Have you read Joseph Smith’s patriarchal blessings? Just as the Son of God was crucified before His work was completed, most of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s work is yet to be fulfilled. Joseph Smith’s patriarchal blessings reveal that the Prophet has in the past, he is now and he will yet fulfill many important prophecies.
Command mountains to move, rivers turn out of course: “Thou shalt speak the word of the Lord and the earth shall tremble; the mountains shall move and the rivers shall turn out of their course.” (December 1834 blessing)- Put wicked armies to flight: “Thou shalt escape the edge of the sword, and put to flight the armies of the wicked.” (December 1834 blessing)
- Save the just from famine: “For, like Joseph of old shall he be: he shall save the just from desolation, by the wise counsel of the Almighty; for by his direction shall they gather into storehouses and barns, till they overflow with the richness of the fruit of harvest: and by this means shall the just be saved from famine, while the nations of the wicked are distressed and faint.” (September 1835 blessing)
- Translate & publish additional ancient records: “The records of past ages and generations, and the histories of ancient days shall he bring forth: even the record of the Nephites shall he again obtain, with all those hid up by Mormon, and others who were righteous, and many others, till he is overwhelmed with knowledge. No precious thing shall slumber from his possession, for he shall be covered with the most choice of all ages, till his soul shall be satisfied and his heart shall say, Enough, Enough!” (September 1835 blessing)
- Honored for possessing advanced scientific and intellectual knowledge: “His learning and wisdom shall astonish the great, for they shall acknowledge that by his intelligence he has far surpassed their learng and their science. In palaces of governors, rulers and kings shall he be honored, even in his person, for God shall give him power to prevail.” (September 1835 blessing)
- Stand upon necks and ashes of enemies: “His feet shall stand upon the neck of his enemies, and he shall walk upon the ashes of those who seek his destruction . . . Thou shalt stand upon the earth when it shall reel to and fro as a drunken man, and be removed out of its place: thou shalt stand when the mighty judgments go forth to the destruction of the wicked:” (December 1834 blessing)
- Own tens of thousands of animals: “He shall also be filled with abundance of the fat of the earth: his flocks shall bring forth thousands and tens of thousands: his fats [vats] shall overflow with wine and oil: his cattle shall increase to a multitude: he shall have horses and mules, asses, she asses and dromedaries, camels and elephants, and all swift beasts, and when he goes forth in haste his chariots shall roar like the approach of an army:” (September 1835 blessing)
- Obtain precious stones/jewels: “he shall have gold and silver, precious stones, diamonds, pearls, and the pure platina [platinum], with the antiquities of every kind.” (September 1835 blessing)
Joseph Smith’s patriarchal blessings reveal that the Prophet will yet fulfill many important prophecies.
- Welcomed & reverenced by kings: “he shall be welcomed into the presence of kings and the great ones of the earth; for he shall claim his place among the nobles of the earth and shall be reverenced by them.” (September 1835 blessing)
- Crown “sons of Ephraim”: “thou shalt stand on mount Zion when the tribes of Jacob come shouting from the north, and with thy brethren, the sons of Ephraim, crown them in the name of Jesus Christ:” (December 1834 blessing)
- Rise up in the heat of wine, roar in strength: “No weapon formed against him shall prosper, and though the wicked mar him for a little season, he shall be like one rising up in the heat of wine—he shall roar in his strength, and the Lord shall put to flight his persecutors:” (December 1834 blessing)
- Deliver Israel as Moses: “From amid the burning bush, like Moses of old, shall he hear the voice, saying, I am the God of thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, I have seen, I have seen, the affliction of my people and am come down to deliver them: go, thou, and say to the strength of my house, To your tents, O Israel: build up the wastes and raise up the foundation of desolation that this generation has made.” (September 1835 blessing)
Cause ice to melt and deep to give way in the North: “In due time shall he go forth toward the north, and by the power of his word shall the deep begin to give way and the ice melt before the sun.” (September 1835 blessing)- Lead Israel into Zion: “By the keys of the Kingdom shall he lead Israel into the land of Zion while the house of Jacob shouts in the danse and in the song—” (September 1835 blessing)
- Destroy wicked: “His loins shall be like iron, girded by the hand of the Lord, and his feet shall be swift to execute the commandment of the Most High when he shall say, Destroy.” (September 1835 blessing)
Read full blessings of the Prophet Joseph Smith!
- Blessing given by Joseph Smith Sr. (December 9, 1834)
- Blessing given by Oliver Cowdery (September 22, 1835)
- Blessing given by Joseph Smith Sr. (September 14, 1840)
- Blessing given by Joseph Smith Sr. (January 23, 1833)
Parley P. Pratt’s revelation concerning Joseph Smith’s future mission
Joseph Smith promises, “I will come back again.”
What a wonderful post. I would advise everyone to read through and meditate upon all of these special blessings. They confirm the greatness of the Prophet Joseph.
As Brigham Young testified, “Who can justly say aught (or anything) against Joseph Smith? I do not think that a man lives on the earth that knew him any better than I did; and I am bold to say that, Jesus Christ excepted, no better man ever lived or does live upon this earth. I am his witness.” And again, the testimony of John Taylor as recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants: “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world than any other man that ever lived in it.” (D&C 135:3)
As is pointed out in this article, the Prophet Joseph is continuing his work on the other side of the veil, and will continue until all of the prophecies included in the blessings will be fulfilled.
Some of the other quotes from Joseph Smith Sr.’s blessing to his son, the Prophet Joseph Smith, in 1834, that I believe are very significant, include:
“…thou hast sought to know his ways, and from thy childhood thou hast meditated much upon the great things of his law.”
“A marvelous work and a wonder has the Lord wrought by thy hand…”
“I bless thee with the blessings of thy fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and even the blessings of thy father Joseph, the son of Jacob. Behold, he looked after his posterity in the last days, when they should be scattered and driven by the Gentiles, and wept before the Lord: he sought diligently to know from whence the son should come who should bring forth the word of the Lord, by which they might be enlightened, and brought back to the true fold, and his eyes beheld thee, my son: his heart rejoiced and his soul was satisfied, and he said,
“As my blessings are to extend to the utmost bounds of the everlastings hills; as my father’s blessing prevailed above the blessings of his progen[i]tors, and as my branches are to run over the wall, and my seed are to inherit the choice land whereon the Zion of God shall stand in the last days…”
Interesting that Joseph Smith Sr. here reiterates and explains the blessing that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph, recorded in Genesis 49:22,26:
“Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall….The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.”
In his blessing Joseph Smith Sr. explains to his son, Joseph Smith Jr., that his seed, as Jacob had promised his son, Joseph of old, would “…inherit the choice land whereon the Zion of God shall stand in the last days…”
Interesting that Joseph of old also prophesied of the greatness of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as recorded in the Book of Mormon:
“Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers. And I will give unto him a commandment that he shall do none other work, save the work which I shall command him.” (2 Nephi 3:7)
This is a significant point the Lord makes here–that Joseph Smith would not do any work that he was not commanded by the Lord to do. Thus, if we criticize the work of the Prophet Joseph, we are literally criticizing the Lord.
Again in the Book of Mormon, a prophecy of Joseph of old about the Prophet Joseph:
“And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father.” (2 Nephi 3:15)
The following are some other quotes from the blessing Joseph Smith Sr. gave to his son:
“…shall a choice Seer arise whose bowels shall be as a fountain of truth, whose loins shall be girded with the girdle of righteousness….”
“…whose heart shall meditate great wisdom, whose intelligence shall circumscribe and comprehend the deep things of God, and whose mouth shall utter the law of the just….”
“…thou shalt hold the keys of this ministry, even the presidency of this church, both in time and in eternity….”
“Thousands and tens of thousands shall come to a knowledge of the truth through thy ministry.”
I am excited to learn all these new aspects about Joseph Smith! He is so incredible the more I read about him.
The parts that excite me the most in his patriarchal blessings are the bringing forth of even more records!
“even the record of the Nephites shall he again obtain, with all those hid up by Mormon, and others who were righteous, and many others, till he is overwhelmed with knowledge”
Another part that I’m interested in is his wisdom. – “His learning and wisdom shall astonish the great, for they shall acknowledge that by his intelligence he has far surpassed their learng and their science.”
I have only read a small portion of some of Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith Compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith the blue covered book of 1976.
What I have read has told me that I desperately want to hear more from him. Volumes more. He gives clarity to so many things that any honest seeker of truth will be joyfully and pleasantly relieved to receive!
The Doctrine and Covenants are precious and Moses and Abraham are amazing. The Book of Mormon is absolutely priceless! The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible is incredible! If we are to receive more, sign me up! I am all for more truth from God on high.
The last thing I love is the assurance that the just will be aided by him, saved from famine and desolation. “For, like Joseph of old shall he be: he shall save the just from desolation” So many seem to be nearly in the grasp of desolation and this seems particularly relevant today.
I thoroughly loved this article and the layout, making it very easy to read his blessings without missing any of them. This blessing given by his father and another he received by Oliver Cowdery both testify that Joseph Smith will return to the earth to fulfill the great blessings pronounced upon him. Both of them give great blessings that did not take place yet, when he was on the earth, but which will take place in the future.
Another beautiful blessing that shows the mission of him through his father is once again shared from Joseph Smith Sr’s deathbed as he says: ‘Joseph, my son, thou art called to a high and holy calling. Thou art even called to do the work of the Lord. Hold out faithful, and you shall be blessed and your children after you. You shall live to finish your work.’ At this Joseph cried out, weeping, ‘Oh my father, will I?’ ‘Yes,’ said his father, ‘you shall live to lay out the plan of all the work which God has given you to do. This is my dying blessing on your head in the name of Jesus.’
As there are many now who can not see the greatness of Joseph, and even wish to defame his character and life, I will echo Brigham Young’s words when he spoke. “I want to say something to you men. You cannot destroy the appointment of a prophet of God, but you can cut the thread that binds you to the prophet of God, and sink yourselves to hell.”
This article has me intrigued!
Just when you think the Prophet Joseph Smith can’t get any greater, he does!
Don’t quote a man giving a blessing more than you quote his general teachings. There is no magic in giving blessings. Blessings are spoken by the same spirit of inspiration by which a man can teach a sunday school class, no differently at all. A man who cannot speak by the spirit of prophesy during a sunday meeting lesson cannot do so during a blessing.
That being said, I don’t think the Lord will allow his servant Joseph Smith Sr to be ashamed, and I expect the Lord will prove that his servant was faithful enough to speak by the spirit of prophesy.
But take a look at Wilford Woodruff’s patriarchal blessing. That one included many thing that were not fulfilled. The confidence and sense of drama of the patriarch in many cases exceeds their revelation.
By contrast, i have confidence in Joseph Smith Sr not because of his name, or his calling in the church, or his son, but because of his dreams (found in History of Joseph Smith by his Mother). I think a man who could receive dreams that carry the Holy Ghost in that measure is a man who God will not leave ashamed concerning his blessings and teachings.
But again, we think men can lay on their hands and prophesy in all manner of detail covering an entire persons life, but we know that the same man can’t proclaim two words by prophesy that we we would be willing to count on during their regular sunday meetings or family scripture study. That is ridiculous. Is Christ divided? The rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and the powers of heaven can only be controlled or handled by the principles of righteousness. If a man is righteous enough to discern truth and even prophesy concerning the details of another mans life in a way that constitutes scripture in a blessing, he has to live so as to have the spirit of prophesy in that profound a measure (which is no small matter). And if he is living in such a manner, the spirit of prosphey and inspiration will accompany him during regular discussions about the scriptures. He will reveal truth that was covered as plainly as he will reveal the future in regular scriptural discussions. It is a high standard, and taken far too lightly among us.
As it stands, we place scriptural confidence in blessings from patriarchs whose words we would trust far differently if they were not given during an actual blessing. This is folly. Never trust or quote a blessing more trustingly than you find the person giving the blessing has power to speak things that could be known and percieved only by the holy Ghost in a general discussion of the scriptures. Do they perceive things from the scriptures in a way that suggests power to discern who you should marry? Do they strike at truth with such unique power that you think they have power to discern actual scripture for you? If so, consider their blessing as such.
If not, reread that verse that the rights of the priesthood (such as the right to give a prophetic blessing) are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and the powers of heaven cannot be controlled, nor handled, only on the principles of righteousness, and know that they are the same person when they give the blessing, as when the speak of the scriptures. The only difference, being a particular commision to prophesy and seek inspiration concerning the one recieving the blessing. The topic is different, but the medium of inspiration, is the same.
Thank you for sharing this blessing with us. I enjoyed reading about Joseph Smith.
This generation at that time was very young and growing in spiritual knowledge wisdom and understanding..
I’ll give anyone the benefit of the doubt given they r set apart for the calling..the spirit works or applies its self in so many different ways and as we have different cultures we shud try to understand the spiritual culture spiritual logic at work.. beautiful blessings unique for its time JS was a very profound prophet!!