Compiled by Dennis B.Horne
As is
probably fairly well known by now to most members of The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, at the October 2019 General Conference, President
Russell M. Nelson said: “In the springtime of the year 2020, it will be
exactly 200 years since Joseph Smith experienced the theophany that we know as
the First Vision. God the Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to
Joseph, a 14-year-old youth. That event marked the onset of the Restoration of
the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness, precisely as foretold in the Holy
Bible. . . .
“Thus, the
year 2020 will be designated as a bicentennial year. General conference next
April will be different from any previous conference. In the next six months, I
hope that every member and every family will prepare for a unique conference
that will commemorate the very foundations of the restored gospel.”
I am sure
many of us are curious what President Nelson meant about next conference being “different
from any previous conference.”[1]
I have no inside information, but surely it would be safe to guess that such a
conference would include powerful teachings and testimony from prophets and
apostles and other general church officers regarding the First Vision and other
Restoration events. I think myself on solid ground in so venturing, in part
because President Nelson also noted it would be “a unique conference that will
commemorate the very foundations of the restored gospel.” Those foundations are
understood to be the very items President Nelson referenced by name in his
address and should be on the tip of every member’s tongue.
In
anticipation of a spiritual outpouring on the faithful in April, I have
assembled some precious nuggets of such teachings and testimony already given over
many decades, for posting in a series, from early January to early April of
this bicentennial year, when this “unique” conference will convene and all who
wish will then discover what is to be offered us as a spiritual feast by the
Lord’s prophets, seers, and revelators. I take note that the April 1920 General
Conference was somewhat unusual itself, with many speakers referencing the
First Vision in-depth and bearing powerful testimony. (One item in this series
includes some quotations from that commemoration.) I also direct interested
readers to the April 1920 Improvement
Era (yester-year’s version of the Ensign) which constituted a
100-year commemorative issue filled with teachings and testimony and history
about the First Vision by Church leaders of that day.
Of course,
President Nelson, the Prophet of God today, is free to organize the coming
Conference however he feels directed. So far we have learned that “the Saturday
evening session will be held for all members of the Young Women and Relief
Society, and all holders of the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek
Priesthood.” This is indeed unusual!
Until then,
and for long afterward, we can expect the devil to have his mortal emissaries
engaged at full throttle, doing all they can to cast doubt and disbelief on the
reality of the boy prophet’s First Vision. They will use whatever means they
can to harm and damage and destroy faith. Such is the nature of opposition in
all things. “The adversary is quadrupling his efforts to disrupt testimonies
and impede the work of the Lord” warned
our Prophet. Yet it is hard for them to do much to diminish perhaps the
best documented vision ever given a mortal man. And on top of the historical
documentation we also have the (far more important) witness of the Spirit of
the Lord at play also. This is so very much more than the devil can overcome; a
common testimony shared within millions of believer’s hearts. I have heard
faithful people declare they would rather lay down their lives at once than
deny their inner spiritual witness from the Holy Spirit that the First Vision
took place as Joseph declared, and that the Book of Mormon is a true historically
authentic scriptural record.
I trust my small
contribution, that of searching out, selecting, and re-presenting the
contributions of others—precious “pearls of great price”—can help lift and
edify and strengthen and stabilize the faith of any who chance to find these
items.[2]
I find myself rejoicing in such testimonies as this from President
Gordon B. Hinckley—one of the greatest among the Apostles of our dispensation
to teach and testify of the First Vision—who declared: “How deeply grateful I
am that we of this Church do not rely on any man-made statement concerning the
nature of Deity. Our knowledge comes directly from the personal experience of
Joseph Smith, who, while yet a boy, spoke with God the Eternal Father and His
Beloved Son, the Risen Lord. He knelt in Their presence; he heard Their voices;
and he responded. Each was a distinct personality. Small wonder that he told
his mother that he had learned that her church was not true. And so, one of the
great over-arching doctrines of this Church is our belief in God the Eternal
Father. He is a being, real and individual. He is the great Governor of the
universe, yet He is our Father, and we are His children.”
For any
that are less familiar with this (evidently) unprecedented theophany[3],
or visitation, of God and Jesus to a young farm boy named Joseph Smith in the
spring of 1820, I here give a little list of helpful resources for further
study, all from solid faithful sources:
- A good informative beginning might be one of two version
of a fine BYU devotional address given a couple of years ago by Elder Richard J. Maynes (Of the Presidency of
the Seventy): here for longer version or here for shorter.
- This article looking at eight accounts came out in the Improvement
Era in 1970.
- In an effort to better inform members who were being misled
or misinformed by critics and doubters, the Church published
a Gospel Topics Essay on the various accounts of the First Vision. As one
would expect, the critics have taken aim at it also.
- In support of the aforementioned Essay, and for people who
want to delve deeper into the scholarship and documentation, the Joseph
Smith Papers group has given us this.
- Also worth noting, some faithful BYU scholars have written
on the subject of the First Vision, one
here, and one
here. These also refute the false claims of the critics.
- Truman Madsen, a former (deceased) BYU professor and
Joseph Smith scholar, lectured
on the First Vision, giving a strong well-rounded perspective. You can read
or listen to him, as preferred. I like his reference to this experience as the
“first visitation,” which is an even more accurate way to describe what
happened.[4]
- A fine review
and documentation of the canonized 1838 account of the First Vision by
First Vision scholar Milton V. Backman.
- Highly respected scholar Richard L. Anderson’s article in BYU
Studies, “Circumstantial
Confirmation of the First Vision Through Reminiscences.”
(Click the .pdf download button for free.)
- The already referenced April
1920 number of the Improvement Era, filled with articles on the
First Vision and related matters.
This list is
by no means comprehensive, but if pursued will give readers a strong introduction
and sufficient foundation to better appreciate the teachings and testimonies
shared in these blog posts. Of course, Joseph Smith—History is the best place
to begin, or for that matter, to end; for the Spirit of the Lord will enlighten
and witness of truth to any honest and sincere truth-seeker that asks of God,
whether they are an investigator, already a gospel scholar, or a church leader—James
1:5 was not written exclusively for the Prophet Joseph Smith. Most of the posts
in the series are made up of compiled quotations, with brief introductions or
explanations in italics. I have sought to provide links to sources (or other
citation), but have not treated these as scholarly articles filled with exhaustive
documentation; what is given should be sufficient.
As for
myself, I have had it made known to me by the power of the Holy Ghost that
Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son just as he said he did. And I have had
that personal revelation reaffirmed while assembling this series. To those who
dispute and wrangle over supposed differences in the various accounts of the
First Vision, especially the 1832 account wherein Joseph only spoke of “the
Lord,” I say this: when you die and cross through the veil to the other side, if
you are permitted, you might ask Joseph why he wrote it the way he did and he will
give you an entirely satisfactory explanation—but by then it may be too late to
enjoy the society of the prophets and apostles and faithful saints who were
valiant in the testimony of Jesus (D&C 76:79) as
revealed through Joseph (see D&C 138:53-55).
This
reminds me of what President
Wilford Woodruff said at his ninetieth birthday celebration, as he briefly contemplated
the false philosophies of a prominent agnostic (unbeliever) of his day: “I
believe that when Robert Ingersoll goes into the spirit world he will find the
Bible is not a novel. He will learn that there if never before. He will learn
that the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made is not
a burlesque, but that that was done for the salvation of the world. And he will
find that there will be a God there, there will be a heaven there, there will
be a hell there, there will be everything there of which the Bible has spoken
concerning it.” Such will also be the case for all who doubt or disbelieve
Joseph’s testimony; they will go into the spirit world and find they were led
astray. On the other hand, those who feel and heed the Spirit of Truth (over any
scholarship), know that “I the Lord, . . . called upon my servant Joseph Smith,
Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments” (D&C 1:17),
and that by following this Prophet and his successors, they will gain eternal
life.
Having thus
introduced this blog series on the First Vision, I now provide the first
installment.
Faithful Women
Testify of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s First Vision
(Part one of a
series compiled by Dennis B. Horne)
The
below narrations regarding the testimonies of some faithful women are as
faith-affirming and edifying as those given by men—since the Holy Spirit works
according to personal purity and faith, not gender. Elders Lee and Andersen
tell the stories of some women that they are familiar with.
M.
Isabella Horne was an immigrant to Canada from England in the early 1800s and
is the third-great-grandmother of the compiler of this series. She and Joseph
Horne, whom she married not long before they joined The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, entertained some of the leaders of the Church in their
home, and let them preach to locals in their barn. Her testimony as related
below in two separate but similar sources is one of the lesser-known historical
accounts mentioning the First Vision by a contemporary.
I first met
the Prophet Joseph Smith in the fall of 1837, at my home in the town of
Scarborough, Canada West. When I first shook hands with him I was thrilled
through and through and I knew that he was a Prophet of God, and that testimony
has never left me, but is still strong within me. While in Canada he visited
all the branches of the Church, and gave the saints instructions. Brother and
Sister [John] Taylor, my husband, and I enjoyed the privilege of accompanying
the Prophet on these visits. I heard him relate his first vision when the
Father and Son appeared to him: also his receiving the Gold Plates from the
Angel Moroni. While he was relating the circumstances, the Prophet's
countenance lighted up, and so wonderful a power accompanied his words that
everybody who heard them felt his influence and power, and none could doubt the
truth of his narration.[5]
The last
time I shook hands with the Prophet was at the Mansion House, on an occasion
when I had called to see part of the family.
I testify
that Joseph Smith was the greatest Prophet that ever lived on this earth, the
Savior, only, excepted. There was a personal magnetism about him which drew all
people who became acquainted with him, to him.
I feel
greatly honored when I realize that I have had the privilege of personally
entertaining this great man, of ministering to his temporal wants, of shaking
hands with him, and listening to his voice. I heard him relate his first vision
when the Father and Son appeared to him; also his receiving the Gold Plates
from the Angel Moroni. This recital was given in compliance with a special
request of a few particular friends in the home of Sister Walton, whose house
was ever open to the Saints. While he was relating the circumstances [of the first
vision], the Prophet’s countenance lighted up, and so wonderful a power
accompanied his words that everybody who heard them felt his influence and
power, and none could doubt the truth of his narration. I know that he was true
to his trust, and that the principles that he advanced and taught are true.[6]
I recalled
an experience that we had with a group of students from Brigham Young
University, who were gracious enough to come under the leadership of President
Wilkinson to a little group over in the Lion House, and there sixteen,
representing sixteen foreign countries, were asked to stand and tell how they
came to know about the gospel and accept it, why they were at Brigham Young
University, and to bear their testimonies. It was a most intensely interesting
evening. We heard from young men and women from Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, the
Scandinavian countries, France, and England. The story was the same. When they
began to relate how they came to find the gospel, it was this: They were
yearning for truth. They were seeking for light. They were not satisfied, and
in the midst of their search, someone came to them with the truths of the
gospel. They prayed about it and sought the Lord intensely, intently, with all
their hearts, and came to receive a divine testimony by which they knew that
this is the gospel of Jesus Christ. One young woman said, “I had been studying
the gospel, and this night I came to a meeting and I heard them sing, ‘Joseph
Smith’s First Prayer,’ which gave in song the story of the first vision, and
before they had finished that song, into my heart the Spirit bore testimony
that this is the Church and kingdom of God.” So within the heart of everyone,
every honest seeker after truth, if he has the desire to know, and studies with
real intent and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God may be
within him, or in other words, the power to receive it is his.
It was on
“the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred
and twenty” when 14-year-old Joseph Smith went into the grove, knelt in prayer,
and “saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description,
standing above [him] in the air.” He said: “One of them spake unto me, calling
me by name and said, pointing to the other—This
is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” Can you imagine how 14-year-old Joseph
must have felt to see God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and to hear
Heavenly Father call him by his name?
When I visited the Sacred Grove, I tried to imagine what it
must have been like to have been Joseph Smith. In those quiet moments, the
Spirit whispered to my beating heart that I was standing on holy ground and
that all that the Prophet Joseph Smith had said was true. Then came the
powerful realization that we are all the beneficiaries of his faith, courage,
and steadfast desire to obey God. He had received an answer to his humble
prayer. He had seen the Father and His Beloved Son. There in the Sacred Grove,
I knew that Heavenly Father not only knew Joseph Smith by name, but He also
knows each of us by name. And just as Joseph Smith had an important part to
play in this great and marvelous work, we too have an important part to play in
these latter days.
Elder Neal L. Andersen:
At the request of President Monson I
conferred the sealing power upon a wonderful man named brother James Valery.
When he and Sister Valerie were sitting before me . . . I asked them what their
history was. They explained they were converts to the Church, baptized in San
Antonio, Texas. . . . As I was talking to them, to Sister Valery, I asked her
about her testimony. She gave me more than I will tell you, but just this
little excerpt. She said after her first lesson, it was in a home where six
missionaries had come to watch a church movie in a member’s home. And then they
gave the Valery’s their first lesson. She said, as I was about to go out the
door a missionary looked at me very directly, and he said to me (I had her
write it down and send it to me), “a missionary who had remained quiet
throughout the discussion stepped out of the group and stood right in from on
me. He told me about a young man named Joseph Smith who had knelt in prayer in
a grove of trees, and that he saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.” She
told me that when he told her that testimony that it went into her heart like
fire and she could not release it from her heart. I said to her, “did this
Elder teach you the discussions?” She said, “No, that was the only time I ever
saw him; that day.”
Note: Elder Anderson tracked down
the missionary for Sister Valerie, named Silvers, who was unable to remember
that particular occasion, but they had a joyful reunion. (Excerpt from MTC
devotional address, August 27, 2013.)
I want to take you into that Sacred
Grove for just a minute. We had listened through those four days to 248
wonderful young men and women—missionaries, and students from Brigham Young
University—if you could have heard them, you would have been proud, too. They
all bore wonderful witness, but included in that Sunday service, attended by some
750 people, were two women I shall never forget, both of them brought up in
wheelchairs to the little platform that stands in the Grove.
One of them, Sister Louise Lake, has
a sublime faith, the faith that one day she will walk again. God grant her that
request. The other girl, a Miss Brown from Connecticut, who said, as she was
wheeled up, “I know that I shall never walk again”—misshapen limbs, which under
palsy she has such a hard time to control. She said that when that disease
first struck her, she was numbed for a while, and she was bitter for a while,
but she said, “I have risen above all that”—and I think when she was through,
there wasn't a dry in the grove. The young people who heard Miss Brown that day
will never forget. She said, “Crippled as I am in my body, I rejoice that my
spirit is still intact. I have the faith to believe that one day, either here
or elsewhere, God will work out the healing of my body- and while I live, let
me never complain, but let me go about bearing my witness to his goodness.”
[1]
The closest parallel that I can think of to the wording used by President
Nelson is that used by President Hinckley, who introduced one of his
own talks by saying: “My talk this morning will be different from any, I
think, previously heard in the general conferences of the Church.”
[2]
My reasons were better expressed by
President Hinckley than I could: “I believe we will be examined on what we
did to build the kingdom, to bring light and understanding of the eternal
truths of the gospel to the eyes and minds of all who are willing to listen, .
. .”
[3]
President
Hinckley taught: “Joseph, when he was 14 years of age, had an experience in
that glorious First Vision that was different from any other recorded
experience of any man. At no other time of which we have any record have God
our Eternal Father and His Beloved Son, the risen Lord, appeared on earth
together.”
[4]
Madsen is not the only one to make such a reference. I noticed this phrasing
from Elder
Mark E. Petersen: “And he [God] has given to me testimony that Joseph Smith
truly knelt in prayer and in answer received the glorious visitation in which
he talked face to face with the Father and the Son.”
[5]
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=kerryap&id=I1823. President
Brigham Young said: “Those who were acquainted with him knew when the
Spirit of revelation was upon him, for his countenance wore an expression
peculiar to himself while under that influence. He preached by the Spirit of
revelation, and taught in his council by it, and those who were acquainted with
him could discover it at once, for at such times there was a peculiar clearness
and transparency in his face.”
[6]
Testimony of Sister M. Isabella Horne; CHD call # MS D5302.
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