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Letter from Alvah Tippets, 20 October 1834

 
But I have felt very uneasy, while the command ment

Generally, a divine mandate that church members were expected to obey; more specifically, a text dictated by JS in the first-person voice of deity that served to communicate knowledge and instruction to JS and his followers. Occasionally, other inspired texts...

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 has gone forth for the Eastern churches

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

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 to flee  unto the West. The first, or about the first of Sept. I with 2  of my brethren, took the revelation concerning the redemp tion of Zion

The name of the spring 1834 military expedition from Kirtland, Ohio, to Clay County, Missouri. It later came to be known as “Zion’s Camp.” This relief expedition, appointed by revelation and led by JS, consisted of about two hundred armed but largely untrained...

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, and read it, and then we agreed to ask God to  enable us to obey the same. as we live in the Eastern States  our minds lit over these important lines, therefore a com mandment I give unto all the churches, that they shall  continue to gather

As directed by early revelations, church members “gathered” in communities. A revelation dated September 1830, for instance, instructed elders “to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect” who would “be gathered in unto one place, upon the face of this land...

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 together unto the places which I have  appointed, nevertheless, as I have said unto you in a for mer commandment, let not your gathering be in haste  nor by flight, but let all things be prepared before you, &  in order that all things be prepared before you, observe the  commandment which I have given concerning these things  which saith or teacheth to purchase all the lands by money,  which can be purchased for money, in the region round  about the land which I have appointed to be the land of Zion.  for the beginning of the gathering of my saints; all the  land which can be purchased in Jackson County

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. President Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

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, and the  counties round about and leave the residue in mine hand.
Now verily I say unto you, let all the churches gather  together all their monies, let these things be done in their  time, be not in haste, and observe to have all things pre pared before you, and let honorable men be appointed  even wise men and send them to purchase these lands,  and every church in the Eastern countries, when they  are built up, if they will hearken unto this council,  they may by buy lands and gather together upon them,  and in this way they may establish Zion. And after fur ther consideration and much prayer, we carried the  case before the church in this place. which met  the approbation of the same. Accordingly we strove  to become of one heart and one mind, appointed a  day for fasting & prayer, and asked the Lord to enable [p. 79]

Facts

Editorial Title
Letter from Alvah Tippets, 20 October 1834
ID #
236