Official source
Joseph Smith-History
Official Latter-day Saint scripture account of Joseph Smith’s first vision and early calling.
- Author
- Joseph Smith
- Publisher
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Tradition
- Latter-day Saint movement
- Accessed
- 2026-06-16
Citation
Joseph Smith-History 1, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, accessed June 16, 2026.
Where this source is used
- A great apostasy made restoration necessaryThe New Testament warns of apostasy but promises the gospel will endure, and the apostles' message was preached without a break from the first century on.
- Priesthood authority was restoredHebrews says Christ holds his Melchizedek priesthood forever, without successors, and the Aaronic priesthood was set aside, so access to God rests on him.
- The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus ChristAn inward witness cannot settle whether a book is scripture. The Bible's test is whether a message matches the apostles' gospel, even when an angel brings it.
- Public revelation and prophetic testsThe Torah and the apostles give public tests for anyone who claims to speak for God: agreement with earlier revelation, loyalty to the one God, and predictions that come true.
- The apostolic gospel is finalPaul and Jude describe the apostles' message as a trust to guard. So any later revelation can be tested by one question: does it preach the same gospel?