Joseph Smith Biography

Without Disclosing My True Identity

“prophesy to the understanding of men.”^19 Part of his prophesying—which does not mean
foretelling the future, but speaking as a true prophet and chosen messenger—was to give
the people a supplement to the Bible, the latter being what a great majority of the world
already believed in. This supplement was the Book of Mormon. The intent of the Book of
Mormon was two-fold:

1) Point the people towards the words of Christ,^20 which are the basic

elements of the way we should treat each other, and are otherwise known as

“the fullness of the everlasting Gospel as delivered by the Savior”;^21 and

2) Demonstrate that the darker-skinned races of the world are equal in every

way to the lighter-skinned races.^22

Joseph presented the Book of Mormon for the first time in 1829. IF the people did not
accept it for what it was, then Joseph was mandated to give the people what they desired,
following the pattern of the story of Moses and the Israelites as presented in the Bible. The
people who read the Book of Mormon with a sincere heart and real intent^23 could not deny its
convincing power. Unfortunately, the book did not convince their hardened minds enough
to lead them to accept its intended message; but it did convince them that it was just as
much “the word of God” as the Bible.^24 The Book of Mormon, therefore, like the Bible, also
became a stumbling block.
If the true Jesus were alive in Joseph’s time, or today in more modern times, he would
have been treated by the Christians, especially by the LDS/Mormon people, exactly like he was
by the Jews—rejected and eventually killed. Just as Jesus was killed by the Jews—whom he
taught, lived among, and loved—Joseph was killed by the LDS people, whom he taught, lived
among, and loved. Granted, it was not a faithful LDS member who pulled the trigger, but
neither was it a Jew who crucified Christ, though the betrayer, like Judas, was LDS—Sidney
Rigdon. The Jews acted in such a way that the Roman government became prejudiced against
Christ and eventually ordered his death. The Latter-day Saints acted in such a way that the U.S.
government became responsible for Joseph’s death, refusing to exercise constitutional
protections that it had in its control to exercise. Once the true facts unfold of what led up to
Joseph’s murder, no more doubt will remain.

Securing Future Stumbling Blocks After Joseph’s Death

Joseph Smith, Jr. tried to speak to the people in plainness and teach them the “mark”
that Christ had left in the “fullness of the everlasting Gospel”:

But behold, the Saints were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the

words of plainness, and killed Joseph, and sought for things that they could

not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came

by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away

his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they

cannot understand because they desired it. And because they desired it God

hath done it that they may stumble.^25