3/23/2023 0 Comments Tree of savior server status usHis credentials as a prophet of God are not adequately tested by historical relics. Joseph Smith declared that his work was the Lord’s work. “And thy people shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors.” ( D&C 122:1–3.) “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. “But this generation shall have my word through you.” ( D&C 5:2, 6, 10.)Īnd: “The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee “For hereafter you shall be ordained and go forth and deliver my words unto the children of men. … “Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments.” ( D&C 1:17.)Īlso: “I, the Lord, am God, and have given these things unto you, my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and have commanded you that you should stand as a witness of these things … In a similar fashion we have the Lord’s own testimony as to the divine calling of Joseph Smith. 3:17.) Again, on the Mount of Transfiguration, the chosen Apostles of the Lord heard the repeated affirmation: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased hear ye him.” ( Matt. Those who were present at the baptism of the Master heard the Father’s voice declare from the heavens, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” ( Matt. In addition to the record of the good works performed by the Savior, we are given the personal affirmation and testimony of the Eternal Father regarding Jesus’ divine nature and calling. All he said and did has stood the test of time and has borne good fruit in the lives of millions of people. The attempts by the Savior’s enemies to destroy his work by discrediting him were futile. “This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils,” they protested. It is interesting that this declaration by the Savior was made in response to accusations from the scribes and the Pharisees that he was performing his miracles and healings by the power of the devil. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” ( Matt. “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruits but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. “Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” “Ye shall know them by their fruits,” he said. He warned of false prophets who would come in sheep’s clothing but who would have their own selfish motives to fulfill. The Savior acknowledged that there would be imposters who would attempt to pass themselves off as his authorized representatives. In any case, the Lord’s test is the only one that will stand with the passage of time and reveal the truth about those who claim to do his work. They may even tell more about the one doing the reflecting than the one being reflected upon. Such reflections may be interesting, but they may not always be accurate. Often, documents of historical interest reflect, at best, the way one individual recalls or perceives events or the actions and motives of those who participated in them. They overreach the tentative significance of any historical document that may survive the passage of time, whether it relates to specific events or to the people who participated in the events. These are tests which the Lord himself prescribed. I would like, instead, to point to some ultimate tests that can be applied to determine the divine nature of any religious work. In my remarks today I do not wish to make any assessment of the validity of the newly discovered documents nor the extent to which they might, in the eyes of some, affect the reconstruction of Church history. A wide range of opinions has been expressed regarding the extent to which these new disclosures should affect our perceptions of the traditional and scriptural accounts of Joseph’s divine calling and his part in bringing about the restoration of the gospel and the church of Jesus Christ. In recent months, several items of historical interest have surfaced in one way or another, stirring a renewed interest in the life of Joseph Smith and the means through which he established the Church.
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