The Prophet Joseph Smith

I have had several questions in recent months about who Joseph Smith is and how does he fit into the whole scheme of things. I have heard people ask me everything everything from if he was really a prophet to if he was really the lying, adulterous polygamist who came up with the wonderful scam of the Book of Mormon. I hope to address these concerns in this post.

Joseph of Egypt, as quoted in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 3:7-11, 15, said the following:

 7 Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers.

 8 And I will give unto him a commandment that he shall do none other work, save the work which I shall command him. And I will make him great in mine eyes; for he shall do my work.

 9 And he shall be great like unto Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel.

 10 And Moses will I raise up, to deliver thy people out of the land of Egypt.

 11 But a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins—and not to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them.

 15 And his name 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.

Along with that, it is interesting to note that Joseph Sr. named his third son, not his first, after himself. With that resounding prophecy, we begin.

His history is very complex and lengthy, and since my purpose is to establish his role, I will not attempt to address it here. I will post this video for those interested in his history. It is one hour long. His history is a startling illustration of the scripture in Numbers 12:6 - "And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream."

Joseph Smith's role was that of prophet, seer and revelator. But, what was the role of a prophet exactly? Amos 3:7 gives us a good starting block: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." This, in a very brief sentence, establishes exactly what a prophet does. He reveals the secrets that God desires to give to His children on earth. Prophets also have a specific role in the Church of Jesus Christ. He is the only person on the earth authorized to exercise all the keys of the priesthood. He is the leader of the Church on the earth, receiving direct revelation from the Lord Himself. Examples of prophets throughout the ages include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah. Even the Lord Jesus Christ Himself acted as a prophet among some of the other things He did during His ministry.

Throughout history, God has spoken to the prophets of old. When the people followed his guidance, they were blessed. However, we see all throughout scriptural history - the Book of Mormon and modern Church history included - that whenever the people reject the prophets, they fall into a state of chaos and confusion. As explained in the movie, Joseph Smith was around during a time of this apostasy. A Restoration, not a reformation, of the Church was required. Which is where Joseph came into play. He was the one chosen of God to restore the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth once more, along with the fulness of doctrine and the priesthood authority to administer the ordinances thereof, which, at the time, had been lost from the earth at the death of the Apostles.

The priesthood was restored through the prophets of old who held the particular offices. John the Baptist restored the Aaronic Priesthood, which holds the authority to administer baptism among other things. Peter, James and John, three of the original Apostles, restored the Melchizedek Priesthood, which includes the authority to give the Gift of the Holy Ghost. The Restoration of the priesthood was absolutely essential. Without it, it would not be possible to perform the ordinances necessary to produce salvation. The Lord Himself illustrates this point in modern-day scripture. Doctrine and Covenants section 22 says:

 1 Behold, I say unto you that all old covenants have I caused to be done away in this thing; and this is a new and an everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning.

 2 Wherefore, although a man should be baptized an hundred times it availeth him nothing, for you cannot enter in at the strait gate by the law of Moses, neither by your dead works.

 3 For it is because of your dead works that I have caused this last covenant and this church to be built up unto me, even as in days of old.

 4 Wherefore, enter ye in at the gate, as I have commanded, and seek not to counsel your God. Amen.

 Along with this restoration of priesthood, other keys of the priesthood had to be restored. This occurred on April 3, 1836.

After the dedication of a temple in Kirtland, Ohio, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and one of his associates, Oliver Cowdery, who helped to translate the Book of Mormon and was present at the restoration of the priesthood. The Lord accepted the temple the Church had built and told the Prophet that the people would be blessed. How that was possible is made manifest through three men who appeared to them after the Savior. All three were prophets of old, restoring keys of their respective generations to bless the modern-day Church of Jesus Christ.

First  to appear was the prophet Moses, the same who lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. He committed them the keys to the Gathering of Israel, which the Restoration had begun. Not long afterwards, missionaries spread to all corners of the earth, including Canada and England.

Next to appear was Elias, a prophet otherwise unknown in scriptural history. He committed the keys of the dispensation of Abraham to the Prophet, thus continuing the promise made to the Patriarch that through his seed, all the world will be blessed.

Last to appear was Elijah, the prophet of the kings. He committed Joseph probably the most important blessing of the Restoration: the power to seal families together for time and all eternity, thus fulfilling the promise made in Malachi 4:5-6.

A full account of what transpired on this blessed day in the temple in Kirtland can be found in Doctrine and Covenants section 110.

 Among other things, the Prophet received revelation to guide and direct the Church as was required in the modern day and time. Again, a full account of these revelations can be found in the Doctrine and Covenants.

The words of John Taylor after the martyrdom of the Prophet offer probably the most compelling summary of his role. Doctrine and Covenants 135:3 offers the following statement:

Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!

 This is a bold statement, but it is true! The Prophet Joseph Smith was truly called of God! There can be no doubt! His work testifies of it! I know it is true because the Spirit has manifest it to me! There can be no surer witness than one from God!