The Savior and Concourses of Angels Seen in Vision After the Ordination of the First Presidency (Kirtland, March 1833)
Published October 4, 2026 at 4:44 AM
Contributed by
Times and Seasons Research
On March 18, 1833, in Kirtland, Ohio, Joseph Smith convened a meeting of the School of the Prophets and ordained Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams to serve as members of the First Presidency, bestowing upon them the keys of the kingdom and the presidency of the high priesthood. Following these ordinations, the brethren received exhortations regarding faithfulness and obedience to God’s commandments. Joseph Smith provided instruction for the benefit of the Saints, promising that those who were pure in heart would be granted a heavenly vision. After a period of secret, silent prayer, the participants had the eyes of their understanding opened and witnessed a profound manifestation, including a vision of the Savior and concourses of angels. Following this spiritual experience, Joseph Smith distributed bread and wine as the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, an ordinance frequently administered in the school’s meetings. Accounts by participant Zebedee Coltrin provide further context regarding these events, noting that such meetings were held fasting in the morning and included intense spiritual manifestations; in later recollections, Coltrin described seeing the Savior and a vision of God the Father, who appeared surrounded by a brilliant, consuming flame of fire. Additionally, the minutes record that other participants experienced distinct visions, and it was noted that individual attendees kept personal records of what they saw during the manifestation.
In Their Own Words
“At one of these meetings after the organization of the school, (the school being organized on the 23rd of January, 1833) when we were all together, Joseph having given instructions, and while engaged in silent prayer, kneeling, with our hands uplifted each one praying in silence, no one whispered above his breath, a personage walked through the room and came to the window and then back again. It was the Savior. He was clothed in modern clothing, apparently of gray cloth. He walked across the room and we all saw him. He was dressed in a suit of clothes, and he walked across the room and back again. Another personage came through; he was surrounded as with a flame of fire, which was so brilliant that I could not discover anything else but his person. I experienced a sensation that it might destroy the tabernacle as it was of consuming fire of great brightness. The Prophet Joseph said this was the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I saw him.”
— Zebedee Coltrin, as recorded in 'The Father and the Son appear to members of The School of the Prophets'
Sources & References
Times and Seasons (Commerce, later Nauvoo, Illinois, November 1839–February 1846), 15 December 1844 (Vol. 5, No. 23). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1844-12-15_5_23 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Additional sources (periodical research): Minutes, 18 March 1833, in The Joseph Smith Papers, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/minutes-18-march-1833/2 Full first-person account: The Father and the Son appear to members of The School of the Prophets - Talking Scripture https://www.ldsscriptureteachings.org/2016/11/the-father-and-the-son-appear-to-members-of-the-school-of-the-prophets
Filed under
Related Miracles
More accounts involving Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Frederick G. Williams, plus similar miracle types and stories from the 1830s.
Miracle of the Week
One remarkable, documented account in your inbox every Monday, drawn from the full archive.