Joseph Smith Biography

Twenty-Eight (1833)

work to live, but of those who lived in other countries of the world that produced the
material goods they desired. Ironically, many Americans today go “camping” when they
decide to “go on vacation” away from work. This was exactly how the “members of the
church of the lamb” once lived every single day of their lives, in relative peace!
The “church of the devil” grew and grew. It came to have “dominion over all the
earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.”^17 The “church of the Lamb of God,”
on the other hand, has very few members, “because of the wickedness and abominations”^18 of
the “devil’s church.” The Book of Mormon calls the capitalistic, materialistic lifestyle, and the
free market economy fueled by greed and profit, “the church of the devil”^19 or “the great and
abominable church.”^20 The book of Revelation referred to it as “the Beast.”^21 Regardless of
how it is referred to, the people of the earth became its captives.
Joseph Smith’s (and later his reincarnated brother Hyrum’s) role was to perform

a marvelous work among the children of men; a work which shall be

everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other—either to the convincing

of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them to the

hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being

brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both temporally and

spiritually, according to the captivity of the [church of the] devil.^22

Trying to Divulge a Mystery to the Saints Despite Their “Spiritual Captivity”

The people of Joseph’s time had their choice—the peace that the “everlasting
gospel”^23 offered—or captivity, both temporally and spiritually, because of their desire for
material things and the “praise of the world.”^24 The people chose captivity; but it was
Joseph’s role to always provide the people with a choice. His “revelations” were filled with
promises he knew the people would never receive because of their “iniquity.” For example,
in one revelation, he was about to divulge a very important mystery to the people in spite of
their “iniquity” and “hearts of unbelief”:

And now I show unto you a mystery, a thing which is had in secret

chambers, to bring to pass even your destruction in process of time, and ye

knew it not; but now I tell it unto you, and ye are blessed, not because of your

iniquity, neither your hearts of unbelief; for verily some of you are guilty

before me, but I will be merciful unto your weakness.^25

Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, Joseph’s scribes at the time he was preaching at
a conference in January of 1831, missed some of the most important parts of Joseph’s speech.
When Joseph and Sidney reviewed the notes to create the “revelation from the Lord,” Joseph
didn’t bother to explain what the “mystery” was that he had told the people at the conference.
Because Sidney and both of the scribes could not remember, Joseph let it go.
This “mystery” was one that would “bring to pass even [the LDS/Mormon peoples’]
destruction in the process of time,” but they “knew it not.” The mystery was given in the
symbolism of the Lord taking

the Zion of Enoch into mine own bosom [of which they should have known

that no LDS/Mormon had been taken]...but behold, the residue of the