A unique doctrine taught in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is foreordination. This is a calling made from before the foundations of the earth were laid to certain spirit individuals to perform certain tasks as set forth by the Lord. In life they would then have the way prepared for them to accomplish their task so long as they proved faithful and worthy of the Lord's trust. One example is John the Baptist. We are taught numerous times in the Bible of his role in preparing the way of the Lord. He was true and faithful and being such was granted knowledge through the Holy Ghost the identity of the Messiah when He came to be baptized. He baptized with water and preached repentance unto all who would listen in preparation to the further light and knowledge of the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I would now like to tell you about another couple of people who's connection is not adequately taught. One is Joseph Smith, the prophet of this the last dispensation of the fullness of times, and also Thomas Jefferson who has been referred to many times as Joseph Smith's forerunner. Even in today's world both names are had for both good and evil. Many say good things about them and others so influenced by the spirit castouts smear their names in falsehoods and half truths.

Thomas Jefferson was the principle writer of the Declaration of Independence and a signer, a strong voice behind the Bill of Rights, and great contributor of the Constitution of the United States, author of the Act for Establishing Religious Freedom which became the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom in 1786, bought a vast tract of land from the French monarchy the purchase of which became known as the Louisiana Purchase in which Latter-day Saints believes lies the spot of the Garden of Eden but also the New Jerusalem and also was the bulk area the Saints traveled in their trek west. In his written dialogue with his colleagues he proved to be incredibly objective and sharp in mind.

Thomas Jefferson was much ridiculed by the press and even more by those who preached their various forms of gospel because of his views of religious freedom. He opposed the combination of Church and State and all forms of religion where people are compelled to comply even against their own conscience. This caused much frenzy among the aristocracy of religion fearing their own loss of power. One of his statements in the 1786 Virginia Statute reads as follows:

“That to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves, is sinful and tyrannical.”

Although painful it did prepare the people for Joseph Smith's similar views of freedom of expression and religion. As stated in the 11^th Article of Faith of the Church:

“We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.”

Earlier I mention the Louisiana Purchase and how important that land be obtained under the banner of a free nation. Another great act of Thomas Jefferson was the committing of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was their maps and journals that were among the chief instruments used by the Mormon Pioneers in their trek west to the Great Salt Lake Valley. The Purchase was ridiculed but President Jefferson knew it had to be done and that land, and beyond, surveyed for expansion.

Here is a trivia question for you. Who wrote the following words:

“The genuine and simple religion of Jesus will one day be restored: such as it was preached and practiced by Himself.”

The answer is an old man by the name of Thomas Jefferson in a letter written by himself to Mr. F.A. Van DerKemp in the important year of 1820. This is the same year that a young boy by the name of Joseph Smith claimed to have received a vision of the Father and the Son where he was instructed not to join any of the religious sects. Jefferson died in 1826 on the 4^th of July, a year before Joseph Smith received the golden plates and three years after Smith's initial visit with the angel Moroni.

President Wilford Woodruff, of the Church stated:

“Those men who laid the foundation of this American government and signed the Declaration of Independence were the best spirits the God of Heaven could find on the face of the earth...choice spirits inspired of the Lord...”

The mind and will of these two men in conjunction with the timing of their sojourn on Earth proves that Lord is ever mindful of us and His handiwork is ever present in the furthering of the great work of this dispensation. History has proven the passage in the scriptural canon the Pearl of Great Price that among the spirits there were the noble and great ones. Many of these have answered the call they were given in the preexistence through their righteousness and either became a fulcrum or prepared the way for a fulcrum in the history of man. Does this prove the truthfulness of any religious sect? No! However, it does prove that where a great work is left off there is another who has been prepared to take the reigns and carry the work forward.

It also proves how precious the written documents of the Founding Architects are to that generation and all from thence forward. Great men with great inspired minds brought these documents and ideas to fruition. Those ideals are to be preserved, honored and respected and not endangered. Our very prosperity is owed to those men and the Power that led them. This country was undoubtedly organized and raised to carry the world forward as a forerunner for the reception of the Lord Jesus Christ and His perfected government to reign upon the Earth.