Standard of Truth Podcast – S5E36: Sealed Portion of the Plates
August 28, 2025 | Hosted by Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat & Dr. Richard Leduc

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the Latter-day Saint tradition and lore surrounding the "sealed portion" of the gold plates—the part Joseph Smith did not translate. Dr. Dirkmaat and Dr. Leduc answer listener mail ranging from lighthearted banter about competitive listening to in-depth questions about the content and fate of the sealed portion. The hosts discuss scriptural accounts, church history sources, and apostolic statements regarding the sealed records, weaving in characteristic humor and personal anecdotes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Listener Mailbag: Humor, Announcements, and Podcast Culture

(00:46–19:10)

• Competitive Listening & Announcements:

  • Sydney claims her spot as a top 1% listener and humorously requests a formal podcast pregnancy announcement, outdoing her husband Dean’s previous email.
    • "This email. First of all, we – Sydney, we love you. First of all. Second of all, the capitalization that you have in multiple spaces, you’re one step away from cutting out parts of magazines..." – Dr. Dirkmaat (07:09)
  • Sydney relates how the podcast became her “white noise,” especially during pregnancy.
    • "Our podcast is the equivalent of pickles and peanut butter ice cream." – Dr. Leduc (06:08)
  • Banter about unique names for her baby and classic nicknaming troubles.

• Podcast’s Role in Church History Learning:

  • Sydney, switching between free and premium episodes, appreciates the dual timelines and jokes about waiting for “Free Richard” to become a doctor.
  • She thanks the hosts for making church history accessible, comparing them to a dad disproving the “boogeyman” under the bed.
    • "You’re like a dad shining your flashlight under the bed and in the closet to prove there is no boogeyman lying in wait to snatch us up." – Sydney (17:05)

• Internship Offer:

  • Sydney (jokingly) requests to index the podcast, hoping for an “unpaid internship.”
    • "If we ever open an internship, it will of necessity be unpaid." – Dr. Dirkmaat (18:50)

2. Hidden Treasure Maps & “National Treasure” References

(19:22–21:09)

• A Listener’s Satirical Request:
  • “Brother Cage” (a reference to National Treasure and Nicolas Cage) asks if the hosts will help recover the sealed portion, implying a caper involving church vaults and secret maps.
    • "Brother Cage then asked if I knew any church historians who could help our elaborate plan to acquire said documents... I told him I knew of two historians. Well, one historian and his trusty sidekick.” – Listener Dallin (19:17)
    • Running jokes about “turning over” documents to look for treasure maps, and actual archival discoveries, like the Kirtland Temple plans being used to reinforce papyrus fragments.

3. What’s in the Sealed Portion of the Plates?

(21:10–27:41)

• Scriptural Accounts:

  • Book of Mormon, Ether 4:
    • The sealed portion contains the vision of the brother of Jared, who saw from the beginning to the end of the world.
      • "I’ve written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw. And there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared." – Dr. Dirkmaat, quoting Ether 4 (21:25)
  • 2 Nephi 27:
    • The sealed words will be revealed “in the Lord’s own due time,” “upon the housetops,” and will reveal “all things from the foundation of the world.”
      • "The words which are sealed, he shall not deliver... until the own due time of the Lord that they may come forth, for behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end..." (2 Nephi 27, paraphrased at 25:32–26:00)

• When Will the Sealed Portion Be Revealed?

  • The consensus among prophetic statements is that greater revelation will come when saints are ready—possibly the Millennium.
    • “We aren’t going to receive them until... the millennium, essentially.” – Dr. Dirkmaat (26:29)

• Modern Claims and Apostate Theories:

  • Modern apostate groups often claim to have translated the sealed portion; Dirkmaat advises caution and faith in canonical sources.

4. The Fate of the Plates: The Cumorah Cave Accounts

(27:41–51:00)

• Scriptural & Historical Sources:

  • Joseph Smith's Statements
    • Joseph returned the plates to Moroni after translation, as in Joseph Smith–History 1:59–60.
  • Brigham Young’s Cumorah Cave Account (Journal of Discourses, 1877):
    • Brigham relates Oliver Cowdery’s description: Joseph and Oliver return the plates, enter a miraculously lit cave under Hill Cumorah full of wagonloads of other sealed records and the unsheathed Sword of Laban.
      • “Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave in which there was a large and spacious room...” – Brigham Young (30:00–33:50)
      • On the Sword of Laban: "On it was written these words: 'This sword shall never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.'" – Brigham Young (34:10)
    • Alternative accounts by David Whitmer and Heber C. Kimball portray the cave experience as a vision or happening in a hill “not far” from Cumorah.

• Nature of the Experience: Vision or Literal Event?

  • Emphasize supernatural aspects (miraculous light, angel presence, entry into hill) suggesting visionary or spiritual experience over a strictly physical cave.
    • “Clearly what happens with Joseph and Oliver is some kind of visionary experience... Certainly the fact there's light in the cave is a visionary experience. Certainly the fact there's an angel there.” – Dr. Dirkmaat (49:00)

• The Plates' Protection:

  • Digging or searching for the plates physically is futile; access is controlled by divine will, not by earthly means.
    • “Lots of people, even using the power of the adversary, tried to find the plates. They weren’t able to...because God is the person who determines whether or not you have access to the sacred plates.” – Dr. Dirkmaat (49:12)

• Geological Notes on Cumorah:

  • The “Hill Cumorah” is a glacial drumlin, making a physical cave unlikely; again, supernatural agency is implied.

5. Reflection: Why Don’t We Have the Sealed Portion? Lessons on Faith and Revelation

(51:00–End)

• More Records Exist, But God Restrains Further Light Until We Are Ready:
  • Both prophets and scripture emphasize the need to value existing revelation before seeking “more.”
    • “He’s not going to give greater light and knowledge when we aren’t even using the sources we already have.” – Dr. Dirkmaat (52:40)
• Wilford Woodruff’s Letter to His Parents (Paraphrased):
  • Seeing physical evidence (e.g., plates) is not what leads to faith. God shows things to “sufficient witnesses,” but to demand more is to miss the principle of faith.
    • “Even if Christ had been made manifest universally to mankind, it is not at all probable that they would have believed...Neither do I believe that the opposers of this work would believe any more for their having the privilege of seeing those plates.” – Dr. Dirkmaat paraphrasing Wilford Woodruff’s words (54:40–56:20)
• Modern Application:
  • Latter-day Saints should not put their faith on hold, waiting for withheld revelations (sealed portion, 116 pages, etc.) but treasure and study what is already given.
    • “It is never because we just don’t have the sealed portion...it’s that people aren’t embracing the Book of Mormon that we have.” – Dr. Dirkmaat (51:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Podcast Listening Habits:
  • “It’s possible that the podcast for a person that’s pregnant...might have unique tastes. ...I think our podcast is the equivalent of pickles and peanut butter ice cream.” – Dr. Leduc (06:08)
• On Competition (Humor):
  • “You’re one step away from cutting out parts of magazines...It’s going to look like a ransom note from a 60s TV show.” – Dr. Dirkmaat (07:09, 07:29)
• On the Content of the Sealed Portion:
  • "He showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth, which had been, and also all that would be, ...even to the ends of the earth." – Summarized from Ether 3 by Dr. Dirkmaat (21:43)
• On Brigham Young’s Cave Account:
  • “There were altogether, in this room, more plates than probably many wagon loads. They were piled up in the corners and along the walls. ...The sword of Laban hung on the wall...unsheathed... ‘This sword shall never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.’” – Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, recited by Dr. Dirkmaat (34:13)
• On the Impossibility of Digging up the Plates:
  • “I think you'd have the same chance of succeeding at that as all of the people that were digging all over Hill Cumorah when Joseph said plates were up there.” – Dr. Dirkmaat (40:32)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:46–19:10 – Listener Mailbag: humor, Sydney’s announcement, podcast culture
• 19:22–21:09 – National Treasure parody, archival anecdotes
• 21:10–27:41 – In-depth: Scriptural basis for the sealed portion, when/why it’s withheld
• 27:41–51:00 – Historical accounts: fate of the plates, Cumorah cave stories, source analysis
• 51:00–end – Faith, revelation, and valuing existing scripture; Wilford Woodruff’s letter

Tone & Style

The episode maintained the hosts’ characteristic blend of faithful perspective, dry wit, and academic rigor. They navigated complex doctrinal topics with clarity and approachability, infusing humor and personal connection throughout.

Summary

For both Latter-day Saints and curious listeners, this episode explored why some revelations (notably the sealed portion of the plates) remain inaccessible and how the faithful are called to deepen their appreciation for what God has already revealed. Historical sources, scriptural explanations, and personal testimony all contribute to a complex but faith-affirming view of the elusive “sealed portion,” reminding listeners to study, ponder, and embrace revelation already given.