“Lesson 8—Joseph Smith—History 1:1–26: ‘I Saw Two Personages, Whose Brightness and Glory Defy All Description,’” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)
“Joseph Smith—History 1:1–26,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual
Lesson 8: Joseph Smith—History 1:1–26
Joseph Smith—History 1:15-20
“I Saw Two Personages, Whose Brightness and Glory Defy All Description”
In addition to answering Joseph Smith’s question about which church he should join, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s appearance teaches us truths such as the nature of the Godhead and our relationship with Them. This lesson can help students understand important truths revealed about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ from Joseph’s First Vision.
Possible Learning Activities
Words that changed the world
Consider writing Seven words from Joseph Smith—History 1:15–20 that changed the whole world on the board before class. As students enter the room and are waiting for the lesson to begin, invite them to try to identify words from this passage that fit this description.
President Russell M. Nelson once taught a group of children that “seven words changed the whole world” (in “Seven Words That Changed the World” [video], ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
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What words do you think those were?
President Nelson was referring to the final seven words of Joseph Smith—History 1:17. Read those seven words and consider recording President Nelson’s statement in your scriptures near the end of the verse.
Joseph Smith—History 1:15–20 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider inviting students to mark doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so they can locate them easily.
Invite a volunteer to tell the class who said these seven words, to whom He was referring, and to whom He was speaking.
Consider giving students time to really think about and share their answers to the following questions.
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In what ways do you think those seven words changed the world? How have they affected your life?
Truths we can learn from the First Vision
The following section can help students identify and understand multiple truths from the account of the First Vision, especially truths about Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and Their Church.
Consider drawing four stick figures on the board, each with a thought bubble containing one of the following questions. (Feel free to use different questions that students in your class may have about God or His Church.) Divide students into groups, with each group searching verses 15–20 for answers to one of the questions. Have a representative from each group write the verse numbers they found that help answer their question next to the thought bubble on the board.
Read Joseph Smith—History 1:15–20, looking for how you might answer the following questions someone may have, using this account:
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Is God aware of us?
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Does God speak to people in our day?
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Does it matter what church we belong to? Why?
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Is it possible to know what is true? How?
Invite groups to share with the class why they chose the verses they did to answer their question.
Consider asking follow-up questions as students share, such as these: “What else did you notice in this passage that is important for people today to understand?” “What other common misconceptions about God does the First Vision help clarify?” “Why do you think God the Father would appear in person to initiate the Restoration of the gospel?” “What can we learn from how Heavenly Father introduced Jesus Christ to Joseph in verse 17?”
You might share statements from the “Additional Resources” section to support truths that students share or to help them see truths they didn’t discover on their own.
Multiple accounts of the First Vision
Some people are concerned when they learn that Joseph Smith shared unique details of the First Vision on different occasions when describing his experience. Help students understand that it is a blessing that we have multiple accounts of this glorious vision. Explaining the content in the following paragraph could be helpful.
There is also an idea in the “Supplemental Learning Activities” section that might be helpful.
Joseph Smith recorded the account of the First Vision in Joseph Smith—History in 1838 as part of an official history of the Church to be published to the world. We are also blessed to have other accounts of the First Vision—three of which were written or dictated by Joseph. Each account was prepared at different times for different people and, therefore, emphasized different aspects of his experience. For example, in Joseph’s 1835 account we learn that he also saw angels, while in his 1832 account he said this to describe the result of being in God’s presence: “My soul was filled with love, and for many days I could rejoice with great joy” (“Joseph Smith’s Accounts of the First Vision,” josephsmithpapers.org; see also the Gospel Library app).
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What does the effect of Their visit on Joseph teach you about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
Each account blesses us with unique details, but all agree in the essential truth that Joseph Smith had the heavens opened to him and saw divine messengers, including God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Consider giving students a few minutes to search the section “Joseph Smith’s Accounts of the First Vision” in the Gospel Library app. They can find it by selecting “Library,” then “Church History,” then “First Vision.” Students could form groups, with each student searching different accounts for additional truths about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Students could also look for additional truths in the video “Ask of God: Joseph Smith’s First Vision” (6:35), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. This video includes details from each of Joseph Smith’s accounts.
Focus on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ: For more training on questions that invite students to consider what they learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, see the training titled “Help learners recognize the Lord’s love, power, and mercy in their lives,” found in Teacher Development Skills: Focus on Jesus Christ.
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What else do these accounts teach about Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and Their Church that you are grateful to know?
Consider inviting students to conclude the lesson by recording in their study journals one truth they learned from Joseph Smith’s First Vision that is important to them and why. Invite volunteers to share with the class what they wrote.
Memorize
You may want to help students memorize the reference and key scripture phrase of Joseph Smith—History 1:15–20 and then review them in future lessons. The key scripture phrase is “Joseph Smith ‘saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description.’” Ideas for memorization activities are in the appendix materials under “Doctrinal Mastery Review Activities.”