Who was Joseph Smith?

Joseph Smith was born in Sharon, Vermont in 1805.

According to extracts from the History of the Church, Volume 1, Chapters 1-5, when he was 15 years old, Joseph Smith claimed that two heavenly personages, known as Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, appeared to him out of his desire to know which of the christian sects in his region of the country was correct.

He was answered that he must join none of them for they were all wrong and that all their creeds were an abomination in His sight (JSH, 1:18-19).

In 1823, an angel called Moroni appeared to Mr. Smith and informed him about gold plates which contained what later would be known as the Book of Mormon. He received the plates in 1827 and then proceeded to finish the Book of Mormon's publication circa 1830 in Palmyra, New York.

While it was noble for someone like Joseph Smith to inquire about God's truth, it seems that what followed him and his teachings was a path which led to opposition of Biblical teachings that were and still are precious to orthodox Christian believers.

While Timothy wrote, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:15-17), Joseph Smith either created or led to the creation of a Mormon Article of Faith which states that the Bible is the Word of God as far as it is translated correctly.   The LDS belief in the Book of Mormon as the Word of God does not come with the same qualifier.

Joseph Smith lacked faith in the authenticity of the Bible to such a degree that he began his own work on a new translation of the Holy Bible.  It was called the Joseph Smith Translation.  While not in use by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are a wholesale replacement of the King James Version, it highlights some of passages which Joseph Smith were lost or wrong in the Bible.  The Community of Christ, an offshoot sect created under the leadership/prophethood of Joseph Smith III, seems to have used this translation in a more prevalent way in their theology.

While this web site is not devoted to a complete analysis of Joseph Smith's Translation, it is prudent to analyze one key passage in the Book of Revelation that Joseph Smith believes was in need of a new translation, or correction.

This passage proves difficult for Latter-day Saints to digest when one attempts to answer the following questions.

According to the Joseph Smith Translation of Revelation 12 at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/jst/jst-rev/12?lang=eng, the LDS Church says the woman represents the Church, the child represents the kingdom of God, and the rod of iron represents the word of God.

How is it possible that the woman (the Church) fled into the wilderness on earth (verse 5) before the war in heaven and before the earth was even formed (verse 6)?

Verse 10 says "For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night."

When did the devil ever accuse the brethren before God day and night before the earth was formed?

Verse 14 says "Therefore, to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might flee into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent."

This doesn't align well with the LDS Church's teaching that the Church was destroyed from off the face of the earth shortly after the apostles died instead of existing on the earth but in the wilderness (Gospel Principles, 1997, "and soon the destruction of the Church was complete", page 105).

It should also be worth noting that the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) changes Revelation 12:5.

"And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore years".

Verse 1 says "And there appeared a great sign in heaven, in the likeness of things on the earth; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars".

Isn't this a picture of the nation of Israel (Genesis 37:9) and not the Church?

Why is the rest of the Joseph Smith Translation completely silent on the child after the war in heaven and the devil being cast to the earth? Does the LDS Church believe that the woman (the Church) exists without the child (the kingdom of God) on the earth?

While Joseph Smith's early teachings reflected a belief in one God, over time he began teaching the existence of a plurality of Gods, even a God who was not God from all eternity.  To this day, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that Heavenly Father's main work is to make people like him - a god (more appropriately a God; an exalted being).

This is similar to the Roman Catholic's teaching on the deification of man from Article 460 of the Catechism:

Compare this statement with some important Biblical truths:

"Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me" (Isaiah 43:10).

"Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God" (Isaiah 44:6).