The Prophet Joseph Smith Accomplished More in 20 Years than Any Other Mortal Has Accomplished in a Lifetime
Doctrine and Covenants 135:3
3 . . . 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 fulness 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. . . .
President Gordon B. Hinckley said:
“The story of Joseph’s life is the story of a miracle. . . . In the brief space of 20 years preceding his death, he accomplished what none other has accomplished in an entire lifetime. He translated and published the Book of Mormon, a volume . . . which has since been retranslated into . . . [scores] of languages and which is accepted by missions across the earth as the word of God. . . . He established an organization which . . . has withstood every adversity and challenge and is as effective today in governing a worldwide membership . . . as it was . . . in governing a [local] membership . . . [in 1830]. . . . Joseph Smith set in motion a program for carrying the gospel to the nations of the earth. . . . [Latter-day Saints now live in many areas of the world and] are the flowering of the vision of Joseph Smith, the prophet of God. He was indeed a mighty seer who saw this day and greater days yet to come as the work of the Lord moves over the earth.”
(“Joseph the Seer,” Ensign, May 1977, 65.)
