Jaydes Posted June 2, 2022 Posted June 2, 2022 This is a revelation alleged to have been received by Joseph Smith Jr. on April 7th 1841, and entrusted with the safekeeping of John C. Bennett to be released after his death. It was made public sometime in 1845. It would later be published in Sydney Rigdon's The Messenger and Advocate, and William Smith's The Prophet. A copy would be retained by the Rigdonites. It is a matter of debate whether or not this was truly a divine revelation authored by Joseph Smith, or simply an invention of John C. Bennett to weigh in on the succession crisis. Bennett would bring the revelation with him when he joined with James Strang's Church, and the Strangites would come to adapt many of the ideas espoused in the revelation into their faith and organization. Rigdon would adopt some, but not others. Be it an obscure and forgotten revelation to Joseph Smith, or a forgotten forgery invented as a tool of credibility to be employed during the succession crisis and used by multiple key players; all the same it is a document that is obscure but of tremendous historical worth. My opinion? I think it is hard to say, especially without the original manuscript to compare things like handwriting. I think there is some things about it that support its authenticity, and other things that lead one to the conclusion it was fabricated by Bennett. At the moment I am not particularly compelled to its authenticity, but still find it to be of historical note in the events of the succession crisis and the formational doctrines of James Strang's "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints". To the text I have made some spelling corrections, but the content is unchanged. The text is as follows: "Behold my servant Joseph Smith hath been a true and faithful prophet, seer and revelator to my people and hath suffered many and grievous persecutions, afflictions and sorrows, and he shall in no case lose his reward, and he shall be a great King and Imperial Primate over all Israel; but the time will come when he shall be gathered unto his fathers and another shall take his office. Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, behold my servants Hyrum Smith and Sidney Rigdon shall be prophets, seers and revelators, and first presidents to my people, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but they shall not officiate nor usurp authority while Joseph yet liveth, yet they shall be with him in the triumvirate, and shall be viceroys in the executive dominion. One of them shall survive Joseph and shall be as Joseph unto my people; yea, he shall be the Imperial Primate to all Israel and over all authorities and ecclesiastical powers, and his counsellors shall be viceroy as in the reign of Joseph; and should I take the other to myself, what is that to thee? It is not meet that the first presidency thus constituted (the first president being imperial primate, and the councilors, viceroys, and the three composing the triumvirate,) should govern my church and the people with all singular, the plenary, temporal and spiritual powers, prerogative and immunities which appertain to their high and honorable calling, to act as executive of my church and people. Joseph, Hyrum and Sidney are fruitful vines, and in great wisdom shall they establish the saints in a perpetual foundation, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it or them; for as the key of doctrine has been given unto Joseph, so shall the key of conquest be given unto Sidney, and the great key of the father shall be given, and by them the saints shall prevail, and riches and honor, and power and dominion; and great glory shall accrue to them and their posterity after them, for ever and ever. Hearken unto me then my servant John C, Bennett, for my servant Joseph Smith's sake, saith the Lord your God, and show unto my people the pattern shown thee this day, by my servant Joseph Smith, for the organization of my people, and the full establishment of Zion, and seal up this revelation and preserve it while Joseph yet pure and sacred, and at his decease thou shalt give it to him who may be appointed to receive it: to Emma Smith, Amasa Lyman, or George W. Robinson, and the blessings of heaven shall rest upon thee, and he that blesseth thee shall be blessed, and he that curseth thee shall be cursed, for thou art sealed up and shall never fall; but shouldst thou not obey the Lord in this thing, and strictly observe the pattern shown thee by Joseph, for the organization and establishment of the Halcyon Order which excelleth all things before given unto men; or shouldst thou fail in any one thing to make the pattern complete and perfect as Joseph hath received it of me, wrath and indignation shall be poured out upon thee without mixture. Behold the great day of apostasy is at hand, and after the kingdom shall be set up there shall be great wickedness, such as never was before; and my people will reject their prophet and refuse council, and they will set up strange gods, and follow rulers that will usurp authority for filthy lucre's sake. And the apostasy shall be great, and they shall be ruled by twelve horns pushing them to destruction; but the righteous shall be saved, for they shall follow the head, and the presidency shall stand, and the horns shall be lopped off; and there shall be wars and commotions, but be not troubled, for many of the apostasy will turn to God, and he who holdeth the key of conquest shall prevail, and the remnant of my people who follow not that ruler shall be cut off from the true fold. Israel shall be rejected of their great wickedness and their abominations, for the cup of their iniquity is full, and their great city shall be destroyed, and the people shall be scattered and driven; but the true church shall be gathered to a delightsome city, and afterwards many will go unto the land that I will tell them of by my servants the prophets in that day-a land flowing with milk and honey. Thy wife Emma shall be great, for she holdeth records and a great key of knowledge that the apostasy know not of, and by it she shall have great power, for she will yet humble herself before that prophet, who shall rule in those days, and he shall lift her up, and all the saints shall bless her. Her diadem shall be brighter than the gems of Egypt, and a host shall follow her council. The glory of Zion doth not yet appear, for the kingdom that shall be set up shall be dissolved, and the kingdom holding the new keys shall prevail; and her illuminati, and her princes and her dukes, and her mighty men, and her valiant men, and her nobles, and all her faithful ones shall be prophets, priests, and kings to me, and they shall be decorated with gems and costly array, with diadems and great glory. The pattern of things is perfect, and the halcyons shall all be accepted, and most of the men whose names are given in the pattern shall be faithful and true, and they shall be great in the earth, and my servant, the prophet, holding the key of conquest, shall consummate all these things, and all who will not hearken to the voice of that king shall be cut off from amongst my people; for iniquity shall not prevail over righteousness and virtue; but the abominable, and they that do wickedly, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. Stand still, therefore, and obey God. Cease to do evil and learn to do well; for all these things shall come to pass in this generation. So mote it be. Amen. Nauvoo, III, April 7, 1841. To whom it may concern: This is to certify that Gen. John C. Bennett, having promised me, under a most solemn oath this day, that he will faithfully preserve the within revelation, and hand it over to an authorized agent of the church, should he survive me. I have communicated to him the full pattern in whole and in part, as within alluded to, with the names of the men whom I desire to fill the alternate stations, &c. &c. and he has more faithfully to confer all the degrees, or enable some other person to do so, as I have shown him both the pattern and the names. It is my desire that the full organization should take place as soon after my decease as practicable. Given under my hand and seal the day and year above written. Joseph Smith." 1
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