LDS Priesthood Unveiled Appendix 1any save it be those who are of thy faith. Trifle not with sacred things.”^117 Hyrum was told to
“treasure up in your heart until the time which is in my wisdom that you shall go forth.”^118
At this point, the minds of both Oliver and Hyrum were prepared to receive and
understand some of the “mysteries of God” that no other mortals at that time would ever
know in their entirety. They were going to understand “priesthood authority” and the
“laying on of hands” better than anyone else who followed Joseph. In fact, no one else
would find out what these two were finding at the threshold of learning until Joseph wrote
about the experience many years later. And when Joseph wrote of it, he did not disclose the
true nature of the event.
True to the “revelation from God” each was about to receive, Oliver and Hyrum
never made this “sacred gift” known. They did not tell anyone what took place on the
banks of the Susquehanna River a few days later on May 15, 1829.^119 When Joseph
recounted the experience almost a decade later, the arrival and presence of Hyrum was
placed a few days after the event by unscrupulous Mormon historians.^120 They based their
assumption on the fact that Joseph did not mention Hyrum’s arrival until later. For a wise
purpose that only he understood at the time, Joseph did not want anyone to know that
Hyrum was there in person and participated in the event.
May 15, 1829—The “Restoration” of the Holy Priesthood
On May 15, 1829, Joseph took Oliver and Hyrum to a secluded and quiet place near
the Susquehanna River, near the town of Harmony, Pennsylvania. Although there are some
differing accounts of what actually happened that day, the following is exactly what occurred:
Oliver started a fast on Wednesday with the intent not to eat until he received his
own understanding on the matter of priesthood and baptism. In this weakened physical
state, his emotions were greatly subdued and his love and devotion for Joseph increased,
as Joseph was the translator who had given such marvelous words concerning the visit of
Christ to America. Oliver later described his feelings about this time as “days never to be
forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven,
awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom!”^121
Joseph carried the transcript of the translation of the gold plates with him, as far as it
had been completed up to that date. His intent was to go through it with Oliver and Hyrum
and to expound upon it. He had in his mind to teach these two trusted friends things that no
one but he understood about the mysteries of God, i.e., the real truth.
As the three men relaxed in a soft meadow near the river, Oliver asked, “Brother
Joseph, how do the glorious words come to you through the Urim and Thummim? They
seem to flow from your lips as if you composed them yourself.”
Joseph smiled and told Oliver and Hyrum that he was going to reveal a mystery of
God to them that they should never reveal to another living soul. The moment Joseph said
this, both Oliver and Hyrum received an emotional shock of energy, a kind of natural
adrenaline that filled them with “the spirit of the Lord.” What was it that Joseph was going
to reveal to them? What was it that only they alone would know and understand? Joseph
warned them that the Lord would not allow them to utter that which he was about to make
known to them; and if they did, they would be destroyed in the flesh. Of course, in his
already physically weakened state, the rush of adrenaline overwhelmed Oliver.
“Oh, Joseph!” Oliver exclaimed. “I owe my life to you and this work. Upon my
solemn honor I will keep what you are allowed to reveal to me in my heart forever!”