(Part three of a series
compiled by Dennis B. Horne)
These discussions of the First
Vision contain sublime doctrinal insights from a past member of the First
Presidency:
Many
years ago, I visited for the first time a wooded area of extraordinary natural
beauty near Palmyra, New York. This area is known to members of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Sacred Grove. On the day of our visit,
the bees were kissing the wildflowers, and the soft zephyrs gently rustled the
leaves of the great trees. It is a place of perfect peace and serenity. It was
easy to believe that the heavens were opened and that the magnificent vision
took place there.
I refer to the awesome experience of Joseph Smith when he
beheld God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, in the spring of 1820. There
has been no event more glorious, more controversial, nor more important in the
story of Joseph Smith than this vision. It is possibly the most singular event
to occur on the earth since the Resurrection. Those who do not believe it
happened find it difficult to explain away. Too much has happened since its
occurrence to summarily deny that it ever took place. Some years later, still
suffering under the impact of that happening, Joseph said, “If I had not
experienced what I have, I should not have known it myself.” (Millennial
Star, Nov. 1844, p. 93.)
Young Joseph Smith, fourteen years
of age, lived with his family near Palmyra, New York. In the spring of 1820,
Joseph, like many others, was caught up in the religious excitement of the day.
Desiring to know the truth for himself, and encouraged by the epistle of James,
he knelt in solitary, fervent prayer in that beautiful grove not far from his home.
He was at first violently seized by “the power of some actual being from the
unseen world.” (JS—H 1:16.) In an effort
to extricate himself, he exerted all his powers to call upon God for
deliverance from this tremendous evil power. At this point he said:
“Just at this moment of great alarm,
I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun,
which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
“It no sooner appeared than I found
myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon
me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description,
standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and
said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JS—H 1:16–17.)
The message that Joseph received
from the Father and the Son was that the full truth was not upon the earth and
that he should not affiliate with the religions of the day, as well as other
things of transcending importance which were not written.
Joseph stated in that account: “Many
other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time.” (JS—H 1:20.) Obviously,
Joseph was overwhelmed by the occasion and the instructions he received.
Joseph soon declared this marvelous
experience to others outside his family. As a result, much ridicule, contempt,
and even hatred were visited upon him. His mother, Lucy Mack Smith, relates
that after the First Vision, “from this time until the twenty-first of
September, 1823, Joseph continued, as usual, to labor with his father, and
nothing during this interval occurred of very great importance—though he
suffered every kind of opposition and persecution from the different orders of
religionists.” (History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, ed. Preston
Nibley, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1958, p. 74.) The prejudice and the hatred
pursued Joseph until his martyrdom.
Of this experience, Joseph said: “I
had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages,
and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for
saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were
persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely
for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the
truth? I have actually seen a vision. … I knew it, and I knew that God knew it,
and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so
doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.” (JS—H 1:25.)
There are several other accounts of
the magnificent vision near Palmyra recorded by the Prophet’s associates or
friends before the Prophet’s death, who, at various times, heard the Prophet
recount the First Vision. These accounts corroborate the First Vision as
written by Joseph Smith himself.
In the accounts of the Prophet and
his mother, Lucy Mack Smith, there is also considerable historical background
which has been confirmed by secondary sources as being accurate. As an example,
the Prophet refers in the published account of the First Vision to the
religious fervor in the area where the Smith family was living at the time.
Among others, Brigham Young later affirmed: “I very well recollect the
reformation which took place in the country among the various denominations of
Christians—the Baptists,
Methodists, Presbyterians, and others—when Joseph was a boy.” (Journal of
Discourses, 12:67.)
Three years following the vision
near Palmyra came the visit of the angel Moroni. Later, Joseph received the
plates of gold and translated the Book of Mormon from them. He subsequently
received the keys and powers of the holy priesthood of God, and established The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Joseph Smith’s stated purpose in
relating his history was “to disabuse the public mind, and put all inquirers
after truth in possession of the facts, as they have transpired.” (JS—H 1:1.)
What
was learned from the First Vision?
- The
existence of God our Father as a personal being, and proof that man was
made in the image of God.
- That Jesus
is a personage, separate and distinct from the Father.
- That Jesus
Christ is declared by the Father to be his Son.
- That Jesus
was the conveyer of revelation as taught in the Bible.
- The
promise of James to ask of God for wisdom was fulfilled.
- The
reality of an actual being from an unseen world who tried to destroy
Joseph Smith.
- That there
was a falling away from the Church established by Jesus Christ—Joseph
was told not to join any of the sects, for they taught the doctrines of
men.
- Joseph
Smith became a witness for God and his Son, Jesus Christ.
The First Vision confirms the fact
there are three separate Gods: God the Father—Elohim, to whom we address our
prayers; Jesus the Christ—Jehovah; and
the Holy Ghost—the Comforter,
through whose spirit we may know the truth of all things.
In the account of that profound
theophany, the instruction came from Jesus. President Joseph Fielding Smith
said:
“I would like to call your attention
to one little thing in the first vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is very
significant, and Joseph Smith did not know it. If he had been perpetrating a
fraud, he would not have thought of it. You will recall in your reading that
the Father and the Son appeared, and the Father introduced the Son and told the
Prophet to hear the Son.
“Now suppose the Prophet had come
back from the woods and had said the Father and the Son appeared to him, and
the Father said, ‘Joseph, what do you want?’ and when he asked the question and
told him what he wanted, the Father had answered him; then we would know that
the story of the Prophet could not be true.
“All revelation comes through Jesus
Christ. I have not time to go into the scriptures and give references for that,
but that is the fact.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols., Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957–66, 1:16.)
What resulted from the First Vision,
which opened the prophesied dispensation of the fulness of times?
- The Book
of Mormon, another witness for Christ, was received.
- The
priesthood, or authority to perform saving ordinances, was restored,
including the sealing powers of the priesthood.
- The Church
of Jesus Christ was again organized on the earth.
- Revelations
came to the Prophet Joseph Smith for the building of the kingdom of God
upon the earth, declaring the universal salvation of mankind.
- Keys,
principles, and powers were restored for the carrying out of the three
great missions of the Church—the preaching of the gospel, the
means of perfecting the Saints, and temples and ordinances therein for the
redemption of the living and the dead. . . .
My associates and I
are also his witnesses. We are eyewitnesses of the fruits of this work
worldwide. The followers of the restored gospel of Christ can be found in over
one hundred countries of the world. In the main they are decent, sober, chaste,
honest, law-abiding, family-oriented, patriotic members of the countries in
which they live.
“For every tree is
known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble
bush gather they grapes.” (Luke 6:44.)
At the very heart of
this great work of teaching and establishing the gospel of Christ is the First
Vision of the boy Joseph near Palmyra, New York, in 1820. Too much has happened
to dismiss this magnificent vision as a nonevent.
Since no one was with Joseph when this great vision took
place in the wooded grove near Palmyra, a testimony concerning its reality can
come only by believing the truthfulness of Joseph Smith’s own account or by the
witness of the Holy Ghost, or both. I have such a conviction. It is a sure
conviction that lies deep in my soul. As a special witness of the same Christ
who appeared with the Father and instructed the boy Joseph Smith, I bear
witness of the truthfulness of the magnificent First Vision near Palmyra.
The First Vision of Joseph Smith is
the most remarkable epiphany in the history of the world. We are all familiar
with the Prophet Joseph’s story. He retired to the Sacred Grove to inquire of
the Lord as to which religion was correct. He was seized by a power that
completely overcame him and bound his tongue so that he could not speak. He
wrote, “Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if
I were doomed to sudden destruction.” Then,
calling forth all of the spiritual power he had, he asked God to deliver him
from this power of darkness.
Just at this moment of great alarm,
I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun,
which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
It
no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me
bound.
Now here is the significant account:
When the light rested upon me I saw
two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above
me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing
to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him! [JS—H 1:15–17]
In the history of mankind, few
indeed have been privileged to see God or hear Him directly. Yet the gifts of
the Spirit since the restoration of the gospel have been rich in the Church and
exist today among the faithful members of the Church.
Coming to know God is the principal
spiritual gift that can come to any man or woman. Joseph Smith received this
knowledge of God firsthand. Many years later, still pondering the impact of
that and other happenings in his life, Joseph himself said: “I don’t blame any
one for not believing my history. If I had not experienced what I have, I would
not have believed it myself.”
No one was with the boy Joseph Smith
in the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York, when God the Father and His Son,
Jesus Christ, appeared. Yet even those who do not believe it happened may find
it difficult to explain away. Too much has happened since it occurred to deny
that it ever took place.
No comments:
Post a Comment