The Vision (D&C 76): Vision of the Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial Kingdoms to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon

On February 16, 1832, at the home of John Johnson in Hiram, Ohio, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were working on the inspired translation of the New Testament when they were caught up together in a shared, extended vision that was later recorded as Doctrine and Covenants 76. The vision opened with a view of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, included an account of Satan’s fall and the fate of the sons of perdition, and gave sequential revelations of the celestial, terrestrial, and telestial kingdoms of glory. The experience lasted over an hour; contemporaneous recollections report Joseph and Sidney both testifying to the same sights (Joseph often asking, “What do I see?” and Sidney replying, “I see the same”). Philo Dibble, who was present along with approximately twelve other priesthood holders, recorded that he “saw the glory and felt the power” for part of the time though he did not see the vision in full. This event became known among early Latter-day Saints simply as “The Vision.”