Joseph Smith Biography

(Grace) #1

Without Disclosing My True Identity


Godhead plan and create the earth. They watched Michael, the Holy Ghost, become Adam
and Eve. They saw Adam (formerly the Holy Ghost named Michael) forget that he and Eve
were once equal Gods with the Father and the Son. They witnessed Lucifer wearing the
Masonic apron as a representation of his “powers and priesthoods.”
They observed the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden played out before
them, incorporating some of the secret handshakes, signs, and tokens given in the Masonic
ritual. They watched Adam, after being cast into the “lone and dreary world,”^61 praying and
having his prayers answered by Lucifer, who provided Adam with one of his ministers of
religion. They witnessed that God, the Father, and Jehovah, the Christ, paid no attention to
Adam and Eve, but sent down messengers to “visit the man Adam”^62 and bring them word.
At no time, as Adam and Eve were being presented as mortals during the presentation of
the Endowment, did God or Jehovah have anything to do with them—not at any time!
But seeing, the people did not see. They did not see that Joseph was telling them
that all mortals are Gods, part of an eternal Godhead, equal in the beginning to their
creators, and that all mortals are the equivalent of the “Holy Ghost,” meaning the
humanity foundationalized in them IS their own “Holy Ghost.” They did not see that all
priesthood authority was from Lucifer, who represents the enticements of the mortal
flesh, and that Lucifer—the God of this world—is the only one that hears and answers
prayers. During the presentation, they did not see that neither God nor Christ had
anything to do with mortals while they were upon the earth, except through chosen
messengers. They did not see that there were messengers sent to mortals who were
commanded not to disclose their true identity—and they certainly did not see that
Joseph was one of these!
There were many things that they did not see; but there was one thing that they
did. The men were astonished when Joseph had Eliza Snow stand before them, and he
draped her with the exact same robes of the Holy Priesthood that he had placed on the
men. Joseph placed the temple hat on William Law to complete his priesthood vesture and
explained that it represented the authority of men to receive the knowledge of God
through the priesthood lines of revelation, as represented by a string that came down from
the hat and tied on the priesthood robes.
As William Law stood there in clothing similar to Masonic attire, Eliza R. Snow
stood before Joseph and bowed her head slightly, as he covered her face with a sheer,
see-through napkin, saying to her, “Eve, there is no need to bow your head. You do not
need a line of revelation to understand God. You can see directly through the veil.” The
men never understood what Joseph meant that day. And if the women had understood,
or could understand today, what Joseph had spoken to Eliza Snow on that special day,
they would never again have listened to or depended upon a man for an understanding
of the “mysteries of God.”^63


Joseph Did What He Could to Protect Women


It bothered the High Councils of the Church that Joseph met with the women
outside of the men’s hearing and meeting. Joseph established the women of the Church in
their own jurisdiction, outside of the priesthood councils of the men. The men argued that
there was no precedent for the organization of the women in their own priesthood body.
Joseph answered, “And where is it written that God established yours?“

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