Church History
Doctrine and Covenants 102–105


Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources: Doctrine and Covenants 102–105, Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources (2020)

Doctrine and Covenants 102–105, Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources

Doctrine and Covenants 102–105

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River with green trees overhanging each bank.

Fishing River, Missouri, USA, where Joseph Smith received a revelation in June 1834 calling for a peaceful redemption of Zion and a future endowment from on high in the Kirtland Temple.

Texts

Historical background and the earliest manuscript of each revelation, as published in The Joseph Smith Papers

Revised Minutes, 18–19 February 1834 [D&C 102]

On 17 February 1834, at a meeting that included priesthood holders and other members of the church, Joseph Smith oversaw the initial organization of a standing “Presidents Church Council” in Kirtland, Ohio. More …

Revelation, 24 February 1834 [D&C 103]

Joseph Smith dictated a revelation on 24 February 1834 that instructed the church how to restore Missouri members to their Jackson County lands. More …

Revelation, 23 April 1834 [D&C 104]

This 23 April 1834 revelation contains instructions for the reorganization of the United Firm, which had served as an important administrative structure since that time. More …

Revelation, 22 June 1834 [D&C 105]

Joseph Smith dictated this 22 June 1834 revelation at the campsite of the Camp of Israel on the property of John Cooper, a church member who lived about four miles north of Fishing River in Clay County, Missouri. More …

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Photograph of a thimble.

Brigham Young took this thimble with him on his expedition with the Camp of Israel (Zion’s Camp). He used it to mend a tear in his tent.

Thimble, owned by Brigham Young, 1830s, metal, Church History Museum.

People

Biographical facts and historical images of individuals associated with the revelations

Historical Background

Conference Minutes, 17 February 1834

This day, Feb. 17 1834, a conference of High Priests assembled in Kirtland at the House of bro. Joseph Smith Jun. More …

Revelations in Context

Essays on the background of each revelation

Restoring the Ancient Order

D&C 102, 107

Revelations helped the Saints understand how to harness the power of shared inspiration while dividing the complex demands of Church administration. More …

The Acceptable Offering of Zion’s Camp

D&C 103, 105

Twenty-two-year-old Nathan Baldwin was startled when, in the midst of preaching the gospel in Connecticut in February 1834, he felt a prompting to “go west.” More …

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Map showing the route of the Camp of Israel, 1834

Camp of Israel Route May–June 1834

Newel K. Whitney and the United Firm

D&C 70, 78, 82, 92, 96, 104

On January 11, 1834, six members of the firm, including Whitney, prayed that the Lord “would provide, in the order of his Providence, the bishop of this Church with means sufficient to discharge every debt that the Firm owes, in due season.” More …

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days

Narrative history of events surrounding the revelations

Volume 1, Chapter 18

The Camp of Israel

Wilford Woodruff listened to Parley Pratt recount the Lord’s latest revelation to Joseph Smith. It called on the Saints to raise five hundred men to march with the prophet to Missouri. More …

Volume 1, Chapter 19

Stewards over This Ministry

More loans and donations came to the church that winter, but Joseph knew they would still not be enough to cover the growing cost of the temple. More …

Volume 1, Chapter 22

Try the Lord

After the temple dedication, Joseph basked in the hope and goodwill that rested over Kirtland. More …

Volume 1, Chapter 26

A Holy and Consecrated Land

As the families of Joseph and Sidney pushed west, Oliver Cowdery trudged through northern Missouri, battling rain and snow to scout locations for new stakes of Zion. More …

Church History Topics

Essays on subjects related to the revelations

Consecration and Stewardship

Since the dawn of the Christian era, many groups have tried to emulate the New Testament Christians who “had all things common.” More …

High Council

In February 1834, Joseph Smith met with a group of high priests in Kirtland and said he would teach them “the order of councils in ancient days.” More …

United Firm (“United Order”)

The United Firm was an administrative organization that oversaw the expenditure of Church funds between 1832 and 1834. More …

Zion’s Camp (Camp of Israel)

From May to June 1834, approximately 230 men, women, and children marched to Missouri to help the Saints who had been expelled from Jackson County, Missouri. More …

Places

Maps and information about places associated with the revelations from The Joseph Smith Papers, Historic Sites, and other helpful sources

Chronology

Timeline placing each revelation in the context of key events in the Church’s first century

View the chronology …