The First Vision

The First Vision Opens the Restoration

In the spring of 1820, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith as he prayed in a grove of trees near his home in western New York. This event is known as the First Vision. (Click here to read about it in Joseph’s own words.)

Jesus Christ promised that He would restore His gospel to the earth. The First Vision began that restoration. It is one of the best-documented appearances of God in history, and it is a pattern for how everyone can receive divine guidance in their own lives. The videos, art, and documents collected here will help you understand this important event and “immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration.”
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Joseph Smith's First Vision: Now You Know

You may have questions about the First Vision and why it’s important. You may wonder what it means to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or how it was initially documented. This short video answers those questions.

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“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” – James 1:5

“Joseph went home and read the verse in the Bible. ‘Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine,’ he later remembered. ‘It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did.’ He had searched the Bible before as if it held all the answers. But now the Bible was telling him he could go directly to God for personal answers to his questions.”

“Hear Him,” Saints, volume 1
Joseph rose early on a spring morning in 1820 and set out for the woods near his home. The day was clear and beautiful, and sunlight filtered through the branches overhead. He wanted to be alone when he prayed, and he knew a quiet spot in the woods where he had recently been clearing trees. He had left his ax there, wedged in a stump.
Journey to the Sacred Grove
“A young boy reads the Bible, and his eyes pause on a singular passage of scripture. This is a moment that will change the world.” -Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge

“If Joseph Smith’s transcendent experience in the Sacred Grove teaches us anything, it is that the heavens are open and that God speaks to His children.”

- President Russell M. Nelson

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Accounts of the First Vision

Filled with Love
1832 Account: “My soul was filled with love, and for many days I could rejoice with great joy.”
A Pillar of Fire
1835 Account: “A pillar of fire appeared above my head. It presently rested down upon me and filled me with joy unspeakable.”
This is My Beloved Son
1838 Account: “One of them spake unto me … and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”
Receiving a Promise
1842 Account: “At the same time receiving a promise that the fulness of the gospel should … be made known unto me.”
Other Contemporary accounts
In addition to these accounts of the First Vision by Joseph Smith himself, five of his contemporaries who heard him speak about the vision also wrote accounts. Read these accounts here.

“The experiences of the Prophet Joseph Smith offer a guide. He began and continued his ministry with the decision that his own wisdom was not sufficient to know what course he should pursue. He chose to... ask of God.”

-Henry B. Eyring

Living Prophets and Apostles

President Dallin H. Oaks
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is comprehensive, universal, merciful, and true.
President Henry B. Eyring
The Prophet Joseph set an example for us of how to receive continual spiritual direction and comfort through the Holy Ghost.
President M. Russell Ballard
God has spoken through His prophet and announced to the world that “the Standard of Truth has been erected” and that “no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing.” That is undeniably and indisputably true.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
We do “thank thee, O God, for a prophet to guide us in these latter days,” because many of those days will be windblown and tempest-tossed. We give thanks for that morning in the spring of 1820 when the Father and the Son appeared in glory to a 14-year-old boy.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
We come to believe in Jesus Christ through the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

“[Joseph Smith’s] life asked and answered the question ‘Do you believe God speaks to man?’ In all else that he accomplished in his brief 38 and a half years, Joseph left us above all else the resolute legacy of divine revelation—not a single, isolated revelation without evidence or consequence, and not ‘a mild sort of inspiration seeping into the minds of all good people’ everywhere, but specific, documented, ongoing directions from God.”

- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

The First Vision

A Joseph Smith Papers Podcast

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Personal Revelation

The way to receive personal revelation is really quite clear. We need to desire to receive revelation, we must not harden our hearts, and then we need to ask in faith, truly believe that we will receive an answer, and then diligently keep the commandments of God.” – Barbara Thompson

Young Adult
The scriptures depict how an individual’s capacity to conquer difficulty, doubt, and seemingly insurmountable challenges is strengthened by the Lord in time of need.
Youth
Your gospel knowledge will grow over time too. As you learn the gospel with the help of the Holy Ghost … your understanding will grow over time, just as Joseph Smith’s did.
Children
When I feel peace and comfort, I know that the heavens are open to me.

The First Vision

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Come and See

The Heavens Are Opened
Many artifacts from Joseph Smith’s life survive to this day. View them in this online exhibit.
Smith Family Farm and Sacred Grove Historic Site
The Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York, is the site where Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, visited Joseph Smith in 1820. Explore places where the Restoration of the gospel began.
Foundations of Faith
This exhibit displays priceless foundational records from the Church’s history, including early editions of modern scripture, personal records of modern prophets, and evidence of key developments in Church doctrine and organization.
Gospel Topics Essay: First Vision Accounts
Joseph Smith recorded that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him in a grove of trees near his parents’ home in western New York State when he was about 14 years old. Concerned by his sins and unsure which spiritual path to follow, Joseph sought guidance by attending meetings, reading scripture, and praying. In answer, he received a heavenly manifestation.
BYU Speeches on Joseph Smith
Joseph’s life was short but remarkable. Born in 1805 in Vermont, he moved as a young boy to Palmyra, New York, a place of great religious fervor at the time. While praying out loud for the first time, he experienced what is now known as the First Vision.
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