These three men were not simply to gander at the gold plates and report that Joseph had them. Metal plates might be accounted for through human means. They were assigned to have a heavenly manifestation—to see the angel Moroni bring the plates down from heaven for them to handle, and hear the voice of God testify to them that the Book of Mormon is true. They were to bear witness to this event on peril of their souls if they should deny what they had seen.
Many people have expressed a desire for this kind of experience. But the three men who had it—Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, each eventually forsook Joseph Smith and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even while averring that what they originally testified of was true. They never retracted their collective statement; their witness is recorded at the beginning of every copy of the Book of Mormon.
In the Book of Mormon itself, there are instructions to the translator about the necessity of showing the plates to witnesses: “And now I, Moroni, have written the words which were commanded me, according to my memory....And behold, ye may be privileged that ye may show the plates unto those who shall assist to bring forth this work; And unto three shall they be shown by the power of God; wherefore they shall know of a surety that these things are true. 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 at the last day” (Ether 5:1-4).
Joseph Smith also received a revelation giving instructions to the Three Witnesses before they saw the plates: “And after that you have obtained faith, and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them, by the power of God; 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 17:3-4). To Martin Harris: “...I will grant unto him a view of the things which he desires to see. And then he shall say unto the people of this generation: Behold, I have seen the things which the Lord hath shown unto Joseph Smith, Jun., and I know of a surety that they are true, for I have seen them, for they have been shown unto me by the power of God and not of man” (D&C 5:24-25).
God knows the future. Why did He choose men who would eventually apostatize to be the Three Witnesses for the Book of Mormon?
The idea of angels and revelations strains credulity; getting people to take it seriously requires evidence. If Joseph’s story was true, it would make sense that more people than he would learn by experience that it was true. Having multiple witnesses confirm his story bolsters it, makes it easier for others to accept.
Liars lie because they want to be believed. Fabrications are meant to fool people by seeming plausible, usually to get something from others. Their individual apostasies and disaffection show that whatever they were motivated by in the beginning was absent at some later time. If they were lying, they would have exposed that lie when they each apostatized and became disaffected from the Church and Joseph Smith. The weakest position would be for them to deny their original testimony. A stronger position than that would have been for them to maintain their full fellowship with Joseph and the Church, and never deny. But the strongest position of all is the one they eventually took—hating and criticizing Joseph Smith, leaving the Church, yet never denying their collective witness. If they hated the Church and Joseph enough to leave it, why continue claiming the Book of Mormon is true unless they actually experienced a divine manifestation and feared divine retribution? If the work was a fraud, why not expose it in a moment of anger or disloyalty? They were angry; they left the Church, but never wavered in their claims about what they had seen.
“Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened” (Matt. 13:33). Joseph Smith interpreted this parable to be a reference to the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. Leaven, when it is put into bread dough, it causes the unbaked loaves of bread to rise by forming gas bubbles. Leaven is fungus; fungus is a corruptible. The Lord knew the flaws of the men chosen to bear witness. Their apostasy, combined with their unwillingness to retract their statements, made their testimonies stronger than if they had been angelic men with no flaws who remained perfectly faithful throughout their lives. Fungus makes loaves rise; the corruptible parts of the witnesses’ characters ultimately helped the Church to rise.
The Lord can use anything, even our flaws, to get His work done: “Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men...” (D&C 3:3). “...the devil has sought to lay a cunning plan, that he may destroy this work...I will not suffer that they shall destroy my work; yea, I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil” (D&C 10:12, 43). Like a sailing ship that can tack in the opposite direction the wind blows, the Lord can incorporate anything, even our sins and flaws and rebellion, into His work. (The Fall was another such instance.)
While this is all true, I would much rather be aware of God's plans and cooperate with them than be a helpless, oblivious cog participating in them anyway.
Seeing great miracles or manifestations does not convert people. Each of these witnesses left the Church; Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris returned, while David Whitmer never rejoined the Church. Faithfulness needs more than knowledge; it requires great trust, courage, and can require a high pain threshold.
The fact that witnesses were called to testify of the divine origins and authenticity of the book also shows that it is meant to be taken seriously, to challenge those who come in contact with it. The Book of Mormon is not a work of fiction; it is meant to be believed. Many people approach the Bible like a fish, taking what they prefer and leaving what they consider to be the bones. Unlike the Bible, the Book of Mormon has been presented to the world in such a way that it cannot be approached like a buffet; it must be completely accepted or rejected. Either it is all true, or it is all false. The more ignorance people possess, the more easily they can dismiss the Book of Mormon. But the more knowledge they bring to bear on the question of its authenticity, the more resilient the book becomes. As Hugh Nibley said, it is like a football—you may kick it, throw it, bounce it, but it will wear you out before you wear it out.
Even when something is proven through evidence or logic, that is not always enough to change behavior, let alone to sanctify a person. Seeing an angel and hearing the voice of God was not enough to keep these men faithful in their behavior, though they were terrified of denying what they saw. My witness is that the Book of Mormon is true, and I have it through the simple power of the Holy Ghost. The Bible is the Old Testament—the book of rules, and a never-ending list of how people break them, and the New Testament, the story of how Jesus paid for those sins through His Atonement. The Book of Mormon teaches better than any other book how to access the power of the Atonement, not only to be forgiven for our sins, but to receive its transforming effect in our lives, minds, and hearts.
