THE ONE MIGHTY AND STRONG—JOSEPH SMITH
In Doctrine and Covenants 85:7, the Lord states:
And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the scepter of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words; while his bowels shall be a foundation of truth, to set in order the house of God.
An example of Joseph Smith taking upon himself the attributes of the one mighty and strong was recorded by Parley P. Pratt as follows:
Following the shameful and wicked treatment of our people at Far West, Parley P. Pratt and others spent eight months in jail in Missouri, six months in Richmond, Ray County, and two months in Columbia, Boone County, and escaped from prison on the 4th of July, 1839. All through the bitter persecution of that period, he and the other leaders were subjected to the most inhuman and barbarous treatment. Brother Pratt relates the following circumstance that took place in the Richmond jail:
I had listened to the vile and foul-mouthed guards till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified, and so filled with the spirit of indignant justice that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and rebuking the guards, but had said nothing to Joseph or any one else, although I lay next to him and knew he was awake. On a sudden he (the Prophet) arose to his feet, and spoke in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words:
SILENCE, ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ, I rebuke you, and command you to be still. I will not live another minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS INSTANT.
He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained and without a weapon, calm, unruffled and dignified as an angel, he looked upon the quailing guards, whose weapons were lowered or dropped to the ground, whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet till a change of guards.
I have seen the ministers of justice, clothed in magisterial robes, and criminals arraigned before them, while life was suspended on a breath, in the courts of England; I have witnessed a Congress in solemn session to give laws to nations; I have tried to conceive of kings, of royal courts, of thrones and crowns, and of emperors assembled to decide the fate of kingdoms, but dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon in an obscure village of Missouri. (Bryan S. Hinckley, Parley P. Pratt, a Gifted Poet and Preacher, 115-16, quoting from Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, 3d ed., 228-29)
During the early part of 1839, Joseph was falsely charged along with other leaders of the Church, and they spent several months in Liberty Jail. This was a difficult time for Joseph, who was away from his wife and children. In this time of sorrow and grief, Joseph cried out unto the Lord in frustration. The Lord’s response to Joseph is set forth in Sections 121 and 122 of the Doctrine and Covenants. In part, Joseph received the following revelation:
[The author then quotes from D&C 121:1-3, 7, 26-28, 32; 122; 1, 4, 7-9]
. . .
Joseph Smith was also the one that Joseph, who was sold into Egypt, prophesied was to come forth in the latter days, restore the gospel and prepare the way for the second coming of Jesus Christ. . . . The Book of Mormon, when talking about the latter-day Joseph, says:
[The author quotes 2 Nephi 3:11, 24]
Joseph Smith was the “one mighty and strong” that was “an instrument in the hands of God” through whom all the truths taught by all the holy prophets were restored to the earth. Doctrine and Covenants 135:3 states:
[The author quotes D&C 135:3]
(Stephen G. Morgan, Hidden Treasures of Knowledge: An Abridgement of Ancient Religious Documents Which Support the Revealed Word of God [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Distributors, 2006], 468, 470-71, 472)