For a video presentation of this document, click here.

for more visit JosephSmithFoundation.org/2prophets

Overview: Joseph and Hyrum Smith are the 2 prophets spoken of in the book of Revelation which would prophecy in the last days before the coming of the Lord. Joseph Smith is the latter-day king David spoken of in the scriptures who would rule Israel with the Lord. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints fulfills much of the events of the Book of Revelation. Joseph and Hyrum Smith were joint prophets and we need not look for some other great big last days prophet to come forth other than Jesus Christ himself. Joseph Smith is the prophet we’ve all been waiting for. Joseph and Hyrum have more significant roles in last days events and our salvation than we thought!

For a similar presentation by the JFS “The Prophet Joseph Smith: More Than We Know” see here http://richardsonstudies.com/2018/06/30/prophet-joseph-smith-know-joseph-smith-foundation-summary/

-Joseph Smith said if he told the people who he is and what he knows, they would call it blasphemy.
-Joseph Smith said the book of Revelation is one of the plainest books God ever caused to be written.
-Joseph Smith said John the revelator saw things primarily pertaining to after John’s time.
-You can’t separate the “last days events” from the restoration of the gospel in the dispensation of Joseph Smith.
-Hyrum Smith was given all powers and keys to be a joint prophet with Joseph. He was called a prophet seer and revelator with Joseph, called out from first presidency to receive this, he was a 2nd prophet, a joint dispensation head acting in concert with Joseph. We know of no other time where there have been 2 joint president dispensation heads. The D&C says this and Joseph Fielding Smith repeats it. Hyrum was a president of the church, and will stand forever with Joseph as head of this dispensation says Joseph Fielding Smith.
-Oliver Cowdry’s blessings were taken from him and given to Hyrum.
-Joseph Smith said Hyrum has the traits of Job and Christ, that he would be among kings, and his posterity would continue.
-Rev. 11 speaks of 2 witnesses. Verse 3 speaks of the 3-year time frame. This is the amount of time of the ministry of the Lord to the Jews. McConkie called Joseph Smith “a revealer of Christ”.
-The lost tribes scattered into Europe and Asia. The gathering of Israel is the trigger for apocalyptic events.
-it’s estimated 63 million people came to America up to the 1900’s. This is the biggest migration. The book of Mormon speaks of America 8 times as a land of liberty. This could be the highway the north use to come to Zion as referred to in the scriptures.
-KEY: in Jan. 15, 1841 Joseph and Hyrum issued an official proclamation for Israel to come home to America the New Jerusalem, for every Latter-day Saint to gather to build Zion. Exactly 1260 days later they lay dead at Carthage. Rev 3 says the 2 witnesses have a special mission that will be performed within 1260 days. This makes Joseph and Hyrum key candidates for the identity of these 2 prophets. (*It says they will be in Jerusalem, but is not America the new Jerusalem?)
-Revelation tells us that the Garden of Eden was in the heartland of North America, D&C 84 says the New Jerusalem will be built there. These have always been sacred lands, and things will wind up here also.
-Joseph taught that without gathering the LDS won’t survive the events of the last days.
-Ancient and latter-day scripture have as the most common theme, gathering. Noah’s ark was a form of gathering. Those who rejected Noah perished. Luke says the last days will be like the days of Noah.
-“Noah came before the flood, I have come before the fire.” -Joseph Smith
-The gathering is an essential a doctrine as are faith repentance baptism and other ordinances. -Joseph F. Smith
-Gathering is as important for this dispensation as building an ark was for Noah’s dispensation. -Joseph F. Smith
-Joseph said all great seers saw our day.
-Joseph and Hyrum had proclaimed that the time for the gathering was now, that gathering being the marvelous work and a wonder.
-80% of church members in the 1970’s were of British extraction. There were more church members in Great Britain than America. Joseph and Hyrum called for a spiritual and physical gathering to Zion. He emphasized the importance of the saints being an independent people. They were fulfilling Isaiah 52:11-12 which called for the Lord’s people to go out of Babylon to Zion, that they would not go in haste, but would go. Joseph in the proclamation even told them to not go in too much haste, to sell their things but not at too great a loss, etc. They made their own tech, inventions, furniture, clothes, school textbooks, etc. Joseph and the brethren taught that we must not be dependent on the things of Babylon.
-The proclamation to come to Zion by Joseph was 2.5 thousand years after Israel was scattered. The message was the rebuilding of the Zion of ancient times.
-after the proclamation those 3 years before Joseph’s death these events occurred: the first recorded marriage sealings, the Nauvoo temple, baptism for the dead began, the Nauvoo legion, the Holy Land dedicated, the Relief Society organized, the temple endowment restored, Joseph became mayor of Nauvoo, plural marriage was restored more earnestly, Joseph organized the “Kingdom of God” also called the “Council of 50” essentially the political government of Zion, Joseph ran for US President, and other things.
-exactly 1260 days from the time Hyrum Smith called as joint president of the church (Jan. 19 1841) to the 3.5 days after martyrdom (~June 30, 1844). John seems to indicate something significant to have happened 3.5 days after martyrdom.
-there was prophesied a ruler of Judah and Joseph, a rightful heir to the throne, would find Israel in a degenerate state and would bring it back. April 11, 1844 Joseph Smith was declared King of Israel. The council was ordained to be the governing body of the world, and Joseph Smith was the King. This council was called The Kingdom of God / The Council of 50. It was for protection of all nations and creeds.
-side note see book Zion in the Courts: A Legal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
By Edwin Brown Firmage, Richard Collin Mangrum
-The minutes of the council of 50 have been released by the church see Joseph Smith Papers etc.
-The “Kingdom of God” would be a political
-Jeremiah in his prophecies of the latter days, says in Jer. 30:21 speaks of a King coming from among the people, one who would come freely into the presence of the Lord. This is the greatest recorded revelation of a vision we’ve ever seen, when both the Father and the Son come. The Lord came more times in the temple to him. The Lord chose his greatest prophet to rule over the latter days.
-Elder David B Haight said, “someday we will know of the greatness of the prophet Joseph Smith”
-Rev. 11:3 the 2 prophets would be in sack cloth. This signified intense grief. The Nauvoo period signals escalating tribulation. Polygamy tore at the heartstrings of the Puritan heritage of Church members. This was Celestial Law, and went against the local laws, and the church members couldn’t handle it. This likely lead to the prophet’s death.
-Joseph said that God told him that he and his people would be damned unless he introduce and practice polygamy. Joseph further said that he knew if he introduced it, the people would kill him.
-John Taylor said that Emma tried to “pervert the minds” of the sisters telling them polygamy was not correct.
-Emma, one of the greatest women that ever lived, even began to falter. But Joseph, like Christ, remained true to the end. It’s hard to imagine the level of trials they suffered.
-Joseph asked the men if they were willing to die for him. They shouted yes. He drew his sword and told them he would die for them to help them keep their rights.
-Joseph taught the people to follow the 12 Apostles, not his posterity. Joseph Smith the 3rd was 13 when Joseph Jr. died, later fought against the church. Only in the past few decades have Joseph Smith Jr’s posterity through Emma come back into activity in the church.
-Joseph Smith is the King of the Kingdom of God on earth, the leader of the Council of 50.
-William Law apostatized and spoke of disagreeing with a doctrine taught at a conference by Joseph that Joseph was a god to this generation.
-The Nauvoo Expositor said these were things they didn’t like about Joseph’s teachings: the plurality of Gods, God can fall if he violates law, Celestial law includes plurality of wives, men can be sealed up to eternal life, that Joseph Smith should be crowned king of Israel, that church and state should be united during Millennium, and that the Gentiles would eventually be spoiled by Israel.
-Joseph Smith taught that eventually all governments would be put down and replaced by the Kingdom of God, people considered this unpatriotic and tyrannical.
-Orson Pratt’s wife accused Joseph Smith of seduction, John Bennett was the real offender, was excommunicated, and wrote anti-Mormon material. Orson was excommunicated, and repented 5 months later and was reinstated in the church.
-The beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit made war against them and overcame them and killed them, as John saw. JS and HS were killed.
-Parley Pratt prayed at the time of the martyrdom of JS and HS, the spirit came upon him with indescribable joy and spoke to him that JS still holds the keys of the kingdom, and that he will stand in due time on the earth in the flesh and fulfil that to which he is appointed.
-“Those who are your friends are my friends, and I promise you when I come again, I will lead you forth, so that where I am you shall be with me.” (Joseph Smith)
-Rev. 11:4 speaks of olive trees. Scriptures often use trees to speak of people. “These are the 2 olive trees and the 2 candlesticks standing before the God of the earth” (Rev. 11:4). The Hebrew word for olive tree is etz shemen, meaning tree of oil, from a root meaning “to shine, richness, anointing, fruitful, oil, olive”. It’s related to the Hebrew word shemesh meaning sun.
-“Israel came into being as a chosen and separate congregation before the foundations of the earth were laid. She was a distinct and a peculiar people in preexistence, even as she is in this sphere.” (Bruce R McConkie)
-D&C 101’s parable contains the olive tree as does Jacob 5. The olive tree taught the history of Israel. Olives were pressed, and the oil used for sacred temple rights.
-The 2 witnesses stand before the God of the earth as Revelation says, this suggests the preeminence of these 2 prophets. Greek word for standing pertains to appoint, establish, stand by. They have a special standing before God, speaking to him being a special privilege bestowed from purity. 2 witnesses or guardians have been used in sacred spaces dating back to at least the time of Moses. The tabernacle of Moses was built to instruct Israel on entering the presence of God. Entering the courtyard was symbolic of leaving the world, outer cleansings symbolized inner cleansings. The lid on the arc of the covenant features 2 angels facing God. The 2 prophets have the right to enter and dwell in the immediate presence of God.
-Rev. 11:19 speaks of the ark of the covenant shortly after describing the olive tree and 2 candlesticks.
-Joseph F. Smith said the day will soon come when the name Joseph Smith is “coupled with” the name of Jesus Christ as his servant.
-Wilford Woodruff taught that aside from Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith is the greatest prophet that has ever lived.
-It is proposed that the 2 angels atop the ark of the covenant guarding the presence of God are 1. Jesus Christ and 2. Joseph Smith. Or Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith
-Joseph Smith taught that the ancient prophets looked forward to the work he Joseph Smith would do in the latter-day.
-Zech. 4:2 speaks of the 2 olive trees by the candle stick, on the left and right of it. Verses 11-14 say those prophets stand by the Lord. Cf. Rev. 11:4. They’re obviously referring to the same people.
-Wilford Woodruff saw 7 lamps in the heavens representing the dispensations.
-Heber C Kimball said this last dispensation is the greatest, and that Joseph and Hyrum give power to all dispensations. It is written that the last will be first, this is the last kingdom and the Lord will make it first and it will bestow power upon all that have been. He further said that we could see this if we live our religion and call upon God day and night.
-Heber Kimball’s above statement make JS and HS fit the descriptions of Rev. 11:4 and Zech. 4:2, making them fathers of past dispensations. Zech. 4 also describes branches coming from the olive trees into the lamp between them, which could symbolize, as Kimball said, that JS would bring power to all past dispensations.
-The scriptures show that Joseph Smith is THE last great prophet. There is no prophecy of another greater to come excerpting Jesus Christ himself. The ancient prophets knew this, let us not look forward to some other great prophet to come, Joseph Smith is it.
-The SLC temple was shown in vision to Brigham Young in plainness and vivid imagery. There are 2 sculptural niches, these alcoves originally house sculptures, on one side a sculpture of Joseph Smith, and the other a statue of Hyrum Smith. The SLC temple design was a direct result of revelation from the Lord, consider the symbolism, to enter the temple of God, you must pass by these 2 men who guard the presence of God.
-President Joseph F Smith in an a
-Heber C Kimball said that one day, in or out of the church, you WILL prize Joseph Smith as a prophet of God and prize him as a God.
-“Would to God…I could tell you who I am!…you would call it blasphemy…” (Joseph Smith)
-for more visit JosephSmithFoundation.org/2prophets. Upcoming topics from the JSF: Moses and Aaron as types of Joseph & Hyrum, The Latter-day Elijah: Joseph Smith, etc.