1846. Early in February 1846, President Young announced that ordinances in the temple would cease so the Saints could leave Nauvoo. However, those who had not yet received the ordinances were not willing to depart. President Young recorded the following on 3 February 1846:

"Notwithstanding that I had announced that we would not attend to the administration of the ordinances, the House of the Lord was thronged all day, the anxiety being so great to receive, as if the brethren would have us stay here and continue the endowments until our way would be hedged up, and our enemies would intercept us. But I informed the brethren that this was not wise, and that we should build more Temples, and have further opportunities to receive the blessings of the Lord, as soon as the saints were prepared to receive them. In this Temple we have been abundantly rewarded, if we receive no more. I also informed the brethren that I was going to get my wagons started and be off. I walked some distance from the Temple supposing the crowd would disperse, but on returning I found the house filled to overflowing.

"Looking upon the multitude and knowing their anxiety, as they were thirsting and hungering for the word, we continued at work diligently in the House of the Lord. Two hundred and ninety-five persons received ordinances" (History of the Church, 7:579).
 

• What can we learn from the Saints' eagerness to receive temple ordinances? Why do you think it was so important that the Saints receive the temple ordinances before beginning their journey from Nauvoo? In what ways is the temple a source of strength and guidance to you?

Temple work continued for the rest of the week, and the temple was then closed. All together, nearly 6,000 Saints received their endowments before commencing their westward journey.

4. The Saints experienced trials and miracles as they began journeying west.

Some of the Saints began leaving Nauvoo on 4 February 1846. Read: "Preparing to Leave Nauvoo" and "The Trials of a Winter Trek" from Our Heritage, pages 69–70.

Because the Saints began leaving Nauvoo in the winter and were forced to make hurried preparations, they had a very difficult journey. One notable experience occurred in early February at Sugar Creek, approximately seven miles from Nauvoo on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River. On the first night of encampment at Sugar Creek, nine infants were born. The weather was extremely cold, and the Saints did not have adequate shelter. Eliza R. Snow recorded:

"Mothers gave birth to offspring under almost every variety of circumstances imaginable, except those to which they had been accustomed; some in tents, others in wagons—in rain-storms and in snow-storms. I heard of one birth which occurred under the rude shelter of a hut, the sides of which were formed of blankets fastened to poles stuck in the ground, with a bark roof through which the rain was dripping. Kind sisters stood holding dishes to catch the water as it fell, thus protecting the new-comer and its mother from a shower-bath. …

"Let it be remembered that the mothers of these wilderness-born babes were not … accustomed to roam the forest and brave the storm and tempest. … Most of them were born and educated in the Eastern States—had there embraced the gospel as taught by Jesus and his apostles, and, for the sake of their religion, had gathered with the saints, and under trying circumstances had assisted, by their faith, patience and energies, in making Nauvoo what its name indicates, 'the beautiful.' There they had lovely homes, decorated with flowers and enriched with choice fruit trees, just beginning to yield plentifully.

"To these homes … they had just bade a final adieu, and with what little of their substance could be packed into one, two, and in some instances, three wagons, had started out, desertward" (in Edward W. Tullidge, The Women of Mormondom [1877], 307–8).

• What impresses you about the Saints in this account?

By September 1846, most of the Saints had left Nauvoo and were scattered across Iowa in settlements they had prepared for the coming winter. Determined to drive the remaining Saints out of Nauvoo, mobs looted their homes and drove them down to the river. Some escaped across the river but were unable to take provisions or additional clothing. Those who were not able to escape were beaten or thrown into the river by the mob.

Refugee camps of five to six hundred homeless men, women, and children were scattered along two miles of the riverbank. Most had only blankets or brush for shelter and very little to eat. Many of them too sick to travel, and some died. Bishop Newel K. Whitney purchased some flour and distributed it as best he could, but this was not enough to sustain the people. Then the Lord provided for them in a miraculous way:

On 9 October, when food was in especially short supply, several large flocks of quail flew into camp and landed on the ground and even on tables. Many of them were caught, cooked, and eaten by the hungry Saints. To the faithful it was a sign of God's mercy to modern Israel as a similar incident had been to ancient Israel. (See B. H. Roberts, A Comprehensive History of the Church, 3:135–36.)

• What similar miracle did the Lord perform for the ancient Israelites? (See Exodus 16:12–15.) How has the Lord provided for you in times of need?

Lesson 32: “To Seal the Testimony”

Purpose

To teach class members about the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and to strengthen their testimonies of his calling as a prophet of God.

Preparation

This lesson discusses the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum.

It also discusses the contributions of the Prophet Joseph.

• Prayerfully study the following scriptures and other materials:
  • Doctrine and Covenants 135.
  • Our Heritage, pages 62–66.
• Review the material for this lesson in the Class Member Study Guide 
• To gain a greater understanding of historical events related to the doctrine in this lesson, consider reviewing the following:
  • "Remembering the Martyrdom"
  • "Ministry of Joseph Smith: Sealed His Testimony with His Blood."
  • Additional historical material for this lesson.
• Additional Reading:
  • The Prophet Joseph Smith - By Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge
  • Joseph, the Man and the Prophet - By Elder Dallin H. Oaks
  • Joseph Smith - By Elder Neil L. Andersen
  • Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration - By Brother Tad R. Callister

Discussion and Application

1. The Prophet Joseph Smith sealed his testimony with his blood.

• The Saints prospered for a few years in Nauvoo. The Church and the city grew rapidly, work on the temple progressed, and the Prophet Joseph Smith received many revelations. However, during 1843 and 1844, animosity against the Church increased. Enemies both inside and outside the Church began trying to destroy it. This opposition climaxed on 27 June 1844.
• Read the first five paragraphs of the section "The Martyrdom" from Our Heritage, pages 62–63. Also read D&C 135:4–5. D&C 135 was written by Elder John Taylor, who was wounded during the attack on the Prophet Joseph.
  • Why do you think the Prophet Joseph Smith could be as "calm as a summer's morning" when he knew he might be martyred at Carthage? 
  • What comfort do you think Joseph and Hyrum would have received from Ether 12:36–38?

The Prophet Joseph Smith

• Read D&C 135:1–2. Also read the following account of the martyrdom by Elder Willard Richards. Elder Richards was a friend of the Prophet and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. He was in Carthage Jail when the Prophet was martyred. His account begins as the mob arrived at the jail just after 5:00 p.m. on the afternoon of 27 June 1844:

"A shower of musket balls were thrown up the stairway against the door of the prison in the second story, followed by many rapid footsteps. …
"… A ball was sent through the door, which passed between us, and showed that our enemies were desperadoes. …
"… Joseph Smith, Mr. Taylor and myself sprang back to the front part of the room, and … Hyrum Smith retreated two-thirds across the chamber directly in front of and facing the door.
"A ball was sent through the door which hit Hyrum on the side of his nose, when he fell backwards, extended at length, without moving his feet.
"From the holes in his [clothing], it appears evident that a ball must have been thrown from without, through the window, which entered his back on the right side, and passing through, lodged against his watch. … At the same instant the ball from the door entered his nose.
"As he struck the floor he exclaimed emphatically, 'I am a dead man.' Joseph looked towards him and responded, 'Oh, dear brother Hyrum!' and opening the door two or three inches with his left hand, discharged one barrel of a six shooter (pistol) at random in the entry. … A ball [from the musket of one of the mob] grazed Hyrum's breast, and entering his throat passed into his head, while other muskets were aimed at him and some balls hit him.
"Joseph continued snapping his revolver round the casing of the door into the space as before … , while Mr. Taylor with a walking stick stood by his side and knocked down the bayonets and muskets which were constantly discharging through the doorway. …
"When the revolver failed, we had no more firearms, and expected an immediate rush of the mob, and the doorway full of muskets, half way in the room, and no hope but instant death from within.
"Mr. Taylor rushed into the window, which is some fifteen or twenty feet from the ground. When his body was nearly on a balance, a ball from the door within entered his leg, and a ball from without struck his watch … in his vest pocket near the left breast, … the force of which ball threw him back on the floor, and he rolled under the bed which stood by his side. …
"Joseph attempted, as the last resort, to leap [from] the same window from whence Mr. Taylor fell, when two balls pierced him from the door, and one entered his right breast from without, and he fell outward, exclaiming, 'Oh Lord, my God!' … He fell on his left side a dead man" (History of the Church, 6:619–20).
Elder John Taylor was shot four times but recovered from his wounds. In fulfillment of a prophecy that the Prophet had made more than a year before, Elder Willard Richards received no wounds. Elder Richards recalled that in this prophecy, the Prophet had told him that "the time would come that the balls would fly around him like hail, and he should see his friends fall on the right and on the left, but that there should not be a hole in his garment" (History of the Church, 6:619).



Carthage Jail. Here the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred on 27 June 1844.

• Read D&C 135:6. 
  • What are your feelings as you think about the sacrifice the Prophet and his brother Hyrum made for their testimonies of the gospel?
• Before Joseph Smith Sr. died, he gave the Prophet a blessing and told him: "You shall even live to finish your work. … You shall live to lay out the plan of all the work which God has given you to do" (quoted in Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, ed. Preston Nibley [1958], 309–10). Joseph Smith valiantly completed his mission, doing all that God asked him to do.
• From what you know about the Prophet Joseph Smith's life, what impresses you most about him?

2. The Prophet Joseph Smith did more for the salvation of men in this world than anyone except Jesus.

• Read D&C 135:3. 
  • According to this verse, what were some of the Prophet Joseph Smith's major achievements? 
  • In what ways did he do "more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it"? 
    • Answers could include that his work blessed not only the Saints of this dispensation, but also the billions of people who have lived at all other times without receiving the blessings of the gospel or the saving ordinances of the priesthood. 
• We can better appreciate the Prophet's life and mission when we review how his many contributions bless our daily lives and will bless us eternally.

Truths about the Godhead

• What truths about the Godhead were restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith? (See D&C 130:22–23; Joseph Smith—History 1:17; and the following quotation.) 
  • In a sermon given at the funeral of Elder King Follett on 7 April 1844, the Prophet Joseph Smith taught:
    "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible,—I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with him, as one man talks and communes with another" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 345).
• Why are the truths about the Godhead that were restored through Joseph Smith important to us? 
  • Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve said: "Knowledge of God is the greatest truth in all eternity. … Joseph Smith came to reveal God, in a day of almost total spiritual darkness, in a day when men no longer knew the nature and kind of Being whom they should worship" ("This Generation Shall Have My Word through You," Ensign, June 1980, 55).

The authority of the priesthood

• Through Joseph Smith, heavenly messengers restored the Aaronic Priesthood, the Melchizedek Priesthood, and keys of the priesthood (D&C 13; 110:11–16). As the Restoration unfolded, the Lord gave revelations about priesthood offices, organization, covenants, ordinances, duties, and blessings. We would not understand the priesthood or how it operates without these revelations.
• What blessings do you have in your life because of the priesthood? 
• How can we show our appreciation for the blessings of the priesthood?

Truths about our origin and relationship to God

• What truths about our origin and relationship to God were restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith? 
  • Answers could include that we are literally the spirit children of God and that we lived with Him before we were born on earth. See D&C 76:23–24; Abraham 3:22–28.
• How is the knowledge that you are literally a child of God a blessing in your life?

Scriptures

• Elder Bruce R. McConkie said that the Prophet Joseph Smith "has given to our present world more holy scripture than any single prophet who ever lived" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1976, 142; or Ensign, May 1976, 95). These scriptures include the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.
• While serving in the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley said: "[Joseph Smith] translated and published the Book of Mormon, a volume of 522 pages which has since been retranslated into [many] languages and which is accepted by millions across the earth as the word of God. The revelations he received and other writings he produced are likewise scripture to these millions. The total in book pages constitutes the equivalent of almost the entire Old Testament of the Bible, and it all came through one man in the space of a few years" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1977, 96; or Ensign, May 1977, 65).
• How have the scriptures that were brought forth through the Prophet Joseph Smith been a blessing in your life?

Truths about the plan of salvation

• What truths about the plan of salvation were restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith?
• How has knowing these truths been a blessing in your life?

Truths about the salvation of the dead

• What truths about the salvation of the dead were restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith? 
  • Answers could include that we can perform vicarious baptisms in temples for those who died without receiving this ordinance. See D&C 128:18. 
  • Why are these truths important?
• The salvation of the dead is one of the most enlarging and inspiring doctrines restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

The building of temples and the performance of temple ordinances

• What are some of the blessings that have come into your life because of temples and temple ordinances?

Other contributions

• Other contributions of the Prophet Joseph Smith:

a. The Church was restored through him.
b. He began the work in this dispensation of taking the gospel to all nations and gathering Israel.
c. The law of consecration was revealed through him.
d. The Word of Wisdom was revealed through him.
e. Information about the building of the latter-day Zion was revealed through him.
f. He wrote the Articles of Faith.

• Why is it important that we each have a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God? 
  • How did your testimony of Joseph Smith's calling develop? 
  • How has this year's study of the Doctrine and Covenants strengthened your testimony?
• How can we show our gratitude for the life and mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith?

Lesson 31: “Sealed … for Time and for All Eternity”

Purpose

To help class members understand that eternal marriage is an essential part of Heavenly Father's plan, to help youth prepare for eternal marriage, and to encourage married couples to abide in the marriage covenant.

Preparation

• Prayerfully study Doctrine and Covenants 131:1–4; 132:4–33; and the other scriptures in this lesson.
• Review the material for this lesson in the Class Member Study Guide (35686).
• To gain a greater understanding of historical events related to the doctrine in this lesson, consider reviewing the following:
  • "Our Hearts Rejoiced to Hear Him Speak": This article gives context for the revelations now found in Doctrine and Covenants 129, 130, and 131.
  • "Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints": This Gospel Topics essay discusses the origins of plural marriage in the Church, the practice in early Utah, and the end of plural marriage in the 1890s and early 1900s. 
  • "Mercy Thompson and the Revelation on Marriage": This article tells the story of Mercy Thompson to introduce early teachings on eternal and plural marriage. 
  • "The Messenger and the Manifesto": This article gives historical context for Official Declaration 1. 

Discussion and Application 

1. Eternal marriage is essential in Heavenly Father's plan.

Read D&C 131:1–4; 132:4–33. These passages contain revelations from the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith about eternal marriage. Elder Parley P. Pratt, one of the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve in this dispensation, recalled his feelings when he first heard the Prophet Joseph teach these doctrines:

"I had loved before, but I knew not why. But now I loved—with a pureness—an intensity of elevated, exalted feeling, which would lift my soul. … I felt that God was my heavenly Father indeed; that Jesus was my brother, and that the wife of my bosom was an immortal, eternal companion. … In short, I could now love with the spirit and with the understanding also" (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt [1975], 298).

• The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have declared that "marriage between man and woman is essential to [God's] eternal plan" ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102; see also D&C 49:15).
  
  Why is marriage an essential part of God's eternal plan? (See D&C 131:1–4;1 Corinthians 11:11.)
  
  Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve said: "The sweet companionship of eternal marriage is one of the greatest blessings God has granted to His children. Certainly, the many years I have shared with my beautiful companion have brought me the deepest joys of my life. From the beginning of time, marital companionship of husband and wife has been fundamental to our Heavenly Father's great plan of happiness. Our lives are touched for good, and we are both edified and ennobled as we savor the sweet blessings of association with dear members of the family" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1997, 42; or Ensign,Nov. 1997, 32).
  
  President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve taught: "The ultimate purpose of all we teach is to unite parents and children in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they are happy at home, sealed in an eternal marriage, linked to their generations, and assured of exaltation in the presence of our Heavenly Father" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1995, 8; or Ensign, May 1995, 8).
  
  President Joseph Fielding Smith said: "Marriage, as understood by Latter-day Saints, is a covenant ordained to be everlasting. It is the foundation for eternal exaltation, for without it there could be no eternal progress in the kingdom of God" (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 2:58).
• If a husband and wife are not married in the temple for time and eternity, what will be the status of their marriage when one of them dies? (See D&C 132:7, 15–18.)
• When a man and woman are married for time and eternity in the temple, they make a covenant with the Lord. What blessings will they receive if they are true to their covenant? (See D&C 131:1–4; 132:19–24, 30–31.)
• What blessings does temple marriage bring in mortality?

2. Youth should prepare now for eternal marriage.

• Why do you think temple marriage is emphasized so much to the youth of the Church?
  
  President Spencer W. Kimball said: "Marriage is perhaps the most vital of all … decisions and has the most far-reaching effects, for it has to do not only with immediate happiness, but also with eternal joys. It affects not only the two people involved, but also their families and particularly their children and their children's children down through the many generations" ("Oneness in Marriage," Ensign, Mar. 1977, 3).
• What are some things that young men and women can do to prepare to be married in the temple?
• How does dating during teenage years influence marriage later in life?

3. After a husband and wife are sealed in the temple, they must abide in the covenant to receive the promised blessings.

"I was just sure the first ten years would be bliss. But during our first year together I discovered … there were a lot of adjustments. Of course, they weren't the kind of thing you ran home to mother about. But I cried into my pillow now and again. The problems were almost always related to learning to live on someone else's schedule and to do things someone else's way. We loved each other, there was no doubt about that. But we also had to get used to each other. I think every couple has to get used to each other." Sister Marjorie P. Hinckley, wife of President Gordon B. Hinckley (in Sheri L. Dew, Go Forward with Faith: The Biography of Gordon B. Hinckley[1996], 118).

It takes love, work, and dedication to have a successful marriage. When a man and woman are sealed in the temple, they will receive the promised blessings only if they "abide in [the] covenant" (D&C 132:19).

• Read D&C 42:22. This commandment applies equally to men and women. What does it mean to love a husband or wife with all one's heart? What does it mean to cleave to a husband or wife and none else?
  President Spencer W. Kimball explained:
  "When the Lord says all thy heart, it allows for no sharing nor dividing nor depriving. …
  
  "The words none else eliminate everyone and everything. The spouse then becomes preeminent in the life of the husband or wife, and neither social life nor occupational life nor political life nor any other interest nor person nor thing shall ever take precedence over the companion spouse. …
  
  "Marriage presupposes total allegiance and total fidelity. Each spouse takes the partner with the understanding that he or she gives totally to the spouse all the heart, strength, loyalty, honor, and affection, with all dignity. Any divergence is sin; any sharing of the heart is transgression. As we should have 'an eye single to the glory of God,' so should we have an eye, an ear, a heart single to the marriage and the spouse and family" (Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972], 142–43).
  
  President Gordon B. Hinckley gave this simple counsel to married couples: "Be fiercely loyal one to another" (Ensign, Feb. 1999, 4).
• When a man and woman are married in the temple, they covenant to be true to one another and to be true to the Lord. What are some things that married couples can do to strengthen their love for each other and for the Lord?

4. Faithful Saints will not be denied the blessings of eternity

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve counseled:

"We know that many worthy and wonderful Latter-day Saints currently lack the ideal opportunities and essential requirements for their progress. Singleness, childlessness, death, and divorce frustrate ideals and postpone the fulfillment of promised blessings. In addition, some women who desire to be full-time mothers and homemakers have been literally compelled to enter the full-time workforce. But these frustrations are only temporary. The Lord has promised that in the eternities no blessing will be denied his sons and daughters who keep the commandments, are true to their covenants, and desire what is right.

"Many of the most important deprivations of mortality will be set right in the Millennium, which is the time for fulfilling all that is incomplete in the great plan of happiness for all of our Father's worthy children. We know that will be true of temple ordinances. I believe it will also be true of family relationships and experiences" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1993, 101; or Ensign, Nov. 1993, 75).

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve counseled: "If you are single and haven't identified a solid prospect for celestial marriage, live for it. Pray for it. Expect it in the timetable of the Lord. Do not compromise your standards in any way that would rule out that blessing on this or the other side of the veil. The Lord knows the intent of your heart. His prophets have stated that you will have that blessing as you consistently live to qualify for it. We do not know whether it will be on this or the other side of the veil. But live for it. Pray for it" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1999, 33; or Ensign, May 1999, 27).

5. Plural marriage

In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Jacob taught: "For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife. … [But] if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things" (Jacob 2:27, 30). At various times throughout biblical history, the Lord commanded people to practice plural marriage. For example, He gave this command to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon (D&C 132:1).

The revelation to practice plural marriage in this dispensation

In this dispensation, the Lord commanded some of the early Saints to practice plural marriage. The Prophet Joseph Smith and those closest to him, including Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, were challenged by this command, but they obeyed it. Church leaders regulated the practice. Those entering into it had to be authorized to do so, and the marriages had to be performed through the sealing power of the priesthood. See also:

1. Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
2. Mercy Thompson and the Revelation on Marriage
3. The Messenger and the Manifesto

The Church's position on plural marriage today

In 1890, President Wilford Woodruff received a revelation that the leaders of the Church should cease teaching the practice of plural marriage (Official Declaration 1, pages 291–92 in the Doctrine and Covenants; see also the excerpts from addresses by President Woodruff that immediately follow Official Declaration 1).

In 1998, President Gordon B. Hinckley made the following statement about the Church's position on plural marriage: "This Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not members of this Church. … If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 92; or Ensign,Nov. 1998, 71).

Plural marriage in the eternities

Latter-day Saints today do not practice polygamy. However, because temple marriage covenants are eternal in nature, some Saints may have questions about plural marriage in the eternities. Elder Dallin H. Oaks, who remarried after his first wife died, explained that although we do not know everything about the eternities, we do know that if we are faithful, our temple marriage covenants are eternal in nature: "There are a lot of people that live on this earth that have been married to more than one person. Sometimes those marriages have ended with death; sometimes they've ended with divorce. … For people who live in the belief, as I do, that marriage relations can be for eternity, then you must say, 'What will life be in the next life, when you're married to more than one wife for eternity?' I have to say I don't know. But I know that I've made those covenants, and I believe if I am true to the covenants that the blessing that's anticipated here will be realized in the next life" (in "Elder Oaks Interview Transcript from PBS Documentary," July 20, 2007, mormonnewsroom.org).

Lesson 30: “The Prisoners Shall Go Free”

Purpose

To help class members rejoice in their opportunity to provide ordinances for the dead.

Preparation

• Prayerfully study the following scriptures and other materials:
  • Doctrine and Covenants 2; 124:25–55; 127; 128; Joseph Smith—History 1:36–39.
  • Our Heritage, pages 58–61, information under "The Nauvoo Temple."
• Review the material for this lesson in the Class Member Study Guide.
• To gain a greater understanding of historical events related to the doctrine in this lesson, consider reviewing the following:
  • "Letters on Baptism for the Dead."
  • Additional historical material for this lesson.
• Additional Reading
  • Why Do We Baptize for the Dead? By Elder D. Todd Christofferson
  • The Spirit of Elijah by President Russell M. Nelson
  • Roots and Branches by Elder Quentin L. Cook

Discussion and Application

1. Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord revealed the doctrine of priesthood ordinances for the dead.

• Why do we perform ordinances for the dead?
  • All people must have the opportunity to hear the gospel and receive the saving ordinances of the priesthood. People who did not receive these blessings during mortality will have that opportunity in the spirit world. Because they do not have physical bodies in the spirit world, they cannot receive the ordinances themselves. However, we can receive the ordinances in their behalf. Individuals in the spirit world then choose whether to accept or reject the ordinances that have been performed for them.
• The Lord began teaching Joseph Smith about work for the dead very early in the Prophet's ministry (Joseph Smith—History 1:36–39; heading to D&C 2; 2:1–3). 
  • President Gordon B. Hinckley commented on this teaching:
    • "It is tremendously significant to me that … this repetition of the wondrous words of Malachi concerning the work for the dead, was given to the boy Joseph four years before he was allowed to take the plates from the hill. It was given before he received either the Aaronic or Melchizedek Priesthood, before he was baptized, and well before the Church was organized. It says much concerning the priority of this work in the plan of the Lord" ("A Century of Family History Service," Ensign, Mar. 1995, 61).
• On 15 August 1840, the Prophet Joseph preached at the funeral of a Church member named Seymour Brunson. As part of his sermon, he read extensively from 1 Corinthians 15, which includes a reference to baptism for the dead (verse 1 Corinthians 15:29). Then he announced that the Saints could be baptized in behalf of their friends and relatives who had died without receiving the gospel. He declared that the plan of salvation was intended to save everyone who was willing to obey the requirements of the law of God. After this sermon, Church members began performing baptisms for the dead in the nearby Mississippi River. (See Journal History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 15 Aug. 1840.)

2. The Lord commanded the Saints to build a temple in Nauvoo.

• On 19 January 1841, several months after the Saints had begun performing baptisms for the dead, the Lord commanded them to build a temple in Nauvoo (D&C 124:25–27).
• What reasons did the Lord give for this commandment?

a. D&C 124:28, 40–41. (To reveal additional priesthood ordinances.)
b. D&C 124:29–30, 33. (To provide a place to perform baptisms for the dead.)
c. D&C 124:55. (To have the Saints prove their faithfulness in keeping His commandments so He could bless them with honor, immortality, and eternal life.)

• The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple built in this dispensation. One of the primary purposes of this temple was to provide a place for the Saints to perform ordinances such as baptisms and confirmations for the dead, the endowment, and temple marriage. These ordinances were not performed in the Kirtland Temple.
• The Saints made great sacrifices to obey the commandment to build this temple.  (See Our Heritage (pages 58–60, first four paragraphs under "The Nauvoo Temple").
• What impresses you about the sacrifices made by the early Saints in building the Nauvoo Temple?
• For a short time, the Lord permitted the Saints to continue performing baptisms for the dead in the Mississippi River (D&C 124:31–32; History of the Church, 4:xxxviii). But on 3 October 1841, the Prophet Joseph announced that "there shall be no more baptisms for the dead, until the ordinance can be attended to in the Lord's House" (History of the Church, 4:426). On 8 November 1841, Brigham Young dedicated a temporary but carefully crafted wooden baptismal font in the basement of the unfinished temple (History of the Church, 4:446–47). Today all ordinances for the dead must be performed in temples.
• What can we learn from the Saints' determination to build a baptismal font before the temple was completed?
• What are some of your feelings about redeeming the dead?
• Do you think the saints today are as anxious to do the work as the early Saints were?

3. We should be enthusiastic and joyful in our efforts to perform baptisms for the dead.

• Some baptisms for the dead were done in New Testament times following the Resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:29). However, the great work of providing saving ordinances for the dead is now the responsibility of Church members in this dispensation. 
• Members of the Church who are 12 and older, including new converts, can be baptized for the dead. To be able to be baptized for the dead, a member must hold a current temple recommend. Male members must hold the priesthood.
• Read D&C 128:15. 
  • In what ways do the dead depend on us for their salvation? 
  • In what ways does our salvation depend on the salvation of the dead? (See D&C 128:17–18 and the following quotations.) 
    • President Gordon B. Hinckley said: "That which goes on in the House of the Lord … comes nearer to the spirit of sacrifice of the Lord than any other activity of which I know. Why? Because it is done by those who give freely of time and substance, without any expectation of thanks or reward, to do for others that which they cannot do for themselves" (Ensign, Mar. 1995, 62–63).
    • Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Quorum of the Twelve said: "In our preexistent state, in the day of the great council, we made a certain agreement with the Almighty. The Lord proposed a plan, conceived by him. We accepted it. Since the plan is intended for all men, we become parties to the salvation of every person under that plan. We agreed, right then and there, to be not only saviors for ourselves, but … saviors for the whole human family. We went into a partnership with the Lord. The working out of the plan became then not merely the Father's work, and the Savior's work, but also our work. The least of us, the humblest, is in partnership with the Almighty in achieving the purpose of the eternal plan of salvation" ("The Worth of Souls," Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Oct. 1934, 189).
• Read D&C 2. How can performing baptisms for the dead help us turn our hearts to our ancestors?
• How do you feel knowing that through baptisms for the dead you can help others receive salvation.
• Read D&C 128:19, 22–24. 
  • According to these verses, what should our attitude be about the gospel and about performing baptisms for the dead? 
  • Why does the subject of baptisms for the dead bring such gladness, both to the living and the dead?
• How did you feel when you first learned that you could be baptized for your deceased family members.

Conclusion
The prophet Joseph Smith called the work of redeeming the dead the "most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel."