Part 6: The First Vision

From the Great Apostasy we can see that the world was in a time of darkness and confusion and this has carried on until the present day. As a result of this darkness and confusion over ones relation to deity, religion, faith, and life its self can cause a great sense of wonder and questioning. This sense of wonder and questioning takes us back to the early 1800's and a boy named Joseph Smith; this is where we will begin and end today.

"Joseph Smith lived in the United States, which was perhaps the only country to enjoy religious freedom at the time. It was at a time of great religious excitement in the eastern United States. His family members were deeply religious and constantly sought for truth. But many ministers claimed to have the true gospel. Joseph desired 'to know which of all the sects was right,' (Joseph Smith—History 1:18). The Bible taught there was 'one Lord, one faith, one baptism' (Ephesians 4:5). Joseph attended different churches, but he remained confused about which church he should join. He later wrote:
'So great were the confusions and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was . . . to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong. . . . In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?' (Joseph Smith—History 1:8, 10)." (PMG Pg. 36-37)

"As Joseph sought truth among the different faiths, he turned to the Bible for guidance. He read, 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and up braideth not; and it shall be given him' (James 1:5). Because of this passage, Joseph decided to ask God what he should do. In the spring of 1820 he went to a nearby grove of trees and knelt in prayer. He described his experience:

'I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. . . . 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 1:16–17).

In this vision God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph Smith. The Savior told Joseph not to join any of the churches, for they 'were all wrong' and 'all their creeds were an abomination.' He stated, 'They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof' (Joseph Smith—History 1:19). Even though many good people believed in Christ and tried to understand and teach His gospel, they did not have the fulness of truth or the priesthood authority to baptize and perform other saving ordinances. They had inherited a state of apostasy as each generation was influenced by what the previous one passed on, including changes in the doctrines and in ordinances such as baptism." (PMG Pg. 37)

As a results of these events the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ began its return to the earth. Over time all things that we need to know and do in this life were taught, understood, done by the priesthood authority of God and continue on to the present day resulting in the restoration of Jesus Christ's church. Joseph was not the only one who saw and was a part of heavenly manifestations and others would testify of miraculous events never to deny what they had seen.  One of these events was the bring forth of a book called "The Book of Mormon". For Joseph to be able to show proof to the world, he was given and translated an ancient volume of scripture:

"The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel. We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3–5.)
Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is his revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah." (Book of Mormon Pg. Introduction)

To whom ever may read this blog, I want to tell you that these things are true, we have a Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ is his son and our Savior, and that God has called prophets to the earth today and has established the fullness of His gospel. Meaning, one can find a fullness of God's blessing in this life and the life to come, and this can only be found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I testify to you that this is true in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.