Without Disclosing My True Identity
Meeting John the Beloved
As the four men approached the other, the “stranger” rose from the ground and took
Joseph’s hand in his. This time Joseph gasped loudly, laughed heartily, and gave the man
known as John the Beloved a bear hug that almost took away his breath; for he now recalled
this man as well.
“Oh, blessed day this is!” Joseph exclaimed.
Although never mentioned before in any of their accounts in the Book of Mormon,
John had journeyed from the Eastern to the Western Hemisphere during the time when
Mormon and Moroni were visited by the Three Nephites. With his enhanced mortal brain
and the energy from John’s touch, Joseph was brought to a remembrance of those earlier
memories he shared with John that were stored in his essence.
A Sweet Reunion
For a few moments, the five men stood there, the four slightly older ones allowing
the seventeen-year-old to continually hug them and weep upon their breasts. Joseph would
never experience “the singularity of the scene, and marveling greatly”^39 at any other time in
his life, as he did at this reunion. He was in the presence of the men who would accompany
him, incognito, throughout the fulfillment of his role.^40 To protect their identity, Joseph
would seldom speak of these men, not even to his wife or to his brother Hyrum.
The LDS/Mormon people have always wondered what role the Three Nephites and
John the Beloved would take in the “great and marvelous work”^41 that the Book of Mormon
mentions them doing “before the great and coming day when all people must surely stand
before the judgment-seat of Christ.”^42 There is one thing all mortals can rest assured about:
whenever and wherever the true work of the Father exists, the Three Nephites and John
will be there supporting the individual who is the administrator of this work. This is why
they chose to remain upon the earth. If one should make a claim to performing any
authorized work in which these four men are not intimately involved, then the work has
nothing to do with real truth—absolutely nothing at all.^43
The Work Put Upon Joseph’s Shoulders
Shortly after the reunion of Joseph and the Three Nephites with John, Moroni
appeared from behind them all, this time walking upon the ground as Christ had during the
First Visitation, rather than suspended in the air as he did the night before. Moroni
instructed Joseph to remove the earth around the stone that covered the place where he had
deposited the plates some 1,400 years ago. Joseph broke the first stick used to lift the stone.
Mathonihah conveniently provided him with a thicker one.^44 At the time, Joseph had the
thought, “Why don’t these help me remove the rock?” No sooner had he thought this, when
Moroni answered his thought,
You are to learn to depend upon yourself and your own strength as much as
possible. These brothers are here to render support, if needed, but they are
not allowed to do the work for you. You are to counsel with them and allow
them to intercede when they feel it is necessary for the sake of the work. But
you shall not burden them or depend upon them. They shall be there to