Joseph Smith the Fulfillment of Scripture

13 January

Joseph Smith the Fulfillment of Scripture

         Google the name of Joseph Smith and you’ll find a plethora of websites that either lauds the praises of Smith or those who show vehement hatred for the man.  My objective for this list of descriptions isn’t to show hatred towards him because I don’t feel hatred for Joseph Smith; however, I am saddened for my people that have chosen to believe in his odious lies.  Our objective for producing articles such as these is to inform and educate.

     Aside from the LDS hymn “Praise to the Man”, let’s find out just how much the Mormon people love the false prophet Joseph Smith.  If the Mormon will stay on this site long enough to see just one egregious falsehood about Smith and begin thinking about it, then I’ve done the job God has given me to do.  Our main objective isn’t to sensationalize, but to inform and lead my people into the ever loving arms of our God and Savior Christ Jesus.

     While compiling this list I found there were some items that bothered me more than others.  Joseph parting the veil, Joseph being crowned as King, Joseph’s consent needed to get into heaven, confessing spirit of Smith is of God, etc., seemed to raise my dander up more than his egomaniacal claims about himself.  I don’t rightly care if he thought he was some genius for the world to behold, but it sickens me when he laid claim to executing miracles that belong to our God.

     The Bible tells us there will be some in the crowd that want for their ears to be tickled so they don’t have to listen to sound doctrine and will accumulate for themselves the teachers who will fulfill their own lustful desires.  2 Tim. 4:3-4.  So it goes with Joseph Smith and Mormonism.

     The teachings of Orthodox Christianity have been solid and unwavering for two thousand years and will continue to be so until the Good Lord comes or calls us home.  Mormonism is another one of the false churches the body of Christ must endure for this time in history.

     Casting Crowns (a Christian music group) sings a song called “Who Am I”.  That song keeps coming to my mind while collecting the data for this article and I thought I’d share some of the lyrics as an example of what the honest Christian mind thinks upon compared to Smith’s slanderous claims.

 “Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wondering heart.

 Chorus:
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow.
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I’m calling,
Lord you catch me when I’m falling,
And you told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.”

      I would imagine the followers of Smith aren’t putting all the pieces together when they think about the claims Joseph Smith made during his life.  They probably see one or two and think nothing of it or brush aside some of the more contentious comments.  However, looking at a good portion of them in a concise manner like this hopefully brings it to a brighter light.  Ask yourself:

 How likely is it that Smith is all the things and more listed in the descriptions below?

      Can you just imagine Paul tooting his own horn about his intellect?  He let us know he was from the elite tribe of Benjamin, but considered it rubbish in light of knowing Christ; see Phil. 3:4-8.  What if Luke bragged about being a doctor?  How would it make you feel towards the gospels?  Doesn’t it take away from the message of Jesus coming to save the world?  The Classical scholar E.M. Blaiklock called Luke “a consummate historian to be ranked in his own right with the great writers of the Greeks”.  Yet not a word is spoken by Luke of how incredibly knowledgeable or humble he is because he was too busy investigating witnesses, studying the Old Testament and going on missions with Paul.

     For the LDS Church to blossom as it did, how did it happen?  I’ve often wondered and have been asked that if Mormonism is wrong then why did it grow?  The only answer I can come up with is the scripture from 2nd Timothy mentioned above and what the author wrote in the Summer 2000 edition of the Journal of Illinois State Historical Society.  Timothy Wood wrote;

 “To maintain any kind of unity of purpose, Smith alone had to be seen as the sole source of direction for the Restoration movement…However, at the same time Smith organized a hierarchy which concentrated decision-making power within the church’s upper echelons, especially the First Presidency (the president prophet and his two primary advisors) and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

      Did you catch that?  “…Smith alone had to be seen as the sole source of direction for the Restoration…”?  Where is God in that?  If someone like Smith came along in today’s world and you had all the evidence in the LDS doctrine would you fall for it?  Mind you, the references below aren’t even close to all that’s been written about Joseph Smith!

     We’re praying for those caught in the snares of Mormon lies.  We pray the Mormon people will hear the call of the Lord of all the earth.  If you’re LDS we implore you to think about the claims regarding Smith listed below and make an informed decision of whom you will choose to follow – 2 Tim. 1:12.

 With Love in Christ;

Michelle

1 Cor. 1:18  …

 Apostle of Joseph Smith

Journal of Discourses 3:212; “I am a witness that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. What an uproar it would make in the Christian world to say, I am an Apostle of Joseph. Write it down, and write it back to your friends in the east, that I am an Apostle of Joseph Smith. He was a man of God and had the revelations of Jesus Christ, and the words of Jesus Christ to the people. He did build and establish the kingdom of God on earth, and through him the Lord Almighty again restored the Priesthood to the children of men.” – Brigham Young

Armed With Nothing Bigger Than a Penknife

Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 30; “He that arms himself with gun, sword, or pistol, except in the defense of truth, will sometime be sorry for it. I never carry any weapon with me bigger than my penknife. When I was dragged before the cannon and muskets in Missouri, I was unarmed. God will always protect me until my mission is fulfilled. (HC 6:364-65.)

Athletic 

 Lord Needed a Prophet, pg. 4; “At six feet tall and weighing about two hundred pounds, the Prophet Joseph had an athletic build. He enjoyed hard work and energetic play. Joseph frequently joined the young boys in Nauvoo in outdoor games. He could hit a ball with a bat so great a distance that the other players would call to the boy who was going for the ball to take his dinner while he was at it. Joseph would laugh and go on with the game.

Author of Scripture

January 1997 Ensign, pg. 50, Gerald N. Lund; “These 10 most prolific scriptural producers authored a total of 1,480 pages. Joseph Smith alone was responsible for 900. His total pages equal nearly 61 percent of the total pages of the other top 10 producers, and he is responsible for nearly three times as many pages as either of the two next highest scriptural producers, Mormon and Moses. Before Joseph Smith, the world had only the 1,590 pages of the Bible; through this one man, the Lord increased our scriptural library by more than half.”

Authority to Speak for God 

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 345; “I will prove that the world is wrong, by showing what God is. I am going to enquire after God; for I want you all to know him, and to be familiar with him; and if I am bringing you to a knowledge of him, all persecutions against me ought to cease. You will then know that I am his servant; for I speak as one having authority.

Baptisms in Name of Joseph Smith

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 121; ““Do the Mormons baptize in the name of ‘Joe’ Smith?” No, but if they did, it would be as valid as the baptism administered by the sectarian priests.””

 Bears Infirmities of Others 

Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 28; “Although I was called of my Heavenly Father to lay the foundation of this great work and kingdom in this dispensation, and testify of his revealed will to scattered Israel, I am subject to like passions as other men, like the prophets of olden times.Notwithstanding my weaknesses, I am under the necessity of bearing the infirmities of others, who when they get into difficulty, hang on to me tenaciously to get them out, and wish me to cover their faults. (HC 5:516.)

 Brings Purpose to Life

Handbook of the Restoration, pg. 50-51; “It would seem scarcely necessary to point out the obvious conclusion and purpose of this recital. If any man has received in his heart the witness of the divine truth embraced in the contributions of the Prophet Joseph, I charge him to be true… Glorious purpose will come into life. Family ties will be sweeter. Friendships will be dearer. Service will be nobler, and the peace of Christ will be his portion. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Choice Seer

 Joseph Smith, The Choice Seer, Epilogue #10; “As the man who stands at the head of the dispensation of the fulness of times, Joseph Smith is the preeminent prophetic witness of Christ and the source through which we receive every saving principle and the attendant authority to perform every saving ordinance. To him the Lord said: “I have conferred upon you the keys and power of the priesthood, wherein I restore all things, and make known unto you all things in due time. And verily, verily, I say unto you, that whatsoever you seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever you bind on earth, in my name and by my word, saith the Lord, it shall be eternally bound in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you remit on earth shall be remitted eternally in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you retain on earth shall be retained in heaven.” (D&C 132:45–46.)

 Complete Sacrifice 

 Joseph Smith, the Prophet, the Man, pg. xxxiv-xxxv; “When a man gives his life for the cause he has advocated, he meets the highest test of his honesty and sincerity that his own or any future generation can in fairness ask. When he dies for the testimony he has borne, all malicious tongues should ever after be silent, and all voices hushed in reverence before a sacrifice so complete. (Dalby)

Confessing spirit of Smith is of God 

 Discourses of Brigham Young, pg. 435; “Whosoever confesseth that Joseph Smith was sent of God to reveal the holy Gospel to the children of men, and lay the foundation for gathering Israel, and building up the Kingdom of God on the earth, that spirit is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that God has sent Joseph Smith, and revealed the everlasting Gospel to and through him, is of Antichrist, no matter whether it is found in a pulpit or on a throne. 8:176.

Consent of Joseph needed to enter heaven

 JD 7:289-290; “I will now tell you something that ought to comfort every man and woman on the face of the earth. Joseph Smith, junior, will again be on this earth dictating plans and calling forth his brethren to be baptized for the very characters who wish this was not so, in order to bring them into a kingdom to enjoy, perhaps, the presence of angels or the spirits of good men, if they cannot endure the presence of the Father and the Son; and he will never cease his operations, under the directions of the Son of God, until the last ones of the children of men are saved that can be, from Adam till now.

 Continues to Lead from Heaven

 Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, pg. 101; “The Prophet Joseph Smith was not only “one of the noble and great ones,” but he gave and continues to give attention to important matters here on the earth even today from the realms above. For in the eyes of the Lord, the God of this world under the Father, it is all one great eternal program in which the Prophet Joseph plays an important role, all through the eternal priesthood and authority of God. (God, Family, Country, pp. 30-31.)”

 Controls Minds of Believers 

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 341; “President Joseph Smith again arose and said—In relation to the power over the minds of mankind which I hold, I would say, It is in consequence of the power of truth in the doctrines which I have been an instrument in the hands of God of presenting unto them, and not because of any compulsion on my part.

 Crystal Gazer 

Joseph Smith – Seeker after Truth, Prophet of God, pg. 73; “He was said to be a crystal or peepstone gazer, a digger for lost treasure, and a devotee of the black arts. He came of a low ancestry, they said, and was reared in a superstitious, untruthful family. Moreover, some held that the Book of Mormon was written, not by him, but by some ally that he had duped into helping him. The charges were many and varied.

 Death of Joseph Necessary

 DoS 1:221; “DEATH OF TWO TESTATORS REQUIRED…He had to die. Why? Because we read in the scriptures that the testimony is not of force without the death of the testator-that is, in his particular case, and in the case of Christ. It was just as necessary that Hyrum Smith lay down his life a martyr for this cause as a witness for God as it was for Joseph Smith, so the Lord permitted them both to be taken in that way and both sealed their testimony with their blood.

 Defies World to Refute him

 Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 372; “The head God organized the heavens and the earth. I defy all the world to refute me. In the beginning the heads of the Gods organized the heavens and the earth. Now the learned priests and the people rage, and the heathen imagine a vain thing. If we pursue the Hebrew text further, it reads, “The head one of the Gods said, Let us make a man in our own image.”

 Done More Than Anyone

 Discourses of Joseph Smith, pg. 22-23; “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized April 6th, 1830. Joseph Smith was martyred in Carthage, Illinois, on the 27th of June, 1844—14 years after the organization of the Church. What did he accomplish in these 14 years? He opened up communication with the heavens in his youth. He brought forth the Book of Mormon, which contains the fullness of the Gospel; and the revelations contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants; restored the holy Priesthood unto man; established and organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an organization which has no parallel in all the world, and which all the cunning and wisdom of men for ages has failed to discover or produce and never could have done. He founded colonies in the States of New York, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois, and pointed the way for the gathering of the Saints into the Rocky Mountains; sent the Gospel into Europe and to the islands of the sea; founded the town of Kirtland, Ohio, and there built a temple that cost about a quarter of a million dollars; he founded the city of Nauvoo in the midst of persecution; gathered into Nauvoo and vicinity some 20,000 people, and commenced the building of the temple there, which when completed cost one million dollars; . . . In a word, he did more in from 14 to 20 years for the salvation of man than any other man save Jesus only, that ever lived. (JD 24:14-15.)

Done More Than Anyone Else for Mankind

D&C 135:3; “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.

 Enlarged the Concept of Covenant

Life of Joseph the Prophet, pg. 167; “Both the priesthood and the covenant existed before the beginning of time or the creation of the earth. They are not of time, but of eternity,—the everlasting chains which link the heavens and the earth, and connect the race of mortals with the races of immortals that have gone up into their exaltation before them. Thus has Joseph enlarged our conceptions of the priesthood, of the covenant, of religion.

First to be Resurrected 

Discourses of Brigham Young, pg. 468; “Is Joseph glorified? No, he is preaching to the spirits in prison. He will get his resurrection the first of any one in this Kingdom, for he was the first that God made choice of to bring forth the work of the last days. His office is not taken from him, he has only gone to labor in another department of the operations of the Almighty.

Followers; Joseph had More Than Jesus 

 JD 14:202-203; “…this personage whom we call the Savior of the world, there were not, strange to say, as many persons believed on him as have believed on Joseph Smith in the latter days. Not that Joseph was the Savior, but he was a prophet.

Foreordained of God 

Doctrines of Salvation 1:184; “Abraham was appointed to become the “father of the faithful,”…Moses was chosen to lead Israel from Egyptian bondage, and Joseph Smith to stand at the head of the greatest of all dispensations, that of the fulness of times…Joseph Smith was chosen to stand at the head of the work of the Lord in the last days, and his work was assigned to him through the fore-knowledge of our Eternal Father… No prophet since the days of Adam, save, of course, our Redeemer, has been given a greater mission.

Fulfilled Ancient Promises

Doctrines of Salvation 1:192; “ONLY JOSEPH SMITH FULFILS ANCIENT PROMISES. Joseph Smith declared that he, with Oliver Cowdery, his companion, received the keys of the gathering of Israel. No one else ever claimed to have had them revealed to him. If Joseph Smith did not receive them, then someone must be empowered with this authority before the coming of the Lord: for Israel is to be gathered, and it must be by authority given to someone. Israel is being gathered, which indicates that Joseph Smith must have held those keys.”

Fulfillment of Scripture

Joseph Smith History 1:40-41; “In addition to these, he quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, saying that it was about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand in our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ; but the day had not yet come when “they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people,” but soon would come.41 He also quoted the second chapter of Joel, from the twenty-eighth verse to the last. He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be. And he further stated that the fulness of the Gentiles was soon to come in. He quoted many other passages of scripture, and offered many explanations which cannot be mentioned here.

 General, Joseph Was a

 Discourses of Joseph Smith, pg. 7; “Yet this man became mayor of the biggest town in Illinois and the state’s most prominent citizen, the commander of the largest body of trained soldiers in the nation outside the Federal army, the founder of cities and a university, and aspired to become President of the United States.

 Genius With No Education  

 Divine Authority or the Question, Was Joseph Smith Sent of God?, pg. 4; “How came Mr. Smith, if a deceiver, to think of all this? Did Martin Luther, Wesley, Whitfield, Swedenborg, or Irving think of this? Whence his superior intellect, his depth of understanding, his extensive foresight, that he should so far surpass all former impostors for 1700 years? John testifies that when the everlasting gospel is restored to the earth it shall be by an angel. Mr. Smith testifies that it was restored by an angel, and in no other way. This is another presumptive evidence that he was sent of God.

God & Joseph are Partners

Handbook of the Restoration, pgs. 49-50; “How may we account for these remarkable accomplishments, these transcendent contributions to the learning, the knowledge and wisdom of this age?  …There is only one explanation which is tenable. God chose this man. He spoke through him. The virgin, unsophisticated mind of the youth was a fertile field for the planting of spiritual seeds. They grew and matured into a perfect faith that brought Joseph into partnership with God…for as we are told of old, one man and God are a majority.

God to All

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 363; “God made Aaron to be the mouthpiece for the children of Israel, and He will make me be god to you in His stead, and the Elders to be mouth for me; and if you don’t like it, you must lump it. I have been giving Elder Adams instruction in some principles to speak to you, and if he makes a mistake, I will get up and correct him. (April 8, 1844.)

 God, You Will Look upon Joseph as

Journal of Discourses 5:88; “You call us fools: but the day will be, gentlemen and ladies, whether you belong to this Church or not, when you will prize brother Joseph Smith as the Prophet of the Living God, and look upon him as a God, and also upon Brigham Young, our Governor in the Territory of Deseret.

 Great as Adam and Abraham

 MD, pg. 395; “In the providences of Almighty God, and according to the plan before ordained in the councils of eternity, Joseph Smith, Jr., was born into mortality, December 23, 1805. As a pre-existent spirit he had ranked with Adam and Abraham; he was one of the noble and great ones of whom Abraham wrote (Abra. 3:22-23), a truth which President Joseph F. Smith also saw in vision. (Gospel Doctrine, 4th ed., p. 601.) In that prior existence, by diligence and obedience, he gained the spiritual stature and capacity which entitled him to be foreordained to stand as the head of the greatest of all gospel dispensations. (Teachings, p. 365.)

 Great and Noble Spirit like Jeremiah

 Marvelous Work and Wonder, pg. 278; “The spirit of Joseph Smith, like Jeremiah, was also one of the “noble and great” ones. The Lord appointed unto him his work and reserved him to come forth in this dispensation to be a prophet and seer unto the nations. That is why the Lord called Joseph Smith while yet a boy, because he knew Joseph and knew of his integrity and greatness.

 Greater Than Isaiah

 Discourses of Joseph Smith, pg. 7; “In thirty nations are men and women who look upon him as a greater leader than Moses and a greater prophet than Isaiah; his disciples now number close to a million [the present figure is over 3.5 million]; and already a granite shaft pierces the sky over the place where he was born, and another is in course of erection over the place where he is credited with having received the inspiration for his Book. (John Henry Evans, op. cit., introduction.)

Greatest Fulfillment of the Church is Through Joseph

Journal of Discourses 24:14-16; “Through Joseph Smith, God has revealed many things which were kept hid from the foundation of the world in fulfillment of the Prophets—and at no time since Enoch walked the earth has the Church of God been organized as perfectly as it is to-day—not excepting the dispensation of Jesus and His disciples—or if it was we have no record of it.

Greatness of Joseph Smith

Mormon Doctrine, pg. 396; “Joseph Smith’s greatness lies in the work that he did, the spiritual capacity he developed, and the witness he bore of the Redeemer. Since the keys of salvation were restored to the Prophet, it is in and through and because of his latter-day mission that the full redemptive power of the Lord has again become available to men. It is because the Lord called Joseph Smith that salvation is again available to mortal men.

 Greatness and Integrity of Joseph Smith

Marvelous Work and Wonder, pg. 278; “The spirit of Joseph Smith, like Jeremiah, was also one of the “noble and great” ones. The Lord appointed unto him his work and reserved him to come forth in this dispensation to be a prophet and seer unto the nations. That is why the Lord called Joseph Smith while yet a boy, because he knew Joseph and knew of his integrity and greatness.

Had to Go Away but Will Return

Journal of Discourses 13:164-165; “Said he, “You have to round up your shoulders to bear up the kingdom. No matter what becomes of me…”  This language was plain enough, but we did not understand it any more than the disciples of Jesus when he told them he was going away, and that if he went not the Comforter would not come. It was just so with Joseph….but none of us seemed to understand that he was going to seal his testimony with his blood, but so it was.

Heavens rested while Joseph left to mature

 Life of Joseph the Prophet, pg. 6; “The great work of opening the dispensation thus accomplished by the august administration of the Father and Son, the heavens rested for a season. There was divine wisdom in this. Joseph was too young at that time to be sent forth with the wondrous proclamation to all nations, kindreds and tongues, that God had called him to be the prophet of a new civilization; too young, at fourteen, to seek out from the multitude strong apostolic men, saying unto them, “Leave your nets and follow me.”

Helped Save Men

Doctrine and Covenants Speak, 2:456; “One of Joseph Smith’s contributions to the salvation of men in this world was the bringing forth of “. . . the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God…” (D&C 135:3.)””

Intelligence is Superior

Discourses of Joseph Smith, pg. 4-5; “…as if he would penetrate the deepest abyss of the human heart, gaze into eternity, penetrate the heavens, and comprehend all worlds…his intelligence universal, and his language abounding in original eloquence peculiar to himself—not polished—not studied—not smoothed and softened by education and refined by art; but flowing forth in its own native simplicity, and profusely abounding in variety of subject and manner…I have known him when chained and surrounded with armed murderers and assassins who were heaping upon him every possible insult and abuse, rise up in the majesty of a son of God and rebuke them, in the name of Jesus Christ, till they quailed before him, dropped their weapons, and, on their knees, begged his pardon, and ceased their abuse…

 Joseph is Jehovah’s Epic  

 Life of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 165; “Jehovah’s epic!  There is no other defining that will adequately express the subject and themes grasped by the genius of the Mormon Prophet.

 Keeps Whole Church Together better than Jesus

 Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 31; “I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet. (HC 6:408-9.)

 Keys Held by Joseph until Christ’s Return 

 D&C 112:15; “Exalt not yourselves; rebel not against my servant Joseph; for verily I say unto you, I am with him, and my hand shall be over him; and the keys which I have given unto him, and also to youward, shall not be taken from him till I come.

 King

 Dr. D. Michael Quinn, BYU Studies, The Council of Fifty and Its Members, pgs. 89-90; ““This leads to the final office in the symbolic Kingdom of God on earth as embodied in the Council of Fifty. William Clayton recorded in his journal that in the 11 April 1844 meeting of the Council of Fifty, “was prest. Joseph chosen as our prophet Priest, & King by Hosannas.” William Marks, who participated in this action, later stated that the Council of Fifty conducted this as an ordinance “in which Joseph suffered himself to be ordained a king, to reign over the house of Israel forever.”

Knows More than Whole World Combined

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 350; “Now, I ask all who hear me, why the learned men who are preaching salvation, say that God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing? The reason is, that they are unlearned in the things of God … If you tell them that God made the world out of something, they will call you a fool. But I am learned, and know more than all the world put together. The Holy Ghost does, anyhow, and He is within me, and comprehends more than all the world…

 Lamb to Slaughter

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 379; ““I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am calm as a summer’s morning. I have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward all men. If they take my life I shall die an innocent man, and my blood shall cry from the ground for vengeance, and it shall be said of me, ‘He was murdered in cold blood!’

Lawyer

HC 5:289-290; “I am a lawyer; I am a big lawyer and comprehend heaven, earth and hell, to bring forth knowledge that shall cover up all lawyers, doctors and other big bodies. This is the doctrine of the Constitution, so help me God. The Constitution is not law to us, but it makes provision for us whereby we can make laws. Where it provides that no one shall be hindered from worshiping God according to his own conscience, is a law. No legislature can enact a law to prohibit it. The Constitution provides to regulate bodies of men and not individuals.”

Loyalty to Joseph Brings Rewards

 Joseph Smith: The Choice Seer, Epilogue #12; “We know that loyalty to Joseph Smith and the Restoration will reap rich rewards for individual members of the Church and will result in miraculous conversions throughout the earth.

 Man of Sorrows

 Joseph Smith, The Choice Seer, Prologue: Joseph Smith Among the Prophets; “Like his Master, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith was called upon to endure a life of loneliness. It was a life characterized not only by persecution and suspicion but also by an isolation known only to those who walk in the glorious light of noonday sun, who know with an absolute certainty and yet must minister among others who seem content to walk and talk in the fading rays of dusk, those who struggle with faith, those who doubt, and even those who dare not believe. The farm boy who grew to become a prophet’s prophet was also, to some degree at least, “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Mosiah 14:3)…

“Martyrdom” of Joseph

Gospel Kingdom, pg. 360; “He, however, instantly arose, and with a firm, quick step, and a determined expression of countenance, approached the door, and pulling the six-shooter left by Brother Wheelock from his pocket, opened the door slightly, and snapped the pistol six successive times. Only three of the barrels, however, were discharged. I afterwards understood that two or three were wounded by these discharges, two of whom, I am informed, died. – John Taylor (Third prophet of the Church.)

Mason

EM, pg. 1018; “For a time Nauvoo was a community almost unto itself. Its singular status, the inclusive character of its life patterns, and the extension of the religious vision into all aspects of culture were stabilized by a strong self-sufficient charter and even a militia, the Nauvoo Legion. Many visitors came to view the new city, and efforts to promote cultural and intellectual exchange increased. Joseph Smith and about 1,500 other Church members joined the Masonic lodges in Nauvoo and nearby Keokuk and Montrose to promote fraternal relations (see Freemasonry in Nauvoo). However, once again the old settlers outside the Church clashed with the LDS settlers, and hostilities grew.

Mayor

Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 7; “Yet this man became mayor of the biggest town in Illinois…

Medium

D&C 132:7; “…revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred)…

Meekness of Joseph

History of the Church 5:218; ““I am meek and lowly in heart,” and will personify Jesus for a moment, to illustrate the principle, and cried out with a loud voice, “Woe unto you, ye doctors; woe unto you, ye lawyers; woe unto you, ye scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites!” &c. But you cannot find the place where I ever went that I found fault with their food, their drink, their house, their lodgings; no, never; and this is what is meant by the meekness and lowliness of Jesus.

Mission of Joseph to Save All People

Journal of Discourses 7:290; “Should not this thought comfort all people? They will, by-and-by, be a thousand times more thankful for such a man as Joseph Smith, junior, than it is possible for them to be for any earthly good whatever. It is his mission to see that all the children of men in this last dispensation are saved, that can be, through the redemption. You will be thankful, every one of you, that Joseph Smith, junior, was ordained to this great calling before the worlds were.

Money-digger

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 120; “—”Was not Joseph Smith a money digger?” Yes, but it was never a very profitable job for him, as he only got fourteen dollars a month for it.”

Name of Joseph to be Known for Good and Evil

Joseph Smith History 1:33; “He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.

Name of Smith to Never Perish

Gospel Doctrine, pg. 479; “God lives, and Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God—living, not dead; for his name will never perish.

No Error in Revelations

History of the Church 6:366; “When did I ever teach anything wrong from this stand? When was I ever confounded? I want to triumph in Israel before I depart hence and am no more seen. I never told you I was perfect; but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught. Must I, then, be thrown away as a thing of naught?

Omniscience of Joseph

Gospel Through the Ages, pg. 125; “The holy men of the Lord, such as the beloved Prophet Joseph Smith, who understood the unseen world beyond the veil of mortality, not only had a firm conviction that life is eternal, but had a comprehensive philosophy of the stages of progression that men pass through. Shortly before the Prophet’s death he expounded in a masterful sermon the Mormon philosophy of progressive-eternalism. “As a teacher he reached the climax of his career in this discourse. After it there was but one thing more he could do—seal his testimony with his blood. This he did in less than three months.”

Original Sin, Joseph’s Idea of Original Sin

Joseph Smith’s Idea of the Gospel, pg. 9; “It is said in a revelation that no less personage than God explained this fact to Adam. After observing that the atonement took care of the legalities of the “original guilt,” God said: “Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good.”

Osmosis

Joseph Smith Chronology, pg. 186; “Mar. 18, 1843 – Joseph writes, “About noon, I lay down on the writing table, with my head on a pile of law books, saying, . . . ‘I am going to study law, and this is the way I study it’; and then fell asleep.” (HC 5:307.)

Parted the Veil

Joseph Smith: The Choice Seer, epilogue; “Ours is the song of praise to the man ordained from eternity past to part the veil and open the heavens, for through him the fulness of truth and the fulness of priesthood powers have come to earth again.

People Studied at the Feet of Joseph

Joseph Smith, The Choice Seer, Preface #3; “In assessing the marvelous impact of the Choice Seer’s work on this dispensation, we will turn first and foremost to the doctrinal teachings of Joseph Smith as set forth in his sermons, letters, revelations, translations, and narrations. In addition, we will rely occasionally on the clarifications and expansions of those who knew Brother Joseph firsthand and studied at his feet, as well as those apostolic and prophetic successors to whom is given the divine mandate to build on the doctrinal foundation he laid.

People Thank God for Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration, pg. 112; “…Joseph Smith is held in reverence, his name is honored; tens of thousands of people thank God in their heart and from the depths of their souls for the knowledge the Lord has restored to the earth through him . . . They revere him and they love him as they love no other man, because they know he was the chosen instrument in the hands of the Almighty of restoring the Gospel of life and salvation unto them.

Priest

D&C 13:1; “Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.

Priesthood, Holds Eternal

LDS Hymn #27 & Joseph Smith, the Prophet, the Man, pg. 3; “Great is his glory and endless his priesthood.  Ever and ever the keys he will hold.  Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom, Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.  (“Praise to the Man,” Hymns #27)

Prophesied About in the Bible

D&C 113:5-6; “What is the root of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter? 6 Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days.

Prophet

Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 30; “My enemies say that I have been a true prophet. Why, I had rather be a fallen true prophet than a false prophet. When a man goes about prophesying, and commands men to obey his teachings, he must either be a true or false prophet. False prophets always arise to oppose the true prophets and they will prophesy so very near the truth that they will deceive almost the very chosen ones. (HC 6:364.)

Prophet, Smith has Natural & Constitutional Right to be a False

HC 6:304; “But meddle not with any man for his religion: all governments ought to permit every man to enjoy his religion unmolested. No man is authorized to take away life in consequence of difference of religion, which all laws and governments ought to tolerate and protect, right or wrong. Every man has a natural, and, in our country, a constitutional right to be a false prophet, as well as a true prophet.

Prophet – not Always

Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 178; “A Prophet Not Always a Prophet – I read German, and visited with a brother and sister from Michigan, who thought that “a prophet is always a prophet”; but I told them that a prophet was a prophet only when he was acting as such. (HC 5:265.)

Related to Jesus

CR, April 1929, pg. 124-125; Great Are the Words of Isaiah, pg. 71; “Isaiah 11:1 – The interpretation of this passage has been given by Joseph Smith in D&C 113:1-4. The stem of Jesse is Christ. The book of Revelation also identifies Jesus as such (see Rev. 5:5;  22:16). The rod is “a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim” (D&C 113:4). That the servant is Joseph Smith himself seems evident. President Brigham Young taught that Joseph was a “pure Ephraimite,” and this was confirmed by President Joseph Fielding Smith (see DS, 3:253-54, for both statements). His being a pure Ephraimite does not necessarily mean he had only the blood of Ephraim; it may mean he had some of the pure blood of Ephraim in his veins. This is also evidenced by the fact that his father was the Patriarch to the Church, which office belongs to “the oldest man of the blood of Joseph or of the seed of Abraham” (TPJS, p. 151). Joseph Smith would likely have had the blood of other tribes in his veins as well, since Israel lived among the Gentiles for hundreds of years. Certainly Joseph Smith had “much power” laid upon him, as D&C 113:4 states. All this fits well with the angel Moroni’s declaration to Joseph Smith that the eleventh chapter of Isaiah was about to be fulfilled (see JS-H 1:40).

Restorer & Teacher

Handbook of the Restoration, pg. 25; “Joseph Smith was a restorer of the pure and uncorrupted gospel of Jesus Christ. At no time did he declare that he brought a new message of salvation to the world; his mission was to restore and declare, to expound and enlarge the old truth, which has always been part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith was also an interpreter of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The accounts in the Holy Bible are but outlines of the labors and teachings of the Savior; and the commentaries by the apostles, which constitute the latter part of the New Testament, are fragmentary and incomplete.

Reverence for Smith’s Name Advised 

Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book, pg. 181; “Whenever we speak of the Prophet Joseph Smith … it should be in reverent appreciation of the Lord who called him and whom Joseph served so well. (“‘A Choice Seer,'” p. 113.)

Root of Jesse

D&C 113:1-6; “Who is the Stem of Jesse spoken of in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of Isaiah?  2 Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ.  3 What is the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse?  4 Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power.  5 What is the root of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter?  6 Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days.

Rough, Rolling Stone

HC 5:401; “I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else…Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty, who will give me dominion over all and every one of them, when their refuge of lies shall fail, and their hiding place shall be destroyed, while these smooth-polished stones with which I come in contact become marred.

Salvation, Smith Brings Assurance of

Joseph Smith, The Choice Seer, Prologue: Praise to the Man #4; “Because of Joseph Smith, we know that we are members of the house of Israel and heirs to all the blessings promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Joseph Smith did more than restore a New Testament church. Indeed, the genius of the Restoration is found in the Old Testament. It centers in the covenant God made with father Abraham.

Salvation Available because of Smith

MD, pg. 396; “Joseph Smith’s greatness lies in the work that he did, the spiritual capacity he developed, and the witness he bore of the Redeemer. Since the keys of salvation were restored to the Prophet, it is in and through and because of his latter-day mission that the full redemptive power of the Lord has again become available to men. It is because the Lord called Joseph Smith that salvation is again available to mortal men. “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.”

Shed his Blood for Truth

Joseph Smith, the Prophet, the Man, pg. xxxiv; “For the truths that will be taught here, he gave his life. For the testimonies that will be spoken here, he shed his blood. I like these words spoken by one who admired and loved him.

Teacher

Joseph Smith the Educator, pg. 1; “Joseph Smith held that man can obtain truth through spiritual and intellectual processes. He should utilize both methods in his quest for understanding. In evaluating the two methods, he said: “The best way to obtain truth and wisdom is not to ask it from books, but to go to God in prayer, and obtain divine teachings.”

Three Questions to Ask About Joseph Smith

Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book, pg. 181; “Yet another way of testing and appreciating the significance of the ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith is to ask oneself: (1) “What would we know about the holy temples and about the sealing power without the Prophet Joseph Smith?”; (2) “What would we know about the plan of salvation with its different estates without the Prophet Joseph Smith?”; (3) “What would we know about the precious and plain doctrine of premortality of mankind without the Prophet Joseph Smith?” The answer to each question is the same: “Very, very little; certainly not enough.” (“‘A Choice Seer.'”)

Visage of Joseph and Jesus Compared

Straightforward Answers to Tough Gospel Questions, pg. 125-126; “In a prophetic description of the promised Messiah, Isaiah said “his visage” would be more “marred” than that of any man (Isa. 52:14). Though no mortal man has endured what Christ did in his matchless labor of atonement, the effect of his suffering was not such that it distorted his appearance in a manner to justify this prophecy…Christ gave a dual meaning to these words by applying them to another servant of the Lord in the last days (see 3 Ne. 20:44). We understand that servant to be Joseph Smith…”

Visits of Jesus, Moses & others

Lord Needed a Prophet, pg. 14; “There in the Kirtland Temple Joseph again saw the Savior as well as the ancient prophets Moses, Elias, and Elijah. Those heavenly messengers strengthened Joseph’s faith, gave him important priesthood authority, and filled him with courage to face the trials that were soon to come.

Vocabulary of Joseph

Evidences and Reconciliations, pg. 362; “It is pretty generally agreed, however, that on the average a fairly well-educated man uses about eight thousand words in daily conversation.  Joseph Smith used only between two thousand and three thousand words in his written publications. This smaller number would be expected from a knowledge of his educational opportunities.  An actual count shows (leaving out all inflected forms of words) the following vocabulary for the Book of Mormon: General Words 2,896;  Persons’ Names 245; Place Names 166; Total 3307.

Voice of the One Crying in the Wilderness

Discourses of Joseph Smith, pg. 200; “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Repent ye of your sins and prepare the way for the coming of the Son of Man; for the kingdom of God has come unto you, and henceforth the ax is laid unto the root of the tree; and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, God Almighty (and not Joe Smith) shall hew it down and cast it into the fire.” (HC 6:273-74.)

Work of Joseph is Eternal

Gospel Doctrine, pg. 481; “The work in which Joseph Smith was engaged was not confined to this life alone, but it pertains as well to the life to come, and to the life that has been. In other words, it relates to those who have lived upon the earth, to those who are living and to those who shall come after us. It is not something which relates to man only while he tabernacles in the flesh, but to the whole human family from eternity to eternity.

http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6972&x=50&y=5

“A Choice Seer”  by NEAL A. MAXWELL

“From Joseph Smith, one unlearned and untrained in theology, more printed pages of scripture have come down to us than from any other mortal–in fact, as President Holland has pointed out, more than the combined pages, as available at present, from Moses, Paul, Luke, and Mormon.”

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