LDS church celebrates 200th anniversary of first vision
Two hundred years ago, according to the traditions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, something marvelous occurred in upstate New York, and not by chance. It would result in the restoration of Christ’s New Testament church to the earth. This spring we observe and celebrate that significant event of 1820.
A serious young man, Joseph Smith, wanted simply to know which church was correct and which he should join, and inspired by reading James 1:5 in the family Bible he went to a wooded area near his father’s farm and prayed with faith that God could answer his prayer.
He reported that a pillar of brilliant light descended upon him. “When the light rested upon me,” he wrote, “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 1:17)
The appearance of God the Father and Jesus Christ to the boy Joseph Smith, commonly called Joseph Smith’s First Vision, may be the most significant event in this world since the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His appearances to many following the first Easter morning. Certainly it is the reason that members of my church engage in no intellectual arguments for the existence of God. With that vision came new understanding about the nature of God our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Christians the world over have prayed for centuries for the kingdom of God to come. We humbly but boldly declare to the world: that day is now here! The prayer of a boy not yet 15 years of age in a grove of trees, opened the long-promised “dispensation of the fullness of times” (Ephesians 1:10) as Joseph received divine instruction from the Father and the Son.
How can a person today find out if these marvelous claims we make are true?
The most tangible evidence of Joseph Smith’s divine calling by Almighty God is the scriptural record of Ancient American prophets delivered to the young prophet—the Book of Mormon, another testament of Christ.
The Book of Mormon records the visit and ministry of the resurrected Christ to the faithful people on this continent following His ascension at Jerusalem. The stated purpose of the record is to persuade a later generation—our generation—that Jesus is the living Christ, the Son of God, and the book contains “the everlasting gospel” spoken of by John the Revelator.
Just as John had prophesied, an angel directed Joseph Smith to the sacred record inscribed on gold plates and buried in a stone vault. The young prophet, at age 23, completed the marvelous translation of the record by the gift and power of God and today it stands with the Holy Bible as an additional testimony of the divinity, atoning sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Lord allowed eleven responsible witnesses to heft the heavy gold plates and to view the ancient script written on those plates, after which Joseph returned them to the angel.
Ten years after the First Vision, The Church of Jesus Christ was re-established, built upon a foundation of apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.
Our church members have just completed a year-long study, at church and in the home, of the New Testament. With this year’s bicentennial celebration of the First Vision we embark on a study of another testament of Jesus Christ—the Book of Mormon.
“Read the Book of Mormon! It will bring you closer to the Lord and His loving power,” promised Russell M. Nelson, who today at 95 years of age is the LDS Church’s much-loved president. “He who fed a multitude with five loaves and two fishes—He who helped the blind to see and the lame to walk—can also bless you!”
Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was His prophet to restore Christ’s New Testament church to the earth and I am a witness that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is being led today by prophets and apostles receiving revelation pertaining to the kingdom of God on earth. To me it is a marvelous work and a wonder.
All may read Joseph Smith’s own account of the First Vision at this site:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1?lang=eng
On Faith columnist Alfred Gunn, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Gig Harbor, can be reached by e-mail at alf.gunn@gmail.com. For more information, visit www.churchofjesuschrist.org.
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 12:00 AM.