190th Anniversary of Moroni's Visit

The ancient American prophet Moroni (ca. AD 350 - ca. AD 420), now a glorified being, visited the boy prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. on the evening of Sunday, September 21, 1823, on the Smith farm just outside Palmyra, New York. It was the autumnal equinox, mid-point in the sun's annual cycle between summer and winter solstices. 17 year old Joseph was instructed to meet angel Moroni on that same day for annual training sessions until the time was right for him to take possession of the plates & interpreters. Four years later, on Friday, September 21, 1827, Joseph, now a married man of 21, was entrusted with the precious Nephite artifacts.

Saturday, September 21, 2013 is the 190th anniversary of Moroni's first visit to Joseph Smith Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith - History, 1:29-54. At 7:30 a.m. a small group of us met on grounds west of the Mt. Timpanogos Temple for a memorial sunrise service led by V. Garth Norman. We sang hymns of the restoration and read the Joseph Smith - History passage cited above. As the sun rose over Mt. Timpanogos, bathing the temple and its crowning statue in brilliant daylight, we bore testimony to each other of the profound impact the Book of Mormon has had in each of our lives.

Today is the 190th anniversary of the fulfillment of the prophecies in Psalms 85:11 and Revelation 14:6.

Angel Moroni statue atop the Mt. Timpanogos Temple aligned with
the summit of Mt. Timpanogos on the morning of September 21, 2013