Eighteen (1823)had been tried^27 (according to mandate), and they had failed miserably to understand
what the “fulness of the everlasting Gospel” was, much less to live it.
The LDS people had proven themselves unworthy to receive the real truth and the
“greater things” that Joseph knew. They had missed “the mark” and failed to give heed to the
stated purpose of the Book of Mormon. “The everlasting Gospel... as delivered by the Savior”
was “the mark” that Christ had left upon the earth, both to the Jews living in the Eastern
Hemisphere and to the people living at the same time in the Western Hemisphere. The Jews had
the Bible; the LDS people (Gentiles) had the Book of Mormon—the keystone of their religion.^28
What the Savior delivered to both ancient peoples in the accounts from the Bible and the Book of
Mormon was the cornerstone of all that the people needed to know and do.
The Book of Mormon provided another witness of what Jesus, the Christ, taught the
people in the Eastern Hemisphere. Yet, they (the LDS people) “were a stiffnecked people;
and they despised the words of plainness, and [were about to have a hand in killing] the
prophets [Joseph and Hyrum], and sought for things that they could not understand.
Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark,
they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto
them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they
desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble.”^29
This authorized and official biography will disclose all that Joseph kept hidden
from the people of his day. Critics of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith have a hard
time reconciling why Joseph never revealed the true nature of his visit with Christ or with
Moroni until much, much later in his life. What they never considered was the role he
played without disclosing his true identity. Now the world will have the truth. By way of
note, many things will be presented in later years of this biography, including an
explanation of the translation of the Book of Mormon as well as how the changes that were
made to it came to be. For now, however, it is only important for the reader to receive an
outline of what happened on September 21, 1823.
Learning From the Bible
Joseph understood from his conversation with Christ that he would become “like unto
Moses.” During this visit, Moroni explained that the Book of Mormon would aid Joseph in his
role as a modern-day Moses. Moroni explained that its construct, verbiage, presentation, and
allegories would follow the Old Testament in its method and pattern of presentation.
During the three years after his initial visitation with Christ, Joseph searched and
studied everything he could find about Moses and the role he played in the Old Testament.
He became a deep student of Old Testament scripture. During the conversation with
Moroni, Joseph brought up many questions that he had about the Bible. More specifically,
he asked about the books of Malachi, Joel, and Isaiah, which he found to be very revealing
about the hypocrisy, wickedness, and abomination of the Jewish religion. Joseph and his
advanced mentor discussed the role that Isaiah, Joel, and Malachi played in trying to get the
people to reject their religious beliefs and leaders and to turn them, instead, to the “kingdom
within,” or better, to their own personal guide or “Holy Ghost.”
Moroni explained that the Bible was far from being a correct presentation of what
the true ancient prophets told the people, but that the books of Isaiah, Joel, and Malachi,
if translated correctly, were the most correct among them. Of Moroni’s visitation, Joseph