The First Vision was a time when God parted the heavens and spoke with his children again. It was an opportunity for God to correct the many mistakes that had made their way into Christianity. However, it shouldn’t have even been possible according to D&C 84. That revelation mentions that the priesthood and ordinances, of the church, are required in order to see God and live. According to the First Vision though, Joseph saw God as a young 14-year-old boy before the priesthood and ordinances of the church were even available. Joseph then should have died as a young boy in that sacred grove.
First Vision
Today the first vision, where God and Jesus appeared to Joseph in 1820, is a widely known event in Mormonism. However, it was virtually unknown before it was published in the March 1842 edition of the Times and Seasons. After the First vision was first published in America, Joseph started referencing the event in sermons which were then documented in private journals.
We see this in a June 1843 entry by Levi Richard, an August 1843 entry by David Nye White, and a May 1844 entry by Alexander Neibaur. Before this there is not a single reference to the First Vision in any form except for Joseph’s personal accounts. This also includes his family. Prior to this, Joseph either never spoke about it to anyone, or no one decided to record the vision for some reason.
Today we have four main accounts of the First Vision with the 1838 account being the one that is most commonly used in the church. This is the account that was published in 1842 and is the most detailed of all four accounts. In this account Joseph speaks in depth, about the religious excitement which caused him to seek to determine which of all the churches was the most correct. The 1832 and 1835 accounts of the First Vision mentioned that Joseph already knew the churches were not correct and his prayer was because he simply wanted a remission of his sins.
In the 1838 account, Joseph mentioned that he determined to pray and ask God which was the correct church. Immediately after this prayer, he was visited by Jesus and Heavenly Father who answered his prayer and told him personally that he was to join none of the churches. The vision itself is curiously a very small part of the overall account. Joseph actually describes the religious excitement before the vision, and the persecution after the vision in significantly greater detail.
It should be noted though that the 1838 account clearly mentions two personages appearing before Joseph, with the first introducing the second as the Son of God. This is a privilege that no other person in the history of humanity has ever had before. Which is a personal visit from both the Father and the Son simultaneously. Others, like Stephen, mention visions of God or Christ, however never a physical manifestation of both.
The First Vision itself is a miraculous event, however when looking at the details there are a lot of questions that need to be answered to truly understand what actually happened. For instance, why was the event never mentioned before 1840 if it was the impetuous for the entire church? Why was the religious excitement that motivated Joseph at least 4 years after Joseph said? Why was there no persecution to the First Vision like Joseph mentioned? Lastly, why was the First Vision not mentioned in any of the founding documents of the church?
D&C 84
D&C 84 was received in September 1832, about 10 years before the First Vision was first published, and discusses in detail the priesthood and ordinances of God. It explains the significance of the priesthood, including the differences between the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek Priesthood. It also discusses the need for ordinances of the gospel and the hierarchy of the priesthood offices. Before this time, the priesthood was not nearly as rigid as it eventually became. When the church was first organized, in 1830, there was virtually no priesthood concept at all. However, over time the priesthood became very formalized along with a high priesthood concept being introduced at the Morley Farm conference.
D&C 84 is incredibly interesting because it clearly mentions that the priesthood and ordinances are required to see God and live. Joseph of course had neither in the sacred grove, where he said the Father and Son, both appeared to him. The revelation states:
And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; for without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.
D&C 84:19-22
According to this revelation, the ordinances and priesthood are required in order for the power of God to be manifest to us and for us to see God and live. Without the ordinances and priesthood then if we saw God we would not live and consequently die. This concept very strongly supports the LDS version of priesthood and ordinances. However, it is a very hard concept to support scripturally.
For instance, in the scriptures, numerous people saw God and interacted with him directly. There is no concept of a Melchizedek, or higher priesthood being given to these individuals, or even LDS like ordinances, so they could behold the face of God and live. Of course, any written record is going to be incomplete to a degree. However, if something that we want to see is missing from every single account, then we could be looking for something that was never there to begin with.
Scripturally, we have several accounts of people seeing and interacting with God. Exodus 3 describes Moses seeing God, and talking with him, in the form of a burning bush. There is no mention of priesthood or ordinances. A huge chunk of the rest of the book of Exodus is God speaking to Moses numerous times, with no mention of priesthood or ordinances in order to qualify to be in God’s presence.
Isaiah 6 describes how Isaiah was brought into God’s presence and was given a mandate at God’s divine council. According to LDS theology, the Melchizedek priesthood was taken away due to Israel’s disobedience so this shouldn’t have been possible either. How could Isaiah have the Melchizedek priesthood, or true ordinances, but no one else did in the church?
In Acts 9, Paul mentions that he was a wicked Pharisee however he saw a vision of God and was told to stop fighting against the work of Christ. Why would Paul have the priesthood of God and the correct ordinances in order to qualify to see God and be in his presence? Lastly, Ether 3 describes the Brother of Jared as first seeing the finger of God and then his whole body. How would this have been possible when they had just separated themselves from the wicked Tower of Babel. Did they have the priesthood and the valid ordinances before God forced them to separate?
Of course, Joseph also saw God, according to the First Vision, and he did not die so there has to be a misunderstanding here or a contradiction which shouldn’t be possible if both accounts are true. The idea that God has to give you a priesthood, or certain ordinances for you to be in his presence seems to be contrary to many cases in the scriptures. It also seems to be incredibly limiting to God. Does God want to visit people and reveal himself to them, but they have to join a specific church and get specific authority and ordinances first?
Apologetics
In comparing the First Vision and D&C 84 there are several apologetic answers that each make some sense. With enough effort, everything can be convincingly explained. It is very hard though to reconcile the two statements. Joseph said he saw God in 1820, however 12 years later, in 1832, Joseph said that you need the true priesthood and ordinances of the church in order to see God. Joseph didn’t have either of these in 1820.
Many have claimed, including Denver Snuffer, that Joseph simply had the priesthood in 1820, and this is why he was able to see God and live. This is simple and does make sense in an LDS framework, which says that Joseph was called to a great work so he must have had a great preparation. However, it is confusing then as to why Joseph would have needed angels to visit him and give him the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods if he already had them. If Joseph had the priesthood from childhood, then he could have simply said that and started ordaining others to the priesthood. Everyone would have been perfectly content with that explanation.
Others have also claimed that Joseph had a vision and not a visitation, therefore he didn’t really see God in person. This is impossible to determine either way as it is not clear as to whether it even matters or what happened to Joseph in the sacred grove. For instance, if someone else was in the sacred grove at the time with Joseph, then would they have seen God also or just seen Joseph in a trance like state talking to himself. It is entirely unclear.
Lastly, many have claimed that God is bound by higher laws that we simply do not understand. There is likely some truth to this since God is a god of order. The entire creation account is one of order and consistency. In addition, the descriptions of the divine council meetings are simple are orderly as well. God is a being beyond our comprehension, and he doesn’t seem to do whimsical things.
However, the idea that he can’t appear to anyone, when he feels the need, seems incredibly limiting. Of course, we don’t understand God so it all may make sense at a higher level. According to the scriptures though numerous people have seen God with no indication of priesthood or ordinances. How did it work for them, but for no one else? Also, why can’t God just temporarily give us whatever special status we need in order for whatever strict divine laws to be satisfied? If God can forgive us of our sins, raise us from the dead, and change the state of matter at will, then his power is well beyond human comprehension.
Conclusion
Reconciling D&C 84 and the First Vision is a matter of faith. Every disagreement can be explained away through logical reasoning if someone is motivated to do so. However, they certainly do appear to be in direct contradiction. The First Vision was heralded as a miraculous event because it was evidence that God was mindful of us still. He answered the humble prayer of a young boy which consequently changed the religious course of millions and the world itself. God personally appeared to Joseph who had no special religious training or spiritual qualifications. If God could do that to Joseph, then he could do that to us as well. This is the power of the First Vision.
D&C 84, however, seems to flip that entire concept around and aligns with the rigid priesthood hierarchy that made its way into the early church. We must have the priesthood and the ordinances, which are only available through the church, in order to return to God and even be in his presence at all. The church is now required for someone to fully experience God in their lives. God was no longer available to all humble seekers of truth. He was only available to those that happen to have the true priesthood and ordinances of the church.
This dependency on the church is very reassuring to members today. It is nice belonging to the correct group. However, it also directly contradicts many examples in the scriptures. Moses was a simple shepherd when God called him. Lehi was a travelling trader that simply observed his church had deviated from God. Alma was a wicked priest that realized things had finally gone too far with the death of Abinadi. All three of those people stood in God’s presence and spoke with him personally, yet there was nothing uniquely special about them. If they needed priesthood, and ordinances, to be in God’s presence, then it was God who gave it to them directly.
