In a letter written to newspaper editor John Wentworth, and subsequently
published in the Times and Seasons on 1 March 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois,
Joseph Smith, Jr. stated that on the morning of September 22, 1827 an angel of the
Lord delivered into his hands a record of ancient origin, engraved on plates of
metal which had the appearance of gold. Through the gift and power of God,
Joseph translated, or revealed, the words engraved on the ancient record. The plates
had been compiled by a man named Moroni who had hidden and sealed them in the
earth to come forth in God’s due time and for God’s purpose. In honor of Moroni’s
father, Mormon, the subsequently printed book was given the name The Book of
Mormon. In his history, Joseph referred to The Book of Mormon as “the
stick of Joseph in the hands of Ephraim” in reference to the prophecy in Ezekiel,
“The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, you son of man,
take one stick and write upon it: For Judah, and for the children of Israel his
companions. Then take another stick and write upon it: For Joseph, the stick of
Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions. And join them one to
another, into one stick, and they shall become one in your hand. And when the
children of your people shall speak unto you, saying, Will you not show us what
you mean by these? Say unto them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take
the stick of Joseph which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel
his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make
them one stick; and they shall be one in my hand. And the sticks on which you
write shall be in your hand before their eyes.” (See Ezekiel 37:15-20; OC Ezekiel
19:4; T&C JSH 19:7; Times and Seasons Vol. 4, No. 2, Dec. 1, 1842).
In the letter to Wentworth,
Joseph described The Book of Mormon as an “important and interesting book”
wherein “the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement…[the]
Jaredites [who] came directly from the tower of Babel. The second race came
directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before Christ.
They were principally Israelites, of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites
were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who
succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the
second race fell in battle toward the close of the fourth century. The remnant
are the Indians that now inhabit this country. This book also tells us
that our Savior made his appearance upon this continent after his resurrection,
that he planted the gospel here in all its fullness, and richness, and power,
and blessing…that the people were cut off in consequence of their
transgressions; that the last of their prophets who existed among them was
commanded to write an abridgement of their prophecies, history, etc., and to
hide it up in the earth, and that it should come forth and be united with the
Bible for the accomplishment of the purposes of God in the last days….the
standard of truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the
work from progressing: persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may
assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly,
nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every
clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God
shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say, The work is done.”
(emphasis added; see T&C section 146; Times and Seasons Vol. 3, No.
9, March 1, 1842).
Truth is “knowledge of things as
they are and as they were and as they are to come” (D&C 93:24; T&C
93:8). You can only know the truth by having it revealed to you from heaven
itself (see D&C 76:7, 114-119; T&C 69:29). The truth informs us of how
things were by revealing exactly what happened. The truth informs us how things
are now, in our current state of peril. The truth informs us of the things to
come. Without the truth it is impossible to repent. In order for people to be
taken captive by the devil, all that is required is for them to be content with
their ignorance. The greatest threat to salvation does not come from teaching
false doctrine but instead comes from ignoring doctrine altogether. Substituting
platitudes and truisms for careful, ponderous and solemn investigation of the
deep things of God is sufficient to keep people in the chains of captivity. It
isn’t necessary for the devil to convince you of lies, only for him to make you
content in your ignorance or fearful of the search for truth. (see A Glossary
of Gospel Terms: Restoration Edition).
The Standard of Truth is The
Book of Mormon. It was preserved and brought forth by God as a gift to be
given freely to all mankind. It contains the fullness of His gospel. It is
perhaps the greatest ascension theology text now in existence and as such has
the power to bring a person to salvation and redemption through Christ. No
institution has any right to claim ownership or to demand fealty. The Standard
of Truth was given to all mankind by a loving Father to go forth boldly, nobly,
and independent until its message has filled the earth.
