One Mighty and Strong

In an inspired letter from Joseph Smith to William W. Phelps in 1832, now canonized as section 85 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord through His prophet sent a warning to Bishop Partridge in Missouri related to the handling of the consecrated lands in Zion. He said this: “And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the scepter of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words; while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth, to set in order the house of God, and to arrange by lot the inheritances of the saints whose names are found, and the names of their fathers, and of their children, enrolled in the book of the law of God.” This promise of sending one “mighty and strong” to set things in order has apparently been since used by many apostates to justify their actions, and because of this the First Presidency in 1905 sent a letter to clarify this scripture. They said that Bishop Partridge had indeed repented and therefore the judgments of the Lord against him were mitigated, and “the occasion for sending another to fill his station—‘one mighty and strong to set in order the house of God, and to arrange by lot the inheritances of the Saints’—may also be considered as having passed away and the whole incident of the prophecy closed.” Therefore we don’t necessarily look for this to be fulfilled specifically because the Lord did not need to do so when Bishop Partridge himself properly filled his position as the Lord required.

               As I have thought about the language of this prophecy of one mighty and strong being sent, though, I’m led to believe that there is another applicable interpretation yet in our future. Who would be one “mighty and strong” who would hold “the scepter of power in his hand” and be “clothed with light for a covering” and whose “mouth shall utter words, eternal words” with his bowels as “a fountain of truth”? The answer seems clear to me: this is a description of the Savior as He returns in the Second Coming. We see similar language to this in other scriptures that clearly refer to the Savior. For example, the psalmist wrote of Jehovah, “Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand” (Psalm 89:13). He is, indeed, mighty and strong. Jacob wrote this in his prophecy about Judah: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Genesis 49:10). Shiloh—meaning the Savior—will hold the scepter of power and be the lawgiver. The psalmist also wrote, “Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain” (Psalm 104:1-2). His is indeed clothed with light for a covering. And of course it is He who gives us “eternal words,” for all His words are eternal. Jacob, for example, wrote this of the doctrine he was teaching: “The Lord God hath spoken it, and it is his eternal word, which cannot pass away” (2 Nephi 9:16). And the Savior is the “fountain of all righteousness” as He taught to Moroni (Ether 12:28). He is also “the light, and the life, and the truth of the world,” so surely a description of one whose “bowels shall be a fountain of truth” would apply most appropriately to Him (Ether 4:12). Whatever the original intent of this verse, I think can now interpret it as a warning to be “prepared for the days to come” when He “who is mighty and powerful” will “come down heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth” (Doctrine and Covenants 65:1, 5).