Description

The Manti Pageant

Manti, Utah, about 40 years ago. I had never seen anything like it. I was totally unprepared and knew nothing of what was coming. When the angel Moroni appeared in brilliant glory atop the tower of the Manti Temple at the climax of the Manti Pageant I sat breathless and speechless. A feeling of genuine awe and inspiration came over me. It was one of the most powerful spiritual experiences I had known in my life to that point. It was as real to me as if the angel was indeed there. 

I was just a young man, still in college, and a new convert to Mormonism. More accurately, I was new to Christianity. Not long before I had not known nor seriously considered the Lord Jesus Christ. I had so much to learn. So much love to gain. I was just a spiritual child. A group of friends had invited me to go with them to the pageant. They were so excited. I volunteered to drive from our home in Idaho. It was a most enjoyable journey.

I remember walking about the temple grounds before the production started marveling at the beauty and sensing, though not comprehending, a hallowed reverent feeling. I shot numerous pictures and tried to take it all in. Then suddenly, a voice came over the massive speakers. That voice was unlike anything I had ever heard before. It was deep, resonant, and seemed to penetrate me. If any voice, before or since, ever came close to the voice of God himself it was that one. 

As the pageant progressed, I was drawn into the story. There was no doubt in my mind that what I was being told was true. I had been reading the Book of Mormon faithfully, but now what I had known in my heart I was seeing before my very eyes. My witness of the truth was strengthened and affirmed. It was good. It was powerful. It was from God, and when Moroni appeared, it had a deep and profound impact on me—one that I never forgot. 

The Lord Jesus Christ is coming. We have been studying and preparing all our lives for His return in wondrous glory. It is my conviction that after all that we have read and think we know, when He comes again, it will be so much more grand and awe-inspiring than we can possibly comprehend. My experience at the Manti Pageant was but a taste—a type and shadow of things to come.