Revelation, 24 February 1834 [D&C 103]
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Source Note
Revelation, , Geauga Co., OH, 24 Feb. 1834. Featured version copied [possibly ca. late Apr. 1834 but before 18 Aug. 1834] in Orson Hyde and Orson Pratt, Notebook of Revelations, pp. [7]–[18]; handwriting of ; Revelations Collection, CHL. Includes redactions.Orson Hyde and Orson Pratt, Notebook of Revelations, [ca. 1834]; handwriting of and ; forty-nine pages; Revelations Collection, CHL. Includes redactions.This notebook measures 5⅞ × 4 inches (15 × 10 cm) and contains fifty-six leaves. The paper is horizontally ruled with eighteen faint or no longer visible blue lines. The notebook does not have a cover but is bound with thread. It contains copies of four 1834 revelations and was kept by and in . Two later redactions were made on the leaves containing the 24 February 1834 revelation. At the top of page seven is inscribed “Sec. 103” in pencil in an unidentified hand. Following the text of this revelation, Orson Hyde inscribed in ink, “Copied by O Hyde 18 augt. 1834.” This notation indicates when Hyde copied this revelation into Revelation Book 2. Beginning in the mid-twentieth century, this record was associated with items that were received by the Church Historian’s Office from descendants of James Henry Rollins. It is unclear, however, if this notebook follows that same chain of custody.
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Historical Introduction
JS dictated a revelation on 24 February 1834 that instructed the how to restore members to their lands, from which they had been driven in the fall of 1833. The same day that this revelation was dictated, and , who had traveled from Missouri to , Ohio, reported to the Kirtland on the condition of the Missouri members, most of whom had taken refuge in . Pratt and Wight also asked the high council “how and by what means was to be redeemed from our enemies.” JS then volunteered to lead an expedition to Missouri to assist in Zion’s redemption, and thirty or forty others stated they would go with him. Before adjourning, the council appointed JS as “Commander in Chief of the Armies of Israel and the leader of those who volunteered to go.”Extant records do not state whether this revelation was dictated before, during, or after the high council meeting. The revelation is addressed to the Lord’s “Friends,” a term other revelations used to refer to , suggesting that it may have been dictated in a gathering such as the high council. A September 1832 revelation, for example, explained that “Gods High priests” were the “friends” of Jesus Christ. Yet it is difficult to determine whether the revelation motivated the decisions of JS and others in the high council or whether those decisions were affirmed by the revelation’s dictation. Regardless, the revelation addressed many of the issues discussed in the high council meeting.The revelation also reiterated promises made in a 16–17 December 1833 revelation that the Lord would allow church members to return to and the lands of their inheritance if they hearkened to his counsel. It also reemphasized the December revelation’s message that Zion would be redeemed when the Lord’s servant—designated in this February 1834 revelation as JS—led “the strength of mine house,” which was the Lord’s “wariors my young men and they that are of middle age,” to , where they would “break down the walls of mine enemies th[r]ow down their tower and scatte[r] their watchmen.” In addition, the revelation gave instructions on how to recruit men for such an expedition and stated that between one and five hundred men would be necessary to redeem Zion.JS and others quickly acted on the revelation’s directions. Just two days later, he and “started from home to obtain volenteers for ,” and and did the same. and , also appointed in the revelation as recruiters, apparently left on 28 February. It is not clear when and , the other pair assigned in the revelation to recruit members for the expedition, departed, but reported that Hyrum Smith was at ’s home in , New York, on 15 March 1834. For the next several weeks, these eight men held meetings in which they preached, recruited volunteers, and raised funds to help restore the refugees to their homes in . These activities ultimately resulted in the formation of the , an expedition of more than two hundred individuals that marched to , Missouri, in the summer of 1834.By May 1834, the 24 February revelation was apparently known among those outside of the as well. For example, a Norwalk, Ohio, newspaper article stated that “in obedience to a revelation communicated to their great Prophet, Joseph Smith, three hundred young men are to ‘go well armed and equipped to defend the promised land in .’”Three early manuscript copies of the revelation exist. One—the text featured here—was inscribed by , probably not long after the revelation was dictated and possibly before Pratt left on 26 February 1834 for . made the second version when he copied the text into Revelation Book 2 in August 1834. also made a copy of the revelation in Revelation Book 1, possibly sometime in the summer of 1834 after JS and the Camp of Israel had reached . The three copies are identical except for minor differences in punctuation and capitalization.
Footnotes
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1
For additional information on the historical context of this revelation, see Minutes, 24 Feb. 1834.
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2
Parley P. Pratt et al., “‘The Mormons’ So Called,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Extra, Feb. 1834, [1]–[2].
The Evening and the Morning Star. Independence, MO, June 1832–July 1833; Kirtland, OH, Dec. 1833–Sept. 1834.
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4
Revelation, 22–23 Sept. 1832 [D&C 84:63, 77]. Several other revelations dictated in late 1832 and throughout 1833 also referred to the high priests to whom the revelations were directed as “friends.” (See, for example, Revelation, 27–28 Dec. 1832 [D&C 88:3, 62]; Revelation, 6 May 1833 [D&C 93:45]; and Revelation, 6 Aug. 1833 [D&C 98:1].)
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5
Revelation, 16–17 Dec. 1833 [D&C 101:55–57].
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6
JS, Journal, 26–28 Feb. 1834; Pratt, Diary, 26–27 Feb. 1834.
Pratt, Orson. Journal, 1833–1837. Orson Pratt, Autobiography and Journals, 1833–1847. CHL. MS 587, fds. 2–4.
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7
Wight, Journal, in History of the Reorganized Church, 1:402; Murdock, Journal, 15 Mar. 1834.
The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 8 vols. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1896–1976.
Murdock, John. Journal, ca. 1830–1859. John Murdock, Journal and Autobiography, ca. 1830–1867. CHL. MS 1194, fd. 2.
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8
See, for example, Pratt, Autobiography, 116–122; Pratt, Diary, 26 Feb.–20 Apr. 1834; JS, Journal, 4–7 Mar. 1834; and Minutes, 17 Mar. 1834.
Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.
Pratt, Orson. Journal, 1833–1837. Orson Pratt, Autobiography and Journals, 1833–1847. CHL. MS 587, fds. 2–4.
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9
See Backman, Profile, appendix E; Account with the Church of Christ, ca. 11–29 Aug. 1834.
Backman, Milton V., Jr., comp. A Profile of Latter-day Saints of Kirtland, Ohio, and Members of Zion’s Camp, 1830–1839: Vital Statistics and Sources. 2nd ed. Provo, UT: Department of Church History and Doctrine and Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1983.
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10
“Mormonism,” Huron Reflector (Norwalk, OH), 20 May 1834, [2], italics in original.
Huron Reflector. Norwalk, OH. 1830–1852.
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11
Pratt, Diary, 26 Feb. 1834.
Pratt, Orson. Journal, 1833–1837. Orson Pratt, Autobiography and Journals, 1833–1847. CHL. MS 587, fds. 2–4.
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12
Revelation Book 2, pp. 108–111 [D&C 103].
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13
Revelation Book 1, pp. 189–192 [D&C 103].
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1
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