After enduring three years of persecution following his vision in the grove and having committed many follies attributable to his youth during this same period, Joseph Smith retired to his bed during the evening of September 21, 1823 and prayed for forgiveness of his sins and for a confirmation of his standing with God, fully expecting an answer. The confirmation he awaited came in the form of a messenger from God who introduced himself as Moroni. Moroni’s teachings were important enough that he delivered his message to the wondering youth four times in a single day. How often do we rehearse his message during our own personal gospel study?
A portion of the angel’s message to the young Joseph consisted of a recitation of various scripture verses from the Old and the New Testaments. Only a portion of the third chapter of Malachi was quoted, but it is not hard to guess at least some of the verses that were quoted given that they deal with events in the latter days. The fourth chapter of Malachi was quoted in its entirety. However, interesting changes were made to the first, fifth, and sixth verses.
Moroni quoted the first verse as follows: “For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch” (Joseph Smith - History 1:37). The words that they shall be left with neither “root nor branch” is not only interesting language but a confirmation of revealed truth in this dispensation. Having rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ and the sealing authority of the priesthood, the wicked will have in the eternities neither ancestors, that is “roots,” nor descendants, that is “branches,” since they will have no part in the patriarchal order.
The fifth and sixth verses of Malachi were quoted by Moroni as follows: “Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming” (Joseph Smith - History 1:38-39). The “promises made to the fathers” referred to by Malachi are, said Paul in the third chapter of his epistle to the Galatians, the elements of the Abrahamic covenant. We may read for ourselves the particulars of the covenant that God made with Abraham and subsequently with Isaac and with jacob in the book of Abraham 2: 8-11.
However, it should be obvious that the cleansing of the earth’s inhabitants will not be complete, as God had warned that it could be, given the work of legions of “saviors on mount Zion” (Obadiah 1:21) in the form of temple ordinance workers and temple patrons in this dispensation. Also important to this work are the many thousands of members and non-members of this Church who are gathering their family’s genealogy and family history as a result of the workings of the spirit of Elijah.
Moroni told the young Joseph that the events referred to in the eleventh chapter of Isaiah were about to be fulfilled. Let us consider briefly verses one and ten. “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” From the Doctrine and Covenants Section 113, we understand that the “stem of Jesse” is Jesus Christ. The rod is Joseph Smith, and the rod will become a branch. Now verse ten: “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” Again, according to Section 113, the “root of Jesse” is Joseph Smith and the remainder of the verse concerns the Lord’s Church which he would establish anew. We may only guess at the wonder and amazement the Prophet Joseph Smith must have experienced as he learned of the Old Testament prophecies concerning his earthly mission.
From the book of Joel, Moroni quoted the final five verses of chapter 2 with reference to the rise of the Lord’s Church, the restoration of the gospel, and other important events of the latter-days.
In his History, the Prophet Joseph Smith relates that Moroni’s quoting of these important and telling scriptures was but part of the message he received four times over. Concerning the total experience, he writes, “By this time, so deep were the impressions made on my mind, that sleep had fled from my eyes, and I lay overwhelmed in astonishment at what I had both seen and heard” (Joseph Smith - History 1:46).
The spirit of Elijah is a very powerful force for good in the world today. Temple work which is the end goal of this spirit is working not only to save souls but also to hold back the forces of evil that otherwise would have a freer hand in their attempt to engulf the world’s inhabitants. To the extent that we are involved somehow in this great work, we will enjoy the excitement that comes from research successes, the feelings of accomplishment that come from the realization of temple ordinances completed, and the inexpressible joy that we will have as we receive expressions of gratitude from our ancestors and others when eventually we meet.
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