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Suppose for a moment someonetold you these three facts abouta New Testament personality

and nothing more: first, the Saviorsaid of this man, O thou of littlefaith (Matthew 14:31); second, thisman, in a moment of anger, cut off anear of the high priests servant; andthird, this man denied knowing whothe Savior was on three occasions,even though he had walked with Himdaily. If that is all you knew or focusedupon, you might have thought thisman a scoundrel or a no-good, but in

the process you would have failed tocome to know one of the greatestmen who ever walked the earth: Peterthe Apostle.

Similarly, attempts have been madeby some to focus upon or magnifysome minor weaknesses of theProphet Joseph Smith, but in that

process they too have missed themark, the man, and his mission.Joseph Smith was the Lords anointedto restore Christs Church to theearth. When he emerged from thegrove of trees, he eventually learnedfour fundamental truths not thentaught by the majority of the contem-porary Christian world.

First, he learned that God theFather and His Son, Jesus Christ, aretwo separate, distinct beings. The

Bible confirms Joseph Smiths discov-ery. It tells us that the Son submittedHis will to the Father (see Matthew26:42). We are moved by the Saviorssubmission and find strength in Hisexample to do likewise, but whatwould have been the depth and pas-sion of Christs submission or themotivational power of that example ifthe Father and the Son were the samebeing and in reality the Son was

merely following His own will under adifferent name?

The scriptures give further evidenceof this great truth: For God so lovedthe world, that he gave his only begot-

ten Son (John 3:16). A father offeringup his only son is the supreme dem-onstration of love that the humanmind and heart can conceive and feel.It is symbolized by the touching storyof Abraham and Isaac (see Genesis 22).But if the Father is the same being asthe Son, then this sacrifice of all sacri-fices is lost, and Abraham is no longeroffering up IsaacAbraham is nowoffering up Abraham.

The second great truth Joseph

Smith discovered was that the Fatherand the Son have glorified bodies offlesh and bones. Following the SaviorsResurrection, He appeared to His dis-ciples and said, Handle me, and see;for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, asye see me have (Luke 24:39). Somehave suggested this was a temporaryphysical manifestation and that whenHe ascended to heaven He shed Hisbody and returned to His spirit form.But the scriptures tell us this was not

possible. Paul taught, Knowing thatChrist being raised from the deaddieth no more; death hath no moredominion over him (Romans 6:9). Inother words, once Christ was resur-rected, His body could never again beseparated from His spirit; otherwiseHe would suffer death, the very conse-quence Paul said was no longer possi-ble after His Resurrection.

The third truth that Joseph Smithlearned was that God still speaks to

man todaythat the heavens are notclosed. One need but ask three ques-tions, once proposed by PresidentHugh B. Brown, to arrive at thatconclusion (see The Profile of aProphet, Liahona, June 2006, 13;Ensign, June 2006, 37). First, doesGod love us as much today as Heloved the people to whom He spokein New Testament times? Second,does God have the same power today

Joseph Smith

Prophetof the RestorationE L D E R T A D R . C A L L I S T E R

Of the Seventy

Through Joseph Smith have been restored all the powers,keys, teachings, and ordinances necessary for salvation

and exaltation.

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as He did then? And third, do weneed Him as much today as theyneeded Him anciently? If the answersto those questions are yes and if Godis the same yesterday, today, and for-

ever, as the scriptures so declare (seeMormon 9:9), then there is littledoubt: God does speak to man todayexactly as Joseph Smith testified.

The fourth truth that Joseph Smithlearned was that the full and com-plete Church of Jesus Christ was notthen upon the earth. Of course therewere good people and some compo-nents of the truth, but the ApostlePaul had anciently prophesied thatthe Second Coming of Christ would

not come except there come a fallingaway first (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Following Joseph Smiths FirstVision, the Restoration of ChristsChurch commenced line upon line,precept upon precept (D&C 98:12).

Through Joseph Smith wasrestored the doctrine of the gospelbeing preached to the dead in thespirit world to those who did nothave a fair chance on earth to hear it

(see D&C 128:522; see also D&C138:3034). This was not the inven-tion of a creative mind; it was therestoration of a biblical truth. Peterhad long ago taught, For this cause

was the gospel preached also tothem that are dead, that they mightbe judged according to men in theflesh, but live according to God inthe spirit (1 Peter 4:6). Frederic W.Farrar, the well-known Church ofEngland author and theologian,made the following observationabout this teaching of Peter: Everyeffort has been made to explain awaythe plain meaning ofthis passage. Itis one of the most precious passages

of Scripture, and it involves no ambi-guity. . . . For if language have anymeaning, this language means thatChrist, when His Spirit descendedinto the lower world, proclaimed themessage of salvation to the onceimpenitent dead (The Early Daysof Christianity [1883], 78).

Many teach that there is one heavenand one hell. Joseph Smith restoredthe truth that there are multiple

heavens. Paul spoke of a man who wascaught up into the third heaven (see2 Corinthians 12:2). Could there be athird heaven if there was no secondheaven or first heaven?

In many ways the gospel of JesusChrist is like a 1,000-piece jigsawpuzzle. When Joseph Smith came onthe scene, perhaps 100 pieces werein place. Then Joseph Smith camealong and put many of the other 900pieces in place so that people couldsay, Oh, now I understand where Icame from, why I am here, andwhere I am going. As for JosephSmiths role in the Restoration, theLord defined it clearly: This genera-

tion shall have my word throughyou (D&C 5:10).

In spite of this flood of restoredbiblical truths, some honest searchershave commented: I can accept thesedoctrines, but what about all thoseangels and visions Joseph Smithclaimed to have? It seems so hardto believe in modern times.

To those honest searchers, we lov-ingly respond: Were there not angels

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and visions in Christs Church in NewTestament times? Did not an angelappear to Mary and to Joseph? Didnot angels appear to Peter, James, andJohn on the Mount of Transfiguration?

Did not an angel rescue Peter andJohn from prison? Did not an angelappear to Cornelius, then to Paulbefore he was shipwrecked and toJohn on the Isle of Patmos? Did notPeter have a vision of the gospelgoing to the Gentiles, Paul a vision ofthe third heaven, John a vision of thelatter days, and Stephen a vision ofthe Father and Son?

Yes, Joseph Smith did see angelsand visionsbecause he was the

instrument in Gods hands to restorethe same Church of Jesus Christ asexisted in primitive timesall of itspowers as well as all of its doctrines.

Yet sorrowfully, on occasion, someare willing to set aside the preciousgospel truths restored by JosephSmith because they get diverted onsome historical issue or some scien-tific hypothesis not central to theirexaltation, and in so doing they trade

their spiritual birthright for a mess ofpottage. They exchange the absolutecertainty of the Restoration for adoubt, and in that process they fallinto the trap of losing faith in the

many things theydo know because ofa few things they do not know. Therewill always be some seemingly intellec-tual crisis looming on the horizon aslong as faith is required and our mindsare finite, but likewise there willalways be the sure and solid doctrinesof the Restoration to cling to, whichwill provide the rock foundation uponwhich our testimonies may be built.

When many of Christs followersturned from Him, He asked His

Apostles, Will ye also go away?Peter then responded with an

answer that should be engraved onevery heart: To whom shall we go?thou hast the words of eternal life(John 6:6668).

If someone turns from theserestored doctrines, where will he goto learn the true nature of God astaught in the grove of trees? Wherewill he go to find the doctrines of the

premortal existence, baptism for thedead, and eternal marriage? Andwhere will he go to find the sealingpowers that can bind husbands andwives and children beyond the grave?

Through Joseph Smith have beenrestored all the powers, keys, teach-ings, and ordinances necessary for sal-vation and exaltation. You cannot goanywhere else in the world and getthat. It is not to be found in any otherchurch. It is not to be found in anyphilosophy of man or scientific digestor individual pilgrimage, howeverintellectual it may seem. Salvation isto be found in one place alone, as sodesignated by the Lord Himself when

He said that this is the only true andliving church upon the face of thewhole earth (D&C 1:30).

I bear my witness that JosephSmith was the prophet of theRestoration, just as he claimed to be. Iecho the strains of that stirring hymn:Praise to the man who communedwith Jehovah! (Praise to the Man,Hymns, no. 27). In the name of JesusChrist, amen.