On Liberty Jail

Liberty Jail [was], for a time, a center of instruction. The eyes of the saints were turned to it as the place whence would come encouragement, counsel—the word of the Lord. It was more temple than prison, so long as the Prophet was there. It was a place of meditation and prayer. A temple, first of all, is a place of prayer; and prayer is communion with God. It is the “infinite in man seeking the infinite in God.” Where they find each other, there is holy sanctuary—a temple. Joseph Smith sought God in this rude prison, and found him. (B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, 1:526)

The lonely, limestone Missouri jailhouse (twenty by twenty-two feet) was more a dungeon than a cell. Ironically, because of its location in that city it was known as the Liberty Jail. Herein, during his incarceration (December 1, 1838, through April 6, 1839) as a result of betrayals and distortions by some “friends” as well as enemies, the Prophet Joseph Smith received some of the most rich and remarkable revelations ever given to any prophet. The double walls, four feet thick, kept Joseph and his companions in, but they could not keep the Spirit and revelation out. Though Joseph’s physical vision suffered from incessant gloom, the “choice seer” had that vision which mattered most.

Because of its spiritual significance, Elder B. H. Roberts called this forbidding place the “prison-Temple.” (Neal A. Maxwell, But for a Small Moment, p.1-6)

Posted from Liberty, Missouri