Church History
President Hinckley said we should review the history of
Joseph Smith every year to increase our testimony and strengthen missionary
work.
Joseph Smith was born 1805, 16 years after the Constitution
was ratified so that religious freedom would be the law.
He was born December 23, the day after the winter solstice.
Symbolic of his coming after the longest dark day of the year.
He died on June 27, the week of summer solstice, which is
the end of the longest day of light for the year.
He was from a poor, hardworking family. They were
God-fearing, very prayerful, farming family. Vermont had poor weather conditions
for farming. Joseph was one of 9 surviving children (2 had died). He was the 3rd
son but named after his father from a prophesy in Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 3.
Smith was the most common surname.
The children were Alvin, Hyrum, Sophronia, Joseph (who was
born 3/13, Sam (who was born 3/13, William, Don Carlos, and Lucyh. Ephriam was born
after Jonah on march 13, 2 years later. Three of the kids were born on March
13.
Joseph’s leg illness taught him patience. He had Typhus
fever that spread to the bone.
He was not strong enough for crutches so his Mom carried him
everywhere, then Hyrum would sit with him and massage the leg. He was on
crutches from 7years old to 10 years old.
When he was 10 they moved to New York. He was on crutches at
the time, with a lot of pain. Joseph Smith sr. had gone ahead to find work and
a place for them to live. Lucy traveled with all the children. She contracted a
guy to drive a team and Joseph and the small children rode in the wagon. But
the man drank away the money they had paid them, and then got others to ride in
the wagon and told Lucy Mack she and the kids would have to walk. Even Joseph on crutches. Lucy told the guy
off! So anyway, it was a lot, painful trip.
Lucy got TB and prayed to live. She heard a voice that said,
“seek and ye shall find.” She searched the Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists because
she wanted to find the right church but didn’t find it. But she wanted to be baptized
so she joined the Presbyterians. Joseph Smith like the Methodists. Joseph Smith
Sr. was not interested. He said, “I don’t feel the Spirit there.”
James 3:5 (upbraideth means scold) – God will not scold us. James
was the brother of Jesus and the oldest of Mary and Joseph. He was the first
Jesus appeared to after the resurrection.
Joseph heard James 3:5 at a church and was intrigued. He went
home and found the verse.
There are 3 accounts of the first vision. Paul gives 3
accounts of his vision on the road to Damascus. The accounts differ a little
because they are adapted to the people they are speaking to.
He had the vision early in the morning, in early spring; it
was probably a Sunday when he didn’t have to work. He had chosen ahead the place
not far from his farm. He had been chopping wood and left the ax.
This was his first vocally uttered prayer; his first
personal out loud prayer. At first his tongue swelled, he heard footsteps –
there was an unseen power that made it so he couldn’t talk; he felt darkness
and couldn’t see the sun! Light is the symbol of our Church. That’s why the
temples are lit at night.
Then he saw a pillar of light and Satan left. Light dispels
the darkness. Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.
The first thing God said was, “Joseph”. The same with Saul
and Samuel. He knows us and knows our names. Then he introduced His Son.
The only time God directly interacts with man is to
introduce His Son – Jesus baptis, 3 Nephi., etc. The Father presides, the Son
conducts. The way Joseph Smith tells it is consistent with scriptures, which is
proof of its truth.
The Savior began, “Joseph, thy sins are forgiven.” This is
the most important thing we can know. This gave Joseph confidence to ask which
church to join. Joseph received his answer and saw concourses of angels among
the trees and were so bright he expected the trees to burn. It had to hae been
like the burning bush – on fire but never consumed.
In 1860 a boyhood friend purchased the Smith family farm and
never cut the trees where the sacred grove was so now we can see the very same
trees.
Joseph was transfigured to see a the Father and Son. . he
received a transfusion of light from God or he would wither and die from too
much heat.
It says “when he came to himself” he was on his back and
completely drained of energy. At home he leaned on the fireplace. His mom asked
what was wrong. He said, “all is well. I have learned for myself that the Presbyterian
church is not true.”
He shared with the minister, maybe the same one who taught James
3:5 that inspired him. The minister said it was of the devil and then told
others about Joseph Smith and his vision.
The next 3 years he worked on the family farm. All the
neighbors kept hiring him and his brothers, they, Joseph, Hyrum and others
helped pay off the farm.
He was described as fun loving, good natured young man,
naturally cheery disposition. He said that his nature might not hae been
appropriate for one who had had a vision.
He kept reading the Bible and didn’t join a church. At 17
years old he asked for forgiveness for his foolish behavior. He was in his
bedroom. He shared a room with 5 siblings and probably shared a bed. The others
were probably in a deep sleep Gideon and the Lamanites with Alma and his brethren left. So
the light didn’t wake up the siblings. He had to have been transfigured again.
People who lived before Jesus resurrected right after He
did. James and John were resurrected out of order because they had important
missions to perform. This is when he was told his mission and his future and
about the golden plates which were a record of ancient people who used to live
in America, and the rest is a great definition of what the Book of Mormon is.
He was told that he would translate, about the seer stone,
and was warned of temptattions.
The next morning he was exhausted again so his dad sent him
home for working in the field. He fainted and saw Moroni again with the same
vision and also promised his dad would believe every word. When he told his
Father, he wept. Joseph sr., was a noble spirit to be the father of a prophet
of the restoration. He was one of the 8 witnesses and was the first patriarch.
Todd Christofferson when he was mission president, told his
missionaries to tell the Joseph Smith history as often as they could and
promised it would give them the Spirit.
Joseph Smith is not resurrected yet. We can meet him in the
Spirit World.
Joseph was tutored by experience.
Martin Harris was a respected landowner. He was very
respected and honored man int eh community. He was wealthy with a farm of 320
acres. A good business man, frugal. Joseph confided him regarding the plates and
how he needed to translate but had constant problems. He showed Martin Harris
the lock box and Martin held it. It weighed about 60 lbs.
Martin told Joseph that if it was the devil’s work, “I want
nothing to do with it, but if it is God’s work…” he went home and prayed and
got a feeling of peace to go ahead.
D&C 9 talks aobut how to get/recognize answers to
prayers. When Emma was pregnant, her parents invited her back home.. there
Joseph could translate. Joseph went to pay his debts in the general store and
martin harris gave him $50 (which would be $1300 now)! Then he packed and went
to her parents’ house. He hid the plates n a barrel of beans.
The Hale home was much bigger. He had to figure out how to
translate using the Urim and Thummim; it took practice. They were written in
reformed Egyptian. Emma, pregnant, was the first scribe. Martin felt inspired
to go visit and took a sample of the reformed Egyptian characters to
professors. Joseph agreed and wrote some of the characters and their
translation. Charles Anton said they were correct, but when he found out they
received them from an angel, he tore up the certificate.
In Joseph’s last imprisonment he testified to the guards
that he still believed in the ministering of angels.
Martin harris was very expert in the Bible Isaiah 29, 2
Nephi 27
Joseph got better and better at using the Urim and Thummim. Martin
Harris worked as scribe during the spring planting season, so he missed a whole
year of crops on his own farm ad missed his daughter’s wedding! His marriage
was also suffering because of his time and dedication to Joseph.
Joseph translated form the large plates and then added the
small plates (1 Ne, 2 ne, Jacob, Enos, Jarom, and Omni) then translated the Words
of Mormon. Joseph Smith Sr had the gift of prophesy and said that someday the
lost pages would be found.
In 1830 Joseph Smith Sr was interviewed by a newspaper. Part
of the interview is in LDS Living: Don Bradley. He said
Joseph translated 8 to 13 pages/day. Mary Whitmer was the 2nd
person to see the plates because of her amazing hospitality and kindness.
When Joseph was done with the translation, he invited his
parents to Fayette, to the Whitmer’s house. It was 30 miles. They brought
Martin Harris who was VERY interested. David Whitmer, Martin Harris, Oliver W
was there for the translation. The three of them wondered if they could be the
three witnesses so they asked Joseph to pray. Martin Harris still has to huble
and repent of pride (because he lost the transcripts.)
They knelt and prayed but nothing happened. Finally Martin
left and they prayed without him. Then an angel appeared and showed them the
plates on a table with other artifacts, the Urim and Thummim, the Liahone, the
breastplates. They heard the voice of God and were commanded to bear record and
testify. Later Martin saw the plates, too.
The 8 witnesses were all young:
Christian Whitmer -31
Jacob Whitmer – 29
Peter Whitmer, Jr-19
John Whitmer – 26
Hyrum Page – 29 was Brother in law to the Whitmers
Joseph Smith Sr -57
Hyrum Smith -29
Samuel Smith-21
Then they returned to the Whitmer home. They said, “Father,
mother, you don’t know how happy I am.
According to the law of witnesses, there must be 2-3 as at
baptisms, marriages, and in the Godhead.
There is also a Law of heaven – the greater the vision, the
greater the power of the adversary. All were tempted with pride. None were lost
or denied their testimony even when they were excommunicated.
It cost $3000 to print 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon. Martin
mortgaged his house. He was told “Do not covet your own property; give freely
for printing of the Book of Mormon.
After the Book of Mormon was published, Joseph returned to
Palmyra to Emma.
He asked Oliver to copy by hand the whole Book of Mormon so
they would have a another copy for safety. It made him love the Book of Mormon
more. This copy was called the “Printer’s copy” the original was sacred.
Solomon Chamberlain wanted to go preach in Canada. While staying
in Palmyra with family they told him about the “gold Bible”, read it and was
converted. Then we went to Canada to preach Mormonism.
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