Nine (1814)
One Eternal Round
Profound, indeed, from Nephi (who also carried the same essence within him as
Joseph Smith, Jr. did) and most appropriate to this authorized and official biography of
Joseph Smith, Jr., are these words:
18 For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all
men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto
him.
19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be
unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times
as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore,
the course of the Lord [and his true messengers] is one eternal round.^27Authoring the Book of Mormon by Means of the Tools Given
The critics of the Book of Mormon have a valid and reasonable claim—Joseph Smith,
Jr. DID WRITE THE BOOK OF MORMON...well most of it—but just not how the critics
think he did! Ironically, his detractors would demean the real truth of how he authored it, as
vocally as they would their false assumptions and beliefs of its apparent authorship. The
truth is, Joseph was the main author of the gold plates in previous incarnations, as stated
above, not to mention his primary importance in making sure that the twenty-four gold
plates, which contained the record of the Jaredites, were assembled and buried in such a
manner as to be later discovered by the people of Limhi.
Joseph was only fourteen years old when he was first contacted by an advanced
human, the Christ. He had not yet turned eighteen when he received another advanced
visitor, Moroni. He was a very young man and needed all the help he could get to
accomplish what he did. Ironically, both his critics and his followers give him accolades that
he does not deserve.
His critics surmise he was a genius to be able to invent and write the Book of Mormon
from his overly active and imaginative young mind—something, we pointed out before, that
none other before him, or his contemporaries, or anyone since him has been able to duplicate
with even the remotest degree of competence or success. Truly, if he was not who he claimed
to be, and the Book of Mormon came by creativity and imagination alone, he most certainly
must have been an amazing prodigy or a genius for them to surmise that his first-ever written
work would become what the Book of Mormon has become for millions of people.
On the other hand, his followers believe he was a “prophet” called of God and given
the abilities through “revelation” and mysterious spiritual powers to do what he did,
deifying him next to God and to Christ. Critics would be more correct than they ever
imagined if they believed in prior incarnations, for the process was much more natural and
ingrained in him than they ever could have supposed. However, anyone with any real
common sense would recognize how ridiculous and wrong both schools of thought are!
Joseph was barely able to spell correctly and just as educated (or rather uneducated) as
most young men during that time period, who mainly made a living as farmers and laborers.
He needed all the extra help he could get to do what was required of him. He was given no
“mysterious power,” but rather, he was given advanced technology hidden in the form of
“two stones”^28 that allowed him to “translate” the gold plates. As the truth is presented in an