{"id":41476,"date":"2021-02-21T17:07:36","date_gmt":"2021-02-21T22:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/?p=41476"},"modified":"2021-02-21T22:00:51","modified_gmt":"2021-02-22T03:00:51","slug":"you-shall-obtain-a-view-of-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2021\/02\/you-shall-obtain-a-view-of-them\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cYou shall obtain a view of them\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

What were the three witnesses promised and what did they claim to experience?\u00a0 The basics of answering this question seems obvious\u2014they saw the gold plates and other artifacts related to them.\u00a0 What is less apparent is how the Three Witnesses had that experience, since there are indications that they viewed the plates in vision, rather than experiencing them in a tangible way.\u00a0 There is often a desire to make their experience out as being more materialistic than it was, perhaps as a result of conflating their experience with that of the Eight Witnesses, contradictory recollections of those who knew the witnesses, or a desire to have the experiences seem more real by being more physical in nature.\u00a0 Whatever the case, it seems that the Three Witnesses saw <\/em>and heard<\/em> in a supernatural setting in a direct contrast to the experience of the Eight Witnesses, who claimed to have touched<\/em> and handled<\/em> the plates.<\/p>\n

Both early revelations and the Book of Mormon itself lay out the promises made to the three witnesses.\u00a0 The earliest promise of a chance to witness the Book of Mormon was a revelation that was received in March 1829 (now D&C 5). The text states that: \u201cthree shall Know of A surety that those things are\u00a0true for I will give them power that they may Behold\u00a0& v[i]ew these things as they are.\u201d[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Next, while translating Moroni\u2019s writings in the Book of Ether, the promise was made to the future translator of the Book of Mormon that: \u201cYe may be privileged that ye may shew the plates unto those who shall assist to bring forth this work.\u00a0 And unto three shall they be shewn by the power of God; wherefore they shall know of a surety that these things are true.\u201d[2]<\/a>\u00a0 This was followed by translations of Nephi\u2019s writings that indicated that: \u201cAt that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that the power of three witnesses shall behold it by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered \u2026 save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men.\u201d[3]<\/a>\u00a0 These three texts were the primary basis supporting the idea of the three witnesses.<\/p>\n

Based on the texts cited above, a revelation (now D&C 17) was received in June 1829 in response to ongoing pestering by Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and David Whitmer about whether they could be the witnesses spoken of in the earlier texts.\u00a0 The revelation states that if they rely on God\u2019s word with full purpose of heart:<\/p>\n

you shall have a\u00a0view of the plate and also the brestplate\u00a0the sword of Laban\u00a0the\u00a0Urim and Thumim\u00a0<?which was?> given to the brother of\u00a0Jared upon the mount when he talked with\u00a0the Lord face to face\u00a0and the marveelus directors\u00a0which was given to Lehi while in the wilderness\u00a0on the borders of the red sea\u00a0and it is by\u00a0your faith that you shall obtain a view\u00a0of them \u2026 and after that you\u00a0have obtained faith and have seen\u00a0them with your eyes you shall testify of\u00a0them by the power of God.[4]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It was following this revelation that the Three Witnesses had their experience.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a moment and examine what they were promised.\u00a0 The language is fairly consistent in promising them that they would see the plates in a way that involved God\u2019s power\u2014”they may Behold\u00a0& v[i]ew these things,\u201d \u201cthey be shewn by the power of God,\u201d \u201cthree witnesses shall behold it by the power of God,\u201d \u201cyou shall have a\u00a0view of the plate,\u201d etc.\u00a0 They also indicate that the witnesses would know for sure that they were true: \u201cthree shall Know of A surety that those things are\u00a0true\u201d and \u201cthey shall know of a surety that these things are true.\u201d\u00a0 Otherwise, the only other consistent thing expressed was that they were expected to testify based on the experience.\u00a0 There was no indication that the experience would be anything other than seeing<\/em> the plates and other related objects by the power of God.<\/p>\n

What, then, did they report experiencing when the time came?\u00a0 In the official \u201cTestimony of the Three Witnesses,\u201d it is stated that: \u201cWe, through the\u00a0grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ,\u00a0have seen\u00a0the\u00a0plates\u00a0which contain this record \u2026 and we also know that they have\u00a0been translated by the gift and power of God,\u00a0for his voice\u00a0hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety, that\u00a0the work is true.\u201d\u00a0 They also explain that:<\/p>\n

We have seen the\u00a0engravings which are upon the plates;\u00a0and they have been\u00a0shewn unto us by the power of God,\u00a0and not of man.\u00a0 And\u00a0we declare with words of soberness,\u00a0that an Angel of God came\u00a0down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes,\u00a0that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father,\u00a0and our Lord Jesus Christ,\u00a0that we beheld and bear record\u00a0that these things are true; and it is marvellous in our eyes.[5]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This lines up well with what they were promised\u2014they saw the plates and the engravings which are upon the plates, they saw these things \u201cby the power of God, and not of man,\u201d and they knew it was true: \u201cwe know of a surety, that\u00a0the work is true.\u201d\u00a0 The conditions laid out for their experience in the revelations prior to that time were met, and they said nothing about having any physical interactions or other experiences outside of sight and sound through the power God.<\/p>\n

This is a marked contrast to the experience of the eight witnesses.\u00a0 Rather than a supernatural experience of seeing the plates through the power of God with an angel visiting them, the eight witnesses leave a straightforward testimony of a tangible experience with the plates.\u00a0 They said that Joseph Smith \u201chas shewn unto us the plates of which have been spoken \u2026 and as many of the leaves as said Smith has translated, we did handle with our hands. \u2026 We have seen and hefted, and know of a surety, that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken.\u201d[6]<\/a>\u00a0 That experience of Joseph Smith bringing the plates out and letting them handle them is different\u2014no supernaturalism to it and they didn\u2019t just claim to see the plates\u2014they touched them, leafed through pages, and hefted the plates.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an important distinction because the Three Witnesses may have have seen the plates while in a vision state rather than having a physical, visitation experience with the angel and the objects.\u00a0 Consider, for example, Joseph Smith\u2019s recollection the experience in his 1838\/1839 history.\u00a0 After Martin Harris had withdrawn from the others because he felt he needed to repent, Joseph recalled that he, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer beheld an angel with the plates, who turned pages for them to see and that they heard the voice of God command them to bear record of the experience.\u00a0 Afterwards, Joseph Smith sought out Martin Harris and they prayed together. \u00a0Eventually, \u201cthe same vision was opened to our view; at least it was again to me, and I once more beheld, and seen, and heard the same things; whilst at the same moment, Martin Harris cried out, apparently in an ecstasy of Joy \u2018\u2019Tis enough, \u2019tis enough; mine eyes have beheld, mine eyes have beheld\u2019, and jumping up he shouted, Hosanna, blessing God; and otherwise rejoiced exceedingly.\u201d[7]<\/a>\u00a0 What is interesting to note here is that Joseph Smith referred to the experience as a vision and that he indicated that he wasn\u2019t sure what Martin Harris experienced, he only could observe what Harris said and did.\u00a0 This would indicate that they were in some sort of experience outside of normal sight where only those involved in the vision could see and experience it.\u00a0 It also gives no indication that Harris or Smith physically handled anything that the other could see.<\/p>\n

Throughout their lives, the Three Witnesses were recorded talking about the experience, and there are many examples in which that they spoke of seeing it in ways that seem to be more visionary than materialistic.\u00a0 For example, when a Latter-day saint by the name of James Henry Moyle visited David Whitmer in 1885, he cross-examined him to learn more about the experience as one of the Three Witnesses.\u00a0 Moyle recorded in his journal that Whitmer was \u201csomewhat spiritual in his explanation and not as materialistic as I wished \u2026 D[avid] Whitmer \u2026 did not handle the plates, only seen <saw> them.\u201d[8]<\/a>\u00a0 He added later on that Whitmer could only say that the experience \u201cwas indescribable; that it was through the power of God.\u201d[9]<\/a>\u00a0 This is in-line with other interviews, in which David Whitmer generally claimed that the objects in the vision appeared to be tangible, but he never actually touched them.[10]<\/a>\u00a0 Recollections along these lines seem to indicate that the experience was visionary and outside of the normal realm of existence.<\/p>\n

Of course, the witnesses said a lot of things over the course of their lives and people made a lot of claims about what they had heard them say, which leaves us with a complicated and contradictory mess of information to sort through.\u00a0 For example, most of the information I\u2019ve presented so far only indicates that the Three Witnesses saw and heard things but did not touch (in contrast with the experience of the Eight Witnesses).\u00a0 However, as quoted in the \u201cCome, Follow Me\u201d manual in this week\u2019s materials, Lucy Mack Smith recalled that when Harris returned from the experience, he told her that: \u201cI have now seen an\u00a0angel from Heaven who has of a surety testified of the truth\u00a0of all that I have heard concerning the record and my\u00a0eyes have beheld him I have also looked upon the\u00a0plates and handled them with my hands<\/em> and can testify\u00a0of the same to the whole world.\u201d[11]<\/a>\u00a0 This contradicts Joseph Smith\u2019s history and David Whitmer\u2019s recollections, as quoted above (unless Harris is referring to another, separate experience in handling the plates).\u00a0 While all four people involved claimed that it was a clear and open vision, there are contradictory records on whether or not they handled the plates during their experience.<\/p>\n

Regardless, they did all seem to be convinced that the Book of Mormon was from God.\u00a0 And the differences in testimony between the Three Witnesses and the Eight Witnesses are important in supporting each other.\u00a0 As Elder B. H. Roberts wrote:<\/p>\n

Doubtless the Lord had his own purpose to subserve in giving different kinds of testimony\u2014divine and human\u2014to the same truth. The testimony of the Three Witnesses, attended as it was by such remarkable displays of supernatural power, he knew would be opposed from the very circumstance of its being supernatural. It cannot be but that God fore-knew of the rise of that so-called “Rational Criticism” of divine things which would resolve inspired dreams, visions, revelations and the administration of angels into hallucinations, brought about first by an inclination to believe in the miraculous \u2026 supplemented by the theory of self-deception, self-hypnosis or hypnotic influence of others. \u2026 Thus “Rational Criticism” would explain away the testimony given by the Three Witnesses. \u2026<\/p>\n

But what of the testimony of the Eight Witnesses\u2014all so plain, matter-of-fact, straight-forward and real? How shall that be accounted for? Here all the miraculous is absent. It is a man to man transaction. Neither superstition, nor expectation of the supernatural can play any part in working up an illusion or mental mirage respecting what the Eight Witnesses saw and handled. Their testimony must be accounted for on some other hypothesis than that of hallucination.[12]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In Elder Roberts\u2019s eyes, the combination of the two types of witnesses (supernatural vision compared with materialistic and simple handling of the plates) served to strengthen the other.<\/p>\n

In any case, all of the revelations that discussed what the Three Witnesses would experience promised them that they would see and know but gave no promise that they would handle and feel.\u00a0 While their experience seemed clear and open as they saw the angel and objects associated with the Book of Mormon, it does seem to be a vision that they experienced through the power of God. \u00a0That experience did, however, fulfil the promises made to them.\u00a0 The testimony of the Eight Witnesses is the time where people spoke of handling the plates, which seems to be a purposeful contrast with the experience of the Three Witnesses.<\/p>\n

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