Eliza Rigdon Restored from Death to Deliver a Message from the Lord (1842)

In late August 1842, Elder Sidney Rigdon appeared on the stand in Nauvoo to publicly refute rumors of his disloyalty to the Church and Joseph Smith, while bearing witness to a remarkable occurrence within his own household. His sixteen-year-old daughter, Elizabeth (often called Eliza), had fallen critically ill and died, with a physician confirming her death. After a period of time, however, she rose in her bed and spoke to her family in a powerful, supernatural tone, declaring that she had returned briefly to deliver a specific message from the Lord before departing again. During this state, which lasted thirty-six hours, her body remained as cold as if it were in a grave, and the only sign of life was her capacity for speech. Eliza was so precise in relaying the Lord's words that she would not allow anyone to add or subtract a single word. She bade her family farewell with profound composure, despite having expressed great fear of death prior to her passing. She warned her sister Nancy that denying the faith would result in the damnation of her soul and told her sister Sarah that she would rather die then than wait for another time, while also promising great blessings to her sisters if they remained faithful. Eventually, she called her father to her bedside, relaying a message that if he would cease weeping for her, the Lord would restore her. She eventually recovered, a miracle Sidney Rigdon cited as evidence of God's power. During the event, Eliza also prophesied regarding the negative fates of two prominent dissenters: her brother-in-law, George W. Robinson, and the former counselor John C. Bennett.