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JOSEPH SMITH VOLUNTEERS TO COME DOWN AND RESTORE THE TRUE GOSPEL TO THE EARTH.
Testimony of Patriarch Charles R. Woodbury, March 30, 1962
"I bear testimony that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God, that he was foreordained to come to this earth, that the Gospel may be established here on the earth again. The great counsel was held in Heaven, when the Lord asked who would come down on the earth and redeem mankind? Satan made his proposition. "I'll go down and save everyone. I want the honor and the glory." Jesus said, "I will go down and save all that will be saved, but the honor and the glory be to you, Father."
Then the Lord said, "There'll be a time the Gospel will be taken from the earth. The Priesthood will be taken away, too. There'll be nobody on the earth that has greater power than Satan. He will have full power. Who will go down that the Gospel might be restored to the earth again?" And it was revealed to me that the Prophet Joseph Smith was there and he said, "I'll go down that the Gospel may be restored to the earth again and the Priesthood restored." And the Lord said, "If you go down, you'll meet with great opposition, and you will eventually have to seal your testimony with your blood." He said, "Well, I am still willing to go down." The answer was, "If you go down there, you shall enjoy a privilege that no other mortal man will enjoy. Myself and my son will appear to you at the same time. Something that no other mortal man will have the privilege to enjoy. While you will suffer much persecution, the power won't be given man to destroy your life until your mission is finished on the earth."
So I bear testimony that this is true, which was revealed to me in answer to prayer knowing that no one else ever lived on the earth that the Father and the Son appeared to at the same time. And I wanted to know and prayed to know why that privilege was granted to that boy, only 14 years old when it happened, and that was the joy and experience that he had, and this was revealed to me, in answer to prayer why that wonderful Prophet enjoyed this privilege. And he was a true Prophet of God, and was foreordained for this work and all the others that have succeeded him were and are true prophets of God.
This experience of that boy, the Prophet Joseph Smith had is true. Whoever may hear this testimony will know that's why this joy and privilege came to him because he volunteered in the spirit world to come, notwithstanding he was told what he would have to do, he would have to seal his testimony with his blood, which he did on the 27th of June 1844. So I bear this testimony this day, March the 30th, 1962, Charles R. Woodbury, Patriarch in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Deseret Stake of Zion, and I do this humbly, and pray God that He will bless all who hear this testimony will be inspired to keep the commandments of the Lord so that they will have a great reward waiting them when there mission is finished on this earth, which the Gospel gives us all. That's the testimony I bear and I do it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
(I copied this from one of my tapes of Father's testimony, on March 10, 1980. Jennie May Woodbury Lee.)
And I, James Horald Lee Jr., son of James Horald Lee and Jennie May Woodbury Lee am sharing this with you, my dear friends and family, to let you know what was revealed to my grandfather, Patriarch Charles R. Woodbury in answer to his request to know why the Prophet Joseph Smith was given the privilege of seeing both God, the Father and His Son Jesus Christ at the same time in answer to his humble prayer in the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York in 1820 when he wanted to know which of all the churches on the earth was Jesus' true church, and he was told by the Savior that "None of them was His church, as they draw near to Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me, and they teach for doctrines, the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof." In other words, they lacked the priesthood which was given to the Apostles to carry on His work after he was crucified, and without that priesthood power and authority, His work could not be carried on here on earth, and it was necessary that it be restored again to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith, so that the world would not be wasted at His coming to usher in the Millennium, a thousand years of peace, as no one would be ready for His coming, and all would be lost.
And it was through the Prophet Joseph Smith that the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth once again in 1830, with all the keys and powers of the Holy Priesthood restored to him from John the Baptist, and Peter, James and John, and other former Prophets who had lived on this earth who held those keys and powers necessary to carry on the Lord's work, including Elijah the Prophet, who came to earth to fulfill the prophecy contained in The Old Testament, in the book of Malachi, which he recorded in chapter 4, verses 5 and 6, wherein it states, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."
And this prophecy was fulfilled after the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in Kirtland, Ohio, when the Lord appeared and accepted the temple as the House of the Lord, and Elijah, the Prophet appeared and bestowed on the Prophet Joseph Smith the keys and powers of the Priesthood necessary to turn the heart of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, in doing genealogy and temple work for their dear departed ancestors who need the blessings of the Gospel and of the temple to be able to progress in the spirit world, and to be together as husbands and wives and families, along with their ancestors, which is why we build temples and why we do genealogy so we may find those who haven't received those blessings as yet. So we may enter into the temples and there stand as proxy for them, receiving all the rights, ordinances and covenants necessary for them to inherit the blessings which Heavenly Father has in store for those who live today, when the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is once again on the earth, and it is all because of a young boy of but 14 years of age, named Joseph Smith, who wanted to know which of all the churches on the earth was Jesus' church.
And today, thanks to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth once more, with all the priesthood keys and powers necessary to carry on the work of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, the Savior, which is to bring to pass the immortality and the eternal life of man, which work the Lord revealed to Moses when he inquired of the Lord why worlds without number had been created by them. And that church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Of these things I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Your friend and brother. Jim
Joseph Smith, the Prophet
21 January 2011
'Twas Joseph Smith, the Prophet, whom God called to do His work,
Who volunteered his services, and never did he shirk
His grave responsibility as a Prophet of the Lord,
As he rejoiced, heart and soul, to live in accord,
With what the Savior taught him, and the Prophets taught him, too,
Preparing him to one day be a Prophet, kind and true,
And to receive the keys and powers which they held long ago,
So he could carry on Christ's work while dwelling here below.
Born the 23rd of December in eighteen-hundred-five,
To Joseph Smith and Lucy Mack Smith, he was glad to be alive,
And he had brothers and sisters, and friends and neighbors, too,
Who knew him as an honest boy, who was both good and true.
And in his day, the churches held revivals here and there,
And his family attended them out in the open air,
To learn the things the ministers taught, so they could join them here,
And serve the Lord with heart and soul, for He to them was dear.
But there was much confusion between the churches then,
And Joseph wanted to know the truth, and both women and men,
Got into arguments concerning which one had the truth,
And it was hard for him to know, for he was but a youth.
And yet, he really wanted to know which of them was true,
And which of them that he should join, and what was he to do,
And one day, in the Bible, in James 1:5,
He read a passage of scripture, which made him come alive.
For there, right before him, was the answer that he sought,
And he decided to put it to a test, so he'd forget it not,
And so one morning in the early Spring, he knelt in humble prayer,
In a quiet grove on his daddy's farm, with birds a singing there,
And prayed with all his heart and soul to know which church was true,
And which one was the Lord's true church, and just what he should do,
And in answer to his humble prayer, a vision did appear,
And God, the Father, and His Son, suddenly drew near.
And it was God, the Father, who introduced His Son,
And called young Joseph by his name, for He would be the one
To answer Joseph's humble prayer, and tell him what to do,
To satisfy his yearning, to know which church was true.
Then Jesus spoke to Joseph Smith, and in answer to his prayer,
And told him not to join any of them, while standing in the air,
For they all taught the doctrines of men, but lacked the authority
To carry on the Lord's true work, nor did they have the keys.
But one day he would be the one to help restore them here,
And become a living prophet, who would go forth without fear,
To help restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Lord,
With all the holy powers and keys, not seeking a reward,
But seeking to do the Father's will, like prophets of the past,
But this dispensation of the Gospel would be the very last,
To be dispensed from heaven, and he would be the one
To receive the keys and powers of The Father and the Son,
To establish once again on earth, the glorious Gospel here,
To prepare all God's children for heaven's atmosphere,
And thus was Joseph called to be God's spokesman here on earth,
To be the Lord's own Prophet, though humble was his birth.
And through him all the keys and powers were restored once again,
From all the former Prophets, who'd lived among men,
So he could carry on the work God had for him to do,
To help us gain salvation, while striving to be true.
Thank God for living Prophets, whom He's called to do His work,
Who know Him and who Love Him, and never do they shirk
The grave responsibility He's placed upon them here,
To help us gain salvation in heaven's atmosphere.
And may we heed their counsel, so one day we may be
Heirs to all the Father has to share with you and me,
And all His sons and daughters who embrace the Gospel plan,
Restored in these, the latter days, to help ennoble man.
Shared with much love
Your friend and brother
Jim
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