[16] Joseph Smith and the First Vision Purpose To strengthen each child’s testimony that the Prophet Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. “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. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose … Come Follow Me Lesson – The First Vision: Special … Joseph Smith, “Church History,” in Times and Seasons, vol. 2. Joseph Smith, “History, circa Summer 1832,” 3. Joseph Smith, “History, circa June 1839–circa 1841 [Draft 2],” 2. See Joseph Smith, “History, circa Summer 1832,” 2. Accounts from a letterbook, penned by Frederick G. Williams; from the “large journal,” penned by Warren A. Cowdery; and from the A-1 history book, penned by James Mulholland. 9, no. It is also a fun way to learn about Joseph Smith History, in the back of the scriptures. He called Joseph’s name and said, “This is my beloved Son. Scott C. Esplin, Richard O. Cowan, and Rachel Cope (Provo, UT: Religious … [and] pondered many things in my heart concerning the situation of the world” (History 1832, p. 2, Letter Book 1, 1829–35, Joseph Smith, Collection, Church History Library, Salt Lake City; spelling and punctuation modernized; reprinted in Dean C. Jessee, comp., Personal Writings of Joseph Smith [2002], 10). Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2012), 53. In presenting background for the 1920 essay, Tait said Gates was part of a centennial memorial company led by President Joseph F. Smith that traveled to Joseph Smith’s birthplace in Vermont in December 1905. . Joseph Smith, “History, circa June 1839–circa 1841 [Draft 2],” 2–3. [19] . . Joseph Smith, “History, circa Summer 1832,” 3. The First Vision: A Narrative from Joseph Smith’s Accounts Steven C. Harper 27 April 2016 In spring 1820, 14-year-old Joseph Smith prayed in faith and … The word "distracting" could also be translated as "unfitting" or "discordant." Special Witness- Elder Christofferson (about 6 minutes)- Elder Christofferson bears testimony of Joseph Smith and the First Vision. [11] Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith—History 1:16–17). In his earliest written account of the First Vision, Joseph indicated that from about the age of 12 he had “concerns for the welfare of my immortal soul, which led me to searching the scriptures, . Joseph Smith, “History, circa June 1839–circa 1841 [Draft 2],” 2. Joseph Smith, “Journal, 1835–1836,” Nov. 9–11, 1835, 23. Then study the lesson and decide how you want to teach the How long had Joseph prepared to go to the grove to pray? No … I know it. 1, 1842), 707, Church History Library; josephsmithpapers.org. Are there other accounts of the First Vision? Joseph later told friends that during one Methodist meeting “he wanted to feel and shout like the rest but could feel nothing.”7 Yet he was “greatly excited; the cry and tumult were so great and incessant.”8, “During this time of great excitement,” Joseph’s religious concerns became a crisis. [3] . [7] Joseph Smith, “History, circa Summer 1832,” 3. Alexander Neibaur journal, May 24, 1844, josephsmithpapers.org. Preparation 1. Alexander Neibaur journal, May 24, 1844. Joseph Smith, “History, circa June 1839–circa 1841 [Draft 2],” 3. Joseph Smith, “History, circa June 1839–circa 1841 [Draft 2],” 2. Orson Hyde, Ein Ruf aus der Wüste (A Cry out of the Wilderness), 14–15, Church History Library; josephsmithpapers.org. A person who has been called by and speaks for God. On a clear spring morning in 1820, he sought solitude in the woods near his home. Joseph Smith recorded that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him in a grove of trees near his parents’ home in western New York State when he was about 14 years old(This will be covered more later, but the first sentence highlights the problem here: In Joseph Smith's first account of the First Vision, God and Jesus did NOT both appear. Williams, Joseph Smith 1835 Warren B. Cowdery 1839 Official, Pearl of Great Price I … [27] “Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. He went to a familiar place, near the “stump where I had stuck my axe when I had quit work,” he said.15 There he knelt and began searching for words to express his deepest desires, but he was overcome by an unseen power. [35] Joseph Smith, “Church History,” 707. In July 1819, more than one hundred ministers gathered for a conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, convened in Vienna (now Phelps), New York, a half-day’s walk from the Smith family farm.4 The area pulsed with “unusual excitement on the subject of religion.”5 The preaching of one of the ministers, George Lane, may have especially influenced Joseph. 1 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers, ed. On a spring day in 1820 14-year-old Joseph Smith sought solitude in a grove of trees and prayed to know which church was true. See Orson Pratt, A Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions, 5; see also Joseph Smith, “History, circa Summer 1832,” 2; Alexander Neibaur journal, May 24, 1844. Levi Richards journal, June 11, 1843, Church History Library; josephsmithpapers.org. J. W. Peterson, “Another Testimony,” Deseret Evening News, Jan. 20, 1894, 11; see also Oliver Cowdery, “Letter III,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Dec. 1834, as reproduced in Karen Lynn Davidson, David J. Whittaker, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds., Histories, Volume 1: Joseph Smith Histories, 1832–1844, vol. . “In a state of calmness and peace indescribable,”3 Joseph left that Sacred Grove knowing the reality of our Father in Heaven and His resurrected Son, Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith, “History, circa June 1839–circa 1841 [Draft 2],” 4. This is the first published account of the first vision in the U.S. “I retired to a secret place in a grove, and began to call upon the Lord; while fervently engaged in supplication, my mind was taken away from the objects with which I was surrounded, and I was enwrapped in a heavenly vision, and saw two glorious personages, who exactly resembled each other in features and likeness, surrounded with a brilliant light which eclipsed the sun at noon day” (History of the Church, 4:536). Joseph Smith-History 1:1-26 // The First Vision // January 4-10 This printable kit is packed with options for you and your entire family! This trivia game is a great way for your family to learn about Joseph Smith, the First Vision and Moroni’s visit. [31] Darkness vanished.19 Joseph’s prayer opened heaven and invoked power that vanquished the most potent opposing force he had ever experienced.20, In the midst of the “pillar of fire,”21 Joseph saw a glorious personage standing above him in the air. Stewart Pearce, Annals of Luzerne County (Philadelphia, 1866), in Porter, “Reverend George Lane,” 325. “The Prophet . 1835 (Joseph's Journal) Tap here to see it. “Laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists,” Joseph read James 1:5: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” The passage sank powerfully into his consciousness. Joseph Smith, “History, circa June 1839–circa 1841 [Draft 2],” 1, in “History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834],” josephsmithpapers.org. * Each weekly kit coincides with the Come, Follow Me schedule. . Joseph Smith’s First Vision4 stands today as the greatest event in world history since the birth, ministry, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. . He wondered in his head whether the churches were “all wrong together” but resisted letting the awful thought enter his heart. New York Gov. “Why did both the Father and the Son come to a boy, a mere lad? BOOK OF MORMON 2020 Come Follow Me with The First Vision Special General Conference LessonCelebrating the 200th Anniversary of the First Vision Scripture: Joseph Smith History 1:17 17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. William Smith, Joseph’s younger brother, recalled that Lane “preached a sermon on ‘What church shall I join?’ And the burden of [Lane’s] discourse was to ask God, using as a text, ‘If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally.’”6 Joseph felt “partial” toward the Methodists but resisted full association; he wanted to know which doctrine was right. Joseph left four known firsthand accounts of his vision, and contemporaries recorded five more known accounts after hearing him speak about it. Joseph Smith, “History, circa June 1839–circa 1841 [Draft 2],” 3. [28] “My soul was filled with love,” Joseph wrote with his own pen, “and for many days I could rejoice with great joy and the Lord was with me, but [I] could find none that would believe the heavenly vision nevertheless I pondered these things in my heart.”32. Under the date of November 9, 1835, Joseph dictated to his clerk Warren Parrish the visit of a religious eccentric by the name of Robert Matthias who claimed to be Joshua, a Jewish minister. It rescued Joseph from his unseen enemy. They heard the voice of the Father, but they did not see him. It is also the first time the Church officially stated that Native Americans are the primary descendants of the Lamanites. The Greatest Gospel Dispensation of All Time, Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, Appeared to the Boy Prophet, Additional Details from Joseph Smith’s 1832 Account of the First Vision, The Early Accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision. Use for Primary Sharing Time and Lessons, Family Home Evening, Youth and Seminary Institute Devotionals. There are study and teaching helps for every age, including helps to dive into the scriptures, fun activities, church history stories, and lots more! The following narrative integrates details from all of the accounts. [10] The Lord told Joseph “that all the religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines”2 and that he was to await further instructions from on high. Joseph Smith, “History, circa Summer 1832,” 1–2, josephsmithpapers.org. . However, for years before this, Joseph, and his close associates did talk about his early visionary experiences. Wondering which of the many churches to join, Joseph had followed the counsel in the Bible’s book of James: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God” (James 1:5). An early convert, Edward Stevenson, recalled the Prophet saying, “I am a witness that there is a God, for I saw Him in open day, while praying in a silent grove, in the spring of 1820.” Said Stevenson, “O how these words thrilled my entire system, and filled me with joy unspeakable—to behold one who, like Paul the apostle of olden time, could with boldness testify that he had been in the presence of Jesus Christ!” (in Joseph Grant Stevenson, ed., Stevenson Family History [1955], 1:21). Joseph Smith, interview by David Nye White, Aug. 21, 1843, in David Nye White, “The Prairies, Nauvoo, Joe Smith, the Temple, the Mormons, &c,” Pittsburg Weekly Gazette, Sept. 15, 1843, 3, Church History Library; josephsmithpapers.org. “The Lord does reveal himself to me. The official account of this first vision found in Mormon Scripture (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith — History, 1:14-20) was not recorded by Joseph Smith until 1838, 18 years after the supposed event. Andrew Cuomo recently issued an executive citation to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s First Vision. [29] Combined, these accounts are a rich resource, providing Latter-day Saints with a greater understanding of this significant event. [1989–92], 1:444). [8] During the first four days of May, the journal adds, “the First Presidency were engaged in writing church History.” Joseph Smith Journal, April 27 and May 1–4, 1838; Papers of Joseph Smith, 2:233, 237; History of the Church, 3:25–26. At the same time, he experienced “confusion,” “extreme difficulties,” and “great uneasiness” caused by guilt for his sins in the midst of a bewildering “war of words and tumult of opinions” about which church could furnish him with forgiveness.9, Joseph was also grieved because of the disparity he found between the churches and the Bible.10 Indeed, the Bible was both the battleground of this war and its greatest casualty, “for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passage of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.”11. declared that as he retired to the grove to pray, this was the first time he had attempted to pray vocally to his Heavenly Father. 1838 (JS-H 1:4-20) [36] I had 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” (Joseph Smith—History 1:25). Tongue-tied and enveloped by thick darkness, Joseph felt doomed as he was “seized” by the astonishing “power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being.”16 This adversary “filled his mind with doubts and brought to mind all manner of distracting images.”17 At the moment when he had to choose whether or not he would succumb to the force that held him, Joseph exerted “all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy.”18, Joseph became conscious of a heavenly light descending upon him, growing more brilliant as it enveloped him and the leaves and boughs of the trees, until they seemed to be consumed with fire and the light was brighter than the sun. This compelling narrative of Joseph's vision is based on these accounts. [25] [23] Joseph Smith was fourteen years old. [24] . “Must I join the Methodist Church?” he asked.25 “I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong.”26 The problem was that “all religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines.” God did not acknowledge any of them “as his church and kingdom.”27 The everlasting covenant, the tie between the ancient Christian gospel and the present day, “had been broken.”28, Jesus Christ confirmed Joseph’s observations that “the world lieth in sin” and that the existing churches had “turned aside from the gospel and keep not my commandments. Two personages appeared 4. “In April of 1820, Joseph Smith, a young man from a local farming family experienced a holy vision in a grove near the small village of Palmyra in western New York,” the citation notes. [17] “The journey seems to have been a watershed event in Gates’ internalization of the First Vision narrative,” Tait said. . Joseph Smith, “Journal, 1835–1836,” Nov. 9–11, 1835, 23. Joseph Smith tells of his ancestry, family members, and their early abodes—An unusual excitement about religion prevails in western New York—He determines to seek wisdom as directed by James—The Father and the Son appear, and Joseph is called to his prophetic ministry. Joseph Smith Joseph Smith, “History, circa Summer 1832,” 2. “Being wrought up in my mind,” Joseph studied the “different systems” of religion, but “I knew not who was right or who was wrong and considered it of the first importance that I should be right in matters that involve eternal consequences.”2 His own sins and the “sins of the world” made him “exceedingly distressed.”, By “searching the scriptures,” Joseph learned that “mankind did not come unto the Lord but that they had apostatized from the true and living faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament.”3, For a time, Joseph Smith sought relief among the Methodists. (See the 1842 account HERE) Important details of this account: 1. [30] Joseph Smith’s letter to John Wentworth was published in Times and Seasonson March 1, 1842. “Joseph Smith, Jr., . [9] Joseph Smith's First Vision (about 2 1/2 minutes)- Illustrated scripture story. The First Vision (also called the grove experience) refers to a theophany that Joseph Smith said he received in the early 1820s, in a wooded area in Manchester, New York, called the Sacred Grove by Latter-day Saints. Brigham Young, Second President of the Church, 1847–1877, Gordon B. Hinckley, 15th President of the Church, 1995–2008, Thomas S. Monson, 16th President of the Church, 2008–2018. One creed said, in the language of the philosophers, that God was “without body, parts, or passions.”31 Yet Joseph Smith saw and heard personages and felt Their overwhelming love. To pray address the contradictions and official lds essay Father in Heaven for the testimony I have the... 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