"[In the grove of trees, Joseph Smith] learned that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are two separate, distinct beings."
"The Bible confirms Joseph Smith’s discovery. It tells us that the Son submitted His will to the Father (see Matthew 26:42). We are moved by the Savior’s submission and find strength in His example to do likewise, but what would have been the depth and passion of Christ’s submission or the motivational power of that example if the Father and the Son were the same being and in reality the Son was merely following His own will under a different name?"
"The scriptures give further evidence of this great truth: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). A father offering up his only son is the supreme demonstration of love that the human mind and heart can conceive and feel. It is symbolized by the touching story of Abraham and Isaac (see Genesis 22). But if the Father is the same being as the Son, then this sacrifice of all sacrifices is lost, and Abraham is no longer offering up Isaac—Abraham is now offering up Abraham." (2009 October General Conference, Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration, Sat. Afternoon Session - Tad R. Callister)
Scriptures to know and understand:
Christ submits His will to the Father, not himself. (Matthew 26:42)
The Father sacrifices his Son, not himself. (John 3:16)
"[Another] great truth Joseph Smith discovered was that the Father and the Son have glorified bodies of flesh and bones."
"Following the Savior’s Resurrection, He appeared to His disciples and said, “Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have” (Luke 24:39). Some have suggested this was a temporary physical manifestation and that when He ascended to heaven He shed His body and returned to His spirit form. But the scriptures tell us this was not possible. Paul taught, “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him” (Romans 6:9). In other words, once Christ was resurrected, His body could never again be separated from His spirit; otherwise He would suffer death, the very consequence Paul said was no longer possible after His Resurrection." (2009 October General Conference, Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration, Sat. Afternoon Session - Tad R. Callister)
Scriptures to know and understand:
The ressurected Christ told disciples that He was of flesh and bone, which would never be separated (death) again. (Luke 24:39 and Romans 6:9)
"[Still another] truth that Joseph Smith learned was that God still speaks to man today—that the heavens are not closed."
"One need but ask three questions, once proposed by President Hugh B. Brown, to arrive at that conclusion (see “The Profile of a Prophet,” Liahona, June 2006, 13; Ensign, June 2006, 37). First, does God love us as much today as He loved the people to whom He spoke in New Testament times? Second, does God have the same power today as He did then? And third, do we need Him as much today as they needed Him anciently? If the answers to those questions are yes and if God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, as the scriptures so declare (see Mormon 9:9), then there is little doubt: God does speak to man today exactly as Joseph Smith testified." (2009 October General Conference, Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration, Sat. Afternoon Session - Tad R. Callister)
Scripture to know and understand:
God loves us just as much as the people of biblical times, God is still powerful, and we have need of direction just like in times of old. (Mormon 9:9)
"[At lastly], Joseph Smith learned was that the full and complete Church of Jesus Christ was not then upon the earth."
"Of course there were good people and some components of the truth, but the Apostle Paul had anciently prophesied that the Second Coming of Christ would not come “except there come a falling away first” (2 Thessalonians 2:3)." (2009 October General Conference, Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration, Sat. Afternoon Session - Tad R. Callister)
Scripture to know and understand:
Christ apostles who had the proper authority of the preisthhood given to them by Christ himself were all killed. Therefore all the preisthhood possessed by humans was no longer on the earth. In order for the proper preisthhood authority to be on the earth again, it would have given to a human from one of these ressurected apostles. Which began on May 15, 1829 recorded in Joseph Smith-History 1:68-72.
"Yet sorrowfully, on occasion, some are willing to set aside the precious gospel truths restored by Joseph Smith because they get diverted on some historical issue or some scientific hypothesis not central to their exaltation, and in so doing they trade their spiritual birthright for a mess of pottage. They exchange the absolute certainty of the Restoration for a doubt, and in that process they fall into the trap of losing faith in the many things they do know because of a few things they do not know. There will always be some seemingly intellectual crisis looming on the horizon as long as faith is required and our minds are finite, but likewise there will always be the sure and solid doctrines of the Restoration to cling to, which will provide the rock foundation upon which our testimonies may be built.
When many of Christ’s followers turned from Him, He asked His Apostles, “Will ye also go away?”
Peter then responded with an answer that should be engraved on every heart: “To whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:66–68). (2009 October General Conference, Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration, Sat. Afternoon Session - Tad R. Callister)
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