Lord retained strong hold in land of Kirtland
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The Lord declared it was His will "to retain a strong hold in the land of Kirtland, for the space of five years. . . . " (D&C 64:21.)
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, then of the Council of the Twelve, said the Lord had significant reasons for retaining a strong hold upon Kirtland and its vicinity for five years. (Church History and Modern Revelation 2:9). One of the main reasons was that the first temple of this dispensation was to be built in Kirtland, and in this temple the keys of the priesthood held by the ancient prophets were to be restored. These keys were essential to the progress of the Church."The building of such a temple required time," he wrote. "It was on the third day of April 1836, that the Lord appeared in that house where Elias, Moses and Elijah appeared and conferred the keys of their dispensations and authorities. . . .
"The revelation in which the Lord called upon the saints to keep a strong hold in Kirtland was given Sept. 11, 1831. It was in March 1836 that the house of the Lord was dedicated and the following April when these holy keys were bestowed. After this glorious event, the members of the Church were at liberty to remove to Zion. . . ."
