| Visions |
| Visions described by those who experienced them. Joseph Smith visions will be documented in another notebook. | ||||
| Before 1816 | Hell, three heavens, churches corrupt, restoration soon, angel | |||
| Solomon
Chamberlin (1788–1862) 3 childhood visions |
From the time my father died, till I was 19 years of age I lived a very wicked life. About that time, I had a vision of hell, and which alarmed me very much, and I reformed and had another of three heavens, and their glories, and the third one, far exceeded the others. My visions so alarmed me, I was in sorrow and repentance for many days, on account of my sins, I thought I would give all the world if I could find a man that could tell me what I should do to be saved. I sought much, but could find none. … | Short Sketch of Solomon Chamberlin | ||
| 1816 vision | [In 1816] … the Lord shewed me in a vision, that there was no people on the earth that was right, and that faith was gone from the earth, excepting a few and that all Churches were corrupt. I further saw in the vision, that he would soon raise up a Church, that would be after the Apostolic Order, that there would be in it the same powers, and gifts that were in the days of Christ, and that I should live to see the day, and that there would a book come forth, like unto the Bible and the people would be guided by it, as well as the Bible. … | In
his 1829 pamphlet Solomon refers to this as "a night vision."
He "descended down to the regions of the damned" and sees "them
blowing up the flames and preparing red hot iron to lay their faces on to
all eternity." Solomon trembles, "but to my great joy and surprise
a man came to me and said, you may go back to yonder world and have one
year longer to prepare." "Sketch
of the Experience," 131, 132 (BYU Studies text). The pamphlet records other pre-Mormon experiences such as "a dream or vision of the night" that leads him to the Reformed Methodist Church in Readsboro, Vermont (near the Massachusetts border) and their common-stock community in Shaftsbury, Vermont (near the New York border) in 1816. By 1819 he is living in Adams, Massachusetts, attending the Episcopal Methodist church, where, in the fall, the class leader rebukes him "for letting my light shine before the wrld, for said he, it will not do to preach up sanctification before unbelievers." Later he has a seven-day "exercise" that includes prayer, little food, the glory and "presence of Christ," the visitation of a deceased woman, and finally, "it appeared to me that I saw my Saviour stand before me with the bible in his and, and said to me this is the book—live in the spirit that this was wrote and you shall shine in the enternal [sic] world on high." |
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| Angel | This vision I received from an angel or spirit from the eternal world that told me these things. | |||
| Prompted to Palmyra | In the mid-1820s, Solomon is living at Lyons, about 20 miles east of Hill Cumorah. On one occasion, while traveling on the Erie Canal, "I felt as if some genie or good spirit told me to leave the boat" near Palmyra. "After leaving the boat, the spirit manifested to me, to travel a south course. I did so for about 3 miles." The angelic "guide" directs him to a farm house, where he spends the night. | |||
| Gold Bible | In the morning, the people of the house asked me if I had heard of the Gold Bible. When they said Gold Bible, there was a power like electricity went from the top of my head to the end of my toes. This was the first time I ever heard of the Gold Bible. I was now within half a mile of the Smith family where Joseph lived. … | |||
| Smth home | I soon made my way across lots, to Father Smith's and found Hyrum walking the floor. | |||
| As I entered the door, I said, "Peace be to this house." | ||||
| He looked at me as one astonished, and said, "I hope it will be peace." | ||||
| I then said, "Is there anyone here that believes in visions or revelations?" | ||||
| A visionary house | He said, "Yes, we are a visionary house." | |||
| Solomon's visionary pamphlet | I said, "Then I will give you one of my pamphlets, which was visionary, and of my own experience." | The text of Solomon's 1829 pamphlet is in an article by Larry C. Porter, BYU Studies vol. 37 no. 2 (1997–1998), 113–140. | ||
| Smiths, Whitmers gather | They then called the people together, which consisted of five or six men who were out at the door. Father Smith was one and some of the Whitmer's. | |||
| Hyrum effected | They then sat down and read my pamphlet. Hyrum read first, but was so affected he could not read it. He then gave it to a man, which I learned was Christian Whitmer, he finished reading it. | |||
| Solomon tells his vision | I then opened my mouth and began to preach to them, in the words that the angel had made known to me in the vision, that all churches and denominations on the earth had become corrupt, and no church of God on the earth, but that he would shortly raise up a church that would never be confounded nor brought down and be like unto the Apostolic Church. | |||
| Astonished | They wondered greatly who had been telling me these things, for said they we have the same things wrote down in our house, taken from the Gold record, that you are preaching to us. | |||
| I said, "The Lord told me these things a number of years ago." | ||||
| I then said, "If you are a visionary house, I wish you would make known some of your discoveries, for I think I can bear them." | ||||
| 1827 | The Lord, future | |||
| Martin Harris | [December 1827] …and because of [Martin Harris's] faith and this rightheous deed [assisting Joseph and Emma to move to Susquehanna] the Lord appeared unto him in a vision and shewed unto him his marvilous work which he was about to do and <he> imediately came to Suquehanna and said the Lord had shown him that he must go to new York City with some of the c<h>aracters and so we proceeded to coppy some of them | ¶ Joseph's 1832 History | ||
| 1831 | The Savior / Father and Son | |||
| Lyman Wight's vision (Ezra Booth) | … declared with a loud voice, he saw the Savior … | Ezra Booth in ¶ Lyman Wight's Vision and the Man of Sin | ||
| (John Whitmer) | He saw the hevans opened, and the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the Father, Making intercession for his brethren, the Saints. | John Whitmer in ¶ Lyman Wight's Vision and the Man of Sin | ||
| (Levi Hancock) | … he then 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 | Levi Hancock in ¶ Lyman Wight's Vision and the Man of Sin | ||
| (Philo Dibble) | Philo records only that Lyman "stepped into the middle of the room and bore record of the coming of the Son of Man," but later adds Joseph that "bore record of the opening of the heavens and of the coming of the Son of Man, precisely as Lyman Wight had done." | Philo Dibble in ¶ Lyman Wight's Vision and the Man of Sin | ||
| 1836 | Glory of God, cloven tongues of fire | |||
| Oliver Cowdery, dedication of the Kirtland House of the Lord | I saw the glory of God, like a great cloud, come down and
rest upon the house…. I also saw cloven tongues like as of fire rest
upon many … while they spake with other tongues and prophesied. |
Oliver's l ast journal entry in "Oliver Cowdery's Kirtland," 426. | ||
| 1836 | The Savior | |||
| Zebedee Coltrin | January 26, 1836 following the organization of the Seventy in the house of the Lord, many spiritual manifestations are reported, including Zebedee Coltrin's vision of "the Savior extended before him, as upon the cross, and a little after, crowned with glory upon his head above the brightness of the sun." |
HC 2:387. |
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| 1836 | Lord's host | |||
| Zebedee Coltrin | February 6, 1836 the "anointed" meet by quorum in the house of the Lord. Many visions are reported. Zebedee sees "the Lord's host." | [SHOWREF=hc] 2:388. | ||
| 1836 | Apostate church as woman | |||
| Ebenezer Robinson | [August 12, 1836] While my brother was thus at prayer I had an open vision. I saw a beautiful female, perfect in form and features, who seemed a little taller than the average female, standing erect, upon a platform elevated some eight or ten inches above the floor, but notwithstanding her beauty and perfect symmetry in form, she was full of sores from the crown of her head to the soles of her feet. I marvelled and wondered within myself, is it possible the Church is so corrupted. | "Items of Personal Interest," 115. | ||
| 1837 | Satan | |||
| Wilford Woodruff in Kirtland House of the Lord | [April 7, 1837] … & when the shades of evening began to appear I repaired to the house of the LORD in company with Elders Milton Holmes, & Joseph B Nobles for the purpose of worshiping God. We entered one of the stands within the veils & fell upon our knees & Satan appeared also but not to worship god but to deprive us of the priviilege. Satan strove against us with great power by tempting & otherwis. He at one time drove me from my stand while I was striving with my brethren to enter into the visions of heaven. | WWJ 1:136–137. | ||
| 1837 | Authorized | |||
| High council | April 7, 1837 the high council of Zion authorizes Presidents David Whitmer, W. W. Phelps, and John Whitmer to "receive Revelations Visions &c." concerning the house of the Lord they are about to build. | ¶ Minutes of April 7, 1837 | ||
| 1838 | Victory, Satan, baptism of friends | |||
| Wilford Woodruff | [July1, 1838] I began to Cry unto God for my father & his houshold & the Lord Showed me in a night vision that a great victory was nigh. But the devil fell upon the whole household with great wrath & tempations. Some of the time one was ready to fall back & reject the gospel & then again annother. His power rested upon me at the same time as if to devour me at once. But after being confined to my bed for several hours under his grasp, in the name of Jesus Christ I with my friends birst the Powers of darkness. I went & stood before the people & declaired the gospel … assembled upon the bank of Farmington river whare there was much water & lead six of my friends into the waters of Baptism. | WWJ 1:264. | ||
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