A Young Folks' History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsAnderson, Nephi
Religion
A Young Folks' History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Anderson, Nephi
Latter Day Saint churches
Joseph then asked which of all the religions was right, and great was his
surprise when he was told that none was right; that they all had gone
astray from the truth; and that he must join none of them. Joseph was told
many other things, among which was that some day the true gospel would be
made known to him. Then they left him alone in the woods.
What a wonderful thing! God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ had
actually come to Joseph. He had seen them and they had spoken to him. That
same Jesus of whom he had read in his Bible had come from heaven and his
Father had come with him to introduce him to the boy praying in the woods!
This was the first vision and the beginning of the gospel in our day; and
by thinking carefully about this vision, we may see that it teaches us many
things. First, that God has a body like unto man's. Second, that the Father
and the Son are two persons, not one, as many in the world believe. Third,
that the many religions which man has made are not accepted by God. Fourth,
that God has not ceased to give revelations to men on the earth.
Topics.--1. Joseph's Boyhood. 2. The Vision. 3. What may be learned from
the vision.
Questions and Review.--1. When and where was Joseph Smith born? 2. To
what places did Joseph move? 3. What led Joseph to ask God for wisdom? 4.
Repeat James I:5. 5. Why can not all the sects in the world be right? 6.
Did the Father and the Son come to Joseph solely because of this prayer?[1]
7. Why did the evil one try to destroy Joseph? 8. What may we learn from
this vision?
CHAPTER III.
THE ANGEL MORONI.
When Joseph told of his vision to some of his friends he was surprised to
find that they did not believe him, but made fun of what he said. The
strangest thing to the boy was that the preachers of religion, instead of
being glad at such glorious news, told him it was from the devil, and that
God did not give any more revelations from heaven. All such things had
ceased with the apostles of old, they said. Another strange thing was that
these preachers began to tell untruths about him, and seemed to hate him
for what he told. Still Joseph would not deny his story. "I have actually
seen a vision," he said again and again. "I know it, and I know that God
knows it, and I dare not deny it."
So three years went by.
On the evening of September 21, 1823, after Joseph had retired to his room,
he prayed earnestly that the Lord would forgive him his sins and show him
if he was yet accepted of him. While he was yet praying a very bright light
came into the room, and immediately a person stood in the air by his
bedside. As this person was an angel--a being who had died and had been
resurrected with an immortal body--it is interesting to know how he looked.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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