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| Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, at Fayette, New York, June 1829, prior to their viewing the engraved plates that contained the Book of Mormon record. HC 1:57—57. Joseph and his scribe, Oliver Cowdery, had learned from the translation of the Book of Mormon plates that three special witnesses would be designated. See Ether5:2—4; also 2 Nephi 11:3 and 27:12. Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris were moved upon by an inspired desire to be the three special witnesses. The Prophet inquired of the Lord, and this revelation was given in answer, through the Urim and Thummim. | ||
5—9, Christ bears testimony to the divinity of the Book of Mormon. | ||
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D&C 17:1 BEHOLD, I say unto you, that you must rely
upon my word, which if you do with a full purpose of heart, you shall have a
aview of the bplates, and also of the
cbreastplate, the dsword of Laban, the
eUrim and Thummim, which were given to the
fbrother of Jared upon the mount, when he talked with the
Lord gface to face, and the hmiraculous
directors which were given to Lehi while in the wilderness, on the borders of
the iRed Sea.
D&C 17:2 And it is by your faith that you shall obtain a view of them, even by that faith which was had by the prophets of old.
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It should be noted that of these items that the Sword of Laban and the Liahona were not in the stone box hide in the side of the Hill Cumorah. The place where the Sword of Laban and the Liahona would have been safely secured would have been within the ancient Hill of Cumorah by the hand of Mormon which included all of the rest of the records of the Nephites. President Brigham Young states that at the time of the returning of the plates to the Hill of Cumorah, that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery did walk to the Hill which opened up to reveal an inner room containing all such records and that the Sword of Laban was there. Oliver would at that time have recognized the Sword from having first seen it as one of the three witnesses by the hand of the Angel Moroni. three |
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D&C 17:3 And after that you have obtained faith, and have seen them with your
eyes, you shall atestify of them, by the power of God;
D&C 17:4 And this you shall do that my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., may not be destroyed, that I may bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men in this work.
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D&C 17:5 And ye shall testify that you have seen them, even as my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., has seen them; for it is by my power that he has seen them, and it is becaused he had faith.
D&C 17:6 And he has translated the abook, even that bpart which I have commanded him, and as your Lord and your God liveth it is true.
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D&C 17:7 Wherefore, you have received the same power, and the same faith, and
the same gift like unto him;
D&C 17:8 And if you do these last acommandments of mine, which I have given you, the bgates of hell shall not prevail against you; for my cgrace is sufficient for you, and you shall be dlifted up at the last day. D&C 17:9 And I, Jesus Christ, your aLord and your God, have spoken it unto you, that I might bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of mena. Amen
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9a that I might bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men What is the righteous purpose of the Lord unto the children of men? It is the work and the glory of God to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39). From the entering into to the exiting from the Second Estate of this mortality, it is Lord's work as he was anointed by the hand of the Father to be our God of this estate to act in the stead of the Father in all things. He is that beginning and end of this estate. He stands at the entrance to this Second Estate which departs that Spirit Primevil Childhood into this estate of testing and then the exiting therefrom into that Immortality and Eternal Life which all will pass to after death and resurrection and Judgement unto the Kingdoms of glory thereof. | |