The Prophet's First Vision
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The Prophet, Joseph Smith, at age 14 had a desire to join the right church, so he attended many different churches and each one taught something different and yet each one claimed to be the true church. But young Joseph knew that all the churches could not be true, even if each one claimed that they were. So Joseph didn't know what church to join, but one night Joseph was reading the Bible and came across a verse in James that stated "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God".
So the next day Joseph went into the woods (which today we call the sacred grove). He found a spot and made certain no one else was any where near and got down on his knees and was about to call upon God, but then he was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame him and had such an influence over him as to bind his toungue so that he could not speak. But, exerting all of his powers to call upon God to deliver him out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon him. Then when Joseph was about ready to go into despair and abandon himself to destruction, An actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as Joseph had never before felt in any being. Then young Joseph saw a piller of light exactly over his head, that was above the brightness of the sun, which decended gradually until it fell upon him. Then it was no sooner appeared than Joseph found himself delivered from the enemy that held him bound. When the light rested on him, he saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above Joseph in the air. One of them spake unto Joseph, calling him by name and said, pointing to the other "This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" Then young Joseph had the strenth to speak and asked the Personages "Which sect (church) should I join?" Joseph then was answered with "You should join none of them, for they are all wrong." And the personage who addressed Joseph from the begining said "All their creeds are an abomination in my sight; that those professors were all corupt; that they draw near me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof" Then the personages forbade him to join any of the churches, once again. When Joseph came back to himself, he found himself on his back, looking up into heaven. And as soon as the light departed, young Joseph had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, he then went home.
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