The Lord Pours Out His Blessings Upon The Honest In Heart, Kirtland Part 3

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kirtland r.m.
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The Lord Pours Out His Blessings Upon The Honest In Heart, Kirtland Part 3

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I have posted some amazing experiences of the Kirtland Saints, here are more.
Elizabeth Whitney writes of when she and her husband met Joseph Smith, and how that meeting fulfilled a revelation the Whitneys received while praying.

"One night, it was midnight—my husband and I were in our house at Kirtland, praying to the Father to be shown the way when the Spirit rested upon us and a cloud overshadowed the house. It was as though we were out of doors. The house passed away from our vision. We were not conscious of anything but the presence of the spirit and the cloud that was over us. We were wrapped in the cloud. A solemn awe pervaded us. We saw the cloud and felt the Spirit of the Lord. Then we heard a voice out of the cloud saying, 'Prepare to receive the word of the Lord, for it is coming.' At this we marveled greatly, but from that moment we knew that the word of the Lord was coming to Kirtland."

In the Whitney family history, they write that "about the first of February, 1831, a sleigh containing four persons, drove through the streets of Kirtland and drew up in front of Gilbert & Whitney's store. The occupants of the sleigh were evenly divided as to sex. One of the men, a young and stalwart personage, alighted, and springing up the steps walked into the store and to where the junior partner was standing. 'Newel K. Whitney, thou art the man!' he exclaimed, extending his hand cordially, as if to an old and familiar acquaintance.

Newel K. Whitney Meets Joseph Smith "'You have the advantage of me,' replied the one addressed, as he mechanically took the proffered hand. 'I could not call you by name as you have me.'

"'I am Joseph the Prophet' said the stranger, smiling. 'You've prayed me here; now what do you want of me?' The Prophet, it is said, while in the East, had seen the Whitneys, in a vision, praying for his coming to Kirtland.

"Newell Whitney, astonished, but no less delighted, conducted the party across the street to his house on the corner, where he introduced them to his wife. She shared fully his surprise and pleasure. Elizabeth Whitney writes, 'I remarked to my husband that this was the fulfillment of the vision we had seen of a cloud, as of glory, resting upon our house.'

"To bring the revelation about the Whitney's receiving the word of God to pass yet more literally, during the time the Prophet resided with them, and under their very roof, a number of the revelations were given, now recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants."

Sources:
Elizabeth Ann Whitney, Autobiography, 1800-1882, Cited in Edward W. Tullidge, "The Women of Mormondom", New York, 1877
Orson F. Whitney, Saturday Night Thoughts, p.33
http://www.moroni10.com/mormon_history/ ... itney.html

Heber C. Kimball, an Apostle and councilor to President Brigham Young was blessed with the gift of prophesy among other things, and this was widely known by the saints. As a few church leaders first looked upon the area that would become Nauvoo, he said "'It's a very pretty place, but not long abiding home for the saints.'" Many of the saints were troubled when word got back to them of what he had said, Sidney Rigdon included, for they knew of Heber's gift from the Lord.

Here is an example of what's inside from chapter three. "On one occasion," says Heber, "Father John Young, Brigham Young, Joseph Young and myself had come together to get up some wood for Phineas H. Young. While we were thus engaged we were pondering upon those things which had been told us by the Elders, and upon the saints gathering to Zion, when the glory of God shone upon us, and we saw the gathering of the saints to Zion, and the glory that would rest upon them; and many more things connected with that great event, such as the sufferings and persecutions that would come upon the people of God, and the calamities and judgments that would come upon the world.

"These things caused such great joy to spring up in our bosoms that we were hardly able to contain ourselves, and we did shout aloud 'Hosannah to God and the Lamb.'"

This heavenly vision, vouchsafed as the reward of faith and pure desires, only made them eager to know more of the "marvelous work and wonder" which the God of Israel had set His hand to perform, in fulfillment of the words of His ancient prophets. The Holy Ghost had fallen upon them, as on Cornelius of old, before baptism. They had plucked from the Tree of Life, from branches overhanging the wall, luscious fruit, whose sweetness and flavor made them long to enter the garden and more fully satisfy the desire of their souls.
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/353 ... mages.html

John Murdock sees the Savior( John was a missionary companion of Zebedee Coltrin, and was present at the School of the Prophets when the Father and the Son were seen there).

John Murdock, who was boarding with the Prophet during the spring of 1833, described in his journal the experience he had while attending one of the meetings in the Prophet’s home:
John Murdock 1792-1871 This photo(see link) was taken in 1850. Source: The Joseph Smith Papers.
The Prophet told us if we could humble ourselves before God, and exercise strong faith, we should see the face of the Lord. And about midday the visions of my mind were opened, and the eyes of my understanding were enlightened, and I saw the form of a man, most lovely, the visage of his face was sound and fair as the sun. His hair a bright silver gray, curled in most majestic form. His eyes a keen penetrating blue, and the skin of his neck a most beautiful white and he was covered from the neck to the feet with a loose garment, pure white, whiter than any garment I have ever before seen. His countenance was most penetrating, and yet most lovely. And while I was endeavoring to comprehend the whole personage from head to feet it slipped from me, and the vision was closed. . . . But it left on my mind the impression of love, for months, that I never felt before to that degree.

Notes

Milton V. Backman, Heavens Resound: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Ohio 1830-1838, p. 267. See also: Journal of John Murdock, 1833.


Mary Lightner’s experience meeting Joseph Smith
Posted on June 9, 2011 by LDS Scripture Teachings

Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner 1818-1913 is perhaps best known among Latter-day Saints as the young woman who, with her sister, Caroline, rushed to save unbound sheets of Joseph Smith’s revelations while a mob was tearing down the Church’s printing office in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri.

Well, my young brethren, I can say I never was more surprised in my life than to be called upon to speak to you young men who are called upon to go into the mission field to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth. It is true I have been in the Church from its beginning. Just six months after it was organized, I joined it. I have been acquainted with all of those who were first members of this Church, with all of those who saw the plates and handled them, with even those who saw the angel Moroni who came to them. I am well acquainted with every one of them and I have known them from the time that they came to Ohio until their death; and I am the only living witness who was at the first meeting that the Prophet [Joseph Smith] held in Kirtland.

The Smith family was driven from New York, and a small church had been organized. Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer, and Ziba Peterson were members. Well, I being anxious, though young, to learn about the plates from those who knew all about it, my mother and I went up to the Smith family the next night after they came to Kirtland. As I went in, there were two or three others present. They were all there, from the old gentleman and his wife to all the sons and daughters. As we stood there talking to them, Joseph and Martin Harris came in. Joseph looked around very solemnly. It was the first time some of them had ever seen him.

Said he, “There are enough here to hold a little meeting.” They got a board and put it across two chairs to make seats. Martin Harris sat on a little box at Joseph’s feet. They sang and prayed. Joseph got up and began to speak to us. As he began to speak very solemnly and very earnestly, all at once his countenance changed and he stood mute. Those who looked at him that day said there was a search light within him, over every part of his body. I never saw anything like it on the earth. I could not take my eyes off him; he got so white that anyone who saw him would have thought he was transparent. I remember I thought I could almost see the cheek bones through the flesh. I have been through many changes since but that is photographed on my brain. I shall remember it and see in my mind’s eye as long as I remain upon the earth.

He stood some moments. He looked over the congregation as if to pierce every heart. He said, “Do you know who has been in your midst?” One of the Smiths said an angel of the Lord. Martin Harris said, “It was our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Joseph put his hand down on Martin and said: “God revealed that to you. Brethren and sisters, the Spirit of God has been here. The Savior has been in your midst this night and I want you to remember it. There is a veil over your eyes for you could not endure to look upon Him. You must be fed with milk, not with strong meat. I want you to remember this as if it were the last thing that escaped my lips. He has given all of you to me and has sealed you up to everlasting life that where he is, you may be also. And if you are tempted of Satan say, ‘Get behind me, Satan.'”

These words are figured upon my brain and I never took my eye off his countenance. Then he knelt down and prayed. I have never heard anything like it before or since. I felt that he was talking to the Lord and that power rested down upon the congregation. Every soul felt it. The spirit rested upon us in every fiber of our bodies, and we received a sermon from the lips of the representative of God.


Address at Brigham Young University, April 14, 1905, typescript, BYU. See also Diary of Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner, “Young Womens Journal, XVI, December 1905, p. 556-557.

The following account comes to us from chapter 6 of the book entitled, The Prophet Joseph: Essays on the Life and Mission of Joseph Smith, by Larry Porter and Susan Easton Black:

The power that rested upon Joseph Smith in his prophetic calling manifested itself in many other ways in Kirtland. The power to heal, as taught by James (see James 5:14-15), was also frequently exercised by the Prophet in Ohio. One of the earliest evidences of the gift of healing led to the conversion of the John Johnson family, as well as of a Methodist minister, Ezra Booth. John and Elsa Johnson had come from Hiram, Ohio, with Ezra Booth to meet this man of God they had heard so much about since his arrival in Kirtland. In their first interview, the Prophet asked Elsa Johnson if she believed that God could heal her arm, using him as an instrument. Her reply was yes. Joseph remarked simply that he would visit her the next day. The next day he went to the home of Bishop Newel K. Whitney, where the Johnsons were staying. During a conversation concerning the supernatural gifts conferred in the days of the apostles, someone said, “Here is Mrs. Johnson with a lame arm; has God given any power to man on earth to cure her?” In a few moments the conversation had turned to another subject, when quietly Joseph Smith got up from his chair and walked to Elsa Johnson. Taking her by the hand, he said, “in the most solemn and impressive manner: ‘Woman, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I command thee to be whole.'” Immediately he left the house. “The company were awe-stricken at the infinite presumption of the man, and the calm assurance with which he spoke.” Ezra Booth then asked Elsa if her arm was healed. “She immediately stretched out her arm straight, remarking at the same time, ‘it’s as well as the other.'” 1

This experience helped convince John and Elsa Johnson that Joseph was what he claimed to be, a prophet of God. So impressed were they that they invited him and Sidney Rigdon to move to Hiram, Ohio, and live with them. This invitation appealed to the Prophet, for persecution was beginning to mount, and he was finding it difficult to continue his important work on the translation of the Bible. Once more Joseph gathered his family and his meager belongings and made the thirty-mile move to Hiram, Ohio.

Philo Dibble’s account, Philo Dibble 1806-1895

When Joseph came to Kirtland his fame spread far and wide. There was a woman living in the town of Hiram, forty miles from Kirtland, who had a crooked arm, which she had not been able to use for a long period. She persuaded her husband, whose name was [John] Johnson, to take her to Kirtland to get her arm healed.

I saw them as they passed my house on their way. She [Elsa Johnson] went to Joseph and requested him to heal her. Joseph asked her if she believed the Lord was able to make him an instrument in healing her arm. She said she believed the Lord was able to heal her arm.

Joseph put her off till the next morning, when he met her at Brother [Newel K.] Whitney’s house. There were eight persons present, one a Methodist preacher, and one a doctor. Joseph took her [Elsa Johnson] by the hand, prayed in silence a moment, pronounced her arm whole, in the name of Jesus Christ, and turned and left the room.

The preacher asked her if her arm was whole, and she straightened it out and replied: “It is as good as the other.” The question was then asked if it would remain whole. Joseph hearing this, answered and said: “It is as good as the other, and as liable to accident as the other.”

The doctor who witnessed this miracle came to my house the next morning and related the circumstance to me. He attempted to account for it by his false philosophy, saying that Joseph took her by the hand, and seemed to be in prayer, and pronounced her arm whole in the name of Jesus Christ, which excited her and started perspiration, and that relaxed the cords of her arm. I subsequently rented my farm and devoted all my time to the interest of the Church, holding myself in readiness to take Joseph wherever he wished to go. 2

Amos S. Hayden’s account

Ezra Booth, of Mantua, a Methodist preacher of much more than ordinary culture, and with strong natural abilities, in company with his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, and some other citizens of this place, (Hiram) visited Smith at his home in Kirtland, in 1831. Mrs. Johnson had been afflicted for some time with a lame arm, and was not at the time of the visit able to lift her hand to her head. The party visited Smith partly out of curiosity, and partly to see for themselves what there might be in the new doctrine. During the interview the conversation turned on the subject of supernatural gifts, such as were conferred in the days of the apostles. Some one said, “Here is Mrs. Johnson with a lame arm; has God given any power to men now on earth to cure her?” A few moments later, when the conversation had turned in another direction, Smith arose, and walking across the room, and taking Mrs. Johnson by the hand, said in the most solemn and impressive manner: “Woman, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command thee to be whole,” and immediately left the room. The company were awe-stricken at the infinite presumption of the man, and the calm assurance with which he spoke. The sudden mental and moral shock—I know not how better to explain the well-attested fact, electrified the rheumatic arm—Mrs. Johnson at once lifted it with ease, and on her return home the next day she was able to do her washing without difficulty or pain. 3

Notes

1. Oliver B. Huntington, Young Woman’s Journal, vol. 2, no. 5 (Feb. 1891), pp. 225-26. See also Amos Sutton Hayden, Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve (Cincinnati, Ohio: Chase and Hall, 1876), pp. 250-51; Smith, History of the Church, 1:215-16.
2. Philo Dibble Autobiography (1806-c. 1843),” Early Scenes in Church History, Four Faith Promoting Classics (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1968), 79.
3. A Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1:278.

Heber C. Kimball Healed in Kirtland 1837
Posted on December 14, 2016 by LDS Scripture Teachings

Heber C. Kimball healed by the power of the priesthood
Heber C. Kimball 1801-1868

While I was in the Kirtland Temple, June 4, 1837, the Prophet Joseph came to me and said, “Brother Heber, the Spirit of the Lord has whispered to me, saying: ‘Let my servant, Heber, go to England and proclaim my gospel, and open the door of salvation to that nation.’”

A short time previous to starting, I was laid prostrate on my bed from a stitch in my back, which suddenly seized me while chopping and drawing wood for my family. I could not stir a limb without calling out from the severeness of the pain.

Joseph, hearing of it, came to see me, bringing Oliver Cowdery and Bishop Partridge with him. They prayed for and blessed me, Joseph being mouth, beseeching God to raise me up. The Prophet then took me by the right hand and said, “Brother Heber, I take you by the right hand in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and by virtue of the Holy Priesthood vested in me I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to arise, and be thou made whole.”

I arose from my bed, put on my clothes and felt no more of the pain afterwards.


Notes

Helen Mar Kimball, Woman’s View: Helen Mar Whitney’s Reminiscences of Early Church History, p. 92-93. Orson F. Whitney, The Life of Heber C. Kimball, p. 106. See also: Heber C. Kimball, Woman’s Exponent, IX (August 1, 1880), p. 39; (September 15, 1880), p. 59; (November 1, 1880), p. 82; (November 15, 1880), p. 90; X (May 15, 1881), p. 186; Hyrum L. Andrus and Helen Mae Andrus, comps., They Knew the Prophet [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1974], 37

The Kirtland Temple Seen in Vision by others, and Joseph Smith’s vision of the temple

On June 1, 1833 the Lord instructed the Prophet Joseph Smith that he would reveal the design of the Kirtland Temple to him when he made the following statement:

Therefore, let it [the temple] be built after the manner which I shall show unto three of you, whom ye shall appoint and ordain unto this power. And the size thereof shall be fifty and five feet in width, and let it be sixty-five feet in length, in the inner court thereof. And let the lower part of the inner court be dedicated unto me for your sacrament offering, and for your preaching, and your fasting, and your praying, and the offering up of your most holy desires unto me, saith your Lord. And let the higher part of the inner court be dedicated unto me for the school of mine apostles, saith Son Ahman; or, in other words, Alphus; or, in other words, Omegus; even Jesus Christ your Lord. Amen. (D&C 95:14-17)

Frederick G. Williams 1787-1842

During the week following the June 1, 1833 revelation, Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, who together constituted the presidency of the high priesthood (later known as the First Presidency), were appointed as a committee to whom God would show how the temple was to be built. These three men recorded that shortly after receiving this appointment at a council two days later, they knelt in collective prayer and had a vision in which they viewed the exterior and interior elements of the temple. This vision allowed them to draw architectural plans for the House of the Lord.

After viewing the exterior in detail, “the building seemed to come right over [them]” and they saw the interior of the building as if they were actually inside of it. 1

Frederick G. Williams recalled:

“We went upon our knees,” he remembered, “called on the Lord, and the Building appeared within viewing distance: I being the first to discover it. Then all of us viewed it together. After we had taken a good look at the exterior, the building seemed to come right over us.” 2

Some favored constructing the temple of logs or lumber, but the Prophet responded: “I have a better plan than that. I have a plan of the house of the Lord, given by himself.” 3

Later, when the temple was nearing completion, Frederick G. Williams said that it looked like the model he had seen in vision to the smallest detail and that he could not tell the difference. The building, he said, “seemed to coincide with that I there saw to a minutia.” 4


Notes

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 271). See also Richard Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, p. 218.
In The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Lyndon W. Cook [1981], 198. See also Marvin E. Smith, “The Builder,” Improvement Era, October, 1942, 630.
Joseph Smith, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts, 2nd ed. rev. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1957), 1:352; Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, ed. Preston Nibley (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954), 230; Elwin C. Robison,The First Mormon Temple (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 1997), 8; also, Robison, on page 24 note 2, states that Joseph Smith described his vision of the temple at a meeting on June 4, 1833, even though nothing is mentioned of it in History of the Church, 1:352. Perhaps he is linking that event with the meeting described in Lucy Mack Smith’s history.
Truman O. Angell autobiography, photocopy of typescript, 4, Church History Library, Salt Lake City.
https://ldsscriptureteachings.org/2018/ ... in-vision/

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kirtland r.m.
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Re: The Lord Pours Out His Blessings Upon The Honest In Heart, Kirtland Part 3

Post by kirtland r.m. »

Joseph Smith Prediction of Stars Falling From Heaven

Philo Dibble records Joseph's prophecy and it's spectacular fulfillment.

"On one occasion Joseph was preaching in Kirtland in the fall of the year 1833 [October 5]. Quite a number of persons were present who did not belong to the Church; and one man, more bitter and skeptical than the others, made note with pencil and paper of the prophecy uttered on that occasion, wherein Joseph said that 'Forty days shall not pass and the stars shall fall from heaven.'

"On the thirty-ninth day after the utterance of that prophecy a brother in the Church, Joseph Hancock and another man were out hunting game and got lost. They wandered about until night, when they found themselves at the home of this unbeliever, who exultingly produced this note of Joseph Smith's prophecy and asked Brother Hancock what he thought of his prophet now that thirty-nine days had passed an the prophecy was not fulfilled.

"Brother Hancock was unmoved and quietly remarked, 'There is one night left of the time and if Joseph said so, the stars will certainly fall tonight. This prophecy will all be fulfilled.'


"The matter weighed upon the mind of Brother Hancock, who watched that night and it proved to be the historical one known in the entire world as 'The Night of Falling Stars.'

"He stayed that night at the home of the skeptic unbeliever, as it was too far from home to return by night; and in the midst of the falling of the stars he went to the door of his house and called him out to witness what he thought impossible and the most improbably thing that could happen, especially as that was the last night in which Joseph Smith could be saved from the condemnation of a 'false prophet'.

"The whole heavens were lit up with the falling meteors and the countenance of the skeptic as he viewed the spectacle was plainly seen and closely watched by Brother Hancock, who said that he turned pale as death and spoke not a word.

"After that event the unbeliever sought the company of any Latter-day Saint. .... Not long afterwards, too, he sent for Joseph and Hyrum to come to his house, which they did."

This leonid meteor shower took place on November 13, 1833, and is still regarded as one of the most spectacular showers in recorded history.






Source:
Parry Edwin. "Philo Dibble Narrative." Stories about Joseph Smith. Salt Lake City, 1934

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kirtland r.m.
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Posts: 5096

Re: The Lord Pours Out His Blessings Upon The Honest In Heart, Kirtland Part 3

Post by kirtland r.m. »

Here is a little more on this experience.
The whole heavens were lit up with the falling meteors, and the countenance of the new spectator was plainly seen and closely watched by Brother Hancock, who said that he turned pale as death, and spoke not a word.

After that event the unbeliever sought the company of any Latter-day Saint. He even enticed Mormon children to keep him company at his house. Not long afterwards, too, he sent for Joseph and Hyrum to come to his house, which they did, but with no noticeable results, for I believe he never received the gospel. Philo Dibble, "Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith," The Juvenile Instructor 27 (1892) http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/REC-JS.html

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