42i Joseph Smith, the First Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Was Called of God to Be His Instrument in Bringing About the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His True Church! Part Three

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TODAY'S THEME



Joseph in Liberty Jail -By Liz Lemon Swindle

D. and C. 122: 1 THE ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee;

2 While the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand.

3 And thy people shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors.

4 And although their influence shall cast thee into trouble, and into bars and walls, thou shalt be had in honor; and but for a small moment and thy voice shall be more terrible in the midst of thine enemies than the fierce lion, because of thy righteousness; and thy God shall stand by thee forever and ever.

5 If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;

6 If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can't you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;

7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

Jesus the Christ -by Del Parson

8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

9 Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever. (emphasis added)

I hope that each of you who have read the above scripture from the Doctrine and Covenants did so very carefully, thoughtfully and prayerfully. However, you may want to consider reading it once again. If you decide to do so please ask Heavenly Father to help you to more fully fathom the greatness and goodness of the man, and prophet of God, Joseph Smith, and of course and also, to worship and serve more fully the Lord Jesus Christ whom Joseph Smith and all faithful still living latter-day Saints devotedly serve/d!

As I wrote the above paragraph and the nine verses of scripture above it, I was close to tears. I love and value the Lord's words in that very sacred scripture! He was speaking to a still rather young man (who was not yet 34 years of age) who had placed himself in the Lord Jesus Christ's hands, determining to serve Him with all his heart, might, mind and strength. Despite Joseph's dedication and willingness to serve, he suffered much there in that Liberty Jail.

You will have to agree with me and many others that the name of that jail is quite ironic. It was actually named after the town in which it was located: Liberty, Missouri (U.S.A.)

By the way, I have visited the Joseph Smith Liberty Jail Memorial Building in Liberty, Missouri (U.S.A.) on many occasions during 1973 - 1978. I served as the Agency Director of the Independence Missouri Agency of LDS Family Services about four years of that time. I enjoyed taking visitors from Utah and other states who visited the agency or me personally, to view that very beautiful and sacred memorial building (in which the original small jail has been preserved)!

The Angel Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith -By Tom Lovell

In the previous post in this series on the Prophet Joseph Smith I quoted the following from the words of the Angel, Moroni to the fourteen year old Joseph when he first appeared to him in Joseph's second story bedroom in the Smith Family home near Palmyra, New York (U.S.A.)

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. (emphasis added)

Special note: In a good number of my posts I have referred to how skilled language analysis experts are able to identify whether or not the phrasing of a given document was by the person who recorded it.  I am positive that such experts would tell you that D. and C. 122 does not contain the phrasing and special style of speech used by Joseph Smith. Being a revelation from God it was written in God's phraseology which is found throughout the Book of Doctrine and Covenants and other revelations given through Joseph Smith.

I  want each of you readers to know that I, Neil Birch, have read much good along with much evil that has been written about Joseph Smith and I know by the witness of the Spirit of Discernment (The Gift of the Holy Ghost) that the evil written and spoken about Joseph Smith which is alleged to be the truth, is not that at all!

Now, in the rest of this post and in the following two posts I will present evidence to you that helps prove, along with the Lord's spirit which will whisper the sure truth to your hearts, if you ask humbly for that blessing, that Joseph Smith was the great prophet the leaders, missionaries and other faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints testify he is! (emphasis added)

Before getting into other related matters regarding the great and inspired accomplishments of the Lord's servant, the Prophet Joseph Smith, I give you the opportunity of reading a very pertinent statement from Wilford Woodruff, an apostle during Joseph Smith's time as church president. He later became the fourth prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Wilford Woodruff -From LDS Archives

"The Lord told Joseph that He would prove him, whether he would abide in his covenant or not, even unto death. He did prove him; and although (Joseph) had the whole world to contend against and the treachery of false friends to withstand, although his whole life was a scene of trouble and anxiety and care, yet, in all his afflictions, his imprisonments, the sufferings and ill treatment he passed through, he was ever true to his god." (clarification added)

Please open your Book of Mormon and read II Nephi 3:1-25 if you choose to do so. To assist you whether you read those verses or not, I will now summarize my view of what you would have read in them.

Here are, as I see them, the key points Lehi was inspired to make in his blessing of his youngest son, Joseph:

1. Lehi and his family are descendants of the Joseph who was sold into Egypt.

2. The Lord promised Joseph through his father Lehi's blessing that He, the Lord, would appear to his descendants in their promised land (Central America) after His atonement, crucifixion and resurrection.

3. The Lord also promised to raise up a choice seer to help Lehi's descendants in the latter-days. (in our day)

4. That seer would only do the work the Lord gave him to do.

5. That seer would, like Moses, deliver his people, Israel, from bondage.

6. That seer would bring forth the Lord's word, the Book of Mormon which was to confirm the truths contained in an earlier book of scriptures, the Bible.

7. In the blessing he was giving his youngest son Joseph, Lehi told him that religious confusion would be stopped among his descendants in the last days (our days) when those two books of scripture would be used together. In the following quote from the Book of Mormon Father Lehi refers to that Latter-day Seer, who is Joseph Smith:

II Nephi 3:13 And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.

14 And thus prophesied Joseph (who was sold into Egypt), saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise;

15 And his name (Joseph) shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation.

16 Yea, thus prophesied Joseph (who was sold into Egypt): I am sure of this thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses; for the Lord hath said unto me, I will preserve thy seed forever.(clarification and emphasis added)

8. The Lord, through Father Lehi's prophetic blessing, told Joseph, the son of Lehi, that the efforts of others to destroy that seer (Joseph Smith) would be prevented until that seer had finished his work!

9. The work done by this promised seer would bring salvation to this Joseph's (Lehi's son, Joseph)  descendants (we call them Lamanites, American Indians and by other categories of modern-day people who are descendants of Father Lehi).

10. The work done by this promised seer will bring salvation to this ancient Joseph's (who was sold into Egypt) descendants, and eventually facilitate the gathering of all Israel.

11. The Lord, through Father Lehi's prophetic blessing, promised Lehi,'s son, Joseph, that his posterity would last forever (echoing the promise given to his namesake ancestor Joseph, who was sold into Egypt.)

12. The Latter-day descendants of this Joseph, the youngest son of Father Lehi, were to hear words of salvation which were to "cry from the dust" in the latter-days. The record contained on the golden plates (which were dug out of the dust of the earth, where they had been buried for many centuries) was named, The Book of Mormon which was translated through the power of God by Joseph Smith).

According to that which the Lord told Joseph who had been sold into Egypt, this mighty Latter-day seer who was also named, Joseph, was to become an instrument in the hands of God in bringing about much restoration of Gospel Truths to the House of Israel in our time, which along with the Book of Mormon, also includes the Books of Moses and Abraham in the first half of the Nineteenth Century).

I will continue this Joseph Smith Series of posts in a fourth and most likely, in a fifth post of this series. They will respectively be published on March 1, (Post 42j) and on March 8th, (Post 42k)

I end this post on a somewhat personal note: Through a painting of one of my wife, Melva's direct female ancestors, I provide you one example of the powerful influence the The Lord Jesus Christ's Latter-day Church can have on the family, which is surely the most important unit of consequence to each of us. I have also included a very touching video that tells of an important historical event concerning those other LDS Pioneers in the handcart company my wife's great, great grandmother was with when she died.

Mary Murray Murdoch (known by those who trekked with her towards Zion (Salt Lake City, Utah - U.S.A.) as "Wee Granny.") was a very dedicated Latter-day Saint. She was four feet seven inches tall and weighed about ninety pounds.

Mary and her husband James were converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in their native Scotland by missionaries who were sent by the Prophet Joseph Smith and/or by apostles who served with him.  They had not become Latter-day Saints until after the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph.

James Murdoch died in Scotland as he heroically attempted to rescue a fellow miner who had become a victim of poisonous air in a mine shaft near where James had been working. Otherwise James and Mary would have surely immigrated to The United States of America together.

As you soon learn about "Wee Granny's" death, you along with the rest of us will have received very strong evidence  that she and her husband who died before her, were fully committed to the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Lord's authorized church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which restoration was brought about in great measure through the instrumentality of the Lord's chosen prophet, Joseph Smith. Many, if not most, of James and Mary's descendants share in their commitment!

Wee Granny knew that even in death (at age seventy three) she and her already deceased husband James would be eternally sealed (united) as man and wife and as parents of all of their eight children and would continue to enjoy together this eternal bond even after death!

By the way, Mary was a member of the Willey and Martin Handcart companies which met with a very unexpected tragic disaster later on in Wyoming not long after Mary (known best as Wee Granny) had died. However, the Lord brought about the rescue of a good number of them through the inspired efforts of men who were sent by the inspired Brigham Young (who had been prepared by the Lord through the agency of Joseph Smith to replace him as prophet). 



Brigham Young -From Church Archives



These rescuers, in a number of cases, were guided by direct revelation given to them personally by the Holy Spirit, arriving in the "nick of time" to rescue those who could be rescued.

You will be touched by this fairly recent and very inspiring and touching video about this rescue by Emily Pugmire.

Both John and Mary Murdoch who are now together in the after-life which we will all experience when we die, are surely filled with eternal gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ and his servants which include Joseph Smith and the leaders of the church who served with him and those missionaries who taught James and Mary the Gospel of Jesus Christ, thus opening the doors to Eternal Salvation to them.


Quoting from the video you have just viewed: Above All the Rest This Tale We'll Tell! All is Well! All is Well!

Here is a photo of a parish where important family events took place. (This photo taken in 1975 by Jesse N. Smith

(A Footnote): Melva and I have this large (24 inch by 18 inch / 60.96 centimeters by 45.72 centimeters) painting shown next, hanging on a living room wall not very far from the front door of our home, where visitors can easily see it.  (it was one of about 300 produced by the artist, Clark Kelly Price)



"Tell John I Died With My Face Toward Zion" -By Clark Kelly Price

 

Wee Granny (Mary Murray Murdoch) died (October 18, 1856) on the Mormon Trail not far (Southeast) from where Bridgeport, Nebraska is now located. She died in full view of the Chimney Rock Natural Monument which has the appearance of a chimney sticking out of the large hill on which it stands as shown in the painting, and also in the left background of the photo below.

Wee Granny's grave was unmarked, but about fifteen years ago Melva and I along with her two sons and their families and with many extended family members, from many locations, attended a grave dedication for Mary Murray Murdoch at a small cemetery located within about a half a mile due west of a state of Nebraska Visitors' Center. Mary and those with her, had been approaching Chimney Rock as they trekked along the Mormon Trail on their way toward the Mormon settlement in what is now Salt Lake City, Utah (U.S.A.) when she died.

Descendant Janett mcBride sits at monument placed in honor of Mary Murdoch "Wee Granny" who died about ten miles east of Chimney Rock in 1856

Wee Granny's son, John was already in what is now the State of Utah, working as a sheep herder for Brigham Young, the LDS prophet who began leading the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints soon after the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

My wife Melva, grew up in Heber City, Utah and there learned of her great great grandmother who had followed the example of the Prophet Joseph Smith in doing what she knew the Lord Jesus Christ expected of her.

This heritage of faith and courage was passed on down to all of Wee Granny's and her husband James' descendants including my wife Melva and hopefully to all of her descendants also. Thank you, Joseph Smith for doing all that you did to bless yet untold generations of Latter-day Saints to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus Christ's Second Coming! This giving of thanks includes me, Neil Birch and many of the readers of this Blog post series.

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This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: Joseph Smith's Role in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His True Church, Part III -Post 42i. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog:

Neil Birch

42h Joseph Smith, the First Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Was Called of God to Be His Instrument in Bringing About the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His True Church! Part Two

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TODAY'S THEME

The Angel Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith, 9/21/1823 -by Tom Lovell 2003

Among many other preparatory matters the Angel Moroni told seventeen year old Joseph Smith in his second story bedroom, he told him:

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. (emphasis added)

This visit was the second occasion on which young Joseph was visited by heavenly beings. The first occurred "on the morning of a beautiful clear day early in the spring of 1820 when God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph in a grove of trees located not very far from his family's home where Moroni eventually visited him! It was there in that sacred grove that this young boy was told that he was to join none of the churches who were vying for his membership, telling him they were all wrong!

The First Vision -By Gary Kapp

For the purpose of this post of mine I emphasized above these words that the Angel Moroni spoke to Joseph Smith: 

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.(emphasis added)

If any of you readers have not heard and read both good and evil spoken or written about the Prophet Joseph Smith, I would have to believe that you have purposely avoided reading or listening to anything at all about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the church which was founded through Joseph Smith.

The founding of that church was accomplished by Joseph on assignment from Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The Angel Moroni, along with the now immortal John the Baptist, and Jesus' chief apostles, Peter, James and John, were the key facilitators of the most crucial parts of God's plans for preparing mankind for the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. That assistance from those immortal beings helped bring about the translation and publishing of the Book of Mormon and the restoration to mortals of the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods, the authority to act in God's name!

God's plan, as explained to young Joseph Smith by the angel Moroni, was for Joseph and those who were called to work with him, to work together to prepare all who would believe in the restored Gospel sufficiently to enable them to choose to live their lives as faithful members of God's church so they could become recipients of Eternal Life (The greatest of gifts that can be given mankind!)

And then on the other side of the matter, you could have learned of the many things said and written by many people from all over the world against the prophet Joseph Smith, those who allege that he was an evil man who founded an evil church! I know personally that those people have chosen not to really learn the truth about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ through his humble prophet, Joseph Smith.

I was privileged to serve as a young LDS missionary for two and a half years in the far-away nation of Finland (Suomi). Then not many years ago (2004 - 2006) my wife and I served there as a senior missionary couple. The Lord blessed me with the ability to learn and to love their very difficult language.

During both missions I found much was said about the church that was not true, but there were many there who saw the truth that the Lord's Gospel has been restored to earth through His Latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith. There are now many faithful members of the Church in that wonderful far-away land. I know personally our active-in-the-church members there are very special people. And I know that is true in very many nations throughout the world today.

Now I show you a painting of female members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who in the Spring of 1842 were listening to Joseph Smith as he spoke inspired words of instruction to them while organizing the Relief Society of the Church in Nauvoo, Illinois (U.S.A.). These sisters, as did many other members of the Church on many other occasions, enjoyed greatly hearing this still young prophet (he died at age 43) as he taught them about the Lord's great Latter-day Work and about their very important role in it!

"Come Let Us Rejoice" By Walter Rane- Courtesy of Church History Museum

Now I treat you to the choice experience of reading the words of persons who knew Joseph Smith very well and were among those who cherished their experience of knowing him and what he taught, and spoke; not evil, but much good about the first Prophet of God of their time as members (all except one of these persons I will quote below were members) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

One of the desires of the early Latter-day Saints was simply to be allowed to live their religion in peace. But wherever they moved, peace eluded them. In 1833, just two years after the dedication of a place of gathering in Missouri, mobs forced the Saints to leave Jackson County, Missouri. Church members found temporary refuge in Clay County, Missouri, and then, in 1836, began moving into northern Missouri. Most of them settled in Caldwell County, a new county organized by the state legislature to accommodate the Latter-day Saints. Far West, which served as the county seat, soon became a thriving Latter-day Saint settlement.

The Prophet Joseph Smith had continued to live in Kirtland, Ohio, but in January 1838, he was forced to leave, fearing for his life. With his family, he traveled the 900 miles to Far West, where he joined the Saints living there. Later in 1838, most of the Kirtland Saints sold or abandoned their homes and followed the Prophet to Missouri. To accommodate the Church members pouring into the area, the Prophet designated areas near Far West where the Saints could settle. In July 1838, cornerstones were dedicated for a temple in Far West, giving the Saints hope that they could establish a permanent settlement where they could enjoy prosperity and peace. Unfortunately, tensions similar to those they experienced in Jackson County soon divided them from local settlers, and in the fall of 1838, mobs and militia once again began to harass and attack Latter-day Saints.

One day the Prophet was visiting his parents’ home in Far West, Missouri when a group of armed militiamen came in and announced that they had come to kill him for a supposed crime.

Lucy Mack Smith, Mother of Joseph Smith -Painting: Sudcliff Maudsley

Lucy Mack Smith, the Prophet’s mother, described her son Joseph's gift for peacemaking:

“[Joseph] looked upon them with a very pleasant smile and, stepping up to them, gave each of them his hand in a manner which convinced them that he was neither a guilty criminal nor yet a cowering hypocrite. They stopped and stared as though a spectre had crossed their path. “Joseph sat down and entered into conversation with them and explained to them the views and feelings of the people called Mormons and what their course had been, as also the treatment which they had met with from their enemies since the first outset of the Church. He told them that malice and detraction had pursued them ever since they entered Missouri, but they were a people who had never broken the laws to his knowledge. But if they had, they stood ready to be tried by the law. …

“After this, he rose and said, ‘Mother, I believe I will go home. Emma will be expecting me.’ Two of the men sprang to their feet, saying, ‘You shall not go alone, for it is not safe. We will go with you and guard you.’ Joseph thanked them, and they went with him.

“The remainder of the officers stood by the door while these were absent, and I overheard the following conversation between them: “First Officer: ‘Did you not feel strangely when Smith took you by the hand? I never felt so in my life.’ “Second Officer: ‘I felt as though I could not move. I would not harm one hair of that man’s head for the whole world.’ “Third Officer: "This is the last time you will ever catch me coming to kill Joe Smith or the Mormons either.’ …

“Those men who went with my son promised to go disband the militia under them and go home, and said that if he had any use for them, they would come back and follow him anywhere.”1 Speaking the truth in a kind, forthright way, Joseph Smith overcame prejudice and hostility and made peace with many of those who had been his enemies. (Quoted from Teachings of Presidents of the Church - Joseph Smith, Chapter 29, pp. 339-341)

Now I will quote statements made by other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and one, a doctor who was most likely not a member) who knew the prophet Joseph Smith well. These statements were made after the prophet and his brother, Hyrum, had been killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois in June 1844.

Parley P. Pratt

Parley P. Pratt, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1835 to 1857:

“President Joseph Smith was in person tall and well built, strong and active; of a light complexion, light hair, blue eyes, very little beard, and of an expression peculiar to himself. … His countenance was ever mild, affable, beaming with intelligence and benevolence; mingled with a look of interest and an unconscious smile, or cheerfulness, and entirely free from all restraint or affectation of gravity; and there was something connected with the serene and steady penetrating glance of his eye, as if he would penetrate the deepest abyss of the human heart, gaze into eternity, penetrate the heavens, and comprehend all worlds. He possessed a noble boldness and independence of character; his manner was easy and familiar; his rebuke terrible as the lion; his benevolence unbounded as the ocean; his intelligence universal.”

John Needham



John Needham, an early English convert:

“Joseph Smith is a great man, a man of principle, a straight forward man; no saintish long-faced fellow, but quite the reverse. Indeed some stumble because he is such a straight forward, plain spoken, cheerful man, but that makes me love him the more.”

Emmeline B. Wells

Emmeline B. Wells, the general president of the Relief Society from 1910 to 1921:

“I … testify that he (Joseph Smith) was the greatest man and the greatest prophet and the greatest personage of this generation, the greatest, I feel safe in saying, since the days of the Savior. His majesty in appearance was something wonderful. You would think that he was much taller and much larger even than he was. Perhaps many of you have noticed men who have such a bearing when they rise up and walk. This was the way with the Prophet Joseph. There are no pictures of him extant that I know of, that compare with the beauty and majesty of his presence.”

Mary Alice Cannon

Mary Alice Cannon Lambert:

“The love the saints had for him was inexpressible. They would willingly have laid down their lives for him. If he was to talk, every task would be laid aside that they might listen to his words. He was not an ordinary man. Saints and sinners alike felt and recognized a power and influence which he carried with him. It was impossible to meet him and not be impressed by the strength of his personality and influence.”

John M. Bernhisel, M.D.

John M. Bernhisel, a medical doctor who boarded in Joseph and Emma’s home in Nauvoo for several months during 1843 and 1844:

“Joseph Smith is naturally a man of strong mental powers, and is possessed of much energy and decision of character, great penetration, and a profound knowledge of human nature. He is a man of calm judgment, enlarged views, and is eminently distinguished by his love of justice. He is kind and obliging, generous and benevolent, sociable and cheerful, and is possessed of a mind of a contemplative and reflective character. He is honest, frank, fearless and independent, and as free from dissimulation [false appearances] as any man to be found. … As a religious teacher, as well as a man, he is greatly beloved by this people.”

Jesse N. Smith, a cousin of Joseph Smith:

“[The Prophet was] incomparably the most God-like man I ever saw. … I know that by nature he was incapable of lying and deceitfulness, possessing the greatest kindness and nobility of character. I felt when in his presence that he could read me through and through. I know he was all that he claimed to be.”

William Clayton, an English Convert

William Clayton, an English convert who served as a clerk to Joseph Smith:

“The more I am with him, the more I love him; the more I know of him, the more confidence I have in him.”

Joseph F. Smith (at a younger age)

Joseph F. Smith, the sixth President of the Church:

“He was brimming over with the noblest and purest of human nature, which often gave vent in innocent amusements—in playing ball, in wrestling with his brothers and scuffling with them, and enjoying himself; he was not like a man with a stake run down his back, and with his face cast in a brazen mold that he could not smile, that he had no joy in his heart. Oh, he was full of joy; he was full of gladness; he was full of love, and of every other noble attribute that makes men great and good, and at the same time simple and innocent, so that he could descend to the lowest condition; and he had power, by the grace of God, to comprehend the purposes of the Almighty too. That was the character of the Prophet Joseph Smith.”

(Quoted from Teachings of Presidents of the Church - Joseph Smith, Chapter 43, pp 497 - 499 (There were many more I could have quoted if I had the space.)

William Wines Phelps. Below are the words of a hymn found in the current LDS Church Hymn Book. This hymn was written after the death of Joseph Smith. Earlier, Joseph excommunicated the author of this hymn, William Wines Phelps for having seriously betrayed himself, Joseph, and other leaders and members of the Church to their enemies who were attempting to destroy them and their church. In June 1840, Phelps plead for forgiveness in a letter to Joseph Smith. Joseph replied with an offer of full fellowship, and ended with the famous couplet,

"Come on, dear brother, since the war is past, For friends at first are friends again at last."


William Wines Phelps

Hymn: "Praise to the Man," Words written by William W. Phelps, (1792-1872) Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Verse 1: Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah! Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer, Blessed to open the last dispensation, Kings shall extol him, and nations revere,

Verse 2: Praise to his mem'ry he died as a martyr; Honored and blest be his ever great name! Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins, Plead unto heav'n while the earth lauds his fame.

Verse 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.

Verse 4: Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven, Earth must atone for the blood of that man. Wake up the world for the conflict of justice, Millions shall know "Brother Joseph" again.

Chorus: (Sung after each verse) Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven! Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain, Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren; Death cannot conquer the hero again.

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DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

_____________

TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: Joseph Smith's Role in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His True Church. Part II -Post 42h. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

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"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog:

Neil Birch

42g Who Do We Turn to To Learn About the Universe Surrounding Us, Scientists Who Speculate While Believing in Evolution Or the Word of God Revealed through Prophets Such As Joseph Smith? - Part One

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!

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TODAY'S THEME

Jesus Christ - Painting: Heinrich Hofmann

(The Pearl of Great Price) Moses 1:32 And by the word of my power, have I created them, (worlds without number) which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth. (clarification added)

 

THE LORD CREATED ALL THINGS -Photo Brand X / Superstock 



Our World, The Earth -Image: Corbis



The Prophet Joseph Smith -Painting: -LDS Church Archives

The following revelation from our Heavenly Father (God) was given through the Latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith in February 1831.

Moses 1:24 And it came to pass that when Satan had departed from the presence of Moses, that Moses lifted up his eyes unto heaven, being filled with the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father and the son.

25 And calling upon the name of God, he beheld his glory again, for it was upon him; and he heard a voice, saying: Blessed art thou, Moses, for I, the Almighty, have chosen thee, and thou shalt be made stronger than many waters; for they shall obey thy command as if thou wert God.

26 And lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days; for thou shalt deliver my people from bondage, even Israel my chosen.

27 And it came to pass, as the voice was still speaking, Moses cast his eyes and beheld the earth, yea, even all of it; and there was not a particle of it which he did not behold, discerning it by the spirit of God.

28 And he beheld also the inhabitants thereof, and there was not a soul which he beheld not; and he discerned them by the Spirit of God; and their numbers were great, even numberless as the sand upon the sea shore.

29 And he beheld many lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face thereof.

30 And it came to pass that Moses called upon God, saying: Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them?

31 And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me.

32 And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.

33 And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.

34 And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many.

35 But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them.

36 And it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying: Be merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant will be content.

37 And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine.

38 And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come, and there is no end to my works, neither to my words.

39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

40 And now, Moses, my son, I will speak unto thee concerning this earth upon which thou standest; and thou shalt write the things which I shall speak.

41 And in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as naught and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write, behold, I will raise up another like unto thee; (Joseph Smith) and they shall be had again among the children of men—among as many as shall believe.

42 (These words were spoken unto Moses in the mount, the name of which shall not be known among the children of men. And now they are spoken unto you. Show them not unto any except them that believe. Even so. Amen.) (emphasis and clarification added)

A Deseret News (A Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. Newspaper) article ties nicely into the 1831 revelation from God received by the Prophet Joseph Smith I have quoted for you above.

Please note: After having inserted the scripture which serves as Today's Theme, and the information that follows this paragraph, I clicked on the Comments section found in the above newspaper article and found that a person from the Kansas City, Missouri area, who appears to be an LDS person, basically made the same comments which I will make for you below.

Hopefully you have read the quote from the Book of Moses (Today's Theme) found under the leading paintings I've inserted in the beginning of this post. That quote is from the revelation Moses was given regarding other inhabited worlds (planets) that Heavenly Father has created. That revelation did not come from the Bible, it was given directly to Joseph Smith, the Prophet. It was a revelation given Moses that never made it into the Old Testament because it evidently had been lost, but not lost to Heavenly Father who knows all of these important things and revealed a good number of them to His Latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith as well as to the prophet, Moses, many centuries earlier.

Joseph Smith having been told about there being many worlds or earths which are populated by our Heavenly Father's spirit children who were born into mortal bodies just as we are here on this earth, allows us to know more about outer space and its purposes than any scientist is able to know.
 

From The Deseret News, Feb. 7, 2011

In contrast to the true knowledge that was revealed to Joseph Smith and Moses by our Heavenly Father, I read recently in a local newspaper, speculation about the kinds of weird creatures which might populate those other planets. (See the picture above. You may find it difficult to read the words on the newspaper the creature on the right is holding: "Earth Discovers Planets.") That is referring to the article in the Deseret News you read above to which I linked you four paragraphs before.

Because Science clings to the false theory of evolution, many people on this earth are inclined to speculate about what the dominant creatures on other planets look like. They obviously don't realize that those dominant creatures who live on other planets are also sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father and they look like Him and therefore, like us.

They did not come to be what they now are through evolution by which such dominant creatures as those cartooned in the picture above would have had to come about. Latter-day Saints have learned through revelations given through the prophet Joseph Smith, that is not possible!

Joseph Smith, a prophet of God who had so little formal education but through revelation was able to share with us this information originally received by Moses by revelation from God. I repeat this verse of scripture as it is very clarifying regarding the planets that are in outer space and are being discovered by skillful scientists in our day :

Moses 1:35 But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them. (emphasis added)

I have just decided that this post will be the lead post in a short series about the role of the Prophet Joseph Smith in Heavenly Father's work among us, including our possible collective roles in the final stages of this earth's existence as it now is and will be when the thousand year reign of peace and righteousness, which the scriptures call: the Millennium, begins in not too many years in the future.

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DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

____________

TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: (This Earth's) Human Race Which is Made Up of God's Spirit Children Who Have Been Born into Mortal Bodies Have Their Counterparts on Other Planets Throughout Space. -Post 42g. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

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"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

_____________

I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog:
Neil Birch

42f An Angel of the Lord, Speaking by the Power of the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation, Told the Book of Mormon Prophet, Nephi: (In about 600 to 592 B.C.), "The Saints of the Church of the Lamb, (in the days not long before our Lord's Second Coming) Were (to be) "Armed with Righteousness and with the Power of God in Great Glory." (1 Nephi 14:14.)

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!

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TODAY'S THEME

During His Ministry in Palestine Our Savior, Jesus Christ, Brought People Who Had Died Back to Life and Healed the Sick.  During His Visit to the Nephites in Central America Soon After His Resurrection From the Dead, He Healed the Sick!  He Has Granted His Power of Healing In Our Day To All Those Who Worthily Bare His Priesthood.

Jesus Raised Lazerus From Death - Painting: Carl Heinrich Bloch

Jesus Raising the Daughter of Jairus (From Death) - Painting: Greg K. Olsen

Jesus Healing the Sick at Bethesda -Painting: Carl Heinrich Bloch





"And He Healed Them All Everyone" - Painting: Gary Kapp

This Depicts the Resurrected Jesus Healing Nephites in Central America as Described in the Book of Mormon.

In our day Jesus Christ's chosen representatives, the Prophet and Apostles of His personally authorized Latter-day Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have been given the power to heal that comes from Him. That comes through the power of His Holy Priesthood which He has granted them. That same priesthood that carries with it the heavenly power to bless the ill and otherwise afflicted has also been given to all worthy male members of that church who possess the Melchizedek Priesthood.

Much of the healing and rescuing from death being done now is most often not as dramatic as that which the Savior was depicted doing in these four extraordinary paintings, (painted by masters of their craft), but nonetheless, the blessings given by His representatives in our day are equally significant. You could ask those who have been healed in our day about that! In some cases healing occurred when they were at the very edge of death and at times, even beyond.

Healing the sick and rescuing those who are on the brink of death is a great spiritual service. Closely related to healing those who need that is serving them regarding their temporal needs.

Please view now the video in which the present Prophet, and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Thomas S. Monson, urges church members to serve others.

*(Please also read my note later which is marked with this same red asterisk near the end of this blog post.

Look for President Monson's photo just above the red asterisk.

Jesus Restores Vision to a Blind Man - Painting: Del Parson

 Next I give you the opportunity of reading an article from a recent edition of the LDS Church News which is a part of the LDS Church's Deseret News, one of the two leading newspapers published in Salt Lake City, Utah, (U.S.A.) the city in which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is headquartered.

This article tells about a special service which is related to our Savior, Jesus Christ's having restored vision to the blind during His lifetime. (Please view the above painting)

This kind of service is what He expects His Latter-day Church leaders to provide through volunteered service from faithful church members who are professionally trained in improving vision and are willing to take time out of their busy schedules to provide.

Such free assistance to members of this Church and to many who are not members, is without financial compensation to those providing it. Many or perhaps, most, of those they serve, would likely never receive such service otherwise.

This article will take us to the South American country of Peru.

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Arlin Nusbaum, BOMC -Photo is From His Website


You may have read some of the comments found at the end of about four or five of my fairly recent blog posts, made by Arlin Nusbaum who terms himself a "Book of Mormon Christian." He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as in his web site it is indicated that he served a full-time mission for that church as a young man.

It was reported there that he had a substantial number of conversions from among the people he taught during his mission. He evidently is no longer a member of the LDS church as he has, as was shown in the comments made at the end of some of these posts of mine, proven himself to be now quite critical of  this church, unfortunately. From his comments he appears to be well educated and very capable of expressing himself and tells us that he believes strongly in the Book of Mormon.

I will summarily restate his criticisms made in his comments to my posts. I do this because from what you have already learned in this particular post and will continue to learn in it is that Arlin's specific criticisms of the LDS Church are greatly lacking in validity. He also failed to respond to strong evidences I presented to him from the Book of Mormon, ( a sacred book in which he says he believes), that the church of the future described by the angel who prophesied to Nephi of "the Church of the Lamb of God" could be none other than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Arlin alleges that a great percentage of our members have become inactive and the church is not growing very much. He claims that our temples are not well attended and implies that many members of the LDS Church do not serve others very well or very willingly.

He also alleges that the growing numbers of temples and and the many services the Church provides have only come about because the Church has much money.

Contrary to what my new friend, (I consider him as such), Arlin proposes is the case with "The Mormons," I invite you to review my post 36i from which one can learn that the payment of tithing by faithful members of the Church all over the world is why the Church "has so much money." Also in this same older post of mine you will also be able to learn more about the principle of Tithing.

Unfaithful members of this church do not usually pay tithing, but faithful members do so, along with donations of "fast offerings." The payment of Tithing by faithful church members is why there is sufficient money to support the extensive work and great growth of this church.

Fast offering funds come in regularly once a month from the huge number of faithful Church members throughout the world that go without eating two meals on the first Sunday of each month. They give the money that they saved by "fasting" to help pay for those service projects our prophet, Thomas S. Monson calls for us to provide, along with providing the bishops of the church the funds necessary to provide financial assistance to individual church members who have genuine financial needs.

Neil Birch's previous post 36i

Also, a very short and pertinent Church News article that appeared January 29, 2011 caught my attention.

As you will have noticed in the article you have just read about the LDS temple which is to be built in the Indianapolis area of Indiana, active members of the church there, and there the 42,000 church members who will be served by that temple, have been; at their own expense, commuting to either the Columbus Ohio Temple, the Chicago Illinois Temple or the Louisville, Kentucky Temple to do temple ordinances for themselves and also for deceased ancestors.

As you can imagine, trips from cities in Indiana to these other LDS temples are long and expensive trips. In spite of that many church members have been making those trips because they believe strongly in the importance of the ordinance work they can do in the Church's temples.

I know something about how active members of the church feel (and there are many of them in Indiana)  about this announcement of a temple to be built closer to where they live, because my fourth oldest daughter, her husband and three young children live several hundred miles south of Indianapolis. They were very glad to hear the news about a temple being built within a fairly easy driving distance from their home!

Again my new friend Arlin Nusbaum has provided us with information that does not reflect the facts about the involvement of active members of the church in temple work and there are many active members in Indiana and in surrounding states that are extremely happy because of the plans for the building of this new "House of the Lord." That is because temple attendance is of great importance to them. This is also true of LDS Church members all over this world!

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President Thomas S. Monson

*Not many years before I retired as an adoption worker at LDS Family Services I experienced first hand one example of the strong effort President Monson personally makes in demonstrating how to serve others. The occasion was an adoption placement meeting at which a baby was to be placed with, then, "Apostle" Monson's secretary and her husband, at one of our agency offices in the Salt Lake Valley, (Utah, U.S.A.)

The prospective adoptive mother, (his secretary) knew he was coming, but he had been held up by some very pressing business, but he wasn't very late. Just before the adoptive placement took place he looked at me (I was his secretary and her family's adoption worker) and at the female agency worker who personally served the birth mother of the baby who was to be placed, and said,

"Now, this is when you both get your real salary."

 He was referring to the special opportunity we had of serving adoptive families and the birth mothers whose babies are placed with them. It was then that I began to realize how service oriented our future prophet was then and now I know he still is!

However, I know that all of our past church prophets (church presidents) have had that strong orientation.

____________


DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

____________

TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: The Welfare Program of the LDS Church is Strong Evidence that Members of Our Savior's Latter-day Church are Following His Perfect Example in Assisting People to Recover From Their Afflictions. Post 42f.  AND  Monson, (Thomas S.) In an Approved LDS Church Video, he urges LDS Church Members, as their Prophet and President, to serve others. Post 42f. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

____________

"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

_____________


I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog: 

Neil Birch