Mormons! is the First vision the greatest vision or just the beginning of truth?

Question

or the beginning of reproof for the world, a testimony to overcome the world. Are there greater things than to see an angel or to speak face to face with Jesus?

imamormon had an extreme answer i think shows that the vision of God the Father is Great but that it should considered in its contexts.
Jesus himself said however, that he was one witness and The Father was the second, therefore it is assumed the HOLY Ghost is the third.

the reason i asked the question is to show that such a GREAT vision as it is, is not the greatest. the vision where JSjr saw the celestial kingdom and Jesus sitting on the right hand of the father is just a little bit more greater, seeing that there were Others that saw the vision at the same time.
being visited by an angel does no produce faith, hence the wiles of the devil to deceive people with every manner of lies like mental illness and drug therapy or false witnesses and false doctrines.

Answer 1

well the first vision answered one of the greatest forgotten truths; that Christ and Heavenly Father are two separate beings.

and i love how people say how great we are, but we are deceived by the devil. funny, cuz that goes directly against what Christ taught. a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit.

Answer 2

I don't know about the greatest vision. There are a few places where the receiving prophet was instructed to not record what he saw. And the visions that Moses and others saw of worlds without number could have been extremely interesting.

At the risk of sounding slightly apostate, I will mention that I believe we place too much emphasis on the first vision of Joseph Smith. I do believe that it is necessary to have a testimony that he was a prophet, but not that he had the vision. (If that makes sense) There is a rule called the law of witnesses in the gospel that there have to be two witnesses of something to be valid. In the case of the first vision, there is only one, Joseph Smith. Anyway, that's just a train of thought I've been on for a while and wanted to share it.

Answer 3

Some things require a vision. Some do not. Sometimes it's worse to need/require before belief, a vision than it is to have the faith needed to believe without hard physical proof. Think of Thomas in the NT and how he had to see the resurrected Christ before he would believe that He was resurrected, and Laman and Lemuel how they saw and heard angels and yet for them it was not enough. And then think of all the atheists and agnostics out there who demand proof before they will even consider believing. For them, even proof may not be enough, I'm sad to say.

So in answer to your questions, yes, there are greater things than to see an angel or to speak with Christ face to face, but for the person that those things are given to you can rest assured it is a glorious blessing... or a profound curse depending on what they do with it. As for the First Vision being the greatest vision...I think maybe it was. It was needed to issue in the restoration of the Gospel. But for those who do not accept it, again I say that sometimes proof is not enough.

EDIT:
I heard from our Temple President yesterday that Joseph had a vision where he saw ALL of the buildings of the church. Now, that must have been among the greatest visions. To be going through some tremendously difficult things, but to know (I mean REALLY know) that it was not in vain, that the Gospel would spread across the whole earth, and to be able to see the all the different buildings that the church would be in. ...It was really cool to hear that Joseph Smith saw the temple that was just a few yards away from us.

Answer 4

i think it is significant because the first vision showed Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. That they are seperate beings. There are many visions throughout the bible and the book of mormon, and all have been very important for that time period and purpse. So to say it is the greatest i think is a little over zealous. I think all visions have been very important- Jesus when He was resurrected- to show that He truly lives again, Jesus appeared to Moses-, the visions of worlds without number- angels have visited many people throughout both scripture-there are so many things, but yes it was a hugely important vision, and without it, the restoration could not have gone forth.

Answer 5

Really good question. For the Prophet Joseph I'm sure it was the greatest. To see both the Father and Son together... WOW. Of course there is also the vision or visitation he and Oliver had in the Kirkland Temple. Christ appeared then Moses, and Elijah.
I never really thought of this in terms of greatest visions. I wasn't there so I can't say. Something to ask Brother Joseph when we see him on the other side I suppose.
Joseph saw and heard God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. For that moment He was in the presence of the Father... isn't that what we are striving for? The first vision, to me, sounds like the vision of visions.

Answer 6

I think it is the greatest recorded vision in this dispensation... really, I mean seeing God and Jesus Christ, WOW! Maybe the greatest thing ever.
Still, I am sure it would be amazing to be visited by an angel, like Mary the mother of Jesus... think about Laman and Lemual, they saw angels and it had no effect on them. Just goes to prove miracles don't convert, the Holy Ghost does!

Answer 7

It is hard for me as a mere mortal to say what is greatest and what is not. I cannot do that and would leave it up to God to continue to reveal His truth to the world as He sees fit. The First Vision did set the process of the literal Restoration of truth in motion. So the First Vision was very important. It also help clarify and establish the true nature of God and his relationship to His Son, the Savior Jesus Christ.
Finally, the First Vision also taught us the God knows us personally and knows us by name. he called Joseph Smith by name and conversed with Joseph as a person would converse with another.

Answer 8

It seems to me, that the answer will change based on where we are in our individual lives. Someone who is just discovering the LDS Church often sees the First Vision as a focal point, because it returned revelation and prophets to the earth. But as we mature in our testimonies and go through different trials in our lives, other things -- especially personal revelation whether through visions, promptings, inspiration, etc become a great part of our testimony and relationship with deity. Seeing an angel isn't always enough [prime example: laman & lemuel]. Faith comes in different colors, shapes, sizes & ways. One can have pure faith to the point of knowledge without visual proof. For instance, it's not necessary for me to see my Savior to know He lives and I wouldn't trade my other spiritual experiences for that visitation.

Answer 9

They have been informed that as quickly as they have been youthful babies and have not yet recovered. No distinctive from maximum non secular ideals. Their are no assessments. To grow to be a effective prophet, you'll be charismatic; or very persuasive; or have a powerful military at the back of you to squash the unbelievers.

Answer 10

The so called "first vision" is a lie, from the pit of hell. Joseph Smith has made Jesus out to be a liar, with this vision. The standard "first vision" the LDS church uses isn't even the original one.
http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/firstvisionjosephsmith1832.htm
http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/firstvision.htm

The LDS people have been deceived by Satan, and he used Joseph Smith to do it.