D&C 2; JSH 1:27-65 Quotes and Notes

Joseph Describes Spiritual Sight

How could Joseph have had this vision of Moroni as he was in a room with his siblings at the time? Perhaps we are looking at this from a Western mindset and need to ask a different question. What kind of vision was this? What do ancient sources tells us about prophets’ visionary experiences? What does Joseph tell us about his experiences? A careful reading of his accounts of visionary experiences might shed some light on these and other questions.

JSH 1.20, 42 – I found myself lying on my back… the vision opened my mind that I could see… so clearly and distinctly….

D&C 76.12 – By the power of the Spirit our eyes were opened and our understandings were enlightened, so as to see and understand the things of God.

Philo Dibble, as one of several being present during Joseph and Sidney’s reception of D&C 76, said, “I saw the glory and felt the power, but did not see the vision.”^[1]Philo Dibble, “Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith,” Juvenile Instructor, vol. 27, no. 10 (May 15, 1892), 303–4. This account was the last of three that Dibble gave of “the … Continue reading

Moses 1.11 – Mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes…

2 Corinthians 12.3 – …whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth.

The Ascension of Isaiah 6.6-15 – …As he was speaking in the Holy Spirit in the hearing of all, he became silent and his mind was taken up from him and he saw not the men who stood before him… the mind in his body was taken up from him. But his breath was in him; for he was seeing a vision… the vision which holy Isaiah saw was not from this world but from the world which is hidden from the flesh.^[2]The Ascension of Isaiah is a pseudepigraphal work that has fragments in Greek, Coptic, Latin, and Old Slavonic. Three separate works comprise the total book, the final version by a Christian editor, … Continue reading

The Weakness of Youth – JSH 1.28

What is the “weakness of youth” and how does Joseph describe this condition?

True Friendship – JSH 1.28

Joseph describes what true friends are in JSH 1.28 when he says, “During the space of time which intervened between the time I had the vision and the year eighteen hundred and twenty-three—having been forbidden to join any of the religious sects of the day, and being of very tender years, and persecuted by those who ought to have been my friends and to have treated me kindly, and if they supposed me to be deluded to have endeavored in a proper and affectionate manner to have reclaimed me…”

What do true friends do? They work to help others and to “affectionately reclaim them,” not persecute them. This is wise counsel that is so applicable today.

His Name for Good and Evil Throughout the World

Joseph was told that his name would be had for good and evil “among all nations, kindreds, and tongues…” (Joseph Smith-History 1.33).

Elder John H. Groberg of the Seventy told of an experience in which he saw a fulfillment of Moroni’s prophecy in Joseph Smith—History 1:33. While serving as a missionary in the South Pacific, Elder Groberg visited a remote island named Tafahi, which had only 18 homes and no electricity or running water. He wrote:

“At the last home, a strange thought occurred to me, ‘Why don’t you test the prophecy that the name of Joseph Smith should be known for good and evil throughout the world?’ I don’t know why the thought came, but it did.”

He asked the family living in this home if they had ever heard of the president of the United States. They responded, “Who’s he?” and “Where’s the United States?” Elder Groberg reported:

“I tried to explain where it was, but they couldn’t understand. They asked how big an island it was. I replied that it was a very big island, thousands of miles away with millions of people living on it. I told them that many people there had never even seen the ocean and that many people didn’t know one another. They couldn’t comprehend that.”

He then asked them about the leaders of Russia and France, but they could not answer his questions.

“Next,” he said, “I asked about some sports figures, some movie stars, famous business people, about the Depression, the Korean War, and other things. …

“There was not a member of the Church living on this island, although there were two other churches there. I took a deep breath and said, ‘Have you ever heard of Joseph Smith?’

“Immediately their faces lit up. Everyone looked at me, and the father said, ‘Don’t talk to us about that false prophet! Not in our home! We know all about him. Our minister has told us!’ I could hardly believe what I was hearing. The scripture … sounded in my mind that Joseph’s name ‘should be had for good and evil among all nations’ (JS—H 1:33). To me this was a direct fulfillment of prophecy.

“I am convinced that you could hardly get a place more remote, more out of touch with modern civilization, than the little island of Tafahi. The people there knew nothing of the great leaders of the day—political, economic, or otherwise—but they knew the name Joseph Smith. In this case they knew it for ill, at least to begin with. I spent the next few days explaining more of the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and before we left, a few of them knew his name for good.”^[3]John H. Groberg, In the Eye of the Storm, 1993, p. 104–6. See also: Daniel C. Peterson, Defending the Faith: Joseph Smith’s name ‘had for good and evil among all nations’ Deseret News, … Continue reading

Moroni Warns Joseph About Motives

Several times Moroni warned Joseph that his motives were of utmost importance. If his motive was to seek wealth, then he would not be able to get the plates. We read from the history, “Again, he told me, that when I got those plates of which he had spoken—for the time that they should be obtained was not yet fulfilled—I should not show them to any person; neither the breastplate with the Urim and Thummim; only to those to whom I should be commanded to show them; if I did I should be destroyed. While he was conversing with me about the plates, the vision was opened to my mind that I could see the place where the plates were deposited, and that so clearly and distinctly that I knew the place again when I visited it” (Joseph Smith-History 1.42).

After visiting Joseph twice in one night the angel Moroni warns Joseph (coming for a third time in one night) about his motives and listening to the right voice. We read from the history, “By this time, so deep were the impressions made on my mind, that sleep had fled from my eyes, and I lay overwhelmed in astonishment at what I had both seen and heard. But what was my surprise when again I beheld the same messenger at my bedside, and heard him rehearse or repeat over again to me the same things as before; and added a caution to me, telling me that Satan would try to tempt me (in consequence of the indigent circumstances of my father’s family), to get the plates for the purpose of getting rich. This he forbade me, saying that I must have no other object in view in getting the plates but to glorify God, and must not be influenced by any other motive than that of building his kingdom; otherwise I could not get them” (Joseph Smith-History 1.46).

How These Warnings to Joseph Applied to Him and Us

One of the first lessons our youth can learn as they go through the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History is how to listen to the right voice.  From the very beginning of his work as a prophet, Joseph Smith is taught this very important lesson: that listening and following direction from Heavenly Father is the first and only priority.  Learning to distinguish between the voice of God and the voice of the Adversary, to listen to the voice of God over friends, and finally to obey God over one’s own desires; Joseph Smith faces all three challenges very early in his work.

In Joseph Smith-History verse 28 Joseph writes that he is of very tender years – it is 1823 and Joseph Smith is 17 years old.  These are tender years…  but our youth at this age think that they are experienced and advanced.  Joseph is in a position where he truly cares most about pleasing his Heavenly Father.  If he were a young man in our Sunday School or seminary classes he would be the ideal student: attentive, inquisitive, and serious about spiritual things.

All the earthly things had lost its charm, all he sought was acceptance with God

Oliver Cowdery wrote a series of letters that were first published in the Messenger and Advocate in 1834. It is in these letters that we can learn more about Joseph’s early experiences, especially as they relate to Moroni, Cumorah, and receiving the record. You can read these letters here. Writes Oliver Cowdery:  “On the evening of the 21st of September, 1823, previous to retiring to rest, our brother’s mind was unusually wrought up on the subject which had so long agitated his mind–his heart was drawn out in fervent prayer, and his whole soul was so lost to everything of a temporal nature, that earth, to him had lost its charm, and all he desired was to be prepared in heart to commune with some kind messenger who could communicate to him the desired information of his acceptance with God.”^[4]Letters of Oliver Cowdery, Messenger and Advocate, Vol. 1:77.  Letter #4.

Joseph is warned that he will be tempted to use the plates for material gain (see JSH 1.46).  He is warned three times this night and again the next day.  When he goes to obtain the plates, he fails. In the historical account in Joseph Smith-History, it is not explained why. We read:

I made an attempt to take them out, but was forbidden by the messenger, and was again informed that the time for bringing them forth had not yet arrived, neither would it, until four years from that time; but he told me that I should come to that place precisely in one year from that time, and that he would there meet with me, and that I should continue to do so until the time should come for obtaining the plates.  (Joseph Smith-History 1.53)

Oliver Cowdery explains what happened and fills in the gaps for us:

On attempting to take possession of the record a shock was produced upon his system, by an invisible power, which deprived him, in a measure, of his natural strength. He desisted for an instant, and then made another attempt, but was more sensibly shocked than before. What was the occasion of this he knew not—there was the pure unsullied record, as has been described—he had heard of the powers of enchantment, and a thousand like stories, which held the hidden treasures of the earth, and supposed that physical exertion and personal strength was only necessary to enable him to yet obtain the object of his wish. He therefore made the third attempt with an increased exertion, when his strength failed him more than at either of the former times, and without premeditating he exclaimed, “Why can I not obtain this book?” “Because you have not kept the commandments of the Lord,” answered a voice, within a seeming short distance. He looked and to his astonishment there stood the angel who had previously given him the directions concerning this matter. In an instant, all the former instructions, the great intelligence concerning Israel and the last days were brought to his mind: he thought of the time when his heart was fervently engaged in prayer to the Lord, when his spirit was contrite, and when his holy messenger from the skies unfolded the wonderful things connected with this record. He had come to be sure, and found the word of the angel fulfilled concerning the reality of the record, but he had failed to remember the great end for which they had been kept, and in consequence could not have power to take them into his possession and bear them away.^[5]Oliver Cowdery, Early Scenes and Incidents in the Church. Improvement Era, 1899, Vol. Ii. August, 1899. No. 10.

Oliver continues:

It is sufficient to say, that such were his reflections during his walk of from two to three miles, the distance from his fathers house to the place pointed out. And, to use his own words, it seemed as though two invisible powers were influencing, or striving to influence his mind—one with the reflection, that if he obtained the object of his pursuit, it would be through the mercy and condescension of the Lord, and that every act or performance in relation to it must be in strict accordance with the instruction of that personage who communicated the intelligence to him first; and the other, with the thoughts and reflections like those previously mentioned—contrasting his former and present circumstances in life with those to come. That precious instruction recorded on the sacred page, “Pray always,” which was expressly impressed upon him, was, at length, entirely forgotten, and, as I previously remarked, a fixed determination to obtain and aggrandize himself occupied his mind when he arrived at the place where the record was found.^[6]A Remarkable Vision, Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, vol. 1 (May 1840-April 1841), Vol. 1, No. 6, October 1840 152. See also: Letters by Oliver Cowdery to W.W. Phelps on the Rise of the … Continue reading

In the short space of a walk of about three miles Joseph had entirely forgotten the instruction from an angel of God! How did this happen? The voices speaking to him, tempting him must have been very powerful. Perhaps he momentarily lost his mind- he forgot to pray always and had a determination fixed in his mind… this is one of the weaknesses of not only youth but of mortals in general.  I have spoken with several youth and adults over the years who, in a moment of weakness or serious lapse in judgment have related how they temporarily lost their ability to reason properly, thus losing their focus and making some awfully bad decisions.

There are many illustrations which teach this principle that are relevant to us today. One illustration would be a youth who knows what is right but desires a boyfriend/girlfriend so desperately as to forget counsel… it is as if there is a fixed determination. I have seen adults who have been persuaded by those promising easy access to wealth and are then swindled into making foolish choices with regards to their finances.

What was Joseph’s folly?  How did he change in just a few moments from a young boy of tender years with no earthly cares to one who let the wrong voice affect his heart?  Oliver Cowdery gives us a glimpse into the situation with counsel that has great application to the youth of the Church today.

Oliver Cowdery on Joseph’s weakness

You will have wondered, perhaps, that the mind of our brother should be so occupied with the thoughts of the goods of this world, at the time of arriving at Cumorah, on the morning of the 22nd of September, 1823, after having been wrapt in the visions of heaven during the night, and also seeing and hearing in open day; but the mind of man is easily turned if it is not held by the power of God through the prayer of faith, and you will remember that I have said that two invisible powers were operating upon his mind during his walk from his residence to Cumorah, and that the one urging the uncertainty of wealth and ease in this life, had so powerfully wrought upon him that the great object so carefully and impressively named by the angel, had entirely gone from his recollection that only a fixed determination to obtain now urged him forward. In this, which occasioned a failure to obtain, at that time, the record, do not understand me to attach blame to our brother: he was young, and his mind easily turned from correct principles, unless he could be favored with a certain round of experience.^[7]Oliver Cowdery, Early Scenes and Incidents in the Church.

Learning to listen to the right voice will take some experience.  The scriptures provide the backdrop from which to pull valuable experiences, stories which teach principles that help making right decisions easier.  Leaders of youth in the Church have this experience.  It is important for the youth to see that their leaders have this experience.  By listening to counsel of leaders and scriptures, youth will have an increased likelihood of making correct choices.

To all of us, I would say that we must all be careful to not lose our determination as to what matters most to us. What do we desire? We should know what it is that we want. I do believe that if we align our desires to the will of our Heavenly Father that he will work with us to align our desires with heaven to help us achieve the greatest peace and happiness in this life. For Joseph and the rest of the church today, it was vital that he listen to the right voice. How many people yet unborn will be affected by your listening to the right voice?

Moroni Teaches Joseph About Elijah – D&C 2 and JSH 1.36-39

Moroni changes the way some of Malachi’s prophecy is read, where he quotes part of Malachi 3, then also Malachi 4 with a variation:

For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch (JSH 1.37 and Malachi 4.1)

Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. (D&C 2.1 and Malachi 4.5)

And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming. (D&C 2.2-3 and Malachi 4.6)

These verses have everything to do with the highest ordinances of the temple, the sealing of man and woman in holy matrimony for time and all eternity. At 17 years old, Moroni is already instructing Joseph on the purpose of the earth, and preparing him to receive the principles and ordinances associated with this high and holy ordinance. As Joseph Fielding Smith has said, “Elijah restored the keys of the sealing power, by which the ordinances in the temple are bound in heaven as well as on earth, for both the living and the dead.”^[8]Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, 2:234.

Elijah restored to this Church and, if they would receive it, to the world, the keys of the sealing power; and that sealing power puts the stamp of approval upon every ordinance that is done in this Church and more particularly those that are performed in the temples of the Lord. Through that restoration, each of you…has the privilege of going into this house or one of the other temples… to have your (spouse) sealed to you for time and for all eternity, and your children sealed to you also, or better, have them born under that covenant.”^[9]Ibid., 3:129.

“The keys of Elijah’s work and ministry are extremely interesting. His coming was the fulfilling of the promise made through Malachi. It is the planting in the hearts of the children the promises made to their fathers, that in these last days, the children should do the work which was denied the fathers upon which their salvation depends. Many members of the Church have thought that the keys restored by Elijah were keys pertaining to the dead, and therefore Elijah practiced in his day ordinances in behalf of the dead. This is an error. There was no work performed for the dead by Elijah or any other prophet before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The keys held by Elijah were the keys of the sealing power by which all ordinances are sanctioned and approved and upon which the eternal seal of authority is placed.”^[10]

Joseph Smith said this about the spirit can calling of Elijah:Joseph Fielding Smith, The Signs of the Times, p.188.

“Now for Elijah. The spirit, power, and calling of Elijah is, that ye have power to hold the key of the revelations, ordinances, oracles, powers and endowments of the fullness of the Melchizedek Priesthood and of the kingdom of God on the earth; and to receive, obtain, and perform all the ordinances belonging to the kingdom of God, even unto the turning of the hearts of the fathers unto the children, and the hearts of the children unto the fathers, even those who are in heaven. . . Then what you seal on earth, by the keys of Elijah, is sealed in heaven; and this is the power of Elijah, and this is the difference between the spirit and power of Elias and Elijah; for while the spirit of Elias is a forerunner, the power of Elijah is sufficient to make our calling and election sure; and the same doctrine, where we are exhorted to go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, &c.”^[11]Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp.337-338.

Although Joseph does not elaborate, there is something noteworthy in Malachi 4 that we will find come to light in Nauvoo as Joseph teaches the Saints more about Heavenly Mother. Malachi 4.2 in the King James Version reads as follows:

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall

With some knowledge of Hebrew, a more careful reading of this text brings some interesting things to light.

In the Hebrew text of Malachi 4.2 we read the following:

וְזָרְחָה לָכֶם יִרְאֵי שְׁמִי שֶׁמֶשׁ צְדָקָה וּמַרְפֵּא בִּכְנָפֶיהָ וִֽיצָאתֶם וּפִשְׁתֶּם כְּעֶגְלֵי מַרְבֵּֽק׃

In this passage the “Sun of Righteousness” is feminine, שֶׁ֣מֶשׁ צְדָקָ֔ה shemesh tsedâqâh, which can have many meanings, but is certainly feminine with the suffix at the end of tsedâqâh. In one sense this can be speaking of God in a feminine way. I see this as the fulfillment of the Great Lady, meaning the church of Jesus Christ which will bring forth the kingdom of God as found in several passages in Revelation 12.^[12]The Joseph Smith translation of Revelation 12 helps to demonstrate what I am talking about here. In it we read: And there appeared a great sign in heaven, in the likeness of things on the … Continue reading)

The verb “arise” (וְזָרְחָ֙ה) is feminine as well, (literally, “she shall arise”) and the pronominal suffix “Her” for “Her wings” is feminine as well בִּכְנָפֶ֑יהָ “in Her wings.”^[13]The verb “arise” (וְזָרְחָ֙ה) is feminine, (transliteration: wezarehah. From the root זָרַח  (H2224) – Hebrew: Conjunction; verb qal sequential perfect third person feminine … Continue reading

One scholar gives another approach to this very peculiar text:

Evidence from Ancient Ugarit confirms the identity of the king’s heavenly mother who was clothed with the sun. Their sun goddess, whose two aspects were named Athirat and Rahmay, gave birth to the two aspects of the king named Morning Star and Evening Star… A stela from Ugarit depicts the scene when the king approaches the heavenly throne, under the wings of the sun disc, who represents his heavenly mother. The sun goddess despite being mother of the royal heir, was known as the Virgin (KTU 1.15.ii.), as well as the ‘Great Lady who tramples the sea’ and the ‘Creatrix of the gods’ (KTU 1.4.iii.34-35). The seventy sons of El, the gods of the nations, were her children, and she was the consort of El Elyon who appears in Genesis 14.20, 22 as God Most High served by the priest-king of Jerusalem named Melchizedek. The fragment of Deuteronomy 32.8-9 found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (and appearing in newer translations such as the NRSV), shows that Israel had known the sons of El. It prompts the question how there came to be two versions of such a sensitive text, since this longer version must have been the one used by the translators of the LXX, i.e. it is the older text:

When the Most High apportioned the nations

when he divided humankind

he fixed the boundaries of the peoples

according to the number of the gods

The LORD’S own portion was his people,

Jacob his allotted share. (4QDeut.q)

A millennium and more separates the Ugaritic evidence from the Book of Revelation, but not from the cult of the first temple. The Woman clothed with the sun is not the Ugaritic goddess, but the Hebrew goddess who was worshipped in Jerusalem until the temple purges in the seventh century BCE. She is the Queen of Heaven, the consort of the King, the LORD of Hosts, whom Isaiah had seen in his vision (Isaiah 6.5). The eighth-century prophets, however, spoke of her as the ‘almah, (which the LXX understood to mean Virgin), the mother of the royal child, Immanuel, God with us (Isaiah 7.14) and as the woman who would give birth in Bethlehem to the mighty shepherd of Israel (Micah 5.2-4). When Malachi warned of the Day of the Lord, he promised that the Sun of Righteousness would rise up with healing ‘in her wings’ (Malachi 4.2, usually translated ‘its wings’). In the Book of Revelation she gives birth to her son and then flies away on eagles’ wings into the desert, to escape the ancient serpent (Revelation 12.14).^[14]Margaret Barker, Revelation of Jesus Christ: Which God Gave to Him to Show to His Servants What Must Soon Take Place (Revelation 1.1), Continuum International Publishing; 1st edition (May 1, 2000), … Continue reading

What does all of this mean? To me, there is certainly several ways that we can analyze this text. I find myself developing new and interesting ways to interpret this. For starters, I acknowledge the difficult translation issues! Certainly the authors of the Book of Mormon plate text had an understanding of these complex issues, and yet in our modern version of the Book of Mormon, we basically have this KJV text.^[15]See 3 Nephi 25.2. It is worth noting that it reads as follows: “But unto you that fear my name, shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as … Continue reading It has been argued by some critics of the Book of Mormon that since Malachi came after Nephi left Jerusalem, in no way could any of his words be used by him or those that came after him in the Americas. For example, in 1 Nephi 22.24 the phrase “calves of the stall” is used. This also occurs in the KJV of Malachi 4.2. Since Malachi came 200 years after Nephi, this is seen as an anachronism by critics. John Tvedtnes demonstrates why this is not the case:

The Hebrew term rendered “calves of the stall” in the Malachi passage is eglēy marbēq. It is also found in other Bible passages, such as Jeremiah 46:21 and 1 Samuel 28:24, where the same Hebrew words are rendered “fatted bullocks” and “fat calf” (singular form ēgel marbēq), respectively, in the King James version (KJV) of the Bible. But the word marbēq refers to an animal stall and does not mean “fat” or “fatted.” The Samuel passage predates Nephi by a few centuries, while the Jeremiah passage is contemporary with him. So the term would have been known to Nephi. Also predating Nephi was the prophet Amos, who wrote of ăgālīm mit-tōk marbēq, “calves out of the midst of the stall” (Amos 6:4).^[16]John Tvedtnes, 1 Nephi 22.24 Calves of the Stall. Book of Mormon Research. Accessed 12.28.20. From Tvedtnes’ explanation, we can see that the phrase “calves of the stall” was used by earlier authors of scripture, (though not readily seen in the English translation of the text) and that their works would have been available to Nephi as he studied the Brass Plates record.

So if we acknowledge the complex nature of this passage, I would like to suggest a couple of things for our consideration. The idea of a goddess giving birth to a dying and rising god is not uncommon, as Barker and others have demonstrated.^[17]See: Tryggve N.D. Mettinger, The Riddle of Resurrection: Dying and Rising Gods in the Ancient Near East, Eisenbrauns; 1st edition, November 1, 2017. We also see this in the story of Osiris/Horus and the mother Isis in the older Egyptian religion. The Great Lady that tramples the sea could very well be Asherah, a deity that was clearly venerated by the Israelites in the First Temple period. This goddess went by many names in the Ancient Near East, but in many cases she seems to be doing many of the same things. She is clearly found throughout the Old Testament, though later editors tried to eliminate her presence.^[18]William Dever, Did God Have a Wife?:  Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel, Eerdmans, 2005. See also: Raphael Patai, The Hebrew Goddess, Wayne State University Press, 1990.

So in one sense those that “fear (God’s) name” will meet Heavenly Mother, who has healing in her wings, and they will “grow up as calves,” meaning that they will continue in their progression, away from the storms of mortality and in a place of safety. This to me, is a resurrection type of teaching or ritual. It is a sacred heavenly embrace [think “wings” also being outstretched arms]^[19]Wings in this verse come from the word kanaph. The word כָּנָף can be translated as wing, skirt, borders, corners, ends, extremity, feathered, or skirt, corner of a garment. The image of wings … Continue reading with our Heavenly Mother. Heavenly Mother as an embodied exalted being of brightness like the sun is a strong possibility here in this particular verse, especially when we look closely at how Asherah was the embodiment of the Tree (or the Tree of Life!) and how Lehi incorporated the Tree in his vision in 1 Nephi 8-11. Note how Lehi describes the Tree and the superlatives that he uses in his vision of the Tree.^[20]Superlatives include: Most sweet, most white, most beautiful, and most precious. See 1 Nephi 11.7-9. The entire verse is drenched in the feminine and to me it reads this way. This is certainly one approach to the text.

Another consideration would be that if we read this verse in the context of Revelation 12, the woman is the church, which is going to (according to the Joseph Smith Translation) bring forth the political kingdom of God which will “rule with a rod of iron” (JST, Revelation 12.3,7). In the context of Malachi’s prophecy, the church will come in the name of Christ, bringing healing to all who revere the name of God. Certainly the principles taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bring the healing needed for a sick world. The Church is the tool the Lord is using in the latter days to “make his name known.” The Church spends countless treasure and time in the effort to heal the nations, despite the opposition mustered against it. The Church is the heavenly kingdom of God waiting in anticipation for the earthly kingdom of God to fulfill its destiny where the Lord Jesus Christ reigns as king of kings.

From a ritual perspective, those that revere “the name” (Malachi 4.2), will be healed by the “sun of righteousness,” a divine being (in the feminine in the Hebrew text), being brought into safety. This is the embrace of God,^[21]The embrace is a perfect symbol for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The word atonement appears only once in the New Testament, but 127 times in the Old Testament. . . In the other Standard Works of … Continue reading the perfect symbol for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the word atonement being the same word for “covered.” We are “covered” or embraced by our Heavenly Parents, and in the context of Malachi 4, we are all tied together in sealing covenants with our parents and our children in a family tree – the same symbol for the “sun of righteousness,” at least as it applies to Asherah. So we are back to the Tree. Note that the Old Testament begins and ends in the imagery of a tree. The same can be said of the New Testament. The message should not be missed: God is our Father. We have a Heavenly Mother. We are all children of Heavenly parents, and to the 17 year old Joseph, these ideas are present in the text of Malachi that Moroni is quoting on a September day long ago. The roots of temple liturgy are already showing the first signs of growth before the Book of Mormon is even published!

The Importance of Temples

Whenever the Saints move, the Lord immediately gives instructions about the construction of temples. For example, at the very beginning of the Restoration, when Joseph is a teenager, we get Section 2. When the Saints arrive in Jackson County, we read in D&C 57.3 that “the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward… and consecrated for the gathering of the saints.” When the Saints gather in Nauvoo, we read a similar command:

“… send ye swift messengers, yea, chosen messengers, and say unto them: Come ye, with all your gold, and your silver, and your precious stones, and with all your antiquities… and with all your precious things of the earth; and build a house to my name, for the Most High to dwell therein. For there is not a place found on earth that he may come to and restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he hath taken away, even the fulness of the priesthood. For a baptismal font there is not upon the earth, that they, my saints, may be baptized for those who are dead— For this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot be acceptable to me, only in the days of your poverty, wherein ye are not able to build a house unto me. But I command you, all ye my saints, to build a house unto me; and I grant unto you a sufficient time to build a house unto me; and during this time your baptisms shall be acceptable unto me” (D&C 124.26-31).

We also see this when Brigham Young arrives in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. He comes to the place where the temple is now built and says, “Here we will build a temple to our God.”^[22]The Salt Lake Temple, March 1993 Ensign

Josiah Stoal, Silver Mines, and Seer Stones

Joseph informs readers of his history that he worked for Josiah Stoal as a money digger for a period of time in 1825. He states:

In the month of October, 1825, I hired with an old gentleman by the name of Josiah Stoal, who lived in Chenango county, State of New York. He had heard something of a silver mine having been opened by the Spaniards in Harmony, Susquehanna county, State of Pennsylvania; and had, previous to my hiring to him, been digging, in order, if possible, to discover the mine. After I went to live with him, he took me, with the rest of his hands, to dig for the silver mine, at which I continued to work for nearly a month, without success in our undertaking, and finally I prevailed with the old gentleman to cease digging after it. Hence arose the very prevalent story of my having been a money-digger (JSH 1.56).

Joseph obtained a series of seer-stones in his youth, something which seems foreign to modern readers. One historian shares Joseph’s relationship with these tools this way:

From a combination of friendly and unfriendly sources, it is clear that Joseph Smith as a teenager acquired three different seer stones. He obtained the first by digging for it himself after seeing its location in a stone he had borrowed from a neighbor. Someone claimed to give him a second stone. He used most extensively a third stone obtained while he and his brother Alvin were well-digging on a neighbor’s property in Palmyra.^[23]D. Michael Quinn, Early Mormonism and the Magic World View, Signature Books, 1998. Accessed online at Scribd.com.

William D. Purple, a non-Mormon, published his reminiscences of acting as scribe for an 1826 court case (see below) during which he heard Joseph Jr. describe finding his first stone. “He said when he was a lad, he heard of a neighboring girl [Sally Chase] some three miles from him, who could look into a glass and see anything however hidden from others; that he was seized with a strong desire to see her and her glass; that after much effort he induced his parents to let him visit her. He did so, and was permitted to look in the glass, which was placed in a hat to exclude the light. He was greatly surprised to see but one thing, which was a small stone, a great way off. It became luminous, and dazzled his eyes, and after a short time it became as intense as the mid-day sun. He said that the stone was under the roots of a tree or shrub as large as his arm … He borrowed an old ax and a hoe, and repaired to the tree. With some labor and exertion he found the stone, carried it to the creek, washed and wiped it dry, sat down on the bank, placed it in his hat, and discovered that time, place and distance were annihilated; that all intervening obstacles were removed…”^[24]W.D. Purple Account. 29 April, 1877. Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, May 2, 1877, Vol. 20, No. 33. In his interview with Fayette Lapham, Joseph Sr. also said his son saw the location of this stone in the earth by looking at someone else’s stone. His father said Joseph Jr. acquired his first seer stone at “about fourteen years of age,” in other words, about 1819-20.^[25] D. Michael Quinn, Magic World View.

More than ten years before these non-Mormons published their reminiscences, Brigham Young verified that Joseph Smith used someone else’s stone to find his own stone, which Joseph dug up himself. Converted to the restored gospel in 1832, Brigham Young later told the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that “the seer stone which Joseph Smith first obtained He got in an Iron kettle 25 feet underground. He saw it while looking in another seers’ stone which a person had. He went right to the spot & dug & found it.”^[26]Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 11 Sep. 1859. Brigham Young added the significant detail that this was “the seer stone which Joseph Smith first obtained,” confirming Lapham’s memory of his interview.^[27]Quinn, World View.

Joseph and Emma Hale are Married – JSH 1.57

Prior to his marriage to Emma, Joseph is told by the angel Moroni on his third visit to the hill in Cumorah (September 1826) to bring someone with him on his next meeting with Moroni. “Who is the right person?” Joseph asked the angel.

“You will know,” Moroni said.

Joseph sought the Lord’s direction through his seer stone. The right person, he learned, was Emma Hale.^[28]Saints: 1815-1846 The Standard of Truth, p. 34. See also: Knight, Reminiscences, p. 2, Church History Library.

Joseph and Emma Hale marry on January 18, 1827. Joseph is 21 years old and Emma is 22. They had to elope due to the disapproval of Emma’s parents. Could Joseph have had to be married as part of his path of discipleship? Was it essential for him to be married before he obtained the plates? I believe that this could be a possibility.^[29]Marriage is vitally important in Judaism. Refraining from marriage is not considered holy, as it is in some other religions. On the contrary, it is considered unnatural. The Talmud says that an … Continue reading

I Should Be Responsible for Them – JSH 1.59

The angel Moroni tells Joseph that he should be responsible for the plates when he finally obtains them on 22 September 1827. Moroni warns Joseph that “I should be responsible for them; that if I should let them go carelessly, or through any neglect of mine, I should be cut off; but that if I would use all my endeavors to preserve them… they should be protected” (JSH 1.59).

We should all read these verses and ask ourselves, “How does Moroni’s counsel apply to our personal lives? What have I been entrusted with that the Lord wants me to safeguard and protect?” Each of us have a responsibility and each of us are given things that we must protect. If we stop and think about what is really important in our lives we can use this verse to gain wisdom and apply it on a personal level.

Every Strategy Was Used to Joseph’s Enemies – JSH 1.60

After the Fall harvest in 2817, people in and around Palmyra were aware of Joseph’s upcoming visit with Moroni, that it would shortly take place. From the historical records we read:

Local treasure seekers also knew it was time for Joseph to get the record. Lately one of them, a man named Samuel Lawrence, had been roaming the hill, searching for the plates. Worried that Samuel would cause trouble, Joseph sent his father to Samuel’s house on the evening of September 21 to keep an eye on him and confront him if it looked like he was going to the hill.

Joseph then readied himself to retrieve the plates. His yearly visit to the hill was to take place the next day, but to keep ahead of the treasure seekers, he planned to arrive at the hill shortly after midnight—just as the morning of September 22 was beginning—when no one expected him to be out.

But he still needed to find a way to protect the plates once he got them. After most of the family had gone to bed, he quietly asked his mother if she had a lockbox. Lucy did not have one and got worried.

“Never mind,” Joseph said. “I can do very well just now without it.”^[30]Saints, p. 37. Lucy Mack Smith, History 1844-45, book 5, (6).

Emma soon appeared, dressed for riding, and she and Joseph climbed into Joseph Knight’s carriage and set out into the night.^[31]Ibid., p. 37. See also Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845, p. 105. When they arrived at the hill, Emma waited with the carriage while Joseph climbed the slope to the place where the plates were hidden.

Moroni appeared, and Joseph lifted the gold plates and seer stones from the stone box. Before Joseph set off down the hill, Moroni reminded him to show the plates to no one except those the Lord appointed, promising him that the plates would be protected if he did all within his power to preserve them.

“You will have to be watchful and faithful to your trust,” Moroni told him, “or you will be overpowered by wicked men, for they will lay every plan and scheme that is possible to get them away from you. And if you do not take heed continually, they will succeed.”^[32]Ibid., p. 38.

Joseph carried the plates down the hill, but before he reached the carriage, he secured them in a hollow log where they would be safe until he obtained a lockbox. He then found Emma, and they returned home as the sun began to rise.

At the Smith home, Lucy waited anxiously for Joseph and Emma while she served breakfast to Joseph Sr., Joseph Knight, and Josiah Stowell. Her heart beat rapidly while she worked, fearful that her son would return without the plates.^[33]Ibid., p. 38.

A short time later, Joseph and Emma came into the house. Lucy looked to see if Joseph had the plates but left the room trembling when she saw his empty hands.

Joseph followed her. “Mother,” he said, “do not be uneasy.” He handed her an object wrapped in a handkerchief. Through the fabric, Lucy felt what seemed to be a large pair of spectacles. They were the Urim and Thummim, the seer stones the Lord had prepared for translating the plates.

Lucy was elated. Joseph looked as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. But when he joined the others in the house, he made a sad face and ate his breakfast in silence. After he finished, he leaned his head forlornly on his hand. “I am disappointed,” he said to Joseph Knight.

“Well,” the older man said, “I am sorry.”

“I am greatly disappointed,” Joseph repeated, his expression changing to a smile. “It is ten times better than I expected!” He went on to describe the size and weight of the plates and talked excitedly about the Urim and Thummim.

“I can see anything,” he said. “They are marvelous.”^[34]Ibid., p. 39.

The day after he received the plates, Joseph went to work repairing a well in a nearby town to raise money for a lockbox. That same morning, while on an errand just over the hill from the Smith home, Joseph Sr. overheard a group of men plotting to steal the gold plates.

“We will have the plates,” one of them said, “in spite of Joe Smith or all the devils in hell.”

Alarmed, Joseph Sr. returned home and told Emma. She said she did not know where the plates were, but she was sure Joseph had protected them.

“Yes,” Joseph Sr. replied, “but remember that for a small thing Esau lost his blessing and birthright. It may be so with Joseph.”

To be sure the plates were secure, Emma mounted a horse and rode for more than an hour to the farm where Joseph was working. She found him by the well, caked in dirt and sweat from the day’s work. Hearing of the danger, Joseph looked into the Urim and Thummim and saw that the plates were safe.

Back home, Joseph Sr. paced back and forth outside the house, glancing every minute down the road until he saw Joseph and Emma.

“Father,” Joseph said as they rode up, “all is perfectly safe—there is no cause of alarm.”

But it was time to act.

Hurrying to the hill, Joseph found the log where the plates were hidden and carefully wrapped them in a shirt. He then ducked into the woods and headed for home, his eyes alert to danger. The forest concealed him from people on the main road, but it gave thieves plenty of places to hide.

Straining under the weight of the record, Joseph tramped through the woods as fast as he could. A fallen tree blocked the path ahead of him, and as he bounded over it, he felt something hard strike him from behind. Turning around, he saw a man coming at him, wielding a gun like a club.

Clutching the plates tightly with one arm, Joseph knocked the man to the ground and scrambled deeper into the thicket. He ran for about half a mile when another man sprang from behind a tree and struck him with the butt of his gun. Joseph fought the man off and darted away, desperate to be out of the woods. But before he could get very far a third man attacked, landing a heavy blow that sent him reeling. Gathering his strength, Joseph hit the man hard and ran for home.^[35]Ibid., p. 41.

Back at the house, Joseph burst through the door with his heavy bundle tucked beneath one arm. “Father,” he cried, “I have got the plates.”

His fourteen-year-old sister, Katharine, helped him set the bundle on a table as the rest of the family gathered around him. Joseph could tell his father and younger brother William wanted to unwrap the plates, but he stopped them.

“Can we not see them?” Joseph Sr. asked.

“No,” Joseph said. “I was disobedient the first time, but I intend to be faithful this time.”

He told them they could feel the plates through the cloth, and his brother William picked up the bundle. It was heavier than stone, and William could tell that it had leaves that moved like the pages of a book. Joseph also sent his youngest brother, Don Carlos, to get a lockbox from Hyrum, who lived down the road with his wife, Jerusha, and their newborn daughter.

Hyrum arrived soon after, and once the plates were securely in the box, Joseph collapsed onto a nearby bed and started telling his family about the men in the woods.

As he spoke, he realized his hand ached. Sometime during the attacks he had dislocated a thumb.

“I must stop talking, Father,” he said suddenly, “and get you to put my thumb back in place.”^[36]Saints, p. 37-42.

Joseph Leaves to Pennsylvania – JSH 1.61

Joseph tells us that “the persecution… became so intolerable that I was under the necessity of leaving Manchester, and going with my wife to Susquehanna county” (JSH 1.61). We see this throughout so many of the lives of the prophets. They must flee out of situations and places where the persecution becomes too severe (see 1 Nephi 1.20-1 Nephi 2.2; 1 Kings 19; Omni 1.12).

Martin Helps with Translation – JSH 1.61

Martin Harris helped Joseph and Emma with his time and by donating money to the cause. Later his relationship with the Smiths will cause serious problems in the work due to the lost manuscript, which will be covered in later sections of the Doctrine and Covenants.

Martin Harris helped Joseph financially and as scribe during the early days of the Book of Mormon translation. He would later become one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, never to deny his testimony of its truthfulness.

Martin Takes the Characters to New York City – JSH 1.64-65

Martin Harris takes several of the characters from the Book of Mormon plate text to be examined by Professor Charles Anthon, who first authenticates them, then reneges when he hears of the provenance of the plates. In this exchange, Martin is convinced that Professor Anthon is fulfilling a prophecy of Isaiah (see Isaiah 29.9-12), and as a result of this exchange, continues supporting Joseph in his efforts of translation. Martin Harris will later mortgage a significant portion of his land holdings (151 acres)^[37]As Martin struggled to ease his commitment to pay for the printing of the Book of Mormon, a Palmyra businessman, Thomas Lakey, offered to buy some of Martin’s property. Martin Harris made the … Continue reading to assure the publication of the Book of Mormon.^[38]To pay the printer for the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon, Martin Harris mortgaged his home and farm for $3,000 (see above). For more information about the printing, see “ The Grandin … Continue reading

Oliver Cowdery Assists in Translation – JSH 1.66-75

Oliver Cowdery describes his experience in the translation process as follows:

“These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon’…

No men, in their sober senses, could translate and write the directions given to the Nephites from the mouth of the Savior, of the precise manner in which men should build up His Church…^[39]Oliver Cowdery, Messenger and Advocate, volume 1 (October 1834), p. 14-16. See: Joseph Smith-History.

John the Baptist Restores the Aaronic Priesthood – JSH 1.68-71

We will cover these events later when we get to Doctrine and Covenants 13. You can see how these events fit into the Book of Mormon timeline here.

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