“the rise of the church of christ in these last days” d&c 20
TRANSCRIPT
“The rise of the Church of Christ in
these last days”
D&C 20
Farewell, St. Nibley
Hugh Nibley
The astonishing fulfillment of Moroni's prophecy to a country kid living out in the backwoods, that his name would be known for good and evil among men everywhere, is enough in itself to prove that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. . . .
It was mostly Moroni's fault. The night he visited Joseph Smith, he widened the yawning gulf which the First Vision had placed between Joseph and normal people, and removed him from the sphere of established theology and rational thinking.
Some kind of an inspired super-devil might have gotten away with some of the things he did, but no blundering, dreaming, undisciplined, shallow, and opportunistic fakir could have left behind what Joseph Smith did, both in men's hearts and on paper.
History Review…
June 1829Book of Mormon translation completed
E. B. Grandin, owner of the Wayne Sentinel, agrees to do the printing
Martin Harris mortgages his farm for $300018 Months to pay it back
Tedious Typesetting Process
A few pages of manuscript brought each morning- taken back at night.
At night, manuscript kept under the bed- with someone keeping guard
January 1830, Palmyra town meeting
Esquire Cole- aka O Dogberry, Esq.
Know then thyself, presume not God to scan!
The proper study of mankind is Man - - - Pope.
By O. Dogberry, Esq.] Palmyra, January 13, 1830. [New Series -- No. 3.
(From the "Book of Mormon," erroneously called the "Gold Bible.") ____
THE FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.HIS REIGN AND MINISTRY.
____
CHAPTER I.(Continued from our last.)
And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and he departed into the wilderness; and he came down by the borders near the shore of the Red Sea; and he traveled in the wilderness, on the borders which was nearer the Red Sea; and he did travel in the wilderness with his family, which consisted of my mother, Sarah, and my elder brothers, who were Laman, Lemuel, and Sam.
Know then thyself, presume not God to scan!
The proper study of mankind is Man - - - Pope.
By O. Dogberry, Esq.] Palmyra, June 12, 1830. [Third Series -- No. 5.
THE BOOK OF PUKEI. -- Chap. 1. 1. And it came to pass in the latter days, that wickedness did much abound, and the "Idle and slothful said one to another, let us send for Walters the Magician, who has strange books, and deals with familiar spirits; peradventure he will inform us where the Nephites, hid their treasure, so be it, that we and our vagabond van, do not perish for lack of sustenance.
Vol. VII. -- No. 28.] Palmyra, N. Y., Friday, March 19, 1830. [Whole No. 336.
We are requested to announce that the "Book of Mormon" will be ready for sale in the course of next week.
Time to Organize the Church!
On April 6th
Gathered at the Peter Whitmer Farm in Fayette, NY
About 30-40 persons gathered
Six people constituted the formal organization
Those six baptized that day
Another four also baptized-
Martin Harris
Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith
Porter Rockwell
Doctrine and CovenantsSection 20
Much of it received sometime prior to April 6
Title it: Constitution of the Church
Section 201 The rise of the Church of Christ in these last days, being one thousand eight
hundred and thirty years since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh, it being regularly organized and established agreeable to the laws of our country,
by the will and commandments of God, in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month which is called April—
2 Which commandments were given to Joseph Smith, Jun., who was called of God, and ordained an apostle of Jesus Christ, to be the first elder of this church;
5 After it was truly manifested unto this first elder that he had received a remission of his sins [the First Vision], he was entangled again in the vanities of the world;
6 But after repenting, and humbling himself sincerely, through faith, God ministered unto him by an holy angel [Moroni], whose countenance was as lightning, and whose garments were pure and white above all other whiteness;
7 And gave unto him commandments which inspired him;
B.H.Roberts
In my interview with David Whitmer, in 1884, as he went over this ground [talking about witnessing the Golden Plates] , led by my questions, when we came to this part of it he said to me that in the progress of turning the leaves, or having them turned by Moroni, and looking upon the engravings, Moroni looked directly at him and said: "David, blessed is he that endureth to the end."
When David Whitmer made that remark it seemed to me rather a peculiar thing that he should thus be singled out for such a remark… but the subsequent history of these three witnesses led me to conclude that there was indeed a hidden warning in the words of the angel to David…
And it is rather a sad reflection that of these three witnesses he was the only one who died outside of membership in the Church. I wonder if Moroni was not trying to sound a warning to this stubborn man, that perhaps whatever his experiences and trials might be, that at the last he, too, might have been brought into the fold, and might have died within the pale of the Church.