The Story of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

First Vision, by Walter Rane

The First Vision

I imagine the new green leaves emerging from the trees as Joseph Smith stepped into the woods near his home that spring day in 1820. I imagine him at 14 years old, not wanting to “remain in [the] darkness and confusion” (Joseph Smith—History 1:13) he had felt for the previous two years. This grove of trees would later become known as the Sacred Grove.

He later wrote that as a young teen his “mind became exceedingly distressed, for I became convicted of my sins. … Therefore, I cried unto the Lord for mercy, for there was none else to whom I could go and obtain mercy.” This is one of the reasons that led him to prayer that morning. He recorded the answer to his prayer:

“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

“… When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith—History 1:16–17).

God the Father pointed to His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, showing Joseph where to find relief. And that is where He still points today. President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Whatever questions or problems you have, the answer is always found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.”

The Angel Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith, by Tom Lovell

The Angel Moroni

As Joseph left that sacred experience in the grove, life went on, more questions came, and the weight of his “weakness and imperfections” sat heavy on his soul (see Joseph Smith—History 1:28–29). On September 21, 1823, he was once again led to prayer.

I imagine the 17-year-old Joseph kneeling on the floor next to his bed that night. As he prayed—knowing he would receive an answer—a light descended and filled the small bedroom he shared with his siblings.

The visitor was the angel Moroni. I imagine Joseph exhaling in relief as the angel reassured him that God had forgiven his sins. He then explained the work that the Lord had planned for him. Joseph wrote: “He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent. … He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants” (Joseph Smith—History 1:34).

It was Joseph’s task to obtain the gold plates from the Hill Cumorah and translate the record that would become the Book of Mormon.

The Hill Cumorah

As years went by and Joseph grew, Moroni taught the young prophet at the hill. Each year, the angel did not allow him to take the plates, knowing Joseph was not ready yet. I imagine Joseph leaving the hill after each visit with Moroni eager to be prepared for next year’s visit.

Joseph had to be patient each year as “the time for bringing … forth [the record] had not yet arrived” (Joseph Smith—History 1:53). Joseph could have given up in frustration but instead chose to “[receive] instruction and intelligence” from the angel Moroni as he learned how the Lord’s “kingdom was to be conducted in the last days” (Joseph Smith—History 1:54).

During this time, some of Joseph’s neighbors doubted him. But Joseph found support in his family and friends. In his words, “I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it” (Joseph Smith—History 1:25).

Joseph married Emma Hale in January 1827. She rode in the carriage with him to the Hill Cumorah shortly after midnight on September 22, 1827, the night he was finally ready to receive the gold plates.

One lesson we can learn from Joseph’s four-year wait to obtain the gold plates is that God prepares us for the work He calls us to do. Using the time God gives you to prepare, learn, and deepen your faith will help you be ready whenever He calls you.

By the Gift and Power of God, by Simon Dewey

Translation of the Book of Mormon

A few months later, Joseph and Emma moved to Harmony, Pennsylvania, where Emma’s parents lived. Here the translation of the gold plates started in 1828.

Emma and Joseph had many trials—such as the death of their first child—that slowed the translation. Martin Harris, a local farmer who served as one of the scribes during the translation of the Book of Mormon, asked to show 116 translated pages to his family. After asking the Lord many times, Joseph received permission to allow Martin to take the 116 pages back to Palmyra. They were lost or stolen, and as a result, the Lord temporarily took away Joseph’s ability to translate. (See Doctrine and Covenants 3; 10.)

When he learned that the pages were lost, Joseph was worried, saying, “All is lost! … How shall I appear before the Lord?” But because of these experiences, he learned the character of God. Joseph prayed to Heavenly Father with a humble heart and received this response:

“Remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work” (Doctrine and Covenants 3:10).

God gave Joseph all he needed to make progress during this hard time. With supportive friends like Martin Harris, Joseph Knight, and Oliver Cowdery, and with instruments like the Urim and Thummim and seer stones, the translation of the Book of Mormon moved forward in 1829.

Upon You My Fellow Servants, by Linda Curley Christensen and Michael Malm

Priesthood Restoration

As Joseph translated and Oliver acted as his scribe, they learned of baptism and wanted to know more. They chose to ask God for more knowledge and understanding. I imagine Joseph and Oliver walking reverently through the woods of Joseph’s farm looking for a place to pray.

On May 15, 1829, John the Baptist visited Joseph and Oliver. He said, “Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins” (Doctrine and Covenants 13:1).

The Aaronic Priesthood was restored. Joseph and Oliver baptized each other, the first baptisms of this dispensation. Soon after, Peter, James, and John gave them the Melchizedek Priesthood.

Joseph wasn’t perfect. He made mistakes, but as he sought to repent, the Lord trusted him and allowed him to grow. The Lord gave Joseph and Oliver His power and the authority to act in His name—the priesthood. He gave them the first ordinance to build a covenant relationship with Him—baptism.

The Lord likewise entrusts you and me to participate in His work of salvation and exaltation, and we can receive His help to overcome our weaknesses as we keep our covenants with Him.

Detail from Printing of the First Book of Mormon, by Gary E. Smith

Publishing the Book of Mormon

With persecution rising, Joseph was finding it harder to keep translating the Book of Mormon. He, Emma, and Oliver moved to Fayette, New York, where Oliver’s friend David Whitmer lived. They moved in with the Whitmer family.

With the Whitmers’ help, Joseph and his scribes finished the translation just weeks after they moved there. They worked with E. B. Grandin to publish 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon at his print shop in Palmyra, New York. Martin Harris mortgaged his farm, his entire livelihood, to pay for the costs. The first copies were ready for sale on March 26, 1830. Finally, with the Book of Mormon available, it was time to organize the Church of Jesus Christ.

Organization of the Church, by Robert T. Barrett, may not be copied

Organizing the Church of Jesus Christ

I imagine 40–50 people in the small Whitmer home on April 6, 1830, the day the Church was organized. I imagine their excitement as they watched 24-year-old Joseph stand to begin that first meeting. On this day, the prophecy from Daniel in the Old Testament began to be fulfilled, saying, “In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44).

To restore the Church of Jesus Christ, God needed the gifts that only Joseph and Emma Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and others had. As the Church continues to grow today, it may seem like your individual efforts are not necessary. But God needs the gifts only you can offer. As you find ways to consecrate your efforts to Him, as these early Saints did, you can be a part of His “marvellous work and a wonder” (Isaiah 29:14).

The Story Continues

The Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ brought back the authority, teachings, covenants, and ordinances to help God’s children walk the path back to their heavenly home. The story of the Restoration continues with you—through your sacrifices, your faith, and your testimony. Every time you bring a family name to the temple, every time you share the gospel, every time you “do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—to make and keep their covenants with God, [you] are helping to gather Israel.”

You can help your brothers and sisters on both sides of the veil find their way to the only path that leads them back to God. You can help them find Jesus Christ.