Men of God are often perceptive. But actually this type of conversation was common as there was a revival spiritual movement going on in the area that spanned almost a decade from what I’ve read.
Well, my point is two-fold:
(1) My unmentioned point is that many LDS writers like to portray Joseph Smith as this unenlightened backwoods bumpkin of very young age, who had neither the insight or education to construct what he did. They somehow like to portray it as "well this HAS to mean some divine imprint" in his life.
All you have to do is to read what Joseph himself said about these visions and you realize these were strong issues he was dealing with for four years during a formative time of his life...I mean, the way he frames it, these were deep thoughts he supposedly weighed between the ages of 12 & 15. So, it's not like he was this "soft coin" that was all ready to be stamped with just any revelational image. No, far from it, by his own admission, he had come to multiple theological conclusions in a "pre-visited" time of his life.
And that was my other (2) point: That he had already formed these conclusions minus any direct revelation. He had already sized up the authentic nature of people's faith lifes as non-existent [he slammed the Christians around him; whether they deserved it or not is another question]. Likewise, he had concluded the beliefs of mankind were abominations; and that there was no true gospel foundation--they had "apostatized [sic]" to use his language.
Listen, if I was to interview you and ask you, "what are the 4 or 5 most prominent religious & faith issues that are of concern to you and have been prominent in your mind these last 4 years?" ...and then if I was to say to you, "Somebody has told me that God has granted a visitation w/you in the next room." And you then proceeded into that room and you came out and told me that the main points God made were exactly the same points you made to me prior to going in the room, then I would question the reality of whether that was truly God who visited you.
God doesn't reveal Himself simply to confirm the 4-point conclusions of a 15-year-old teen-especially when it contradicts what His own Son promised ("the gates of hell will not prevail against the church."...LDS believe the prevail doctrine, and make liars out of Jesus). God has His own agenda beyond the religious wonderings of a 15 yo teen.
>>God doesn't reveal Himself simply to confirm the 4-point conclusions of a 15-year-old
>>teen-especially when it contradicts what His own Son promised ("the gates of hell will
>>not prevail against the church."...LDS believe the prevail doctrine, and make liars out
>>of Jesus). God has His own agenda beyond the religious wonderings of a 15 yo teen.
So, is it Joseph’s age that bothers you , or that he might have had direction before his first in person meeting?
We are also told that that day will not come save there be falling away first, and that the church would have to be restored.
The gates of hell will never prevail against Christ’s church. That has almost nothing to do with this world.
2 Thes 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;