190 years ago today - Feb 16, 1832

Section 76. Referring to the occasion, Dibble stated,.

Joseph would, at intervals, say: "What do I see?" Then he would relate what he had seen or what he was looking at. Then Sidney replied, "I see the same." Presently Sidney would say, "What do I see?" and would repeat what he had seen or was seeing, and Joseph would reply, "I see the same." This manner of conversation was repeated at short intervals to the end of the vision, and during the whole time not a word was spoken by any other person. Not a sound nor motion made by anyone but Joseph and Sidney, and it seemed to me that they never moved a joint or limb during the time I was there, which I think was over an hour, and to the end of the vision. Joseph sat firmly and calmly all the time in the midst of a magnificent glory, but Sidney sat limp and pale, apparently as limber as a rag, observing which Joseph remarked, smilingly, "Sidney is not used to it as I am.".

According to some of the early journals, this revelation was not well received by all members of the church because it conflicted with their previous notions of heaven and hell; much missionary work was required to keep unity among the Saints.

In February 1843, as a rejoinder to a poem written by William W. Phelps, Joseph Smith wrote a poetic version of section 76. This important writing, which clarified some passages in this revelation, was published in Nauvoo, Illinois, in February 1843.

[Cook, Lyndon, Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, http://amzn.to/RevelationsofJosephSmith]

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