The Old Testament prophet Amos declared, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). The Lord provided the children of Israel (and us today) with the test of a true prophet, "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously" (Deuteronomy 18:22; italics added).
Today I will discuss a few examples of the prophetic mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, which will hopefully confirm in the mind of every honest seeker of truth that Joseph Smith truly is a prophet, seer and revelator of the Most High God, the Prophet of the dispensation of the fullness of times. Prophecy of the American Civil War
On Christmas day 1832 the Prophet Joseph Smith received the following revelation:
Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls;
For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain . . ." (D&C 87:1,3)
Had the Civil War begun only a few months following this prophecy a skeptic could have discounted the prophecy on the grounds that such a war was inevitable. But the first shots at Fort Sumter were not fired until April 12, 1861, twenty-eight years and four months after the prophecy had been recorded. The specificity of South Carolina as the starting point and the specific mention of British intervention in the Civil War truly confirm the authenticity of this prophecy.[1]
Dedicatory Prayer of the Kirtland Temple
On March 27, 1836 in the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple the Prophet implored the Lord "to have mercy upon the children of Jacob, that Jerusalem, from this hour, may begin to be redeemed " (D&C 109:62; italics added).
Since 1517 Jerusalem had been under the control of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. For many years the Jewish community had repeatedly requested permission to restore four ancient dilapidated synagogues, but all of their requests had been denied. Muhammad Ali was the viceroy of Egypt, and under his direction his son Ibrahim Pasha ruled Erez-Israel and Syria. In 1835 Pasha finally granted permission to restore the Jewish synagogues. The following year Muhammad Ali permitted the immigration of Eastern European Jews to Jerusalem, and the local Jewish population began to construct a new synagogue.[2]
On January 1, 1837 a devastating earthquake destroyed the northern Jewish cities of Tiberia and Safed. Most of those who survived this tragedy fled to Jerusalem for safety, thus causing the Jewish population to outnumber Christians and Muslims for the first time in centuries.[3]
In 1838-39 the first European consuls took up residence in the Holy City to facilitate immigration and to assure the protection of their nation's citizens. Since the era of the Crusades, permanent residence permits had not been previously granted to any European infidels.4 The rapid growth of the Jewish population following the Prophet Joseph's dedicatory prayer in 1836 is illustrated by the following table of population estimates:[5] [6] [7]
In 1836 when the Prophet Joseph prayed that the children of Jacob would from this hour begin to redeem Jerusalem the Jewish inhabitants of Jerusalem were the minority among Christians and Muslims. Within the next five years Jewish residents became the predominant religious group in Jerusalem. On August 1, 1840 Elder Orson Hyde dedicated the Holy Land for the return of the Jews. By the end of the Nineteenth Century the Jewish population comprised 64% of the total population of Jerusalem. The physical redemption of Jerusalem had, indeed, begun. The spiritual redemption is yet to come (D&C 45:48-52; Zech. 12:9-10; 13:6; 14:4-21).
A Mighty People in the Midst of the Rocky Mountains
On August 6, 1842 the Prophet recorded:
"I prophesied that the Saints would continue to suffer much affliction and would be driven to the Rocky Mountains, . . . and some of you will live to go and assist in making settlements and build cities and see the Saints become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains."[8]
The fulfillment of this prophecy devolved upon Joseph's successor, Brigham Young, who, on February 4, 1846 led a vanguard of Saints across the Mississippi River en route to the Great Basin in the Utah Territory. Under Brigham Young's direction 358 colonies, towns and cities were established, comprising the "mighty people" of whom the Prophet Joseph had prophesied nearly four decades earlier.[9]
A Prophecy of Stephen A. Douglas's Political Future
On May 18, 1843, the Prophet dined with Judge Stephen A. Douglas who was presiding at the court in Carthage, Hancock County. The Prophet's scribe on this occasion recorded that "After dinner Judge Douglas requested President Joseph to give him a history of the Missouri persecution, which he did in a very minute manner, for about three hours. . ."
Joseph Smith then pronounced the following prophecy upon Stephen A. Douglas:
"Judge, you will aspire to the presidency of the United States; and if ever you turn your hand against me or the Latter-day Saints, you will feel the weight of the hand of the Almighty upon you; and you will live to see and know that I have testified the truth to you; for the conversation of this day will stick to you through life.
He [Judge Douglas] appeared very friendly, and acknowledged the truth and propriety of President Smith's remarks."[10]
In 1843 Stephen A. Douglas was a young man thirty years of age and was not nationally well known. However, in 1857 he delivered a speech in Springfield, Illinois regarding the rumors, which had been circulated throughout the United States concerning crimes, treason, and rebellion among the Mormons in the Utah territory. The crux of his message was:
"Should such a state of things actually exist as we are led to infer from the reports . . . the knife must be applied to this pestiferous, disgusting cancer which is gnawing into the very vitals of the body politic."[11]
Three years later in June of 1860 at the National Democratic Convention held in Charleston, South Carolina Stephen A. Douglas was nominated for the presidency of the United States, just as Joseph Smith had prophesied seventeen years previously. In the general election later that year Abraham Lincoln carried 18 states; Mr. Breckinridge 11; Mr. Bell 3; and Stephen A. Douglas one. Within a year, with his political aspirations dashed and unfulfilled, Stephen A. Douglas died at his home in Chicago "a disappointed, not to say heart-broken man."[12]
The Word of Wisdom
As a life-long advocate of the Word of Wisdom, Elder John A. Widtsoe (1872-1952), himself a scientist, eloquently testified that the foresight of the revelation of the Word of Wisdom confirms Joseph's prophetic calling:
"It is a marvelous thing that a boy of western New York, untaught in the ways of the world, unacquainted with the sciences of this day, unfamiliar with the universities and the learning thereof, should be able to speak in such a manner, at a time when science was in it swaddling clothes, and to be found correct in his teaching and in full harmony with the most recent findings of modern science. We are very grateful that wherever we turn in the history of the Prophet Joseph Smith we find evidences of the divine wisdom and inspiration in all that he did."[13]
Two UCLA professors of epidemiology, James E. Enstrom and Lester Breslow, conducted a longitudinal study of over 9,800 Latter-day Saint couples from 1980 to 2004 and compared their longevity to a large comparative sample of non-LDS males and females. Their findings were published in the journal Preventive Medicine in February of 2008. Their research indicated that Latter-day Saint females have a life expectancy of 86 years, 5.6 years longer than their non-LDS counterparts. Latter-day Saint men had a life expectancy of 84.1 years, 9.8 years longer than those men not of the LDS faith.[14]
Book of Mormon
You have often heard it said that if the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith must be a true prophet, because he was the Lord's instrument in bringing forth the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
With regard to spiritual matters, the Apostle Paul hit the nail on the head when he taught the Corinthians that "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14).
President Gordon B. Hinckley similarly taught us that "The Holy Ghost is the Testifier of truth, who can teach men things they cannot teach one another."[15] In sharing his testimony of the Book of Mormon, President Gordon B. Hinckley declared:
"The evidence for its truth, for its validity in a world that is prone to demand evidence, lies not in archaeology or anthropology, though these may be helpful to some. It lies not in word research or historical analysis, though these may be confirmatory. The evidence for its truth and validity lies within the covers of the book itself. The test of its truth lies in reading it. It is a book of God."[16]
Thirty years ago, while I was serving as a mission president in Austria, a bright young man came to see me in the mission office. He had received a few of the missionary discussions and was concerned that the missionaries promised him if he would read the Book of Mormon and pray about it he would know it was true.
"Well, Herr President," he said, "I've started to read the Book of Mormon, but to tell you the truth that book is drier than the Vienna telephone directory."
I replied, "Michael, perhaps we could try reading a sample from the middle of the Book," and I opened up the Book of Mormon to Third Nephi Chapter 17, the moving account of the Savior's healing of the sick, blessing of the little children, and praying to the Father in their presence. I suggested that I read a verse and then we could alternate and he would read every other verse. As we proceeded to read that chapter, tears began to trickle down his cheeks, and as we concluded the chapter he said, "I'm going home to read the whole book." And he did. A few weeks later he was baptized and he has remained faithful to his covenants.
In the very first chapter of the Book of Mormon young Nephi recounts a vision of his father, Lehi, who "saw the heavens open" and "he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day. And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament. And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and the first came and stood before my father, and gave unto him a book, and bade him that he should read. And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord " (1 Nephi 8-12).
This is the promise that young Austrian brother claimed as he read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover. That is also the concluding promise of Moroni in the last chapter of the Book:
"and when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Moroni 10:4).
In the closing verses of the Book of Mormon, Moroni extends an eloquent, divinely inspired invitation to each of us to:
"come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God" (Moroni 10:32).
The Spirit has borne witness to me these words are not only true, they are important--a matter of eternal significance, and I have an obligation to strive with all my might to accept Moroni's invitation to undergo a mighty change of heart and to come unto Christ.
President Harold B. Lee counseled the members of the Church:
"Don't be concerned over Book of Mormon geography. Some say the Hill Cumorah was in southern Mexico (and someone pushed it down still farther) and not in western New York. Well, if the Lord wanted us to know where it was or where Zarahemla was, He'd have given us latitude and longitude, don't you think?"[17]
My young friends, I read the Book of Mormon for the life-saving doctrine and the inspiring, comforting counsel contained therein and because, like Lehi of old, when I read, I am filled with the Spirit of the Lord (1 Nephi 1:12).
A few Latter-day Saints have questioned the Angel Moroni's declaration to Joseph Smith that the golden plates contain "the fullness of the everlasting Gospel" (JSH-1:34). If temple worship is part of the fullness, they reason, why is it not mentioned in the Book of Mormon? The late Hugh Nibley observed that temple doctrines and ordinances "are everywhere in the book if we know where to look for them, and a dozen or so discourses on the Atonement in the Book of Mormon are replete with temple imagery."[18]
Restoration of Holy Temples
One evening the Savior received an unexpected visit from "Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews." He was a man of good will who addressed the Savior:
"Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:1,2,5).
Therein the Savior established baptism as a universal requirement of all mankind who aspire to regain the presence of God. To underscore this universal commandment the Savior himself sought baptism at the hand of John the Baptist in order to "fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15).
In the Book of Mormon the prophet Nephi explained that the Savior fulfilled all righteousness by humbling himself before the Father and by witnessing "unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments." The baptism of Christ also showed "the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them" (2 Nephi 31:6-9).
Baptism would be required of all, but what of those who died without the opportunity of being baptized?
In January of 1841 in Nauvoo the Lord revealed that "a baptismal font there is not upon the earth, that they, my saints, may be baptized for those who are dead--For this ordinance belongeth to my house" (D&C 124:29-30). He then commanded the Saints:
"to build a house unto me . . . And . . .let this house be built unto my name, that I may reveal mine ordinances therein unto my people; For I deign to reveal unto my church things which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fullness of times" (D&C 124:31, 40-41).
Anxious to obey the Lord's commandment, the Saints began to excavate the site for the Nauvoo Temple. Though the entire temple would not be dedicated for another five years, within ten months of the revelation they had constructed a large, magnificent baptismal font of wood resting upon the backs of twelve beautifully carved life-size oxen representing the twelve tribes of Israel as described in First Kings 7:23-26. The font was dedicated on November 8, 1841 and the wonderful work of baptisms for the dead culminated in the performance of thousands of baptisms in the Nauvoo Temple[19]
The restoration of other temple ordinances through the Prophet Joseph Smith is yet another confirmation of his prophetic role. On May 4, 1842 the Prophet Joseph convened several of the brethren in the upper room of the red brick store. Perhaps sensing that he may not be alive to see the completion of the Nauvoo Temple, Joseph instructed them "in the principles and order of the Priesthood, attending to washings, anointings, [and] endowments" and he "instituted the ancient order of things for the first time in these last days." Furthermore, Joseph explained that "there was nothing made known to these men but what will be made known to all the Saints of the last days, so soon as they are prepared to receive, and a proper place is prepared to communicate them."[20]
In the final months of completing the Nauvoo Temple the attic story was dedicated on November 30, 1845 for the performance of the temple endowment, and 5,634 individuals were subsequently endowed before the Saints were driven from Nauvoo two months later.[21] The completion and dedication of the entire temple nearly two years after the Prophet's death and the subsequent dedication of another 140 temples in our day further confirm Joseph's prophetic calling under divine direction.
Some temples are large with many rooms and others are relatively small with fewer rooms, but the size of the temple or the mode of instruction is of lesser importance than the covenants we make and the promised blessings we receive. There are a few members who get a little nervous when various aspects of the temple endowment are slightly modified. We all believe in prophets, seers and continuous revelation, but, my, how we resist change.
The Apostle Paul had difficulty convincing the Galatians to let go of their traditions bound up in the law of Moses as he explained to them that "the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ" (Galatians 3:24). Paul had a similar challenge with the Hebrews teaching them that Christ "is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises" (Hebrews 8:6). It is in the Holy Temple that we make better covenants established upon better promises. The creation of the earth, the gift of moral agency and the Fall of Adam and Eve and their redemption, and our redemption through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the covenants and promises inherent in temple ordinances are at the heart of the endowment and these will always remain the same.
The First Vision
During the unfolding of the Restoration of all things, several priesthood keys were restored. The resurrected John the Baptist restored the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph and Oliver Cowdery near the Susquehanna River (D&C 13). Peter, James and John restored the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph and Oliver between Harmony, Pennsylvania and Colesville, New York (D&C 128:20). In the Kirtland Temple Moses appeared to Joseph and Oliver and restored "the keys of the gathering of Israel." Elias appeared and restored the keys of "the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham," and Elijah appeared and restored the keys of the sealing power "To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers" (D&C 110:11-16).
As the Book of Mormon came forth, in keeping with a prophecy of the law of witnesses (2 Nephi 27:12), there were three men who were shown the golden plates in the presence of an angel. On another occasion, eight additional men of good character actually hefted and handled the gold plates. A few years later, when Joseph beheld the vision of the three degrees of glory Sydney Rigdon was also privileged to behold the same vision and to serve as a second witness of the content of that glorious vision (D&C 76).
But there are some individuals who fail to accept the First Vision in the spring of 1820 on the grounds that we must depend solely on Joseph's word alone, for there were no other witnesses present. To those who doubt, may I share the counsel of a Latter-day Saint lawyer and judge, "If you want to know if Joseph Smith really did see the Father and the Son, just ask God--He was there!" We do have witnesses!
After living in the City of Joseph for the past three years and worshiping almost daily in the Nauvoo Temple, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind, heart or soul that this great work is true--all of it! The scriptures we have received through the Prophet Joseph Smith are all true. He did not write the Book of Mormon or the Doctrine and Covenants, (with the exception of a few epistles), or the Books of Abraham and Moses in the Pearl of Great Price, but he was the Lord's conduit through whom those living waters flowed. The Savior Himself testified of the Doctrine and Covenants:
"These words are not of men nor of man, but of me; wherefore, you shall testify they are of me and not of man.
For it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another; and save it were by my power you could not have them;
Wherefore, you can testify that you have heard my voice, and know my words" (D&C 18:34-36).
I conclude with an invitation to "Come, listen to a living prophet's voice and hear the word of the Lord" in the name of Jesus Christ amen.
Notes
[1] For a commentary on British involvement in running Union naval blockades see: Mark E. Neely, Jr. "The Perils of Running the Blockade: The Influence of International Law in an Era of Total War." Civil War History,1986, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 101-118
[2] Encylopedia Judaica. "Jerusalem." Jerusalem, Israel: Keter Publishing House Ltd. For MacMillan, N.Y., 1971, pp. 1426, 1447-48
[3] Arnold Blumberg, Zion before Zionism 1838-1880. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 1985, pp. 9-28
[4] Ibid., p. 17
[5] Ben-Arieh, Yohoshua. "The Growth of Jerusalem in the Nineteenth Century," Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 65, 1975, pp. 252-69
[6] Hymanson, Albert M. Palestine: The Rebirth of an Ancient People. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1917. (Estimates for the 1880 population are found on page 76.)
[7] Encyclopedia Judaica reported the 1890 population of Jerusalem as follows: 28,000 Jews, 7,000 Muslims, 2,000 Roman Catholics, 4,000 Greek Orthodox, 510 Armenian, 100 Copts, 75 Abyssinians, 15 Syrians (Jacobites and Malkites), and 300 Protestants; op cit., p. 1460
[8] HC 5:85
[9] Milton R. Hunter, Brigham Young: The Colonizer. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Press, 1941, pp. 377-383. Eleven communities were colonized after Pres. Young's death
[10] HC 5:393-94
[11]Missouri Republican, June 18, 1857; cited in HC 5:396-97
[12] HC 5:396
[13] John A. Widtsoe, "Temperance and Man's Free Agency," Deseret News, 27 June 1934; cited in Alan K. Parrish, John A. Widtsoe: A Biography. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 2003, p. 593
[14] Mark W. Cannon and Danielle Stockton, "UCLA study proves Mormons live longer," Deseret News, April 13, 2010
[15] Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Co., 1997, p. 259
[16] Ibid., p. 41
[17] Clyde J. Williams, ed., Teachings of Harold B. Lee. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1996, p. 155
[18] Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Co.; Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1989, p. 567
[19] HC 4:446-47; Matthew McBride, A House for the Most High. Salt Lake City, Utah: Greg Kofford Books, 2007, pp. 35-37, 176, 233-34; Glen M. Leonard, Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, a People of Promise. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 2002, pp. 238-240
[20] HC 5:2
[21] Don F. Colvin, Nauvoo Temple: A Story of Faith. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2002, p. 107