I'm here in Independence, Missouri, in one of the most sacred sites in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Now, to Latter-day Saints, there's a lot of mystery, there's a lot of questions, and sometimes there's a lot of misunderstandings about this particular site. The big patch of grass I'm standing on right now is known as the Temple Lot. We're going to spend the next few minutes exploring why this is called the Temple Lot, what it means, what the early saints intended to build here.
what the city of Zion is, and how did these ideas grow and change as the church grew and expanded throughout the world. My name is Casey Griffiths. I teach church history.
And I've traveled here to Missouri today where I'm visiting the city of Independence. It's a city on the outskirts of Kansas City, and it's got a... vibrant history. The Civil War battle was fought here.
President Harry Truman was born here. But the reason why I've come here today is to learn about the history of the Latter-day Saints. Latter-day Saints believed that independence was the spot where the city of Zion, the New Jerusalem prophesied of in the Book of Mormon, would be built.
I'm meeting with an expert in church history today named Scott Woodward, who I do a podcast with, and we're going to be talking a little bit about what the Saints saw Zion would be. what they wanted to build and why there is no City of Zion here today. Hi Scott. Hey C. Griffiths. How are you man?
Hey we're here in Zion. Made it. We made it to Zion. So tell us why the early saints called this Zion. Oh it's a long story.
You ready for an adventure? Okay let's let's start over in this room. Let me show you kind of where this whole story begins.
This story actually begins with the Book of Mormon. Here's an 1830 original first edition. Yeah, as Joseph Smith was translating the Book of Mormon and got to 3 Nephi 21, there's a prophecy there about Zion by Jesus Christ himself.
Several accounts in the Book of Mormon prophesied that a new Jerusalem would be built in the Americas, and this fired the minds of the early saints. One overzealous member even went so far as to claim to have received revelation to where this location was. He later recanted this revelation, but this event led Joseph Smith to seek more answers. And that led Joseph Smith to inquire of the Lord what's going on here. And that's where we get Doctrine and Covenants 28. Doctrine and Covenants 28 stated that no man knoweth where the city of Zion shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter.
Behold, I say unto you that it shall be on the borders by the Lamanites. The word Lamanites was a broad term the early saints used to refer to American Indians. What's fascinating is in the in that very same revelation, Doctrine and Covenants 28, Oliver Cowdery was called on a mission to the Lamanites to come out here to preach to them. That was part one of his mission, and part two of his mission was to rear up a pillar to the location of the New Jerusalem. So how does the community of Latter-day Saints get here?
What leads them to that? Yeah, so after the Lamanite missionaries leave, the next seven months is an interesting story. Scott tells me how how the saints received revelation upon revelation about the city of Zion, culminating in many of the saints moving to the borders by the Lamanites.
When they get here, I mean, it is the frontier. It is frontier America, edge of the United States, edge of civilization. Joseph talked about in his journals, in his history, seeing the natives. He was concerned about their condition. This led him to pondering and eventually to the question that leads to Doctrine and Covenants 57. He asked the Lord pleadingly, When will the wilderness blossom as the rose?
A prophecy about the Lamanites. Flourishing according to Book of Mormon promises. Where will the city of Zion be built? And where will the temple stand?
That question invites revelation, and that's where we get Doctrine and Covenants 57. Doctrine and Covenants 57 stated that, Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place, and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse. The temple is with Clear specificity with the finger of the Lord pointed out it's going to be in this spot. In fact, you want to go see the spot? Yeah.
It's just outside. All right. Let's do it. Scott takes me outside the visitor center, past the majestic Community of Christ Temple, to a location just adjacent to the street. So this is the temple lot.
This is it. This is it. But it's not just here. This entire area, quite a little ways, was all considered. A temple lot.
That's a big space for a temple. How come they needed so much space? Well, come here, let me show you.
Let's come around this way. Scott takes me to a large empty lot of grass. Owned by the Church of the Temple Lot, this spot has been kept empty due to its sacred and religious nature. Over here, there's some cornerstones.
So here's one southeast corner of the temple. Not too far from this cornerstone lies three other cornerstones. creating an impressive sized temple.
But Scott points out to me that there's more here. This is actually just temple number five of 24. We're going to build 24 temples? 24 temples was the original plan.
Church leaders created a city plat envisioning how this complex would look with 24 lots for 24 different temples. So this would be temple number five. There would be one there, one on the other side, three this way. And then six more rows of three going that way. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
So this isn't a temple. This is a temple complex. This is a temple complex.
So they're calling them temples. But we'd probably talk about them today as more like administrative buildings. These weren't temples like how we might think of temples today.
where only sacred ordinances are being performed in them. They were more like the Kirtland Temple, where administrative practices would also be held in them. Some of these temples would be for the deacons, the teachers, the First Presidency, and more.
Like in Salt Lake today, you've got a Relief Society building, and then you've got a church administrative building, and then you've got a church office building, and then you've got a temple proper, right? And then you've got the conference center. And so that's the idea, is this whole area would be...
Kind of the administrative and temple center of the church. Right, so this design in 1833 reflects the nature of the church in 1833. If we were to build this today, it might look very different. I would imagine it would be different because there's been development since 1833 in church structure, administratively, and the ordinances that were not revealed in 1833 but in Nauvoo would undoubtedly be then performed here.
Temples were only the beginning. This was to become... the city of Zion.
They had housing complexes and other ideas planned to expand the city. However, none of it came to pass. Yeah, an incredible design, an incredible plan.
It would have been amazing, but they lost it. Yeah, I guess the next question we've got to ask is, why isn't it here? Yeah, as you'll notice, it's not here.
We never built this. In fact, let me go show you another spot. helpful to talk about that to continue our quest and understanding zion scott takes me about 50 miles north to a remote location called the far west temple site So where are we now?
Welcome to Far West. Oh, this feels kind of out in the countryside, a little remote here. This used to be a bustling Latter-day Saint community of about 5,000 people at its height.
Really? Yeah. In fact, this was church headquarters for a time.
We used to have Kirtland and Missouri, and now we just have Missouri in 1838. And that's when Far West is really at its height, at its peak during 1838. And there's this fence around, what's this? Yeah, do you want to go check it out? Yeah, let's go take a look.
So tell us a little bit about the temple here in Far West. Yeah, so you'll notice there's four cornerstones. They're currently protected under glass.
These are original. The dimensions of this temple were about the same size, slightly bigger than the temple that was to be planned in Jackson County. Probably have the same look as like the Kirtland Temple.
We have some sketch of that. There's also several scriptures that were received here in Far West. Some of those are excerpted here in stone.
Some of these revelations are still quoted often and impactful in the church today. That's right. One of the most significant revelations that we have that's even emphasized in the church today, the name of the church is revealed here in Far West. That's right. This one's written there on the top left.
President Nelson has made that verse a super important initiative of the last few years to make sure we take that revelation seriously. The law of tithing is revealed here too. Yeah, that's right.
The law of tithing is actually tied directly to the building of this house, the Lord says in Doctrine and Covenants 119. How are we supposed to do all those financial things, have the saints gather here, build a community? How are we going to fund that? And in response to the prophet's prayer, The law of tithing in Doctrine and Covenants 119 was revealed.
This one in the middle here is the key one about this very plot. It says, Let the city far west be a holy and consecrated land unto me, and it shall be called most holy, for the ground upon which thou standest is holy. And then he says, Therefore I command you to build a house unto me, for the gathering together of my saints. that they may worship. So there it is, Doctrine and Covenants 115 verse 8, build another house unto me.
So there's not a lot here. There's the temple lot, there's some nice bathrooms. Great bathrooms.
Those are not original, by the way. If this was once a huge city, I mean, how did this go from being one of the fastest growing cities in Missouri to being basically empty space? This place was thriving in 1838. As we mentioned, but in October of 1838, that's when the infamous extermination order was issued by Governor Lilburn W. Boggs of Missouri.
That's what is going to lead to the Saints being driven out, not just of Jackson County as it happened in 1833, but this time out of the state of Missouri. It was, if you stay here, you die, kind of a legislative move. And so that leads to the emptying of Far West and the Saints go across the river into... Illinois. All this persecution forced the saints to leave behind these locations where they had hoped to build their temples in the city of Zion.
But there's one more location Scott has to show me. So there's one more place just north in Davies County at a place called Adam-on-Diamond. Adam-on-Diamond.
All right, yeah, let's go. Let's go check it out. Scott takes me about 30 miles north to a mysterious site called Adam-on-Diamond.
This site has been full of speculation, and hopefully Scott can help us clear some of this up. So where are we at now, Scott? Well, welcome to the Valley of Adam-And-Ammon, Casey. Wow, beautiful. So this is the Valley of Adam-And-Ammon, and up there on the ridge is called Spring Hill.
That's where the saints originally settled when they came to this area. Actually, there was a temple site. We don't know exactly where it was.
Somewhere in that area that was not ever built, it's kind of like Far West, it's like Jackson County, that just goes to show that we were planning on building temples everywhere as part of the Zion project. So, we didn't build the city of Zion, we didn't get to build Far West, we didn't get to build here. Do you think the saints will come back and rebuild these places and finally get to build those temples?
That question was on the minds of Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo after we'd been expelled from Missouri. In fact, in Doctrine and Covenants 124, can I share a scripture? Absolutely.
When I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, they cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work. Behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings. And then he applies in verse 51, he says, Therefore, for this cause have I accepted the offerings of those whom I commanded to build up a city and a house unto my name in Jackson County, Missouri, and were hindered by their enemies, saith the Lord your God. So does that mean that we're not going to build the temple complex and independence that they had planned? Or how do you interpret that?
Yeah, what that means is the Lord requires that work no more. So that's the current final word of the Lord. on that topic right now if he ever wants to command his saints to go ahead and build it again then he can do so like what's the latest should we go with dnc 57 where he says this is the center place we've got to build it we go dnc 84 that says i need you to build the temple on Jackson County's temple spot? "We would say, no, go with Doctrine and Covenants 124 where he says, I require that work no more at your hands. I find it helpful to take my cues from Joseph Smith on this. It's interesting, like Joseph Smith, ever after section 124 was given, he never referred again to Jackson County, Missouri as the place where we were going to go back and rebuild. You remember Article of Faith 10, which he wrote just a year later after D&C 124. He said that we believe in the literal gathering of Israel, right? But then he said that Zion, the new Jerusalem, would be built somewhere on the American continent, right? He did not specify Jackson County, Missouri. And then shortly after he starts teaching that Zion will be all of North and South America. So Joseph's understanding of Zion continued to shift and expand. It's interesting to watch Joseph Smith post-D&C 124 and a shift in his mind. mind away from Jackson County, taking the Lord seriously that he required that work no more. Whether or not we will ever come back and rebuild that city and rebuild a temple there or temple complexes, maybe 24 temples like we talked about, that would all need to depend upon additional revelation. So it might not be a not ever. It could be a not right now. But we don't know. We don't know. Yeah, he leaves it at that. I require that work no more at your hands. The city and the temple of Jackson County. Jackson County. Scott then explains that even though the prophecies about rebuilding Zion in these areas are not in effect today, there still is an important prophecy in effect here. The Doctrine and Covenants calls this place Adam-Andi-Amen. And it's where a large gathering of God's people will take place under the direction of Adam. Here the Lord will visit his people in the last days. So this is not just a church history site, this is a church future site. So some of the most momentous occasions in the history of the church are the ones that are most important. history of humanity will happen here at Adam on Diomond. All the temples that are built from Nauvoo forward and all temples in the Latter-day Saint tradition, this is where all temples are pointing toward. At least the meeting that will happen here launches that millennial work of Latter-day Saints with Christ ruling and reigning. I think it's a beautiful, beautiful picture. The Lord is very serious about temples. The reason for his seriousness about temples is to help prepare us, to prepare our hearts, to prepare our minds, to prepare our souls to be turned to Christ in such a way that when he comes again, we'll be prepared to participate in the kingdom of God on earth. The application of Adam on Diamond, the application of temples, ultimately is about being ready for Christ to come. I think that's what this has been about all from the beginning. Thank you, Scott. Yeah, man. Thanks for having me. As we worship in temples, we fulfill what the early saints have started. Joseph Smith thought that any place where the saints gather is Zion, and anywhere they could get a temple built, there was Zion. Although the early saints never completed many of these temple designs, they left behind a strong legacy for us to continue building Zion around the world.