CHAPTER SIX
JOSEPH SMITH
What is the true status or station of Joseph Smith?
SHOGHI Effendi rightly explains Joseph Smith as a SEER and not a PROPHET! He is not an independent prophet--a Manifestation who reveals a book--nor even a minor prophet of God like Daniel or Ezekiel who were firm in the Covenant of God under the Manifestation of their day. Smith is only a seer! "Seer" means that he can "see" certain things that are true but not that he is some sort of infallible guide or even that he is part of the religion of God! Shoghi Effendi makes this distinction absolutely clear and it cannot be ignored!
Joseph Smith was a seer, NOT A PROPHET OF GOD, NEITHER MAJOR NOR MINOR PROPHET (Memories of 'Abdu'l-Baha, by R. A. Brown p. 117 ).
What this means is that Smith could see visions and glimpses of the future but he did not speak or write on behalf of God and is not a prophet of God. The Bible is full of seers who were not prophets of God such as Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar. Pharaoh saw the true dream and vision of the seven fat cows and the seven thin cows, etc. Therefore he was a seer because he saw this. But he did not know the meaning of it. It was Joseph1 the prophet of God who interpreted the dream and gave the correct meaning of it. Likewise Nebuchadnezzar was into astrology, and he was a seer. He saw the dream of the giant statue (representing the powers of the world until the coming of the Kingdom of God). But he both forgot the dream and didn't know its meaning. Therefore Daniel the prophet of God told him the vision of the dream and its meaning.
The reason God uses people like Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar or Joseph Smith is that they are popular and well-known. Through them the fame and renown of the message of their vision spreads to all parts of the world and all people hear about it.
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34 Joseph, the youngest son of Jacob.
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Because of Smith, all people should know the prophecy of the return of Jesus in America. Clearly Baha'u'llah was never in America or the United States at all! If God gave these visions and prophecies to people who were unknown, then these visions would be ignored by everyone. So instead He lets someone famous have the vision who is a seer. But then He has one who is from God come to give the meaning of it. Thus the vision of the seer, through the explanation of one like Daniel or Joseph, becomes the cause of the people accepting the true religion of God.
Now, just because Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar and Smith were seers with true visions, such as those recorded in the Bible, it does not mean that we convert to their corrupted forms of religion and/or paganism! No! God forbid! This is so that through the visions given to famous people such as Smith, Jean Dixon, Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, etc, all people hear about it. Then when the true explanation is given by an authoritative one speaking on behalf of God, the people can turn to the religion of God and not to something else.
As to the actual facts and events surrounding The Book of Mormon of Joseph Smith, you are completely uninformed!
When Smith was 14 years old, he had a vision of the two Christs. He saw the Father and the Son as two separate people: Baha'u'llah and Jesus. Later Smith saw that the return of Jesus would be in America in the Temple described by Ezekiel in the Bible which would be located in the Rocky Mountains. Thus, up until the time he died in 1844 Smith directed his people to go to the Rocky Mountains "to prepare the way" for the return of Jesus.
However, when he was 14 no one would listen to him, so he needed a way to get the people's attention. Having been a treasure seeker, he took his own ideas and visions and wrote them into The Book of Mormon which he fabricated based on a manuscript that had been stolen years earlier from Solomon Spaulding.
Solomon Spaulding had been studying religion at Dartmouth College where one of the popular ideas of the day was that the Native American Indians were supposed to have been descended from the ten lost tribes of Israel. Based on this fanciful idea Spaulding wrote a Romantic Novel called Manuscript Found about a modern man who discovers "tablets" with the lost history of the Americas inscribed on them. Spaulding had submitted his manuscript to R. and J. Patterson's print shop, who said they were interested in printing the book. However, in 1816, right before Spaulding died, Patterson told him that his book, Manuscript Found, had been lost.
One of the employees at Patterson's print shop, J.H. Lambdin, was friends with Sidney Rigdon, a Campbellite preacher who was the friend and co-religionist of Joseph Smith. Before Spaulding died he told several people that he knew for a fact
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that Rigdon had stolen his manuscript. One of those he told was Dr. Cephas Dodd who was Spaulding's attending physician during his last illness. Dr. Cephas Dodd testifies:
This work [The Book of Mormon], I am convinced by facts related to me by my deceased patient, Solomon Spaulding, has been made from the writings of Spaulding, probably by Sidney Rigdon, who was suspicioned by Spaulding with purloining his manuscript from the publishing-house to which he had taken it; and I am prepared to testify that Spaulding told me that his work was entitled, "The Manuscript Found in the Wilds of Mormon; or Unearthed Records of the Nephites." From his description of the contents, I fully believe that this Book of Mormon is mainly and wickedly copied from it [Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? by Davis, p. 74].
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Rigdon was seen at the Smith farm in New York after Spaulding's manuscript was stolen and before The Book of Mormon was written.
During some of my visits at the Smith's, I saw a stranger there who they said was Mr. Rigdon. He was at Smith's several times, and it was in the year of 1827 [The Book of Mormon was published in 1830] when I first saw him there, as near as I can recollect. Some time after that tales were circulating that a young Joe had found or dug from the earth a Book of Plates which the Smiths called the Golden Bible [Have You Witnessed to a Mormon Lately? by Spencer, p. 207]
Later when The Book of Mormon was first published, all of Spaulding's friends and family immediately recognized the story and the names and places as those from Spaulding's stolen manuscript. It was easy to connect Joseph Smith back to Rigdon who by that time was a well-known Mormon. Spaulding's brother writes:
He [Solomon] then told me he was writing a book . It was an historical romance of the first settlers of America, endeavoring to show that the American Indians are the descendants of the Jews, or the lost tribes. It gave a detailed account of their journey from Jerusalem, by land and sea, till they arrived in America, under the command of Nephi and Lehi. They afterwards had quarrels and contentions and separated into two distinct nations, one of which he denominated Nephites, and the other Lamanites. Cruel and bloody wars ensued, in which great multitudes were slain. They buried their dead in large heaps, which caused the mounds so common in this country. Their arts, sciences and civilization were brought into view in order to account for all the curious antiquities found in various parts of North and South America. I have recently read The Book of Mormon and to my great surprise I find nearly the same historical matter, names, etc., as they were in my brother's writings. I well remember he wrote in the old style, and commenced about every sentence with 'And it came to pass,' or 'Now it came to pass,' the same as The Book of Mormon, and according to the best of my recollection and belief, it is the same as my brother Solomon wrote, with the exception of the religious part.
So Smith added his own visions and beliefs, "the religious part," on top of Spaulding's story of the ancient happenings of America. The fact that Smith wrote The Book of Mormon himself based in part on the Bible, the beliefs of his day, Spaulding's manuscript, and his own visions cannot be denied. The very first edition of The Book of Mormon did not even claim to be a "translation of gold plates" but instead stated that Smith did in fact write the book himself!
In the first edition of The Book of Mormon, the statement of the eight witnesses declares that Joseph Smith, Jr. was "author and proprietor of this work." This statement also appeared on the title page of the first edition.
The subsequent editions have the eight witnesses saying that Smith was the "translator" of the book. The title page is also changed. I. W. Riley remarks that "the name of author and proprietor of The Book of Mormon was inadvertently assumed and quickly discarded."
All told there have been at least 3,913 changes added to and deleted from The Book of Mormon since the first edition. Likewise there were never any physical gold plates found. This was also a story made up by Smith (which he learned from the Free Masons) to attract attention to the movement. If he did have actual physical gold plates they would have weighed over 234 pounds! This is ridiculous! No one could carry that weight around by himself in "out-stretched arms" or with one hand! Further, witnesses testified that they never even saw any physical gold plates!
Martin Harris and David Whitmer [two of the witnesses] said they saw the plates with their "spiritual eyes" only: "[Z.H. Gurley asked,] 'did you touch them?' His [Whitmer's] answer was, 'We did not touch nor handle plates.'"
The Book of Mormon is not "revealed scripture" or translated from "gold plates." It is certainly not equal with the writings of the Bible and that of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha. The people are of no authority to demand them to be as such. Shoghi Effendi clearly states Smith is not a prophet (neither major nor minor). The Book of Mormon is a collection of ideas, visions and prophecies of the seer Joseph Smith and parts are plagiarized from the King James Bible and Spaulding's manuscript.
The whole idea of the "Gold Plates" actually originates within the ancient prophecy of Enoch preserved in Masonic tradition where Enoch is instructed to bury the "Gold Plates" in a mountain with the letter "M" written on it. He is then instructed to place the knowledge of how to obtain the "Gold Plates" into two structures--one a "pillar of brick" and the other a "pillar of stone." These two pillars of Enoch are described in The History of Josephus. The "pillar of brick" was destroyed during the flood. The "pillar of stone" is the Great Pyramid of Gizeh--a chronological and prophetic Book of Stone--the meanings of which Dr. Jensen has unraveled since his move to Missoula ("Masauwa" of the Hopi), and his wrongful imprisonment within Ezekiel's Temple (the "stone with seven eyes") in Deer Lodge. (In chapter eleven in this book I give a short version of Dr. Jensen's explanations of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh.) In Missoula, looking east past the University of Montana on Mt. Sentinel, is the mountain with the large "M" written on it which can be seen throughout the city, fulfilling
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the prophecy of the Masonic Legend of Enoch (see photo - Missoula with M). The knowledge of the "Gold Plates" is also in our possession.[35]
THE VISION OF JOSEPH SMITH
In the days of Joseph Smith a large consensus of the population believed that Jesus would return in America. It is believed that the Puritans came to America for that reason. Also on May 23rd, 1844 the Millerites were looking for Jesus to descend from a cloud and land on a mountain in Pennsylvania. They were standing on that mountain
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35 The above scenario of Joseph Smith is from the writings and research of Neal Chase, an honorable member of the second International Baha'i Council.
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dressed in ascension robes on that date. Thus the young lad Joseph Smith, at the age of 14, picked up on this and had visions prompting him to go out looking for the place.
Joseph Smith was the founder of the Mormon Church. He saw in a vision that the Kingdom of God would be west of a large river. He set up an earthly kingdom just west of the Mississippi River in Illinois. The town had been called Commerce, but Joseph Smith changed the name to Navoo. Joseph Smith told his followers that Jesus would return at Independence, Missouri. While in Independence he was arrested and spent the winter in the Liberty Jail. At this time he saw a vision of a great river and Jesus was on the west side of the river. Independence is east of the Missouri River. Joseph Smith was being transferred to a different jail and his followers helped him to escape. He traveled on the Mississippi River until he saw a mountain and a town in a valley west of the river. He told his followers that this town would now be called Navoo. He said it was a Greek word meaning plateau. His followers could not find Navoo in Greek, but they believed he was a prophet, so, they accepted the new name.
There in Navoo Joseph Smith built an earthly kingdom, appointing himself as the president. He appointed 12 apostles. He built the city 12 square miles and paved the main street with gold. Many of his followers remained in Independence, Missouri, believing Jesus would return there as first prophesied. Mormons there today still expect Jesus to return to the temple in Independence. They have laid the cornerstone for the temple with the top being able to open. The top will open when Jesus "returns from the sky." The Mormons were expelled from Missouri when Governor Boggs passed an extermination order which made it legal to kill a Mormon. The printing press in Missouri was burned to the ground. The Mormons had attempted to settle in Kirtland, Ohio, but their temple was burned.
Joseph Smith called his kingdom in Navoo the "World Order of Enoch." He set up a storehouse which fed the poor. He had every member contribute to a fund, giving the Church control of the money. Members were given money according to their needs and the number in each family. Joseph Smith told the people that the next president of the church would be his eldest son. He said the presidency would pass from father to son.
Joseph Smith campaigned for the presidency of the United States. He told the people that the priesthood had been lost at the death of the apostles. He told his followers that it was necessary to restore the priesthood. He said everything which had taken place in the Bible had to be restored. This is how he explained polygamy. Also many men had been killed in Ohio and Missouri which left many widows. Joseph Smith's wife, Emma, never accepted polygamy.
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SMITH SAW: JESUS WOULD RETURN IN THE ROCKIES
In the spring of 1844 Joseph Smith received a vision called "The White Horse Prophecy." He saw that Jesus would return in the Rockies. He told Brigham Young to take the members west and there they would meet up with a group of people who were pure in heart (the salt of the earth).
Joseph Smith started to head north in a boat and planned on finding the place in the Rockies. At the time that he left Navoo, he was being hunted by the Missouri authorities for escaping from jail. Joseph Smith had made up many counterfeit notes and was arrested in Independence when these notes were proven to be counterfeit.
While Joseph Smith was on the boat leaving Navoo, he changed his mind and went back to Navoo. He told the believers that "he was like a sheep going to the slaughter, but he was as calm as a summer's night." He was soon arrested in Navoo and was escorted to the Carthage Jail just north of Navoo. A few days later he was martyred by a mob of people. His brother, Hyrum Smith, was murdered at the same time.
Brigham Young told the members to pack up because they were heading west. Joseph Smith's son was only 10 years old so was too young to be president. So Brigham Young appointed himself as the next president. Emma Smith was very angry. She went to Independence, Missouri and set up the Reorganized Church, and Joseph Smith's son became the president when he was older.
THE PURE OF HEART
The people that the Mormons met up with were the Danes. Being of the tribe of Dan they were not looking for Jesus to come out of the sky, but were expecting him to be a descendant of the Kings of Denmark. Historians comment on the original Danish Kings' belief that they were descended from Dan. Dan was the one "from whom, so saith antiquity, the pedigrees of our kings have flowed in glorious series, like channels from some parent spring" (John Philip Cohane, The Key, p. 255).
Joseph Smith told his people that Jesus would return to his temple. Brigham Young took the Mormons to Salt Lake City, whereas he should have taken them to the salt lick in Deer Lodge, Montana. Brigham Young was very corrupt. He would send young men on missions and then marry their young wives. Most of the wives lived in a small house called the Beehive House. Brigham Young also had a small farm where the remaining wives lived. He had 27 wives (19 alive at one time). A few of his wives were sealed
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(married) to him by proxy. They would not refuse his proposal for fear they would be cursed by God. The Mormons teach that a woman must be sealed to a man to enter the Celestial Kingdom (the highest degree of heaven).
THE MORMON RELIGION BECOMES VERY WEIRD
Lorinzo Snow, the fourth president, said, "As man is, God once was, and as God is, man may become." The Mormons teach that through Celestial Marriage, they become gods and godesses. They believe God had a father and a mother. They created souls in heaven. The souls were born in heaven. This is called the pre-Soul and the soul has no choices. They then are born in this world, become a person and receive a body and the freedom of choice. The body dies, the soul goes back to heaven and creates its own world. There is eternal procreation. The souls born in heaven must come to another world and receive a body. The "father of all gods" is Eloheim and he had no beginning or end. With believing all this, polygamy was necessary. In order to create an entire world, it would take more than one woman. The Mormons teach that everyone has one father (god), but many mothers (goddesses). Believing this, the young women would never give up their "opportunity" to be a bride of Brigham Young. He had complete control of them.
Joseph Morris, a Mormon reformer, saw through this corruption. He tried to expose the corruption and was murdered under the direction of Brigham Young. The Danes (Dans) who came to Salt Lake City to wait for the coming of Jesus and the City of Gold were shocked to see the corruption of Brigham Young and were appalled and aghast with his religion. They became the followers of Morris. They knew that the return of Jesus would be a descendant of the Kings of Denmark. George Williams, a Mormon prophet, told Joseph Morris' followers, the Morrisites, that Jesus would return to his temple in Deer Lodge, Montana. Joshua (Jesus) the High Priest[36] after the order of Melchizedec returned to his Temple--the Old Montana State Prison (Ezekiel's' Temple)--on the exact date prophesied by George Williams.
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36 Zechariah 3:1
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JOSEPH SMITH WAS RIGHT
Joseph Smith was right. Jesus did return to his temple in the Rocky Mountains. Although he was a bit of a scoundrel having many iniquities, or sins, that did him in, the greatness of Joseph Smith is that he was the only man who directed his followers to go to the Rocky Mountains where Jesus would return. Thus he was a true seer.
One of the main visions of Joseph Smith was:--
THE SEER JOSEPH PREDICTS A NATIONAL JUDGMENT
You will see the Constitution of the United States almost destroyed. It will hang by a thread, as it were, and that thread as fine as the finest silk fiber.
A terrible revolution will take place in the land of America, such as has never been seen before, for the land will be left without a supreme government, and every species of wickedness will be rampant. It will be so terrible that father will be against son, and son against faith; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother. The most terrible scenes of murder and bloodshed and rapine that have ever been looked upon will take place. Peace will be taken from the earth, there will be no place of safety except in the Rocky Mountains. This will cause many hundreds and thousands of the honest in heart to gather there; not because they would be Saints, but for safety and because they would not take the sword against their neighbor.
The prophet Joseph Smith was shown the doings of Negroes in America at this time, and the scene was so terrible that he could not bear to look upon it any longer, and he asked the Lord to close this scene from his vision. The race rioting was too horrible to view (The Three-and-One-Half Years, by Norman C. Pierce, pp. 14, 15).
Baha'u'llah has said many things similar to this. We are into the "Day of Judgment," where everyone will be paid for what they have done:
Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done (Revelation 22:12).
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THE PERVERSITY OF ALL RELIGIONS
There are 22,000 sects of Christianity, each pointing to the other as being perverse, and as the Baha'is were to lead the others out of their religious marasmus, this one is more perverse than the rest as they were given a clear and distinct Covenant for the unity of the faith that the mainstream Baha's have grievously violated.
The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day by day. Its face is turned toward waywardness and unbelief. Such shall be its plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly. Its perversity will long continue. And when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then, and only then, will the Divine Standard be unfurled, and the Nightingale of Paradise warble its melody (Gleanings of the Writings of Baha'u'llah, pp. 118, 119).
Are the prophecies of the destruction of America unique in the Mormon faith? No! George Washington was given a similar vision, and it was common knowledge among the founding fathers of this country. The symbol of the United States was that of the PHOENIX bird that lives for centuries, finally being consumed in fire by its own act and then rises in youthful freshness from its own ashes. The founding fathers wanted this to be the symbol of this country, as they knew the fate of this country. But as this was a legendary bird there were no pictures of it. So they chose the EAGLE to represent the phoenix bird. The founding fathers knew the fate of this country, that by its own act it will cause a nuclear war where the United States will be the most destroyed country in the world. This is in the works now and may have taken place before I finish writing this book, that is, the United States, by its stubborn refusal to lift the sanctions against Iraq, will cause them to nuke New York City which is the seat of the beast:--
And the fifth angel[37] (this pertains to Islam) poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast [38] [the UN building in New York City] (Revelation 16:10).
The United States will be burned to a cinder. But out of its ashes will arise a new Phoenix bird which will be spiritual, established by the return of Jesus. These four beasts (that is, what is left of them) will become the first Baha'i States.
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37 Ali
38 The USA (the eagle), England (the lion), Russia (the bear) and France (the Leo pard--the lion and the pard (French =panther) became joined together to be the leopard, Franks and Saxons, when Charlemagne conquered the Saxons).
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