D&C 101

 We read in this section, the Lord states - 

"And now, I will show unto you a parable..."  (Doctrine and Covenants 101:43)

The parable is long. Sidney B. Sperry provides the following summary - 

“It would seem that the parable is to be interpreted in this way: the nobleman is the Lord, whose choice land in His vineyard is Zion in Missouri. The places where the Saints live in Zion are the olive trees. The servants are the Latter-day Saint settlers, and the watchmen are their officers in the Church. While yet building in Zion, they become at variance with each other and do not build the tower or Temple whose site had been dedicated as early as August 3, 1831. Had they built it as directed, it would have been a spiritual refuge for them, for from it the Lord's watchmen could have seen by revelation the movements of the enemy from afar. This foreknowledge would have saved them and their hard work when the enemy made his assault. “But the Saints in Missouri were slothful, lax, and asleep. The enemy came, and the Missouri persecutions were the result. The Lord's people were scattered and much of their labors wasted. The Almighty rebuked His people, as we have already seen, but He commanded one of His servants (v. 55), Joseph Smith (103:21), to gather the ‘strength of Mine house’ and rescue His lands and possessions gathered against them. “Subsequently, the Prophet and his brethren in the famous Zion's Camp did go to Missouri in 1834 in an attempt to carry out the terms of the parable. Before they went, additional revelation was received (see 103:21–28) concerning the redemption of Zion. The brethren were instructed to try to buy land in Missouri, not to use force; and if the enemy came against them, they were to bring a curse upon them. Zion was not redeemed at that time but we may look for it in the not-too-distant future. Verily, it will be redeemed when the Lord wills it”

“Though Joseph Smith followed the Lord's instructions to gather together the ‘strength of my house’ (D&C 103:22) by organizing Zion's Camp to go forth to redeem Zion, the Lord's purpose in sending them and his will concerning the redemption of Zion were not fully understood by his people. The redemption of Zion did not take place at that time. When the servant in the parable asked when the land would be possessed, the Lord responded, ‘When I will’ (D&C 101:60). “The parable further states that all things will be fulfilled ‘after many days’ (v. 62), which passage indicates that a long period of time will pass before Zion will be redeemed. The redemption of Zion still had not taken place even after the Saints had been expelled from Missouri and from Nauvoo. The Lord then told Brigham Young that ‘Zion shall be redeemed in mine own due time’ (D&C 136:18). The redemption of Zion (meaning, the city of New Jerusalem in Missouri) is still future, although of course it is much closer now than it was when the Saints first sought to regain their inheritance in the land of Zion.

I marvel at how often the Lord commands just to prove us whether the final outcome is not what we thought.