Without Disclosing My True Identity
interpretation. He tried to teach them that “all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and
they come unto every man severally, according as he will [according to what the man
desired].”^160 He tried to teach them that the gift of the Holy Ghost could not be given by one
man to another, but was only given by “the Father” or by Christ himself as a second
baptism “with fire and the Holy Ghost.”^161 Joseph taught them that any mortal who
“diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the
power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old
as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.”^162
Joseph tried to teach the men that when Jesus was baptized, the Holy Ghost was
given to him by the Father. And that if someone wants the same Holy Ghost Jesus received,
he must be washed clean (baptized) from everything that he or she has done, has believed,
and has imagined, and follow Christ in doing “the things which ye have seen me do.”^163 He
taught them that the “form of a dove” meant a “peaceful feeling” of reassurance, and that a
bird is not the Holy Ghost, nor can any bird have the Holy Ghost. He explained many things
concerning the Holy Ghost, including that not at any time was it ever transferred by any act
or authority from one mortal to the another.
The Book of Mormon is full of incidents when the people received the Holy Ghost; and
none of them gives an account of a person receiving the gift from another mortal—NOT
ONE! The Lamanites received the “baptism with fire and with the Holy Ghost” without
even knowing that they had!^164
However, if there were stumbling blocks to be found, envying and lustful men who
wanted the “power of God” would eventually find them. And that they did! The men
wanted the same power that Christ gave to the Nephite apostles to “give the Holy Ghost.”
The men conjured up an interpretation of an event, when, just before the resurrected Christ
“ascended into heaven,” he “touched with his hand the disciples whom he had chosen, one
by one, even until he had touched them all, and spake unto them as he touched
them...[giving] them power to give the Holy Ghost.”^165
Like most scripture students, the men took from the account what they desired for
themselves. They forgot to keep reading about what happened after Christ left his disciples. First
of all, Nephi baptized himself by immersing himself in the water. Then he baptized “all those
whom Jesus had chosen.” “And it came to pass when they were all baptized and had come up out of the
water, the Holy Ghost did fall upon them, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and with fire.”^166
Not only was it not necessary to have another person baptize you according to
the example of Nephi, but also, no one has the power or the authority to give the gift of
the Holy Ghost. It is an automatic result of one accepting Christ and his teachings into
his or her life. “The disciples whom Jesus had chosen began from that time forth to
baptize and to teach as many as did come unto them; and as many as were baptized in the
name of Jesus were filled with the Holy Ghost.”^167
Changing the Last Words of Moroni
Joseph and Oliver finished translating and transcribing the record with the book of
Ether, which explains about the Jaredites, and then a few words of Moroni, which consisted
of Moroni chapter 1 and chapters 7 through 10. However, the final translation and
transcription did not include Moroni chapters 2 through 6. The translation of the unsealed
one-third of the gold plates was completed in the middle of June 1829.^168