28 And I will bless her with blessings, and multiply a multiplicity of blessings upon her, and upon her generations forever and ever, [ Or “worlds without end”, cp. D&C 76:112. This is tapping into the theme of Exod. 34:7, Deut. 5:9-10 where the Lord will bless thousands of generations of them that worship him.] saith the Lord your God. Amen.

[ Historical Material Pertaining to Doctrine & Covenants 97 Excerpt from Doctrine and Covenants Commentary A brief statement of the condition of the Church at this time may be of some help to the younger students of these Revelations. In Kirtland, the work on the Temple had commenced. On the 5th of June, 1833, George A. Smith hauled the first load of stone for that sacred building, and Hyrum Smith and Reynolds Cahoon began digging the trench for the walls, which they, later, finished. On the 6th it was decided, by a conference of High Priests, that the Building Committee should obtain stone, brick, lumber, etc., and begin building immediately. On the 23rd of July, the cornerstones were laid. The work was now being prosecuted with vigor, until the building was completed. It was dedicated on March 27th, 1836. On the 25th of June, 1833, the First Presidency sent letters of instruction to William W. Phelps, Edward Partridge, and the brethren in Zion, and enclosed plans for the future city of Zion and its temples. The first city plat was to be one mile square, divided into blocks containing ten acres each, except the middle range of blocks, which were to contain fifteen acres each. All the blocks, except those containing schools and public buildings, were to be divided into half-acre lots, four by twenty rods each. The dwelling-houses were to stand twenty-four feet from the street. The plat would accommodate from eighteen to twenty thousand inhabitants. and they would need twenty-five buildings for schools and public worship. These buildings would be temples, and none would be less than eighty-seven feet by sixty-one. There were to be no barns or stables in the city, but these were to be situated on lands laid off for that purpose, on the north and south sides of the settlement. The farms would be situated east and west of the city, but the tiller of the soil, as well as the mechanic, merchant, and others, would live in the city. “When this square is thus laid off and supplied, lay off another in the same way,” the Prophet wrote, “and so fill up the world in these last days” (Documentary History, Vol. 1:357). What an admirable view of the future cities of the world! For this plan will certainly be adopted when civilization shall have advanced far enough to appreciate it. In such a city the farmer will enjoy every advantage of city life; and yet there will be no slums, and none of the disadvantages of the large cities, in which corrupt politicians, criminals, and dishonest business methods flourish. Kirtland was growing, notwithstanding the opposition stirred up by apostates. Sidney Rigdon wrote, July 2nd:-“Doors are opening continually for proclaiming the gospel. The spirit of bitterness among the people is fast subsiding, and a spirit of inquiry is taking its place.” The Saints in Missouri, on the 6th of April, 1833, celebrated the third anniversary of the organization of the Church, by a conference at the Ferry, on Big Blue River, a stream a few miles west of Independence. At this time the gospel had been preached in nearly all the States of the Union, and many flourishing branches had been organized. The Saints were contemplating the future of Zion with joy. In the month of July, however, a mob in Jackson County, led by a Rev. Pixley, began to move against the Saints. This clergyman had published false stories about them, in order to create a hostile sentiment. He carried from house to house a tract, entitled, “Beware of False Prophets,” calculated to excite violence against the Church. This was followed by the publication of a manifesto calling for a mass meeting at Independence on the 20th of July, 1833, in which to decide on a course to pursue against the Saints. That the politicians of Jackson County eagerly embraced the opportunity of utilizing the adverse sentiment created by religious bigots, is evident from the signatures affixed to the manifesto. The most prominent names are those of political office-holders, such as jailers, justices of the peace, judges, a postmaster, a constable, a colonel, a judge of the court, an Indian agent, and others. In this manifesto the Saints were falsely accused of having invited negroes and mulattoes to become “Mormons” and settle in Missouri; also to have declared that they would, sooner or later, “have possession of our lands for an inheritance.” The first of these charges was without any foundation whatever; the second, seemingly, had a foundation of truth, but it was only half a truth and therefore served the same purpose as a falsehood. The Saints had been promised land in Missouri for an inheritance, but only by purchase; nobody was to be injured. On the 20th of July, the mass meeting convened. Inflamed by falsehood strewn broadcast by religious fanatics and political office-seekers, the meeting demanded the discontinuance of the printing office, the closing of the store, and the cessation of all mechanical labor. When the brethren refused to comply with this law-defying dictum, the mob broke down the printing establishment, seized Edward Partridge and Charles Allen, daubed them with tar from head to foot and covered them with feathers, on the public square. Others were frightened from their homes by threats and yells. On the 23rd, the very same day on which the corner stones of the Kirtland Temple were laid, the brethren in Missouri, in order to prevent bloodshed, signed an agreement with the mob leaders to leave the country before the 1st of April, 1834. The brethren immediately sent Oliver Cowdery to Kirtland to report to the First Presidency. He arrived there early in September, 1833. The Revelation in Sec. 97 was received before the arrival in Kirtland of Oliver Cowdery, and, consequently, before the Prophet knew any particulars of the storm of persecution that raged in the land of Zion. (Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, pages 608-610) Excerpt from The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith A letter from Joseph Smith and others to Church leaders in Jackson County, Missouri, explains the setting in which section 97 was received: Having received br Oliver’s letter of July 9th as well as one from the breatheren composing the school in Zion according to your request we now answer them both in one letter as relates to the school in Zion according to your request we enquired of the Lord and send this letter the communication which we received from the Lord concerning the school in Zion. It was obtained August 2 and reads thus [section 97]. (Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith) Excerpt from Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt It was now the summer of 1833. Immigration had poured into the County of Jackson in great numbers; and the Church in that county now numbered upwards of one thousand souls. These had all purchased lands and paid for them, and most of them were improving in buildings and in cultivation. Peace and plenty had crowned their labors, and the wilderness became a fruitful field, and the solitary place began to bud and blossom as the rose. They lived in peace and quiet; no lawsuits with each other or with the world; few or no debts were contracted; few promises broken; there were no thieves, robbers, or murderers; few or no idlers; all seemed to worship God with a ready heart. On Sundays the people assembled to preach, pray, sing, and receive the ordinances of God. Other days all seemed busy in the various pursuits of industry. In short, there has seldom, if ever, been a happier people upon the earth than the Church of the Saints now were. In the latter part of summer and in the autumn, I devoted almost my entire time in ministering among the churches; holding meetings; visiting the sick; comforting the afflicted, and giving counsel. A school of Elders was also organized, over which I was called to preside. This class, to the number of about sixty, met for instruction once a week. The place of meeting was in the open air, under some tall trees, in a retired place in the wilderness, where we prayed, preached and prophesied, and exercised ourselves in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Here great blessings were poured out, and many great and marvelous things were manifested and taught. The Lord gave me great wisdom, and enabled me to teach and edify the Elders, and comfort and encourage them in their preparations for the great work which lay before us. I was also much edified and strengthened. To attend this school I had to travel on foot, and sometimes with bare feet at that, about six miles. This I did once a week, besides visiting and preaching in five or six branches a week. While thus engaged, and in answer to our correspondence with the Prophet, Joseph Smith, at Kirtland, Ohio, the following revelation [D&C 97] was sent to us by him, dated August, 1833: [text of D&C 97 quoted] This revelation was not complied with by the leaders and Church in Missouri, as a whole; notwithstanding many were humble and faithful. Therefore, the threatened judgment was poured out to the uttermost, as the history of the five following years will show. (Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, pages 75-77). ]