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Circa December 22, 1841

On or around December 22, 1841, the Prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation calling John Snider to serve a mission to the “eastern continent”—that is, the British Isles. When the revelation was received, Snider was an ordained Seventy and a member of the Nauvoo Legion.[1] Earlier that year, in January 1841, Joseph had received a revelation, instructing Snider to help build the Nauvoo House (Doctrine and Covenants 124:22–24, 60, 62, 70). Due to that earlier revelation Snider had also become a trustee and member of the Nauvoo House Association.[2]

The revelation received in December 1841 directed Snider to carry with him a “package of epistles” for the Saints in Europe with directions from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on donating to the ongoing building of the Nauvoo House and the Nauvoo Temple. The revelation specifically calls for Saints to consecrate “their gold, and their silver, and their precious stones, and the box tree, and the fir tree, and all fine wood” in order to “beautify” both the city of Nauvoo and the temple. One of these epistles Snider was to take with him was published in the Times and Seasons in April 1842,[3] and the published version of the letter quotes this revelation verbatim, confirming the validity of Snider’s petition. The language of the revelation echoes language from the book of Isaiah, which was already quoted in the Prophet’s January 1841 revelation (Isaiah 60:9, 13; Doctrine and Covenants 124:26).[4] On March 26, 1842, Snider left for his mission to Europe, returning home ten months later on January 23, 1843.[5]

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And the word of the Lord came: verily, thus saith the Lord—let my servant John Snider take a mission to the eastern continent unto all the conferences that are now sitting in that region.And let him carry a package of epistles that shall be written by my servants the Twelve, making known unto them their duties concerning the building of my houses which I have appointed unto you, saith the Lord, that they may bring their gold, and their silver, and their precious stones, and the box tree, and the fir tree, and all fine wood, and beautify the place of my sanctuary, saith the Lord. And let him return with all means speedily which shall be put into his hands. Even so. Amen.

Notes

[1] JSP, D9:493.

[2] JSP, D9:44–45.

[3] “An Epistle of the Twelve,” Times and Seasons 3, no. 11 (April 1, 1842): 735–38; see also the broadside “An Epistle of the Twelve,” M251.212 E64 1842, CHL.

[4] JSP, D9:44–45.

[5] JSP, J2:47.