Lorenzo Snow's revelation regarding the nature of God
Published October 13, 2026 at 4:29 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
In the spring of 1840, while living in Nauvoo, Illinois, and preparing for a mission to England, Lorenzo Snow visited the home of his friend Henry G. Sherwood. Seeking deeper scriptural understanding, Snow asked Sherwood to explain a passage of scripture. As he listened attentively to the explanation, the Spirit of the Lord rested upon him with great power. His understanding was opened, and he was granted a vision of the relationship and pathway between God and man. Snow described the experience as seeing the truth as clearly as the sun at noonday, with a sense of profound wonder and astonishment. Following this spiritual manifestation, he composed the famous couplet that would become the hallmark of his life's message: 'As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.' Feeling the sacred nature of this communication, Snow did not immediately teach the doctrine publicly, preferring to wait until he had received confirmation from the Prophet Joseph Smith, which he eventually sought and obtained in January 1843. This revelation remained a guiding star for the remainder of his life, providing him with a vision of his divine potential and the eternal destiny of all humanity.
In Their Own Words
“I was living in Nauvoo, and was preparing to start on my mission to England. I was at the house of a friend, Henry G. Sherwood, and was asking him some questions in relation to the scriptures. While attentively listening to his explanation, the Spirit of the Lord rested mightily upon me—the eyes of my understanding were opened, and I saw as clear as the sun at noonday, with wonder and astonishment, the pathway of God and man. I formed the following couplet which expresses the revelation, as it was shown me: 'As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.' I felt this to be a sacred communication, which I related to no one except my sister Eliza, until I should receive it from the Prophet Joseph, as I felt it would be wrong to publish what I had not received in the regular channel of the communication of the Spirit. I waited, however, but a short time, when I had the satisfaction of hearing the same doctrine from the Prophet Joseph, which confirmed the revelation I had received.”
— Lorenzo Snow, as quoted in Eliza R. Snow, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 7 November 1901 (Vol. 63, No. 45). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1901-11-07_63_45 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Additional sources (periodical research): Eliza R. Snow, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Company, 1884), 46-47. https://archive.org/details/biographyfamilyr00snowrich/page/46/mode/2up Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2011), 86-89. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-lorenzo-snow/chapter-5-the-grand-destiny-of-the-faithful Full first-person account: Eliza R. Snow, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Company, 1884), 46-47. https://archive.org/details/biographyfamilyr00snowrich/page/46/mode/2up
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