Description

First Paper by H. Michael Marquardt: The End Times According to Latter Day Saint Joseph Smith Senior

Joseph Smith Senior, father of Joseph Smith Junior, was ordained to the office of Patriarch in the early Latter Day Saint (Mormon) movement. In Joseph Smith Senior’s calling he pronounced blessings on Church members. He made predictions about how long a person might live, if they would live to see the second coming of Jesus Christ and the return of the ten lost tribes, and whether they would be among the 144,000 faithful. This presentation is based on the recorded patriarchal blessings for the period of 1834–1840.

Second Paper by Clair Barrus: The Dreams and Visions of Heber C. Kimball

Heber C. Kimball recorded many significant dreams in his journal. Some were recurring, which Kimball interpreted in new ways to provide new meanings. One of these recurring dreams may have been elevated to the status of a vision on the anniversary of the Moroni visions to Joseph Smith.

Kimball often preached of a 90-minute vision of an attack by demons on Orson Hyde and himself, a shared vision. However a close analysis of contemporary journals shows complexities in the story. For example, there were two separate encounters with demons on subsequent nights, not just one. And for the second event, Kimball and another Elder relied on Orson Hyde’s account rather than their own. I tease out curiosities in the historical record to try to understand what originally happened, and how the story would later be told, as well as overview all the dreams and visions of Heber C. Kimball.

Speakers

H. Michael Marquardt

Clair Barrus