Thirty-Two (1837)unable to do so, an irreconcilable alternative was given by Joseph. He was able to convince the
Apostles’ electors (the Three Witnesses who chose them) to encourage the Twelve to “never
cease striving until you have seen God face-to-face,”^35 something he knew could never occur.^36
The excuse was given that the Twelve needed to know Christ personally; and because they
were not alive when Christ was upon the earth, they needed to get to know him the same way
that was expected of all of his Apostles—through face-to-face interaction.^37
Joseph knew the true church of Christ would soon meet its full demise. Likewise, he
knew that the type of religion that had evolved up to that point, created from the desires of
the people, would also eventually have its end.^38 He also knew that his own demise would
be directly and indirectly perpetrated by friends-turned-enemies. Knowing these things,
again, he did everything within his power to stall the spread of the peoples’ religion to other
countries, knowing, however, that the will of the people would eventually prevail.^39
When the School of the Prophets was organized in 1833^40 and the Twelve still failed
to receive their “endowment from on high,” their hearts looked steadily to the time when
the Kirtland Temple was to be finished, assuming it would occur then. Once the temple was
finished, however, they still did not receive a face-to-face conference with Christ.^41 It was
then that, upon Cowdery’s insistence, Joseph “opened the eyes of [Cowdery’s]
understanding”^42 to receive counsel intended specifically for the Twelve Apostles.
Cowdery’s “eyes understood” that Christ personally would
appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine own voice. ...Yea
the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in
consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the endowment
with which [the Twelve] have been endowed in this house. And the fame of
this house shall spread to foreign lands.^43Joseph convinced Cowdery to give the counsel he received from the “vision” to the
Twelve. Cowdery reiterated to the Twelve what he had told them when they were first
ordained—that they should not go into foreign lands UNTIL they received their endowment
from Christ personally, face-to-face “with mine own voice.”^44 The problem with the LDS
historical account of the vision^45 is that none of it was what Oliver and Joseph saw in
“vision,” but was a later invention of Warren Cowdery, who included it in Joseph’s history
in the Church’s Times and Seasons in 1843. The revelation was not included in the 1835
edition of the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) and was never meant for the members of the
Church, who had no idea what Joseph was attempting to do to keep the people’s religion
from spreading to other nations of the earth.
The Book of Commandments (and later D&C) Were Constructed by the People
The governing priesthood councils ran the Church. Joseph had little to do with the
church except to nod his head in agreement to virtually everything the High Councils voted on
in agreement. Joseph’s heart secretly rejoiced when the destruction of the printing press in
Independence, Missouri on July 20, 1833, stopped the publication of the Book of Commandments.
Still, the people wanted their own Book of Commandments and they pressed forward for a
completed printing of the revelations, re-titling it as the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C). Nothing
that ostensibly was associated with Joseph’s name gave him more consternation than the
compilation and canonization of the Church’s Doctrine and Covenants.