Three Witnesses:
The Law of Witnesses is an eternal law that God, Himself, chooses to follow and obey, especially whenever it comes time to establish a new Gospel Dispensation.
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 three witnesses 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.
Ether 5: 4:
4 And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established; and the testimony 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.
Moroni 6: 7:
7 And they were strict to observe that there should be no iniquity among them; and whoso was found to commit iniquity, and three witnesses of the church did condemn them before the elders, and if they repented not, and confessed not, their names were blotted out, and they were not numbered among the people of Christ.
D&C 5: 15:
15 And the testimony of three witnesses will I send forth of my word.
D&C 6: 28:
28 And now, behold, I give unto you, and also unto my servant Joseph, the keys of this gift, which shall bring to light this ministry; and in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
D&C 128: 3,20:
3 Now, in relation to this matter, it would be very difficult for one recorder to be present at all times, and to do all the business. To obviate this difficulty, there can be a recorder appointed in each ward of the city, who is well qualified for taking accurate minutes; and let him be very particular and precise in taking the whole proceedings, certifying in his record that he saw with his eyes, and heard with his ears, giving the date, and names, and so forth, and the history of the whole transaction; naming also some three individuals that are present, if there be any present, who can at any time when called upon certify to the same, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
20 And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets–the book to be revealed. A voice of the Lord in the wilderness of Fayette, Seneca county, declaring the three witnesses to bear record of the book! The voice of Michael on the banks of the Susquehanna, detecting the devil when he appeared as an angel of light! The voice of Peter, James, and John in the wilderness between Harmony, Susquehanna county, and Colesville, Broome county, on the Susquehanna river, declaring themselves as possessing the keys of the kingdom, and of the dispensation of the fulness of times!
Matthew 18: 16:
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
2 Corinthians 13: 1:
1 THIS is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
1 Timothy 5: 19:
19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
Hebrews 10: 28:
28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Deuteronomy 17: 6:
6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. [The way to get away with murder is to leave no witnesses, but even then, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost know what you have done.]
Deuteronomy 19: 15:
15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
JST Matt 18:16
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
JST 2 Corinthians 13: 1:
1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
JST 1 Timothy 5: 19:
19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
JST Hebrews 10: 28:
28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses.
JST Deuteronomy 17: 6:
6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
JST Deuteronomy 19: 15:
15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
JST Isaiah 29: 17:
17 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 three witnesses 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.
Whenever you have a Gospel Dispensation, it can be fun and fascinating to try to figure out who the second and the third witnesses were. There will be three, three that have seen God, or seen the angel, or seen the plates or seen the foundation of the Gospel. They are usually men, but they can be female.
Adam had Eve who had seen everything that he had seen. Abel becomes the third witness and the first martyr. Of course, in that case, you have the heir and the spare. Abel is killed and Seth takes his place and becomes a perfect duplicate of Adam. There is often a negative witness. In this case, Cain also was a witness, because Cain was a perfect witness of God but Cain loved Satan instead and chose to follow and listen to Satan instead.
I wonder who Enoch’s official three witnesses were. Of course, he had a whole city of witnesses who walked and talked with God on a regular basis.
Noah had his three sons.
Abraham had his wife Sariah, his heir Isaac, and the spare was probably his nephew Lot.
Moses had Aaron, the heir Joshua, and the spare was probably his Father-in-Law Jethro or his sister Miriam.
Jesus Christ had three witness times four, a quorum of special witnesses, the Apostles. Jesus also had Seventy witnesses in the quorum of Seventy. Jesus had heirs, Peter, James, and John. After his resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to the women first, most likely his wife was the first one to see Jesus after the resurrection. Jesus also appeared to 500 at once after his resurrection, and appeared to 2500 multiple times on the American continents. The witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection is multiplied exponentially. The law of witnesses is fulfilled where Jesus is concerned across multiple continents and multiple time periods. Jesus also had the negative witness, Judas Iscariot. Satan and his minions also indirectly testify of the divinity of Jesus Christ.
Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. Oliver Cowdery and Sidney Rigdon saw Jesus Christ. They were the original heirs, but when they fell away, then there were spares who also got to see our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.
With the Book of Mormon, there were three who saw the plates, saw the angel, saw the holy interpreters, and heard the voice of God testifying that the Book of Mormon is true. They were Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and David Whitmer. You can also add Joseph Smith into that same group. Joseph Smith was the spare.
There were eight witnesses who saw the gold plates in broad daylight, with no voice and no angel. No hokey magic. Just hefting the plates and looking at the writing on the plates. Add Joseph Smith into that mix, and you have nine. Three times three, or a sure witness.
There were also the negative witnesses, the people whom Satan told that Joseph Smith had the gold plates. They knew that Joseph Smith had the gold plates, and they were constantly raiding his home and trying to steal the plates from him. The people who were trying to steal the plates from Joseph Smith were negative witnesses. Satan told them that Joseph had the plates, and thus they were constantly trying to steal the plates.
Of course, here we have the multiplying of witnesses, three classes of witnesses — those who saw the angel and heard the voice of God, those who just simply handled the plates in broad daylight, and then all of the negative witnesses from Satan who were trying to steal the plates from Joseph Smith.
These witnesses if compelled to testify could stand up in a court of law and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Joseph Smith had golden plates in his possession. The foundational proof for the most recent Gospel Dispensation is secure, and it all centers on the Book of Mormon and the golden plates. The law of witnesses was fulfilled three times over.
There was also a woman who saw and handled the plates, Peter Whitmer’s wife. You have the eight witnesses, the three witnesses, and then Peter Whitmer’s wife or Joseph Smith as the spare making up a quorum of twelve who saw the plates at different times and different places; again, this makes for a sure witness.
Book of Mormon Reference Companion
Metal plates containing ancient records delivered to Joseph Smith by the angel Moroni from which the Book of Mormon was translated. Historical sources indicate that at least thirteen individuals were privileged to see the gold plates: Joseph Smith (the translator); Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris (the Three Witnesses); Joseph Smith, Sr., Hyrum Smith, Samuel Smith, Christian Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer, Peter Whitmer Jr., John Whitmer, and Hiram Page (the Eight Witnesses); and Mary Musselman Whitmer, wife of Peter Whitmer Sr. (Cook, 13, 28, 33, 50-51,182, 214, 216, 217-18). Of these thirteen persons who saw the gold plates, only Martin Harris, David Whitmer, and Joseph Smith left known published descriptions. Harris estimated the size of the plates to be 8 x 7 x 4 inches (length- width- height) and the weight in the vicinity of 40 to 50 pounds. He also said that the three rings that bound the volume together were made of silver (Harris, 165). Whitmer gave several varying descriptions of the sacred record, indicating the length and width of the plates to be 8 x 7 (Cook, 172, 254), and 8 x 4 (Cook, 248). In two accounts he indicated that the plates were “wider than long,” 6-7 x 8 (Cook, 21), and 6 x 9 (Cook, 64). Furthermore, Whitmer stated the sealed portion appeared “as solid to my view as wood” and composed about half of the entire volume (Cook, 20-21), while on another occasion he indicated “-one- third . . . appeared to be loose” (Cook, 75). Emma Smith, the prophet’s wife, was never permitted to view the plates while they were uncovered, but she had some firsthand knowledge of the general size and feel of the plates. She stated that the plates “often lay on the table . . . wrapped in a small linen table cloth. . . . I once felt of the plates, as they thus lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metalic [ sic ] sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book.” While she indicated that she never uncovered or looked at the plates, she frequently lifted them. “I moved them from place to place,” she said, “as it was neccessary [ sic ] in doing my work” (Bidamon, 290).
The most accurate and reliable description of the gold plates was given by Joseph Smith in 1842: “These records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold, each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long a nd not quite so thick as common tin. They were filled with engravings, in Egyptian characters and bound together in a volume, as the leaves of a book with three rings running through the whole. The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed. The characters on the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction and much skill in the art of engraving” (Smith, 1:431). Joseph Smith said that the record had the “appearance of gold.” Based upon descriptions by eyewitnesses and considering known factors and principles associated with metallurgy, it seems the plates would not have been made from pure 24-carat gold, for that would have made them too heavy and too pliable. They were likely fashioned from an alloy of gold mixed with copper and silver to make approximately 8-carat gold material (Putnam, 788-89, 828-30).
Joseph Smith had the plates in his possession from 22 September 1827 until approximately 1 July 1829, or a period of just over twenty-one months. The only exception was during the summer of 1828 when the plates were taken from him for a short period in consequence of Martin Harris’s losing the 116 pages of translated Book of Mormon manuscript. Upon completion of the translation, the Prophet delivered the plates back to the angel Moroni, who “has them in his charge until this day” (JS-H 1:60).
Where the Book of Mormon and the gold plates are concerned, the Law of Witnesses is fulfilled; and, it can stand up in a court of law or at the Judgement Day to the liberation or condemnation of all concerned.
If God wants us to take Him seriously, then He is obligated to provide us with witnesses. It’s the Law.
Enoch