Lessons of 2025
Lesson No. Thirty-Six

Thoughts on Moroni Day 2025

Moroni Day is an annual celebration of angel Moroni's first visit to Joseph Smith, which took place on the night of September 21 – 22, 1823. During the three visits which occupied the entire night Moroni told Joseph Smith of several events that would soon take place. The following are some of the things, from Joseph Smith – History (JSH), that Moroni tole Joseph that have been fulfilled or are in the process of fulfillment.

“God had a work for me to do” (JSH 1:33). The great work that was begun by Joseph Smith was the work of restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter days. The Lord set his hand the first time to gather Israel when He personally came into the world as the Mortal Messiah. The primary purpose of the Lord’s first coming was to complete His infinite and eternal atonement. He also restored His gospel in the dispensation of the meridian of time, and He desired to gather Israel to His gospel. But Israel generally had no desire to be gathered, and like all prior dispensations it ended in apostacy. Never in the history of the world was an apostacy so long, and wide, and deep as was the Great Apostacy.

The work God had for Joseph Smith was to be head of the last and greatest dispensation. When the time was right and the Lord set His hand the second time to gather Israel in the dispensation of the fulness of times. This gathering began with the First Vision which was followed 3.5 years later by Moroni’s visits to Joseph Smith during the night of September 21 – 22, 1823. The thing that is unique and most wonderful about our dispensation is that it will never fall into apostacy, but will prepare the earth for the Second Coming of the Messiah.

Joseph Smith’s mission, like all dispensation heads, was to restore the knowledge of the plan of salvation to their dispensation. They each knew the Lord Jesus Christ personally, and they are His primary witness to the people of that dispensation. All prophets that come after bear testimony that Jesus is the Christ and that their dispensation head has restored the gospel in that dispensation. God truly did have a work for Joseph 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” (JSH 1:33). Today there are many people throughout the earth who believe, as our scriptures say, that “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). Conversely, Joseph Smith has been written about and charged with every imaginable evil.

Joseph Smith was 17 year old uneducated young man on the edge of the American frontier with no prospect for anything that would distinguish him. Yet he shared this statement that his name would be known “among all nations, kindreds, and tongues.” This is a testimony to me that it did happen.

“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” (JSH 1:34)

The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (Book of Mormon, Introduction). The Book of Mormon is the most correct book on earth, it is also the most important book on earth. If a person can get nearer to God through the Book of Mormon than by any other book, then it is also the most important book on earth. There is nothing more important for each person than to “get nearer to God.”

Over 200,000,000 copies of the Book of Mormon have been printed. Many times more than that this will be printed in the future. The Book of Mormon is currently printed in 115 languages worldwide. In the future The Book of Mormon will be available in every tongue and among all people. It is now one of the most read and studied books in the world. There will be a time when everyone will know of the Book of Mormon.

Moroni “quoted many other passages of scripture, and offered many explanations…” (JSH 1: 41). “And again, he quoted [Malachi 4:5] thus: Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. He also quoted the next verse differently: And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming” (JSH 1: 38-39).

Moroni also spoke of temple work and gave Joseph an improved more glorious description of the reason for the coming of Elijah. The words found in Malachi 4:5-6 are correct, but the improved version given by Moroni and now canonized in D&C 2:1-3 is intended for people with greater spiritual understanding. The improved version has additional phrases which if properly understood and applied will qualify us for exaltation in the celestial kingdom.

In fulfillment of this prophecy Elijah came on April 3, 1836, the exact day of Passover in 1836. (As part of Passover Jews look forward to the coming of Elijah) When Elijah returned he brought the keys of the sealing power, and the Lord thus revealed the total and complete use of the priesthood. The sealing keys of the priesthood authorizes the priesthood to be used to bind on earth and to seal everlastingly in the heavens. Through this sealing power all of the ordinances of the gospel are sealed and made eternal so we can enjoy the blessings that come from them both in this life and the next. (Attend a temple sealing session and be reminded of these most remarkable blessings)

Moroni “also quoted the second chapter of Joel, from the twenty-eighth verse to the last. He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be” (JSH 1: 41). Joel 2:30 speaks of the latter days and reads in part: “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth.”

An equinox is one of those wonders. An equinox generally means that day and night are of equal length. If the orbit of the earth around the sun, which causes an equinox, were not precisely what it is there would be no human life on earth. The Lord prepared and sustains the precise orbit of the earth around the sun. Therefore, when an equinox will occur can be precisely predicted. The exact time of the fall equinox in 2025 is September 22 at 2:19 pm mountain daylight time. An equinox is certainly wonder shown in the heavens and on the earth.

Testimony. I know that everything Joseph Smith wrote concerning Moroni and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon as recorded in JSH 1:27-54 is true. I also know that for those with eyes to see the Lord shows great wonders in the heavens and in the earth. One of these wonders is an equinox.

In this regard, I add my testimony to the testimony of Alma that “all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44).

Released on September 21st. 2025.