March 1839

Sections 121, 122, and 123 of the Doctrine & Covenants we all given while the prophet was a prisoner in Liberty Jail in March of 1839. The closing verses of Section 122 read as follows:

Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.

All of this is common knowlege but what is less well-known is that in The Life and Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Truman Madsen showed that what Joseph was really told was that he had "about 5 years". This information he shared with his mother and a few other close associates. We suppose that it is also the reason behind his rolling off the kingdom onto the shoulders of the Twelve in March of 1944, exactly 5 years from the day he received the revelation that he had "about 5 years". Wilford Woodruff records that event as follows in the Millenial Star in November of 1887:

I, Wilford Woodruff, being the last man living in the flesh who was present upon that occasion, feel it a duty I owe to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to the House of Israel, and to the whole world, to bear this my last testimony to all nations, that in the winter of 1843–4, Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God, called the Twelve Apostles together in the City of Nauvoo, and spent many days with us in giving us our endowments, and teaching us those glorious principles which God had revealed to him. And upon one occasion he stood upon his feet in our midst for nearly three hours, declaring unto us the great and last dispensation which God had set His hand to perform upon the earth in these last days. The room was filled as if with consuming fire; the Prophet was clothed upon with much of the power of God, and his face shone and was transparently clear, and he closed that speech, never-to-be-forgotten in time or in eternity, with the following language:

“Brethren, I have had great sorrow of heart for fear that I might be taken from the earth with the keys of the kingdom of God upon me, without sealing them upon the heads of other men. God has sealed upon my head all the keys of the kingdom of God necessary for organizing and building up of the Church, Zion, and kingdom of God upon the earth, and to prepare the Saints for the coming of the Son of Man. Now, brethren, I thank God I have lived to see the day that I have been enabled to give you your endowments, and I have now sealed upon your heads all the powers of the Aaronic and Melchizedec priesthoods and apostleship, with all the keys and powers thereof, which God has sealed upon me; and I now roll off all the labor, burden and care of this Church and kingdom of God upon your shoulders, and I now command you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to round up your shoulders, and bear off this Church and kingdom of God before heaven and earth, and before God, angels and men; and if you don’t do it you will be damned.”

And the same Spirit that filled the room at that time burns in my bosom while I record this testimony.

Five years from March of 1839 was March of 1944. Joseph Smith died 3 months later. Even little words like "about" apparently have meaning.