(6/29/98)
"God was with us, and His angels went before us, and the faith of our
little band was unwavering. We know that angels were our
companions, for we saw them." — Joseph Smith, "History of the Church,"
2:73
(6/26/99)
"I will give you one of the keys of the mysteries of the kingdom. It
is an eternal principle that has existed with God from all Eternity
that that man who rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the
Church, saying that they are out of the way while he himself is
righteous, then know assuredly that that man is in the high road to
apostasy and if he does not repent will apostatize as God lives." —
Joseph Smith, "The Words of Joseph Smith," p. 413
(2/27/00)
"Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the
end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is
virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the
commandments of God." — "Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,"
Section Five 1842–43, p. 255
(2/28/00)
"It is the privilege of every Elder to speak of the things of God; and
could we all come together with one heart and one mind in perfect
faith the veil might as well be rent today as next week, or any other
time, and if we will but cleanse ourselves and covenant before God, to
serve Him, it is our privilege to have an assurance that God will
protect us at all times." — "Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,"
Section One 1830–34, p. 8
(2/29/00)
"The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world,
a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of
a dove. The Holy Ghost is a personage, and is in the form of a
personage. It does not confine itself to the form of the dove, but in
sign of the dove. The Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove;
but the sign of a dove was given to John to signify the truth of the
deed, as the dove is an emblem or token of truth and innocence." —
"Documentary History of the Church," 5:260-261
(3/01/00)
"Repentance is a thing that cannot be trifled with every day. Daily
transgression and daily repentance is not that which is pleasing in
the sight of God. — "Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith"
(3/02/00)
"I have a father, brothers, children, and friends who have gone to a
world of spirits. They are only absent for a moment. They are in the
spirit, and we shall soon meet again. The time will soon arrive when
the trumpet shall sound. When we depart, we shall hail our mothers,
fathers, friends, and all whom we love, who have fallen asleep in
Jesus. There will be no fear of mobs, persecutions, or malicious
lawsuits and arrests; but it will be an eternity of felicity." —
"Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith," Section Six 1843–44, p. 359
(3/03/00)
"If I thought I should be saved and any in the congregation be lost, I
should not be happy. For this purpose Jesus effected a resurrection.
Our Savior is competent to save all from death and hell. ...I would
not serve a God that had not all wisdom and all power." — "History of
the Church," Vol.6, Ch.13, p. 300
(6/28/03)
"After God had created the heavens and the earth, he came down and on
the sixth day said, 'Let us make man in our own image.' In whose
image? In the image of Gods created they them, male and female:
innocent, harmless, and spotless, bearing the same character and the
same image as the Gods. And when man fell he did not lose his image
but his character, still retaining the image of his maker, Christ, who
is the image of man [and] is also the express image of his Father's
person.... And through the atonement of Christ and the resurrection
and obedience in the gospel, we shall again be conformed to the image
of his Son Jesus Christ. Then we shall have attained to the image,
glory, and character of God." — Kent P. Jackson, comp. and ed.,
"Joseph Smith's Commentary on the Bible," [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1994], p. 7
(8/19/04)
"The doctrine of baptism for the dead is clearly shown in the New
Testament; and if the doctrine is not good, then throw the New
Testament away; but if it is the word of God, then let the doctrine be
acknowledged; and it was the reason why Jesus said unto the Jews, 'How
oft would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen
gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!' (See Matt.
23:37.)-That they might attend to the ordinances of baptism for
the dead as well as other ordinances of the priesthood, and receive
revelations from heaven, and be perfected in the things of the kingdom
of God-but they would not. This was the case on the day of Pentecost
those blessings were poured out on the disciples on that occasion. God
ordained that he would save the dead and would do it by gathering his
people together." - Joseph Smith, "History of the Church, 5:245"
(9/1/04)
"Every man that has been baptized and belongs to the kingdom has a
right to be baptized for those who have gone before; and as soon as
the law of the Gospel is obeyed here by their friends who act as proxy
for them, the Lord has administrators there to set them free. A man
may act as proxy for his own relatives; the ordinances of the Gospel
which were laid out before the foundations of the world have thus been
fulfilled by them, and we may be baptized for those whom we have much
friendship for; but it must first be revealed to the man of God, lest
we should run too far. 'As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall
all be made alive' (1
Cor. 15:22); all shall be raised from the dead. The Lamb of God
hath brought to pass the resurrection, so that all shall rise from the
dead." - Joseph Smith, HC 6:365-66
11/12/04
"I could go back and trace every object of interest concerning the
relationship of man to God, if I had time. I can enter into the
mysteries; I can enter largely into the eternal worlds; for Jesus
said, 'In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.' (John
14:2.) Paul says, 'There is one glory of the sun, and another
glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star
differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of
the dead.' (1 Cor.
15:41.) What have we to console us in relation to the dead? We
have reason to have the greatest hope and consolation for our dead of
any people on the earth; for we have seen them walk worthily in our
midst, and seen them sink asleep in the arms of Jesus; and those who
have died in the faith are now in the celestial kingdom of God. And
hence is the glory of the sun." - Joseph Smith Jr., "The
King
Follett Sermon," Ensign, May 1971, p. 16
3/24/07
"We have again the warning voice sounded in our midst, which shows the
uncertainty of human life; and in my leisure moments I have meditated
upon the subject, and asked the question, why it is that infants,
innocent children, are taken away from us, especially those that seem
to be the most intelligent and interesting. The strongest reasons that
present themselves to my mind are these: This world is a very wicked
world; and it is a proverb that the 'world grows weaker and wiser'; if
that is the case, the world grows more wicked and corrupt. In the
earlier ages of the world a righteous man, and a man of God and of
intelligence, had a better chance to do good, to be believed and
received than at the present day; but in these days such a man is much
opposed and persecuted by most of the inhabitants of the earth, and he
has much sorrow to pass through here. The Lord takes many away even in
infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and
evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live
on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we
have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall
soon have them again." - Joseph Smith, "Teachings of the Prophet
Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith," p.196
3/7/09
"As
a Church and a people it behooves us to be wise, and to seek to know
the will of God, and then be willing to do it; for 'blessed
is he that heareth the word of the Lord, and keepeth it,'
say the Scriptures. 'Watch
and pray always,' says our
Savior, 'that ye may be
accounted worthy to escape the things that are to come on the earth,
and to stand before the Son of Man.'
If Enoch, Abraham, Moses, and the children of Israel, and all God's
people were saved by keeping the commandments of God, we, if saved at
all, shall be saved upon the same principle. As God governed Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob as families, and the children of Israel as a nation;
so we, as a Church, must be under His guidance if we are prospered,
preserved and sustained. Our only confidence can be in God; our only
wisdom obtained from Him; and He alone must be our protector and
safeguard, spiritually and temporally, or we
fall."
- Joseph Smith, "Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith," selected
and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith, p.253
2/28/10
“I
have learned by experience that the enemy of truth does not slumber,
nor cease his exertions to bias the minds of communities against the
servants of the Lord, by stirring up the indignation of men upon all
matters of importance or interest.” – “Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith,” p. 78
2/10/12
Let us take the Book of Mormon, which a man took and hid in his field,
securing it by his faith, to spring up in the last days, or in due time;
let us behold it coming forth out of the ground, which is indeed
accounted the least of all seeds, but behold it branching forth, yea,
even towering with lofty branches and God-like majesty, until it, like
the mustard seed, becomes the greatest of all herbs. And it is truth,
and it has sprouted and come forth out of the earth, and righteousness
begins to look down from heaven [see Psalm 85:11; Moses 7:62], and God
is sending down His powers, gifts, and angels to lodge in the branches
thereof. - "Truths
from the Savior’s Parables in Matthew 13," Teachings of
Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, Chapter 25
10/2/13
There are those who profess to be Saints who are too apt to murmur, and
find fault, when any advice is given, which comes in opposition to their
feelings, even when they, themselves, ask for counsel; much more so when
counsel is given unasked for, which does not agree with their notion of
things; but brethren, we hope for better things from the most of you; we
trust that you desire counsel, from time to time, and that you will
cheerfully conform to it, whenever you receive it from a proper source.
- Joseph Smith, "History of the
Church," 4:45
12/4/15
Hasten the work in the Temple, renew your exertions to forward all the
work of the last days, and walk before the Lord in soberness and
righteousness. Let the Elders and Saints do away with lightmindedness,
and be sober. (Oct. 9, 1843.) - "Teachings
of the Prophet Joseph Smith," selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding
Smith, p.326
2/23/16
I am like a huge,
rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only
polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in
contact with something else, striking with accelerated force against
religious bigotry, priestcraft, lawyer-craft, doctor-craft, lying
editors, suborned judges and jurors, and the authority of perjured
executives, backed by mobs, blasphemers, licentious and corrupt men
and women—all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there.
Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the
Almighty, who will give me dominion over all and every one of them,
when their refuge of lies shall fail, and their hiding place shall
be destroyed, while these smooth-polished stones with which I come
in contact become marred. - Joseph
Smith, "Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith," compiled by Alma
P. Burton, p.27
2/27/16
We admit that God is the great source and fountain from whence
proceeds all good; that He is perfect intelligence, and that His
wisdom is alone sufficient to govern and regulate the mighty
creations and worlds which shine and blaze with such magnificence
and splendor over our heads, as though touched with His finger and
moved by His Almighty word. ... The heavens declare the glory of a
God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork [see Psalm
19:1]; and a moment's reflection is sufficient to teach every
man of common intelligence, that all these are not the mere
productions of chance, nor could they be supported by any power less
than an Almighty hand. - Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, p.44
8/7/16
There is never a time when the spirit is too old to approach God.
All are within the reach of pardoning mercy, who have not committed
the unpardonable sin, which hath no forgiveness, neither in this
world, nor in the world to come. There is a way to release the
spirits of the dead; that is by the power and authority of the
Priesthood—by binding and loosing on earth. This doctrine appears
glorious, inasmuch as it exhibits the greatness of divine compassion
and benevolence in the extent of the plan of human salvation. – “Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith,” p.478
9/20/16
Knowledge does away with darkness, suspense and doubt; for these
cannot exist where knowledge is. … In knowledge there is power. – “Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith,” (2011), 261–70
