Mormon Thought of the Day
Did you know…tomorrow (September 21st) marks the day of when Moroni visited Joseph Smith?
In the spring of 1820 Smith reported that two personages appeared to him when he went to a grove of trees to pray after reading James 1:5. While during his prayers, the two personages appeared and told him to join none of the churches in the area because they were all wrong. Not one single person on the face of the earth was following God.
Fast forward three years and Smith finds himself in the middle of another visit from heaven. This time his name is Moroni, an angel of light. This Moroni turns out to be a resurrected general from the Nephite army who lived in the fifth century in what is now known as upstate New York.
During that three year interval Smith admits he fell into human “foibles” which caused him to sin in the sight of God. The temptations that befell him were too much for him to stand against, but he says, this wasn’t unnatural for him as he was known as a “cheery person” and the company he kept drew him away from God.
On September 21, 1823 Moroni made a personal appearance to Smith while he lay in bed one night – you can read a detailed account of this here http://lifeafterministry.com/2011/03/29/moroni-who-was-he
What is so interesting about this whole scenario isn’t only that he was talking to and entertaining dead spirits, but the timing is noteworthy as well.
This time of year is the Autumn Equinox. It’s considered as the “Harvest” time for witches. Between September 20 – 21 of each year witches gather to thank “Mother Earth” for her provisions and typically gathers in groves to commence their celebratory rituals.
Considering that Smith’s family dabbled in witchcraft it shouldn’t be surprising to anyone that this is when Moroni and others would come to visit Smith. The yearly visitations from Moroni took place on the same day until 1823. It was about a year later when Smith gathered his new friends, convinced them of these visions and visitations and wrote the Book of Mormon.
Joseph Smith Testimony 1:14
History of the Church 1:9-16.
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