Satan and his legions are out to destroy in full fury today. To destroy confidence, reputation, and truth.
I see this every day as I monitor and respond to YouTube comments on our Called to Share channel.
Three of the most common comments I see in direct opposition to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its mission are:
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- You are in a cult
- Mormons aren’t Christian
- Joseph Smith was a false prophet
Mormonism is not Christianity.
— 🌷 LIZZIE🌷 (@farmingandJesus) November 24, 2024
This accusatory fog that is cast over the truth – this mist of darkness, is design to prevent people from approaching the truth and opening their heart to learn of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His church.
To be honest, one of the hardest things about reading these comments is seeing people insult, attack, lie about, and profane a prophet of God. If only these people knew the truth character of the prophet Joseph Smith.
One of my favorite books is, I love it because I can see the Prophet Joseph through the eyes of those that actually knew him.
When I read comments each day from people who hate him, I realize that those who knew the prophet best, loved him the most. In turn, those who know him the least (people commenting on a YouTube channel in the 21st century) hate him the most.
I got thinking one day about how many people in Joseph Smith’s time actually accepted him as a prophet of God. If we had to put a number on it, how many would that be? According to the 2013 Church Almanac, church membership in 1844, the year the Prophet Joseph died, was 26,146.
Of those 26,146, how many actually knew Joseph Smith? How many of those people did Joseph Smith feel sustained, supported, and loved by?
I think of our current day where, at the time of writing this article, there are over 17 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
How would Joseph feel if today he could stand in front of us all and be presented for a sustaining vote – and he could see us all raise our hands to testify of the reality of his call as a prophet of the living God? How would he feel if we could bear witness to him that we know he saw God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ, that the Book of Mormon which he translated is the word of God, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true?
I hope to express in some small way what I, and many of these 17 million, feel about Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration.
A Letter to Joseph Smith
Joseph, this is a message that I hope God lets you read.
Almost 200 years ago, you were given a promise by the angel Moroni who appeared in your room at night.
Moroni said your “name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.”
In your lifetime, the fulfillment of that promise seems to have been more of a curse than a blessing.
To be honest, I’m not sure how much of the “good” you were aware of in your day. There certainly was plenty of evil spoken of your name.
Though published after your death, Governor Thomas Ford’s description of you would certainly have been the majority voice at that time.
“Thus fell Joe Smith, the most successful imposter in modern times; a man who, though ignorant and coarse, had some great natural parts which fitted him for temporary success, but which were so obscured and counteracted by the inherent corruption and vices of his nature that he never could succeed in establishing a system of policy which looked to permanent success in the future.”
Not exactly a fitting eulogy for the prophet of the restoration. Imposter. Ignorant. Coarse. Corruption. Vices of his nature. Failure.
Estimates at the time of your death put church membership northwards of 26,000 members – many of those living in Europe. Thus, many church members never even met you. Those who used your name for good on their lips didn’t number many.
You certainly had a few friends, family, and followers who had your back, but you had many more that were against you. The hatred, the persecution, the betrayal – it was constant and unrelenting.
You were called a liar, a cheat, an adulterer, a fraud. You were keenly aware of the evil that Moroni prophesied of.
We know it pained you deeply. As we read your history, that pain drips off of the pages.
It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter persecution and reviling. But strange or not, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself.
Perhaps now is the time that members of the church throughout the world join together to send you a powerful message, one that will pierce through the veil of this earth and shake the heavens.
I’m hoping that the words I write will stir their hearts and lead them to declare your name for good to the world. Let there be a rallying cry for those who are #FriendsOfBrotherJoseph.
I’ve considered your heart.
You were labeled as money digger and imposter your whole life, so you could what? Give up your own bed to strangers and food off of your table to care for the hungry?
I know you are honest.
You showed grace in understanding why so many doubted you, yet you carried that weight alone.
“You don’t know me; you never knew my heart. No man knows my history. I cannot tell it: I shall never undertake it. I don’t blame any one for not believing my history. If I had not experienced what I have, I would not have believed it myself. I never did harm any man since I was born in the world. My voice is always for peace.”
I’ve pondered your emotional pain.
You had to obtain and translate the Book of Mormon being the only witness of the golden plates for years – not being able to show the plates to anyone until you finished the translation. Your mother Lucy recorded your reaction when you were allowed to show three witnesses:
Father, mother, you do not know how happy I am: the Lord has now caused the plates to be shown to three more besides myself. … They will have to bear witness to the truth of what I have said … I feel as if I was relieved of a burden which was almost too heavy for me to bear.
I’ve imagined your fears at the loss of the 116 pages.
“Oh, my God, my God,” you uttered, “all is lost! What shall I do? I have sinned. It is me that tempted the wrath [of] God by asking Him [for] that which I had no right to ask…how shall I appear before the Lord? Of what rebuke am I not worthy from the angel of the Most High?” You wept and groaned and paced the floor, forsaken.
I’ve rejoiced in your joy.
“Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth! As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of God descend upon them!” – Doctrine and Covenants 128:19
I believe your testimony.
“I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.”
Shouting Hallelujah
Brigham Young famously said in one of many sermons to the Saints regarding Joseph Smith: “I feel like shouting Hallelujah, all the time, when I think that I ever knew Joseph Smith, the Prophet whom the Lord raised up and ordained, and to whom he gave keys and power to build up the Kingdom of God on earth and sustain it.”
I will shout from the digital rooftops until the day I die, that you are a prophet of God and the prophet of the restoration. I will share with the world your goodness, your pure heart, your divine connection, and your sacred role.
Millions shall know Brother Joseph again – a phrase in a poem written by William W. Phelps, soon after your death and published in August 1844 Times and Season – a phrase that is now coming to pass. Millions DO know Joseph Smith – 17 million and counting!
“The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision [those who will know his name for evil], and hell shall rage against thee;
“While the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous [those who will know his name for good], shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand” (Doctrine and Covenants 122:1-2).
Joseph, we know you are a prophet of God. We know you saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, and what a glorious and earthshattering day that must have been. We know you did your best. We know you made mistakes, but we also know that you repented and relied on the grace and atoning power of the Lord Jesus Christ, who you knew so intimately.
My favorite story about you was recorded by Wilford Woodruff and I will quote it below:
The Prophet called on all who held the Priesthood to gather into the little log school house they had there. It was a small house, perhaps 14 feet square. But it held the whole of the Priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were then in the town of Kirtland. … When we got together the Prophet called upon the Elders of Israel with him to bear testimony of this work. … When they got through the Prophet said, ‘Brethren, I have been very much edified and instructed in your testimonies here tonight, but I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap. You don’t comprehend it.’ I was rather surprised. He said, ‘It is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America—it will fill the world.’”
We love you Brother Joseph. Thank you for sacrificing your life to bring us the knowledge of the true nature of God. Thank you for your testimony of Jesus Christ. Thank you for initiating this marvelous work and a wonder. Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!
Please share your comments and testimony of Joseph Smith. Those who read this article in the future will be strengthen by it. Also, feel free to share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag [#FriendsOfBrotherJoseph].
Editor’s Note – This article has been in the works for many years. I was reminded of my draft when I read the following a few years ago, A Letter to Emma Smith. I’m glad it inspired me to finish this after all these years.
Doctrine and Covenants 135:3
“Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus Only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. he lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!”
How can we not remember Joseph Smith for good on these days when we have the anniversary of the Book of Mormon being published, and then now, the angel Moroni appearing to teach him. I am in awe of both Joseph and Emma and all they endured. The Book of Mormon is going forth and I received one and got baptised 3 years later. Well, I had previously been a Catholic -Sr Bernard of Jesus. Now I long for the conversion of my family. The letter is lovely and Joseph would shed a tear of joy.
I am so thankful for Joseph Smith our beloved Prophet.. I know what he saw, heard and did are truth.. I feel incredibly blessed to have this most true church in my life.. I am a convert, raised in another religion, disowned a couple of times by my mother. That doesn’t matter to me, I would do it all over again.. I have no reason to be of doubt that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, Moroni and others.. His words, his testimony are true.. I feel it to my very core.. Praise to the man indeed.
Thank you for sharing this!
This is a beautiful article and THANK YOU for sharing your testimony. We are truly in the last days and need all the uplifting, inspirational messages, like this, that we can get. Oh, what a wonderful day it will be when we all get to thank the Prophet personally for his sacrifice and persistence to ensure the gospel was restored and shared to all the world.
I love this so much! I know he is a Prophet of God and I look forward to meeting him and thanking him for all he did in bringing to pass the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Thank you for taking the time to write and finish these Glorious words about The Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. He truly was called in this last dispensation to usher in and Restore The True Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ in which blessings are overflowing. How grateful I am to be a member of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints!
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
It is true. Crazy as it seems, no other explanation fits the verified facts. It’s inconceivable that the creator of the universe would choose a 14-year old, nearly illiterate and almost utterly ignorant, for such an impossible task – with the warning that he wouldn’t see old age.
And then there’s my own personal witness. There was no trial and there isn’t now. The Lord lives! And He called an unqualified farm boy to share His work and glory.
Thank you, Ben, for another amazing, well-written article. I too would like to add my testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and of The Book of Mormon. When I read that sacred book I can feel the spirit of the Lord. It truly is another testament of Jesus Christ. If we could just get people (non-members and members alike) to READ it. It’s not a book about Joseph Smith or about our church. It is a compilation of prophets’ experiences and testimonies of our savior. When you read and pray about it, you get a witness of its truthfulness which is also proof/evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet.
Thank you for your testimony Connie! The Book of Mormon is one of the greatest proofs that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God.
Thank you Sandra! He definitely persevered through a lot and most assuredly felt a close connection to the Savior as they both experienced so much rejection in life.
Thank you for reading and commenting!
Thank you for this Ben! As a member of the Joseph Smith Family through Joseph’s uncle, Silas, may I add this personal witness from my great-grandfather, Jesse N. Smith, who lived with Joseph Smith after Jesse’s father, Silas, was killed during the Missouri persecutions:
THE PERSONALITY OF JOSEPH SMITH
(From a talk given by Jesse N. Smith, a cousin of the Prophet, to the Church History class of Professor John Henry Evans in the LDS College, Salt Lake City, April 11, 1905.)
I may say I was never so impressed by any person. I am unable to fully describe my sensations when in the presence of this wonderful man. I only know that I rejoiced being in his presence. No voice that I had ever heard seemed to me to be such a voice. I have never heard any human voice, not even my mother’s, that was so attractive to me. Even his bitterest enemies, if they had the privilege of hearing him speak, become mollified, and forgot their anger. Now I believe even his murderers, at the last, if their passions could have been stilled, if their anger by which they were enraged and were no longer men, could have heard his voice, his impressive voice, and listened to his explanations, I do not believe they would have demanded his life. It was a sort of insanity. The powers of evil are abroad in the world. They obtain dominion sometimes of the children of men. It was under this circumstance that they were impelled to make that mad attack.
I will speak of the domestic life of the Prophet. My mother being a widow, he noticed her children. She had two sons. He asked them to his house, he made them welcome, they were at liberty to remain in his household. In this way we passed some time under his roof. I was intimate with his children, especially with the one that came into prominence and was known as young Joseph. I knew that queenly woman, his wife, Emma Smith. I may say that I was greatly impressed with her personality. She was the fitting helpmate of such a man. I stood in awe of this lady far more than I did of the Prophet himself, because he was so considerate of the feelings of the children.
His domestic animals seemed to love him. He was very fond of horses. He had a few very fine horses, one very remarkable dog, the housedog; they called him Major. The dog and the horses rejoiced when they saw this man because he took care of them, because he recognized them in their places as God’s creatures. He did not require unreasonable things of them; he was kindness itself to every human being, especially to his own household. His children rejoiced when he was present, and this was not so very remarkable; they could not do otherwise with so good and kind a father.
I was comparatively a poor and friendless child, my father having succumbed to the bitterness of the Missouri persecutions, my noble brother having fallen a victim also. I felt somewhat forlorn, for we were in poverty. They say poverty is not dishonorable, but a poor orphan feels it. Under this consideration, what wonder than that I feel justified in saying that this man was my friend; what wonder that he was almost deified in my mind. You probably will not enter into the enthusiasm for this matter altogether, yet I trust you will give me credit for sincerity. We perhaps, many of us, have received the witness of the Spirit of Truth, which testifies to us that Joseph Smith was a Prophet. I fully enter into this, with you and with everyone who has received this witness. I have received it and in a great degree also. I will say another thing, that I feel to be equally true, Joseph Smith was a gentleman in the very highest sense of the word. I never heard that said before, but I will stake my reputation on that. I know it was true.
He was especially neat in his appearance. He was unusually tidy—he was exceptionally tidy. When I have seen him almost at the best advantage was when he was attired in a military uniform. He was an officer of the military organization known as the “Nauvoo Legion.”
Whatever he did he endeavored to do well. He provided himself with the uniform suitable to his rank and position. He was superbly mounted. He was a grand, magnificent figure on the parade ground. As he was the champion of women, he invited many of the leading ladies of Nauvoo, some who were held high in esteem. I may name two of them that I have seen on the parade ground. Emma Smith and Eliza R. Snow who lived at his house, were also mounted, and others. I do not recollect them so familiarly as these two. There were usually a bevy of mounted ladies elegantly gowned and very attractive when they appeared upon the parade ground upon parade day and were assigned places of honor. These may be termed as magnificent occasions.
His career was short. He had but a little time to realize the sorrows of this world. Although he was termed by those who knew him by the familiar term of Old Joe Smith, yet he was not old. He had scarcely reached the meridian of his life when he was called away. The people never felt comforted when they thought of his loss until the revelation was given to Brigham Young at Winter Quarters. I think I am correct in saying that the people never were comforted. In that revelation it was said that the Lord had taken Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith, and that it was for a wise purpose and when these words came to the people they felt somewhat reconciled. Why, it isn’t much to say, for my poor life was little valued, but child that I was, I felt that I would cheerfully pay my life for his if by so doing I could hope to preserve him for the people. My young brothers and sisters, the name of this man has been sacred to me. It has been next to that of the Blessed Redeemer in my estimation. I knew him at home, I knew him in his public ministry. I listened to him in his house and also in the congregation of the people, and at every walk of life he stood at the head.
President Daniel H. Wells did not join the Church until after the Prophet’s death. He was very intimate with him although he had not subscribed to the faith of the Latter-day Saints. They were associated together in legal affairs, yet he knew a man when he saw him. Pres. Wells had a strong legal training and a strong legal education likewise, and was a man who held a very responsible position. At that time he was Justice of the Peace. I will say for Pres. Wells that the path of promotion was before him. There was every possibility that he would be a very prominent man in the history of the nation, but casting his lot with the Latter-day Saints took away the hopes in that direction. He had a strong legal mind. It seems to me now that when I look back that Pres. Wells had just as good a chance as did Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. Pres. Wells was of the same party as Abraham Lincoln. It seems to me that his chance for the presidential chair was fully equal to the chance of Abraham Lincoln. I believe that he was just as good a man legally and politically. Pres. Wells said: “I have known legal men all my life. Joseph Smith was the best lawyer that I have ever known in all my life.”
That is a wonderful tribute to the legal attainments of this wonderful man. I do not know whether a greater tribute could be obtained, for Pres. Wells knew whereof he was speaking. I do not expect that you will ever become as enthusiastic as I am about Joseph Smith. I never said a word in my life that seemed to bless me so as when I have said a good word for Joseph Smith.
Jesse Nathaniel Smith, 1834-1906, son of Silas Smith, 1779-1839 (and Mary Aikens). Silas Smith was the brother of Joseph Smith, Sr., the father of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. My (Janalee’s) father is Melvin Lehi Smith, son of Elias Smith (and Ernestine Hansen), son of Jesse Nathaniel Smith and Janet Johnson (3rd wife of Jesse Nathaniel Smith). Jesse Nathaniel Smith was first cousin to theProphet Joseph Smith.
Jesse Nathaniel Smith crossed the great plains to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 with the Mormon pioneers. He acted as a scout and surveyor for Church colony sites in southern Utah. He served as city clerk, city councilman, mayor, and city magistrate of Parowan, district attorney of Iron County, Captain in the militia, a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature, and a member of the Parowan Stake presidency—all before the age of 26. He twice presided over the Scandinavian Mission in Denmark. As a colonizer in Arizona he was an LDS agent in purchasing and securing the townsites, land, and water rights of Snowflake, Taylor, and Woodruff. He was a farmer, stockman, cooperative mercantile and bank organizer, a probate judge, and served in the Arizona Territorial Legislature. He spoke five languages. He served the Church in Arizona as the first president of the Eastern Arizona Stake from 1879-to 187, and as the first president of the Snowflake Stake from 1887- until his death June 5, 1906. He was called by the church leaders to be patriarch and to practice the principle of plural marriage. His five loving and devoted wives bore him forty-four worthy children.
Beautiful and true words. Thank you.
I was touched by this article. I’ve often wondered why people that spoke bad of the prophet could not answer , why if all he said was False that he testified to and all he received from this fallen world was persecution in all forms , even to the tar and feathering of his body(how barbaric and cruel of those so called civil people) WHY would a fake person want to continue to go through so much persecution, just to continue with untrue statements???? Open your eyes please!!!! Why? Why? Because He had been a witness to something greater than the people of this earth could understand! I know that Joseph (although he was not perfect) was the Most perfect man, at the Most perfect time, chosen to bring The Most Perfect form of Jesus Christs gospel to the earth!!! Like Christ he was willing to take the persecution for His Most Perfect task of “Bringing The World His Truth”. And I Bear This In The Name If Jesus Christ, AMEN🙏🏻
I will forever be grateful for the prophet Joseph Smith. He is a ture prophet and I know the Book of Mormon is true. I’m grateful for the true gospel and how it keeps me close to my Father in heaven each and everyday.