He is not an absentee God but is highly involved in his children’s activities on the earth. His purpose is to bring both immortality and eternal life (God’s type of life) to man. The godhead consists of three individuals, all of whom are unique. God the Father, Elohim, is the God to whom we pray, and to whom all of our allegiances belong. He has an exalted, resurrected body of flesh and bones which is celestialized and in him is all knowledge, power and wisdom in the universe. God begat each of us as individual spirit children prior to our coming to earth. He trained and tutored us for a millennia of time. We, as his spirit children, realized that we could not become like our heavenly parents unless we left that habitation and came to earth to gain a physical body and prove out allegiances to him by having a veil of forgetfulness placed over our memories. This opportunity was provided to us in the creation of the earth. Elohim walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Since their expulsion from the Garden, his only visitations to the earth have been to introduce his son, Jesus Christ. His Son, Jesus Christ, is the firstborn spirit of Elohim in our pre-earth existence. He is Jehovah of the Old Testament and Christ of the New Testament.Jesus Christ, created the heavens and the earth with authority delegated him from Elohim. Christ is subservient to and worships the Father; however, in his role of Savior, he is adored and worshiped by mankind. He has an exalted, resurrected body of flesh and bones which is celestialized. On more than 100 occasions Christ has appeared to mankind. In addition to that, numerous revelations and insights have been given to mankind from his knowledge and understandings. He is the Savior of mankind, our advocate and mediator with his Father, and the sole source of exaltation to a celestial life both in this life on earth and in the afterlife. The Third member of the godhead is the Holy Ghost who is a spirit being whose influence is felt throughout the universe. All things He does are under the direction of the Father and the Son. All three members of the godhead have the same purpose, that is to exalt mankind. Their individual actions are always a reflection of the will and purposes of the other membrers of the Godhead. The purpose of this paper is to enumerate visitations of the Father, Elohim and the Son, Jesus Christ to mankind.
Grand aim to entertain angels
… and now, son and daughter … the grand aim of all that I, the Lord, have revealed is to instruct you to live so that I can come and visit you, or send my angels, that they can enter into your habitations, walk and converse with you, and they not be disgraced. By so doing you shall be made partakers of all knowledge and wisdom, power and glory that the sanctified or glorified beings enjoy. And this is, first of all, what the Lord wishes of the people. Ref: Brigham Young, J.D. Vol. 6:284-5)
Spoken of with restraint
– Sometimes individuals are instructed to not tell of a heavenly manifestation until a later time (Mount of Transfiguration – tell the vision to no man until after the resurrection- Matt 17:9)
– Speak about sacred things with restraint (that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit; D&C 63:64)
– And they (the three Nephites who were translated and promised they could remain on the earth until the Savior comes a Second time) did not minister of the things which they had heard and seen (in heaven), because of the commandment which was given them in heaven. (3 Nephi 28:14)
God the Father (speaking, personal visits)
The Father In the presence of spirits in the pre-earth existence
The noble and great ones in the premortal life (and he stood in the midst of them; Abraham 3:23)
— Man in the premortal world (man was in the beginning with God; D&C 93:29); a third part of the hosts of Heaven (were thrust down; D&C 29:37)
— Jeremiah – Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5)
The Father Speaking to individuals on the earth
— Baptism of Christ
My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Luke 3:22)
And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Mark 1:11)
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17)
— Jesus at Jerusalem during Holy Week.
Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. (John 12:28)
— The transfiguration
…behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (Matthew 17:5)
— Introduction of Christ to the Nephites
Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him. (3 Nehpi 11:7)
The Father appearing to individuals on the earth
— Adam and Eve – Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8-10; Moses 4:14-31 & chapters 5 & 6)
— The Transfiguration (traditionally Mt Hermon)– This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (Matthew 17:1-8)
— Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son in the sacred grove (Palmyra, New York- Joseph Smith History 1:17-20)
— Stephen – Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. (Acts 7:56)
Jesus Christ
– Jesus has been upon the earth a great many more times than you are aware of. (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p. 142, May 22, 1859)
Christ appearances as a pre-mortal spirit (Jehovah)
— Adam – during his lifetime (with whom, God, himself, conversed; Moses 6:22, 51)
— Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalallel, Jared, Enoch, Methusalah, the residue of Adam’s posterity who were righteous – in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman at the close of his life (and the Lord appeared unto them; D&C 107:54)
— Cain – In the field (and the Lord said unto Cain, Moses 5:34)
— Seth – Place not given (and God revealed himself unto Seth, Moses 6:4)
— Enoch – Mount Simeon (walked with God, Moses 6:39; saw the Lord, he stood before my face and talked with me, Moses 7:3-4; walked with God three hundred sixty-five years- D&C 107:49)
— The people in the city of Enoch (The Lord came and dwelt with his people, Moses 7:16)
— Noah – Place not given (and the Lord ordained Noah, Moses 8:19; walked with God, Moses 8:27)
— Shem, Ham, Japheth – Place not given (walked with God, Moses 8:27)
— Brother of Jared – and the Lord showed himself unto him (Ether 3:13)
— Emer (Descendant of the Brother of Jared) – Saw the Son of Righteousness (Ether 9:22)
— Abraham – place not given (and the Lord appeared unto me; Abraham 2:6-11, 19; talked with the Lord face to face, Abraham 3:11)
— Moses – on a exceeding high mountain (and he saw God, and talked with him, face to face (Moses 1:1-2)
— Moses 40 days and nights – on Mount Sinai (and he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; Exodus 34:28)
— Moses – in the tabernacle (and the Lord spake unto Moses face to face; Exodus 33:11)
— Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and 70 of the Elders of Israel – up, into a high mount (and they saw the God of Israel; Exodus 24:10)
— David- I forsaw the Lord, always before my face, for he is on my right hand (Acts 2:25)
— Solomon (dedicated the temple at Jerusalem)- .. the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time and told him “I have hallowed this house” (1 Kings 9:2-3)
— Isaiah – Abt 740 BC, a vision probably in the temple at Jerusalem (I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne.. and filled the [heavenly] temple; Isaiah 6:1-3, 2 Nephi 11:2-3)
— Nebuchadnezzar (voice)- While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. (Daniel 4:31)
— Nephi and his brother Jacob – Place not given, (he [Isaiah] saw my redeemer, even as I [Nephi] have seen him, and my brother, Jacob, has also seen him; 2 Nephi 11:2-3) — Lamoni – … I have seen my redeemer (Alma 19:13)
Christ on the earth with his earthly body
People in Holy Land during the life of Christ –
-4,000 (men besides women and children, up unto a mount, nigh unto the Sea of Galilee; Matthew 15:29-38);
-5,000 (men besides women and children, in a desert place; Matthew 14:15-21),
-many other tens of thousands during his mortal ministry.
Christ visiting the earth with his resurrected body immediately after his resurrection and to specific apostles later
— People in Holy Land after the resurrection of Christ — (Mary Magdalene (at the Garden Tomb; John 20:15-17), The ten apostles (in the evening, on the first day of the week; John 20:19-20), The two men on the road to Emmaus, one was Cleopas (Mark 16:12 & Luke 24:13-32), The eleven apostles, including Thomas (eight days after the Resurrection, in the upper room; John 20:26-28), The eleven apostles in Galilee in a high mountain (Matthew 28:16-17) Seven Apostles/disciples at the Sea of Tiberius (John 21:1-2)
— 2,500 people in New World after the resurrection of Christ at the land Bountiful by the temple (3 Nephi 11:1) , Jesus healed the sick, blessed the little ones (3 Nephi 17: 5-13. Noised abroad during the night, the next day an exceeding great number, Nephi and the eleven disciples, Jesus prays and teaches the people)
— The lost ten tribes – Place not given, (and I go to show myself unto them; 3 Nephi 16:3)
— Stephen at his stoning in Jerusalem- … the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-6)
— The resurrected Christ showed himself, not to all people, but to witnesses whom God choose (Acts 10:39-41)
— Paul the Apostle – … he had seen the Lord (Acts 9:27)
— John the Apostle when on the Isle of Patmos: I saw him, I fell at his feet (Rev 1:9, 17-19)
— Mormon – … is visited of the Lord (Mormon 1:15)
— Moroni – ..I have seen Jesus and talked with him face to face (Ether 12:39)
Christ visiting the earth with his resurrected body in modern times (Jesus Christ)
— Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son in the sacred grove. (Palmyra, New York- Joseph Smith History 1:17-20)
— Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon (1832) … (Jesus Christ) whom we saw, and with whom we conversed… for we saw him (Jesus Christ), even on the right hand of God – (D&C 76:14,23)
— Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (1836; in the Kirtland Temple) – … saw the Lord, standing on the breastwork of the pulpit, … eyes like a flame of fire.. (D&C 110:2-3)
— Saints at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple – .. I will manifest myself to my people… I will appear unto my servants (D&C 110:7-8)
— Lorenzo Snow in the Salt Lake Temple: When we had finished (the Quorum of the Twelve, recommending to reorganize the First Presidency), then and not until then did Brother Snow tell us that he was instructed of the Lord in the Temple the night after President Woodruff died, to organize the Presidency of the Church at once. President Anthon H. Lund and myself are the only men now living who were present at that meeting. Ref: Heber J. Grant, The Deseret News, Saturday, April 2, 1938; Temples of the Most High by N.B. Lundwall, pp. 140-2; Bookcraft, 1968)
— Melvin J Ballard: … that I should have the privilege of entering into one of those rooms, to meet a glorious personage, and as I entered the door, I saw, seated on a raised platform, the most glorious Being my eyes have ever beheld, or that I ever conceived existed in all the eternal worlds. As I approached to be introduced, he arose and stepped towards me with extended arms, and he smiled as he softly spoke my name. If I shall live to be a million years old, I shall never forget that smile. He took me into his arms and kissed me, pressed me to His bosom, and blessed me, until the marrow of my bones seemed to melt! (Melvin J Ballard, MJB10)
The Kirtland Era
> Joseph saw more than forty-seven angels, but some of them made repeated visits. For example, the angel Moroni instructed Joseph Smith at least twenty-two times. (TSKp58). See “I did call upon [Joseph Smith] by mine angels, my ministering servants.” (D&C 136:37) (TSKp54). See John Taylor naming various individuals – Mormon, Moroni, Nephi, Peter, John, others, (Taylor, JD 17:374-5)9TSKp54)
> The Savior Taught Joseph through Countless Visions. One historical researcher found evidence of seventy-six visions the Lord gave Joseph Smith during his lifetime.
(Alexander L. Baugh, “Parting the Veil: Joseph Smith’s Seventy-Six Documented Visionary Experiences,” in Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820-1844, ed. John W. Welch and Erick B. Carlson (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2005), 265.) (TSKp60)
> [Joseph and Oliver”] …supplemented by hundreds of others who have beheld … glorious personages.” (George Q Cannon, TSKp140); see “I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine own voice.” (D&C110:8) (TSKp4)
A. Individuals who saw/heard the Father/Son: when, where, quote
Zebedee Coltrin
“I saw Him [Christ]. [and the Father]” (1833)
– Ref: At the Whitney Store for the School of Prophets on March 18, 1833 and at the Kirtland Temple on Jan 28, 1836; Coltrin, Minute book 54, (TSKp 136). On Oct 11, 1883, Wilford Woodruff recorded in his journal the Coltrin account of seeing both the Father and the Son. (TSKp178)
ALSO – On March 18, 1833, Zebedee saw the Savior in the School of the Prophets in the Whitney store and testified: “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, … each one praying in silence, no one whispered above his breath, [I saw] a personage … Joseph asked if we saw him. I saw him and supposed the others did, and Joseph answered that is Jesus, the Son of God, our elder brother.” (Ref: Coltrin, Minute book 54)
ALSO Then, speaking of seeing a vision of God the Father, Zebedee continued: “Afterward Joseph told us to resume our former position in prayer, which we did. Another person came … He was surrounded as with a flame of fire. I experienced a sensation that it might destroy the tabernacle as it was of consuming fire of great brightness. The Prophet Joseph said this was the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ref: Coltrin, Minute book 54) (TSK182)
ALSO President John Taylor, who knew Zebedee in Kirtland, invited him in 1883 to share his experiences with the School of the Prophets in Salt Lake City. Concluding his testimony to the General Authorities gathered in the school, Zebedee testified, “I saw Him.” The brethren asked Zebedee about the clothing the Father wore. Brother Coltrin said: I did not discover His clothing for He was surrounded as with a flame of fire, which was so brilliant that I could not discover anything else but His person. 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. (Ref: Coltrin, in Minute Book, 54) TSK182).
ALSO – Joseph Smith told them [School of the Prophets, Oct 1833], “Brethren, now you are prepared to be the apostles of Jesus Christ, for you have seen both the Father and the Son and know that They exist and that They are two separate personages.” (Ref – Coltrin, in Minute Book, 54-SS.) (TSKp183)
Oliver Cowdery (6 times)
On a sudden, as from the midst of eternity, the voice of the Redeemer spake peace to us [Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery], while the veil was parted and the angel of God [John the Baptist] came down clothed with glory … the certainty that we heard the voice of Jesus, and the truth unsullied as it flowed from a pure personage…” (1829)
— Ref: Appearance of John the Baptist in 1829, Oliver Cowdery, Messenger and Advocate, vol. 1 (October 1834), pp. 14–16.
>“…we [The Three Witnesses] also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us;” and “the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it.”(1829)
— Ref1: Voice of the Lord to Three Witnesses Testimony published in the Book of Mormon in 1829 (TSKp157); Ref2 TSKp167
— “[the] Lord appeared unto a young man by the name of Oliver Cowd[e]ry and shewed unto him the plates in a vision and also the truth of the work and what the Lord was about to do through me [Joseph Smith].” (1829)
– Ref: as reported by Joseph Smith in Kirtland several years later; ref: Karen Lynn Davidson, David J. Whittaker, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds., Histories, 1832-1844, vol. l of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Sale Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2012), 1:15.
> “We [Oliver and Joseph] saw the Lord … [and heard] the voice of Jehovah.” (1836) – Ref: at the Kirtland Temple, April 3, 1836; D&C 110:2-3 (TSKp136)
Martin Harris
> “I heard the voice of God.” And “the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it.” (1829)
– Ref1 Three Witnesses Testimony published in the Book of Mormon in 1829 (TSKp157); reaffirmed the witness of the Book of Mormon, Improvement Era_____; Ref 2 TSKp167)
— “the Lord appeared unto him in a vision and shewed unto him his marvilous work which he was about to do.” (abt 1829)
— Ref: As reported by Joseph Smith in Kirtland 8 years after the event; ref: Karen Lynn Davidson, David J. Whittaker, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds., Histories, 1832-1844, vol. l of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Sale Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2012), 1:15.
—“the Lord appeared unto him [Martin]” (1832)
– Ref: in New York, 1832 (TSKp136)
Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner
> “I am the only living witness who was at the first meeting that the Prophet [Joseph Smith] held in Kirtland [after his arrival, 1831]….
. . . Joseph and Martin Harris came in. Joseph looked around very solemnly. It was the first time some of them had ever seen him.
Said he, “There are enough here to hold a little meeting.”
They got a board and put it across two chairs to make seats. Martin Harris sat on a little box at Joseph’s feet. They sang and prayed. Joseph got up and began to speak to us. As he began to speak very solemnly and very earnestly, all at once his countenance changed and he stood mute.
He looked over the congregation as if to pierce every heart. He said, “Do you know who has been in your midst this night?” One of the Smith family said, “An angel of the Lord.” … Martin Harris … said, “I know, it was our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.” Joseph put his hand on Martin’s head and answered, “Martin, God revealed that to you. Yes, Brothers and Sisters, the Saviour has been in your midst. I want you to remember it. He cast a veil over your eyes for you could not endure to look upon Him.” (1831)
— Ref: Mary Elizabeth Lightner, typescript, April 14, 1905, I, BYU Special Collections. AND Carter, “Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner,” 5:306.
John Murdock
> “The Spirit rested upon me as it never did before and others said they saw the Lord, and had visions.” (1831)
— Ref: At the confirmation John by the Chagin River in Kirtland in 1831; John Murdock, “A Brief Synopsis of the Life of John Murdock: Taken from an Abridged Record of His Journal,” 11, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah; hereafter cited as BYU Special Collections.
> “I beheld the face of the Lord.” (1833)
– Ref: at the Whitney Store at the School of the Prophets on March 18, 1833; John Murdock Journal ______ (TSK p 135); ALSO “We had a number of prayer meetings, in the Prophet’s Chamber, in which we obtained great blessings. In one of those Meetings [School of the Prophets] 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 majestic form [of Christ] 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 never before felt, to that degree!” (Ref: Murdock, “Brief Synopsis,” 13-14.) (TSKp179). ALSO “”I … was with Bro. Joseph a part of the winter receiving instruction … and beheld the face of the Lord according to the promise and prayer of the Prophet.” (Ref: Murdock, “John Murdock Journal,” 163-64.) (TSKp180)
Orson Pratt
“God was there… the visions of the Almighty were opened to the minds of the servants of the living God [the living apostles]; … they saw the heavens opened; they beheld the angels of God; they heard the voice of the Lord…
— Ref: JD 18:132, (TSKp142)
Sidney Rigdon
> “We [Sidney and Joseph] saw [Christ} and … we conversed [with Christ]. [and the Father]” (1832)
— Ref: The Johnson Farm on Feb 16, 1832; D&C 76:14; (TSK p 135)
Joseph Smith (saw Christ 10 times in Kirtland; 7 included the Father)
(Seeing The Father and the Son)
“I saw the Lord.” [Jesus Christ and the Father] (1820)
– Ref: at Palmyra, NY in 1820 (reported by Joseph Smith in Kirtland, OH; from Karen Lynn Davidson, David J. Whittaker, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds., Histories, 1832-1844, vol. l of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Sale Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2012), 1:12-13. (TSK p 159).
Additional testimonies of Joseph Smith recounting the first vision of Jesus [and the Father]: by Lorenzo Snow (1831) (TSK160); by Joseph Smith (1832) (TSK160); by Reverend Taggart (1832) (TSK161); by Edward Stevenson on three separate occasions(1834) (TSK161-2); by Joseph Curtis (TSK162); by Matthias a Jewish minister (1835) (TSK163); by Parley P Pratt (1836) (TSK164); by John Alger (TSK164); by Orson Pratt (TSK164); by John Taylor (1837) (TSK164)
> … Of whom we [Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon] bear record; and the record which we bear is the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the Son, whom we saw [and the Father] and with whom [Jesus] we conversed in the heavenly vision. …And we heard the voice, saying: Write the vision, for lo, this is the end of the vision of the sufferings of the ungodly. (D&C 76:14, 49) (Feb 1832)
— Ref: “The Vision” (D&C 76) given on Feb 16, 1832 in an upper room at a rural Ohio farmhouse at Hiram, Ohio
(Seeing The son)
> “On a sudden, as from the midst of eternity, the voice of the Redeemer spake peace to us (Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery), while the veil was parted and the angel of God [John the Baptist] came down clothed with glory … the certainty that we heard the voice of Jesus, and the truth unsullied as it flowed from a pure personage…” (1829)
— Ref: Oliver Cowdery, Messenger and Advocate, vol. 1 (October 1834), pp. 14–16.
> ‘I now see God, and Jesus Christ at his right hand, let them [enemies] kill me, I should not feel death as I am now.”‘ (1831)
— Ref: Joseph Smith at the first Kirtland Church Conference in June, 1831, as reported by Levi Hancock, Autobiography, copied by Clara E. H. Lloyd, typescript, 33, BYU Special Collections.
> “We [Joseph and Sidney] saw [Christ] and … we conversed [with Christ]. (1832)
— Ref: at Hiram, Ohio on Feb 16, 1832; D&C 76:14
> Joseph Smith saw the Savior [along with John Murdock and Zebedee Coltrin] (Mar 1833)
— Ref: On Mar 18, 1833 at the Whitney Store for the School of the Prophets where Joseph ordained Sidney Rigdon and Frederick William as counselors in the first Presidency. The derailed account of the First Presidency organizational meeting is found in Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts, 7 vols., 2d ed. rev. (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-51), 1:334-35. ALSO “for many present had the eyes of their understanding opened by the Spirit of God, so as to behold many things …. Many of the brethren saw a heavenly vision of the Savior, and concourses of angels, and many other things, of which each one has a record of what he saw. (Ref: History of the Church, 1:334-35; TSKp179)
> “Thus spake the Seer, and these are the words which fell from his lips, while the visions of the Almighty were open to his view,” (Dec 1833)
Ref: Joseph Smith, reported by Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 2 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1953], 1:473) (TSK184)
Background: Joseph had a vision of Christ as Jehovah appeared to Adam and his posterity at Adam-ondi-Ahman. The vision took place on Dec 18, 1833 at the John Johnson Inn in Kirtland where he gave his father, Joseph Smith Sr his patriarchal blessing.
ALSO referred to in D&C 107:53-55 and The Words of Joseph Smith, comp. and ed. Andrew F. Ehar and Lyndon W. Cook (Provo, Utah:Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center, 1980), 9.
> “We [Joseph and Oliver) saw the Lord … [and heard] the voice of Jehovah.” (1836)
– Ref: Kirtland Temple, April 3, 1836; D&C 110:2-3 (TSKp136)
> “I saw …. Jesus.”
— Ref: History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2:381; (TSK p 134) ??? when and where
> “The Lord opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord and he spake unto me
… behold I am the Lord of glory I was crucified for the world.”
— Ref: Joseph Smith-History 1:17; Personal Writings o/Joseph Smith, comp. and ed. Dean C. Jessee, rev. ed. (Sale Lake City: Deseret Book, 2002), 13-14. ??? where and when
Warren S Snow
> “I heard the voice of God.” (1836)
– Ref: at the Kirtland Temple 1836, reported in Millennial Star____, TSKp137)
Harvey Whitlock
> “[Harvey] testified … he saw the heavens open, and Jesus on the right hand of the Father]” (1831)
– Ref: at The Morley Farm on Jun 3-6, 1831; reported by Zebedee Coltrain (TSK p 135), Zebedee Coltrin, address at a meeting of high priests in Spanish Fork, Utah, February 5, 1878, in They Knew the Prophet, ed. Hyrum L. Andrus and Helen Mae Andrus (Sale Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999), 30. (TSK175)
David Whitmer
> “…we [The Three Witnesses] also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us;” and “the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it.”(1829)
— Ref1: 1829; reported in Ohio, by Ezra Booth ___, TSKp137); same event – Testimony in Kirtland as a Book of Mormon witness; Ref2 TSKp167)
Newel K Whitney
> We [Newel and his wife] were wrapped in the cloud. A solemn awe pervaded us. We saw the cloud and felt the Spirit of the Lord. Then we heard a voice out of the cloud saying, “Prepare to receive the word of the Lord, for it is coming.” At this we marveled greatly, but from that moment we knew that the word of the Lord was coming to Kirtland. (1831)
Ref: Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 4 vols. (Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Company, 1901-36; repr., Salt Lake City: Western Epics, 1971), 1:223.
> “… heard [the Lord’s] voice from heaven.” (1831)
– Ref: about Dec 1831, reported by Orson F Whitney, Conference Report Jun 1, 1919. ANOTHER ACCOUNT: “In the silence of night and the solitude of his chamber he heard a voice from heaven: “Thy strength is in me.” The words were few and simple, but they had a world of meaning. His doubts were dispelled like the dew before the dawn. He straightway sought the Prophet, told him he was satisfied, and was willing to accept the office [of bishop] to which he had been called.” Ref– Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 4 vols. (Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Company, 1901-36; repr., Salt Lake City: Western Epics, 1971), 1:224.
Lyman Wright
> “… [Lyman] saw the face of the Savior [and the Father].” (1831)
– Ref: at The Morely Farm on Jun 3-6, 1831; reported by George A Smith, JD 11:4; (TSK p 135) The same event reported by John Whitmer, “”The Spirit … fell upon Lyman, and he … saw the he[a]vens opened, and the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the Father. Making intercession for his brethren, the Saints.” (Ref: From Historian to Dissident: The Book of John Whitmer, ed. Bruce N. Westergren (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1995) 69.
B. Groups who saw the savior, when and where
“Others said they saw the Lord.” (1830) — Nov & Dec 1830 at the Kirtland Temple baptismal site, reported by John Murdock – ???? need source
> “ Many of the brethren saw a heavenly vision of the Savior.” (1833) – at the Whitney Store on Mar 18, 1833 – History of the church 1:335 (TSKp139)
> “The visions of heaven were opened … Some of them saw the face of the Savior, and others were ministered unto by holy angels.” (1836) – at the Kirtland Temple on Jan 21, 1836 – History of the church 2:382 (TSKp139)
> “The Savior made His appearance to some.” (1836)
– Ref: at the Kirtland Temple on Mar 30, 1836 – History of the church 2:432 (TSKp140)
–[Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery’s Kirtland Temple vision is] “supplemented by hundreds of others who have beheld … glorious personages.”
– Ref: reported by George Q Cannon — ??? need ref (TSKp140)
–“Jesus was seen of them.” (1836)
– Ref: David W Patten, presumably said of the twelve apostles, Jan 1836 (TSKp142)
Beings who communicated with Joseph
— [Joseph Smith] was taught for years by visions and revelations, and by holy angels sent from God out of heaven to teach and instruct him and prepare him to lay the foundation of this Church.
Ref: Wilford Woodruff: Woodruff, in journal of Discourses, 16:265
— in communication with the Lord, and … with the ancient apostles and prophets; such men, for instance, as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Adam, Seth, Enoch, and Jesus and the Father, and the apostles that lived on this continent as well as those who lived on the Asiastic continent. He seemed to be as familiar with these people as we are with one another.
Ref: John Taylor: Taylor, in journal of Discourses, 21:94
–During Joseph’s life, he saw or communicated with more than forty-seven angels: Elias (Gabriel, Noah), Raphael, Moses, Enoch, Isaac, Enos, Twelve ancient Apostles, Seth, Mahalaleel, Alvin Smith, Adam (Michael), Eve, Elijah, Jacob, Methusaleh, Twelve Nephite Apostles, Jared, Cainan, John the Baptist, Paul, Abraham, Zelph the Lamanite, Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni.
(John Taylor, in journal o/Discourses, 17:374; 21:94; Extracts from William Clayton’s Private Book, January 5, 1841 (Tuesday), in The Words of Joseph Smith, comp. and ed. Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center, 1980), 59: Zebedee Coltrin in Salt Lake School of the Prophets Minute Book, 1883 (Salt Lake City: Pioneer Press, 1992), 64; Wilford Woodruff, Wilford Woodruff’s journal, 1833-1898, ed. Scott G. Kenney, typescript, 9 vols. (Midvale, Utah: Signature Books, 1983-85), 1:10; Doctrine & Covenants 13; 107:53; 110; 128: 19-2 l; 137:5. Oliver Cowdery recorded in the Patriarchal Blessing Book that Joseph “pronounced a blessing upon his father.” That blessing was given “by vision and the spirit of prophecy” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 2 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1953], 1:472, 473). In the blessing he related part of his vision, naming “Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah” (see D&C 107:53). (TSKp55)
Joseph communing with groups of angels
–In addition, Joseph Smith saw and on occasion communed with large groups of angels. For example, Joseph recorded the following encounters in the Kirtland Temple:
–“We all communed with the h[e]avenly host’s [of holy angels] .”
Ref: Dean C. Jessee, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds., Journals, 1832-1839, vol. 1 of the Journals series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008), 1:170. (TSKp56)
–“Angels ministered unto them [many of my brethren], as well as my self.”
Ref: Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:170. (TSKp56)
— “Angels mingled … their voices with ours …. their presence was in our midst, and unseasing prases swelled our bosoms for the space of half an hour.”
Ref: Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:172. (TSKp56)
— “I beheld the Temple was filled with angels, which fact I declared to the congregation.”
Ref: History of the Church, 2:428. (TSKp56)
Joseph’s descriptions of specific angels like Paul, etc:
–Paul the Apostle”:
“[Paul] is about 5 foot high; very dark hair; dark complexion; dark skin; large Roman nose; sharp face; small black eyes, penetrating as eternity; round shoulders; a whining voice, except when elevated and then it almost resembles the roaring of a Lion. He was a good orator.”
(Ehat and Cook, Words of Joseph Smith, 59) (TSK57)
–Peter, the chief Apostle:
“He was a very tall personage, black eyes, white hair, arid stoop shouldered; his garment was whole, extending to near his ankles; on his feet he had sandals.”
(Heber C. Kimball, in Orson F. Whitney, Lift of Heber C. Kimball (Sale Lake City: Bookcraft, 1945). 91. Although Heber C. Kimball describes Peter as he appeared in the Kirtland Temple, Joseph Smith was present and identified Peter in the meeting where Peter was seen (Lyndon W. Cook, “The Apostle Peter and the Kircland Temple,” BYU Studies 15, no. 4 (Summer 1975): 551) (TSK57)
–Adam and Seth, the oldest prophets:
“My brother Alvin … was a very handsome man, surpassed by none but Adam and Seth, and of great strength.”
(History of the Church, 5:247; Andrew H. Hedges, Alex D. Smith, and Richard Lloyd Anderson, eds. Journals, December 1841-April 1843, vol. 2 of the Journals series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Sale Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2011), 2:242) (TSK57)
–Moroni, the last Book of Mormon prophet:
“The stature of [Moroni] was a little above the common size of men in this age; his garment was perfectly white, and had the appearance of being without seam,
(Messenger and Advocate l, no. 5 (February 1835): 79) (TSK57)
–Adam and Eve, our first parents:
“Their heads were white as snow, and their faces shone with immortal youth. They were the two most beautiful and perfect specimens of mankind I ever saw …. Adam was a large broad shouldered man, and Eve, as a woman, was as large in proportion.”
(Zebedee Coltrin, address at a meeting of high priests in Spanish Fork, Utah, February 5, 1878, in They Knew the Prophet, comp. Hyrum L. Andrus and Helen Mae Andrus (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1974), 28; paragraphing altered. This account comes from a vision in New Portage, Ohio (now Barberton), that was seen by Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery and Zebedee Coltrin.)
–Nephite prophet, possibly Moroni:
“When I was returning to Fayette, with Joseph and Oliver … a very pleasant, nice-looking old man suddenly appeared by the side of our wagon and saluted us with, ‘good morning, it is very warm,’ at the same time wiping his face or forehead with his hand . . . . I invited him to ride …. But he said very pleasantly, ‘No, I am going to Cumorah.’ … We all gazed at him and at each other, and … the old man instantly disappeared ….
” … He was, I should think, about 5 feet 8 or 9 inches tall and heavy set, about such a man as James Vancleave there, but heavier; his face was as large, he was dressed in a suit of brown woolen clothes, his hair and beard were white, like Brother Pratt’s, but his beard was not so heavy. I also remember that he had on his back a sort of knapsack with something in [it], shaped like a book. It was the messenger who had the plates, who had taken them from Joseph just prior to our starting from Harmony,”
(Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith, interview with David Whitmer, in Millennial Star 40 (December 9, 1878): 772)
Kirtland Visions and Presence of Deity as Reported by Joseph Smith
(Ref: Compiled by Karl Ricks Anderson, TSK p 128)
— “The Savior has been in your midst this night.” Joseph Smith
- May 1831 (Approx); at the Smith Family Home, for the First Church meeting with Smith family in Kirtland
- Present: approx 15 including the Smith and Lightner family members
— “I now see God and Jesus Christ at his right hand …. I should not feel death as l am now.” Joseph Smith
- June 3-6, 1831; at the Morley Farm, for the Ordination of first high priests
- Present approx 25 Church leaders including Joseph Smith, Harvey Whitlock, Lyman Wight
- Note: Lyman Wight and Harvey Whitlock also saw the Father and the Son on this occasion.
— “He lives for we saw him, even on the right hand of God.” Joseph Smith
- Sidney Rigdon February 16, 1832; at the Johnson Farm, for the Vision of the eternal worlds (D&C76)
- Present: approx 14 Brethren including Joseph Smith & Sidney Rigdon
— “Many of the brethren saw a heavenly vision of the savior.” Joseph Smith
- March 18, 1833; at the Whitney Store, for the Ordination of First Presidency councilors
- Present: approx 20 Priesthood leaders including Joseph Smich, John Murdock and Zebedee Coltrin
- Note: John Murdock saw the Savior, and Zebedee Coltrin and Joseph Smith saw the Father also on this occasion.
— “I saw Adam … and [his children]. The Lord appeared in their midst, & bless[ed] them all.” Joseph Smith
- December 18, 1833; at the Johnson Inn, for the Bestowing of first patriarchal blessings
- Present were the First Presidency of the Church & unnamed others
— “I beheld the … throne of God, whereon was seared the father and the son.” Joseph Smith
- January 21. 1836; at the Kirtland Temple, for the First temple ordinances bestowed on key leaders
- Present: 16 Church leaders
— “I saw the Twelve … and Jesus standing in their midst. … The Savior looked upon them and wept.” Joseph Smith
- January 21, 1836; at the Kirtland Temple, for the First temple ordinances bestowed on key leaders
- Present: 16 Church leaders
— “The Savior embraced … crowned and kissed each one [of the Twelve].” Joseph Smith
- January 21, 1836; at the Kirtland Temple, for the First temple ordinances bestowed on key leaders
- Present: 16 Church leaders
— “The Visions of Heaven were opened to them …. Some of them saw the face of the Savior.” Joseph Smith
- January 21, 1836; at the Kirtland Temple, for the First temple ordinances bestowed on key leaders
- Present: 40 Church leaders
— “Zebedee Coltrin … saw the savior.” Joseph Smith
- January 28, 1836; at the Kirtland Temple, for the First temple ordinances bestowed on key leaders
- Present: approx 100 high priests, seventies, and elders
— “I see the Son of God sitting at the right hand of the Father.” Joseph Smith
- January 28, 1836; at the Kirtland Temple, for the First temple ordinances bestowed on key leaders
- Present: approx 100 high priests, seventies, and elders
— “The Savior made his appearance to some while angels ministered to others.” Joseph Smith
- March 30, 1836; at the Kirtland Temple, for the First temple ordinances bestowed on key leaders
- Present: approx 300 Leaders and Kirtland Stake members
— “We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit.” Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery
- April 3, 1836; at the Kirtland Temple, for Christ accepting Kirtland Temple dedication
Present: Joseph Smith & Oliver Cowdery
The visions of the Almighty by Oliver Cowdery
— “Mr. Oliver Cowdry [Cowdery] has his commission directly from the God of Heaven …. He has personally conversed [with Jesus Christ] – Ref: a newspaper article in an Ohio newspaper (Dec 1830), “The Book of Mormon,” Painesville [Ohio} Telegraph, December 7, 1830. TSK Note: The newspaper reporter could have confused Oliver’s accounts of the vision of Christ with accounts of when Oliver just heard His voice. The reference co “conversed” could pertain co Oliver’s hearing the Lord’s voice on two prior occasions. (TSK165)
–“The Lord … condescended to manifest to us his will. On a sudden, as from the midst of eternity, the voice of the Redeemer spake peace to us …. Our eyes beheld-our ears heard …. We were rapt in the vision of the Almighty! Where was room for doubt? No where: uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk, no more to rise.” – Ref: Written in 1834, by Oliver Cowdery, The vision of the Almighty, a letter in Messenger and Advocate 1, no. 2 (November 1834): 15. (TSK165)
–“One word from the mouth of the Savior, from the bosom of eternity, strikes [ everything] into insignificance, and blots it forever from the mind! … The certainty that we heard the voice of Jesus, and the truth unsullied as it flowed from a pure personage, dictated by the will of God, is to me, past description, and I shall ever look upon this expression of the Savior’s goodness with wonder and thanksgiving while I am permitted to tarry, and in those mansions where perfection dwells and sin never comes, I hope to adore in that DAY which shall never cease!” — Ref: Cowdery, letter in Messenger and Advocate l, no. 2 (November 1834): 16. (TSK166)
The Three Witnesses and the Eight Witnesses
> “with uplifted hands, bore their [The Three Witnesses and the Eight Witnesses] solemn testimony to the truth of that book, as did also the Prophet Joseph.”
Ref: The Three Witnesses and the Eight Witnesses stood in front of possibly one hundred people and reaffirmed their written testimony at a conference in Orange, Ohio, in October 1831, near Kirtland; — “History of Luke Johnson: By Himself,” Millennial Star26 (December 31, 1864): 835.
> “You have probably read the testimony of the three witnesses …. These witnesses testify, that … the· voice of God declared it to be a Divine Record. To this they frequently testify, in the presence of large congregations.”
Ref: Ezra Booth, a former Methodist minister, wrote of their testimony. — Ezra Booth to Ira Eddy, October 24, 1831, “Mormonism-No. III,” [Ravenna] Ohio Star 2 (October 27, 1831): 3.
> Mr. Daton [Dayton] kindly offered to go with me to Brother David Whitmer and give me an introduction to him. As all of the higher officers were absent, I thought this would be my best way of learning what I wanted to know, and as Mr. Whitmer was one of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, I thought I could learn something.
We walked to Mr. Whitmer’s. I got the necessary introduction and took dinner and spent the afternoon in hearing him relate things about the angel showing him the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. I also asked him all the questions I had a wish to ask.
— Ref: Luman Shurtliff, an Ohio convert, wrote in his journal that he walked some distance to spend an afternoon with David Whitmer. — Luman Andros Shurtliff, Autobiography, typescript, 24, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
> “Do you [Martin Harris] still believe … that Joseph Smith was a prophet?” … A changed old man stood before me …. It was a man with a message, a man with a noble conviction in his heart, a man inspired of God and endowed with divine knowledge. Through the broken window of the Temple shone the winter sun, clear and radiant.
“Young man,” answered Martin Harris with impressiveness, “Do I believe it! Do you see the sun shining! Just as surely as the sun is shining on us and gives us light, and the [moon] and stars give us light by night, just as surely as the breath of life sustains us, so surely do I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God, chosen of God to open the last dispensation of the fulness of times; so surely do I know that the Book of Mormon was divinely translated. I saw the plates; I saw the Angel; I heard the voice of God …. I might as well doubt my own existence as to doubt … the divine calling of Joseph Smith.” … A halo seemed to encircle him. A divine fire glowed in his eyes. His voice throbbed with the sincerity and the conviction of his message.”
Ref: In 1869, William Homer, a missionary related to Martin through marriage, visited Kirtland and recorded Martin’s still-impressive testimony. This exchange occurred as Martin and Homer stood together in the Kirtland Temple — William Harrison Homer, “The Passing of Martin Harris,” Improvement Era 29 (March 1926): 469-70. (TSKp169)
The Vision of Eternities (D&C 76)
Joseph and Sidney saw and conversed with the Savior during the Vision of the Kingdoms (D&C 76:14). The Vision went on “for hours.” (TSK195). Joseph could have explained “100 fold more… were the people prepared to receive them.” (History of the church, 5:402)
Fifteen references to statements/conversations with the Savior:
“We conversed [with Jesus Christ] in the heavenly vision.”
“We heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father.”
“The Lord commanded us that we should write the vision.”
“Thus came the voice of the Lord unto us.”
“Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who … suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome.”
“I say that it had been better for them never to have been born.”
“Concerning [the sons of perdition] I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come.”
“The voice out of the heavens bore record unto us.”
“I, the Lord, show it by vision unto many.”
“We heard the voice, saying: Write the vision.”
“We bear record – for we … heard.”
“The Lord commanded us to write [ the vision … of the terrestrial].”
“[We] heard the voice of the Lord saying: These all shall bow the knee.”
“We were commanded to write [the end of the vision].”
“He commanded us we should not write [the mysteries of his kingdom].”
Ref: D&C 76:14-115; TSKp190
Joseph and Sidney
And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: 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-That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.
(Joseph Smith, Doctrine & Covenants 76:22-24)
Sidney testified in Apr 1844, the last conference before Joseph’s martyrdom
God had great things to say for the salvation of the world . . . . We were obliged to retire to our secret chambers, and commune ourselves with God …. There we sat in secret and beheld the glorious visions, and powers of the kingdom of heaven, pass and repass …. This was the period when God laid the foundation of the church, and he laid it firm’y, truly, and upon eternal truth. If any man says it is not the work of God, I know they lie …. I have the testimony of Jesus which is the spirit of prophecy; I have slept with it, I have walked with it; the idea has never been out of my heart for a moment, and I will reap the glory of it when I leave this world …. I know God, I have gazed upon the glory of God, the throne, visions and glories of God, and the visions of eternity in days gone by … when Jehovah looked on.”
Sidney Rigdon, Times and Seasons 5 (May 1, 1844): 523-24.
Sidney referring to the vision in D&C 76
It is beauty it is heaven it is felicity to look on.
(Sidney Rigdon, Times and Seasons 5 (May 1, 1844) (TSK194)
Elder Neal A Maxwell spoke of the splendor of Joseph and Sidney’s vision (D&C 76):
As we look at the universe, we do not see unexplained chaos or cosmic churn… It is like viewing a divinely choreographed, cosmic ballet – spectacular, subduing, and reassuring!”
(Neal A Maxwell, “Our Creator’s Cosmos,” in By Study and by Faith: Selections from the Religious Educator, ed. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P Jackson [Provo Utah:Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center, 2009), 48).
The Resurrection:
Joseph Smith
Speaking to the Saints in Nauvoo in 1843,Joseph related even more details about the resurrection, which he said he had previously “seen in vision.”
38 38. History of the Church, 5:361. (TSK198)
Note: In July 1835 Joseph received the Egyptian papyrus scrolls, and translated them; The Vision of the Kingdoms (D&C 76) was received in 1832.
Joseph Smith
“I actually saw men, before they had ascended from the tomb, as though they were getting up slowly. They took each other by the hand… All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful. By the vision of the Almighty I have seen it.”
4040. History of the Church, 5:362. (TSK198)
