THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST
PART 5: GOD OPENS THE HEAVENS
"And he shall send Jesus Christ, …whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." (Acts 3: 20-21)
Will the Lord sort it all out? Yes—he will. As a matter of fact, he began the process almost 200 years ago.
“Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments.” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:17)
God opened the heavens and commenced the restoration of the gospel in the spring of 1820 through a prophet of His choosing. “Just as he had done with David, Samuel, and Joseph of the Old Testament, God took an innocent, unlearned young man, one still unsullied by the world and pliable to his divine will, and molded and shaped him into His chosen prophet” (M. Russell Ballard, Our Search for Happiness).
In Joseph Smith’s own words, this is the account of how it all began:
“There was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, "Lo, here!" and others, "Lo, there!" Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist.
“I was at this time in my fifteenth year. My father's family was proselyted to the Presbyterian faith, and four of them joined that church. In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?
“While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
“Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did.
“At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.
“Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments.” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:17)
God opened the heavens and commenced the restoration of the gospel in the spring of 1820 through a prophet of His choosing. “Just as he had done with David, Samuel, and Joseph of the Old Testament, God took an innocent, unlearned young man, one still unsullied by the world and pliable to his divine will, and molded and shaped him into His chosen prophet” (M. Russell Ballard, Our Search for Happiness).
In Joseph Smith’s own words, this is the account of how it all began:
“There was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, "Lo, here!" and others, "Lo, there!" Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist.
“I was at this time in my fifteenth year. My father's family was proselyted to the Presbyterian faith, and four of them joined that church. In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?
“While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
“Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did.
“At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.
“After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.
“But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
“It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other--This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
“My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right--and which I should join.
“But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
“It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other--This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
“My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right--and which I should join.
“I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: ‘they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof." (Joseph Smith—History 1: 5-19)
When Joseph Smith emerged from the woods that spring day in 1820, at least 11 things were clarified or re-established that had been lost or unknown during the previous seventeen centuries:
1- God the Father and Jesus Christ are living, glorified, exalted beings.
2- They are two separate and distinct individuals, not different manifestations of the same eternal God.
3- They have a familial relationship—they are Father and Son.
4- They look, act and speak like human beings.
5- Humans are created in the image of the Father and the Son.
6- The Father and the Son hear and answer prayers.
7- There is a powerful enemy, a real adversary to righteousness, who tries to thwart prayer.
8- The Father and the Son speak to humankind today just as they did in ancient times.
9- The Father testifies of His Son, and the Son of God deals directly with humankind.
10- There had been a great apostasy from Christ’s original Church.
11- None of the churches in Joseph Smith’s day possessed the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
When Joseph Smith emerged from the woods that spring day in 1820, at least 11 things were clarified or re-established that had been lost or unknown during the previous seventeen centuries:
1- God the Father and Jesus Christ are living, glorified, exalted beings.
2- They are two separate and distinct individuals, not different manifestations of the same eternal God.
3- They have a familial relationship—they are Father and Son.
4- They look, act and speak like human beings.
5- Humans are created in the image of the Father and the Son.
6- The Father and the Son hear and answer prayers.
7- There is a powerful enemy, a real adversary to righteousness, who tries to thwart prayer.
8- The Father and the Son speak to humankind today just as they did in ancient times.
9- The Father testifies of His Son, and the Son of God deals directly with humankind.
10- There had been a great apostasy from Christ’s original Church.
11- None of the churches in Joseph Smith’s day possessed the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Years later, Joseph wrote, “I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.”
(Joseph Smith—History 1: 25)
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(Joseph Smith—History 1: 25)
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