, Journal excerpt, 1–4 Apr. 1843; handwriting of ; ten pages, measuring 6 x 3⅞ inches (15 x 10 cm); in William Clayton, Journals, 3 vols., Nov. 1842–Jan. 1846, CHL. Includes redactions and use marks.
Historical Introduction
’s personal journal from 1–4 April 1843 served as a source for JS’s journal entries for those dates. Clayton accompanied JS on a trip from to , Illinois, and kept detailed notes of JS’s activities and teachings, while , JS’s journal keeper, remained in Nauvoo. Richards evidently later composed JS’s journal entries for these dates from Clayton’s journal and from conversations he had with those who made the trip. As an important primary source for Richards’s information about JS’s activities at this time, Clayton’s journal entries for 1–4 April are reproduced here in full.
Page 73
Once when Prest. Joseph was praying earnestly to know concerning the wars which are to preceed the coming of the son of man, he heard a voice proclaim that the first outbreak of general bloodshed would commence at South Carolina— see Revelation
The sealing of the 144000 was the number of priests who should be anointed to administer in the daily sacrifice &c.
During prest. Joseph’s remarks he said their was a nice distinction between the vision which John saw as spoken of in Revelations & the vision which Daniel saw. the former relating only to things as they actually existed in heaven— the latter being a figure representing things on the earth. God never made use of the figure [p. 73]