Apparently, the mob didn't get the memo.
Some important, operative elements are at play when examining this "prophetic" declaration regarding the stated purpose and power of the physical eye-witnessing of the Sword of Laban in supposedly keeping Joseph Smith alive.
One of those elements was at the base of Smith and his swords--he seemed to have had an obsession with (not to mention dependence on) swords as instruments of both mortal and eternal destruction when it came to God getting Mormons to bow their heads and say "yes."
As Jerald and Sandra Tanner observe in their book, "The Changing World of Mormonism":
"In the revelation polygamy (Doctrine and Covenants 132;34), Emma Smith, Joseph's wife, is threatened with destruction: ' . . . I am the Lord thy God and will destroy her if she abide not my law.'"
Yet, as the Tanners also report, for Joseph Smith, the death-and-destruction thing ended up cutting both ways:
"It is interesting to note . . . that it was Joseph who was destroyed. He was killed less than a year after this revelation was written, while Emma lived until 1879 and was a bitter enemy of polygamy."
(Jerald and Sandra Tanner, "The Changing World of Mormonism: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Changes in Mormon Doctrine and Practice" [Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1980-81])
Indeed, for Smith, God's message was simple and sharp: "Live by the sword; die by the sword"--especially when it came to the practice of multi-wifery:
"When that principle was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith . . . , he did not falter, although it was not until an angel of God, with a drawn sword, stood before him and commanded that he should enter into the practice of that principle or he should be utterly destroyed, or rejected, that he moved forward to reveal and establish that doctrine."
(Joseph F. Smith, "Plural Marriage for the Righteous Only-Obedience Imperative-Blessings Resulting," in "Journal of Discourses," Vol. 20)
"[Joseph Smith] preached polygamy and he not only preached it, but he practiced it. I am a living witness to it. It was given to him before he gave it to the Church. An angel came to him and the last time he came with a drawn sword in his hand and told Joseph if he did not go into that principle, he would slay him."
(Mary Lightner, address at Brigham Young University, 14 April 1905, BYU Archives and Manuscripts)
"[Joseph Smith's] brother, Hyrum, said to me, 'Now, Brother Benjamin, you know that Brother Joseph would not sanction this [polygamy] if it was not from the Lord. The Lord revealed this to Brother Joseph long ago and he put it off until the angel of the Lord came to him with a drawn sword and told him that he would be slain if he did not go forth and fulfill the Law."
(Benjamin F. Johnson, "My Life's Review")
"[Joseph Smith] there and then explained to me the doctrine of plurality of wives; he said that the Lord had revealed it unto him and commanded him to have women sealed to him as wives; that he foresaw the trouble that would follow and sought to turn away from the commandment; that an angel from heaven then appeared before him with a drawn sword, threatening him with destruction unless he went forward and obey the commandment. . . . I solemnly declare before God and holy angels, and as I hope to come forth in the morning of the resurrection, that the above statement is true."
(Lorenzo R. Snow, sworn affidavit)
"[19 year-old] Zina [Diantha Huntington] remained conflicted until a day in October [1841], apparently, when Joseph sent [her older brother] Dimick to her with a message: [A]n angel with a drawn sword had stood over Smith and told him that if he did not establish polygamy, he would lose 'his position and his life.' Zina, faced with the responsibility for his position as prophet, and even perhaps his life, finally acquiesced."
(Todd Compton, "In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith" [Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 1997])
"An angel of God stood by [Joseph Smith] with a drawn sword and told him he should be slain and cut off from the Earth and the kingdom of God if he did not obey that Law [of polygamy]. George Q Cannon was of the same opinion, that a man must have more then one wife at a time in order to obey that Law."
(Wilford Woodruff, personal journal, Vol. 8; for reference to the above accounts of angels and Mormonism, see: "The Mormon Miracle of Angels (Better than Seagull Miracle!)," by poster "Deconstructor, on "Recovery from Mormonism" discussion board, 26 April 2003, at:
http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon215.htm)
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But back to the Sword of Laban. The cutting-edge purpose and power of that particular weapon in Mormon lore has been noted and/or explained in one way or another by others, including Brigham Young; various faithful Saints of the day; the modern Mormon Church; and, last but not least, Jesus Christ.
Let's take a look-see at the essential Mormon gospel elements of the Sword of Laban, as demonstrated in both the doctrine and practice of Joseph Smith's day.
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#1. The Physical Existence of the Sword of Laban
--Author Grant H. Palmer, in his book, "An Insider's View of Mormon Origins," reports:
“Hyrum Smith related . . . [how] William W. Phelps, identif[ied] still others who made the excursion to the [Hill [Cumorah's] interior.
"Phelps recounted:
"'Joseph, Hyrum, Cowdery and Whitmer[s] went to the Hill Cumorah. As they were walking up the hill, a door opened and they walked into a room about 16-feet square. In that room was an angel and a trunk. On the trunk lay a Book of Mormon and gold plates; Laban's sword' [and] Aaron's breastplate.'”
Palmer further notes that in another statement, Brigham Young mentioned that inside the Cumorah cave they saw “'a Messenger' who was the 'keeper of the room' and that they conversed with him.”
(Grant H. Palmer, "An Insider's View of Mormon Origins" [Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 2002])
--Affirming the Phelps claim, William Horne Dame, in his diary entry of 14 January 1855, wrote that he "[a]ttended [a] meeting [and heard] a discourse from W. W. Phelps. He [Phelps] related a story told him by Hyrum Smith which was as follows: Joseph, Hyrum, Cowdery and Whitmer[s] went to the Hill Cumorah. As they were walking up the hill, a door opened and they walked into a room about 16-feet square. In that room was an angel and a trunk. On that trunk lay a Book of Mormon and gold plates; Laban's sword; [and] Aaron's brestplate."
--Wilford Woodruff recordedin his personal journal of 11 December 1869 that the Sword of Laban was physically viewed by early Mormon Church leaders:
"President Young said, in relation to Joseph Smith returning the plates of the Book of Mormon, that He did not return them to the box from wh[ence] he had received [them]. But he went [into] a cave in the Hill Cumorah with Oliver Cowdry and deposited those plates upon a table or shelf.
"In that room were deposited a large amount of gold plates containing sacred records and when they first visited that room, the Sword of Laban was hanging upon the wall and when they last visited it the sword was drawn from the scabbard and [laid] upon a table and a Messenger who was the keeper of the room informed them that that sword would never be returned to its scabbard untill the Kingdom of God was established upon the Earth and until it reigned triumphant over every enemy."
--Elizabeth Kane, a non-Mormon who nonetheless entertained Brigham Young and his associates, wrote in her journal of 15 January 1873 about a conversation she had with Young and his men:
"I asked where the plates were now and saw in a moment from the expression of the countenances around that I had blundered.
"But I was answered that they were in a cave; that Oliver Cowdery, though now an apostate, would not deny that he had seen them. He had been to the cave. . . . Brigham Young's tone was so solemn that I listened bewildered like a child to the evening witch stories of its nurse. . . .
"Brigham Young said that when Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith were in the cave this third time, they could see its contents more distinctly than before. . . . It was about 15-feet high and round. ]I]ts sides were ranged boxes of treasure. In the center was a large stone table, empty before, but now piled with similar gold plates, some of which lay scattered on the floor beneath. Formerly the Sword of Laban hung on the walls sheathed but it was now unsheathed and lying across the plates on the table; and One that was with them said it was never to be sheathed until the reign of righteousness upon the earth."
--Brigham Young himself declared, as recorded in the "Journal of Discourses," 17 June 1877:
"Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates. . . . When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the Hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened and they walked into a cave in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day.
"They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. . . . The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed and on it was written these words: 'This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.'
"I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it and who understood it just as well as we understand coming to this meeting. . . . [Don] Carlos Smith was a young man of as much veracity as any young man we had and he was a witness to these things. Samuel Smith saw some things, Hyrum saw a good many things, but Joseph was the leader."
--Edward Stevenson, in his book, "Reminiscences of Joseph, the Prophet, and the Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon," writes of an 1877 interview with David Whitmer:
"It was likewise stated to me by David Whitmer in the year 1877 that Oliver Cowdery told him that the Prophet Joseph and himself had seen this room and that it was filled with treasure, and on a table therein were the breastplate and the Sword of Laban, as well as the portion of gold plates not yet translated, and that these plates were bound by three small gold rings and would also be translated, as was the first portion in the days of Joseph. When they are translated much useful information will be brought to light. But till that day arrives, no Rochester adventurers shall ever see them or the treasures, although science and mineral rods testify that they are there."
--Cameron J. Packer, in behalf of the shameless Mormon-apologist group, the Maxwell Institute, notes in his 2004 article entitled, "Cumorah's Cave," that "[s]everal accounts preserve the distinctive element of the Sword of Laban being visible in the cave."
(Cameron J. Packer, "Cumorah's Cave" in "Journal of Book of Mormon Studies," Volume 13, Issue 1 [Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 2004], at:
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=13&num=1&id=338)
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#2. The Promise from Jesus Christ that Physically Showing the Actual Sword of Laban to Others Would Prevent Joseph Smith from Being Killed
In the "History of the Church," vol. 1, Chapter 6, an account is given of the events of June 1829 involving the "Especial Witnesses to the Book of Mormon." (This book was published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is presented as having been originally narrated by Joseph Smith and his clerks),
The relevant portions read as follows:
"In the course of the work of translation, we ascertained that three special witnesses were to be provided by the Lord, to whom He would grant that they should see the plates from which this work (the Book of Mormon) should be translated; and that these witnesses should bear record of the same, as will be found recorded [in the] Book of Mormon, p. 581; also p. 86.
"Almost immediately after we had made this discovery, it occurred to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and the aforementioned Martin Harris (who had come to inquire after our progress in the work) that they would have me [Smith] inquire of the Lord to know if they might not obtain of Him the privilege to be these three special witnesses; and finally they became so very solicitous and urged me so much to inquire that at length I complied; and through the Urim and Thummim, I obtained of the Lord for them the following:
"'Revelation to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris, at Fayette, Seneca County, New York, June 1829, given previous to their viewing the plates containing the Book of Mormon. [D&C 17] . . . :
"'Behold, I say unto you, that you must rely upon My word, which if you do with full purpose of heart, you shall have a view of the plates, and also the breastplate, the Sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim which were given to the brother of Jared upon the mount when he talked with the Lord face to face, and the miraculous directors which were given to Lehi while in the wilderness on the borders of the Red Sea.
"And it is by your faith that you shall obtain a view of them, even by that faith which was had by the prophets of old.
"And after that you have obtained faith and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them, by the power of God;
"AND THIS YOU SHALL DO THAT MY SERVANT JOSEPH SMITH, JUN., MAY NOT BE DESTROYED [emphasis added], that I may bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men in this work.
"And ye shall testify that you have seen them, even as my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., has seen them; for it is by my power that he has seen them, and it is because he had faith. . . .
"And, I, Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, have spoken it unto you, that I might bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men. Amen."
("Annotated History of the Church," original text from "History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," B.H. Roberts, ed., 1902, at:
http://www.boap.org/LDS/History/HISTORY.html and "History of the Church," Vol. 1, Chapter 6. for June 1829, "The Testimony of the Especial Witnesses to the Book of Mormon," at:
http://www.boap.org/LDS/History/HTMLHistory/v1c6history.html)
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3. The Fate of Joseph Smith After the Sword of Laban was Physically Shown to the Three Witnesses
The LDS Church, under the headline, "The Martyrdom: The Prophet Seals His Testimony with His Blood," admits what actually took place after the Sword of Laban had been physically shown to the Three Witnesses per the order of the Great Jehovah:
"On the afternoon of June 27, 1844,. . . [s]hortly after five o’clock in the afternoon, a large group of attackers stormed the [Carthage] jail, firing their guns at the men inside. Within a few minutes, the foul deed was done. . . . The Prophet Joseph ran to the window and was fatally shot. The Prophet of the Restoration had . . . fulfilled his earthly mission and sealed his testimony with his blood."
("The Martyrdom: The Prophet Seals His Testimony with His Blood," under "Gospel Library Lessons--Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith," Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at:
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=f319b00367c45110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=198bf4b13819d110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD)
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--How to Get Around the "Not be Destroyed" Problem: Leave It to a Mormon Seminary Teacher
In his 2005 article entitled, “A Prophet ‘As in Days of Yore" (published in "Joseph Smith and the Doctrinal Restoration," Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center), Mormon apologist and then-California seminary teacher, Brent L. Holbrook, faithfully attempts to dodge the Smith-destroying bullet by blowing smoke:
"The Lord had foretold the restoration of prophets and declared in this dispensation, 'I will raise up unto my people a man, who shall lead them like as Moses' and 'My servant Joseph Smith, Jun., is the man'. . . .
"[The] specific functions of the President of the High Priesthood were reiterated in 1841, as the Lord stated He had given His 'servant Joseph to be a presiding elder over all [the] Church, to be a translator, a revelator, a seer and prophet' . . . . To restore the meaning of those four titles, the Lord prepared symbolic evidence to sustain Joseph Smith as the prophet of God.
"John Taylor . . . [said]: 'As ancient Israel preserved in the Ark of the Covenant memorials of God’s power, goodness and mercy, . . . [so, too] the sword of Laban, the sacred [Book of Mormon gold] plates . . . and a Urim and Thummim . . . were preserved on this continent . . . .' The Liahona was added to the sacred collection of the Sword of Laban, the plates and the Urim and Thummim to make up a group of symbols that would be an 'exhibition of evidence' in the latter days of the Prophet’s role. . . .
"From the history of the Church, we find that . . . the Lord promised that three others would be called and ordained, 'unto whom I will show these things,' and their testimony would be added to Joseph’s . . . . Three months later those three witnesses--Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris--were told in a revelation that they would 'have a view of the plates and also of the breastplate, the Sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim . . . and the miraculous directors' (D&C 17:1). They would be witnesses to the sacred symbols and were to 'testify of them, by the power of God.'
"The Lord continued, 'AND THIS YOU SHALL DO THAT MY SERVANT JOSPH SMITH, JUN., MAY NOT BE DESTROYED [emphasis added], that I may bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men' (D&C 17:3–4). . . . .
"The conferring of those four titles upon Joseph Smith in this dispensation corresponds to the four sacred items the Lord preserved as a testament of the role of Joseph Smith, that he 'may not be destroyed, that I may bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men' (D&C 17:4)."
(Brent L. Holbrook, "A Prophet as in 'Days of Yore,'" in "Joseph Smith and the Doctrinal Restoration" [Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, Religious Studies Center, 2005], at:
http://rsc.byu.edu/archived/joseph-smith-and-doctrinal-restoration/13-prophet-“-days-yore”)
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--More Loopy Mormon Lore on Joseph Smith's Possesion of the Actual Sword of Laban
Holbrook attempts to get around the inconvenient fact that the Sword of Laban is today nowhere to be found by asserting its convenient vanishing act from Mormonism's magical "Cumorah Cave."
In another absurd piece of puffery entitled, "The Sword of Laban as a Symbol of Divine Authority and Kingship," Holbrook writes:
"If Joseph Smith did possess the Sword of Laban, or was at least aware of its existence, the angel of the Lord took it back prior to the completion of the translation of the plates.
"This is surmised from the famous 'cave story' told in a discourse by Brigham Young on June 17, 1877, at Farmington, Davis County, Utah. In the middle of his sermon about the treasures which the Lord has stored up in the earth, Brigham related a story from the life of Oliver Cowdery. He prefaced it by saying, 'I tell these things to you, and I have a motive for doing so . . . that they may grow to an understanding of some things that seem to be entirely hidden from the human family.'"
Holbrook goes on to wax woo-woo about how Smith's own sword--which Smith reportedly unsheathed and held above his ahead pointing toward heaven in an address before the Nauvoo Legion on 18 June 1844 (just nine days before he was gunned down in the Carthage jailhouse shoot-out)--wasn't the actual Sword of Laban but, nonetheless, was at least a reaonsable facsimile of the real thing:
"The sword Joseph used at this time [i.e., in his final-hurrah speech before the Nauvoo Legion] was not the Sword of Laban but language similar to that said to be engraven on the Sword of Laban in the cave was used in conjunction with his Nauvoo military blade. Standing before his troops as their military leader, the sword had the same symbolic meaning as the Sword of Laban. To Joseph and the rest, it represented the Sword of Laban and the people rallied around him as their leader with divine authority."
Whether Smith had it or not, Holbrook insists that the Sword of Laban was an actual physical weapon:
" . . . [T[he authenticity of it is strengthened by at least six other accounts, some with variations that the sword was on a trunk or that a messenger angel in the room spoke the words written on the sword. Whether it [i.e., the Cumorah Cave expedition] was a vision or a physical event, the meaning of it was real and the principles in it just as relevant.
"From this story of the sword in the cave, three main things are learned:
"First, if it was an actual event, the Sword of Laban was always in the cave or was returned there from Joseph's possession prior to the completion of the translation of the plates around July 1, 1829.
"Secondly, Brigham Young emphasized the importance of the sword and that it was preserved by the Lord. After the story, he further stated:
""I relate this to you and I want you to understand it. I take this liberty of referring to those things so that they will not be forgotten or lost. . . . I would like the people called Latter-day Saints to understand some little things with regard to the workings and dealings of the Lord with his people here upon the earth.' Holbrook addes that "[t]he urgency with which Brigham reported the event came just over two months before his death."
Holbrook then shares with his reading audience the likely, magical wording that was supposedly etched into the original Sword of Laban:
"The third, and most important, point of the [Cumorah cave] story, for this study, was the appearance of words written upon the sword. Even if it was a vision, the symbolic meaning and the words are still true. It is reminiscent of the words of the Lord to Ezekiel:
"'Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall My sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: that all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth My sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more.' (Ezekiel 21:4—5)
"The same language engraved on the sword that declared that it will never be sheathed again was also stated by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo. Joseph was Mayor and Lieutenant General of the Nauvoo Legion and had the three roles of prophet, military leader and civil administrator."
By this point in his paper, Holbrook has whipped himself up into his own sword-waving frenzy, strongly suggesting that (at least in the view of Smith's faithful followers) Smith's personal Nauvooo blade was, in fact, the actual Sword of Laban:
"The Saints looked upon Joseph Smith as a leader fighting for their cause with the sword symbolizing the strength of God. In the October 1838 journal of Albert P. Rockwood, which was sent in installments as letters, he wrote to his family about the Mormon militia at Far West and the Battle of Crooked River.
"He implored his father:
"'Come to Zion and fight for the religion of Jesus. [M]any a hoary head is engaged here, the Prophet goes out to the battle as in days of old. [H]e has the sword that Nephi took from Laban. [I]s not this marvelous? [W]ell, when you come to Zion, you will see--and learn--many marvelous things which will strengthen your faith and which is for the edification of all the Saints.'"
Holbrook continues:
"In another manuscript of Rockwood's journal that he kept for himself, he wrote:
"'Many a hoary head is seen with their armor about them, bold to defend their Master's cause. You may ask if the Prophet goes out with the Saints to battle? I answer, He is a Prophet to go before the people as in times of old and if you wish to know what sword he carries, just turn to the Book of Mormon and see the sword that Nephi took from Laban when he slew him. [Y]ou will there see what he has got.'"
Holbrook adds that "[w]hether Joseph actually used the Sword of Laban was not important; what is important is that the sword he used had the same symbolism." In fact, Holbrook suggests that even if Smith didn't employ the Sword of Laban in his bullet-shortened reign as the Mormon prophet of God's kingdom on earth, that didn't mean Smith didn't somehow have the actual, physical Sword of Laban in his personal care and keeping:
"Some at least believed at the time that Joseph possessed the sword. Immediately following the above excerpts in both manuscripts, Rockwood wrote:
"'The Prophet has unsheathed his sword and in the name of Jesus declares that it shall not be sheathed again untill he can go unto any county or state in safety and in peace.' Written more than five years prior to the Legion declaration, Joseph must have used the phrase previously, or at least his association with the phrase on the Sword of Laban was known.
"Another interesting early mention of the Sword of Laban was made by Mormon dissident Francis Gladden Bishop. Bishop was a member of the Church from 1832—1842, before being cut off for teaching heretical doctrines. He wrote at times in support of Joseph's prophetic calling, emphasizing Joseph's possession of the [military] regalia. The full regalia, according to Bishop, comprised seven items, including the sword. Bishop claimed that the work of this dispensation resembled former dispensations only 'in the use of the sacred things which have been hid up unto the Lord,' and that 'none could authoritively claim the inheritance' without them.
"He [Bishop] continued:
"'Joseph, by means of the sacred things which were put into his hands, was constituted a Prophet, a Translator, or a Law-giver and a Leader, as Moses, unto his people. So also when the Prophet, like unto Moses, who is the last leader of God's people, is raised up, he must be established in his calling by having the sacred things put into his hands also.'
"Bishop's claim to being Joseph's successor as prophet and leader was based on the possession of the Sword of Laban and the other sacred things, which would give him divine authority. He even gave a description of the sword and an account of its history:
"'It was caused to be made by Joseph of old, in Egypt, by the direction of God, and was in the hands of Joshua when he led the house of Israel into the land of Canaan. And after him it came down in the lineage of Joseph to Laban, from whom it was taken by Nephi, according to the account given in the Book of Mormon; and since the fall of the Nephites it has been preserved, with the other sacred things, to come forth into the hand of a descendant of Joseph of old, in the line of Ephraim, and it is regarded in the scriptures as an emblem of justice.'
"Despite many heretical teachings, F. G. Bishop expressed the idea that the Sword of Laban was known to exist amongst the Saints; was possessed by Joseph; and gave him divine authority.
"It is not exactly clear if, or for how long, Joseph may have had the sword but it is evident that the Sword of Laban was part of the sacred relics kept by the Nephites and handed down by Moroni. At least some of the relics were known to be in Joseph's possession and all of them appeared in the Restoration. Joseph may periodically have had the sword and then kept it, as he held on to the Urim and Thummim.
"The sword was thought by some in Joseph's day to be possessed by him and its symbolic meaning was an added witness to the Restoration. Some viewed Joseph Smith as their leader wielding the Sword of Laban for their cause. The sword Joseph carried as a military commander took on the same symbolic meaning as the Sword of Laban. Whether Joseph had the Sword of Laban or not, he was viewed as being called of God and having divine authority."
Holbrook grandly concludes:
"The Sword of Laban was a symbol of kingship and divine authority. It fit the patterns of both kingly and heroic swords that are found in history, mythology and literature from all over the world. These patterns are also evident when compared to another sword from the ancient Near East--the sword of Goliath.
"The Sword of Laban was preserved throughout Nephite history and it served as part of the regalia held by their leaders. Its preservation until the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ in 1830 was remarkable enough but it also played a role as an independent divine witness of the calling of Joseph Smith as the leader of the dispensation. With the Sword of Laban and what it symbolized, some viewed Joseph as having divine authority in his civic, military, and prophetic duties.
"As a symbol, the Sword of Laban represented the power and strength of God for whoever possessed it. The sword served its purpose for the Nephites and Joseph Smith and may be preserved for further use. It could still be needed by the Lord to bring about his 'righteous purposes unto the children of men' and 'show forth his power unto future generations' (D&C 17:3). The sword apparently remains unsheathed 'until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ' (cf. Revelation 11:15)."
(Brent L. Holbrook, "The Sword of Laban as a Symbol of Divine Authority and Kingship," in "Journal of Book of Mormon Studies," Volume 2, Issue 1 [Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 1993], at:
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=2&num=1&id=18)
Lordy, what a swordy!
Here's a film clip depicting Nauvoo Legion Lieutenant General Joseph Smith coming into divinely-destined possession of the Sword of Laban, as one can see it at the Mormon Church's Visitors Center on Temple Square:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiIPish5HoA***********
Alas, the fact remains that the touted physical display of the Sword of Laban to the Mormon God's handpicked special witnesses failed, in the end, to keep Joseph Smith from being killed.
Earth to Brother Holbrook: Joseph Smith WAS destroyed--you know, his blood spilled, shot and killed, his coffin sealed, you get the drill. Not clear on that? Then stay awake in seminary class and let's review what happened to Smith after his Jesus-made-me-do-it Sword of Laban show-and-tell:
"On the afternoon of June 27, 1844, . . . [s]hortly after five o’clock in the afternoon, a large group of attackers stormed the [Carthage] jail, firing their guns at the men inside. Within a few minutes, the foul deed was done. . . . The Prophet Joseph ran to the window and was fatally shot. The Prophet of the Restoration had . . . fulfilled his earthly mission and sealed his testimony with his blood."
And let's review what Smith claimed Jesus told him was in store for his (Joseph's) life if he did what Jesus commanded by physically showing off the Sword of Laban to the Three Witnesses:
"In the course of the work of translation, we ascertained that three special witnesses were to be provided by the Lord, to whom He would grant that they should see the plates from which this work (the Book of Mormon) should be translated . . . . Almost immediately after we had made this discovery, it occurred to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and . . . Martin Harris . . . that they would have me [Smith] inquire of the Lord to know if they might not obtain of him the privilege to be these three special witnesses; and finally they became so very solicitous, and urged me so much to inquire that at length I complied; and through the Urim and Thummim, I obtained of the Lord for them the following [revelation] . . . :
"'Behold, I say unto you, that you must rely upon my word, which if you do with full purpose of heart, you shall have a view of the plates, and also the breastplate, the Sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim, which were given to the brother of Jared upon the mount when he talked with the Lord face to face, and the miraculous directors which were given to Lehi while in the wilderness, on the borders of the Red Sea. . . .
"'And after that you have obtained faith, and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them, by the power of God;
"'AND THIS YOU SHALL DO [meaning, testify to the Sword of Laban and all the other stuff that I've told him to physically show you], THAT MY SERVANT JOSEPH SMITH, JUN., MAY NOT BE DESTROYED [emphasis added], that I may bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men in this work.
"'And ye shall testify that you have seen them, even as my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., has seen them; for it is by my power that he has seen them, and it is because he had faith. . . .
"'And, I, Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, have spoken it unto you, that I might bring about My righteous purposes unto the children of men. Amen.'"
To repeat just one more time:
"AND THIS YOU SHALL DO [meaning, testify to the Sword of Laban and all the other stuff that I've told him to physically show you], THAT MY SERVANT JOSEPH SMITH, JUN., MAY NOT BE DESTROYED [empnasis added], that I may bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men in this work."
A lot of good showing that sword did for you, Joe. Same goes for getting your Three Stooges Ollie, Davy and Marty to swear they saw it. R.I.P. to thee.
And. even worse, what in the hell is Jesus gonna do to "bring about his righteous purposes unto the children of men in this work," now that you've gone and got yourself destroyed?
Geezus!
Edited 66 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2013 05:42PM by steve benson.