LDS Who did Joseph Smith see in the "Sacred Grove?"

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Mormon The Father and the Son in painting The First Vision by Del Parson.jpg

Mormon father and son in a painting The First Vision by Del Parson

But Joseph Smith stated that he had completed his translation of the New Testament in 1833.

Inspired Version:

Luke 10:23
23 All things are delivered to me of my Father; and no man knoweth that the Son is the Father, and the Father is the Son, but him to whom the Son will reveal it.

http://www.centerplace.org/hs/iv/InspiredVersionBible.pdf

Who was confused --- Joseph Smith or Del Parson?
 

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View attachment 279803
Mormon father and son in a painting The First Vision by Del Parson

But Joseph Smith stated that he had completed his translation of the New Testament in 1833.

Inspired Version:

Luke 10:23
23 All things are delivered to me of my Father; and no man knoweth that the Son is the Father, and the Father is the Son, but him to whom the Son will reveal it.

http://www.centerplace.org/hs/iv/InspiredVersionBible.pdf

Who was confused --- Joseph Smith or Del Parson?
We know from the Bible that Jesus Christ is in the express image of the Father:
(New Testament | Hebrews 1:1 - 3)

1 GOD, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

What is the person of the Father? It is, of course, the BODY of the Father. That being said we do know that Jesus is considered our Father in the fact that God the Father gave us to Him due to the atonement. We read this in the Bible:

(New Testament | Matthew 11:25 - 27)

25 ¶ At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

(New Testament | John 17:24 - 26)

24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.


There is also this:

(Book of Mormon | Mosiah 15:2 - 8)

2 And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—
3 The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—
4 And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.
5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.
6 And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.
7 Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.
8 And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men—
 
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Rescued One

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We know from the Bible that Jesus Christ is in the express image of the Father:
(New Testament | Hebrews 1:1 - 3)

1 GOD, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

What is the person of the Father? It is, of course, the BODY of the Father. That being said we do know that Jesus is considered our Father in the fact that God the Father gave us to Him due to the atonement. We read this in the Bible:

(New Testament | Matthew 11:25 - 27)

25 ¶ At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

(New Testament | John 17:24 - 26)

24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.


There is also this:

(Book of Mormon | Mosiah 15:2 - 8)

2 And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—
3 The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—
4 And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.
5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.
6 And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.
7 Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.
8 And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men—

Like I said, Joseph Smith thought the son was the same person as the father.
 
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He is the way

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The question is what the prophet thought? How do statements like these fit with his later theology?
It is not possible to know what he thought, we do know that he said he saw two personages during the first vision.
 
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Smith wrote several accounts of the vision between 1832 and 1842, two of which were published in his lifetime. [1] Consistency of the accounts is a subject of debate, whether variations are indicators of significant shifts in Smith's theology or are simply changing emphasis of minor details. [2][3] The First Vision is revered in Latter-day Saint theology as the first step in the Latter Day Saint restoration, but it was relatively unknown to early adherents to the Latter Day Saint movement;[4] Smith's experience was published in 1842 and canonized in 1880 but not emphasized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) until the early 20th century.[5] For Latter-day Saints, the First Vision corroborates distinctive doctrines such as the bodily nature of God the Father and the uniqueness of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ as the only true path to salvation.[6]
First Vision - Wikipedia
 
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Rescued One

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As far as Mormon literature is concerned, there was apparently no reference to Joseph Smith's first vision in any published material in the 1830's. Joseph Smith's history, which was begun in 1838, was not published until it ran serially in the Times and Seasons in 1842. The famous "Wentworth Letter," which contained a much less detailed account of the vision, appeared March 1, 1842, in the same periodical. Introductory material to the Book of Mormon, as well as publicity about it, told of Joseph Smith's obtaining the gold plates and of angelic visitations, but nothing was printed that remotely suggested earlier visitations.

In 1833 the Church published the Book of Commandments, forerunner to the present Doctrine and Covenants, and again no reference was made to Joseph's first vision, although several references were made to the Book of Mormon and the circumstances of its origin.

The first regular periodical to be published by the Church was The Evening and Morning Star, but its pages reveal no effort to tell the story of the first vision to its readers. Nor do the pages of the Latter-day Saints Messenger and Advocate, printed in Kirtland, Ohio, from October, 1834, to September, 1836. In this newspaper Oliver Cowdery, who was second only to Joseph Smith in the early organization of the Church, published a series of letters dealing with the origin of the Church. These letters were written with the approval of Joseph Smith, but they contained no mention of any vision prior to those connected with the Book of Mormon.

In 1835 the Doctrine and Covenants was printed at Kirtland, Ohio, and its preface declared that it contained "the leading items of religion which we have professed to believe." Included in the book were the "Lectures on Faith," a series of seven lectures which had been prepared for the School of the Prophets in Kirtland in 1834-35. It is interesting to note that, in demonstrating the doctrine that the Godhead consists of two separate personages, no mention was made of Joseph Smith having seen them, nor was any reference made to the first vision in any part of the publication.

more:
Joseph Smith's First Vision
 
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“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

“… When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JS—H 1:16–17).
Joseph Smith’s First Vision

2 Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

The only pillar of light in the Bible I can think of is the pillar of fire in the exodus.
 
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BigDaddy4

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“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

“… When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JS—H 1:16–17).
Joseph Smith’s First Vision

2 Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

The only pillar of light in the Bible I can think of is the pillar of fire in the exodus.
Immediately preceding the pillar of light passage you quoted, there is this (bold mine for emphasis):

"No sooner had he done so than an overwhelming feeling of darkness swept over him, as if some evil power was trying to overcome him. Rather than surrender, Joseph prayed harder—and God Himself answered his prayer. Joseph described what happened this way:"

Which supports your 2 Cor 11:14 passage. Nowhere in the Bible can I find an encounter with God where the person describes it as "darkness" and compares it to an "evil power".
 
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Peter1000

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View attachment 279803
Mormon father and son in a painting The First Vision by Del Parson

But Joseph Smith stated that he had completed his translation of the New Testament in 1833.

Inspired Version:

Luke 10:23
23 All things are delivered to me of my Father; and no man knoweth that the Son is the Father, and the Father is the Son, but him to whom the Son will reveal it.

http://www.centerplace.org/hs/iv/InspiredVersionBible.pdf

Who was confused --- Joseph Smith or Del Parson?
Again, you have to read all of the words of JS, not just one sentence.
 
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Peter1000

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“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

“… When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JS—H 1:16–17).
Joseph Smith’s First Vision

2 Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

The only pillar of light in the Bible I can think of is the pillar of fire in the exodus.
I don't mean to be mean, but the first word I thought about when I read this was: So! So I will let you know that.
 
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He is the way

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“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

“… When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JS—H 1:16–17).
Joseph Smith’s First Vision

2 Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

The only pillar of light in the Bible I can think of is the pillar of fire in the exodus.
The Book of Mormon glorifies Christ, not Satan

(New Testament | Mark 3:24 - 26)

24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.

(Book of Mormon | Moroni 7:16 - 17)

16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.
 
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The Book of Mormon glorifies Christ, not Satan

(New Testament | Mark 3:24 - 26)

24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.

(Book of Mormon | Moroni 7:16 - 17)

16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.

It does not glorify Christ to write fiction and call it the word of God.

Book of Mormon. 1 Nephi 13:

29 And after these plain and precious things were taken away [the Bible] it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest—because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God—because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.
 
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He is the way

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It does not glorify Christ to write fiction and call it the word of God.

Book of Mormon. 1 Nephi 13:

29 And after these plain and precious things were taken away [the Bible] it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest—because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God—because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.
You said: "It does not glorify Christ to write fiction and call it the word of God."

Well it is a good thing that the Book of Mormon is not fiction.
 
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