Without Disclosing My True Identity
Joseph asked Oliver what he remembered of Alma’s teachings to his sons
concerning the resurrection. Oliver recounted how Alma’s understanding was not perfect
and that Alma taught some things from his own understanding as “my opinion,”^122 which
was not necessarily the entire truth of the matter. Joseph asked Oliver if he remembered
Alma mentioning that “there shall be one time, or a second time, or a third time, that men
shall come forth from the dead.”^123 Oliver did not remember much about it, except that it
had something to do with the resurrection.
Joseph told him that the mystery of life is that, according to the justice and equality of
God, all mortals live multiple incarnations upon this earth before they take part in their final
resurrection. He told Oliver and Hyrum that in one of his past lives upon this earth that he,
Joseph, was Mormon. He explained that Moroni had given these details to him during their
interviews, but had also done something to his physical brain so that he could remember
many of the things that he (Joseph) had done in the flesh as the man known as Mormon.
Joseph explained the concept of multiple lives and how the experiences we gain in
each of our lives are recorded in our spirit. He explained that dreams are a reflection of
our experiences of the past coming out in our present reality, and are often distorted
because of our inability to consciously remember anything beyond our current mortal life.
As an example, Joseph explained that some men who had lived in a past mortal life as a
woman might find themselves confused in regards to their sexual nature. Oliver listened
carefully and secretly found some personal solace in this revelation. Oliver was a
homosexual in denial; and if he would have completely allowed himself (which he never
really did), he could have finally found some reconciliatory peace as he confronted what
he thought were “influences of the devil.”^124
Hyrum asked Joseph if he knew some of his and Oliver’s past lives. Joseph told them
that Hyrum was John the Baptist, the same who had baptized Christ. Oliver was beside
himself with curiosity and inquired into one of his past lives. Joseph refused to say anything
else about their individual past incarnations. He changed the subject of the conversation by
telling Oliver and Hyrum that now was a good time for them to supplicate the Lord on the
“manner of the holy order of God” concerning baptism.
Joseph quoted and expounded upon the words of Paul to the Ephesians that stated:
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the
spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,
and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints....^125Joseph was preparing the men to have “the eyes of their understanding enlightened,” so that
they could see, hear, and encounter what no other mortal during that time had ever experienced.
The three men knelt and prayed “in a fervent manner, aside from the abodes of men,
condescended to manifest to us His will.”^126 Oliver later publicly reported what happened next:
On a sudden, as from the midst of eternity, the voice of the Redeemer spake
peace to us, while the vail [sic] was parted and the angel of God came down
clothed with glory, and delivered the anxiously looked for message, and the
keys of the gospel of repentance! What joy! what wonder! what amazement!
While the world were racked and distracted—while millions were grouping
[sic] as the blind for the wall, and while all men were resting upon