D&C 121-123 - The Temple-Prison

Unshaken Saints

Jared Halverson

Religion & Spirituality, Education

5 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2025

⏱️ 98 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Imagine being unjustly imprisoned for months, watching your family and people suffer, and asking the piercing question: "O God, where art thou?" The revelations given to Joseph Smith in the darkest dungeon of his life are some of the most beautiful and powerful in all scripture. Summary: In this profound episode, we explore the transcendent revelations of Doctrine and Covenants 121, 122, and 123, written from the confines of Liberty Jail. D&C 121: The Power of Righteousness. We delve into Joseph's heartfelt plea, "How long shall thy hand be stayed?" The Lord answers with a staggering lesson: authority and power are inseparably connected with the principles of righteousness. We analyze the fatal trap of "unrighteous dominion"—covering our sins, gratifying pride, and exercising compulsion—which instantly causes the heavens to withdraw. Crucially, we learn the six principles of Godly Influence: persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, and kindness. This section is a master class in Christlike leadership. D&C 122: Eternal Perspective in Suffering. The Lord reassures Joseph: "My son, peace be unto thy soul." He validates every trial Joseph has faced, from false accusations to the "jaws of hell," and promises that "all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." This section confirms that the "Son of Man hath descended below them all," granting Him perfect knowledge to comfort us in our extremities. D&C 123: The Duty to Record. Finally, we discuss the duty to collect a "catalog of catastrophes" detailing the Saints' sufferings and abuses. This was not for vengeance, but to "leave the whole nation without excuse" and to help those who are "kept from the truth because they know not where to find it." The lesson culminates with the principle of total effort: "cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God." Call-to-Action: What principle from D&C 121 is helping you the most right now? Share your thoughts in the comments below! If this discussion brought peace to your soul, please like this video, subscribe to the channel, and hit the notification bell to stay "Unshaken" in your faith. Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 4:55 Divine Hiddenness 15:47 Hitting Rock Bottom 29:19 Damning the River & Praying for Rain 40:48 Unrighteous Dominion 54:25 Godly Influence 1:12:36 A Catalog of Catastrophes 1:26:08 Work and then Wait 1:35:19 One-Liners

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, my friends. I am grateful to be with you. I need to be with you. I need to be in the scriptures with you.
0:05.5	It's been a rough weekend. I don't know what day it is for you as you're sitting down to watch this or listen to it,
0:12.6	but for me, this is Monday. What's the date? September, I can't, I don't even know the dates anymore, September 28, 29. And it's the
0:25.0	day after a tragedy in Michigan where members of our faith were the victims of a senseless act
0:34.6	of violence. The building was burned to the ground and they're
0:38.8	still, we're still waiting to hear the news as to the number of casualties. That's,
0:46.0	it's been weighing heavy on me. That was Sunday. The day before was the passing of our
0:51.2	beloved President Russell M. Nelson. So like I said, it's been an
0:54.9	interesting weekend. Proceeding that, Saturday and Friday, was the Restore Conference
1:00.6	that Faith Matters puts on each year. And it was just amazing to be with so many of you
1:04.9	to talk about peace and peacemaking, to talk about reviving our faith,
1:13.2	such an amazing weekend, and yet to have all of this happen in its aftermath,
1:18.1	I'm just grateful to be in the scriptures with you today.
1:21.0	I'm looking for this piece, this comfort that can only come from the comforter.
1:26.3	And in some ways, as we study this week,
1:28.3	section 121 and 122 and 123,
1:31.3	it's painfully appropriate for what we're going through.
1:35.3	These are the so-called Liberty Jail revelations.
1:38.3	And Liberty Jail, again, horrible oxymoron.
1:41.3	Perhaps a better oxymoron than Liberty Jail is the the oxymoron
1:46.0	temple prison because it was a prison that Joseph found himself in, but for all intents and purposes
1:51.4	it was a temple of sorts. A place of separation from the world, not by choice in that case,
	...

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