Transcript Lesson 38: Peace among the Nephites

Lesson 9: Witnesses See
the Gold Plates
“Lesson 9: Witnesses See the Gold Plates,” Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants: Church History, (1997),42
To help the children
desire to be witnesses of
the truthfulness of the
Book of Mormon.
Purpose
The golden plates lay hidden
Deep in the mountainside;
Until God found one faithful,
In whom he could confide,
A record made by Nephi,
Written in days of old;
Now, in the Book of Mormon,
The story is retold.
Words: Rose Thomas Graham, 1875-1967, Music: J. Spencer Cornwall, 1888-1983.
The Golden Plates
OUR OPENING
PRAYER WILL
BE GIVEN BY
(Enter Name Here)
I have something special in this
container.
Does everyone believe me?
I’d like to have some of you come
up and look in the container.
This makes you a witness of what I
brought to class today.

Attention Activity
For the witnesses that looked in
the container, do you believe that I
have something special with me
today?
It’s easier to believe what you can’t
see, when more than one person
can testify of it’s existence.

Attention Activity
When Joseph Smith started to
translate the gold plates, he was the
only person who had actually seen
the gold plates.

Attention Activity
Let’s read 2 Nephi 27:12


12 Wherefore, at that day when the book
shall be delivered unto the man of whom I
have spoken, the book shall be hid from the
eyes of the world, that the eyes of none
shall behold it save it be that athree
bwitnesses shall behold it, by the power of
God, besides him to whom the book shall
be delivered; and they shall testify to the
truth of the book and the things therein.
Attention Activity
What did Heavenly Father promise
he would do when the Book of
Mormon came forth?
Heavenly Father promised to allow
witnesses to see the gold plates so
that these witnesses could tell other
people that the plates did exist.

Attention Activity
Lesson 9: Witnesses See
the Gold Plates
“Lesson 9: Witnesses See the Gold Plates,” Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants: Church History, (1997),42
Go to the Video
Go to the Slides
Discussion Time
Witnesses See the Gold Plates
Joseph Smith and
Oliver Cowdery
finished translating
the Book of Mormon.
Jesus wanted people
to read the book.
He also wanted them
to know that Joseph
had told the truth
about the gold plates.

Jesus chose three
other men to see
the gold plates
and be witnesses
that they were
real.

These men were Martin Harris, Oliver
Cowdery, and David Whitmer.

Joseph took the
three witnesses
into the woods,
where they prayed.

An angel came and showed them
the gold plates.
Jesus told the three witnesses to tell
people what they had seen.

Joseph Smith was
very happy.
The three
witnesses would
tell people about
the gold plates,
and more people
would believe
that Joseph had
told the truth.

Jesus told Joseph to show the
plates to eight more witnesses.

The eight men held
the gold plates in
their hands and
saw the writing on
the plates.

All the witnesses wrote about the
gold plates.
They said they had seen the plates,
and they testified that the plates
were real.

The words of
the witnesses are
in the Book of
Mormon.

After Joseph Smith had translated the plates
and the witnesses had seen them, Joseph did
not need them any longer.
 The angel Moroni appeared, and Joseph gave
the gold plates back to him.

After Joseph
finished
translating the
Book of
Mormon, he
took it to a
printer.

Joseph did not
have money to
pay the printer

Martin Harris
had enough
money, and in a
revelation he
was asked to
share it to pay
the printer.

Satan did not want
the Book of
Mormon to be
printed.

He did not want people to read it.
Wicked men tried to stop the
printer.

One man went to
the printing shop on
Sundays and stole
some pages of the
Book of Mormon.
He printed the
pages in a newspaper
until other men made
him stop stealing
them.
The people who
tried to stop the
printing did not
succeed because
those who are
wicked cannot stop
Jesus’ work.
After many months,
the printing of the
Book of Mormon
was completed.

Discussion Time

What were Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer,
and Martin Harris told to do in order to be
witnesses of the gold plates?
 The Lord revealed that if these three men
were humble, they would be allowed to be
the three witnesses (see D&C 17).
What happened
when Joseph
Smith, Oliver
Cowdery, David
Whitmer, and
Martin Harris
went into the
woods to pray
about being
witnesses?

They knelt in
prayer and each
took a turn
praying, but they
received no
answer.
They each prayed
again, but still
there was no
answer.

Martin Harris felt that they were not
receiving an answer because of some
things he had done, so he left the group.

The others again knelt
in prayer, and soon a
light appeared above
them and the angel
Moroni stood before
them.

How were Joseph,
Oliver, and David
shown the gold
plates?
Moroni held the gold
plates in his hands
and turned the plates
one by one so the men
could see the
engravings on them

What did Joseph Smith do to help
Martin Harris?
He found Martin praying earnestly
and joined him in prayer.
The vision that Joseph, Oliver, and
David had seen was repeated for
Martin Harris.
The Three Witnesses testified in
writing about their experience (see
“The Testimony of Three Witnesses

Why do you think Martin was
finally allowed to have the same
vision as the other two witnesses

What impresses you
most about the
experience of the Three
Witnesses?

What were the Three
Witnesses told to do
about their
experience?
They were told to
bear record of what
they saw and heard.
Who told them to
testify that the gold
plates were real?
The voice of the
Lord.

Why do you think
Joseph Smith was
glad to have other
people see the gold
plates?
He felt as if a big
burden had been
removed from him
because up to now,
he was the only one
who witnessed the
gold plates.

How were the
gold plates
shown to the
Eight Witnesses?

The eight men held the gold plates
in their hands and saw the writing
on the plates.

How was the
experience of the
Eight Witnesses
different from the
experience of the
Three Witnesses?

Why was it necessary
that witnesses see the
gold plates? (Ether 5:4;
2 Nephi 27:12–14.)
How are the
testimonies of the
witnesses a blessing to
us today?

How can you be a
witness of the Book of
Mormon?
Study it, pray to know
that it is true, live its
teachings, and tell other
people about it.

How many of you read the Book of
Mormon at home, by yourselves or
with your family?
How can reading the Book of
Mormon bless you and your family?

ENRICHMENT
ACTIVITIES
T
Joseph Smith’s mother
recorded what happened when
he returned to the house after
the Three Witnesses had been
shown the gold plates.
Listen to the following account:

Enrichment Activity 1
“When they [Joseph and the Three
Witnesses] returned to the house it
was between three and four o’clock
p.m. Mrs. Whitmer, Mr. Smith and
myself, were sitting in a bedroom
at the time.

Enrichment Activity 1
On coming in, Joseph threw
himself down beside me, and
exclaimed, ‘Father, mother, you do
not know how happy I am: the
Lord has now caused the plates to
be shown to three more besides
myself. … They will have to bear
witness to the truth of what I have
said …

Enrichment Activity 1
I feel as if I was relieved of a
burden which was almost too
heavy for me to bear’ ”

Enrichment Activity 1
Can you think of ways you can be
a witness of the Book of Mormon
and its teachings.
Can you show us what you could
do to be a witness in a particular
situation, such as when someone
asks you what your church
believes or what the Book of
Mormon says.

Enrichment Activity 2
The witnesses were not chosen at
random but were all men who
helped in different ways to bring
forth the Book of Mormon.
Listen to the following information
about the Three Witnesses.

Enrichment Activity 3
Martin Harris
When Joseph Smith was
suffering persecution in New
York, Martin Harris gave him
fifty dollars to help him move
to Harmony, Pennsylvania.
Martin also pledged his farm
so that the money could be
raised to publish the Book of
Mormon.

Enrichment Activity 3
A portion of his farm had to be
sold at auction to pay the printing
costs of the Book of Mormon.
He acted as a scribe for Joseph for
a short time.

Enrichment Activity 3
Oliver Cowdery
Oliver Cowdery was a
schoolteacher who heard about
Joseph Smith’s vision and the gold
plates while he was living with the
Smith family.

Enrichment Activity 3
He prayed to find out whether the
things he had heard were true, and
he received the answer that Joseph
was telling the truth.

Enrichment Activity 3
He went to Harmony,
Pennsylvania, to meet Joseph, and
he became Joseph’s scribe.
Oliver also helped with the
publication of the Book of
Mormon, setting some of the type
by hand himself

Enrichment Activity 3
David Whitmer
David Whitmer received letters
from his friend, Oliver Cowdery,
about Joseph Smith and the
translation of the gold plates.
Oliver sent a few lines of the
translation and bore his testimony
about the records, and David
shared these letters with his family.

Enrichment Activity 3
As persecution in Harmony got
worse, Oliver asked David to let
Joseph Smith stay at his home to
finish the translation.
David experienced miracles in
getting ready to go to Harmony to
get Joseph.

Enrichment Activity 3
Listen to the following story;
Joseph and Emma Smith and
Oliver Cowdery lived in the home
of Peter and Mary Whitmer, David
Whitmer’s parents, for a time
during the translation of the Book
of Mormon.

Enrichment Activity 4
Much of the extra work of having
these guests fell on Mary Whitmer,
but she never complained.
One day, as she went to the barn to
milk the cows, she met a kindly old
man, who was actually the angel
Moroni, who had the plates at that
time.

Enrichment Activity 4
Moroni said to her, “You have been
very faithful and diligent in your
labors, but you are tired because of
the increase of your toil; it is proper
therefore that you should receive a
witness that your faith may be
strengthened.”
Then he showed her the gold
plates.

Enrichment Activity 4
This experience strengthened the
whole Whitmer family.

Enrichment Activity 4
I want to bear my testimony that the Book of
Mormon is true.
 I want to express my gratitude that you can
be a witness of the truthfulness of the Book of
Mormon and of the Savior, Jesus Christ.
 I want to encourage you to bear your
testimonies of the Book of Mormon to your
families.

TESTIMONY
OUR
CLOSING
PRAYER
WILL BE
GIVEN BY
(ENTER NAME HERE)
THE END
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Ether 5:4
4 And in the mouth of three awitnesses shall these
things be established; and the btestimony of three,
and this work, in the which shall be shown forth
the power of God and also his word, of which the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost bear
record—and all this shall stand as a testimony
against the world at the last day.
Return
2 Nephi 27:12–14
12 Wherefore, at that day when the book shall
be delivered unto the man of whom I have
spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the
world, that the eyes of none shall behold it save it
be that athree bwitnesses shall behold it, by the
power of God, besides him to whom the book
shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the
truth of the book and the things therein.
2 Nephi 27:12–14
13 And there is anone other which shall view it,
save it be a few according to the will of God, to
bear testimony of his word unto the children of
men; for the Lord God hath said that the words
of the faithful should speak as if it were bfrom the
dead.
 14 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to
bring forth the words of the book; and in the
mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good
will he establish his word; and wo be unto him
Return
that arejecteth the word of God!
D&C 17
1 Behold, I say unto you, that you must rely
upon my word, which if you do with full purpose
of heart, you shall have a aview of the bplates, and
also of the cbreastplate, the dsword of Laban, the
eUrim and Thummim, which were given to the
fbrother of Jared upon the mount, when he talked
with the Lord gface to face, and the hmiraculous
directors which were given to Lehi while in the
wilderness, on the borders of the iRed Sea.
D&C 17
 2 And it is by your faith that you shall obtain a
view of them, even by that faith which was had by
the prophets of old.
 3 And after that you have obtained faith, and
have seen them with your eyes, you shall atestify
of them, by the power of God;
 4 And this you shall do that my servant Joseph
Smith, Jun., may not be destroyed, that I may
bring about my righteous purposes unto the
children of men in this work.
D&C 17
5 And ye shall testify that you have seen them,
even as my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., has seen
them; for it is by my power that he has seen them,
and it is because he had faith.
 6 And he has translated the abook, even that
bpart which I have commanded him, and as your
Lord and your God liveth it is true.
 7 Wherefore, you have received the same
power, and the same faith, and the same gift like
unto him;
D&C 17
 8 And if you do these last acommandments of
mine, which I have given you, the bgates of hell
shall not prevail against you; for my cgrace is
sufficient for you, and you shall be dlifted up at
the last day.
 9 And I, Jesus Christ, your aLord and your
God, have spoken it unto you, that I might bring
about my righteous purposes unto the children of
men. Amen.
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