ORIGINAL WITNESSES TO THE BOOK OF MORMON

ORIGINAL INTERVIEW BY DAVID WHITMER - TRANSLATION OF THE SEALED PORTION OF THE BOOK OF MORMON.

Chicago Tribune

THE ANGEL IN THE PASTURE

After the translation was completed [Joseph] Smith, [Jr.], informed [Oliver] Cowdery, [David] Whitmer, and [Martin] Harris that the Lord had instructed him that the time was at hand when they should testify to all nations, tongues, and people concerning this work. These four Apostles of the Lord as they were designated, accordingly assembled in the public pasture, cleared of underbrush, at a point equally distant between two highways.

About the noonday hour they were seated on a log waiting for the promised manifestations, having previously knelt in prayer.

All at once the heavens appeared to open and there appeared a dazzling shaft of light beside which the light of the sun appeared dim.

Through this cleft in the sky, which seemed to lead away up to the pearly gates beyond, appeared an angel, disguised as a man, bearing the semblance of a table. The angel descended to the earth, landing nearly at their feet. On this table were the plates of gold from which they had just translated the Book of Mormon, and the plates of brass on which were inscribed the commandments written by Moses, and which had been taken from Jerusalem by Nephi 600 years before Christ and afterward transported to America.

The four Apostles were then commanded to go forth among men and preach religion as set down in the Book of Mormon. (Chicago Tribune, 15 Dec 1885)

Interview by Dr. P. Wilhelm Poulson

After a self introduction to David Whitmer and some general conversation, I remarked to him:

I - You are one of the Three Witnesses?
He - I am one of them.

I - And you saw the angel, and he showed you the plates?
He - The Book of Mormon is true, as true as any record can be, I saw the angel, and I saw the sword of Laban, and the breastplate, and the Urim and Thummim, and the plates and the director, and the angel stood before us, and he turned the leaves one by one.

I - Did the angel turn all the leaves before you as you looked on it?
He - No, not all, only that part of the book which was not sealed, and what there was sealed appeared as solid to my view as wood.

I - How many of the plates were sealed?
He - About half of the book was sealed. Those leaves which were not sealed, about the half of the first part of the book, were numerous, and the angel turned them over before our eyes. There is yet to be given a translation about Jared's people's doings and of Nephi, and many other records and books, which all has to be done, when the time comes.

I - How large were the plates?
He - About eight inches wide and six or seven inches long, as they appeared a little wider than long, and three rings kept the plates together; one above, one in the middle, and one below, so the angel could turn every leaf entirely over. The thickness was about of a common sheet of tin used by tinsmiths.

I - How did the engravings look?
He - There were characters. We copied some, and if you visit my brother John, one of the Eight Witnesses, who wrote for Joseph, John can show you some of the old manuscript which he borrowed from me. I must have it returned to me again, as it belongs to the Church, in connection with other records. As we were praying, the angel stood before us in his glory, and all things were before us on a table, and we heard the testimony about the plates, and we were commanded to bear that testimony to the world, and our testimony is true. And when the angel had finished his words, and shown us the plates one by one, which were to be translated, then the vision was closed at once, and exactly as it came even so did the sight disappear.

I - But these things which you saw were material things, how could they come and vanish away again?
He - It is the power of God. He does those things and his angels know how to do it. It was wonderful to us, but it was by the power of God. He had appointed his angels to be the guardians of the plates and other things, and the angel knew how it was done.

I - Did the Eight Witnesses not handle the plates as a material substance?
He - We did not, but they did, because of the faith of Joseph became so great that the angel, the guardian of the plates, gave the plates up to Joseph for a time, that those Eight Witnesses could see and handle them.

I - Did not Joseph, at an earlier period, have the full possession of those plates?
He - Yes, he did do in the commencement, but the persecution grew so hot that the angel took possession of the records, and showed those things, as he did, to Cowdery, Harris and me, and in the presence of Joseph, and afterwards he was allowed to show the plates to the Eight Witnesses.

I - Where are the plates now?
He - In a cave, where the angel has hidden them up till the time arrives when the plates, which are sealed,
shall be translated. God will yet raise up a mighty one, who shall do his work till it is finished and Jesus comes again.

I - Where is that cave?
He - In the state of New York.

I - In the Hill Cumorah?
He - No, but not far from that place. I saw the place where the plates were found, and a great many did so, and it awakened an excitement at the time, because the worst enemies of "Mormonism" stirred up the confusion by telling about the plates which Joseph found, and the "gold bible" which he was in possession of, so he was in constant danger of being robbed and killed.

I - How did the place look?
He - It was a stone box, and the stones looked to me as if they were cemented together. That was on the side of the hill, and a little down from the top.

I - How did you know Joseph to be at that time?
He - He was a very humble and meek man, and very simple, indeed. He did the will of the Lord, and an arduous task it was to translate the Book of Mormon.

I - Did Joseph use the Urim and Thummim when he translated?
He - The Urim and Thummim were two white stones, each of them cased in as spectacles are, in a kind of silver casing, but the bow between the stones was more heavy, and longer apart between the stones, than we usually find in spectacles. Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, Emma, and my brother John each at different times wrote for Joseph as he translated.

I - When will the temple be built at Independence?
He - Right after the great tribulation is over.

I - What do you mean by that?
He - A civil war more bloody and cruel than the rebellion. It will be a smashing up of this nation, about which time the second great work has to be done, a work like Joseph did, and the translation of the sealed plates, and peace all over.

I - Will you live and see those things?
He - It was said to us, that the second great work should commence when nearly all the witnesses to the first plates had passed away, so I may live and see those things take place. ("Dr. P. Wilhelm Poulson to editors of the Deseret News," 13 Aug 1878, Deseret News, 16 Aug 1878, p. 2. )

Interview by Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith

The fact is, it was just as though Joseph, Oliver and I were sitting just here on a log, when we were overshadowed by a light. It was not like the light of the sun nor like that of a fire, but more glorious and beautiful. It extended away round us, I cannot tell how far, but in the midst of this light about as far off as he sits (pointing to John C. Whitmer, sitting a few feet from him), there appeared as it were, a table with many records or plates upon it, besides the plates of the Book of Mormon, also the Sword of Laban, the Directors--i.e., the ball which Lehi had--and the Interpreters. I saw them just as plain as I see this bed (striking the bed beside him with his hand), and I heard the voice of the Lord, as distinctly as I ever heard anything in my life, declaring that the records of the plates of the Book of Mormon were translated by the gift and power of God. ("Report of Elders Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith," Millennial Star 40 (9 Dec 1878):771-7)

Interview by John Hart

Having some business in Richmond, Ray County, [Missouri] I took occasion to call upon Mr. David Whitmer, who was suffering considerably from the intense heat, but had, notwithstanding, a long and pleasant conversation with him and his son David Whitmer, Jr. After mutual introductions, I remarked that although I had no doubt of the truth of his published statement and testimony in the Book of Mormon, I should be pleased to hear the testimony from his own lips. He said, "Persons may attempt to describe the presentation of the plates as shown to himself and other witnesses, but there was a glory attending it that no one could describe, no human tongue could tell the glorious scenes that were presented to them. (Interview with John Hart, 23 Aug 1883)

Retelling by Orson Pratt

They, in no connection with Mr. Smith, who made the fourth individual, went out into the open field, near a grove of timber, a little distance from the house of Whitmer, in Fayette, Seneca county, New York. They bowed down before the Lord in broad daylight - not in the night; so there could be no deception: they humbled themselves before him, called upon his holy name with all their hearts, and while they were thus engaged in calling upon the name of the Lord, they saw in the heavens above a glorious light, and a personage descending. This personage came down and stood before them: he laid his hands upon the head of David Whitmer as one of the three witnesses, and said, "Blessed be the Lord and they that keep his commandments;" and then he took the plates and turned them over, leaf after leaf, excepting a certain portion of the leaves that were sealed up, which Mr. Smith was not permitted to translate; but that portion he had translated was turned over, leaf after leaf, and presented before their eyes, and they saw the engravings upon the plates. (Orson Pratt, "Evidences of the Bible and Book of Mormon Compared," Journal of Discourses, vol. 7-8, 1860, pp. 29-30)



Testimony of the Three Witnesses


TESTIMONY OF THE THREE WITNESSES

Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come, that we, through the grace of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, HAVE SEEN THE PLATES which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower of which hath been spoken, and we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, FOR HIS VOICE HATH DECLARED IT unto us; wherefore we know of a surety, that the work is true. And we also testify that we have SEEN THE ENGRAVINGS which are upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with words of soberness, that an ANGEL OF GOD CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that this is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ that we beheld and bear record that these things are true; and it is marvelous in our eyes, nevertheless, the VOICE OF THE LORD COMMANDED US THAT WE SHOULD BEAR RECORD OF IT; wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment seat of Christ, and shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens. And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.
OLIVER COWDERY
DAVID WHITMER
MARTIN HARRIS

TEMPLE MOUNT MIRACLE - WAR OF 1967

VERY INTERESTING - BUT NOT SURPRISING:

Mystery on the Temple Mount during the Six Day War
Gershon Salomon is the leader of the Temple Mount Faithful (http://www.templemountfaithful.org/). Salomon is a 10th generation Jerusalemite, descended from Rabbi Avraham Zoref who settled in Jerusalem in 1811. Rabbi Zoref was one of the first Jewish pioneers to rebuild the waste lands of Judea. Gershon knew, even as a child, that he was called by God to follow in his ancestor's footsteps in the redemption of the land and people of Israel.

The goal of Salomon's organization, the Temple Mount Faithful, is the building of the Third Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He believes that this must be done in his lifetime in accordance with the Word of God and all the Hebrew prophets. The Temple Mount Faithful seek the liberation of the Temple Mount from Arab (Islamic) occupation so that it may be consecrated to the Name of God once more.

Even as a child, Gershon Salomon knew that God was calling him to work for the redemption of the people of Israel. As a youth, Gershon was involved in the Israeli War of Independence. He was arrested at age 11 by the British Mandatory police.

Later, after he had joined the IDF, he led a company in the Golan Heights. In a battle with the Syrian Army in 1958, Salomon was accidentally injured when, in the heat and confusion of battle, he was run over by a tank. Syrian soldiers, trained to shoot "again" any wounded Israeli soldiers, came toward him to finish him off. However, before they were able to shoot Salomon, they all suddenly fled. Later these Syrians soldiers reported to UN officers that they had seen thousands of angels around this IDF officer and had run away.

It was at this time that Salomon heard the voice of God telling him that He was not finished with him. Salomon understood this as a divine call to consecrate himself to the work of God regarding the Temple Mount.

After one year in the hospital, Mr. Salomon had recovered sufficiently to return to his unit even though he now walked on crutches. He continued his service in defense of the land of Israel. He feels that the greatest moment of his life to this point was his participation in the liberation of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount during the Six Day War in June 1967.

Ammunition Hill is about three miles from the Temple Mount. This hill was the site of one of the most critical battles in the liberation of Jerusalem in the Six Day War of 1967. Ammunition Hill was the most important fortification of the Jordanian army. The whole hill was one big bunker.

It was a heroic battle as the Israeli army fought bravely against the Arab soldiers who tried to prevent them from liberating Jerusalem. The battle was from bunker to bunker; 170 Israeli soldiers fell during the battle in this area. This heroic battle opened the way to Jerusalem. However they still had to fight through the Lion Gate of the old city and the Tribe Gates onto the Temple Mount itself. Many more Israeli soldiers sacrificed their lives on their way to the Temple Mount and again near the walls of the Old City and the Lion Gate.

When the first Israeli tank smashed through the Lion Gate, the way to the Temple Mount was opened through the Tribes Gate (named after the twelve Israelite tribes). Once through the Arab soldiers, the Israelis ran excitedly to the rock of Abraham and Isaac on the Temple Mount. This is considered to be the place of the First and Second Temples and the Holy of Holies.

Gershon Salomon had the privilege of being with the first Israeli parachute battalion to arrive on the Temple Mount. Few know that a supernatural event took place at this time. Here is how it is described in a recent Temple Mount Faithful report:

Mystery on the Temple Mount during the Six Day War

On the day of the liberation of the Temple Mount during the Six Day War of 1967, a mysterious event occurred. As Gershon Salomon and the soldiers were walking on the Temple Mount, someone dressed in civilian clothing suddenly appeared. He approached the group speaking English and told them that he had come to show them the location of the Temple and its complex on the Temple Mount. He immediately took the group back to the Dome of the Rock, where they stood shortly before with tears in their eyes at the moment of the liberation. He showed the group the site of their Temple, the rock of Abraham and Isaac and the Holy of Holies, the altar, and the Cave of the Spirits. He also explained the function of every place in the Temple complex. He was very excited when he spoke to them and repeatedly blessed the group for the godly liberation of the Temple Mount, as he put it. He told the group that they should immediately rebuild the Temple because that is why G-d had brought Israel back to the Temple Mount with such a great victory.
The group asked the man who he was, and he replied that he was an Arab guide for the Temple Mount. However, he did not look like either an Arab or a guide. The group asked him why he had not spoken about the history of Arab occupation on the Temple Mount. He said that he had been sent by G-d to tell the group that the history of the Arab occupation of the Temple Mount, Jerusalem, and all the land had passed away forever; it was time to rebuild the Temple in the same location as the First and Second Temples, which he had indicated that day. All this was told to all the Arabs and Moslems by their elders and was even written in their holy books. They knew that one day, in G-d's timing, it would come to pass and that time had arrived so Israel should do what G-d was expecting her to do and G-d would be with her as He always was and also had been in the victory which He had just given her.

When the stranger finished speaking, he suddenly disappeared as if he had been blown away by a wind; he was not seen again. All the group were sure that this mysterious "person" was an angel sent by G-d to tell Israel that He was expecting her to immediately rebuild the Temple, to renew the days of Israel as it was in the Biblical times, and to open the door for the coming of Mashiach ben David. Gershon will never forget this event.

http://www.templemountfaithful.org/s5760.htm#HEADER6


Unfortunately, Moshe Dayan, the defense minister of Israel in 1967, made a terrible decision. Very shortly after their great victory, he returned control of the Temple Mount to the Moslem authorities of Jerusalem. Since that time, Moslem Arabs have maintained control of this crucial biblical site.

Gershon Salomon recognized the tragedy of this action and formed the Temple Mount Faithful organization. Since then he has dedicated himself to the vision of consecrating the Temple Mount to the Name of God, to removing the Moslem shrines placed there as a symbol of Moslem conquest, and to rebuilding the Third Temple.

However, he has constantly been thwarted from doing so by the Israeli government. Just as they did thousands of years ago, when they refused to go forward and take the land of Canaan (Num. 13-14), the Israelis have not had the courage to follow God's instructions and rebuild the Temple.

It has been 37 1/2 years since the Temple Mount once again came into Israeli possession. If you know anything about biblical numbers, you probably know that 40 is the scriptural number of testing, trying and judgment.

Because of their unbelief and rebellion after the spies had given a bad report about the land, Israel spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness after coming out of Egypt. Of that generation that left Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb were judged worthy to enter the Promised Land.

Earlier, the inhabitants of the earth had been judged due to their wickedness. They had 40 days and nights worth of rain poured out upon them. Only 8 souls lived through that judgment.

Moses spent 40 days and nights fasting as God gave him the Law on Mount Sinai. Coming down from the mountain and finding the Israelites committing idolatry with the golden calf, he broke the two stone tablets and had 3,000 of the sinning Israelites killed by the Levites. Moses then had to spend another 40 days and nights on Mount Sinai fasting and begging God not to annihilate the Israelites for their sin with the golden calf.

Goliath challenged the armies of Israel for 40 days. He was then judged and killed by a lad named David.

God, through the prophet Jonah, gave Ninevah 40 days to repent of their evil or be destroyed. Unlike most other biblical examples, the Ninevites repented and were spared. Had they not done so, God's judgment surely would have fallen upon them.

Yeshua fasted in the wilderness for 40 days and nights. During that time, he was tempted by the devil. He overcame that time of trial and was judged worthy because of his triumph.

The Jewish nation was given 40 years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Yeshua in 30 AD to accept their Messiah. After they failed to do so by the end of that time period, God brought the Romans upon them in 70 AD to destroy Jerusalem and the second Temple.

If it truly was an angel of God that spoke to the men on the Temple Mount on June 7, 1967, then I believe the Jews have been given 40 years to do what God told them to do (i.e., rebuild the Temple). That time is rapidly coming to a close, and it does not appear that they will do what they were instructed to do.

While in Babylonian captivity, the prophet Ezekiel was instructed to make penance for 40 years worth of Judah's sins:

EZEKIEL 4:6 "And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the House of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year. 7 Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it." (NKJV)


Clearly this sin had happened previously. However, often we see prophetic patterns established and then later repeated (cf. Isa. 7:14-17). As wise king Solomon stated: "That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecc. 1:9). Could it be that once again Judah's 40 years of sin and rebellion will lead to the seige of Jerusalem?

If God follows the same pattern He has established and used numerous times, the Jews will be judged for their lack of faithful obedience and punished. This punishment is spoken of prophetically by Zechariah:

ZECHARIAH 13:8 "And it shall come to pass in all the land," says the LORD, "that two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it: 9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; and each one will say, 'The LORD is my God.' " (NKJV)


I believe the prophetic time spoken of when the nations will come against and conquer Jerusalem is fast approaching:

ZECHARIAH 14:1 Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (NKJV)


This could happen as soon as 2007, by my estimation. Those of you who haven't studied OT prophecy would be well served to look at these things so you can recognize them when they occur.