Solomon Chamberlain’s visions: conversion, three heavens, and his 1816 vision of a restored Apostolic church

Solomon Chamberlain recounted a series of visionary experiences and a spiritual conversion that he recorded in his autobiography (written at Beaver City, Utah, July 11, 1858). As a youth he lived wickedly until, about age 19, he had a terrifying vision of hell that led him to repent. He later had a vision of the three heavens, the third of which far exceeded the others in glory, and he prayed and searched among ministers for salvation. In answer he received a direct message from the Lord — “Solomon, thy sins are forgiven thee. Go in peace and sin no more” — and his heart “leaped for joy unspeakable.” Around 1816, when Chamberlain was about 28 years old and had a wife and three children, he was shown that the churches on the earth had become corrupt and that God would soon raise up a church after the Apostolic order with the same powers and gifts as in the days of Christ. He was also shown that “a book would come forth like unto the Bible” and that people would be guided by it as well as by the Bible, and he was told he would live to see this restoration. Chamberlain described the messenger in these revelations as “an angel or spirit from the eternal world.”