Joseph Smith, First Prophet and
Apostle of the Latter-day Restoration
WHAT THE LORD RESTORED THROUGH JOSEPH SMITH
1. The true personality and characteristics of God the Father and Jesus Christ
2. Man's true relationship to them
3. The proper foundation of the gospel, being:
a. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
b. Repentance
c. Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins
d. Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost
4. An understanding of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods (Heb 7:11-12)
5. An understanding of the different offices in these two priesthoods and the duties of each
6. The proper organization of the Church and its purpose
7. The correct name that the Church should bear
8. That the followers of Christ's church were and should be called "saints"
9. Where we came from and that we lived before we were born
10. Why we are here upon the earth
11. The three degrees of glory and what one must do to prepare for the highest glory
12. Who are to come forth in the first resurrection, and that the rest of the dead are not to come forth until the end of the thousand years, which will be the great judgment day
13. That obedience to the ordinances of the gospel is so necessary that the perfect plan of God provides for a vicarious work of the living for the dead, for the benefit of those to whom the gospel has not been preached or who have not accepted it in this life
14. That the gospel is being preached to the dead, and for what purpose
15. That the millennium of one thousand years has been provided to complete this work
16. That the condition and time of one's life here upon the earth is as much the result of a life previously lived as the life to come will be the result of how we live in this life
17. That both the ancient prophets and the apostles of the Master predicted and bore witness that the Church established by Christ should fall into an apostate condition
18. That both the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New Testament predicted a complete restoration of all things (Acts 3:21), rather than a reformation to correct the false teachings of the churches
19. The meaning and fulfillment of the following prophecies:
a. "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, "Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." (Revelation 14:6-7.)
b. "And he shall send Jesus Christ, . . . "Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." (Acts 3:20-21.)
c. "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts." (Malachi 3:1.)
d. "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: "Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." (Isaiah 29:13-14.)
e. "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." (Daniel 2:44.)
20. That Elijah has been sent back to this earth, and for what purpose (Malachi 4:5-6)
21. Why there has been such a marvelous change in the world with respect to genealogical record keeping, genealogical organizations, societies, libraries, and research work
22. That marriage, according to the scriptures, was intended to be eternal
23. That the family unit is intended to endure beyond the grave
24. Why temples are erected unto the Most High, and for what purpose they are used
25. Where the temple is that Isaiah saw that should be built in the tops of the mountains in the last days (Isaiah 2:2-3)
26. That in case of sickness, we should call the elders of the Church to anoint the sick with oil (James 5:14-16)
27. The command of God to Ezekiel that two sticks (or records) should be kept, one of Judah and his companions and one of Joseph and his companions, and these two records are the Holy Bible and The Book of Mormon (Ezekiel 37:15-19)
28. What people should speak out of the ground with a voice that hath a familiar spirit (Isaiah 29:1-4; 2 Nephi 25:7-8; 2 Nephi 26:15-17)
29. What the "sealed book" is to which Isaiah refers (Isaiah 29:11-12; 2 Nephi 27:5-26)
30. To what people Jesus referred when he said, "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold" (John 3:16; 3 Nephi 15:11-12.)
31. The promises made to Joseph by his father Jacob, and by Moses, when he was promised a new land in "the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills" (Genesis 49:22-26; Deuteronomy 33:13-18), and where that new land and the everlasting hills are to which they referred
32. When and how the cities that are being excavated in Central and South America came to be buried in the depths of the earth (3 Nephi 8)
33. Where the civilized people who once inhabited the land of America came from and who they were, as evidenced by their great cities and buildings being excavated
34. That there were to be two gathering places, not one, in the last days—one for Judah at Jerusalem and one for Israel or the seed of Joseph, in America (Ether 13)
35. The difference between Judah's blessing and Joseph's blessing as pertaining to priesthood (Hebrews 7:4; 1 Chronicles 5:1-2)
36. That Israel, or the seed of Joseph, should be gathered in the last days to that portion of America designated as wilderness or desert in the mountains and requiring irrigation (Jeremiah 31:6-13; Isaiah 2:2-3; Isaiah 35; Isaiah 41:18-23; Isaiah 43:18-21)
37. The calling of a patriarch, or evangelist, as he is often called (Genesis 49; Deuteronomy 33; Acts 2:29; Acts 7:8-9; Hebrews 7:4; D&C 124:91-93)
38. That Jesus did not baptize little children, nor did any of his apostles, but "he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them" (Mark :16)
39. What the Urim and Thummim are, and what they were used for by the prophets of old, and what became of them (1 Samuel 28:6; Ezra 2:62-63; Leviticus 8:8; Deuteronomy 33:8; Exodus 28:30; Numbers 27:21)
40. That the Lord's plan of financing his kingdom on the earth is the law of tithing
41. That the Word of Wisdom was given as a revelation by the Lord for the temporal salvation of his people in the latter days, and that it was ahead of science in declaring things which are not good for the body
42. That The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintains a missionary system as instituted by the Savior, whereby the missionaries labor without compensation for their services.
