Liberty Jail and the Prophet Joseph Smith

In 1838, at the height of the Great Apostasy when many important leaders were leaving the church, Joseph Smith was arrested and thrown in Liberty Jail. Although it was a great learning period for the church as it found ways to survive without its prophet, it was also a period of great growth for Joseph Smith. The prison bars may have separated him from his fellow saints but they seemed to bring him close to God. The prophesies seen in sections 121-123 of the Doctrine and Covenants show this growth.
First, Joseph Smith gained a greater eternal perspective regarding his suffering and the grace of God. This is easily seen in both sections 121 and 122. In Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-8 it reads, “peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and if thou endure it well…thou shalt triumph over all they foes”. I try and picture Joseph being in a prison cell so small he can’t even stand up straight, eating food that is quite possibly poisoned, and quickly losing hope of seeing his family again. Then I think of the great comfort this revelation must have brought to him. God is teaching Joseph that the things that seem horrible in this moment are really small compared to the grand eternal plan and that they must be endured well. Besides a greater eternal perspective, I think that Joseph learned to accept God’s will and was reminded of the suffering of others including Christ’s pains as he hung on the cross. This idea is further explored in section 122: 8 where it states, “The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?”. I find this verse as a great comfort to me when I feel the forces of evil knocking at my door. It is a reminder that God triumphs over all so I, just like Joseph Smith, should not fear the world.
Perhaps a more noticeable change in Joseph Smith was his seeming increase in confidence in public speaking. Before his imprisonment in 1839, people such as Parley P. Pratt and Sidney Rigdon often did the majority of public speaking and preaching in the church due to Joseph Smith’s lesser orating skills. After his Liberty Jail experience, however, Joseph Smith is recorded to have given numerous talks preaching and teaching the doctrine given in previous revelations. There are records of extremely powerful and moving talks given by this man that was previously considered a weak speaker. I believe this change occurred when Joseph was brought closer to God than he ever had been before. As he got to know the mercy of his Father in Heaven and learned better his role in the great spreading of the church, he was blessed with the ability to speak powerfully about the gospel he was about to sacrifice his life for. Joseph Smith’s whole experience in Liberty Jail shows how God and His gospel can change human character more than any earthly force.

Salvation for the Dead

Section 137 is one of my favorite passages in all of the Doctrine and Covenants because of its amazing description of the Celestial Kingdom from the mouth of someone who saw it first hand. Although Joseph Smith’s words (or any other human expression for that matter) could never do justice to the beauty and magnificence that is found in this highest degree of glory, what he is able to provide is still strikingly powerful. He talks of “transcendent beauty…circling flames” (vs.2) as well as “a blazing throne” and streets “paved with gold” (vs. 3-4). The beauty and serenity is such that our mortal minds cannot imagine it.
To Joseph Smith, and I would have to agree with him, the true beauty lies beyond these physical characteristics. The miracle lies within the atonement of Christ and the resulting ability we’ll have to reunite with loved ones on the other side of the veil. As is expected, Joseph sees people such as Adam and Abraham in the Celestial Kingdom, but perhaps less expected is the vision of his parents and particularly his brother Alvin who had never been baptized in the church. This introduces the doctrine of the salvation for the dead. We are taught that those who do not get the chance to accept the gospel in this life will be given that chance in the next, and those who go through mortality without truly learning of Christ will gain this knowledge after death.
This doctrine has great importance to me. About thirty years ago, my parents met and fell in love. After getting married, they were introduced to the gospel and were eventually baptized before bringing my brothers and me into the world. They were the only members of both of their families to accept the gospel, and to this day, we are still alone in our decision. It would be a tragedy if I were to die and make it to the Celestial Kingdom but never be able to see my cousins, aunts, uncles, or grandparents ever again because they had not gained a testimony of the truth. It makes perfect sense that a loving Heavenly Father would provide a way for these people, equally as righteous and noble as any member of the church, to have eternal life in His presence. In section 137 of the Doctrine and Covenants, Heavenly Father relates this very idea to Joseph Smith: “All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel who would have received it…shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God…For I the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts” (vs. 7-10). Our merciful Heavenly Father has made it so a righteous, humble, and honest person who goes through life with good intentions and faith can make it to His presence, whether they knew of His gospel or not. It is such a blessing and comfort to me to know that I will see my family and friends in the next life despite our differences in this one.

Special Collections

Just when I thought I had seen some of the best things at BYU, I was introduced to the Special Collections in the library. This area houses pioneer journals, stone carvings, metal plates from ancient Rome, Romantic era paintings, and countless other treasures. It was amazing to see and touch things from so long ago; some of the items there predate our civilization! My mind still has a hard time comprehending the significance of that amount of time.
When Brother Taylor read to us out of pioneer journals, he was reading out of the real journal rather than a Xeroxed copy. When he taught us about cuneiform, we got to see an ancient tablet with that exact writing rather than merely looking at a picture in a textbook. I was amazed at the various mediums that were written on such as papyrus, metal plates, animal skin, bones, and shells. I don’t think I can ever complain about having to type a paper again after imagining how hard it must have been to write on a metal sheet. Brother Taylor also showed a variety of ancient scripture that was almost a picture book it had so many fancy decoration, all of which seemed intact. Perhaps it’s just because I’m such a visual learner, but I was entranced at some of the things we saw!
Brother Taylor also shared many things with us concerning our course material in the Doctrine and Covenants. He emphasized the importance of an effective scribe, comparing the monks of the past to those men that helped Joseph Smith in translating the Book of Mormon including David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdry. Their countless hours of writing precious revelations from God have given modern society one of its most important treasures- the Book of Mormon. Those scribes knew the book to be true. Joseph’s relative lack of education is a testimony to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon; what is found in those pages could never have been dreamed up and written by a young, unlearned man from New York.
Finally, we discussed the publishing of the Book of Mormon and Gutenberg’s printing press. I feel that God played a large influence on the timing of that invention in order to help the word of His gospel spread to the corners of the earth. It’s little things like that that remind me of a Heavenly Father that really has the best interest of His children in mind.
Overall, this experience opened my eyes to some great accomplishments of people of the past. I also gained a great appreciation for all the work done by those that have spent years preserving records that benefit us greatly. My testimony has been strengthened in Joseph Smith, his work, and the scripture we have as a result of his faithfulness.

Suffering: Hold On a Little Longer

President Uchtdorf gave a talk recently entitled “Hold On a Little Longer” about the early members of the church in Kirtland, some of the adversity they went through, and the spiritual lessons that pulled them through. While many people today won’t suffer as the saints did in Kirtland, we all go through difficult times when we feel that nothing could possibly make the situation worse, but as we come to know our Heavenly Father and his unfathomable love for us, it becomes clear that the trials and suffering we go through bring blessings. To see these blessings however, we need to turn to the Lord. When I am going through a hard time, it isn’t until I stop pitying myself and choose to draw near unto the Lord that I feel better; His spirit and love is what gets me through. As President Uchtdorf says, “That is when we need, more than ever, to draw near unto the Lord. As we do, we will come to know what it means to have the Lord draw near unto us. As we seek Him ever more diligently, we will surely find Him” (Ensign, January 2010, pg.7). By turning to the Lord, we get to know Him better and are able to establish a better relationship with Him.
Suffering also has the ability to strengthen testimonies. Suffering isn't just about getting through, but about learning. If we endure our trials well and look for growing opportunities, they will most certainly be presented. As I look back on times I have suffered and how I have been able to recover from those times, my testimony of a loving Heavenly Father who knows me personally grows. My testimony of an eternal plan of happiness in which I can live with my Father is strengthened. The sufferings I have faced have never been more than I was able to handle because I have a Father in Heaven that knows my limits and will not allow me to suffer anything beyond them, thus the suffering becomes a powerful learning experience. I also know that as I am learning and growing, I am preparing to return to live with my Heavenly Father where I can only experience joy. A return to His presence and the eternal joy that awaits there makes any amount of suffering in this life worth going through, for this life is only a small moment in my eternal existence.
In times of suffering and feeling discouraged or abandoned, I try to remember Elder Uchtdorf’s encouraging message of “Hold on a Little Longer”. I know for a fact that no mater how alone I feel, there is always someone there looking out for me and that is my Savior, Jesus Christ. He bled in the Garden of Gethsemane, not only for my sins, but also for my sufferings and heartaches. He knows what I am feeling and is always willing to help if I will only turn to Him and allow him to do so. His hands are always outstretched just waiting for us to reach out and hold on.