Joseph Smith had to have had divine right, help, and authority from God to do the miraculous and marvelous things he did. The first big feat was the act of translating the Gold Plates, and then printing it. As mentioned above, the plates were written in Ancient Egyptian, making them relatively impossible to translate. Moreover, Joseph had so much as a third grade education. Through the use of the sacred Urim and Thummim, and the revelation he received through the power of the Holy Ghost, The Gold Plates were translated, and the Book of Mormon was published. Joseph’s wife, Emma, recounts upon these events: “”. The second authority he had was the authority to hold the priesthood, and he did many miraculous things with it, things beyond the power of man, but the power of God. He miraculously healed people from the most serious of injuries and illnesses, where they recovered immediately, and also performed baptisms, and called men to be his counselors and members of the quorum of the twelve. He then set them apart with the power of the priesthood. The power of the priesthood is our sole way of receiving direct messages from our Heavenly Father. After my dad gives me a priesthood blessing, he doesn’t remember anything he said, because it’s not him speaking to me, it’s Heavenly Father. The third example is that Joseph was blessed with the strengths and skills he needed to be able to establish the church today. John Taylor, of the Quorum of The Twelve said: “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.” Also, for people who study the bible, there’s another huge significant piece of evidence.
I know it’s true is because it specifically talks about it in the bible in Ezekiel 37:16. It states: Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, for Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, for Joseph (the Book of Mormon), the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions. This scripture alone should be evidence enough for everyone to see that Joseph was chosen before the world was by God, and that he did talk to him. For my three examples, I am going to squish them all together into one. There was a talk given in the last General Conference by Elder Tad R. Callister, and there is one part I would like to quote. It says: “why is the Book of Mormon so essential if we already have the Bible to teach us about Jesus Christ? Have you ever wondered why there are so many Christian churches in the world today when they obtain their doctrines from essentially the same bible? It is because they interpret the bible differently. If they interpreted it the same, they would be the same church. This is not a condition the Lord desires, for the Apostle Paul declared that there is ‘one Lord, one faith, one baptism’ (Ephesians 4:5). To help bring this oneness about, the Lord established a divine law of witnesses. Paul taught, ‘In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established’ (2 Corinthians 13:1). The Bible is one witness of Jesus Christ; the Book of Mormon is another. Why is the second witness so crucial? How many straight lines can you draw through a single point on a piece of paper? The answer is infinite. What happens, however, if on that piece of paper there is a second point? How many lines could you draw between these two reference points representing the Book of Mormon and the Bible? Only one, so only one true interpretation.” I testify that the book of Mormon is true, and if you know that the Book of Mormon is true, you know that Joseph Smith was a real Prophet of the almighty God, and if you know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, you know that the Church of Jesus Christ is true, and is the only true church in the world today.
So for the matter of whether or not I think that Joseph Smith saw God, and talked to him, and restored his church in the world, I don’t just believe it, I know it to be true. Joseph Smith suffered all manner of persecution for the sake of the word, and the truth. He performed many amazing works and ordinances given to him through the omnipotent power of the almighty God. He was the one chosen to restore the gospel to its fullness, and bring the Book of Mormon into the world. I know that this church is true. I know it with all of my heart, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.Dingbat Out!
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