Introduction
I first wrote this post over 2 years ago about the Prophet Joseph Smith17. It is my perspective. Other people, for various reasons, have opposite perspectives widely published. In his first encounter with an angel, Joseph Smith was told that it would so:
33 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. (PGP, JS History 1)
That has come to pass. I have added Chapter 2 to address it. But first, Chapter 1.
Chapter 1
I have always loved to hear and read about the Prophet Joseph Smith. 
Because of his writings and teachings, I feel I know something of his heart and character. My first reading of The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (TPJS) had a serious positive impact on me. My favorite hymn as a child (because I just liked the tune) was “Praise to the Man” and I can still remember the page number from the old edition hymn book – page 149. Below is the music and lyrics: One of the most beautiful and sublime renditions the Tabernacle Choir has ever done (IMO).
Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah! Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer.
Blessed to open the last dispensation, Kings shall extol him, the nations revere.Praise to his mem’ry, he died as a martyr; Honored and blest be his ever great name!
Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins, Plead unto heav’n while the earth lauds his fame.Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven! Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren; Death cannot conquer the hero again.Great is his glory and endless his priesthood. Ever and ever the keys he will hold.
Faithful and true he will enter his kingdom, Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven! Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren; Death cannot conquer the hero again.Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven; Earth must atone for the blood of that man.
Wake up the world for the conflict of justice. Millions shall know ‘Brother Joseph’ again.Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven! Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren; Death cannot conquer the hero again.Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven; Earth must atone for the blood of that man.
Wake up the world for the conflict of justice. Millions shall know ‘Brother Joseph’ again.Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah! Millions shall know ‘Brother Joseph’ again.
Critics like to ask the baited question: “Do you worship Joseph Smith?”. Of course the answer depends on the exact meaning of “worship”. According to Websters it means:
1: to honor or reverence as a divine being or supernatural power 2: to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion
Well, neither definition quite fits. Latter-day Saints don’t believe Joseph Smith was a divine being in mortality – only that he talked to divine beings. Now that he’s in the afterlife, he is now an angelic person who has an ongoing responsibility for the work of the Church – and has communicated with subsequent church leaders. How about respect, honor or devotion? Yes. But what about extravagant? I don’t think so. After all, what can you say say about someone who is only exceeded by Jesus in the amount of good accomplished? When the Hotel Utah in Salt Lake City was renamed the “Joseph Smith Memorial Center”, Gordon B. Hinckley recalled there was already a Joseph Smith building on BYU campus and then said “I wish there was a Joseph Smith memorial building in every city of the world to speak of his hallowed name”. (Deseret News, July 3, 1993) When I first read the following quote from Brigham Young, I said to myself: "YES!"
I honor and revere the name of Joseph Smith. I delight to hear it; I love it. I love his doctrine. I feel like shouting Hallelujah, all the time, when I think that I ever knew Joseph Smith, the Prophet whom the Lord raised up. I am bold to say that, Jesus Christ excepted, no better man ever lived or does live upon this earth. I am his witness. (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [1954], 458-459)
And finally, this quote from canonized scripture (written by John Taylor):
3 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. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fullness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord's anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood ... (Doctrine and Covenants Section 135:3)
Latter-day Saints believe that in the spirit world the same basic Priesthood organization1 exists among the Saints (LDS members) there as it does here in mortality - except that in the spirit world there is a separation so that the wicked do not tempt or vex the righteous2 as they do here. The followers of Christ have authority there. Thus in the song it says "Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain" and "mingling with Gods he can plan for his brethren" - an appropriate way to put it since he "holds the keys of this dispensation". In the Priesthood line of authority, Josephs successors as Church President report to Joseph and Joseph reports to Adam who reports to Christ. The Lord made Adam ruler3 over his posterity. It was a Priesthood assignment for Adam to hold those keys4 of responsibility for the salvation of his children. In the afterlife, as well as here, the Priesthood leaders are organized as a presidency. We know that Adam is the President and presides over the whole human family. We're not told much in scripture about the Priesthood organization in the spirit world but Dr. John P Pratt in this link makes an interesting case (at least to me) that this presidency consists of Adam and two counselors which are (1) Noah and then (2) Joseph Smith, and then (3) Enoch, who has a record keeping responsibility. In any case, Joseph truly is busy "planning for his brethren" and is now as much engaged with building the Kingdom of God, especially the work in the Spirit World, as he was when still alive on the earth. This Presidency along with all other prophets and priesthood leaders will soon report to Christ and return all their delegated authority back to the source, to Jesus5, at a reunion at Adam-ondi-Ahman6,
(lyrics7) and declare Him to be King over the whole earth, forever. It was the work of Joseph Smith to get this process started in our modern latter-day times and with the help of God he succeeded wonderfully. Praise to the man!
Chapter 2
The Lord Himself had these comforting words addressed to Joseph Smith:
1 The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee;
2 While the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand.
3 And thy people shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors.
4 And although their influence shall cast thee into trouble, and into bars and walls, thou shalt be had in honor; ... and thy God shall stand by thee forever and ever.
[Doctrine and Covenants, Section 122]
Now in Chapter 2, I am going to address criticisms of Joseph Smith and the testimony of traitors. Defending the Prophet Joseph is easy to do. First let's looks at contrasting evaluations...
"It appears from the mass of evidence in this Exposé, that the Mormon Hierarchy are guilty of infidelity, deism, atheism; lying, deception, blasphemy; debauchery, lasciviousness, bestiality; madness, fraud, plunder; larceny, burglary, robbery, perjury; fornication, adultery, rape, incest; arson, treason, and murder; and they have out-heroded Herod, and out-deviled the devil." [John C. Bennett, History of the Saints]
VS
"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. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fullness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord's anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood ..." [Doctrine and Covenants, Section 135:3]
The Book of Mormon says that, doctrinally, in God's eternal plan there must be an "opposition in all things8" and thus, anti-Mormon zealots play the foil as they have from the beginning. Most anti-Mormon writers, like Bennett, jump the shark early and often which is why they have little effect on normal people. You need to be gullible, or a complete non-scholar, or already have an ax to grind -- in order to take anti-Mormon literature seriously. It hasn't really changed from the early days of the Church. False, stupid stuff. Here's my answer to some of the more common anti-Mormon themes:
- Joseph Smith practiced polygamy/plural marriage!
Well, so what? It's only an affront to our traditional western culture, which means nothing really. It was certainly common and accepted in Biblical times. On my Church mission, I met with Christian ministers of other faiths several times and, when they would bring up polygamy as the great Mormon evil, I was always quite surprised that they had no real clue that Abraham had two wives at the same time (Sarah, Hagar9), that King David's many wives were given to him in marriage by the Lord's approval10, or that Moses had two wives (Zipporah the Midianite11, Tharbis the Ethiopian12). So why did Joseph Smith engage in plural marriage anyway? He says he was commanded by God. But why would God require it, especially considering all the hardship, stress, persecution, and eventually martyrdom that resulted. I cannot claim to know but I trust in God. Perhaps, since plural marriage prevails in the eternal realms (remember Abraham, Jacob, Moses, etc), it was necessary to set a precedent in the last days when temple work and all the things from past Gospel dispensations were to be restored and brought together as one. The Book of Mormon clarifies God's law on the subject. It says the default is for one wife13 at a time only, unless God commands otherwise. Right now, the modern Prophets say one wife at a time only. Since plural marriage was discontinued over 100 years ago, no new convert or weak member need stumble over it any more than they need to stumble over Abraham having multiple wives. It is simply not relevant in today's world.
- Joseph Smith was an evil man ...
The sheer volume of slander leveled at Joseph Smith is amazing to behold. It started the minute it was found out that Joseph had the gold plates. In his official account, he starts with:
Owing to the many reports which have been put in circulation by evil-disposed and designing persons, in relation to the rise and progress of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, all of which have been designed by the authors thereof to militate against its character as a Church and its progress in the world--I have been induced to write this history, to disabuse the public mind, and put all inquirers after truth in possession of the facts, as they have transpired, in relation both to myself and the Church, so far as I have such facts in my possession. [JSH 1:1]
To be attacked and slandered for the Gospels sake14 is actually a sign of a true prophet. It has always been the satanic modus operandi to ignore the message and smear the messenger15. The exact same thing occurs today with the living Prophets. There are books and websites devoted to slandering Gordon B Hinckley and Thomas S Monson -- misrepresenting and misquoting them, getting offended at made up slights, calling them "Gordy" and "Tommy", and publishing unflattering photos of them that have obviously been photo-shopped. My defense for Joseph Smith18 is the same as my defense for Gordon B Hinckley19 and Thomas S Monson -- BY THEIR FRUITS YOU SHALL KNOW THEM16. Like Joseph Smith, the modern prophets20 have a huge record of writing, speeches, and real life accomplishments. So there is no need to listen to hearsay, slander, and third party opinions. Go right to the original sources.
- Joseph Smith didn't translate the Book of Mormon. There were no gold plates!
Well, those who tried to steal the plates believed they were real. There are many witnesses affirming that they existed, including 11 official witnesses who never denied their sworn statements even though they disagreed on many other subjects. It is well documented that these witnesses21 continued to publicly affirm their official testimony throughout their lives and this is a real thorn in the side of anti-Mormon writers. It's hard to dance around. There's also lots of evidence from multiple witnesses on the time-frame of the translation process. Three months. Three months is a strong argument for a translation made with Gods help. It's an impossible short time for semi-literate Joseph Smith to create the Book of Mormon on his own, part time. Besides, the actual translation process22 is now well documented and backed up by textual analysis23 of original manuscripts24. It is game-over for Book of Mormon critics on this one. No contest.
- The LDS have a policy of hiding stuff about Joseph Smith and it's own history.
Totally untrue. The LDS believe in following and finding the truth. We are not afraid of it. It will support us at the Judgement Day, we are sure. Some will say: why isn't all this negative stuff we bring up put into your Sunday School manuals? Because the Church is not training historians - we are teaching the Gospel of Christ. Therefore those things of a doctrinal level that mesh with the teachings of modern prophets, the living oracles, are included and those items that have been superseded or are out of date are not taught. This is not a mystery to the Latter-day Saints. We believe in the living Prophets and know that revelation is ongoing25 and instructions from God are specific to our time and place. We know that we as a people are learning, growing and that we must expect and embrace change that comes from God until one day we are ready and prepared for Christ to return and reign in glory. There's more than enough applicable doctrine to fill our time and manuals and no time or need to spend time contemplating items that no longer apply -- at least not in Sunday School. On the other hand the Church records all aspects of it's history and since it's founding in 1830 has gone to great lengths preserve it's history. In 1930, all these histories were first gathered together in one work, a Comprehensive History of The Church26, by B.H. Roberts (a General Authority). The Church also has, of course, Brigham Young University which a world class institution and it's scholars' erudition far outstrip the amateurish mainstream critics. One of the current exciting projects supported by Brigham Young University and The Church History Department is the Joseph Smith papers27 project where every known document touching the life of Joseph Smith is professionally reviewed and digitally made available online. This project elevates the documentation on Joseph Smith's life to the same high level of professionalism as what has been done for George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson -- with the added benefit of being online, for anybody and everybody to see. Additionally, the Church also has it's historical archives open to the public at the Church History Library28, including many digital copies of original documents (a marvelous website...). Despite the weakness and mistakes of the early Latter-day Saints, the preponderance of detailed evidence pointing to the truth of the Latter-day Gospel, as brought forth by Jesus through Joseph Smith, is enormous.
Really, that is basically it. There are volumes and volumes of slander online and in print. Sensible people don't pay any attention to it and no serious scholar will touch most of it. LDS scholars review anti-Mormon books and easily debunk them but anti-Mormon authors don't care. They simply write for revenge, to make a buck, and to prey upon the spiritually weak and vulnerable. Faithful Latter-day Saints, who take the Holy Spirit for their guide, are not deceived.
The narration of the video below, highlighting key events in Joseph Smiths history29, is taken from the writings of Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph Smiths mother.
References
1Wilfred Woodruff, Deseret News, Jan. 25, 1882, 818 
The same Priesthood exists on the other side of the veil. … Every Apostle, every Seventy, every Elder, etc., who has died in the faith as soon as he passes to the other side of the veil, enters into the work of the ministry
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
10 \“For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.\” (1 Peter 4:6.)
11 As I pondered over these things which are written, the eyes of my understanding were opened, and the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me, and I saw the hosts of the dead, both small and great.
12 And there were gathered together in one place an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality;
18 While this vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful;
20 But unto the wicked he did not go, and among the ungodly and the unrepentant who had defiled themselves while in the flesh, his voice was not raised;
21 Neither did the rebellious who rejected the testimonies and the warnings of the ancient prophets behold his presence, nor look upon his face.
22 Where these were, darkness reigned, but among the righteous there was peace; ...
30 But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to fall the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead.
53 Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing.
54 And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel.
55 And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever.
4DC 78, Joseph Smith TPJS p 157
16 Who hath appointed Michael your prince, and established his feet, and set him upon high, and given unto him the keys of salvation under the counsel and direction of the Holy One, who is without beginning of days or end of life.
The Priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the Creation, before the world was formed.... He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel: he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood; he was called of God to this office, and was the father of all living in this day, and to him was given the dominion. These men held keys first on earth, and then in heaven.
The Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years. The keys have to be brought from heaven whenever the Gospel is sent. When they are revealed from heaven, it is by Adam's authority.
5The Way to Perfection p.289-291
This [future] council in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman is to be of the greatest importance to this world. At that time there will be a transfer of authority from the usurper and impostor, Lucifer, to the rightful King, Jesus Christ. Judgment will be set and all who have held keys will make their reports and deliver their stewardships, as they shall be required. Adam will direct this judgment, and then he will make his report, as the one holding the keys for this earth, to his Superior Officer, Jesus Christ. Our Lord will then assume the reins of government; directions will be given to the Priesthood; and He, whose right it is to rule, will be installed officially by the voice of the Priesthood there assembled. This grand council of Priesthood will be composed, not only of those who are faithful who now dwell on this earth, but also of the prophets and apostles of old, who have had directing authority.
6DC 107:53-55 & DC 116:Heading-1 & Daniel 7:13-14
53 Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing.
54 And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel.
55 And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever.
Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, near Wight's Ferry, at a place called Spring Hill, Daviess County, Missouri, May 19, 1838. HC 3:35.
1 SPRING Hill is named by the Lord Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet.
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
This earth was once a garden place, With all her glories common,
And men did live a holy race, And worship Jesus face to face, In Adam-ondi-Ahman.
We read that Enoch walked with God, Above the pow'r of Mammon:
While Zion spread herself abroad, And saints and angels sung aloud In Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Her land was good and greatly blest, Beyond old Israel's Canaan:
Her fame was known from east to west, Her peace was great, and pure the rest Of Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Hosannah to such days to come - The Savior's second coming -
While all the earth in glorious bloom, Affords the saints a holy home Like Adam-ondi-Ahman.
11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so... righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad.
15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.
1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
34 God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife. And why did she do it? Because this was the law; and from Hagar sprang many people. This, therefore, was fulfilling, among other things, the promises.
17 And Nathan said to , Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
\8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
\9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.
2 Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,
6 And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.
7 And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent.
12Numbers 12, Josephus - Antiquities of the Jews - chap 10
1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.
3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; ...
Tharbis was the daughter of the king of the Ethiopians: she happened to see Moses as he led the army near the walls, and fought with great courage; and admiring the subtility of his undertakings, and believing him to be the author of the Egyptians' success, when they had before despaired of recovering their liberty, and to be the occasion of the great danger the Ethiopians were in, when they had before boasted of their great achievements, she fell deeply in love with him; and upon the prevalency of that passion, sent to him the most faithful of all her servants to discourse with him about their marriage. He thereupon accepted the offer, on condition she would procure the delivering up of the city; and gave her the assurance of an oath to take her to his wife; and that when he had once taken possession of the city, he would not break his oath to her. No sooner was the agreement made, but it took effect immediately; and when Moses had cut off the Ethiopians, he gave thanks to God, and consummated his marriage, and led the Egyptians back to their own land.
23 ... For behold, thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning , and Solomon his son.
...27 Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none;
28 For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.
29 Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes.
30 For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things.
31 For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands.
32 And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts.
33 For they shall not lead away captive the daughters of my people because of their tenderness, save I shall visit them with a sore curse, even unto destruction; for they shall not commit whoredoms, like unto them of old, saith the Lord of Hosts.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
8 Neither was there place found in heaven for the great dragon, who was cast out; that old serpent called the devil, and also called Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth; and his angels were cast out with him.
9 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ;
10 For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
16 Ye shall aknow them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
26Comprehensive History of The Church