Our first stop of the day was here in Hiram, Ohio. The Prophet Joseph and Emma lived here for 6 months. It was in this place that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ visited Joseph and Sidney when He revealed section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Sections 1, 65, 67-69, 71, 73-74, 76-81, 99, and 133 were received during this time. It was also from here that Joseph was taken by the mob to be tarred and feathered. He still preached the next day, but lost his son, Joseph Murdock Smith, to the measles a few days later.
There are two reference s that Joseph’s spirit left his body during the tarring and feathering.
“On one occasion, at a meeting held near the Temple in Nauvoo, Joseph arose to make a few remarks, and he related the incident of the mob knocking one of his front teeth out in their successful effort to pour acquifortis down his throat. His spirit, he said, left his body, and hovered over it in the air, and returned after it was over. They supposed they had killed him, but he had to come back and take his body. ‘The time has been, brethren,’ he said, ‘when my life could not be taken, but now my work is done. I roll the burden and the keys of the kingdom upon the shoulders of the Twelve Apostles. I have climbed the hill of life, and now I look over. My life now is the same as any other man’s. I am going to rest.’” (Frederick Kesler as quoted in Collected Discourses, Vol 5, Joseph F. Smith, Dec. 23, 1894)
“Yes, in the presence of all these I declare, concerning our persecutors, …that in consequence of their abuse we fled again before them and went to the state of Ohio; that here they dragged my son Joseph out of his bed at midnight and beat him until life for a season departed his body; that after he recovered they still continued to persecute him and the rest of my family…. (History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Lucy Mack Smith, the Unabridged Original Version, compiled by R. Vernon Ingleton)
Darlene said, “May I always remember the witness of the Spirit of God our Father and Jesus Christ appearing and conversing with Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon as the missionary at the Johnson home related the visit.”
Eva wrote, “A big family from my ward went on their own Church history trip last year. One of them told me that the John Johnson farm was one of the most special places. Still, I didn’t know what to expect. But when I heard the story about how they [the mob] tarred and feathered Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith, it brought tears to my eyes. He [Joseph] forgave and preached a wonderful sermon the next day. Again when we were in the room upstairs and heard about how God and Christ had visited Joseph and Sidney, it brought tears to my eyes. Joseph taught us that when we handle the trials in a loving and forgiving way, we will as some time receive great blessings—more than we can imagine.”
No comments:
Post a Comment