Biblical Prophecies about Joseph Smith – Mormon Quotes

The Life of Joseph F. Smith, p. 34; “Second, Joseph was given the “keys of the kingdom” by a succession of heavenly messengers…With those keys, the Prophet Joseph Smith began the work of gathering the Lord’s elect, as he was commanded to do in Doctrine and Covenants 29:7…Malachi also prophesied of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s role as the Lord’s “forerunner” in the latter days, when he recorded the Lord’s words: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Mal. 3:1.)” – Joseph Fielding Smith

Malachi 3:1Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

Hmmm…this prophecy is about John the Baptist who would be telling the Israelites the day of salvation was upon them – it has absolutely nothing to do with Joseph Smith, the Mormon Church or the nineteenth century…

One Response to “Biblical Prophecies about Joseph Smith – Mormon Quotes”

  1. John Roberts March 16, 2016 at 8:28 pm #

    There are aspects that can refer to John the Baptist, who also was a forerunner; however, the prophecy more rightly belongs to Joseph Smith. Why? First, for the sake of argument, assume that Joseph Smith is the great prophet of the Restoration and that it’s an event foreseen by Peter in Acts 3:19-21. The prophecy in Malachi, if taken whole, foresees a forerunner in the last days, not the days in the meridian of time in which John lived.

    Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

    The Lord will always have a forerunner. Joseph Smith always identified himself with Noah as well. “Noah came before the flood,” he told one woman who asked him who he was. “I come before the fire.” Indeed, if we go back to Malachi and read the rest of the prophecy, we see the part that does not apply to John. Picking up where we left off.

    2-5: But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.

    This clearly refers to someone other than John. John did not purify the sons of Levi, nor purge them. Joseph Smith heads the last dispensation — the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. To fulfill his calling, he received the Keys of the Kingdom and the power to bind in Heaven and Earth, including the Keys of the Priesthood and the Keys of the gathering of Israel, which will ultimately lead to the building of the third temple and the purifying of the sons of Levi.

    As with any scriptural exegesis, this passage is one that can be debated endlessly; however, it cannot be so easily dismissed as referring only to John. If God did not call Joseph Smith and if he wasn’t who he said he was, then no scripture will support him. But if he was a prophet, this scripture undoubtedly applies to him.

    As an aside, regarding the ad asking Mormons where the cross is, it is in our hearts. We preach the whole gospel of Christ from his birth to his death and resurrection. Whether we wear crosses or not, it doesn’t affect our love and dedication to the Savior. We don’t tend to wear golden angels blowing trumps, either, though there’s nothing against it or crosses.

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