The Gospel Doctrine Class

Vol 1 Issue 11 The Gospel Doctrine Class March 18, 2001


In This Issue Lesson 9 Lesson 10 Lesson 11 Lesson 12 Reading Assignments Visitors: Is Your Ward Represented? LDS Links Write The Editor Print Version This Page Gazette Archives FAQs About This Website Old Testament New Testament Book of Mormon Church History		A Heavenly Vision Mendon, New York: Mr. Heber C. Kimball reports the following event that occurred on the night of September 22, 1827: "I had retired to bed, when John P. Greene, who was living within a hundred steps of my house, came and waked me up, calling upon me to come out and behold the scenery in the heavens. I woke up and called my wife and Sister Fanny Young (sister to Brigham Young), who was living with us, and we went out-of-doors. "It was one of the most beautiful starlight nights, so clear that we could see to pick up a pin. We looked to the eastern horizon, and beheld a white smoke arise toward the heavens; as it ascended it formed itself into a belt, and made a noise like the sound of a mighty wind, and continued southwest, forming a regular bow dipping in the western horizon. After the bow had formed, it began to widen out and grow clear and transparent, of a bluish cast; it grew wide enough to contain twelve men abreast. "In this bow an army moved, commencing from the east and marching to the west; they continued marching until they reached the western horizon. They moved in platoons, and walked so close that the rear ranks trod in the steps of their file leaders, until the whole bow was literally crowded with soldiers. We could distinctly see the muskets, bayonets and knapsacks of the men, who wore caps and feathers like those used by the American soldiers in the last war with Britain; and also saw their officers with their swords and equipage, and the clashing and jingling of their implements of war, and could discover the forms and features of the men. The most profound order existed throughout the entire army; when the foremost man stepped, every man stepped at the same time; I could hear the steps. When the front rank reached the western horizon a battle ensued, as we could distinctly hear the report of arms and the rush. (continued below)	The Pratt Chronicles Part IX In Part VIII, Parley had told his brother William that he was going to give up his farm to go out and preach the word of God. Parley testified that he would be supported by God as he went out to preach the word, to which William responded, "Well, try it, if you will; but, for my part although I always believed the Bible, I would not dare believe it literally, and really stand upon its promises, with no other prop." Parley wrote: "We parted. He to his business, I to my preparations for a mission which should only end with my life." Parley continues: "In August, 1830, I had closed my business, completed my arrangements, and we bid adieu to our wilderness home and never saw it afterwords. "On settling up, at a great sacrifice of property, we had about ten dollars left in cash. With this small sum, we launched forth into the wide world, determining first to visit our native place, on our mission, and then such other places as I might be led to by the Holy Spirit." Parley and Thankful went to Cleveland and there booked passage on a "schooner" for	Buffalo. From Buffalo they took a canal boat to Albany. At Rochester, Parley and Thankful decided to part for a time. She would go and visit friends and Parley would continue on as directed by the Spirit. In Newark, New York, Parley walked out into the country and had breakfast with a Mr. Wells. He proposed to preach in the region and the two of them went around visiting with people in the neighborhood. Parley relates the following account: "We visited an old Baptist deacon by the name of Hamlin. After hearing of our appointment for evening, he began to tell of a book, a STRANGE BOOK, a VERY STRANGE BOOK! in his possession, which had been just published. This book, he said, purported to have been originally written on plates either of gold or brass, by a branch of the tribes of Israel; and to have been discovered and translated by a young man near Palmyra, in the State of New York, by the aid of visions, or the ministry of angels. I inquired of him how or where the book was to be obtained. He promised me the perusal of it, at his house the next day, if I would call. I felt a strange interest in the book.... Next morning I called at his house, where, for the first time, my eyes beheld the "BOOK OF MORMON" that book of books...which was the principal means, in the hands of God, of directing the entire course of my future life." To be continued. (Excerpts from the Auto- biography of Parley P. Pratt)

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(Heavenly Vision continued)    "No man could judge of my feelings when I beheld that army of men, as plainly as ever I saw armies of men in the flesh; it seemed as though every hair of my head was alive. This scenery we gazed upon for hours, until it began to disappear."
     "After I became acquainted with Mormonism, I learned that this took place the same evening that Joseph Smith received the records of the Book of Mormon from the angel Moroni, who had held those records in his possession."
     John Young, Sen., and John P. Greene's wife, Rhoda, were also witnesses.
     "My wife, being frightened at what she saw, said, 'Father Young, what does all this mean?'
     "'Why, it's one of the signs of the coming of the Son of Man,' he replied, in a lively, pleased manner."
     A wonderful foreshadowing, truly, of the warfare to be waged between the powers of good and evil, from the time Truth sprang from earth and Righteousness looked down from heaven upon the boy Joseph, predestined to bring to light the buried records of the past.
(Excerpt from The Life of Heber C. Kimball by Orson F. Whitney, pp15-17)

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