The Truth about Visions of Glory, John Pontius and "Spencer"
This website was created by family of John Pontius to address rumors and innuendo and clarify truth about John Pontius and Visions of Glory. John's wife Terri Pontius takes responsibility for its content and all statements made are true to the best of her knowledge. It was published in November 2023. We can be reached at johnpontiusinfo@gmail.com.
No, he passed away December 10, 2012 from cancer in his home in Saratoga Springs, Utah, two weeks after the publication of Visions of Glory.
Since the book Visions of Glory was written, it has recently become widely publicized that the person called "Spencer" is Thom Harrison.
Thom is a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is a kind, unassuming and gentle person who loves the Savior Jesus Christ with all his heart and completely sustains and supports all levels of leadership of the Church. He has held many Church positions, including Bishop after the book Visions of Glory was released. As a now-retired therapist, his current calling is on the Church Missionary Committee in mental health evaluation for prospective missionaries.
Thom has reviewed this website before its publication.
The introduction of Visions of Glory explains the original intent to withhold his name:
“Spencer has asked that I not use his real name for several reasons. First, he sustains the living Prophet and his preeminent calling in revealing the word of God to the Church. These visions were given to Spencer to prepare him personally for what lay ahead in his own life.
“He has never considered that these visions of the future were for or about the latter-day Church. He is therefore reluctant to release these visions in such a way that they may appear to be an attempt to influence the Church in any way. This is simply not the case. Withholding his identity is an effective way of keeping these issues in their proper order.
“The second reason Spencer has asked that I not use his name is that he does not want to become the focal point of people’s questions or hope for answers. He doesn’t want to become anyone’s guru. He doesn’t want to give firesides, or do public speaking about his experiences.”
No. Terri Pontius clarified John Pontius’ standing in the preface to the book Angels of Fire, April 6, 2020:
“Because there have been unsubstantiated rumors and innuendos circulating in regard to John’s status with and support of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, I would like to set the record straight as to John’s love of the restored Church, his standing in it, and his full support for its leadership, both past and present.
“Throughout his entire life, John was completely faithful to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day, Saints, and a member in good standing. He wholeheartedly supported the Church’s positions, doctrines, and those in authority. All of his writings and lectures reflect this.
“In the book, Journey to the Veil, John wrote, “I am now and always will be a warrior in defense of the Latter-day Church. Not only is it true, but it works. It brings our lives the very blessings we are seeking… I think one of the missions of the UnBlog has been to say, over and over that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not broken. It is not somehow true but not functioning, or a kindergarten class one must enroll in, and then graduate from to go beyond. The voice of the UnBlog is that this Church is profoundly true, that it is operating as Jesus Christ directs, and that it will be the organization through which He finally authorizes and orchestrates the building of the Latter-day Zion.” (2013, ch. 11)
No. In fact, John Pontius’ stake president in Utah loved and ministered to John and spoke at his funeral in glowing words of John’s character and his personal love for him.
No. “Spencer” (Thom Harrison) is not and has never been a psychic medium and has never helped with investigations of any kind. Such rumors are completely false; please check reliable news sources.
The body camera of the police officer in Hawaii who served papers to Lori Vallow on vacation showed that she was reading the book Visions of Glory at that time. However, this fact was not addressed in her court proceedings. It is unknown if it was her first time reading the book.
However, using this occurrence to jump to the hasty conclusion that Visions of Glory caused Lori Vallow or (allegedly) Chad Daybell to act as they did invokes several assumptive logical fallacies, including False Dichotomy, False Cause, Hasty Generalization, and Post Hoc false arguments.
For example, as a member of the Church, Lori Vallow had presumably read the Bible, Book of Mormon, General Conference talks and other religious books. The Bible, for example, includes the story of Abraham attempting to sacrifice Isaac. By such logic, how much is the Bible to blame for crimes committed by its readers? In the end, each of us is responsible for our own actions.
No. “Spencer” (Thom Harrison) is not a spiritual leader or any other kind of guru to anyone, which is why he sought anonymity. This is especially true for people with beliefs outside the generally-accepted practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or of those who exhibit criminal behaviors.
From the introduction of Visions of Glory:
“He [Thom Harrison] has never considered that these visions of the future were for or about the latter-day Church. He is therefore reluctant to release these visions in such a way that they may appear to be an attempt to influence the Church in any way. This is simply not the case. Withholding his identity is an effective way of keeping these issues in their proper order."
“The second reason Spencer has asked that I not use his name is that he does not want to become the focal point of people’s questions or hope for answers. He doesn’t want to become anyone’s guru. He doesn’t want to give firesides, or do public speaking about his experiences.”
There was a claim made by four anonymous plaintiffs about Tim Ballard in the following court case:
Quote from the case on page 123:
“He also told me to read this book, it was called the Visions of Glory. Tim said that he had met with the man who wrote it before he had died. His name was Tom Harrison, and that Tom had told him lots of visions that he had had, that actually had Tim in them. He said that Tim would be a prophet of the LDS church one day, and that he would be the President of the United States.”
First, Thom Harrison did not die and is still alive. Second, the following are the actual notes of leaked private blessings that Thom Harrison gave to Tim Ballard, but neither say anything related to becoming a prophet of the Church or President of the United States (Exhibit O and N), which would likely have been recorded in these important private documents but were not. This accusation is completely against the nature of Thom Harrison to say such things. Anyone concerned about this accusation may read the following blessings given to Tim and decide for themselves.
https://www.reddit.com/r/mormon/comments/17nb8tt/tim_ballard_blessed_by_thom_harrison_august_5/
Any Near-Death Experience should not be used as a substitute for genuine gospel study, prayer, spiritual balance and counsel of Church leadership. Visions of Glory is just one person’s personal experience and should be considered as such.
BYU Professor Brent L. Top, who has studied NDEs for over 30 years wisely warned in The Near-Death Experience, Why Latter-day Saints Are So Interested published in October of 2020:
“The downside or potentially dangerous side effects [of NDE’s] may include distortion of or distraction from the word of God and sound doctrinal teachings, false feelings of spiritual security, and even apostasy. So, for Latter-day Saints, at least (and I assume for other Christians as well), interest in all things “beyond the grave” must also be tempered with some cautions and safeguards...
“While NDEs and similar accounts may be interesting and even inspiring to a certain extent, they must never become a substitute for the imperative study and application of the scriptures and prophetic counsel, which are essential to obtaining and maintaining saving faith. Accounts of spiritual encounters with the afterlife cannot change lives and build strength to serve God and resist temptation with the same power and certainty as the word of God.”
No. The book Visions of Glory has no mention of energy healing. All healing portrayed in the book is by the use of authorized priesthood blessings. “Spencer” (Thom Harrison) does not engage in or promote energy healing in any way.
No. This is a false rumor. Visions of Glory was not on such a list. However, Julie Rowe's book A Greater Tomorrow was placed on such a list called “Spurious materials in circulation” published Aug 31, 2015 by the Church for institute and seminary teachers.
Note that this actual PDF link from the Church recorded by the Internet Archive of lds.org only includes a warning about Julie Rowe’s book, not Visions of Glory.
Around the same time, in Sept 2015 the Church published Church Responds to Inquiries About Preparedness but does not name any specific book:
“The writings and speculations of individual Church members, some of which have gained currency recently, should be considered as personal accounts or positions that do not reflect Church doctrine.”
For more information, visit: https://kutv.com/news/local/lds-church-flags-members-book-about-latter-day-calamities-as-potential-misleading
John Dehlin is an excommunicated member of the Church and is the host of the Mormon Stories podcast. For many years he has used sensationalized disparagement to attempt to damage the reputation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its leaders and its members.
John Dehlin uses mockery, inaccurate assumptions, logical fallacies, and innuendo to suggest tying the horrific illegal actions of a few unbalanced people to John Pontius, “Spencer” (Thom Harrison), the book Visions of Glory, and other targeted individuals.
We encourage all responsible and thinking individuals to not attribute the criminal and immoral actions of a small number of people and see the majority of positive outcomes including increased hope, love and faith in the Savior by the vast majority of readers of Visions of Glory (See “Testimonials” in the site menu above and Amazon’s ranking of 4.5 of 5 stars from 3400+ reviews).
One can plainly observe the vast majority of readers understand the purpose of the book and keep it in proper context as just one man’s personal experience.
Yes. Please see the “Testimonials” website section above with many positive responses. The vast majority of the 3400+ Amazon written reviews are positive and rate 4.5 out of 5 stars. For example:
Daniel January 21, 2014
“I know at least two people who have read it [Visions of Glory] - one who is very well-rounded in the gospel - and well-read, the other may be one of those who may not have finished seminary or read the full Book of Mormon. The results for the first friend is that he suggested I read it - favorably. The other suggested I read it. The result for him was that he came back to church and brought his family with him. One of those things taught in the Book of Mormon is that you can judge something good if it brings someone to Christ and teaches that Jesus is the Son of God.
The result for my second friend was that it brought him back to church. That would seem to me then that it is a good book. You may want to read Acts 2:17-18 "17 And it shall come to pass in the last days [our day], saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy” (See reference).
Amazon review in March 2016 by "RealDeal":
"I think I gave this book 5 stars specifically not because I believe it perfectly lays out future events, but because his description of a vision he saw of future events leads me to be a much better, more Christlike, person. They were visions for him, not me. And God is rarely literal in visions. I gained a greater/stronger testimony of my Savior through this very entertaining, interesting and inspiring book."
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has provided this counsel on their website in September 2012, three months before Visions of Glory was published:
“If you have had an unusual or deeply personal spiritual experience, it is wise not to share it unless the Holy Ghost moves you to do so.” (From When is it not appropriate to share spiritual experiences?, official ChurchofJesusChrist.org website)
John Pontius strongly believed that the Lord directed him to share “Spencer’s” experiences in Visions of Glory, and he was obedient in doing so.
His wife, Terri Pontius relates the following:
“One day as my very sick husband was struggling to finish Visions of Glory for publication, I asked him why he was spending his final days doing this. I pointed out that his death was imminent, and he would never know if anyone even reads this book anyway. I pointed out that it discussed sacred experiences, and that some good people may be uncomfortable with this. He was thoughtful for a moment, then answered that both he and “Spencer” (Thom Harrison) had prayed fervently about publishing this book. He said he had been given the strong direction from the Lord to do so. He told me that this was the last earthly task the Lord had assigned him before he left this life, and he could not report back to God with a clear conscience unless he had been obedient. I knew that the most important thing in life to John was to be flawlessly obedient to the Spirit, so I never questioned him after that. John did meet his Maker just two weeks after Visions of Glory was published.”
No. John Pontius loved, supported and sustained the prophetic leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and retained his membership in the Church and an active temple recommend his entire life. He was a spiritually balanced person, humble and submissive in every calling and counsel from priesthood leaders. In all his writings and in private life, John completely supported the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the current apostolic and prophetic leadership of the Church. Here are a few of numerous supporting statements from John Pontius in his published writings:
“As a reality check, let us firmly note that the Holy Spirit does not speak in opposition to the seated mouthpiece of the Lord. We have three sources of truth for a reason. The living prophet, the scriptures, and the Holy Spirit always agree. If we obtain any prompting that is divergent with one of these other witnesses, then we should return to the Lord for further light and truth.” (Triumph of Zion, 2010, page 115)
“I want to say again that after years of study, seeking, research, prayer, fasting, and sacrifice, I do not find any valid reason to criticize this latter-day church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is fulfilling its latter-day calling in exactly the way Jesus Christ desires. Nothing more needs to be done. Nothing more needs to be taught. Nothing more needs to be revealed for the faithful to receive every promised blessing.” (Journey to the Veil II, 2022, page 79)
“Let me shout words that thunder in our hearts and then around the world: Nothing is amiss! The Church is not damaged or asleep. We have all we need; everything is before us. The doctrine is pure, and the promises are being poured out.” (Journey to the Veil II, 2022, page 90)
No. Denver Snuffer had published his own books in 2006 well before Visions of Glory in 2012. John Pontius actually tried to warn Denver in fall of 2012 to repent shortly before his excommunication, to which he refused. The following social media post published in April 2020 is Terri Pontius’ detailed witness of John Pontius’ personal warning to Denver Snuffer.
From the introduction of Visions of Glory, John states why and how the book came about when he asked:
(See also the answer to the above question "Is it wrong to share sacred experiences such as those described in Visions of Glory?")
“Spencer, it can’t be a coincidence that we met. The sequence of events that brought us together included… a thousand other aligning events.”
“I know it was not a coincidence,” he said softly…
“I must say then that the fact that I am an LDS author can’t be coincidental either. I want to propose that you ask Father if I might record these visions you are telling me. At least they should be written down and not lost forever, even if you only kept them and handed them down through your family. But I’m hoping Heavenly Father will eventually let us publish them for the benefit of the whole world. These things just seem too precious to be hidden in one person’s memories. I think the whole Christian world would rejoice to know these things.”
Spencer considered this with a questioning expression. He had told me that he had repeatedly been told to tell no one of these sacred things until the Lord told him it was time. He finally smiled and said, “I will ask Father most earnestly, and I will be very interested in His response.”
“We met in his office a week later…” and Spencer said, "I have petitioned the Lord, and He has given me permission to tell you my whole experience and to allow you to write certain parts of it down to be published.”
“It is not scripture and should not be considered as such. It is not prophetic for anyone but Spencer himself. It is simply an account of how the Lord has prepared one humble man, my friend Spencer, for his latter-day mission.”
“So, in writing this book, we say several times that it is not a prophecy for the Church. That it’s not an attempt to steady the ark. It is not scripture. It is not anything other than your [Spencer’s] experience, which you have given permission to put on paper for other people to feel the spirit of.”
The following are several who personally knew John Pontius and his humble, kind and loving character, and others who also knew “Spencer” (Thom Harrison) who is likewise a humble and deeply kind and unassuming person.
In addition, we invite you to listen to this interview between John Pontius and “Spencer” (Thom Harrison) and decide for yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC1rBlVn38s
From Lorii Hubbard, April 28, 2023
“John was a dear friend and institute teacher in the 90's. I went to his class when we lived in Wasilla, Alaska and loved it. He always supported the church and I personally witnessed him take counsel from the brethren with love and humility. I also personally witnessed, as Relief Society President, him serving others in a very quiet and loving way. Till we meet again John.” Comment from this social media post.
From Kevin B. December 12, 2012
“I was introduced to Brother John through a common friend he made in Alaska… Our meeting was one I won’t ever forget. John treated my wife and me like long acquaintances. He counseled with us, prayed with us, and we left uplifted, inspired, and set on the path to Zion… As gracious as he and Terri are, they still invited me in and I was able to hold his hand and say goodbye to my friend and mentor. I am still at awe at the spirit I felt in his home that night.
I’ve since read Spencer’s Journey [Visions of Glory] twice and feel the pull to Zion that is so common among the Unblog family. I’m finding many others here who are also on the same path.
Julie W. January 21, 2014
“I am concerned to read from fellow members of the Church some of the hateful comments I have read. I personally know John Pontius, and this name calling and attacking of such a wonderful man is totally without merit. If ever there was a more charitable and Christ like man, I would be hard pressed to personally know him. John loved the Savior. He followed his teachings to the very end. His depth of the scriptures was deep. He knew what he was writing, "Spencer's Account of what he experienced." I am acquainted with "Spencer". He also is a gentle giant. He is well educated, soft spoken and without guile. He has no reason to fabricate anything, he saw what he saw. I know the story behind this book. Many of you have misspoken. Leave it alone. If you don't agree with it, leave it alone. Don't crucify these men; they are and were faithful in their memberships, and in their personal lives. They are and were true disciples of Christ... We would all benefit by being as kind as these individuals are and were.” (Article comment)
Eric Nov 1, 2023:
‘I never had the blessing of knowing John Pontius in life, but have felt great spiritual insight and guidance from his writings and personal experiences which have blessed my life and helped me draw closer to the Savior.
I do personally know "Spencer"/Thom, and will say that he is one of the most humble, spiritual men I have ever met. His experiences (while his alone) have also greatly blessed my life. Whether his visions are literal, symbolic, allegorical, or a combination of all those things, they have served to open my mind to new possibilities, and increased my desire to draw closer to my Savior. I think the spiritual value of something can be attested to by the amount of vitriol and opposition to it from the adversary and his minions. The scriptures are full of such examples.
In the end, the spiritual fruit in my own life that has yielded by these good men and what they have shared is my personal testimony to their goodness.”
No. John Pontius clarified this in the introduction of Visions of Glory:
“It is not scripture and should not be considered as such. It is not prophetic for anyone but Spencer himself. It is simply an account of how the Lord has prepared one humble man, my friend Spencer, for his latter-day mission.”
“I do believe that Spencer saw what he saw. But I don’t believe it should always be interpreted as literal, or even prophetic, for anyone but Spencer himself. Anyone else who reads must interpret how or even if it applies to them.”
“Anyone who has studied the latter days, the second coming, or the building of Zion in scripture will quickly admit that it is hard to interpret, and most of it is given as a metaphor or type of things to come, rather than as specific and actual events to watch for. I wouldn’t expect Spencer‘s visions to be any different.”
John wrote in the afterword, “I don’t know what it should mean to you, or to anyone else who reads it. Spencer will readily admit that he doesn’t know what every part of it means to even him still. Some things that for years he has interpreted as being literal, have recently revealed themselves to be metaphorical, and the other way around. All he really knows is that for whatever reason, he saw what he saw, and the Lord has given him permission after all these years to share it with us.”
The vast majority of readers appreciate the book and properly understand it as just one man’s Near Death Experience (NDE) and not scripture. They recognize that it is not revelation for anyone but “Spencer” (Thom Harrison). Others feel it should not have been written, just as they seem to feel about many other NDE books that share similar spiritual experiences.
Most importantly, “Spencer” (Thom Harrison) asked and was permitted by God to publish parts of his experience. Likewise, everyone must ask God for themselves whether to read it or not, and to respond to it as they will. All are free to disregard the book.
In the introduction the author abundantly cautions:
“It is not scripture and should not be considered as such. It is not prophetic for anyone but Spencer himself. It is simply an account of how the Lord has prepared one humble man, my friend Spencer, for his latter-day mission.”
“I do believe that Spencer saw what he saw. But I don’t believe it should always be interpreted as literal, or even prophetic, for anyone but Spencer himself. Anyone else who reads must interpret how or even if it applies to them.”
Unfortunately, there are online reports of some who have unwisely chosen to ignore the book’s intent and warnings, and have taken it too seriously, literally, or overzealously. If accounts such as the following are true, we are deeply saddened by the choices of those people who did not understand the true intent of the book. This is one such report from an Internet search:
“Someone in my family took it [Visions of Glory] almost as gospel and even made a dramatic move to a different part of the country without any discussion with his wife about it and demanded she go along. It led to a rather horrible divorce. He was convinced that where they were currently living was a danger zone due to the book.” (2019, Reddit by “SuspenseSmith”).
Each must decide for themselves.
On this subject, the Prophet Joseph Smith stated, “All men know that they must die. And it is important that we should understand the reasons and causes of our exposure to the vicissitudes of life and of death, and the designs and purposes of God in our coming into the world, our sufferings here, and our departure hence. What is the object of our coming into existence, then dying and falling away, to be here no more? It is but reasonable to suppose that God would reveal something in reference to the matter, and it is a subject we ought to study more than any other. We ought to study it day and night, for the world is ignorant in reference to their true condition and relation. If we have any claim on our Heavenly Father for anything, it is for knowledge on this important subject” (History of the Church, 6:50, Oct 9, 1843).
BYU Professor Brent L. Top has studied and published extensively about near-death experiences for over 30 years. From this BYU published article, “The Near-Death Experience: Why Latter-day Saints Are So Interested” he stated:
“Why are Latter-day Saints so interested in near-death experiences? What does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bring to the discussion? In my estimation, the answers to these questions are found in our doctrine and history…
“Recognizing, as the Prophet taught, that Heavenly Father has revealed “much knowledge on this important subject,” the doctrinal teachings as found both in canonical revelations and authoritative sermons of Church leaders are rich with insights into life beyond the grave. This knowledge, Latter-day Saints believe, not only gives us a glimpse past the doorway of death into eternity but also yields important perspective into the purposes of life. Thus, the study of death and the afterlife is both faith affirming and life enriching.
“...Both our doctrine and history combine to create a fertile seedbed for our interest in near-death experiences and other accounts of what some may call “divine encounters” with life after death. Arguably, Latter-day Saints in the last several decades may have demonstrated more positive interest and acceptance of these things than adherents to Christian traditions.’”
In addition, BYU Professor Daniel C. Peterson published an article in Latter-day Saint Magazine on his interest in Near-death Experiences: “One of the most consistently interesting books that I’ve read on the subject of near-death experiences—and I’ve read quite a number of them—is Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences by Jeffrey Long, M.D., with Paul Perry.” (Evidence of the Afterlife, By Daniel C. Peterson quoted, October 30, 2022)
After quoting extensively from the referenced book on NDE research, Daniel C. Peterson then quoted the same statement from Joseph Smith as above (History of the Church, 6:50.)
John Pontius believed Visions of Glory to be accurate. He wrote, “None of this is fictional; all of it is as told to me by Spencer.” (Visions of Glory, page xix) That said, it is important to understand that the book Visions of Glory was very challenging for "Spencer" (Thom Harrison) to relate into words, and for John Pontius to organize and describe. Human error could have been unintentionally introduced.
Terri Pontius states: “As an observer throughout the year-long process of my husband writing and editing Visions of Glory, I can attest that John fully believed he had completed every edit that “Spencer” (Thom Harrison) requested of him. John’s commitment was that Visions of Glory would truthfully relate Thom’s experiences–as John states in his Foreword. However, there may have been subsequent edits that were unknown to John or to the publisher Cedar Fort after publication, and John’s passing two weeks later.”
From the Foreword: “All of them [“Spencer’s” experiences] are related here as Spencer told them to me in over fifty hours of interviews. Every vision and experience recorded herein is Spencer’s, but most of the language is a result of my effort to put into words what Spencer was describing for me in narrative form. I tried to preserve his choice of words and manner of speaking throughout. Spencer has never spoken most of these visions out loud and has kept them to himself and treasured them up in his heart, which meant he had to dig deeply to find words to describe things which have no analog in common mortal experience.” (Visions of Glory, page xi). See also Author's Note in Visions of Glory, page xxi for more information.
Thom Harrison stated in a letter written in 2014 that some edits he had electronically sent to John were somehow not included in the final version of Visions of Glory.
Until the time of John’s death, he believed that all of Thom’s edits had been included. So, it is unclear what occurred to this request for changes. Unchanged however, is the central message of the book which is to testify of Jesus Christ and his role as Savior and Redeemer and to increase faith and trust in Him in the days proceeding His glorious return.
No. There is no mention of an end-time “Davidic Servant” in the book Visions of Glory or other books by John Pontius.
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