An Account of the First Vision in the Book of Mormon

[Jason_Allred]

I made this video to show how there's a reference to the First Vision in the Book of Mormon, dictated by Joseph during the translation process in 1829.

Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcgmxQ13geI

[Calm]

Board culture doesn’t allow posting of own videos without a discussion. Videos should be supplemental rather than central to your post. You can get banned for advertising  otherwise. 

[Jason_Allred]

My bad.

[Calm]

Why not share some highlights?

[Jason_Allred]

Many of us are familiar with the handful of surviving historical records that tell us of the First Vision. But it looks like Joseph Smith dictated an even earlier account of the First Vision in 1829.

Though this account was dictated by Joseph, they are not his words. They are the words of Nephi that Joseph translated from the golden plates by the gift and power of God. Nephi expands upon a prophecy from Isaiah to frame his own prophecy of the latter-days, including the Restoration and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

As a part of that record, Nephi wrote that the Lord would personally talk with Joseph Smith to tell him that none of the churches in that day would be "the Lord's" but would instead only "draw near" to the Lord "with their lips," following their own "learning" and "the precepts of men." This account that Nephi recorded is likely a reference to the First Vision, in which the Lord told Joseph Smith those same things in the Sacred Grove.

Can anyone else see connections to the First Vision in 2 Nephi 27-28?

[teddyaware]

3 hours ago, Jason_Allred said:

Many of us are familiar with the handful of surviving historical records that tell us of the First Vision. But it looks like Joseph Smith dictated an even earlier account of the First Vision in 1829.

Though this account was dictated by Joseph, they are not his words. They are the words of Nephi that Joseph translated from the golden plates by the gift and power of God. Nephi expands upon a prophecy from Isaiah to frame his own prophecy of the latter-days, including the Restoration and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

As a part of that record, Nephi wrote that the Lord would personally talk with Joseph Smith to tell him that none of the churches in that day would be "the Lord's" but would instead only "draw near" to the Lord "with their lips," following their own "learning" and "the precepts of men." This account that Nephi recorded is likely a reference to the First Vision, in which the Lord told Joseph Smith those same things in the Sacred Grove.

Can anyone else see connections to the First Vision in 2 Nephi 27-28?

Thank you for this post and welcome to the board.

What you’ve uncovered here is most interesting, as it really does appear to strongly connect with the First Vision because the verses you cite truly do appear to be a prophecy of the First Vision. Now couple what you’ve discovered with 1 Nephi 1 wherein Lehi sees a glorious anthropomorphic God the Father being worshipped while seated on a throne, and a separate anthropomorphic Son of God whose presence shines with a luster above that of the sun at noon-day, and Joseph Smith’s Pearl of Great Price account of the First Vision becomes even more compelling.

Thanks again for this excellent post.

Edited April 4, 2020 by teddyaware

[Robert F. Smith]

4 hours ago, Calm said:

Board culture doesn’t allow posting of own videos without a discussion. Videos should be supplemental rather than central to your post. You can get banned for advertising  otherwise. 

Still it is a very nice, short video suggesting that Joseph Smith History 19, which parallels part of Isaiah 29:13, is also parallel to 2 Ne 27:25.  There is more, but that is the jist of it.

[InCognitus]

7 hours ago, Jason_Allred said:

I made this video to show how there's a reference to the First Vision in the Book of Mormon, dictated by Joseph during the translation process in 1829.

Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcgmxQ13geI

I like the clarity of the presentation of the video.  It gets the point across very well.  Nicely done.  And very interesting indeed.

[Calm]

3 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

Still it is a very nice, short video suggesting that Joseph Smith History 19, which parallels part of Isaiah 29:13, is also parallel to 2 Ne 27:25.  There is more, but that is the jist of it.

Then it is a good thing he added some more to make the thread appropriate to the board.  

Edited April 4, 2020 by Calm

[Jason_Allred]

8 hours ago, teddyaware said:

Now couple what you’ve discovered with 1 Nephi 1 wherein Lehi sees a glorious anthropomorphic God the Father being worshipped while seated on a throne, and a separate anthropomorphic Son of God whose presence shines with a luster above that of the sun at noon-day

I hadn't made that distinction before. Thanks!

[Jason_Allred]

9 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

Still it is a very nice, short video suggesting that Joseph Smith History 19, which parallels part of Isaiah 29:13, is also parallel to 2 Ne 27:25.  There is more, but that is the jist of it.

Yep. The reason the 2 Nephi verses are more connected to the First Vision than the corresponding Isaiah verses is that Nephi explicitly identifies those words as being said by "the Lord" to "him to whom he shall deliver the book" (i.e. Joseph Smith). Also, in the next chapter, 2 Nephi 28, Nephi goes on to talk about the context of that time period, in which the various churches would "contend" with each other, which validates Joseph's later 1838 account.

[Robert F. Smith]

3 hours ago, Jason_Allred said:

Yep. The reason the 2 Nephi verses are more connected to the First Vision than the corresponding Isaiah verses is that Nephi explicitly identifies those words as being said by "the Lord" to "him to whom he shall deliver the book" (i.e. Joseph Smith). Also, in the next chapter, 2 Nephi 28, Nephi goes on to talk about the context of that time period, in which the various churches would "contend" with each other, which validates Joseph's later 1838 account.

And an interesting commentary on rampant, uncontrolled denominationalism.

[Jason_Allred]

 

59 minutes ago, Robert F. Smith said:

And an interesting commentary on rampant, uncontrolled denominationalism.

Yeah, I also thought it was interesting how it discusses that the leaders of those denominations would deny miraculous events as a way to get knowledge from God (exactly as Joseph later describes the Methodist preacher and others reacting):

Verses 4-6 (emphasis added):

Quote

And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance. And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people:

Quote

Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men; Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work.