Hic et Nunc

The 178th Annual General Conference of the Church will be held on Saturday and Sunday, 5-6 April 2008.

The days in and around the first week in April are of importance to us. The spring session of the general conference of the Church always occurs on the first weekend in April.

SOME SIGNIFICANT ANNIVERSARIES OF SACRED AND HISTORICAL EVENTS OCCUR AT THIS TIME:

• The First Vision – Sunday, 26 March 1820

A conclusive date for the First Vision has not been known to the Church other than it occurred on a “beautiful, clear day early in the spring” of 1820 (Joseph Smith History 1:14). However, two LDS researchers, working independently, have come up with evidence pointing toward a date for the First Vision. The one day that is indicated as being far more likely than any other is the morning of Sunday, March 26, 1820, when Joseph Smith reached out to God and the glorious response changed the course of history. (See “Oh, How Lovely Was the Morning: Sun 26 Mar 1820?”, by John C. Lefgren.)

• Dedication of the Kirtland Temple – 27 March 1836

Prayer offered at the dedication of the temple at Kirtland, Ohio. (See D&C 109.)

• Messiah’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem – Monday, 28 March AD 33

Corresponding Passover Event: Passover lamb chosen.

• Revelation on Priesthood – 28 March 1835

Revelation on priesthood, given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio (See D&C 107.)

• Last Supper – Thursday, 31 March AD 33

• Sacrifice of the Lamb of God – Friday, 1 April AD 33

Corresponding Passover Event: Sacrifice of Passover lamb.

• Liberation Preached in Spirit Prison – 2 April AD 33

• Resurrection of Jesus Christ (firstfruits of the resurrection come forth) – Sunday, 3 April AD 33

No date for the resurrection of Christ is explicitly given in modern revelation (though an 1833 statement attributed to Joseph Smith notes that it was “just 1800 years since the Savior laid down his life,” suggesting he accepted the commonly held understanding that Jesus died in AD 33). However, other records support the date 3 April AD 33: 1) Several latter-day statements support 1 BC as the year of Jesus’ birth. In addition, a precise date is indicated: 6 April 1 BC. 2) The Book of Mormon implies that Jesus live thirty-three years, confirming the biblical testimony. 3) The New Testament indicates a precise day that is most likely for the Savior’s resurrection: Sunday, 3 April AD 33. (See “The Restoration of Priesthood Keys on Easter 1836, Part 1: Dating the First Easter,” by John P. Pratt)

Here is some information about Easter as we observe it:

We just celebrated the earliest date Easter will occur (23 March 2008) for the next 220 years. The next 23 March Easter will be in 2228 AD. Easter falls at some point between late March and late April each year, following the cycle of the moon. After several centuries of disagreement, all churches accepted the computation of the Alexandrian Church (now the Coptic Church) that Easter is always the 1st Sunday following the 1st full moon after the vernal equinox.

Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover not only for much of its symbolism but also for its position in the calendar. The Jewish calendar is based on moon phases and the time of the solar year. In much of the Christian world Easter is termed a movable feast because it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar.

• Restoration of Priesthood Keys – Sunday, 3 April 1836

On Easter Sunday, 3 April 1836, the Savior, Moses, Elias, and Elijah appeared in succession in the Kirtland Temple and restored priesthood keys required for the dispensation of the fulness of times. (See D&C 110.)

• The Savior’s Birth Date – 6 April 1 BC
  

Since the organization of the Church on 6 April 1830, members have been informed that Jesus was born on 6 April 1 BC. This belief is based on a revelation stating that the Church was organized ” one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh, it being regularly organized and established agreeable to the sixth day of the month which is called April.” (D&C 20:1)

• Beginning the Public Ministry – Saturday, 6 April AD 30

The most likely date for the Jewish Passover on which the Savior began his ministry on his thirtieth birthday is Saturday, 6 April AD 30. (See “Passover: Was it Symbolic of His Coming?”, by John P. Pratt.)

• Lehi Departs Jerusalem – 6 April 601 BC

Lehi departs from Jerusalem, 600 years before the birth of Christ on 6 April 1 BC. (See “Lehi’s 600-year Prophecy of the Birth of Christ,” by John P. Pratt)

• Organization of the Restored Church – 6 April 1830

Fayette, New York, 6 April 1830. (see D&C 21.)

• Dedication of the St. George Utah Temple – 6 April 1877

• Dedication of the Salt Lake Temple – 6 April 1893

• Dedication of the Palmyra New York Temple – 6 April 2000

Doug Simpson

pax vobiscum

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