Ross LeBaron: Joseph Smith, the Holy Ghost

REVELATION given to Ross W. LeBaron, at Kingman, Ariz., April 1940. At the time I was working for Uncle Conway LeBaron. He was painting the Masonic temple there.

He read to me a small tract or leaflet, on the attributes of the Holy Ghost published by the Church.

It stated that the Holy Ghost was a male spirit; the same as any other of God’s spirit sons before they took mortal bodies upon this earth; and that he would some day be born and go through trials similar to those of the Savior.

It said that the duty of the Holy Ghost was to bear testimony of the Father and Son, and to lead men to all light.

I do not recall all the particulars, and what I have quoted is from memory; for it has been over twenty years since it was revealed to me.

After reading the leaflet. Uncle Conway made the remark that the description of the Holy Ghost sounded like the description of the prophet Joseph Smith.

I knew at that very moment, clearer than I had ever known anything before in my life, that the prophet Joseph Smith was the third person in the Godhead; for I knew it by the spirit and power of the Holy

Never have I felt the spirit and power of God more plainly manifest than upon that occasion.

A few days later, my family and I arrived in Salt Lake City, and there found the same doctrine being taught.

Some of the most prominent of those teaching this doctrine were Joseph W. Musser, Francis M. Darter, Heber Chase Kimball and John W. Barlow.

“Let me tell you,” says Apostle Kimball, “The Holy Ghost is a man; he is one of the sons of our Father and our God and he is that man who stood next to Jesus Christ”.

Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. Doc. & Cov. Sec. 135:3.

Joseph Smith’s first official act was to bear testimony of the Father and Son, and he holds the keys of all the light flooded on the earth in this dispensation.

“Would to God brethren, I could tell you who I am; would to God I could tell you what I know, but if I did you would call it blasphemy, and there are me on this stand that would seek my life.”

This statement was made several times by the prophet Joseph Smith.

All the keys of the seven dispensations were restored to the prophet Joseph Smith. Above this authority is the patriarchal presidency of the world, and the Godhead, or Trinity.

The patriarchal presidency consists of Adam, Noah and Christ – the patriarch, priest and king – Adam being patriarch to all the world, Noah being father of all in his day, and Jesus, as the son of God, is the father of a new and independent house; not subject to the house of Israel.

The patriarchal keys have been divided in the lineage of Noah, through the house of Israel; Ephraim, Levi and Judah.

The patriarchal keys of the lineage of Christ have not yet been divided, and preside over the keys of the lineage of Israel.

One division in the posterity of the Savior has taken place in the appointment of Hyrum Smith to the office of patriarch to the Gentiles, as Paul of old, but not in his house.

The God-head consists of Michael, Jesus and Joseph Smith.

Benjamin F. Johnson said that in Joseph’s life time, little did the people realize who the prophet really was, but after his death, it began to gradually dawn upon them.

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Reference

LeBaron, Ross Wesley. “Behold, I say unto you: THE REDEMPTION OF ZION must needs come by power…” [The Yellow Book]. The Church of the First-born. [circa 1962], pages 2-5. Spelling and capitalization as in the original.