Without Disclosing My True Identity
“heaven” is the place where we were “known” of “God,” as quoted in the scripture above
concerning Jeremiah. The real truth concerning our prior (pre-mortal) existence in the
Universe has been comprehensively detailed in other publications associated with the
Marvelous Work and a Wonder® that produced this biography.^2
Every person who has ever received a proper and true calling to minister to the
inhabitants of the world was chosen for that purpose before this world existed.^3 A
general misconception of this truth by zealous followers, however, frustrated Joseph
throughout his life. Many of the men with whom he became acquainted believed that
each of them, personally, was likewise foreordained to be a messenger to the world by
the rights of “priesthood authority,” as they supposed.^4 To stop the abuse of this
notion and to limit the power and control (“dominion”) that unrighteous and
egotistical men could claim over others, Joseph mandated limitations to this
“authority” in one of the last “revelations” he gave before his death. His purpose in
delivering one of his final “revelations from God” was to suppress their arrogant
misconceptions by establishing the fact that “there is never but ONE man on the earth
at a time” who could be considered a true messenger;^5 everyone else who claims to be
is deceived by his own ego.
No Established Religious Leader Has Ever Been Called
It is necessary to note and reiterate one very important part of the protocol in
how advanced human beings (in a religious context these beings might also be known as
“God/s”) choose a mortal true messenger. The reality is that a true messenger is NEVER
chosen from among the current leaders of any man-made religion—unless he first
denounces his traditional religious practices and leaves the established church. For a
biblical example of this, Samuel was a Hebrew servant who did not belong to the house
of Levi (which was the only authorized lineage allowed to have priesthood authority at
the time, according to the Bible). The story of how he became a chosen messenger
symbolically sets forth the proper protocol used in extending the calling to a mortal.^6
The Book of Mormon further emphasizes and supports this concept in how Abinadi^7 and
Samuel the Lamanite,^8 two of many examples, were called. None of these men had any
priesthood authority or was a leader, or even a member, of an organized religion at the
time of his calling.
Modern religious leaders are hard-pressed to explain how they can be both a
leader of an organized religion and a true messenger at the same time, when the
scriptures that they believe to be the “word of God” present a completely different
manner in which a properly chosen messenger receives his calling. There is no scriptural
precedent that presents a church leader as a true messenger. Church leaders lead a
religious organization. True messengers, on the other hand, are always sent to preach
repentance to a religious organization gone astray. Again, the best scriptural reference to
this is presented in the case of Nephi being the leader of the Church and Samuel the
Lamanite being chosen as a true messenger (outside of the Church) sent to preach
repentance to the Church.^9 Joseph Smith was not a member of an organized religion
when he was called to this role; but, uniquely in his case, he did subsequently organize
and lead a religion before his death, following the course and example of the biblical
Moses. Why and how Joseph Smith played both roles will be explained in detail
throughout this biography.