D&C 135:2-3

135:2 - It’s wild that John Taylor was shot 4 times and didn’t die, especially considering the primitive nature of medical during that time. John Taylor’s account of the critical moment is as follows: “As I reached the window, and was on the point of leaping out, I was struck by a ball from the door about midway of my thigh… I think some prominent nerve must have been severed or injured, for as soon as the ball struck me I… lost entirely and instantaneously all power of action or locomotion. I fell on to the window-sill, and cried out, ‘I am shot!’ Not possess any power to move, I felt myself falling outside of the window, but immediately I fell inside, for some, at that time, unknown cause.” Later he was taken to a hotel to recover and sent his wallet and watch to his family in Nauvoo with Willard Richards to keep them from being stolen. Upon examining the pocket watch, they were stunned to see it broken. When John Taylor inspected in later “It then occurred to me that a ball had struck me at the time I felt myself falling out of the window, and it was this force that threw me inside. I had often remarked to Mrs. Taylor the singular fact of finding myself inside the room, when I felt a moment before after being shot, that I was falling out, and I never could account for it until then; but here the thing was fully elucidated, and was rendered plain to my mind. I was indeed falling out, when some villain aimed at my heart. The ball struck my watch, and forced me back; if I had fallen out I should assuredly have been killed, if not by the fall, by those around, and this ball, intended to dispatch me, was turned by an overruling Providence into a messenger of mercy, and saved my life… I felt that the Lord had preserved me by a special act of mercy; that my time had not yet come, and that I still had a work to perform upon the earth.” The explanation continues, “John Taylor did have ‘a work to perform upon the earth.’ He later served several missions to Europe and the eastern United States, and in 1880 he was sustained as President of the Church.” Concerning Willard Richards the IM says, “Dr. Richards’ escape was miraculous; he being a very large man, and in the midst of a shower of balls, yet he stood unscathed, with the exception of a ball which grazed the top end of the lower part of his left ear. His escape fulfilled literally a prophecy which Joseph made over a year previously, that the time would come that the balls would fly around him like hail, and he should see his friends fall on the right and on the left, but that there should not be a hole in his garment.” Pretty incredible accounts coming out of Carthage.

135:3 - Verse 3 is a very bold statement that I’ve thought a lot about saying, “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.” When I first heard this, I thought about all my favorite prophets, Alma, Joshua, Noah, etc. and thought that if I was them I would have said, “Hey wait a minute, what about me?” Then I had to remember that they are prophets, so they are probably not petty and immature like that and probably would have applauded the work done by Joseph Smith. So if it’s not an insult, then is it true? Is Joseph Smith second to only Christ in the salvation of men? Let’s think about this, was he the only prophet to receive revelation from God for his people? No. Was he the only prophet to see the Savior? No. Was he the only prophet to lead his people from one place to another to escape persecution? No. Was he the only prophet to perform miracles? No. Was he the only prophet to translate ancient records through the power of God? No, we know that Mosiah translated the ancient Jaredite records that were found by Limhi’s people when he sent them to look for the land of Zarahemla in Mosiah chapter 28. So in that sense, was he just like all the other prophets, and I don’t think that it was because he was so special that he did more, but he was given the resources and this was his calling. The IM has an excellent explanation to this statement saying, “When one things about such prophets and leaders as Adam, Moses, Isaiah, Abraham, and Nephi, is it justifiable to say that Joseph smith did more than any of these for the salvation of humanity? Likely the Prophet Joseph Smith was not greater than they were in righteousness or commitment, but only Jesus has done more for the salvation of God’s children than did the Prophet, as is evident in the following list of some of the things he did under the direction of the Lord.” The IM goes on to list a lengthy number of things that he did, but one thing that I think is important is that he restored the gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth, which other’s had done before as well, this is the last dispensation, not the only dispensation. But one of the ways that this dispensation is different is that it’s global, no just local. This restoration led to the building of temples throughout the world and we’ve learned earlier that this dispensation is the only time in human history where there has been ordinance work for the dead. Considering that through the Prophet Joseph Smith the vicarious work for the dead was established and will continue throughout the Millennium, then with that alone, yes, he has done more than any other person, save Jesus Christ only. It is through the dispensation in which he was/is presiding over that the population of the earth will receive the gospel, their ordinances, and the opportunity for salvation. That’s pretty significant. The IM says “He restored the keys and knowledge of temple ordinances for both the living and the dead.” This is the major way in which, I believe, he became so instrumental in the salvation of so many. The IM concludes that “All of these accomplishment were done under the direction of Jesus Christ and ultimately the credit belongs to Him. But Joseph Smith was His chosen instrument in bringing all these things to pass. This is why we can rightly say that the Prophet did more for the salvation of humanity than anyone except the Savior Himself.”