Without Disclosing My True Identity
contact with John C. Bennett and secretly corresponded with ex-Governor Carlin, and
with John Moore, the Illinois Lieutenant Governor under Thomas Ford.^12
Joseph was not allowed to reveal that he knew of the machinations and collusions
that were going on in secret against him, or how he knew about his enemies by use of the
Urim and Thummim. Without taking away the free will of the LDS people, while still
ensuring that they received the desires of their hearts, he gave it his best effort to convince
the Church that Sidney had to go. The Church’s leadership ruled against their “prophet,
seer, and revelator.” The ruling was made to allow Sidney Rigdon “to retain his station as
Counselor in the First Presidency.”^13 Joseph arose after the verdict came in and stoically and
prophetically proclaimed, “This burden I have thrown off my shoulders, but you have
forced it back upon me. The burden of your decision you shall carry forever, because I will
not bear it for you.”^14
In Close Proximity to Joseph
In the time of Christ, the Roman government had issued an arrest warrant for Jesus
to try him for treason and sedition. In those times, it was easy to avoid arrest unless the
authorities knew exactly where the accused was located at the time they had it in their
minds to serve the warrant. Sidney was retained by the Church as Joseph’s Counselor in the
First Presidency. He knew where Joseph hid whenever the authorities came to town. He
knew Joseph’s daily activities. He knew more about Joseph than most other men. Joseph
knew he had to allow his own ‘Judas’ to do what was in his heart to do. In order to delay the
inevitable, Joseph ordered Sidney to Pennsylvania to oversee the growing church there. It
was away from Nauvoo where Sidney would betray his prophet.
Governor Ford ordered the State’s posse that had been sent to take Joseph to Carthage
to keep their travel plans and itinerary secret in order to avoid vigilante justice. Only Joseph’s
closest associates knew the layout of the jail and timeframe that the State’s militia would and
would not be guarding the jail. By the vote of the LDS Church, Sidney had remained one of
Joseph’s closest associates and also the secret liaison and contact with the organizers of the
mob that would ultimately kill their prophet. Thus, because of their ill-fated vote, the burden
of Joseph’s death would be that of the LDS/Mormon members to bear forever.^15
Joseph Hurls Himself Into His Role
Joseph began to throw his heart and soul into the stumbling blocks. His preaching
turned 180 degrees in the other direction from the gospel of Christ that the people had
rejected. The people began to see the change in Joseph’s principles and doctrines. Some
examples included the following: Instead of encouraging the people to live the Order of
Enoch (no poor among them), he preached the innocuous message of “designing to show
the folly of common stock;^16 he told the people, “every one is [a] steward over his own.”^17
Joseph approved new missions anywhere the church elders had a desire to go. George J.
Adams wanted to go to Russia; so Joseph, with secret, insincere patronizing, threw his
enthusiastic support behind him. The Native Americans, the sole intended benefactors of
the Book of Mormon, were no longer a concern of the Saints because they had nothing to
contribute to the Church, neither materially nor spiritually, at least according to the
Church’s new order.