Chapter Eight

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CHURCH HISTORY IN THE FULNESS OF TIMESJulia Murdock, but she died following their birth. Elder John Murdock wasleaving on a mission about this time and consented when Joseph asked if heand Emma could adopt the children. Emma and Joseph’s grief was eased, andthey willingly took the infants—a girl named Julia and a boy named Joseph—to raise as their own.G ENERAL C ONFERENCE IN O HIOCemetery across the street to the north of theKirtland Temple. Louisa and Thaddeus, the twinsborn to Joseph and Emma Smith, are buried inthis cemetery. Jerusha Smith (Hyrum’s wife) andMary Duty Smith (grandmother of the Prophet) arealso buried here.The fourth general conference of the Church convened in a schoolhousein Kirtland township on Friday, 3 June 1831. Many missionaries in Ohioreturned for the meetings. Minutes record that sixty-three priesthood holderswere in attendance. 29 In Joseph Smith’s words, “The Lord displayed Hispower to the most perfect satisfaction of the Saints” at the conference. 30 Afterthe opening business, Joseph announced that the Lord wanted worthy elders“ordained to the high priesthood.” 31 These were the first ordinations to theoffice of high priest in this dispensation. The Prophet ordained five brethrenhigh priests; one of them, Lyman Wight, ordained several more in the samemeeting. John Corrill and Isaac Morley were called to be counselors to BishopEdward Partridge and were set apart to that calling by Lyman Wight. 32During the conference the Spirit was with the Prophet in an “unusualmanner. And [he] prophesied that John the Revelator was then among theten tribes of Israel . . . to prepare them for their return from their longdispersion.” 33 The spirit of prophecy also rested upon Lyman Wight: “Hesaid the coming of the Savior should be like the sun rising in the east, andwill cover the whole earth.” He predicted that some of the brethren wouldsuffer martyrdom for the sake of their religion and would seal theirtestimony of Christ with their blood. 34 The Prophet Joseph, HarveyWhitlock, and Lyman Wight saw the heavens open and Jesus Christ sittingon the right hand of the Father. Lyman testified that he saw the Son of Godmaking intercession to the Father for the Saints. 35Not all that happened at the conference was good. As it had happened inprevious months, a manifestation of evil spirits appeared. Church historianJohn Whitmer related that “the devil took a notion, to make known hispower.” 36 Horrid noises shrieked through the meeting, and several men werethrown around violently by evil spirits. Harvey Green was thrown on thefloor in convulsions. The Prophet laid hands upon him and cast out an evilspirit. Harvey Whitlock and John Murdock were bound so they could notspeak. Joseph Smith said that all of this was a fulfillment of the scripturesstating that the “man of sin” would be revealed (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3).The Prophet saw the design of Satan and commanded him in the name ofChrist to depart, which he did to the “joy and comfort” of those present. 37These early experiences in Kirtland served as a warning to all Saints to avoidtampering with evil spirits and to avoid excessive spiritual zeal.Thus ended the first critical months of gathering the New York Saints toOhio and establishing the headquarters of the Church there. While members100
GATHERING TO OHIOexperienced several encounters with evil spirits, they also received valuableinstructions and saw the power of God overcome the power of the evil one.Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon resumed work on the inspired translationof the Bible. The eternal principles of the law of consecration were revealed,and further foundations were laid for the great latter-day missionary work.E NDNOTES1. In F. Mark McKiernan and Roger D.Launius, eds., An Early Latter Day SaintHistory: The Book of John Whitmer(Independence, Mo.: Herald PublishingHouse, 1980), p. 32–33.2. In McKiernan and Launius, An EarlyLatter Day Saint History, p. 35.3. See McKiernan and Launius, An EarlyLatter Day Saint History, p. 36.4. See “Journal of John Murdock,” Nov.1830–July 1859, LDS HistoricalDepartment, Salt Lake City.5. In History of the Church, 1:146.6. History of the Church, 1:146; this paragraphis derived from Milton V. Backman, Jr., TheHeavens Resound: A History of the Latter-daySaints in Ohio, 1830–1838 (Salt Lake City:Deseret Book Co., 1983), pp. 43–45.7. Lucy Mack Smith, History of JosephSmith, ed. Preston Nibley (Salt Lake City:Bookcraft, 1958), p. 196.8. Smith, History of Joseph Smith, pp. 200–205.9. Previous two paragraphs derived fromBackman, Heavens Resound, pp. 47, 49.10. History of the Church, 1:146.11. John Corrill, Brief History of the Churchof Christ of Latter Day Saints (St. Louis:John Corrill, 1839), p. 13; see also JosephSmith, “Try the Spirits,” Times and Seasons,1 Apr. 1842, p. 747.12. Corrill, Brief History of the Church, p. 13.13. In Times and Seasons, 1 Apr. 1842, p. 747;spelling standardized.14. History of the Church, 1:146.15. In McKiernan and Launius, An EarlyLatter Day Saint History, p. 42; spellingstandardized.16. Corrill, Brief History of the Church, p. 13.17. History of the Church, 1:158.18. History of the Church, 1:158.19. In History of the Church, 1:215–16; seealso Millennial Star, 31 Dec. 1864, p. 834.For a confirmation of the spelling of“Alice Johnson,” see photo on file of hergrave in Walnut Hill Cemetery in CouncilBluffs, Iowa.20. John Hayward, The Book of AllReligions (Concord, N. H.: I. S. Boyd andE. W. Buswell, 1843), pp. 83–84.21. See History of the Church, 1:167.22. Parley P. Pratt, ed., Autobiography ofParley P. Pratt, Classics in MormonLiterature series (Salt Lake City: DeseretBook Co., 1985), p. 47.23. In McKiernan and Launius, An EarlyLatter Day Saint History, p. 62; spellingand punctuation standardized.24. Pratt, Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt,p. 48; spelling, punctuation, andcapitalization standardized.25. Pratt, Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt,p. 48.26. Levi W. Hancock, “Levi HancockJournal,” LDS Historical Department, SaltLake City, p. 81.27. Previous three paragraphs derivedfrom Backman, Heavens Resound, p. 65.28. Derived from Backman, HeavensResound, p. 66. See also Larry C. Porter,“A Study of the Origins of The Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in theStates of New York and Pennsylvania,1816–1831,” Ph.D. diss., Brigham YoungUniversity, 1971, pp. 299–303.29. See Donald Q. Cannon and Lyndon W.Cook, eds., Far West Record: Minutes of TheChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,1830–1844 (Salt Lake City: Deseret BookCo., 1983), pp. 6–7.30. History of the Church, 1:175.31. In McKiernan and Launius, An EarlyLatter Day Saint History, p. 66; punctuationand capitalization standardized.32. See Cannon and Cook, Far WestRecord, p. 7.33. In McKiernan and Launius, An EarlyLatter Day Saint History, p. 66; punctuationand capitalization standardized.34. In McKiernan and Launius, An EarlyLatter Day Saint History, p. 67; punctuationstandardized.35. In McKiernan and Launius, An EarlyLatter Day Saint History, p. 67; see also“Levi Hancock Journal,” LDS HistoricalDepartment, Salt Lake City, pp. 91–92.36. In McKiernan and Launius, An EarlyLatter Day Saint History, p. 71.37. In McKiernan and Launius, An EarlyLatter Day Saint History, p. 71; see alsoHistory of the Church, 1:175.101
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Chapter Eight

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