{"id":41284,"date":"2021-01-12T11:04:52","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T16:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/?p=41284"},"modified":"2021-01-12T11:11:33","modified_gmt":"2021-01-12T16:11:33","slug":"a-messenger-sent-from-the-presence-of-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2021\/01\/a-messenger-sent-from-the-presence-of-god\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cA messenger sent from the presence of God\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve always been interested in knowing what all Moroni said to Joseph Smith during their first conversation.\u00a0 We have several accounts, both from Joseph Smith himself and from close associates like Oliver Cowdery, Orson Pratt, and Lucy Mack Smith of that visit, but all of them pick and choose what they discuss and all of them were written somewhere between 7 to 22 years after the event occurred.\u00a0 Cowdery claimed that the visions began around \u201celeven or twelve, and perhaps later\u201d,[1]<\/a> and in Joseph Smith\u2019s official account, he recalls that after three visions with the angel, \u201cthe cock crowed, and I found that day was approaching, so that our interviews must have occupied the whole of that night.\u201d[2]<\/a>\u00a0 If we assume that the visions of Moroni began at midnight, that sunrise on 22 September 1823 occurred around 5:45 a.m.,[3]<\/a> and that an insignificant amount of time passed between each visit, then that makes for an average of slightly less than 2 hours per vision.\u00a0 Admittedly, the records indicate that each vision was longer than the last, but that still gives a lot of time for talking on Moroni\u2019s part compared to the number of words we have in the Joseph Smith\u2014History.\u00a0 What all did he cover in that time?\u00a0 The accounts we do have of what Moroni told Joseph Smith can give us some insights, even if they aren’t likely to be perfect in their presentation of the details.<\/p>\n

The Contemporary Accounts<\/strong><\/p>\n

The earliest accounts from Joseph Smith are relatively brief and skimpy on details.\u00a0 The first one is included in the Articles and Covenants of the Church, which was recorded in the spring of 1830 (and currently presented as D&C 20).\u00a0 As far as any message from the angel, it only states that the angel \u201cgave unto him commandments which inspired him from on high, and gave unto him power, by the means of which was before prepared that he should translate a book.\u201d[4]<\/a>\u00a0 The next account came two years later and focuses primarily on revealing the existence Book of Mormon and that \u201cthe Lord had forgiven [Joseph Smith his] sins.\u201d\u00a0 In addition, the angel \u201crevealed\u00a0unto me many things concerning the inhabitents of the earth which since have been revealed in commandments & revelations.\u201d[5]<\/a>\u00a0 These two early accounts give us some core ideas about forgiveness of sins and introducing the Book of Mormon and the Restoration.<\/p>\n

The first second-hand account is the most extensive in laying out what Moroni taught Joseph Smith.\u00a0 Oliver Cowdery worked to tell the history of the Church in a series of letters published in the Messenger and Advocate <\/em>in 1834-1835.\u00a0 In his first discussion about the angel’s visit, Cowdery recorded that Joseph Smith heard the angel \u201cdeclare himself to be a messenger sent by commandment of the Lord, to deliver a special message and to witness to him that his sins were forgiven, and that his prayers were heard; and that the scriptures might be fulfilled,\u201d specifically mentioning 1 Corinthians 1:27-29; Isaiah 29:14; and John 10:16.\u00a0 The angel added that: \u201cThis cannot be brought about until first certain preparatory things are accomplished, for so has the Lord purposed in his own mind. He has therefore chosen you as an instrument in his hand to bring to light that which shall perform his act, his strange act, and bring to pass a marvelous work and a wonder.\u201d\u00a0 Following this: \u201cHe then proceeded and gave a general account of the promises made to the fathers, and also gave a history of the aborigines of this country, and said they were literal descendants of Abraham. \u2026 He said this history was written and deposited not far from that place,\u201d[6]<\/a> and indicated that Joseph would have the chance to translate it if he was faithful.\u00a0 This account was the first lengthy record to be published that described what happened when the angel visited Joseph Smith.<\/p>\n

Cowdery followed this up with a far more extensive attempt at recording what Moroni taught.\u00a0 This later letter indicates that Moroni gave a lengthy discourse on the Restoration, the gathering of Israel, and the Last Days, with over two dozen Bible passages quoted.[7]<\/a>\u00a0 It is unclear, however, how much of the discourse is Oliver Cowdery\u2019s (summarizing what he believed to be the message of Moroni using scriptural quotations) and how much is actually what Moroni said.\u00a0 Interestingly, there is only partial overlap between the scriptures Joseph Smith would later recall Moroni quoting (Joel 2:28 and Isaiah 11:15-16 being the only common ground).\u00a0 In any case, the series of letters from Oliver Cowdery were probably the best-known account of Moroni\u2019s visit for most of Joseph Smith\u2019s lifetime.<\/p>\n

Joseph Smith had three more first-hand accounts of the angel\u2019s visit recorded during his lifetime.\u00a0 The first was a journal entry in November 1835 when he told a visitor about the experience.\u00a0 According to this account, the angel:<\/p>\n

said unto me I\u00a0am a messenger sent from God, be faithful\u00a0and keep his commandments in all things,\u00a0he told me of a sacred record which was\u00a0written on plates of gold, I saw in the vision\u00a0the place where they were deposited, he said the\u00a0indians, were the literal descendants of Abraham\u00a0he explained many\u00a0things<\/span>\u00a0of the prophesies to me, one I will mention which is\u00a0this<\/span>\u00a0in Malachi\u00a04 behold the day of the Lord cometh &c; \u00a0also that the Urim and Thumim,\u00a0was hid up with\u00a0the record, and that God would give me power to\u00a0translate it, with the assistance of this instrument.[8]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is the earliest mention of the angel referring to Malachi 4 as part of his explanation of prophesies.<\/p>\n

The next primary account is the official history that is the basis of both the Joseph Smith\u2014History in the Pearl of Great Price<\/a> and Doctrine and Covenants, Section 2. \u00a0The history was started in Missouri in late April 1838, aborted after a few weeks, then resumed in Illinois in the summer of 1839.\u00a0 In this account, the angel told Joseph \u201cthat God had a work for me to do,\u201d that \u201cthere was a book deposited written upon\u00a0gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent\u201d and that God had prepared seer stones to translate the book. Then, \u201che commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old testament,\u201d including Malachi 3-4; Isaiah 11; Acts 3:22-23; and Joel 2:28-32, with some commentary.\u00a0 Joseph adds that: \u201cWhile he was conversing with me about the plates\u00a0the vision was opened to my mind that I could see the place where the plates were deposited.\u201d\u00a0 Each appearance of the angel included additional lecturing about things like \u201cgreat judgements which were coming upon the\u00a0earth\u201d and \u201ca caution to me, telling me that Satan would try to tempt me.\u201d[9]<\/a>\u00a0 Although not as elaborate as Cowdery\u2019s efforts to record the visions, this account is the most extensive of Joseph Smith\u2019s own accounts of the event.<\/p>\n

The final first-hand account of the angel\u2019s visit is from the Wentworth Letter of 1842<\/a>.\u00a0 In this account, Joseph Smith summarizes the angel\u2019s message as \u201cthe joyful tidings, that the\u00a0covenant which God made with ancient\u00a0Israel was at hand to be fulfilled, that\u00a0the preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah was speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the\u00a0gospel, in all its fulness to be preached in\u00a0power, unto all nations that a people\u00a0might be prepared for the millennial\u00a0reign.\u201d\u00a0 Joseph Smith was also informed about his role as \u201can instrument in the hands of God to bring about some of his purposes in this glorious dispensation\u201d and given an overview of the Book of Mormon.[10]<\/a>\u00a0 This last account gives an overview of what the angel was recorded as talking about.<\/p>\n

There are, of course, a few more contemporary second-hand accounts, such publications by Orson Pratt and Orson Hyde, an interview with William Smith in 1841, and a recollection by Lucy Mack Smith that was recorded around the time of Joseph Smith\u2019s death.\u00a0 Pratt\u2019s account, published in 1840, serves as a bridge between Cowdery\u2019s 1835 account (since it quotes from that account in describing the angel\u2019s visit) and the 1842 Wentworth Letter (which mostly quotes Pratt\u2019s account of Moroni\u2019s message).\u00a0 Notably, Pratt\u2019s account was also the first published account of the First Vision, which was not included in Cowdery\u2019s earlier history.[11]<\/a>\u00a0 Similar to the Wentworth Letter, Hyde\u2019s 1842 account of the angel\u2019s message is based on Pratt\u2019s summary.[12]<\/a>\u00a0 More distinctive are William Smith\u2019s and Lucy Mack Smith\u2019s recollections, which seem to conflate the First Vision and the visit of Moroni.\u00a0 William is recorded as stating that when Joseph Smith was \u201cone of several hopeful converts\u201d in the midst of religious revival in 1823, he was perplexed and \u201cprayed for divine direction, and afterwards was awaked one night by an extraordinary vision.\u201d\u00a0 In the vision, \u201ca glorious angel appeared to him and told him that he was a chosen vessel of the Lord to make known true religion.\u201d[13]<\/a> \u00a0Similarly, in Lucy\u2019s account, Joseph Smith was \u201cpondering in his mind which of the churches were the true one\u201d and the \u201cangel of the Lord\u201d came to answer his concerns.\u00a0 The message of the angel covers material that we associate today with both the First Vision and the visit of Moroni, telling Joseph that \u201cthere is not a true church on Earth[.] No\u00a0not one,\u201d then adding that: \u201cThere is a record for\u00a0you and Joseph.\u00a0\u2026 It is to bring forth\u00a0that light and intelligence which has been long lost in the\u00a0Earth.\u201d[14]<\/a>\u00a0 These secondary accounts give some different perspectives on the visit of Moroni, with Pratt\u2019s seeming to be the most influential on how the vision was portrayed during the 1840s.<\/p>\n

Analysis and Conclusions<\/strong><\/p>\n

What can we learn from the above about what the angel discussed?\u00a0 While there are variations in the scriptures cited or the specific words, there seems to be a solid core to the accounts.\u00a0 The angel told Joseph Smith about the Book of Mormon and revealed its location, promising him the chance to translate the record if he was faithful and rejected temptation to use the plates to get money.\u00a0 Many of the accounts indicate that Moroni also explained or summarized the contents of the Book of Mormon in connection with that revelation.\u00a0 Joseph Smith is frequently portrayed as seeking forgiveness for sins or for an indication of his standing before God, and some of the accounts indicate that the angel told him his sins was forgiven.\u00a0 The longer accounts indicate that the angel also discussed the gathering of Israel to fulfill ancient covenants and the restoration of the gospel as part of the preparations for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Millennium.\u00a0 These topics are often portrayed as being explanation of prophesies in the Bible.\u00a0 Specific Biblical texts are only mentioned in three accounts, with Joel 2; Isaiah 11; and Malachi 4 receiving the most frequent mentions.\u00a0 Many of the accounts also note Joseph Smith would be an instrument used by God for to fulfill His purposes, sometimes even specifically mentioning founding the true Church (especially those that conflate Moroni\u2019s visit and the First Vision).\u00a0 Thus, the message of Moroni (whatever the specific details) seems to have primarily been focused on revealing the Book of Mormon\u2019s existence and discussing the restoration of the gospel as part of the preparations for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Millennium.<\/p>\n

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Further Reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n