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by Conrad Maxwell (Author)
I have a firm testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr., and this is due to reading the Book of Mormon and receiving answers to prayers that the Book of Mormon is an inspired volume of holy scripture. In addition, the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, through study, prayer, and applying the teachings in my life, have borne witness to my soul and mind of the divinity of Joseph Smith, Jr., as a true prophet of God.
In this book I will cover the additional revelations contained in "Joseph Smith's New Translation of the Bible" (1970, Herald Publishing House). Sections of this translation were added to the LDS scriptures in 2013 (called "Selections From the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible," or JST). The JST is another testament of the divinity of the calling of prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. The entire JST can be purchased at bookstores and is a powerful testament of modern revelation to a living prophet in our time.
The 1st testament of Joseph Smith, Jr., is the Book of Mormon. This book was translated from golden plates provided by an angel of God. It validates Joseph's story, that he saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ and Angels from God. The golden plates were shown and handled by eight witnesses, and three additional witnesses saw the plates, shown to them by an angel of God. His account confirms that the heavens are open to man, as in times of the olden-day prophets.
The 2nd testament of Joseph Smith, Jr., is the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. These volumes of revelations, translated scripture, and inspired declarations were received by modern-day prophets. Many of the sections had more than one witness, detailed in their introductions, and were accepted as scripture by consent of the entire church. The Pearl of Great Price contains a portion the Old Testament and Matthew, Chapter 24, that are part of the JST.
The 3rd testament of Joseph Smith, Jr., is the JST itself, which he began in 1830 and finished in 1833. This volume is more like some of the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants and is not a translation, but direct revelation from God to Joseph Smith, Jr. The theme of this volume is more than obedience to a commandment from God, but to expose changes made to the King James Bible (KJV; the most common Bible used). These changes made in the Bible caused stumbling blocks and obscured the true doctrines from mankind. These stumbling blocks are like an ideological plague to our modern Christian society and can cause misdirection for many people.
My goal is to highlight some key doctrines that show how Joseph Smith, Jr., was able to restore many truths once found in the original Bible. I hope you will feel as I do, that this makes the JST the 3rd testament of the divinity of the calling of Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr.
