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Anxiously engaged
S2E34 · After Much Tribulation Come the Blessings (D&C 58)
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Standard of Truth · Season 2 · Episode 34 · 1:03:32

After Much Tribulation Come the Blessings (D&C 58)

When Jackson County fell apart in 1833, Joseph Smith reached back to D&C 58 and underlined one line for the suffering Saints: "after much tribulation cometh the blessing."

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The question ·

What's going on with the Saints, with Joseph Smith and with this revelation when D&C 58 says "after much tribulation come the blessings"?

Richard

Richard dedicates this episode to his late stake president, Bob O'Bray, whose favorite scripture was D&C 58:4, "For after much tribulation come the blessings." Gerrit explains why that verse sits at the heart of Christianity, which promises that life's suffering is made up in the next life. He sets D&C 58 in its 1831 context: elders arriving in Independence expecting a thriving Zion and finding a rough frontier town, with Ezra Booth sore-footed and Edward Partridge doubting the land. The revelation calls Partridge to stay in Missouri and gives the famous "anxiously engaged" verses, and Gerrit closes with Joseph quoting this very line two years later, and with the hope that all suffering will be made right.

Who comes upBob O'BrayJoseph SmithEdward PartridgeLydia PartridgeEzra BoothSidney RigdonOliver CowderyW. W. PhelpsJohn WhitmerJohn Calvin
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Anxiously engaged

Richard introduces D&C 58 and its famous verses, and the hosts joke about yard work and missionaries.

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Intro Welcome to the Standard of Truth Podcast, hosted by historian, Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat, where we explore the early days of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and gain rare historical insights into how a young farm boy was able to establish a new church and grow it by way of visions, manifestations and miracles.
Richard Miracles.
Gerrit Hi, welcome to another episode of the Standard of Truth podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat, and I'm joined by my friend, Professor Richard LeDuc.
Richard Hello, Gerrit. In this podcast, it's gonna be a little bit different. We're gonna focus, we're gonna start, at least, to focus on one section of the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 58. And when you think of Section 58 in the Doctrine and Covenants, generally, you think of verses 26 and 27. For behold, it is not me that I should command in all things, for he that is compelled in all things, the same as a slothful and not a wise servant, wherefore he receiveth no reward, verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause and do many things of their own free will and bring to pass much righteousness. So that's the popular verses that come from that section.
Gerrit That even gets into our lexicon, and you always hear people saying we need to be anxiously engaged. Anxiously engaged, that phrase is, you hear it a lot.
Richard No, I did, as a child I heard it a lot in terms of yard work generally.
Gerrit Yeah, your parents were like quoting scripture to you, by the way, here's the lawn mower. We need you anxiously engaged.
Richard And so the reason this is a little bit different though is-
Gerrit I always think of it more of like, that missionary who tried getting engaged to his girlfriend before he left, that's anxiously engaged.
Richard That is very anxious.
Gerrit You're anxiously engaged.
Richard Sometimes that works out, usually not.
Gerrit And when I'm saying sometimes, what I mean is never.
Richard That's right. Well, sometimes it does, but the reason why this one will be a little bit different is this particular episode is a bit of a tribute to my stake president. He is a giant of a man. President Bob O'Bray is his name and he is, he was just the absolute greatest guy that I've ever met. If I could be an eighth as good of a person in all ways as he was, I would be incredibly successful.
Gerrit I remember when he was called, your reaction was you shouted yes.
Richard I ran around doing fist pumps in the air.
Gerrit If someone were to walk in, they would have thought that he had actually, won the Texas lottery.
Richard I won a billion dollars. That's right. I was so excited. I actually had an opportunity to serve with President O'Bray. We were in the Peace Corps together for several years, and was absolutely just the best. So in fairness to running around and fist pumping, by the way, it was two years ago when it was on a Zoom presentation. We were still under COVID.
Gerrit Which is how I was there to witness it.
Richard That's correct.
Gerrit I'm not in his stake.
Richard I go to all of his stake conferences. Well, when he was the stake president, they were all amazing. But yeah, my wife and I were just elated. We just love him so much, and he and his family were just absolutely amazing.
Gerrit There's one thing I'm going to miss, losing the Zoom feed. I'm going to miss that you could not only go to your own ward, but then you could watch other wards too and be like, let's see what they're talking about.
Richard Although I will say one thing. I don't know. I think I have a moderate level of intelligence. I am told regularly that that is not accurate.
Gerrit Well, once you are ABD.
Richard This is true. This is true. I am all but dissertation. In the middle of COVID, we had a change in Bishopric, and I was put in charge of the technical aspect to things. No man taking this honor to himself, except.
Gerrit He's called by God.
Richard Yeah, or in this case.
Gerrit Because he doesn't want to.
Richard Because I have a new laptop. So anyway, the problem was is that we, this is before the church kind of standardized things was Zoom, and it was cats and dogs living together. And we had one week that was, we were trying YouTube, we were trying all kinds of things. And one week we actually broadcast a Baptist, a Baptist church. So the bishop's wife.
Gerrit You accidentally broadcast it?
Richard So we were having this problem with YouTube. It wasn't working. And so the bishop's wife was watching at home, and it just went to a Baptist preacher. And she said it was the most entertaining sacrament she's seen in some time.
Gerrit Like, you know that in that Baptist church, the guy's like, all of a sudden, we got thousands of people from Utah listening to my sermon. God did that.
Richard I remember one specific time, in the midst of that disaster, and the feed went down and we had to change the feed. And from the pulpit, I had to ask the Relief Society president to start texting the sisters to let them know that it had changed. It was the golden age, really, it was. It was fantastic.
Gerrit We'll miss those days.
Richard We will.
Gerrit Anyway, we digress.
Richard A bit. He recently passed away. He had a rare neurological disease and passed away. And it was an incredibly sad and tragic situation. And he is deeply missed. But the reason that I bring this up is that it was really, really neat as the line to go through for the viewing for him was ours. And the family, just like Marathon, had people for hours just coming through. It was really remarkable. And they had a table set up, and they had pictures of him and different things. And one of the things they had was his favorite scripture, Doctrine and Covenants, section 58, but it was verse four. And in verse four it says, For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh, that ye shall be crowned with much glory. The hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.
Richard And I thought it would be interesting. I happen to know Gerrit, Gerrit is a good friend of mine. And I asked Gerrit if we could.
Gerrit Only for the podcast purposes. We refuse to speak to one another outside of this.
Richard That's true. We did recently incorporate, there is an LLC and so there will be much fighting and this will end very poorly.
Gerrit We've already started the separation. But I assume this is going to be the Standard of Truth podcast with your cohost Renee, Dr. Renee Dirkmaat. I'm going to make her go get a PhD.
Richard Well, so I thought it would be interesting, as a bit of a tribute to a man that I love very much, to actually look a little bit at this section, at this verse in particular, and see if Gerrit could provide some additional context that can make already beautiful scripture and beautiful sentiment even richer.
Gerrit Well, that's a tough order, given who you're trying to give the tribute to. I can say that the measure of someone is sometimes seen in the things they decide to focus on. We all have different pet things that we focus on, so I'm not saying that if you focus on one or the other, that there's something wrong with you, but it is a demonstration of wisdom, I think, that that's the aspect of the scriptures in total that he focused on in this revelation in particular. As I've said before on the podcast, and I'll keep saying it mainly because we don't have any better ideas, so I just keep saying the same things over and over again. Or as my dad once told me, I keep telling you the same things because you still don't get it. So it may be just a learning problem on my part, but sometimes I think we forget what the purpose of Christianity is and what makes Christianity unique, and it's really hard.
Gerrit Because while we want to proclaim like John Calvin that we worship an all-powerful God, that he controls everything, that he could thrust us to hell at any moment, and we listen to John and the Edward Sermon and we say, preach on, brother, the reality is as much as we talk about how all-powerful God is, the actual reality of mortality is one in which there is not the constant intervention of God's power to prevent horrible tragedies from happening. Like his untimely death, honestly. I'm not saying that God isn't all-powerful. I believe that he is. But I also believe that we chose to come to this world and have this mortal experience.
Gerrit Now, why do I say that makes Christianity unique? Why does it matter so much? It matters because we don't believe that every blessing for righteousness comes to us in this life. We don't believe that it's, as was recently said in conference, like it's some kind of intergalactic vending machine, where we do righteous things and we get righteous deeds out. We don't believe that. And yet even though our prophets tell us that's not true, even though the scriptures demonstrate that that's not true, even though Joseph Smith's life is on full display that it is certainly not true, we still all desperately want to believe it. The reason why Christianity was so radical in the world that it was introduced is Jesus was talking about a kingdom that was not of this world.
Gerrit Blessings in a mansion that you would never see, happiness in a realm that you don't even know exists. The whole point of Jesus' message was that you don't do good because you're going to get something good this second. You do good, and because you do good, in the next life, God will recompense you. Or as he says, you'll receive an hundredfold in the kingdom of my Father for the things that you sacrifice. But that requires us to really believe, to really believe that all of the suffering we go through in this life, all of the tragedies, all of the unfairness, all of the wickedness, all of the unjustness, all of the untimely deaths, all of them will somehow be made up to us in the next life.
Gerrit Joseph Smith believed that. It's certainly what is taught by prophets. And yet sometimes we still focus on the idea that we can somehow control the state that we're in. If only I go to the temple enough times, then I'm not going to have anything bad happen to me. Now look, I'm not saying that God doesn't bless us. I believe God does. But I think most of the time, those blessings are things which we, God doesn't slap us over the head and say, this is a blessing I'm giving you because you went and visited a widow, when you're ward. And many of the blessings that we want, the ones we most desperately want, are things that are going to be delayed. And this is especially poignant if you've lost somebody that you love very deeply, you then have to have a delayed happiness.
Gerrit You won't get to have the peace that you want until that day of the resurrection. So the belief in Christianity focuses so tightly on the fact that there is that resurrection because that resurrection day is the day that everything is going to be made right. So I find that the focus on that scripture to be very profound. You want to talk a little bit about the context?
Richard Well, yeah, so what's happening here? What's going on? So the verse is beautiful, and I think you did a great job kind of setting up the verse as it is, but what's going on with the saints here? What's going on with Joseph Smith? And where is this revelation coming from, or why is it coming?
Gerrit So this is one of the first revelations that's received in Missouri. If you recall, just a few weeks ago, or whenever you happened to finally get around to listening to that episode, are we still numbering them?
Richard We are, but no one listened to that episode.
Gerrit Okay, so no one listens to any of the episodes.
Richard I don't blame them.
Gerrit Well, fast forward this, I guess. The episode where we were talking about polygamy, that's part of it. We talked about the revelation that WW. Phelps claimed that Joseph Smith had received when they first got to Missouri. Well, this revelation, Doctrine and Covenants, Section 58, is our second canonized revelation or the second authoritative known revelation that Joseph Smith gives when they get to Missouri. And it's actually in a kind of a bad time that it's received. There are several dozen men that are called to go on this journey to Missouri. Now, they don't all make it there at the same time. Some of them do so much preaching along the way that they don't get there at the same time as others do. And that'll cause problems later. But I said this before, but it bears restating that many people in the early church, in fact, we had a listener ask a question about, what was it that was converting people in the early church?
Gerrit Was it just the Book of Mormon? It was a lot of things, but I mean, every person's different. I think if you were to, for those of you who served a mission, if you were to think back to the people who were converted as a result of your missionary service, then my list would be very short and we'd already be done having this conversation. But I've heard that other people who go on missions have success.
Richard I've heard that too.
Gerrit He's over here. He probably had like a baptism. Anyway, the reality is different things strike different people. I mean, it is a true thing, a sad reality, that just about every missionary you talk to, at some point on their mission, will have an investigator who has a problem with our doctrine on eternal families because they hate theirs. And just about every missionary I've ever talked to has had at least someone say, yeah, I'm not about that. I don't want to be with him anymore. I don't want to be with her anymore.
Richard It's interesting. I had several experiences on my mission that were beautiful where the door approach was essentially leading into the idea of eternal families. And several times where that was something that was very well received. But I also had discussions with people that were in less than happy situations and they made comments like you're saying, well, then count me out.
Gerrit Yeah, eternal marriage, I don't even want this one. Anyway, so look, there are different reasons why people convert. But one of the overriding factors of conversion among the early Latter-day Saints, and we've talked about this, is the idea of Zion. Zion is a really big deal. It's such a big deal that there are all kinds of false prophets that arise predicting when Zion's gonna be built, where it's gonna be built, who's gonna be, you know, where their apartment complex is going to be, that there's subletting out to Pahoran's mother-in-law in Zion when they get there, right? I mean, it was such an overriding thought that many people joined the church solely over the idea of this wonderfully beautiful place where there was no rich and no poor, no slave and free, everyone treated each other as an equal. Everyone worshiped God, everyone loved one another.
Gerrit You can just see how powerful this idea was. And so these men who travel to Zion, Joseph delivers the goods when he gets there. Doctrine and Covenants, Section 57 declares the place where the temple is going to be built in this new Jerusalem. And they go about then trying to organize and create this new, this new city. As we've talked about before, the problem is when they get to Missouri, they're in Missouri. And I mean, and I'm sorry, I have to apologize to our various Missouri listeners who I think share names actually in Missouri. But when they get there, it is such a disappointment. These men have built up in their minds that Oliver Cowdery has baptized thousands and thousands of people that they're gonna get there and there's gonna be already a huge church there.
Gerrit And they get there and they find a dirty, sin-filled gambling town with at best, a dozen converts. And that shock to the system is at least the beginning point of Ezra Booth's apostasy. We talked about him, we talked about Zion. Where he cannot, he can't fathom the idea that independence is actually Zion. He just can't. Independence can't be Zion. And then that leads him to start to doubt Joseph Smith's prophetic utterances and he can now apostasize and become one of the greatest apostates in early church history. But that's not the only problem. We started talking about Edward Partridge on an earlier podcast, and we never quite finished our story, but we kind of wrapped it up. It made it sound like it was done, but there was still a lot left. He was called to be this bishop. When they get down to Zion, and Joseph begins to declare the area that the temple needs to be built on and the land they need to purchase, Edward Partridge, who is a much more savvy businessman than Joseph, he's a well-off business person in Painesville long before he meets the Latter-day Saints.
Gerrit He starts to get into a disagreement with Joseph about Joseph, you're not going to want this land. We should really buy the land over here up on the boat, and he starts to actually argue with Joseph. Joseph's response is, I don't think you get it, Edward, I'm not seeing which real estate licensed official is taking a smaller commission here on the sale. God said, this is where we're going to build the temples and that's what we're going to do. And we don't know the full nature of it, but it apparently became a pretty serious argument and a pretty serious disagreement. And so there was kind of a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Sidney Rigdon, not known for his ability to not be passionate in situations like that, apparently really went after Edward Partridge, kind of arguing with him. And that will actually lead to several other revelations in the future where these men just can't seem to reconcile.
Gerrit But this revelation, Doctrine and Covenants, Section 58, is given in the aftermath of all of these things. You know, the Millerites, at some point in the future, we're gonna do a whole podcast on the Millerites.
Richard Fantastic. I mean, can't wait. Boy, you know how to tease.
Gerrit Yeah, I need everyone, look.
Richard What a radio tease.
Gerrit If you can just hold out another few weeks, we're gonna talk about the Millerites.
Richard And then Campbellites? We've already kind of told you.
Gerrit I don't know. I mean, if I give them all everything. All of theites? No, I have to save something to keep them coming back. At any rate, the Millerites, Miller had predicted he knew by going through the signs of the time when Jesus was coming, right? The day and the hour you couldn't know, because that's what the scripture says. But the month doesn't say anything about the month. And so he predicted exactly what month. Well, that month came. And because you're listening to this podcast, unless this is some kind of Catholic purgatory, the Second Coming didn't happen.
Richard But yeah, it's possible. I've never thought about it until now. I'm like, you know, this could be a Catholic purgatory.
Gerrit You know, the good place was on to something. Maybe this is hell and we just think that it's heaven. Anyway, so they call that day the great disappointment, when these people were certain that Jesus was going to come and he just didn't come. And this is kind of the Mormon's own great disappointment honestly. They all were so ecstatic about the idea of this new Jerusalem that I think many of them thought the city of Enoch was going to plop right down out of heaven as soon as they got there. And they thought when they get there, we're going to get to the most beautiful place ever. And it's going to be, you know, pristine and no one's, and they, and they get to independence and it's not only not beautiful or pristine, it's filthy. And there's not thousands of converts greeting them or Enoch city descending from the clouds. There's a couple of converts.
Gerrit In fact, Ezra Booth, very derisively, and maybe this is an, a, a demonstration of his character, or at least his misogyny at any rate. He said there were only three or four females who had joined the church there. So not, not only did he not have very many converts, the few converts he had were just women. I mean, that was basically the way he wrote it in his letter. So that there's this huge disappointment among these men now. And again, the walk from Kirtland to Zion is not an easy trip. It is a thousand miles. It is a month's long journey to get from Kirtland, to get to where independence is. So think of how horrible that journey is. They're walking it. Some of it, they try to go by river, but mostly they're walking it every single day. Hardships, I'm developing sores in my feet because we don't believe in real shoes in the 19th century.
Gerrit I mean, but you're thinking, if I can just get to where Zion's going to be, once I get to Zion, it'll all be worth it. It'll all be worth it. And then you get to Zion and it's Independence, Missouri. And people are crestfallen. This is not the place that they believed God was going to build this new Jerusalem and usher in the Second Coming. Tensions related to that disappointment lead to the argument that Bishop Edward Partridge, this mountain of faith, this guy who went from, I'm gonna go prove those Mormons wrong, wait a minute, those fields look nice.
Richard Yeah, the corn looks straight. I'm doing that.
Gerrit Those rows are, it can't be a liar. No one who's a liar would have their seed planted that properly. And he joins the church and then is made the first bishop of the church. And then he's endowed with this enormous power because Doctrine and Covenants section 42 is going to outline this new law of consecration where people are going to give their lands and property to the church. And Edward Partridge is going to be the one determining who gets what in return as steward ships. He has an enormously powerful position in the church. And early on that, we call things like, oh, it's the office of the presiding bishopric today. Frankly, it's not even very helpful to compare the two. There were no other bishops. And there were very, very few ecclesiastical offices in leadership of any kind.
Gerrit And so very often it's Bishop Partridge, Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery that are running things. And so this, he's in a very big position in the church. And he just got in a big argument, not only with Joseph, but also with Sidney Rigdon. So this revelation comes on the heels of the great disappointment that so many of them feel. It comes on the heels of this incredibly exhausting months long journey to get to where they thought they would see paradise. And when they got there, they saw Independence, Missouri. And you know, I have to think that part of what led to the argument between Joseph and Edward Partridge over where the land should be purchased.
Gerrit I have to believe that some of that is just sheer exhaustion. That what happens when you have your hope, I mean, look, anyone listening to this who's a BYU football fan, you're being honest, you know, you know that they blow a lead in the fourth quarter and your son or daughter comes up and asks you for something right afterwards, you're a little more short with them. You know it, you know you are, right? And so I have to think that this anticipation, which melted into this disappointment kind of left them like, well, I guess now we got a month long walk back to tell everyone how amazing Missouri is. By the way, we hate each other now. Yay Zion. I mean, you can see, you can see why this, and so Joseph receives this revelation because the elders don't know what to do at that point. They get there, they've selected the spot. So do we, do we go home now?
Gerrit What do we do? In part, because they still haven't had the other missionaries that haven't caught up with them yet that are supposed to meet them there. So we start with some of that context, the way that the revelation begins. Harken, O ye elders of my church and give ear to my word and learn of me. Actually, let me first start off with the section heading in the original Book of Commandments and Revelations when it was copied in. What John Whitmer wrote as what the purpose of this revelation was, he wrote, a revelation given to the elders who were assembled in the land of Zion, directions, what to do, et cetera. In fact, he said, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Yeah, there's a lot of direction, and there are, it's a very lengthy revelation. Hark and all ye elders of my church and give ear to my word and learn of me what I will concerning you and also concerning this land under which I have sent you. For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death, he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.
Gerrit Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes for the present time the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. For after much tribulation cometh the blessings, wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory. The hour is not yet, but it is nigh at hand. Remember this which I tell you before that you may lay it to heart and receive that which shall follow. So first and foremost, the Lord starts off by saying, your sufferings are going to be rewarded to you in the next life. If you're wondering why there wasn't a bigger Zion party with the city of Enoch dropping down from heaven when you got there, remember that it's not about this life. I swear that we talk about the different ways that Satan tempts people.
Gerrit You might be able to encompass all of them in that Satan tries to make us think that this life is the one that matters. I'm not saying life doesn't matter. I believe it matters. But the reason why our mortality matters is not because we're gonna eventually have a bigger house and everything's going to work out for us. The reason why our mortality matters is because it is what we have for eternities prepared for so that we can become like our Heavenly Father and our Heavenly Mother. That's why mortality matters. And here the Lord is trying to help them understand that. You don't comprehend the glory that you would receive if you're just faithful. And you're worried about whether or not there's two or three saloons in this town. You're focused on the here and now.
Gerrit You're focused on how bad your feet hurt. You're focused on how tired you are. You're focused on how mad you are at Edward Partridge. You need to be focused on the fact that at some future point, you are going to be crowned with the glory of God. Kind of a resetting of who they are. And reminding them, as Bob wanted to remind other people, that it's after much tribulation that blessings come. That our happiness in this life cannot be solely based on the things that happen to us. If it is, a lot of us are not going to be very happy because horrible things happen to every person on this earth. Every single person who has lived has had something horrible and tragic occur. And some people have had it by the dozens. And there is no explanation and it isn't fair.
Gerrit And it is filled with pain and horror. And that's why the next life matters so much. It's the point of Christianity, the point of the next life mattering. As the Revelation continues, it says, first of all, I want you to think on this, take it to heart that it's the next life that matters. And then he goes on to give them the directions. Behold, verily I say unto you, for this cause I have sent you, that you might be obedient. That your hearts might be prepared to bear testimony of the things which are to come. And also that you might be honored of laying the foundation and bearing record of the land upon which the design of God shall stand. Obviously, one of the things these men were saying, probably Ezra Booth, why did we even come here? Why did you, why do we have to walk all the way here so that Joseph could say, this place that we don't own among a bunch of sinners and a place we don't want to live is Zion?
Gerrit Why couldn't God just send us a memo? By the way, it's terrible. There you are, right? And the Lord's response is, I sent you here that you might be obedient. Because in some ways, this journey to Zion is a microcosm of their mortality. Why do I have to go if in the end, it didn't result in thousands of baptisms? Because it was in the going that you save yourself. It's in the going that you declare your obedience to God and you follow him and you become like him. We are so conditioned to believe that if we follow God, we will see a noticeable physical reward. I'm going to obey the Word of Wisdom and I'm going to run faster than everyone in my company.
Gerrit And then what happens when you don't? I'm going to go to the temple three times a day. I'm going to go, I'm going to work in the temple. I'm going to build my own temple. Well, maybe don't do that. I'm going to do whatever I can. I'm the most temple worshiping person who's ever lived and my son is going to come back to the church because of it. We sometimes create these scenarios where we expect God to do something for us. We were almost bartering with him as we would with death trying to cheat it as one of the stages of grief, trying to bargain our way out of it. And the reality is, we're bargaining about the wrong thing. You and I are eternal beings. Joseph Smith says that there is no beginning of you. Now when you sit back and say, well, I had to have started somewhere. Well, okay. But Joseph Smith says you didn't. Think about that in relation to this mortality. We'll sometimes say things like, oh, this mortality is just like one second in all of eternity.
Gerrit Actually, it's not even that. It's not even that because you have always existed and you will always exist. There isn't a way to quantify how small relatively this life is. It would be like trying to quantify how small earth is in the billions of stars and millions of galaxies, trillions in the universe. Quantify just how small earth is. You get pretty quickly where superlatives run out. And so this journey to Zion was meant to purify them. Why? Well, because you are sight unseen, walking the thousand miles to follow the prophet. And when you got there, you'd already made the whole sacrifice. But people like Ezra Booth, now I want my reward now. I thought I would come here and I would see where this glorious sign of God would come down out of heaven.
Gerrit And you gave me Missouri, right? And so I really think this is profound, the way the Lord speaks to them here in this. He goes on to say that the earth may know that the mouse of the prophets shall not fail. Yea, a supper of the house of the Lord, well prepared under which all nations shall be invited. Firstly the rich and the learned, the wise and the noble, and after that cometh the day of my power. Then shall the poor, the lame, the blind and the deaf come into the marriage of the lamb and partake of the supper of the Lord, prepared for that great day to come. Behold, I, the Lord, have spoken it, and that the testimony might go forth from Zion. Yea, from the mouth of the city of the heritage of God. Yea, for this cause I have sent you hither, and have selected my servant Edward, and appointed him his mission in this land. But if he repent not of his sins, which is unbelief and blindness of heart, let him take heed lest he fall.
Gerrit Behold, his mission is given unto him, and it shall not be given again. And whoso standeth in that mission is appointed to be a judge in Israel, like as it was in ancient days, to divide the lands of the heritage of God unto his children, and to judge his people by the testimony of the just, and by the assistance of his counselors, according to the laws of the kingdom, which are given by the prophets of God. So here you have this both chastisement of Edward Partridge for his argument with Joseph, and then also the reiteration of the high standing of his calling. Now, interestingly, as he goes on, it's going to be explained in this revelation that Edward Partridge is going to be, not just angrily walking back to Kirtland like Ezra Booth is, Edward Partridge is going to be moving to Zion.
Gerrit Now, I don't know if the Lord has a sense of humor, but it would seem like this might be one of the cases in which he does. That Edward Partridge, who's so upset over the lands that the Lord has laid out for the church to purchase, is the one who's called to go affect those purchases and to bring them into the church's storehouse. I mean, maybe that is the way God does things. So we actually have this in a letter. We can tell from letters that Edward writes back to his wife that he does not, he didn't think when he left that he was moving to Zion. In fact, remember his wife, she talked about how people thought he was crazy that he went on the mission at all. You're leaving this thriving business, you're leaving your family that's sick, and you're going to Missouri in the middle of, what are you doing?
Gerrit And the Lord declares that, my servant Edward, this land is the land of his residence. And those whom he is appointed for his counselors, and also the land of the residence of him whom I have appointed to keep my storehouse. Wherefore, let them bring their families to this land, as they shall counsel between them and me. For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things. For he that is compelled in all things, the same is slothful and not a wise servant. So you've heard that verse your whole life. There's the context of it. The context of it is the shock and awe of this revelation to Edward Partridge. At this point, you have to believe that Lydia Partridge, his wife, at this point, she's gonna not want him to leave the house anymore, right?
Richard The first time she did, right?
Gerrit Yeah, like I'm on my way to prove that this Joseph Smith guy's a liar. I'm on my way to Palmyra, comes back. I'm actually a Mormon, and by the way, now I'm the new bishop of this religion that I was opposed to. Okay, well, I know that our daughter's sick and we have a bunch of sick people in our family, and this is causing us all financial stress, but I've been called to go on a mission to a place that will take me a month minimum to walk there and a month minimum to walk back. I'll see you in three months. And when he comes back, oh, I've got some news for you. Do you think he buried the lead like, oh, what happened when you got there? Like, oh, I got in an argument with Joseph Smith. What was that? I had an argument with Joseph Smith. Did you say you got in an argument with Joseph Smith? Oh yeah, we're moving to Missouri. Like, the faith of Lydia Partridge is astonishing to me, honestly. Now, she has, of course, converted in her own right, but that she's like, okay, and they move.
Gerrit So I love the Edward Partridge story because how real is he? I mean, the guy is opposed to the religion at first and then he converts. But that conversion wasn't enough for him to not have doubts and struggles. He, you know, using his secular knowledge is really upset at the places that Joseph is selecting for the city of Zion to be built. And when he tries to express that and he feels like he's not being heard, he comes to a real argument with Joseph. And then the Lord commands him in a revelation to repent. And he does. He does enough that he packs up his family and move them to Missouri. Think of what has happened in Edward Partridge's life in six months. Six months ago, he wasn't a member of the church.
Gerrit He is now one of the leaders of the church in Missouri, deciding who gets what property back when people consecrate their properties to the church. Oh, by the way, the properties that he didn't think the church should buy in the first place.
Richard No wonder the scripture after much tribulation comes the blessings, because he's really going through it.
Gerrit This guy has had non-stop, it's almost like he was thrown from the furnace to the fire. I mean, just right from the very beginning. And so they're told to come down there, but it's, and then they're not told, well, how am I going to get my family down here? That's left up to them. That's where we get this idea of slothful and not a wise servant. Wherefore let them bring their families to this land as they shall counsel between them and me. So this is a personal revelation thing. So if Partridge might have said, how in the world am I supposed to just bring my family down there? Well, you and your family are going to pray about it, and you're going to figure out how to follow the commandment. And I'm not going to tell you exactly how to do it. In fact, that's where this so popular verse comes from, that, for behold, it is not meet, that I should command in all things, for he that is compelled in all things, the same is slothful and not a wise servant, wherefore he receiveth no reward.
Gerrit Verily I say men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many good things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness, for the power is in them wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men are good, they shall in no wise lose their reward. But he that doeth not anything until he's commanded, and receiveth a commandment with a doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned. I think this is so powerful a revelation for people to read when they're studying the Doctrine and Covenants because it so speaks to our mortal nature. Again, the reward that you're looking for is not an earthly one. And God just keeps having to remind us of that over and over and over again. That if you are only doing something because you are compelled to do it, well, then what is your reward for exercising faith and doing it on your own?
Gerrit That if the whole point is to become like God, God is not compelled to do what he does for us, except in the fact that he loves us. He's compelled by his love. He so desperately loves us that he created the plan in the first place. But if we only do things that are right, because we think someone's watching, because we think it makes sense in our mind, because, well, you know, at some point, I might need a favor from him, well, then of course, we aren't becoming like God, because God does things because he loves others. That's the reason why he does things. It's the reason why Jesus did things. As that revelation continues, we won't read all of it, but WW. Phelps is also chastised.
Gerrit Maybe we should have talked about this in our Phelps Revelation podcast. He's also chastised, and it's interesting the chastisement he receives. And let my servant William WW. Phelps stand in the office which I have appointed him and receive his inheritance in the land, and also he hath need to repent. For I the Lord am not pleased with him, for he seeketh to excel, and he is not sufficiently meek in his heart. So we kind of talked last time about how it was kind of this character trait of Phelps that he was often kind of boastful and went above and beyond, or at least Brigham Young thought him to be so, to hear Judge Phelps tell it. He's the great, you know, that he needs to repent. And then you get this teaching about repentance. And maybe, I feel like this is kind of a prelude to the fact that Sidney Rigdon, he is not able to let the Edward Partridge thing go.
Gerrit He is still going to be seething at Partridge on their way back. It'll lead to a whole other revelation, which we won't cover today, but we might someday, but only if you keep listening to the podcast.
Richard We won't.
Gerrit Richard Shaking said, we won't ever cover it. At this point, how many things have we promised and not delivered?
Richard All of the things. We've promised everything and we've delivered nothing.
Gerrit We've delivered nothing. That's part of it. That's part of it. We've delivered that. Anyway, the Lord in the revelation says, He that hath repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I the Lord remember them no more. By this you may know that if a man repented of his sins, behold, he will confess and forsake them. So again, that's a very often quoted scripture, and that beautiful phrase that when you repent, the Lord doesn't hold them against you anymore. God is not like us. We often forgive people, but always keep it in the back of our mind. Yeah, but if he does this, I'm going to pull out the fact that he did this, right? But if you confess and forsake them, you'll have no more. The Lord's also going to regulate that that not everyone should come up to the land of Zion at once.
Gerrit But these people, some of the elders are going to go back. They shall push the people together from the ends of the earth. Wherefore, assemble yourselves together. And he that is not appointed to stay in this land, so some aren't going to stay. Some are obviously Edward Partridge is. Let them preach the gospel in the regions roundabout. And after that, let them return to their homes and let them preach by the way and bear testimony, the truth in all places and call upon the rich, the high, the low and the poor to repent and let them build up churches in as much as the inhabitants of the earth will repent. So that this you kind of have this regulation of who's going to go design. Some people are going to stay. Others are going to go back to their families. Edward Partridge is going to go back and say, Hey, we need to move to Missouri. But while there are other directions that are given, I think that those are the main ones. They're also told they're going to have a conference. But I'd like to kind of share the last part.
Gerrit When it is as it closes, let them also return preaching the gospel by the way, bearing record of the things which are revealed unto them, for verily the sound must go forth from this place unto all the world and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. The gospel must be preached unto every creature with signs following them that believe. And behold, the son of man cometh. Amen. I always think it's interesting to read that last line, right? You're going to go out and preach because Jesus is coming. It may not be the Millerites, you know, you know, exact day appointed. But in the end, right? Latter-day saints believe not only that Jesus lived and that Jesus died for us, we believe that Jesus is coming again. And how is it that he's able to come again? Well, because he is the Lord. He lives. And as the Lord, he will come in power and glory.
Gerrit And so we await that much like these people were awaiting that prophesied day of Zion. This revelation is one of those that clearly affected Joseph too. Now, of course, he's the one receiving them. But he was also in this situation where he... I mean, think about it for Joseph. People have been desperate to know where Zion is. You're having to hold off false... He's essentially swatting away false prophets all throughout the Palmyra and Kirtland eras with a fly swatter. Because every other day, someone's like, Oh, yeah, I know where Zion is. It's like in my backyard, and you're all welcome to it. And here he goes on this arduous journey, and it's so difficult. And they get down there. I have to believe that Joseph was also disappointed when the Lord declared, Yep, this is where the temple is.
Gerrit Here? I mean, are you sure that you did? What if we just built like a church house here and then found another place to call Zion? And yet, that early aspect of the Revelation must have held a lot of comfort for Joseph. And I say that because if we fast forward two years from now, two years from now, these very people that have been commanded by God to take their families to this Zion, to build it up. Well, these very people are now suffering because unlike Ezra Booth, they stayed faithful in the church and they followed the commandments and they moved their families down there. And then the mobocratic violence erupted after WW Phelps' publication in the newspaper that invited free black members of the church to move to Missouri.
Gerrit The violence erupts and the saints are assaulted. And then when they try to maintain their presence, they are driven out violently by force and people are shot and killed. And now they are bereft of everything. They have lost their homes, they are driven out, they are refugees living outside of Zion. And Joseph, hearing about it in Kirtland, writes a letter to Edward Partridge. The same Edward Partridge that he had had the argument with about Zion two and a half years earlier, the same Edward Partridge. And what does he find in this letter that he writes? There's lots of things in it. I've shared part of this letter before because it's so profound, but I'm going to give you what you pay for.
Gerrit And one of the things that he demonstrates is that Joseph can't find an answer exactly for why there's so much suffering in Zion. How is it possible that these faithful people went up there to serve God? They're being killed. They're losing everything that they have. They're not being punished because they didn't follow the commandments. They're literally being punished because they decided Joseph was still a prophet, even though they were told that Missouri was the New Jerusalem. And so Joseph writes, I cannot learn from any communication by the Spirit to me that Zion has forfeited her claim to a celestial crown, notwithstanding that the Lord has caused her to be thus afflicted. He goes on to say, I've always expected that Zion would suffer affliction from what I could learn from the commandments which had been given. But I would remind you of a certain clause in one of them that says, after much tribulation cometh the blessing, underline that in the manuscript copy of Doctrine and Covenants, Section 58, that Joseph is now quoting, they were once told when they first went there that they were going to suffer.
Gerrit And two years later, here is that suffering. Unfortunately, some of the prophecies that God gives, they're a lot rougher when they come true. And Edward Partridge and the saints living in Missouri, they were suffering the realities of that, that there would be much suffering. He goes on to say that, I know that in the only time of the Lord that Zion will be redeemed, but how many will be the days of her purification, tribulation and affliction? The Lord has kept hid from my eyes. When I inquire of the Lord concerning this subject, the voice of the Lord is be still and know that I am God. All those who suffer for my name shall reign with me. He that layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again. Again, as Joseph is begging God for an answer to the suffering of the saints in Zion, the response that the Lord gives him is similar to the response that the Lord gave to those frustrated missionaries arriving in independence two years earlier.
Gerrit It's not about this life. It's not about this life. It's not about this life. He that layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again. The real law of consecration that we are willing to give up everything for God. Why does God require everything if God is all powerful? Because the only way that you can become like God is if you develop the character trait that is willing to do anything for what is right, willing to sacrifice anything that God requires. Because what is right doesn't change on the basis of how much we have to sacrifice for it. And this life, as we talked about to start with this podcast, is filled with tribulation.
Gerrit And when we're going through that suffering, it is poignant and it is ever present. And for those who have lost someone that they love so deeply every single day will be a reminder that that person is no longer there. Every sunrise that you see and you think, oh, so-and-so would have loved to see this, will remind you that they're gone. Every laugh that kind of sounds like theirs, every time you see a movie that you remembered that person liked, the pain comes rushing back as you feel this empty void created by the loss of that person that you love. And it's in that moment that we have to believe that these horrible separations, the death that is incumbent upon all mortality, that it is not forever.
Gerrit That when you die, you don't just go away. You don't just poof out of existence. Now, you return home to that God who sent you here, and that you will one day be resurrected, and then there will be no more death. There will be no more pain. There will be no more injustice. There will be no more fear. There will be no more sorrow. There will be only joy. That sounds too good to be true, but I think that is the ultimate explanation of the blessing that after much tribulation cometh the blessing. That revelation really is a microcosm of our lives. We are all going to suffer. Hopefully it is muted. Hopefully the Holy Spirit gives us some measure of peace.
Gerrit People always say you can't avoid death and taxes. The other one that you really should add to that is because you can't avoid death, or at least the death of the people that you love, you can't avoid suffering. Suffering will find you. Injustice will find you. Sadness, overwhelming feelings of grief will find you. And hopefully in those moments, we can turn to God, and we can have faith to know not just that this too will pass, but that one day somehow, through the atonement of Jesus Christ, everything will be made up to us. Everything that we have lost will be returned. All of the sorrow will somehow be made right. All of the suffering will somehow be wiped away.
Gerrit I can't explain how the Lord will do that, but I have faith and know that he will. So thank you for joining us this week on the podcast, and hopefully you enjoyed learning more about Doctrine and Covenants, Section 58.
Intro Thank you for listening to the Standard of Truth podcast, hosted by historian, Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat. If you know anybody that could benefit from the material in this episode, please share it with them. And for more resources, visit standardoftruth.com. Until next time.

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I always think of it more of like, that missionary who tried getting engaged to his girlfriend before he left, that's anxiously engaged.

GerritBanter

If I could be an eighth as good of a person in all ways as he was, I would be incredibly successful.

RichardInsight

And she said it was the most entertaining sacrament she's seen in some time.

RichardBanter

The reason why Christianity was so radical in the world that it was introduced is Jesus was talking about a kingdom that was not of this world.

GerritInsight

Because it was in the going that you save yourself.

GerritInsight

No wonder the scripture after much tribulation comes the blessings, because he's really going through it.

RichardInsight

We've promised everything and we've delivered nothing.

RichardBanter

It's not about this life. It's not about this life. It's not about this life.

GerritInsight

I can't explain how the Lord will do that, but I have faith and know that he will.

GerritInsight

More from this episode

Claim checkThings people say, and what the episode shows.

Claim check

What critics say, and what the episode found
If I'm righteous enough, God will keep bad things from happening to me in this life.
"Anxiously engaged in a good cause" is general advice about staying busy.
Take it to classReady to use in a lesson or a talk.

Take it to class

Ready to copy into a lesson or a text

"For after much tribulation come the blessings" was given to weary elders in a disappointing Missouri: the reward is in the next life, not always this one.

"It was in the going that you save yourself." Obedience matters even when the trip doesn't turn out the way we pictured.

"Anxiously engaged" first meant Edward Partridge figuring out with his family and the Lord how to move to Zion; the Lord won't command in all things.

When Joseph asked why faithful Saints suffered in Zion, the answer was, "Be still and know that I am God. All those who suffer for my name shall reign with me."

Banter binThe funniest moments in this episode.

Banter bin

The running jokes, for people who skip ahead
Anxiously engagedYard work as a child, and the missionary who got engaged before leaving, which works out "never" (1:28, 1:42).
Richard's fist pumpsOver Zoom when President O'Bray was called, as if he'd won the Texas lottery (2:37, 2:48).
The broadcast BaptistRichard's ward accidentally streams a Baptist sermon, and the preacher credits God for his Utah audience (4:28, 5:04).
Doctor inflationRichard is ABD, and the future cohost is Dr. Renee Dirkmaat once Gerrit makes her get a PhD (4:03, 7:04).
The LLCThey've incorporated, so there will be much fighting and it will end poorly (6:56).
Episodes promised, never madeThe Millerites episode is coming in a few weeks; "we've promised everything and delivered nothing" (21:58, 49:42).
Those fields look niceEdward Partridge converted by Joseph's straight corn rows (25:27, 26:14).
BYU fourth-quarter collapseWhy you snap at your kids, and maybe why Joseph and Partridge argued (28:23).
Gerrit's mission baptismsIf we listed his converts, the conversation would already be over (15:30).
The Phebe Draper Palmer Brown MailbagSend Gerrit and Richard your question.

The Phebe Draper Palmer Brown Mailbag

Your question could be next week’s episode
Questions from Litners drive a lot of episodes. Send yours. If it makes the show, Richard reads it on air.
General ConferenceGeneral Conference talks that cite a scripture read in this episode.

In General Conference

Talks from the latest General Conference that cite a scripture this episode reads or names on air
October 2026 General Conference · cites D&C 58The Hour of Your Mission Is ComeBishop Sean DouglasBishop Douglas thanks missionaries of every age and urges the rising generation to place full-time missionary service high on their list.October 2026 General Conference · cites D&C 58:26–27O Be WisePresident D. Todd ChristoffersonPresident Christofferson takes up a subject he calls a duty to address: gambling.October 2026 General Conference · cites D&C 58“Prove Me Now Herewith”Elder Moisés VillanuevaElder Villanueva tells how his mother, separated and raising eight children, chose to pay a full tithe when the family joined the Church.

Summaries, themes and lessons for every talk are on What Did They Say?

Go deeperWhere to read more.

Go deeper

Deep dives the episode points toward
Read all of D&C 58 alongside D&C 57 and the story of the 1831 trip to Missouri (29:26).
Follow Edward and Lydia Partridge's story from Painesville to Missouri (43:29).
Read Joseph's December 1833 letter to the Saints driven from Jackson County (55:56).
The Millerites and the Great Disappointment of 1844 (21:58).
SOT Litner · S2E34.