Today I noticed something as I studied Joseph Smith's account of the visit of the Angel Moroni in 1823 -- the scriptures quoted by Moroni neatly summarize the most important points of the restoration. This should come as no surprise, but I find it to be very interesting, because Moroni conveys the message he needs Joseph to understand using words familiar to Joseph -- the King James Bible (with a few variations).
In this post and the next one, I'll lay out precisely what Moroni said and how it summarizes the purposes of the restoration.
What are the purposes of the Restoration?
I've thought a lot about this in light of this statement from President Nelson:
One question we've wrestled with is how to take the gospel in its simple purity and the ordinances with their eternal efficacy to all of God's children without having basketball hoops get in the way.The "simple purity" of the gospel is a concept I've thought a lot about. It certainly involves restored doctrines, but above all it reduces down to faith, repentance, baptism, the endowment, and the sealing ordinance, as well as the priesthood by which ordinances can be performed. Everything else, it seems, is an appendage.
Notice then, as we go through the verses quoted by Moroni during his 1823 visit to Joseph Smith, how often the concept of sacred ordinances and the priesthood are mentioned.
Malachi 3
First, Moroni quoted "the first part of the third chapter of Malachi." I don't think he makes it clear exactly how many verses were quoted, so I included the first 7:
1 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.
2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.
6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
7 ¶ Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
Malachi 4 (variant)
Next, he quoted Malachi 4 with some changes, as noted below, and references to the temple and the priesthood in bold:
1 For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 ¶ But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
4 ¶ Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
5 Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
6 And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.
Isaiah 11
After Malachi, the angel quotes Isaiah chapter 11. For the sake of brevity, I'll note a few verses here which I believe to be most pertinent to the purposes of the restoration:
In these verses, I see numerous references to the temple, and of course in verses 11-12 we have one of the clearest statements of God's intention to gather Israel in the latter days. The Book of Mormon is the instrument designed by God to accomplish that feat.
1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
...
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
...
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
10 ¶ And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, ...
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
...
Summary
The purposes of the restoration are all about the Priesthood, the saving ordinances, and by extension the temple. Moroni knew this of course, even if young Joseph did not, and taught him using words he knew well enough to recognize. This shows us three important truths:
1) All of the prophecies of the prophets will surely come to pass. (This also happens to be a major theme in the Book of Mormon.)
2) The restoration of the gospel, the re-establishment of the everlasting covenant, and the gathering of Israel in the last days were promised to Israel through prophets before the scattering of the ten tribes around 2700 years ago. God remembers His promises. (This is also a major theme of the Book of Mormon.)
3) God desires to teach us His ways, but He will do so according to our own understanding. For Joseph Smith, that understanding centered on the King James Bible, thus Moroni used that as his guide in teaching the boy prophet.
In part 2, we'll review the rest of Moroni's words to Joseph Smith.