D&C 112, 114,118
The Mission of the Twelve
Historical Background
March 27, 1836 Dedication of the Kirtland Temple (D&C 109).
April 3, 1836
Christ appears in the temple; keys restored by Moses, Elias and
Elijah
(D&C 110).
July-Aug, 1836 Joseph and others on mission to New York City and Salem, MA
in search of funds (Aug 6, 1836: D&C 111)
Nov. 2, 1836
Church leaders draw up articles for Kirtland Bank.
Jan. 2, 1837
Kirtland Safety Society opens for business.
Feb. 1837
Meeting in Kirtland Temple for all who considered Joseph a
fallen prophet. They intend to appoint David Whitmer to head
the Church.
May 1837
Panic of 1837 hits Ohio. Joseph is unable to pay creditors on
goods purchased for store.
June 4, 1837
Heber C. Kimball called on mission to England.
July 23, 1837
(D&C 112)
Aug. 1837
Apostates break up a meeting in the Kirtland Temple.
Nov. 1837
Kirtland Safety Society closes its doors.
Jan. 12, 1838
The Prophet Joseph Smith flees Kirtland to escape enemies.
March 14, 1838 Joseph Smith arrives in Far West, Missouri (D&C 113).
From Spiritual Apex to Apostasy
 The
Kirtland Temple was dedicated March
27, 1836.
The Church is at the apex of spiritual
growth
Consecration is alive; the Saints’
sacrifices have called down the
blessings of heaven.
 However, by July 23, 1837, the Lord is
now cautioning the Saints regarding
Apostasy!
Excommunications
 Between
November 1837 and June of
1838 -- 300 members of the Church
were excommunicated
 That means 10% of the Church that
was excommunicated in 7 months
 Today that would equate to more than
1,000,000 members excommunicated!
Excommunicated

The three witnesses: Oliver Cowdery, David
Whitmer, and Martin Harris
 4 members of the Quorum of the Twelve: John
Boynton, Luke Johnson, Lyman Johnson, William
McClellin
 1 member of the First Presidency – Frederick G.
Williams
 Eventually 6 members of the Twelve would be
excommunicated and both counselors in the First
Presidency. 3 more disfellowshipped.
The Effect of Trials and Tribulation
on the Saints’ Testimony
 How
could the Saints fall so far so fast?
 After all the spiritual manifestations that
the Saints were blessed with, how could
they now be in a state of apostasy?
 How can one maintain a testimony in
times of personal trauma, challenge,
distress, difficulty, trial and tribulation?
Why Do We Suffer?
Why Trials and Tribulation?

As a result of sin. D&C 101:1-2, 6-8; D&C 104:26; D&C 105:2-6
 Because of others’ agency (i.e. the Missouri Mob)
 Because of accidental causes; being at the wrong
place at the wrong time.
 As a test for a special call – Zion’s Camp
 To prepare us for a special aspect of life
 In order for the righteous to grow and become
more godlike
What is the Lord’s Counsel
Regarding Suffering?
 D&C
54:10
 D&C 58:2-4
 D&C 138:12 – 13
 Matthew 26:39

“Of him to whom much is
given, much is required.”
D&C 82:3
My Response to Suffering . . .?
 How
we choose to respond to suffering
will help determine our eternal destiny
Sidney Rigdon
Joseph Smith
Thomas B. Marsh
THOMAS B. MARSH
THE LORD’S INSTRUCTIONS TO A
QUORUM PRESIDENT
D&C 112
Thomas B. Marsh's Brethren


D&C 112:1
On 14 February 1835, the first
Quorum of the Twelve in this
dispensation was organized, its
members chosen to be special
witnesses of the Savior throughout
the world. Because there were no
precedents to act upon, the Twelve
were arranged in seniority according
to age. Elder Thomas B. Marsh,
being the oldest, became President
of the Quorum and thus responsible
for the other eleven. Since that time,
seniority in the Quorum has been
determined by date of ordination.
23 July 1837



Kirtland, Ohio
British Missionaries preached the first sermons in England;
the same day that the Lord gave a revelation directed to
Thomas B. Marsh as President of the Council of the
Twelve.
Elder Marsh is instructed to teach the brethren in his
council and point out their duty and responsibilities in
proclaiming the Gospel. Some of the apostles had forsaken
their responsibility and had turned their attention to
schemes of speculation. . . .
This revelation to Thomas B. Marsh was a warning and a
call to him to bring his brethren back into the line of their
duty as apostles of Jesus Christ. . . . (CHMR, Vol. 3, p.
101)
The Lord’s Counsel To His Apostles

The Lord Instructs a
Quorum President

Vs. 11-12
1. Be impartial towards the
quorum members.
2. Love the quorum
members as self.
3. Pray for the quorum
members.
4. Admonish the quorum
members for all their sins.

Read v. 13 on why we
get trials

The Lord Instructs the
Quorum of the Twelve
1. Arise, gird up your loins,
take up your cross, feed my
sheep v.14
2. Exalt not yourselves:
rebel not against Joseph
v.15
3. Share with the first
presidency dispensational
keys of the priesthood
vs.30-32
4. Cleanse your hearts and
your garments v.33
5. Be faithful v.34
For a Pint of Strippings?


Elizabeth Marsh and her neighbor Lucinda Harris wanted to
make cheese
“Neither of them possessing the requisite number of cows, they
agreed to exchange milk. . . . It was agreed that they should not
save the strippings, but that the milk and strippings should all go
together. . . . Mrs. Marsh, wishing to make some extra good
cheese, saved a pint of strippings from each cow and sent Mrs.
Harris the milk without the strippings”
George A. Smith, Journal of Discourses, 3:283
Even If He Had to Go to Hell




Mrs. Harris complained to Bishop Partridge, who sympathized
with her
Marsh appealed to the High Council, who found in favor of Harris
He appealed then to the First Presidency, who upheld the High
Council ruling
“Thomas B. Marsh then declared that he would sustain the
character of his wife, even if he had to go to hell for it”
George A. Smith, Journal of Discourses, 3:284
He Did

In October 1838 Marsh swore an affidavit against Joseph Smith,
asserting treason:
“Now he has fallen, lied and sworn falsely, and is ready to take the lives of his
best friends” (HC 3:167)
Based on this and similar assertions, Governor Boggs issued his
infamous extermination order
 A massacre of saints followed at Haun’s Mill, Far West was laid under
siege, Joseph Smith and others were imprisoned
 “God told him what to do, and that was to sustain br. Joseph [D&C
112:15] But no, he took a course to sustain his wife and oppose the
prophet of God, and she led him away” (Journal History, July 12,
1857)
 For 18 years Thomas B. Marsh endured his condition

Compelled to be Humble
(Alma 32:12-17)

“If you want to see the fruits of apostasy, look on me”
Journal History, August 9, 1857

“I want to die in the Church. Oh, if I could see Joseph, and talk with him and
acknowledge my faults to him, and get his forgiveness from him . . . then I would
die happy”
Quoted in Journal of Wandle Mace, LDS Church Archives

Speaking to Saints on Temple Square September 6, 1857, Marsh said: “My voice
never was very strong, but it has been very much weakened of late years by the
afflicting rod of Jehovah. He loved me too much to let me go without whipping. . .
. For if he had not cared anything about me, he would not have taken me by the
arm and given me such a shaking . . . . I was a very stiffnecked man. . . . I have
learned to understand what David said when he exclaimed, ‘I would rather be a
doorkeeper in the house of God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.’”
Journal of Discourses 5:206-07

Rebaptized July 16, 1857; died in Ogden, Utah in 1866
DAVID W. PATTEN – MAN OF FAITH
Section 114
The Lord Gives Counsel
to His Leaders
D&C 114:1. What Mission was Assigned to the Twelve?
The Twelve were to leave Far West on 26 April 1839 for England. Before that
time, however, Elder David W. Patten was killed in the battle of Crooked River on
25 October 1838 (see D&C 118; History of the Church, 3:170-71, 336-39).
 D&C 114:2. Several Deny the Work of the Lord
5th day of February, at which David Whitmer, John Whitmer and William W.
Phelps were rejected as the local presidency
12th of April, 1838, Oliver Cowdery was found guilty of serious wrong-doing for
which he had not made repentance, and he was excommunicated by the high
council at Far West
Luke Johnson, Lyman E. Johnson and John F. Boynton were excommunicated
about the same time, and less than a month later a similar fate befell William E.
McLellin [all members of the Quorum of the Twelve].

17 April 138, Far West, Missouri


The Prophet Joseph Smith received this revelation on 17 April 1838 in behalf
of David W. Patten at Far West, Missouri (see History of the Church, 3:23).
Elder Patten was one of the original Apostles and "had for some time been
located in Missouri and with Elder Thomas B. Marsh was maintaining a steady
influence amidst the opposition of disaffected brethren, including the three who
had been appointed to preside, David Whitmer, William W. Phelps and John
Whitmer.
The Lord called upon Elder Patten to settle up his business as soon as
possible, make a disposition of his merchandise, and prepare to take a
mission the following spring, in company with others to preach the Gospel to
all the world
DAVID W. PATTEN
David W. Patten is instructed to settle up his affairs and
be prepared to take a mission.
He was born in the State of New York, about the year
1800, and was baptized June 15th, 1832, by his brother,
John Patten.
He performed several missions and gradually rose to
prominence.
On February 15th, 1835, he was ordained an Apostle.
He was absolutely fearless. His testimony was powerful
and through him God performed many mighty works.
In 1838, the mobbings in Missouri commenced anew,
and Patten was foremost in the defense of the Saints.
(DCC, p. 739)
DAVID W. PATTEN – FIRST MARTYR


David W. Patten was the first apostolic martyr for the
Savior in this final dispensation. This was his desire.
According to Wilford Woodruff, Elder Patten had
requested such a privilege from the Lord:
David made known to the Prophet that he had asked the
Lord to let him die the death of a martyr, at which the
Prophet, greatly moved, expressed extreme sorrow, "For,"
said he to David "when a man of your faith asks the Lord
for anything, he generally gets it."
– (Life of David W. Patten, 53, see also Wilford
Woodruff, History of His Life and Labors, 352)
12 APOSTLES
FAITH AND OBEDIENCE
Section 118
8 July 1838

In answer to the supplication: "Show
us thy will, O Lord, concerning the
twelve," the Lord commanded that a
conference be held immediately to fill
the places vacated by those who had
fallen . . . Men were selected to fill the
vacancies caused by the
excommunication of William E.
M'Lellin, Luke S. Johnson, John F.
Boynton, and Lyman E. Johnson.
(CHMR, Vol. 3, p. 126)
Far West, MO
D&C 118:2. What Was Thomas B.
Marsh to Publish?

While the rest of the Twelve were
to go forth and preach the gospel
(see D&C 118:3), President
Thomas B. Marsh was to continue
publishing the Elders' Journal, a
responsibility he had while in
Kirtland, Ohio. The Elders' Journal
was short-lived, running from
October 1837 to August 1838. (See
Notes and Commentary for D&C
112:6.)
Verse 6: The New Quorum of the Twelve




Elders William E. Mc'Lellin, Luke S. Johnson,
John F. Boynton, and Lyman E. Johnson had at
this point fallen into disharmony with the Church
and had been excommunicated. (see History of
the Church, 2:509; 3:31-32).
One of the replacements, John E. Page, also
eventually apostatized, but the other three
remained faithful and loyal (see D&C 118:6).
Two of the replacements, John Taylor and
Wilford Woodruff, later became Presidents of the
Church. John Taylor was ordained an Apostle at
Far West on 19 December 1838.
Wilford Woodruff and George A Smith were
ordained Apostles during the early morning
meeting at Far West on 26 April 1839.
1841 Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
WILFORD WOODRUFF’S CALL TO THE
TWELVE APOSTLES

In the time of the great apostasy in Kirtland the
Spirit of the Lord said to me, "Get you a partner
and go to Fox Islands." I knew no more what was
in Fox Islands than what was in Kolob. I went
there, however, baptized a hundred and brought
them up to Zion with me. It was upon that island
where I received a letter from Joseph Smith, telling
me that I was called by revelation to fill the place
of one of the twelve who had fallen. You will see
it in the Doctrine and Covenants. That thing was
revealed to me before I received the letter from
Joseph Smith, but I did not feel disposed to tell it
to any mortal man, for I knew it was my duty to
keep such things to myself. Through all my life
and labors, whenever I have been told to do
anything by the Spirit of the Lord, I have always
found it good to do it. I have been preserved by
that power. (CR, April 1898, p. 31)
CALLED TO SERVE A MISSION

April 26, 1839: “When that revelation was given this
Church was in peace in Missouri. The Lord called the
Twelve Apostles, while in this state of prosperity . . . to go
to Far West to lay the corner stone of the Temple; and
from there to take their departure to England to preach the
Gospel. Previous to the arrival of that period the whole
Church was driven out of the State of Missouri, and it was
as much as a man's life was worth to be found in the State
if it was known that he was a Latter-day Saint; and
especially was this the case with the Twelve.” (Wilford
Woodruff)
TWELVE APOSTLES
FULFULL THE PROPHECY


On the morning of the 26th of April, 1839, notwithstanding the threats of our
enemies that the revelation which was to be fulfilled this day should not be
fulfilled; notwithstanding ten thousand of the Saints had been driven out of the
state by the edict of the governor; and notwithstanding the Prophet Joseph and
his brother Hyrum Smith, with other leading men, were in the hands of our
enemies in chains and in prison, we moved on to the Temple grounds in the
city of Far West, held a council, and fulfilled the revelation and commandment
given to us.
We also excommunicated from the Church thirty-one persons who had
apostatized and become its enemies. The 'Mission of the Twelve' was sung,
and we repaired to the southeast corner of the Temple ground, where, with the
assistance of Elder Alpheus Cutler, the master workman of the building
committee, we laid the southeast chief cornerstone of the Temple, according to
revelation. [See D&C 115:8-11] There were present of the Twelve Apostles:
Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, and John
Taylor; they proceeded to ordain Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith to
the apostleship.
Cornerstone at Far West, MO
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THE
EXAMPLE OF THE TWELVE?

1. The Apostles' Faith and Obedience
We are reminded of the spirit and faith that prevailed with these brethren
as we remember the words of President Wilford Woodruff:
– The Lord has spoken and it is for us to obey. We felt that the Lord had given
the commandment and we had faith to go forward and accomplish it, feeling
that it was his business whether we lived or died in its accomplishment. (JD,
Vol. 13, p. 159)

2. God's Commandments
. . . I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I
know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men,
save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing
which he commandeth them. (B of M, 1 Nephi 3:7)

Discussion: What similar situations are we placed in that are similar to
that of the Apostles obedience to go on their mission?
SUMMARY

No one in the kingdom of God is indispensable,
and no one is forced to keep covenants in the
kingdom. Those not willing to keep their
covenants will be replaced. The Lord's work will
go forward under His direction through His living
prophet.
 Those who choose to remain faithful must
exercise their faith unto obedience. Obedience is a
sign of true discipleship.