After Joseph Smith experienced the First Vision, he was surprised at the first response he received when he shared it with a minister. He states in his history: “Some few days after I had this vision, I happened to be in company with one of the Methodist preachers, who was very active in the before mentioned religious excitement; and, conversing with him on the subject of religion, I took occasion to give him an account of the vision which I had had. I was greatly surprised at his behavior; he treated my communication not only lightly, but with great contempt, saying it was all of the devil, that there were no such things as visions or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the apostles, and that there would never be any more of them.” A similar angry reaction towards a prophet after a heavenly visitation is seen early in The Book of Mormon, and exposes the ploy of first-response anger that Satan uses to shut down proselyting.
1 Nephi 1:20 And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.
LESSON LEARNED: A quick shutdown response with anger is Satan’s pitiful ploy to quelch the message of the restoration. We may, on occasion, be surprised by a similar reaction of enmity when sharing the gospel message with others.
FEEDBACK: HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED AN ANGRY RESPONSE TO THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL THAT WAS OUT OF PROPORTION WITH YOUR DISCUSSION?
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