3rd Nephi Capter 11 verse36

[Mirium]

I know and accept Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three different and distinct personages. When it states in this verse they are one, in the note b at the bottom of the page it says unity. I'm taking it to mean that it is not saying they are one being but they are one together working in unity and bear witness of one another.

Am I correct?

[KristofferUmfrey]

I know and accept Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three different and distinct personages. When it states in this verse they are one, in the note b at the bottom of the page it says unity. I'm taking it to mean that it is not saying they are one being but they are one together working in unity and bear witness of one another.

Am I correct?

You want to get really confused, read what Adinadi says about the Father and the Son being one.

[Elgama]

yes your interpretation is correct - I have always found it useful to remember that whilst we are all eternal, we are not at the stage in our progression Heavenly Father and Jesus are at, we are trying to understand how they are made up and function without all the knowledge, I am not ready for that, for example I can chat to you online but if anything goes wrong I can't really tell why. I can give you a good guess.

Right now we know as much as Heavenly Father can teach us, and its OK to have conflicting information. I have discovered with my degree studies that what you understand at the next level up my actually conflict with what I have already learned.

Joseph Smith had his vision the way he did so we would understand how the Godhead were seperate and we get glimpses in the scriptures as to how that are also one

-Charley

[bytor2112]

I know and accept Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three different and distinct personages. When it states in this verse they are one, in the note b at the bottom of the page it says unity. I'm taking it to mean that it is not saying they are one being but they are one together working in unity and bear witness of one another.

Am I correct?

Yes. :) As in John Chapter 17:

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

[HoosierGuy]

Yes, they are three but united in purpose. You could say a "team." If you love one you love all three. They always work together, never against one another. They are in perfect harmony and unity with each other. And we here on earth should strive to be the same with our Heavenly Brothers and Sisters - work together in unity and harmony.

JOSEPH SMITH—HISTORY

EXTRACTS FROM THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET

17 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!

Joseph Smith—History 1

[Justice]

3 Nephi 19:

23 And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one.

24 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus prayed unto the Father, he came unto his disciples, and behold, they did still continue, without ceasing, to pray unto him; and they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray, and they were filled with desire.

This is the kind of one that is meant.

29 Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them.

With further study you see that those who are one are first filled with desire (fire) to do only God's will, and then are filled with the Holy Ghost so that that they will only do God's will.

All who desire to only do God's will are one with Christ and the Father. Chrsit is One with the Father because He only does the will of His Father. They are perfect in One.

[rockwoodchev]

It is also interesting to note that in the 1st version of the (the 1832 version) when he recorded the events he just refers to seeing "The Lord". Not 2 personages, but just "The Lord". It wasn't until 1835 that he reports that first one personage appeare4d and then another. It was in 1838 that he first reports that the first pointed to the other and said"This is my beloved son, Hear him".

I have a hard time figuring out how he would miss something as important as how many people there were in 1832, but then 3 years later able to remember that there were 2 people. Anyone else able to figure that out?

[Justice]

I don't think it's that he "missed" that 2 appeared to him, or that he "forgot" and remembered. I think when you're telling a story you use familiar terms. "God" and "Lord" were familiar terms. I'm not sure it impacted Joseph Smith right away just how important it was that 2 personages appeared to him. To say that God appeared to him, or that the Lord appeared to him, are both accurate and true. Later, as he tried to make an official written statement of the actual event, he wrote that one pointed to the other and said...

This generated the need to be specific with how many personages were there. Remember he only had a 2nd grade education.

[Hemidakota]

First Vision.

In the spring of 1820, God the Eternal Father and his Son Jesus Christ appeared and spoke to Joseph Smith, a 14-year-old farm boy, in a grove near his family's log home. This sacred experience initiated the marvelous work of the Restoration and became a cornerstone of Latter-day Saint faith.

Two years prior to this vision, Joseph's family had moved to a farm located in Manchester, New York. The family's temporary log home and the Sacred Grove, site of the First Vision, were located near the border of Manchester and Palmyra townships in western New York, about two miles southwest of Palmyra Village.

During the 10-year period following Joseph's experience (from 1832 to 1842), on at least four different occasions, Joseph Smith wrote or dictated to scribes accounts of his First Vision. They were prepared at different times, under different circumstances, for different audiences, and for different purposes. Therefore, these accounts emphasize different aspects of Joseph's experience. The Prophet never prepared a complete account describing everything he learned during this vision. In his most descriptive version, an account written in 1838 and included in the Pearl of Great Price, he declared, "Many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time" (JS-H 1:20). By examining all these accounts, one can gain a more complete understanding of who appeared to Joseph Smith, as well as the message that unfolded in 1820 (Backman, Appendix A-D).

Joseph Smith also related his experience to early converts and to nonmembers of the Church, who wrote accounts of the First Vision based on what they had learned from him. Although these contemporary accounts substantiate Joseph Smith's testimony, they do not include any major concepts not found in versions prepared by the Prophet (Backman, Appendix E-J).

As Joseph Smith described the background of his First Vision, he recalled that for about four years he was involved in a quest for religious truth. He realized that he needed a forgiveness of his sins and was seeking salvation. His quest for truth occurred during an age of intense revivalism. The Prophet observed that in the whole region, great multitudes were uniting themselves with different religious communities. Meanwhile, some denominations were "endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others. In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions," Joseph Smith asked, "Who of all these parties are right?" (JS-H 1:9-10). He also reasoned "that all could not be right, and that God could not be the author of so much confusion" (Backman, 169). Believing in the apostle James's declaration that prayers are answered (James 1:5), he retired to a secret place in a grove and engaged in supplication.

The first principle Joseph learned after beginning his prayer was that the power of evil is real and strong—suddenly he was almost overcome by the power of Satan. But the destructive force was replaced by a brilliant light, and he learned that God's power is stronger than Satan's and that God hears and answers prayer.

As Joseph looked into the light, he saw two personages who exactly resembled each other in features and likeness. The one personage addressed him by saying, "This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him" (JS-H 1:17).

As the Savior addressed him, Joseph Smith learned many other truths. He learned that his sins were forgiven and that Jesus atoned for the sins of mankind. He learned about the reality of the Second Coming and of an apostasy from the ancient Christian church. "They told me," he explained, "that all religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines, and that none of them was acknowledged of God as his church and kingdom. I was expressly commanded," he added, "to go not after them" and was promised "that the fulness of the gospel should at some future time be made known unto me" (Backman, 169).

In an account published in his 1835 diary, Joseph not only emphasized that he saw two personages but said that he saw many angels during this vision (Backman, 159).

When Joseph Smith described the aftermath of this remarkable vision, he wrote in 1832: "my Soul was filled with love and for many days I could rejoice with great joy . . . the Lord was with me" (Backman, 159).

In other accounts Joseph Smith wrote that after informing some professors of religion of his experience, persecution erupted. He felt, he said, like Paul when he made his defense before King Agrippa. Responding to this verbal oppression, Joseph testified, "I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it" (JS-H 1:25).

Sources

Backman, Milton V. Jr. Joseph Smith's First Vision: Confirming Evidences and Contemporary Accounts. 2d ed. rev. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1980.

Jessee, Dean C., ed. The Papers of Joseph Smith. Vol. 1. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989.

MILTON V. BACKMAN Jr.

[Hemidakota]

I know and accept Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three different and distinct personages. When it states in this verse they are one, in the note b at the bottom of the page it says unity. I'm taking it to mean that it is not saying they are one being but they are one together working in unity and bear witness of one another.

Am I correct?

One in purpose. As I can state, GOD, the Savior, and the Holy Ghost, we are one. See what I am referring too? We are one in purpose - purpose of bringing souls onto GOD.

[a-train]

It matters not a lick what Joseph Smith said concerning his Vision. He never said: "There was only one Personage." He simply left details out. Did you know that he thought the forest was going to burn up and that he could tell it had also been transfigured? That is not in the testimony we so often read.

Should we imagine that he was lying simply because this detail is not in that testimony. Why did he not give a more detailed description of the face of the Father? Did he have a beard? If so, was it short or long? We shall never know every detail of that Vision and attempts to discredit Joseph Smith with the lack of inclusion of every detail in every attempt to describe the experience over a 24 year period is lacking in logic and honesty.

Section 76 was received in 1832 and is simply irreconcilable with a theory that Joseph Smith only adopted the notion that the Father and Son were physically separate in his later ministry.

-a-train

[Mirium]

Thankyou so much all for your help. I have a greater understanding of this now and more to go and study. I'm glad I was thinking about it correctly.

[Hemidakota]

Parting the Veil: The Visions of Joseph Smith by Alexander L. Baugh, he goes through Joseph Smith life, revealing every encounter, dream, vision, and so forth and lists them by years and what did transpired.

Joseph Smith's Visions 1820 - 1830

Joseph Smith's visions between 1820 and 1830 fall into three of the broad categories mentioned earlier: personal visitations of deity, angels, and Satan; visions received via the seer stone and the Urim and Thummim; and visions opened to the mind. One vision in particular seems to be in a category of its own.

Visitations

Ammon said that through a seer "secret things [shall] be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light" (Mosiah 8: 16). Joseph Smith brought to light many truths he learned from heavenly beings, and he learned to distinguish those truths from their opposites through his encounters with Satan.

The First Vision. The most magnificent and certainly the most historically and doctrinally significant theophany occurred in the Sacred Grove in spring 1820, when the Father and the Son-and "many angels," according to Joseph's 1835 account-ushered in the opening of the Restoration. This initial spiritual manifestation has appropriately come to be known among Latter-day Saints as the "First Vision," a title that recognizes that more visions soon followed. Although Joseph Smith was privileged to have additional visions of the Father and the Son later, the First Vision is the only known instance during this ten-year period that the young prophet was privileged to have a vision of either of these two members of the Godhead. Historical evidence demonstrates that the Restoration was brought to pass primarily through the ministration of angels and other forms of revelation rather than by direct appearances of either of these two supreme deities.

Visions of Heavenly Messengers. Of the heavenly messengers who personally appeared to the youthful prophet in the years 1820- 30, Moroni was the most regular visitor. Best known are the three visits that occurred during the night of September 21- 22, 1823; the appearance while Joseph returned from work in his father's field the next day; the meeting with Moroni at the Hill Cumorah; and the four annual visits that subsequently took place each September until 1827. However, in total over twenty appearances by the last survivor of the Nephite nation can be documented. "

One of Moroni's visits, in particular, is worth recounting. During Joseph and Emma's move from Palmyra, New York, to Harmony, Pennsylvania, in December 1827, Joseph protected the plates and the other Nephite artifacts by placing them in a barrel of beans. Shortly after departing, he and his wife were accosted by a group of men intent on taking the plates. After a thorough search, the men left empty-handed, and the couple and the plates eventually arrived safely in Harmony. A year and a half later, because of increased persecution, Joseph and Oliver were forced to leave Harmony, departing for Fayette, New York, around June 1. David Whitmer came from Fayette to transport them to his father's home. However, on this move, the plates were not in their possession. Prior to the trio's departure, Joseph had returned the plates and sacred relics to Moroni, who had informed him they would be returned upon arrival at the Whitmer homestead. Soon after the party's departure by wagon, Moroni paid them an interesting visit. David Whitmer told the following incident on numerous occasions over the years. One account reads:

"When I was returning to Fayette with Joseph and Oliver, all of us riding in the wagon, Oliver and I on an old fashioned wooden spring seat and Joseph behind us, we were suddenly approached by a very pleasant, nice looking old man in a clear open place, who saluted us with 'Good morning, it is very warm,' at the same instant wiping his face or forehead with his hand. We returned the salutation and by a sign from Joseph I invited him to ride if he was going our way, but he said very pleasantly, 'No, I am going to Cumorah.' This was something new to me, I did not know what Cumorah meant, and as I looked enquiringly at Joseph, the old man instantly disappeared so that I did not see him again."

. . . "He was, I should think, about 5 feet 9 or 10 inches and heavy set. . . . He was dressed in a suit of brown, woolen clothes; his hair and beard were white. . . . I also remember that he had a sort of knapsack on his back, and something was in it which was shaped like a book. It was the messenger who had the plates."

In this fascinating account, Whitmer gives some idea of Moroni's physical stature and more unexpectedly demonstrates that angels are occasionally given to amusement when executing their missions among mortals. This incident further illustrates that celestial glorified messengers can appear in a telestial form and condition.

Moroni was not Joseph's only seer tutor. Statements and testimonies by some of the Prophet's contemporaries reveal that the young seer was visited and taught by numerous ancient prophets and apostles. In the Wentworth Letter, published in March 1842, Joseph Smith stated, "After having received many visits from the angels of God unfolding the majesty and glory of the events that should transpire in the last days, on the morning of the 22nd of September, a.d. 1827, the angel of the Lord delivered the records into my hands."

Three major points stand out in this statement. First, Joseph Smith received "many visits from the angels of God." Second, these angels visited him to unfold events that would soon transpire. And third, these visits occurred before he obtained the plates in September 1827 and thus took place concurrently with his years of instruction by Moroni at Cumorah. Orson Pratt stated that during the years 1823- 27, Joseph "was often ministered to by the angels of God, and received instruction concerning the work that was to be performed in the latter days." George Q. Cannon taught that during these preparatory years Joseph "was visited constantly by angels. . . . He had vision after vision in order that his mind might be fully saturated with a knowledge of the things of God, and that he might comprehend the great and holy calling that God has bestowed upon him.

Joseph never mentioned publicly, as far as we know, who these angelic ministrants were, but his close associates spoke of these appearances. John Taylor gave some indication of their identity in these two typical statements:

And when Joseph Smith was raised up as a Prophet of God, Mormon, Moroni, Nephi and others of the ancient Prophets who formerly lived on this Continent, and Peter and John and others who lived on the Asiatic Continent, came to him and communicated to him certain principles pertaining to the Gospel of the Son of God.

The principles which he had, placed him in communication with the Lord, and not only with the Lord, but with the ancient apostles and prophets; such men, for instance, as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Adam, Seth, Enoch, and . . . the apostles that lived on this continent as well as those who lived on the Asiatic continent. He seemed to be as familiar with these people as we are with one another. Why? Because he had to introduce a dispensation which was called the dispensation of the fulness of times.¡¢

Lucy Mack Smith had fond memories of Joseph's maturing years and recalled some of the things her son learned from these interviews, particularly from the ancient American prophets. "During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined," Lucy said, continuing:

He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of travelling, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life with them.

The Prophet left specific record that on May 15, 1829, John the Baptist appeared and conferred Aaronic Priesthood keys and authority upon Joseph and Oliver Cowdery. Besides Joseph's brief account describing this visitation, Oliver Cowdery also left his written testimony of that event. Significantly, by the time John the Baptist appeared, Joseph had received numerous heavenly visitors, but this was one of Cowdery's first visions. When Cowdery wrote about the incident five years later, his words still expressed exhilaration and spiritual elation. "The vail was parted and the angel of God came down clothed with glory, and delivered the anxiously looked for message," he wrote.

What joy! what wonder! what amazement! . . . our eyes beheld-our ears heard. . . . Then his voice, though mild, pierced to the center, and his words, "I am thy fellow servant," dispelled every fear. We listened-we gazed-we admired! 'T was the voice of the angel from glory-'twas a message from the Most High! and as we heard we rejoiced, while his love enkindled upon our souls, and we were rapt in the vision of the Almighty! . . .

. . . The assurance that we were in the presence of an angel . . . is to me, past description, and I shall ever look upon this expression of the Savior's goodness with wonder and thanksgiving.

The appearance of Peter, James, and John and their bestowal of the Melchizedek Priesthood upon Joseph and Oliver followed. While Joseph and Oliver left no record of the exact date of this event, the traditional view is that the higher priesthood was conferred during the visitation of these ancient Apostles in late May or early June 1829, approximately two weeks following the bestowal of the Aaronic Priesthood.

Another heavenly visitor whom Joseph Smith saw during the 1820- 30 period was an angel who is not identified in surviving records. This messenger appeared during the first week of August 1830 to instruct Joseph concerning the emblems of the sacrament. Newel Knight and his wife, Sally, had traveled from Colesville, New York, to Harmony, Pennsylvania, to visit Joseph and Emma. Both women had been baptized, but neither had been confirmed nor had yet partaken of the sacrament. Joseph authorized both ordinances and "set out to procure some wine for the occasion," wrote Newel Knight. "He had gone only a short distance, when he was met by a heavenly messenger and received the first four verses of the revelation" (that is, D&C 27: 1- 4). The Prophet returned to the small group, which also included John Whitmer, prepared some wine in accordance with the instructions from the angel, partook of the sacrament, confirmed the two sisters, and "spent the evening in a glorious manner.

Visions of Satan. Joseph had at least two personal encounters with Lucifer during the 1820s. The best-known confrontation occurred prior to his theophany in the Sacred Grove, when Satan sought to physically destroy him. The other confrontation with Satan is mentioned only briefly, in Doctrine and Covenants section 128. In verse 20, the Prophet wrote of hearing "the voice of Michael on the banks of the Susquehanna, detecting the devil when he appeared as an angel of light." Clearly, he heard Adam's (Michael's) voice and also saw the devil. Satan's appearance also seems to be associated with the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood since Joseph refers to Peter, James, and John's appearance on the Susquehanna in the very next sentence. Simply interpreted, Satan appeared as an angel of light, hoping to deceive Joseph and Oliver in some manner and thereby thwart the restoration of authority. Satan's presence, however, was detected by Michael, who informed Joseph and Oliver of the deception, concluding the incident.

[Hemidakota]

Visions through the Urim and Thummim

During this early period, the youthful prophet received many visions through the medium of "Urim and Thummim"-sometimes a seer stone and, more particularly, the Nephite interpreters. Both of these instruments apparently operated in much the same spiritual manner, and through them Joseph received an undetermined number of visions in addition to the translation of the Book of Mormon. The young prophet obtained a seer stone, described as dark brown in color, while digging a well for Willard Chase around 1822. This discovery occurred only two years after the First Vision and one year before Moroni's first visits. Joseph made use of the seer stone for five years before obtaining the Nephite interpreters from Moroni in 1827. Latter-day Saints should not be surprised to learn that prior to being engaged specifically in the work of the Lord-that is, prior to beginning the work of the translation of the plates-the youthful Joseph apparently recognized that God had given him visionary powers enabling him to see supernatural visions in a wide variety of areas. Between 1822 and 1827, he successfully obtained an unspecified number of visions by means of the seer stone. He even gained a reputation for such activities, which may explain why men such as Josiah Stowell, who lived more than one hundred miles away, near South Bainbridge, New York, sought out Joseph Smith and employed him to locate buried treasure in the fall of 1825."

Several examples of Joseph's ability to receive visions by means of a seer stone illustrate the power associated with the Prophet and this instrument. Martin Harris steadfastly believed Joseph possessed an uncanny ability of seership. This was perhaps due in part to the following incident:

I was at the house of his father in Manchester, two miles south of Palmyra village, and was picking my teeth with a pin while sitting on the bars. The pin caught in my teeth, and dropped from my fingers into shavings and straw. I jumped from the bars and looked for it. . . . I then took Joseph on surprise, and said to him-I said, "Take your stone." I had never seen it, and did not know that he had it with him. He had it in his pocket. He took it and placed it in his hat-the old white hat-and placed his face in his hat. I watched him closely to see that he did not look [to] one side; he reached out his hand beyond me on the right, and moved a little stick, and there I saw the pin, which he picked up and gave to me."

Joseph's use of the stone may have also encouraged him to propose marriage to Emma Hale. At Joseph's annual visit to the Hill Cumorah in September 1826, Moroni told him that he could have the plates the following year if, in Joseph Knight's words, "he Brot [ sic ] the right person." Knight recounted this conversation further:

"Who is the right Person?" The answer was you will know. Then he looked in his glass and found it was Emma Hale, Daughter of old Mr Hail of Pensylvany, a girl that he had seen Before, for he had Bin Down there Before with me. . . . He came to me perhaps in November and worked for me until about the time that he was Married . . . and I furnished him with a horse and Cutter to go and see his girl Down to Mr. Hails. And soon after this he was Married and Mr Stowel moved him and his wife to his fathers in Palmyra Ontario County.

David Whitmer learned during his very first meeting with Joseph that, by means of the seer stone, Joseph was able to see in detail actions many miles away. In late May of 1828, at the request of Oliver Cowdery and Joseph, David traveled from Fayette, New York, over one hundred miles to Harmony, Pennsylvania, to take the two men back to his father's farmhouse so they could complete the translation. As he neared Harmony, he was surprised to meet Joseph and Oliver, who "were coming toward me, and met me some little distance from the house." David reported further:

Oliver told me that Joseph had told him when I started from home, where I had stopped the first night, how I read the sign at the tavern, where I stopped the next night and that I would be there that day before dinner, and this was why they had come out to meet me, all of which was exactly as Joseph had told Oliver, at which I was greatly astonished."

Moroni gave Joseph possession of the plates, breastplate, and interpreters on September 22, 1827. When Joseph smith first put on the spectacles, "his entire past history [was] revealed to him," David Whitmer recounted. This experience, Whitmer believed, helped Joseph recognize the greater supernatural power God had now given him." Joseph Knight Sr., who was at the Smith home in Palmyra when Joseph returned from the Hill Cumorah, remembered conversing with Joseph about the sacred relics the morning after he gained possession of them. "It is ten times Better than I expected," he remembered Joseph saying. He recalled further the Prophet's particular fascination with the spectacles. "He seamed to think more of the glasses or the urim and thummem then [than] he Did of the Plates," wrote Knight, "for, says he, 'I can see any thing; they are Marvelus.'" " Indeed they were, for as the Prophet's mother, Lucy Mack Smith, recalled, by means of the instrument "the angel showed him many things which he saw in vision.""§ These tools were not used for trivial or spectacular sensations. One major purpose of the spectacles (and perhaps also the seer stone) was to help protect the plates and Joseph's life. Lucy said her son "always kept the Urim and Thummim about his person" so "he could also ascertain, at any time, the approach of danger, either to himself or the Record.

Lucy Mack Smith and Martin Harris mention three incidents where the plates were kept safe because of information received by means of the Urim and Thummim.

Soon after acquiring the ancient relics, Joseph wondered how he could proceed without some personal assistance, particularly financial aid, so that he could devote himself entirely to the work of translation. The answer came in a vision through the holy interpreters. During one of his interviews with the angel Moroni, probably in September 1827, Joseph asked who could assist him. He was told "to go and look in the spectacles, and he would show him the man that would assist him." The man he saw was Martin Harris. A short while later, the Prophet told Harris what had been made known to him. The Palmyra farmer later recalled how the message "struck me with surprise. I told him I wished him to be careful about these things. 'Well,' said [Joseph], 'I saw you standing before me as plainly as I do now.'""ª Martin subsequently received a testimony of Joseph Smith's divine calling to translate the Book of Mormon and later gave liberally of his wealth to the work.

Joseph Smith never detailed the method or procedure of translation.

However, Martin Harris, who assisted with the translation of the first 116 pages in 1828, and David Whitmer, a firsthand observer who lent assistance beginning in June 1829, gave some particulars. Harris gave the following testimony to Edward Stevenson:

Sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet and written by Martin, and when finished he would say, "Written," and if correctly written, that sentence would disappear and another appear in its place, but if not written correctly it remained until corrected, so that the translation was just as it was engraven on the plates, precisely in the language then used.

David Whitmer stated a similar procedure for the translation:

Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any power of man."

Clearly, the main purpose of the interpreters was to assist the seer in the translation of the Book of Mormon. The testimonies of Emma Smith and David Whitmer agree that the Prophet used the Nephite interpreters to translate the first 116 pages, after which this instrument was returned to the angel in consequence of the incidents surrounding the lost manuscript. Thereafter, the seer stone was used, both instruments being essentially a "urim and thummim."££ In essence, every time Joseph translated he was seeing some kind of vision. Furthermore, in the Doctrine and Covenants at least nine revelations were received by means of the Urim and Thummim and the seer stone-sections 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, and 17. Since it is likely the information was conveyed to the Prophet in much the same manner as the translation of the Book of Mormon (that is, the words would appear in some fashion within the instruments), perhaps these revelations could be better described as "visions" received through the Nephite interpreters or the seer stone. Soon after the translation of the Book of Mormon was complete, visions using the seer stone as a medium seemed to cease. David Whitmer remembered Joseph saying that "we would all have to depend on the Holy Ghost hereafter to be guided into truth and obtain the will of the Lord."

[Hemidakota]

Visions Opened to the Mind

Documentation exists for three visions received in the mind of the youthful prophet during the ten-year period of 1820 to 1830, each associated with his initial interviews with Moroni. the first two occurred in conjunction with Moroni's inaugural appearance on the evening of September 21- 22, 1823, in the Joseph Smith Sr. log house. In the Prophet's 1839 history, he related that as the heavenly messenger was telling him about the gold plates, "the vision was opened to my mind that I could see the place where the plates were deposited, and that so clearly and distinctly that I knew the place again when I visited it" (JS-H 1: 42).

In the 1842 Wentworth Letter, he added that during this initial interview he was informed about the ancient American inhabitants and "shown who they were, and from whence they came; a brief sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws, governments, of their righteousness and iniquity, and the blessings of God being finally withdrawn from them as a people. A similar experience occurred the following day at the hill. After determining where the stone box was located, and after removing the large stone that covered it, Joseph made several attempts to obtain the record. As Joseph began to pray, Moroni appeared. He then told the young seer to

"Look!" and as he thus spake he beheld the prince of darkness, surrounded by his innumerable train of associates. All this passed before him, and the heavenly messenger said, "All this is shown, the good and the evil, the holy and impure, the glory of God and the power of darkness, that you may know hereafter the two powers and never be influenced or overcome by that wicked one."

In a very real sense, what Joseph experienced on these three occasions was a "vision within a vision" since he received visual instruction at the same time he was in the presence of a celestial personage.

A Unique Visionary Experience

A well-known vision of this period warrants a brief examination, but it is difficult to classify and explain. After the completion of the translation, Joseph returned the plates to Moroni, who appeared a very short time later at a location near the Whitmer farm to show the plates to the Three Witnesses. The plates were then loaned back to the Prophet, who showed them to the Eight Witnesses, who were in the vicinity of Manchester. The Prophet and Oliver Cowdery then went to Cumorah to return the record for the last time. While at the hill, an unusual phenomenon took place. Brigham Young explained:

I believe I will take the liberty to tell you of another circumstance that will be as marvelous as anything can be. This is an incident in the life of Oliver Cowdery, but he did not take the liberty of telling such things in meeting as I take. . . . Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited [returned] these plates. . . . When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. 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. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and 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 first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words: "This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ." I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it.

The incident is substantiated by two other statements made by Brigham Young and recorded by William H. Dame and Wilford Woodruff.£ª Others of the Prophet's contemporaries giving similar reports included Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, and David Whitmer.

Summary of the 1820 - 1830 Period

This decade was distinguished by the following: First, the most significant experience of Joseph Smith during this period was the personal visitation of the Father and the Son, who opened the latter-day dispensation with a personal appearance. This vision is also the only recorded appearance of the two supreme beings during the decade of the 1820s. Second, the period is characterized by a series of visitations from heavenly messengers, including ancient prophets from both hemispheres who appeared to indoctrinate and teach the young seer. Third, Joseph had at least two spiritual encounters with Satan, the first being a vision involving a destructive force immediately before the appearance of the Father and the Son, and the second, a more subtle appearance where Satan was disguised as an angel of light. Fourth, around 1822, Joseph Smith began to receive visions by means of a seer stone. Later, in 1827, he received the Nephite spectacles. Both of these instruments acted as a Urim and Thummim, and by them Joseph Smith received divine light and knowledge. Evidence further suggests that the entire translation process of the Book of Mormon and the receipt of several early revelations through the Urim and Thummim were in essence visionary experiences. Fifth, the Prophet had visions opened to his mind, albeit rarely, during this time period. Sixth, the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery experienced a singular visionary phenomenon when they returned the plates to the Hill Cumorah.

[Hemidakota]

Some rather interesting facts here to add from the same source:

Visions of the Father and the Son.

During the first five years of the 1831- 44 periods, Joseph Smith was privileged to see both the Father and the Son in vision on at least four occasions. On June 4, 1831, during a four-day conference held in Kirtland, Joseph had a vision of these two beings. Levi Hancock was present and stated that the vision occurred in a schoolhouse on the hill above the Isaac Morley farmhouse, about one mile northeast of the Newel K. Whitney store. Hancock reported that the elders were meeting together when Joseph "stepped out on the floor and said, 'I now see God, and Jesus Christ at his right hand, let them kill me, I should not feel death as I am now.'"¢¡ Hancock's wording suggests a vision similar to that experienced by Stephen, who saw the Father and the Son before being stoned before Jewish accusers (Acts 7). Considering the persecution Joseph was continually experiencing, he must have considered death a long-desired relief from his sufferings.

Joseph Smith and his spokesman, Sidney Rigdon, saw the Father and the Son in 1832 in the vision now canonized as Doctrine and Covenants section 76. Often, discussion of this vision focuses on the degrees of glory, perdition, and the attendant requirements for each. However, the highlight of the section is a vision of the Father and the Son, the premortal life, and Lucifer's fall. The vision of the two supreme members of the Godhead was apparently of considerable length. The manifestation led them to write, "The glory of the Lord shone round about. And we beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his fulness; And saw the holy angels, and them who are sanctified before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who worship him forever and ever" (D&C 76: 19- 21). So powerful was the vision of what they both saw and heard, they chose to bear testimony of the Savior, a testimony declaring "that he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father" (D&C 76: 22- 23).

On March 18, 1833, God the Father and the Son also made a brief personal appearance to members of the School of the Prophets. Two eyewitnesses left a dramatic record of their experience. The first comes years later from Zebedee Coltrin:

At one of these meetings after the organization of the school, . . . when we were all together, Joseph having given instructions, and while engaged in silent prayer, kneeling, with our hands uplifted each one praying in silence, no one whispered above his breath, a personage walked through the room from East to west, and Joseph asked if we saw him. I saw him and suppose the others did, and Joseph answered that is Jesus, the Son of God, our elder brother. Afterward Joseph told us to resume our former position in prayer, which we did. Another person came through; He was surrounded as with aflame of fire.

In the presence of this personage, Coltrin "experienced a sensation that it might destroy the tabernacle as it was of consuming fire of great brightness." Joseph Smith identified this personage as "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," and Coltrin gave the following description:

I saw His hands, His legs, his feet, his eyes, nose, mouth, head and body in the shape and form of a perfect man. . . . This appearance was so grand and overwhelming that it seemed I should melt down in His presence, and the sensation was so powerful that it thrilled through my whole system and I felt it in the marrow of my bones.

On another occasion, Coltrin stated that as the Father passed through the room, the "glory and brightness was so great . . . that had it continued much longer, I believe it would have consumed us. The second testimony of this vision comes from John Murdock:

During the winter that I boarded with Brother Joseph . . . we had a number of prayer meetings, in the Prophet's chamber. . . . In one of those meetings the Prophet told us, "If we could humble ourselves before God, and exercise strong faith, we should see the face of the Lord." And about midday the visions of my mind were opened, and the eyes of my understanding were enlightened, and I saw the form of a man, most lovely, the visage of his face was sound and fair as the sun. His hair a bright silver grey, curled in most majestic form; His eyes a keen penetrating blue, and the skin of his neck a most beautiful white and he was covered from the neck to the feet with a loose garment, pure white: Whiter than any garment I have ever before seen. His countenance was most penetrating, and yet most lovely. And while I was endeavoring to comprehend the whole personage from head to feet it slipped from me, and the vision was closed up. But it left on my mind the impression of love, for months, that I had never felt before to that degree.

On January 21, 1836, Joseph Smith was more in heaven than on earth. That day he received at least two, and possibly three, visions of different events. In one of these visions, he saw "the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son" and those who became heirs of the celestial kingdom. It is this portion of the vision that has been canonized as section 137. However, in addition, Joseph observed William E. McLellin proselyting in the South, Brigham Young working in the Southwest, and others bringing about the redemption of Zion. He also saw the Twelve standing together in a foreign land (probably Great Britain). The Prophet indicated they were "much fatigued, with their clothes tattered and feet swollen, with their eyes cast downward, and Jesus standing in their midst, and they did not behold Him. The Savior looked upon them and wept."

Subsequently, he observed that the Twelve had successfully accomplished their work on earth and had entered the celestial city, where the Savior embraced and kissed each one and then crowned them in the presence of God the Father. This vision left such a powerful impression on the Prophet, wrote Heber C. Kimball, "that he never could refrain from weeping while rehearsing it."

[Mirium]

I would just like to add as this thread also now seems to be discussing Joseph Smiths first vision. There is no doubt in my mind that he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as two seperate personages in his first vision. There never has been and I hope never will be.

[Elgama]

I would just like to add as this thread also now seems to be discussing Joseph Smiths first vision. There is no doubt in my mind that he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as two seperate personages in his first vision. There never has been and I hope never will be.

I agree, I have never been entirely convinced reading everything that he only had one vision especially as at least one occured at a different date, however I do know what we have in our Pearl of Great Price is what we need to teach us what we need to know, and what occured at the First Vision, Just like it is not prudent for us to recount everything that happens at a sacred event in our lives we can be sure things happened between Joseph Smith and the Lord we are not ment to know about they are not part of our story and not relevant to our progression they were for him alone. And I think only 2 are his direct writings, the 1832 account in his journal is very personal about repentance etc

-Charley