D&C 124 - Zion on the Mississippi

Unshaken Saints

Jared Halverson

Religion & Spirituality, Education

5 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 25 October 2025

⏱️ 97 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Imagine starting over, driven from your home, betrayed by friends, and attempting to build a city and a temple in a malaria-infested swamp. The sheer audacity of the Nauvoo project required a powerful new revelation. D&C 124 provides the blueprint for healing the past, trusting the present, and embracing a grand future. Summary: This episode analyzes D&C 124, a pivotal revelation received in Nauvoo in 1841. Proclaiming Zion (D&C 124:2-11): The Saints are commanded to issue a solemn proclamation to "all the kings of the world" and world leaders, inviting them to "come to the light and glory of Zion". This was an act of courage, recognizing that the set time had come to favor Zion. Heart Health & Integrity (D&C 124:15-20): The Lord praises Hyrum Smith for the "integrity of his heart" and his love for what is right. In stark contrast, John C. Bennett is given multiple "ifs" —his reward depends entirely on his choice to "receive counsel" and continue in love and acceptance. The Nauvoo House (D&C 124:22-24, 60-61): The Saints are commanded to build a "healthful habitation" and a "resting-place for the weary traveler" where he can "contemplate the word of the Lord". The Lord instructs that stockholders must be "a believer in the Book of Mormon, and the revelations". The Temple & Acceptance (D&C 124:27-35): Because the Saints lack a proper house for ordinances, the Lord mercifully accepts baptisms for the dead performed outside a temple "only in the days of your poverty". However, this acceptance has a strict deadline: failure to complete the temple after a "sufficient time" will result in the Church being "rejected as a church". "A for Effort" (D&C 124:49-55): The Lord gives a powerful principle: when we go "with all their might" and are hindered by enemies, the Lord will "accept of their offerings". This principle is applied to the failed attempt to build the temple in Jackson County , offering "consolation" and a command to "prove yourselves unto me" by trying again in Nauvoo. The Cause of the Poor (D&C 124:74-76): Saints are commanded to "plead the cause of the poor and the needy" and to support this cause with their interest , establishing a pattern of generosity that ensures their "seed be found begging bread" no more. Call-to-Action: What "cause of the poor" can you dedicate yourself to this week? Share your commitments in the comments below! If this message helped you find renewed hope and purpose, please like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay "Unshaken" in your faith. Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 5:06 Hope Springs Eternal 18:37 Heart Health 29:43 The Nauvoo House 42:47 Good Enough for Now 52:44 Temple Ordinances 1:06:01 A for Effort 1:17:19 The Cause of the Poor 1:33:46 One-Liners

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, my friends. It is an honor as always to be with you.
0:03.0	This is Monday, beginning of October for me, yesterday and the day before was General Conference.
0:09.0	I don't know what today is for you, but for me, I'm still writing that post-conference high.
0:14.0	One of the few conferences we've had during an apostolic interregnum,
0:19.0	with President Oakes leading the church not as president of the church
0:22.9	but as president of the Korm of the Twelve Apostles.
0:27.2	I guess that does make him president of the church, but not president in terms of the first presidency.
0:31.7	I thought it was interesting at the end of the final session when President Oakes mentioned
0:36.5	that he's not going to announce temples that day,
0:39.3	as his predecessor always did. And while there was some disappointment, I was also grateful for
0:45.3	I was also grateful for Elder President Oakes's courage to break with that tradition and pump the brakes a little bit
0:51.3	to say, let's catch up on the ones that have already been announced.
0:54.8	We've been going at a pace of around 30 announced per year, but we haven't dedicated 30 a year.
1:00.5	So let's build some, allow that momentum to move us forward and actually construct these buildings.
1:08.3	But I thought about this in terms of what we're studying this week in Section
1:11.9	124. And that's all we have this week. One revelation. It's a long one. But this one revelation,
1:17.4	it's been over a year and a half since our last canonized revelation in the Doctrine Convance.
1:22.7	A lot of time has passed. And you kind of wonder what's been going on in the history of the
1:27.1	church. With Joseph Smith, it seemed like revelations were coming left and right. And you kind of wonder what's been going on in the history of the church.
1:31.6	With Joseph Smith, it seemed like revelations were coming left and right, and we couldn't even keep up with them all. And then all of a sudden, this long pause, what's going on?
1:36.1	Those of you who have sent children off on missions, have you ever had a lull, sometimes
1:40.4	for a long time, without the regular emails? And sometimes they've just been so busy with other things or overwhelmed with the work.
	...

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