LeGrand L. Baker

Jacob 7:26-27 — LeGrand Baker — Jacob’s farewell

Jacob 7:26-27
26   And it came to pass that I, Jacob, began to be old; and the record of this people being kept on the other plates of Nephi, wherefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days.
27   And I, Jacob, saw that I must soon go down to my grave; wherefore, I said unto my son Enos: Take these plates. And I told him the things which my brother Nephi had commanded me, and he promised obedience unto the commands. And I make an end of my writing upon these plates, which writing has been small; and to the reader I bid farewell, hoping that many of my brethren may read my words. Brethren, adieu (Jacob 7:26-27).

There are so many places in the Book of Mormon where age and maturity speak with wisdom and sophistication far beyond the years of the young Prophet Joseph when he translated it. These verses are an example:  “… the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream,” When one has accumulated many years, he looks back to the days of his youth as though they were not quite real. The person who was then, no longer is. The world in which the boy and youth once roamed has disappeared. The adults who dominated his young existence no longer live. The ambitions, fears, hopes and frustrations he felt then, have been modified by time so they are matured into reality, or else they are no longer relevant. Thoreau once observed that as one grows older, one does not change, he only becomes more like himself. To the degree that is good and true, to that degree, one’s life has been a success. To the degree that one has violated the law of one’s own being, his life is a failure. I once heard an old man ask, Do you want to know what will happen to you on judgement day, I will tell you how. Close your eyes, move back in the time where your mind can find a little boy, yourself when you were about 8 years old. Reach out to that little boy and lift him up on your lap. Open your soul to him and let him look inside. Tell him who you are, what you have become, and how you came to be that way. Watch his face. Does he like you. Have you personified his sense of what is good and right. If that innocent little boy smiles, and embraces you as a friend, then you will know this: on judgement day, God will do the same, and you may count your life a success.

Jacob’s life is that way. The things which are obscured as in a distant dream are only the unhappy things.

… we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days.

But for Jacob, there is a reality which is neither negated nor diluted by his old age or pending death:

I make an end of my writing upon these plates, which writing has been small; and to the reader I bid farewell, hoping that many of my brethren may read my words. Brethren, adieu.

The sorrows and frustrations of his life, as a dream, may pass away, but his testimony remains indelible, unaffected by either space or time.

Jacob 7:20-23 — LeGrand Baker — Sherem

Jacob 7:20-23
20   And it came to pass that when he [Sherem] had said these words he could say no more, and he gave up the ghost.
21   And when the multitude had witnessed that he spake these things as he was about to give up the ghost, they were astonished exceedingly; insomuch that the power of God came down upon them, and they were overcome that they fell to the earth.
22   Now, this thing was pleasing unto me, Jacob, for I had requested it of my Father who was in heaven; for he had heard my cry and answered my prayer.
23   And it came to pass that peace and the love of God was restored again among the people; and they searched the scriptures, and hearkened no more to the words of this wicked man.

This is a strange story. From the reading it appears that Sherem died because Jacob prayed for him to die. Such a story is difficult to understand for two reasons. First, because we tend to think of death as a kind of termination, even though our testimonies are sufficient to teach us that death is a kind of birth, and that Sherem’s death did not terminate his existence, it only restricted his influence. Second, as we look back in history we see lots of people whom we suppose would have caused a lot less trouble if they had just managed to die a little sooner than they did. Hitler and Stalin who were responsible for millions of deaths, are easy examples. It sounds like a cop-out to say “Well, we just don’t know the will of God.” People always say that when they have nothing more intelligent to say. Yet, that is very probably the correct answer.

President Benson frequently wrote and said (I personally heard him say it at least twice) that freedom is lost by bloodshed, and so, can only be regained by bloodshed. If evil social and political powers are to be rendered impotent, people must use force to put things right. Force against force equals war. In the early 19th century one would have felt justified in putting Napoleon in that list with Hitler and Stalin. Napoleon, like Hitler, conquered Europe then was defeated by the Russian winter. But nowadays Napoleon is so far away in time that we forget his megalomania and remember that he broke down many of the medieval walls of Europe, established a uniform Napoleonic code, and laid the foundation for what is now an increasingly probable united Europe. Hitler is called the “world’s greatest Zionist” by those who believe his persecution of the Jews was the most important factor in the world’s Jewish leaders’ deciding to support the state of Israel. Stalin created the greatest empire in the history of the world.

That empire spread over almost all of the world where LDS missionaries could not then go. In a little over half a century that empire imposed a Communist hope which could not be fulfilled, destroyed the “traditions of the fathers” which precluded the missionaries, then the empire collapsed. Now the missionaries can go almost everywhere, walking over the ashes of tradition which Communism left behind. It seems to me that the scriptures which talk about evil men destroying evil men may be applicable here (admitting many died who were not evil, but also admitting that death does not end life or progression, and probably does not even entirely terminate one’s interactive experience here.) One also remembers the Saviour’s statement that evil things must happen but wo to him by whom they happen. When one reads the prophecies, it is apparent that the plans and decisions of the Council in Heaven included wars and other catastrophes which would alter, and ultimately reorganize human society so the Gospel could be preached to every individual, and so the Saviour could ultimately reign here in peace. So it is not possible to say with certainty that Napoleon, Hitler, and Stalin acted contrary to the predictions of the Council.

Another example is James J. Strang, a relatively new convert in Nauvoo, who forged a paper from Joseph Smith which appointed Strang to be the new prophet. A number of people in Nauvoo followed him. Apostle Orson Hyde was in Nauvoo, trying to keep Strang from playing havoc with the saints there. On April 5, 1846, he wrote in a letter which was published in the Millennial Star on May 15, 1848, p. 156-158. In the letter Hyde quoted a revelation which he received regarding Strang and his followers. It reads,

In my meditation, this morning, the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and I was moved to write: and being grieved in my spirit on account of false pretenses by evil designing persons to gain power, and lead away this flock of God; It whispered to me and said:
Evil men, ambitious of power, must needs arise among you, and they shall be led by their own self-will and not by me. Yet they are instruments in my hands, and are peermitted to try my people, and to collect from among them those who are not the elect, and such as are unworthy of eternal life. Grieve not after them, neither mourn nor be alarmed. My people know my voice and also the voice of my spirit, and a stranger they will not follow; therefore such as follow strangers are not my people. Behold James J. Strang hath cursed my people by his own spirit and not by mine.

The revelation then goes on to say the Church is in good hands, and the Twelve will direct it properly.

The situation in Nauvoo was different from the situation in the Nephite colony at the time of Jacob. In 1844, as the church was in transition and moving west, it needed a good pruning. But in Jacob’s time, the colony was too young to prune, so other steps had to be taken.

So that brings us back to the question, why will the Lord move Sherem out of the way, at the prayer of Jacob, and not answer the prayers of millions of people who wanted Hitler dead so WW II would end. If there is an answer, and I believe there is, that answer is probably this. The Lord could turn the horrors of WW II to his own ends, but Sherem’s program would have defeated the will and frustrated the decisions of the Council. It is easy to see how. The Nephite colony was very young. If Sherem had succeeded in destroying the worship of Christ from among that small group of people, all of their descendants would have had no more chance to know the truth than did the children of the Lamanites. In other words, Sherem and his program threatened the whole Christian history told in the Book of Mormon. If he had succeeded the history told in that book would not have happened, the testimonies would not have happened, nor would they have been written, and you and I , and the whole modern world, would not have the Book of Mormon as a part of the restored gospel. Sherem was challenging much more than just Jacob, he was threatening to negate the promises which the Lord had made to Jacob, Joseph of Egypt, Lehi, Nephi, and other prophets that the Nephites would be a righteous people. So Sherem had to be removed from exercising influence which could mess up the entire plan.

There is a similar story in early LDS church history. After the Saints had been driven from Missouri and had settled in Nauvoo, Thomas Reynolds, governor of Missouri, made it his personal mission in life to destroy the Prophet Joseph. When someone shot at ex-governor Boggs, Reynolds sent to Illinois Gov. Ford demanding the extradition of Joseph and Porter Rockwell for the attempted murder. Ford cooperated but Joseph escaped through a writ of habeas corpus which he secured in Nauvoo. Now in the spring of 1844, Reynolds was trying again. This time he had been assured of the cooperation of Thomas Sharp at Warsaw, and Robert F. Smith and his Anti-Mormon Central Committee of Correspondence. The Anti-Mormons had promised that if Missourians came to Illinois to arrest the Prophet again, they would give them their full support.

During their September, 1843, meeting, the Anti-Mormons had resolved that the president should contact Governor Reynolds to work out plans for another extradition attempt against the Prophet. Then, during their February, 1844, convention the Anti-Mormons officially resolved that they would give Reynold’s next extradition attempt their full support when it was attempted. (The Anti-Mormons were a political organization of Hancock county. Robert F. Smith was the chairman of their executive committee, called the Central Committee of Correspondence. He was also the justice of the peace who sent Joseph to Carthage jail, and also the captain of the Carthage Greys who were “guarding” the jail when the mob from Warsaw [probably led by Sharp] attacked the jail and killed Joseph and Hyrum) So Governor Reynolds had sufficient allies in Illinois to be assured that this time he could take the Prophet prisoner and whisk him off to Missouri. Apparently the plans between Reynolds and Robert F. Smith were already made.

Consider how that would have disrupted everything. In the spring of 1844, Joseph’s mission here was reaching a climax and he was making the final preparations for his own death – restoring the temple endowment to the twelve, giving them instructions about not only the endowment but also about the organization of the Kingdom of God, making initial plans to go west, and giving all of the priesthood keys and instructions of the government of church and the kingdom to the Twelve. If Reynolds had kidnaped Joseph at that juncture in church history, if Joseph had been imprisoned so he could not do all those things, or if he had been prematurely killed, it would have prevented Joseph from doing the things which he had been ordained to do in the Council. Reynolds was defying the Council decisions in the same way Sherem had. And with the same results.

At this juncture, something unexpected happened. While Governor Reynolds was alone in his office he put a rifle barrel in his mouth and blew out his own brains. In Warsaw, Sharp was mortified. He reported in the Signal,

“Death of Gov. Reynolds. Our city is overshadowed with gloom and distress! Governor Reynolds is no more! He has perished by his own hand!”  (Warsaw Signal, Warsaw, Illinois, 28 Feb. 1844.)

Reynolds death meant that whatever plans had been made between himself and Robert F. Smith’s committee would not come to fruition.

Jacob 7:11 — LeGrand Baker — true and false prophets

Jacob 7:11
11   Behold, I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ.

Every true prophet has testified of Christ. That is not only an overwhelming testimony of the Saviour, it is also the litmus test by which one can judge the validity of the prophet. Not only will a true prophet speak of Christ, and correctly teach his atonement, but he will also speak of him in the context of eternal covenants which we have/do/will make with him. It is amply proven in human history that false prophets, false teachers, and false kings can speak of Christ. But they are easily identifiable as false, though usually not by the people who live within the power of their political and cultural influence. They can be judged by their definition of the attributes of Christ’s person and personality, and even more easily by their understanding of the ordinances and covenants.

The Saviour’s own criteria for how to judge a true prophet is most apt here. The following is a long quote, one which you are already familiar with, but which is usually broken into segments so that the meaning which one would find in its continuity is lost in the pieces.

13   Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, which leadeth to destruction, and many there be who go in thereat;
14   Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (3 Nephi 14:13-23).

Jacob’s words make it clear what the “gate” is. He said:

41   O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.
42   And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them (2 Nephi 9:41-42).

15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them (3 Nephi 14:13-23).

I suspect the only fruit which is relevant here is the fruit of the tree of life. If they do not have it, they cannot give it to others.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?

There are two sorts of people to whom that applies equally: The first is those who claim a false priesthood and seek to use it as though it were true. The second is those who have a true priesthood and use it falsely or for self-aggrandizing purposes.

23 And then will I profess unto them: I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity (3 Nephi 14:13-23).

The Prophet Joseph placed himself in that same category of “prophet” as the ancient prophets, and explained why he had a valid claim to such a title.

If any person should ask me if I were a prophet, I should not deny it, as that would give me the lie; for, according to John, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy; therefore, if I profess to be a witness or teacher, and have not the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus, I must be a false witness; but if I be a true teacher and witness, I must possess the spirit of prophecy, and that constitutes a prophet; and any man who says he is a teacher or a preacher of righteousness, and denies the spirit of prophecy, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; and by this key false teachers and impostors may be detected.  (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 269 and DHC 5:215-16)

To the question, “Do you [the Mormons] believe Joseph Smith, Jun., to be a Prophet?” Joseph responded,

Yes, and every other man who has the testimony of Jesus. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Then he quoted Revelation 19:10, which reads, “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See that thou do it not; I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus; worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. ” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 119.)

The Prophet Joseph’s statement that “every other man who has the testimony of Jesus” is a prophet, is not only consistent with the teachings of the scriptures, it is the key to happiness in this world and to eternal life in the world to come. What follows are the statements of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, and Joseph F. Smith which say Latter-day Saints not only have the right to be prophets in their own lives — in the conduct of their daily affairs, but, indeed, they must be. In these statements the men whom we revere as prophets indicate that an important purpose of the spirit of prophecy is to teach us how to live in the present. Two statements by the Prophet Joseph explain why that is so.

Faith comes by hearing the word of God, through the testimony of the servants of God; that testimony is always attended by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 148)

Salvation cannot come without revelation; it is in vain for anyone to minister without it.

No man is a minister of Jesus Christ without being a Prophet. No man can be a minister of Jesus Christ except he has the testimony of Jesus; and this is the spirit of prophecy. Whenever salvation has been administered, it has been by testimony.  (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.160)

But the Lord has so ordained that no man shall receive the benefits of the everlasting Priesthood without humbling himself before him, and giving him the glory for teaching him, that he may be able to witness to every man of the truth, and not depend upon the words of any individual on the earth, but know for himself, live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, love the Lord Jesus Christ and the institutions of his Kingdom, and finally enter into his glory. Every man and woman may be a revelator, and have the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy, and foresee the mind and will of God concerning them, eschew evil, and choose that which is good.  (Discourses of Brigham Young, 131 — JD 2:189)

…the whole Church and kingdom of God, men and women, should have, each for himself and herself, the testimony of Jesus Christ which is the spirit of prophecy. This should be in the possession of every man and woman in the Church, for their own government and guidance, and this has always been the teaching to us of President Brigham Young. And this is backed up by the revelations which the Lord has given in these last days, as you will find if you read the twentysecond section of the book of Doctrine and Covenants.  (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, 58-59 — JD 18:125126 )

It is the privilege of every man and woman in this kingdom to enjoy the spirit of prophecy, which is the spirit of God; and to the faithful it reveals such things as are necessary for their comfort and consolation, and to guide them in their daily duties.  (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, 61 — JD 9:324)

He [Brigham Young] is a prophet, I am a prophet, you are, and anybody is a prophet who has the testimony of Jesus Christ, for that is the spirit of prophecy. The elders of Israel are prophets. A prophet is not so great as an apostle. Christ has set in his Church, first, apostles; they hold the keys of the kingdom of God.  (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, 90 — JD 13:165)

Men must administer salvation to continue in the priesthood. Men who wish to retain their standing before God in the holy priesthood must have the spirit of prophecy, and be qualified to administer life and salvation to the people; and if they cannot do it to the world, they must do it at home, in their families, in their shops, and in the streets, that their hearts may be inspired with words of life at their firesides, in teaching the gospel to their children and to their neighbors.(Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, 7576 — JD 4:157)

Joseph Smith is accused of being a false prophet. It is, however, beyond the power of the world to prove that he was a false prophet. They may so charge him, but you who have received the testimony of Jesus Christ, by the spirit of prophecy, through his administrations, are my witnesses that they have not the power to prove him false, and that is why they are so vexed about it.  (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 485 — JD 24: 816)

Not only, as President Woodruff and the others said, is it the privilege of every man and woman in this kingdom to enjoy the spirit of prophecy, it is, as the Prophet Joseph taught, necessary to one’s salvation. Josephsaid,

No wonder Paul had to arise and be baptized and wash away his sins: No wonder the angel told good old Cornelius that he must send for Peter to learn how to be saved: Peter could baptize, and angels could not, so long as there were legal officers in the flesh holding the keys of the kingdom, or the authority of the priesthood. There is one evidence still further on this point, and that is that Jesus himself when he appeared to Paul on his way to Damascus, did not inform him how he could be saved. He had set in the church first Apostles, and secondly prophets, for the work of the ministry, perfecting of the saints, etc.; and as the grand rule of heaven was that nothing should ever be done on earth without revealing the secret to his servants the prophets, agreeably to Amos 3:7, so Paul could not learn so much from the Lord relative to his duty in the common salvation of man, as he could from one of Christ’s ambassadors called with the same heavenly calling of the lord, and endowed with the same power from on high-so that what they loosed on earth, should be loosed in heaven; and what they bound on earth should be bound in heaven: He, the Lord being a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek, and the anointed Son of God, from before the foundation of the world, and they be begotten sons of Jesus though the gospel, to teach all nations-and lo I am with you always to the end of the world-that is-by the other comforter which the world cannot receive-for ye are the witnesses-having the testimony of Jesus which is the spirit of prophecy.(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 264)