The Angel Moroni's Appearance to the Prophet Joseph Smith

The Angel Moroni appears to Joseph Smith

 Today is 21 September 2011 - another Anniversary of the appearing of the Angel Moroni to Joseph Smith the Prophet from 1823-27.  The events will be discussed herein.

As Joseph was retiring to bed for the night, he, as all good Christians are taught to do, prayed unto the Lord that evening.  He no doubt gave an account of his activities during the day to the Lord, but also expressed to the Lord a desire for forgiveness of sins, and a willingness that the Lord tell him of his standing before Him.  Joseph writes:

While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor. . . . He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.  He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang.  He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants. (JS-H 1:30,33-34)

This account brought forth from the ground is now known as the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.  The Book of Mormon is true, for the Holy Ghost has borne witness to me that it is so.  However, at this point I feel led to answer critics on the matter of the Angel Moroni appearing to Joseph Smith, using one simple objection I heard thousands of times during my mission to California: namely, the Bible is all we need, and therefore anyone claiming an angelic ministration is deceived by Satan.

Angels in Unenlightened Times
This claim, however, is silly and false, and I will show it through scripture.  Keep the following question in mind: If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, why would He stop sending angels to give messages to His children?  The answer is He has not stopped sending Angels to speak to His servants, as evidenced by these references in Holy Writ:

1. An angel instructing Adam about the coming Redeemer and Atonement (Moses 5:6)
2. An angel of God coming to Hagar the Egyptian (Gen. 21:17)
3. Angels of God ascending and descending Jacob's Ladder (Gen. 28:12)
4. Angels ministering unto the Savior of the world (Matt. 4:11)
5. An Angel coming to Cornelius (Acts 10:30)
6. An Angel sent by Jesus Himself unto John to reveal the vision known as the Book of Revelation (Rev. 22:16)
7. An Angel protecting Nephi and rebuking Laman and Lemuel (1 Ne. 3:29)
8. An Angel proclaiming Jesus Christ to King Benjamin (Mosiah 3:2)
9. An Angel rebuking Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah (Mosiah 27:11)
10. An Angel instructing Alma the Younger to preach against the city Ammonihah (Alma 8:14-18)

Angels in Enlightened Times
Those are just ten examples proving that God speaks to His children, both in the Old and New World.  If then, why not now?  Why in this age of enlightenment, can we not be privileged to see and converse with Angels?  Who are we to say, "God, thou hast revealed Thyself through thine Angels, but no more; not in this day of enlightenment and technology!  Thou hast enlightened us enough, and for that we thank Thee, but send Thou unto us no more of Thine Angels, for we have had enough!"  I say that Angels still visit God's Authorized servants on this Earth, which Authorized servants, holding the Priesthood of God, are only found within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.