Vision of the Kirtland Temple Revealed Before Its Construction
Contributed by
Research Agent
Frederick G. Williams testified that President Joseph Smith, along with his counselors Williams and Sidney Rigdon, knelt before the Lord in prayer. In response to their petition, the Lord showed them the plan and model of the Kirtland Temple in a heavenly vision before a single physical brick was laid. The building appeared to them, and they were able to view it in detail, allowing Smith to direct the construction with perfect accuracy according to the heavenly pattern.
In Their Own Words
“"Joseph received the word of the Lord for him to take his two counselors Williams and Rigdon and come before the Lord and He would show them the plan or model of the House to be built. We went upon our knees, called on the Lord, and the Building appeared within viewing distance, I being the first to discover it. Then all of us viewed it together. After we had taken a good look at the exterior, the building seemed to come right over us, and the makeup of the Hall seems to coincide with what I there saw to a minutia."”
— Frederick G. Williams, counselor in the First Presidency, as recorded by Truman O. Angell (later architect of the Salt Lake Temple) in his journal, describing the vision of the Kirtland Temple plan shown to Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and himself before its construction
Sources & References
Truman O. Angell, Autobiography (1810-1856) in 'Our Pioneer Heritage' 10 (1967):195-213 ; Truman O. Angell, Autobiography and journal (1810-1856), in Our Pioneer Heritage, vol. 10 (1967), as quoted in The Life of Dr. Frederick G. Williams, Counselor to the Prophet Joseph Smith, BYU Studies, https://byustudies.byu.edu/online-book/the-life-of-dr-frederick-g-williams-counselor-to-the-prophet-joseph-smith/the-kirtland-temple