Below you will find Prince’s research excerpts titled, “Temples, 1855.” You can view other years here.
Search the content below for specific dates, names, and keywords using the keyboard shortcut Command + F on a Mac or Control + F on Windows.
TEMPLES, 1855.
1855: 4 Feb.: When an endowed woman marries outside Church.
“If [I] want to court a man’s daughter it is my duty first to ask the father’s consent, when I get his permission I have to come and court her.
Well I will make a few remarks to the brethren in the
priesthood upon the subject. For there is no greater responsibility than those out of the kingdom, they have to get the consent of parents and the woman, but have first to get leave from the man who holds the keys of the priesthood then of the father and mother before you can take a young woman to wife. If a woman comes to you and makes a proposal, say I have no authority to accept of your proposition but I will go and ask the person who hol[d]s the keys first and then I can tell you what I will do. And when a woman in this Church marries a man out of it, a woman that has received her endowments she violates her covenant. Do you know that? I want to to [sic] tell you of it. Although I had no idea of speaking upon these subjects but I am very glad that I have, are not you? (Congregation responded yes.)” (Remarks by Heber C. Kimball; LDS Archives, Ms d 627, Box 3; Tabernacle, Sunday Morning, 4 Feb., 1855)
18 Mar.: The Endowment in Solomon’s Temple.
“In taking a passing glance of this subject, we find the same attempt was made in the days of Solomon, the wise king of Israel. The Lord undertook to prepare a place, a house wherein He could reveal unto His people the law of exaltation. He made the attempt, but before that house could be completed, one of the very men through whom the ordinances of exaltation were to be revealed must be put to death by the cruel treachery of wicked men, stirred up by the adversary, which frusted the design. [Did this come out of Masonry?] The keys of the Priesthood consequently had to be kept a secret, and years after, the Prophets were lamenting, mourning, complaining, and finding fault with the people because the Lord could never be permitted to reveal the fulness of His will to the children of men. Micah, after reflecting how often the Lord had attempted to reveal His law, and as his eye by the spirit of prophecy glanced down through the vista of time to the last days, exclaims in a transport of joy, ‘But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.'” (George A. Smith, 18 Mar., 1855; JD 2:212)
18 Mar.: The gathering for the purpose of temple work.
“Among the first principles that were revealed to the children of men in the last days was the gathering; the first revelations that were given to the Church were to command them to gather, and send Elders to seek out a place for the gathering of the Saints. What is the gathering for? Why was it that the Savior wished the children of Israel to gather together? It was that they might become united and provide a place wherein he could reveal unto them keys which have been hid from before the foundation of the world; that he could unfold unto them the laws of exaltation, and make them a kingdom of Priests, even the whole people, and exalt them to thrones and dominions in the celestial world.
For this purpose, in 1833, the Saints commenced to build a Temple in Kirtland, the cost of which was not less than one hundred thousand dollars.” (George A. Smith, 18 Mar., 1855; JD 2:212)
18 Mar.: Concerning the Law of Sealing.
“Now if the Lord had considered it wisdom, on the day of the Kirtland endowment and great solemn assembly, to come forward and reveal to the children of men the facts that are laid down plainly in the Bible, and had told them that, without the law of sealing, no man could be exalted to a throne in the celestial kingdom, that is, without he had a woman by his side; and that no woman could be exalted in the celestial world, without she was exalted with a man at her head; that the man is not without the woman, nor the woman without the man in the Lord; had He revealed this simple sentiment, up would have jumped some man, saying, ‘What! got to have a woman sealed to me in order to be saved, in order to be exalted to thrones, dominions, and eternal increase?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘I do not believe a word of it, I cannot stand that, for I never intended to get married, I do not believe in any of this nonsense.’ At the same time, perhaps somebody else might have had faith to receive it. Again up jumps somebody else, ‘Brother Joseph, I have had two wives in my lifetime, cannot I have them both in eternity?’ ‘No.’ If he had said yes, perhaps we should all have apostatized at once.
Now I will illustrate this still further. The Lord did actually reveal one principle to us there, and that one principle was apparently so simple, and so foolish in their eyes, that a great many apostatized over it, because it was so contrary to their notions and views. It was this, after the people had fasted all day, they sent out and got wine and bread, and blessed them, and distritubed them to the multitude, that is, to the whole assembly of the brethren, and they ate and drank, and prophesied, and bore testimony, and continued to do so until some of the High Council of Missouri stepped into the stand, and, as righteous Noah did when he awoke from his wine, commenced to curse their enemies. You never felt such a shock go through any house or company in the world as went through that. There was almost a rebellion because men would get up and curse their enemies; although they could remember well that it is written that Noah cursed his own grandson, and that God recognized that curse to such an extent that, at this day, millions of his posterity are consigned to perpetual servitude. . . .
The men who were in his bosom, shared his confidence, and professed to be his warmest and best friends, were the men to treacherously shed his blood.
Why? Because he had revealed one additional principle of the law of redemption, that is, that the man is not without the woman, nor the woman without the man, in the Lord; that if a man went to the eternal world without obeying the law of sealing, he would remain forever alone, forever a servant, and could never have any increase; that if a woman entered the celestial world without having complied with the law of sealing, as intrusted by the Savior to his Apostles, she would remain for ever alone, and without any increase; and if either man or woman should reject the principles of that law, they would forever lament and mourn that they might have been exalted to an eternal increse, and an everlasting dominion, but they would not have it.” (George A. Smith, 18 Mar., 1855; JD 2:216-218)
18 Mar.: God is determined to make us kings and priests.
“We are here, and the Lord is determined, if He can accomplish it, if we will let Him, to reveal unto us the laws of exaltation. He is determined to make this people ‘Kings and Priests unto God and his Father;’ to give them the keys of exaltation for the redemption of themselves, and of all their dead back to the time when the covenant was broken.” (George A. Smith, 18 Mar., 1855; JD 2:219)
18 Mar.: The stepwise revelation of the endowment.
“We progressed in this way while we were building the Kirtland Temple. The saints had a great many traditions which they had borrowed from their fathers, and laid the foundations, and built that Temple with great toil and suffering, compared with what we have now to endure. They got that building so far finished as to be dedicated; this was what the Lord wanted, he wished them to provide a place wherein he could reveal to the children of men those principles that will exalt them to eternal glory, and make them saviors on Mount Zion. Four hundred and sixteen elders, priests, teachers, and deacons met in the Kirtland Temple, on the evening of its dedication. I can see faces here that were in that assembly. The Lord poured his spirit upon us, and gave us some little idea of the law of anointing, and conferred upon us some blessings. He taught us how to shout hosannah; gave Joseph the ikeys of the gathering together of Israel, and revealed to us, what? Why the fact of it was he dare not yet trust us with the first key of the priesthood. He told us to wash ourselves, and that almost made the women mad, and they said, as they were not admitted into the Temple while this washing was being performed, that some mischief was going on, and some of them were right huffy about it.
We were instructed to wash each other’s feet, as an evidence that we had borne testimony of the truth of the gospel to the world. We were taught to anoint each other’s head with oil in the name of the Lord, as an ordinance of anointing. All these things were to be done in their time, place, and season. All this was plain and simple, yet some apostatized because there was not more of it, and others because there was too much.
On the evening after the dedication of the Temple, hundreds of the brethren received the ministering of angels, saw the light and personages of angels, and bore testimony of it. They spake in new tongues, and had a greater manifestation of the power of God than that described by Luke on the day of Pentecost. Yet a great portion of the persons who saw these manifestations, in a few years, and some of them in a few weeks, apostatized. If the Lord had on that occasion revealed one single sentiment more, or went one step further to reveal more fully the law of redemption, I believe he would have upset the whole of us. The fact was, he dare not, on that very account, reveal to us a single principle further than he had done, for he had tried, over and over again, to do it. He tried at Jerusalem; he tried away back before the flood; he tried in the days of Moses; and he had tried, from time to time, to find a people to whom he could reveal the law of salvation, and he never could fully accomplish it; and he was determined this time to be so careful, and advance the idea so slowly, to communicate them to the children of men with such great caution that, at all hazards, a few of them might be able to understand and obey. For says the Lord, ‘my ways are not as your ways, nor my thoughts as your thoughts; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’
For instance, you tell a man he must be baptized for the remission of his sins; then the query arises, ‘what use is it to dip a man in water?’ You tell a man he should repent of his sins, cease to do evil, and learn to do well, and the answer is, ‘well, and what is the reason of all that!’ Tell him that he should receive the imposition of hands on his head for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and he will feel some as the old woman did where I was preaching and baptizing in England. An old lady came to be baptized, we accordingly baptized her. When the time came to attend to the ordinance of confirmationk, I began to confirm the company of new disciples. I had noticed that she lacked soap and water, things that evidently were scarce about her house. When I came up to lay my hands upon her, says she, ‘don’t you lay your filthy paws upon my head.’ The fact of it was, she had received all the law of redemption she could receive, and the law of laying on of hands looked so foolish to her that she would not have anything to do with it.
This serves to illustrate the saying that our ways are not as the ways of the Lord, nor our thoughts as His; neither do the plans which the Lord has devised for the good of man correspond with theplans and views which men devise for their own good. Now if the Lord had considered it wisdom, on the day of the Kirtland endowment and great solemn assembly, to come forward and reveal to the children of men the facts that are laid down plainly in the Bible, and had have [sic] told them that without the law of sealing no man could be exalted to a throne in the celestial kingdom, that is, without he had a woman by his side; and that no woman could be exalted in the celestial world without she was exalted with a man at her head; that the man is not without the woman, nor the woman without the man in the Lord; had he revealed this simple sentiment, up would have jumped some man saying, ‘what! got to have a woman sealed to me in order to be saved, in order to be exalted to thrones, dominions, and eternal increase?’ Yes. ‘I do not believe a word of it, I cannot stand that, for I never intended to get married, I do not believe in any of this nonsense.’ At the same time, perhaps somebody else might have had faith to receive it. Again up jumps somebody else, ‘br. Joseph I have had two wives in my lifetime, cannot I have them both in eternity?’ ‘No.’ If he had said yes, perhaps we should have apostatized at once.
Now I will illustrate this still further. The Lord did actually reveal one principle to us there, and that one principle was apparently so simple, and so foolish in their eyes, that a great many apostatized over it, because it was so contrary to their notions, and views. It was this, after the people had fasted all day, they sent out and got wine and bread, and blessed them, and distributed them to the multitude, that is, to the whole assembly of the brethren, and they ate and drank, and prophesied, and bore testimony, and continued so to do until some of the High Council of Missouri stepped into the stand, and, as righteous Noah did when he awoke from his wine, commenced to curse their enemies. You never felt such a shock go through any house, or company, in the world as went through that. There was almost a rebellion because men would get up and curse their enemies; although they could remember well that it is written that Noah cursed his own grandson, and that God recognized that curse to such an extent that, at this day, millions of his posterity are consigned to perpetual servitude.
Many men are foolish enough to think that they can thwart the power of God, and can liberate the sons of Ham from that curse before its time has expired. Some of the brethren thought it was best to apostatize, because the spirit of cursing was with men who had been driven from Missouri by mob violence. Yet, every word that they prophesied has been fulfilled. They prophesied that the bones of many of those murderers should bleach on the prairie, and that birds shoulid pick out their eyes, and beasts devour their flesh. Men who have traversed the plains of Mexico, California, Neberaska [sic], and Kansas, have often seen the fulfillment of that prophecy in the most marvelous manner. We have seen their names upon trees, on the heads of old trunks, and bits of boards; the names of men that I knew, and I knew just as well, in the Kirtland Temple, what would be their fate, as I know now. But that tried us, some of us were awfully tried about it. The Lord dared not then reveal anything more; he had given us all we could swallow; and persecution raged around us to such an extent that we were obliged to forsake our beautiful Temple, and flee into the State of Missouri.
He there put us into another sieve, and sifted us good, and we were then driven from the State of Missouri, leaving the Prophet and a good many of his brethren in prison. We thus passed on from the year 1837 until the year 1843, when the Lord concluded that the people who had been gathered, since the scattering from Missouri, had been made acquainted with the principles of his kingdom so long, that they must have become strong enough for him to reveal one sentiment more.
Whereupon, the Prophet goes up on the stand, and, after preaching about every thing else he could think of in the world, at last hints at the idea of the law of redemption, makes a bare hint at the law of sealing, and it produced such a tremendous excitement that, as soon as he had got his dinner half eaten, he had to go back to the stand, and unpreach all that he had preached, and left the people to guess at the matter. While he was thus preaching he turned to the men sitting in the stand, and who were the men who should have backed him up, for instance, to our good old President Marks, William and Wilson Law, and Father Cowles, and a number of other individuals about Nauvoo, for this occurred when the Twelve were in the Eastern portions of the United States, and said, ‘if I were to reveal the things that God has revealed to me if I were to reveal to this people the doctrines that I know are for their exaltation, these men would spill my blood.’ This shows the improvement that had been, the advancement that had been made, and the light that had been attained. He also said, that there were men and women in that congregation who imagined themselves almost perfect, and who would oppose and reject the principles of exaltation, and would never fully realize their mistake until the morning of the resurrection. I was not there, and did not hear the discourse; but persons were there who could write two or three words of a sentence, and I profess to be good enough at guessing, to tell what the balance was.
In tracing the history of this Church through the records I make myself acquainted with circumstances, and I cannot but see illustrated before the eyes of the whole people the fatherly care that God had to take in revealing to this people the law of exaltation. Finally he revealed so much of it that William Law, one of the First Presidency, and one of the most sanctimonious men in Israel, got alarmed for fear that Joseph was going to kill him, and he called the whole of the Police before the City Council, and had them all sworn, and cross examined, to find out if Joseph had instructed any of them to kill him. I told some of the boys, at that time, that he knew he had dome something, that he ought to die for, or he would not be so afraid of his best friends. Joseph said to the Council and Police, ‘I might live, as Caesar might have lived, were it not for a right hand Brutus;’ and the illustration of that saying is most clearly shown by William Law’s operations in bringing about the murder of the Prophet. The men who were in his bosom, shared his confidence, and professed to be his warmest and best friends, were the men to treacherously shed his blood.
Why? Because he had revealed one additional principle of the law of redemption, that is, that ‘the man is not without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord;’ that if a man went to the eternal world without obeying the law of sealing, he would remain forever alone, forever a servant, and could never have any increase; that if a woman entered the celestial world without having complied with the law of sealing, as intrusted by the Savior to his Apostles, she would remain forever alone, and without any increase; and if either man or woman should reject the principles of that law, they would forever lament and mourn that they might have been exalted to an eternal increase, and an everlasting dominion, but they would not have it.
. . . .
After the death of the Prophet, the world and the devil thought that they had once more destroyed the attempt of the Almighty to reveal the law of exaltation, as only part of the work of rearing the Temple was then done. The news spread all over the United States that the Governor of Illinois had treacherously pledged the faith of the State for the safety of Joseph Smith, and also how honorably the Prophet had acted in every thing under these trying circumstances, being well aware that his death was intended, and the people were really shocked at such base treachery, but generally exclaimed, ‘how disgraceful! how disgraceful!! to murder him so treacherously!!! But on second thoughts, it is a good thing he is dead.’
By and bye the devil discovered that br. Joseph’s blood was not spilled before the Lord had said, ‘you have done enough, you may rest from your labors.’ He had conferred upon others the knowledge of the priesthood; and God raised up another man to be a Prophet unto Israel, to be a President, a Ruler, and Instructor. I once heard a person say, ‘O! I do wish br. Brigham was as good a man as Joseph was.’ Now let me tell you, brethren, that if br. Brigham was one particle better man than he is, he could not stay among us, he would have to leave us; he is just as good a man as we are at present worthy of having in our midst. The Lord in mercy to us has given us a great Prophet and a wise Ruler in Israel, that we may exert our powers, influence, and wisdom, under his direction, to prepare for the revelation of the law of exaltation which has been so long promised.
We went to work in Nauvoo and finished the Temple, and had no sooner got it done but we had to leave it to be burned by our enemies; and they then thought that if we were only drive into the wilderness, our sufferings would be so great in the desert that we should all perish, and that would be the end of the matter. . . .
Let me tell you, my friends, that the foundation of another Temple is laid, and the very moment the first stone was placed, that moment the devil began to rage again; and if this people will be united, they will be the identical people that will ‘learn the ways of the Lord,’ and the Lord will reveal unto them things that have been hid from before the foundation of the world. We find ourselves here, not by our own will but forced by our enemies, in the midst of the topes of the mountains, about a mile above the Christian world, surrounded by mountains whose tops are covered with perpetual snows; and we also find the fulfillment of the prophecy that may people of all nations are saying, ‘Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.’
We are here, and the Lord is determined if he can accomplish it, if we will let him, to reveal unto us the laws of exaltation. He is determined to make this people ‘Kings and Priests unto God and his Father;’ to give them the keys of exaltation for the redemption of themselves, and of all their dead back to the time when the covenant was broken. If this people will be submissive and iobedient to the laws and instructions of his Prophet and his Apostles, obey the teachings that are given unto them, and keep themselves pure, he will reveal unto them all those blessings; and will not say unto us as he said to Jerusalem ‘how oft would I have gathered you but you would not.’ If we will be submissive and listen to the revelations of the Most High, remembering that ‘his ways are not as our ways, and his thoughts as our thoughts, for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are his ways than our ways, and his thoughts than our thoughts;’ if we will remember this, and act upon it, we are in the way to obtain those keys of power, and profit by them; that is to say, we are right on the grand turnpike to exaltation.” (George A. Smith, 18 Mar., 1855; DN 5:26-27, 4 Apr., 1855)
7 Apr.: Transgression after sealing unto eternal life.
“In speaking of this, I will qualify my language by saying, that the Saint who has been sealed unto eternal life and falls into transgression and does not repent, but dies in his sin, will be afflicted and tormented after he leaves this vale of tears until the day of redemption; but having been sealed with the spirit of promise through the ordinances of the house of God, those things which have been sealed upon his head will be realized by him in the morning of the resurrection.” (Orson Pratt, 7 Apr., 1855; JD 2:260)
14 Apr.: Brigham holds the keys.
“The Prophet Brigham is the only channel of salvation to this generation, and he will continue to be until he is taken from the earth, and then he will stand at the head of all who succeed him. The following are a few of the important blessings which can only be obtained through his agency. No temple in which to administer the higher ordinances can be built except under his direction, because only in his mind is the plan of it perfected by the revelations of the Spirit. He now holds the keys of communication between the living and the dead, by which the door of salvation can be opened to the spirits in prison. It is only through him that men can receive that knowledge which can comprehend the past, present, and future. He alone on the earth holds the power by which the children can be united to the fathers, and the fathers to the children in the bonds of eternal union, that the righteous may be perfected in their generations. There is no other man on the earth who can give a man a wife, or a woman a husband, and seal upon them the powers and blessings of eternal increase. Brother Joseph conferred upon brother Brigham the keys and power of all these blessings, and he bestows them upon his brethren according to the dictates of the spirit of revelation which abides with him.” (Unsigned lead article [F. D. Richards, Editor], MS 17(15):226, 14 Apr., 1855)
5 May: Endowment House dedicated.
“Endowment House, Temple Block, May 5th, 1855.
Fine and frosty morning.
Five brethren and three sisters met to receive their endowments at 8 o’clock a.m.
At 10 a.m. the First Presidency, with Orson Pratt, Orson Hyde, Wilford Woodruff, Ezra T. Benson, Daniel H. Wells, Edwin D. Woolley, William W. Phelps, James W. Cummings and Samuel L. Sprague met and clothed in upper room for the purpose of dedicating the house.
At 1/4 to 11 o’clock Pres. Brigham Young called on Ezra T. Benson to open the meeting by prayer and after other ceremonies he called upon Heber C. Kimball to dedicate the house. This was done by first naming each room separate there, the material, each part separate from stone to lumber, from adobies to sand mortar, including every kind of metal from the foundation to the chimney tops.
The president remarked the house was clean and named it ‘The House of the Lord.’ Said the spirit of the Lord would be in it, for no one would be permitted to go into it to pollute it. Also said: ‘When the Temple is built, we will call that the Temple of our God.’ A quarter past 11 o’clock a.m. commenced washing and anointing at half past 11 a.m., Heber C. Kimball presiding, Jedediah M. Grant, Orson Pratt, Ezra T. Benson, William W. Phelps, James W. Cummings, Samuel L. Sprague, William C. Staines, and James Ure, Wliza Show and _____ Whitney attended to the ordinances, after which Heber C. Kimball lectured to the company and about fifteen brethren who were immediately going on missions.
The spirit of the Lord was made manifest in our midst; all testified to the truth of what had been said by raising their right hands and saying ‘I’. Jedediah M. Grant dismissed the meeting at a quarter past 5 p.m., when three couples were sealed in the sealing room.
The day was fine with a cool north west wind.
William C. Staines, clerk.”
(JH 5 May, 1855)
“I met with the Presidency & 12 in the House of the Lord built upon the Temple Block & we dedicated it before the Lord. Brother E. T. Benson opened by prayer & after the usual cerimonies H C Kimball proceded to dedicate the House by prayer. He named in his prayer evry room from top to bottom evry wall & material Adobies sand clay stone Lime from the foundation to the top. Prayed that the spirit of God might enter into it that it might be clean sweet & Holy & that no unclean thing might enter into it so that Holy men women God & Angels might visit it. President Young said he would name it the House of God and when the Temple is built He would call it the Temple of our God. After we closed several missionaries received their endowments.” (Wilford Woodruff diary, 5 May, 1855)
“I met with my Counselors Heber C. Kimball and Jedediah M. Grant, also Elders Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, Ezra T. Benson, Daniel H. Wells, Edwin D. Woolley, Wm. W. Phelps, J. W. Cummings, and Samuel L. Sprague, in the upper room of the Endowment House and dedicated the same to the Lord. Pres. Heber C. Kimball offered the dedication prayer.” (BYMH, 5 May, 1855)
“Endowment House, Temple Block, May 5th, 1855.
Fine and frosty morning.
Five brethren and three sisters met to receive their endowments at 8 o’clock a.m.
At 10 a.m. the First Presidency, with Orson Pratt, Orson Hyde, Wilford Woodruff, Ezra T. Benson, Daniel H. Wells, Edwin D. Woolley, William W. Phelps, James W. Cummings and Samuel L. Sprague met and clothed in upper room for the purpose of dedicating the house.
At 1/4 to 11 o’clock Pres. Brigham Young called on Ezra T. Benson to open the meeting by prayer and after other ceremonies he called upon Heber C. Kimball to dedicate the house. This was done by first naming each room separate there, the material, each part separate from stone to lumber, from adobes to sand mortar, including every kind of metal from the foundation to the chimney tops.
The President remarked the house was clean and named it ‘The House of the Lord.’ Said the spirit of the Lord would be in it, for no one would be permitted to go into it to pollute it. He also said: ‘When the temple is built, we will call that the Temple of our God.’ At quarter past 11 o’clock a.m. commenced washing and anointing at half past 11 a.m., Heber C. Kimball presiding, Jedediah M. Grant, Orson Pratt, Ezra T. Benson, William W. Phelps, James W. Cummings, Samuel L. Sprague, William C. Staines, James Ure, Eliza R. Snow and _____ Whitney attended to the ordinances, after which Heber C. Kimball lectured to the company and about fifteen brethren who were immediately going on missions.
The spirit of the Lord was made manifest in our midst; all testified to the truth of what had been said by raising their right hands and saying “I”. Jedediah M. Grant dismissed the meeting at a quarter past 5 p.m. when three couples were sealed in the sealing room.
The day was fine with a cool north west wind.
William C. Staines, clerk.” (Minutes of Endowment House Dedication, HDC [accession #?-see Bergera notes])
20 May: Sealings in Cedar City.
“A meeting was held in the school house at Cedar City commencing at 10 a.m. . . . Fifty couples were sealed by the President’s [Brigham] direction.” (JH 20 May, 1855)
21 May: Sealings in Parowan.
“Pres. Brigham Young and party left Cedar City at 9:30 a.m. and arrived at Parowan at 1 p.m. . . . Four couples were sealed.” (JH 21 May, 1855)
3 Jun.: Sealed up to the day of redemption.
“To have such a promise [of receiving eternal lives] so sealed upon our heads, which no power on earth, in heaven, or beneath the earth can take from us, to be sealed up to the day of redemption and have the promise of eternal lives, is the greatest gift of all. The people do not fully understand these things and have them not in full vision before their minds, if they did I will tell you, plainly and in honesty, that there is not a trial which the Saints are called to pass through that they would not realize and acknowledge to be their greatest blessing.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3:265-66; Remarks made in the Bowery, Provo, Utah, July 14, 1855, by Pres. Brigham Young.)
30 Jun.: Magnitude of SL Temple foundation.
“The following is an extract from a letter of President J. M. Grant’s to Elder George D. Grant, dated G. S. L. City, June 30– . . .
‘This season the work on the Temple and other public buildings has moved on much faster than heretofore. The foundation of the Temple has taken one-third more rock than it took for the entire Temple at Nauvoo.'”
(MS 17(40):632, 6 Oct., 1855)
30 Jun.: Concerning the degrees of glory.
“Jesus was lifted up by sinful man upon the cross; what for? That all mankind might be lifted up from the grave to be judged before God; not for Adam’s sins, but for their own personal sins; hence there is no person dwelling upon the face of the earth that is free from the original curse that came in consequence of the transgression of Adam.
If we had no sins of our own, we should ever remain after this universal redemption of our bodies, in the presence of God, but if we individually have committed sins, we shall be again cast out from the presence of God, unless we have complied with the great plan of salvation revealed by our Saviour.
The great question raised by many with regard to the extent of the atonement, is, Will all mankind be saved eternally in the presence of God, in the celestial kingdom, who have personally sinned? No; they will not. There is a certain class of mankind that will be saved in the fulness of celestial glory, and partake of all the blessings held forth by the plan of redemption. But this applies only to those who are faithful and obedient.
There are others who will partake of a portion of this redemption; but they will differ from the first, as much as the moon differs from that bright luminary of heaven–the Sun. Hence Paul, in speaking of the redemption of man, says, ‘there are bodies celestial, and bodies terrestrial, and the glory of the celestial is one and that of the terrestrial another,; and by the glory of the stars he represents a third class of beings. And again in order to show the difference existing in this third class, he says ‘as one star differeth from another star in glory, so also is the resurrection of the dead.’
Here, then, are three distinct classes of beings in the eternal world, all of whom partake of happiness, each to be rewarded according to their works: one is represented by the sun, another by the moon, and a third by the glory of the stars, that is, by the apparent glory of the stars, or as they appear to us, and not as they would appear to individuals who are in their immediate vicinity.
This third class, it appears, differ in glory while the others are alike. In this third class there is a difference according to their works. Some will shine forth like the brightest stars of the firmament; while others whose works have not been so honorable, will be like some of those stars that appear to the naked eye in the heavens much inferior.
Who are those individuals who will enter into the higher state of glory? I answer; they are the individuals who keep the law of God, who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, who repent and forsake their sins, who receive the ordinances of the gospel, who are baptized in the likeness of Christ’s death, who arise from the liquid elements in the likeness of his resurrection, who receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, who walk steadfastly in all the principles revealed for the salvation of man, and who continue faithful to the end.
These are the righteous who will be admitted into the highest glory. Their glory will be full; it will be like the glory of the Son of God; as the Apostle John has said, ‘Beloved, now are we the sons of God; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.’ Their bodies will come forth from the grave fashioned like unto his glorious body, and in every respect they will inherit the same glory that the Son inherits, and hence they are one as the Father and Son are one.
Now many religious societies are so uncharitable in their feelings, that they suppose that all who die, not having received the plan of salvation, will sink down in a night of endless darkness. I speak of a certain class of Christians; they suppose there will be only two places–heaven and hell; and that all those who do not enter into heaven will sink to hell, where they must remain eternally.
But these are not the views of the Latter Day or Former Day Saints. They believe that all will be judged according to their works. If they do not receive the fulness of the plan of salvation, yet, if they are among the honorable men of the earth, having dealt uprightly and honorably one with another, and have lived up to the light which they are in possession of, they will in due time be redeemed, and partake of a degree of glory; such will be exalted to all the happiness and greatness, wisdom and knowledge, light and intelligence which they are prepared for or capable of receiving. It is true, they may have to associate in the intermediate state with beings, and powers, and principles that will not be pleasant; for the spirit world is, in some respects, like the world we live in.
Beings that enter the spirit world find there classes and distinctions, and everyi variety of sentiment and feeling; there is just as much variety in the spirit world as in this; consequently, they have to grapple with those powers and influences that surround them. Spirits have their agency between death and the resurrection just as much as we have here. They are just as liable to be deceived in the spirit world as we are here. Those who are deceived may assist in deceiving others, for they have their classes, their theories, and their opinions. Almost everything that we see here is the same in the spirit world. They are mixed up with every variety and are as liable to be deluded there as here.
Although the righteous enter into a state of rest and peace, and enjoy happiness in a great degree; yet their happiness is not complete; they are not perfected in glory. It is only their spirits that are there, and they will have to mingle more or less with inferior minds, and different dispositions; but still they will enjoy a great degree of happiness, for their own consciousness of having done right imparts pleasure, consequently it is a state of rest, of peace, free from the imperfections of mortality; but to say that they will be free from all association with beings that are sinful and inferior to themselves we do not believe. It is true, they will go back to where Jesus is; they will have communion with him, and behold his face, but they will not always remain in one particular place or position, they will have their works to perform, as we have in this life.
If they are clothed with power and authority in this life they do not leave their priesthood when they leave this body; hence John heard them sing: ‘Thou art worthy to take the book and open the seals thereof, for thou hast redeemed us by thy blood, out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, and hast made us kings and priests unto God and we shall reign on the earth.’ We perceive that the priesthood does not die with their bodies; the kingly authority does not cease with the mortal bodies; it is an office that continues for ever, that continues in the spirit world, as well as after the resurrection. Those that receive their authority from heaven, will have to magnify it, and set a good example; and every person receiving an office in this priesthood and afterward dying will have to perform all the duties, and exercise the functions thereof in order that they may be useful to those spirits in an inferior state. If they hold the priesthood before the resurrection, do we suppose that they will sit down and have nothing to do? No: there will be other individuals that will not hold the priesthood, and that have not had the gospel, and they will be sent to them, to enlighten their minds and enable them, who will, to rise in the great scale of moral and intellectual excellence.
They will naturally have to mingle with all, as we do in this life; and this will be calculated to make it rather unpleasant; but they are willing to do this for the salvation of those who have died without the gospel. Jesus himself set the example and pattern for others. While his body lay in the silent tomb, his noble spirit was not idle, hence, Peter says, that Jesus, being ‘put to death in the flesh, was quickened by the spirit, by which also he went and preached to the spirits in prison that were sometime disobedient in the days of Noah,’ &c. Jesus entered the prison house of those persons who were destroyed in the mighty flood, and preached to them. Those antediluvian spirits had suffered in the prison some two thousand years, and upwards; they needed some information, and Jesus went to enlighten them.
Why were they shut up in prison? It was because they rejected some light in the days of Noah. It is true, that Noah and his three sons could not preach to all the world, but they had rejected some light, and they had to go to prison to atone for that sin.
It is not as some have supposed, that such characters have to go into a lake of fire and to welter there for ever and ever. These persons were destroyed by the flood; they were shut up in prison and confined there; and after a long period, light broke in upon them, and the prison doors were thrown open. Jesus came for that purpose, not only to benefit the living, but also the dead,–to open the prison doors, and break the chains of darkness. Jesus went and preached to the antediluvian spirits. What did he preach?–Did he preach, you must remain here to endless ages without hope of redemption? If this were the proclamation, what was the use of going to proclaim it? What would be the use of telling those beings that they were to remain in misery, and that there was no chance of escape? No use of proclaiming such news in the ears of any one. Peter tells us why he preached to them: he said, ‘For, for this cause was the gospel preached to them also that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, and live according to God in the spirit.’
This was the object, then, that they might have the same Gospel that men have in the flesh. If we acknowledge they had not the opportunity of receiving it in the flesh, they must have it in the spirit world, for in the great judgment day all men are to be judged by the same Gospel, and consequently, in order to judge them, it was necessary that they should hear the same Gospel that was preached upon the earth that they might have the privilege of entering into the presence of the Lord their God, or if they rejected it, be justly condemned.
Jesus has set us the pattern, he held the priesthood which was conferred by his Father, to redeem those spirits that they might come forth in the morning of the first resurrection and receive eternal life, and partake a portion of that glory of which I have spoken. If Jesus did this, may not his servants do it also, being blessed in this life with the same authority from heaven, and holding that authority after death? May not they be engaged in the same benevolent purposes? Yes they may.
These are our views, the views of the Latter Day Saints. And we believe that the spirits of the just will be sent on missions of mercy to those in prison who had not in this life the opportunity of obeying those principles that I have referred to.
Much might be said with regard to the future state of man between death and the resurrection. We might go on and contrast the difference between man in the flesh, and man in the spirit world.
There are many points of contrast, as well as of agreement, in these two states of existence.
But we have not time to take up and contrast the difference between disembodied spirits, and those that are in an embodied state.
By way of conclusion, we will say, that all men will come forth and take bodies, some celestial, some terrestrial, and telestial, to occupy degrees of glory and be rewarded according to their works, unless they have sinned against the Holy Ghost. There are certain sins that cannot be forgiven in this world nor in that which is to come; to say that such shall be forgiven, we are not authorized, but all others, after suffering for their evil deeds, will come forth from the grave to receive for their good works, those that have done evil, having suffered according to their evil deeds; and thus the justice and mercy of God will be displayed. All will partake of them according to the degree of light that has shone forth in their day.” (Orson Pratt, remarks at a memorial service for Judge Leonidas Shaver, 30 Jun., 1855; DN 5(17):133, 4 Jul., 1855)
8 Jul.: Brigham’s definition of endowment.
“Are you Saints still? If you are not, repent of your sins and do your first works. Has the Lord taught you how to consecrate yourselves to His service, build up His kingdom, and send forth the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth, that others may rejoice in the same Spirit that you have received, and enjoy the same things you enjoy? Yes, He has; and what more? A great deal more. He has taught you how to purify yourselves, and become holy, and be prepared to enter into His kingdom, how you can advance from one degree to another, and grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, until you are prepared to enter the celestial kingdom; how to pass every sentinel, watchman, and gate keeper.
Then go on and build the Temples of the Lord, that you may receive the endowments in store for you, and possess the keys of the eternal Priesthood, that you may receive every word, sign, and token, and be made acquainted with the laws of angels, and of the kingdom of our Father and our God, and know how to pass from one degree to another, and enter fully into the joy of your Lord. Latter-day Saints, do you live to this, do you seek after it with all your heart? You are aware that the Lord is able to reveal all this in one day, but you could not understand it. The Elders who have preached abroad, and the Sisters who have taught their neighbors at home, know by experience that this is true.” (Brigham Young, 8 Jul., 1855; JD 2:315)
14 Jul.: How we may become king of kings.
“Says one, ‘How will you explain this to me?’ We understand we are to be made kings and Priests unto God; now if I be made the king and lawgiver to my family, and if I have many sons, I shall become the father of many fathers, for they will have sons, and their sons will have sons, and so on, from generation to generation, and, in this way, I may become the father of many fathers, or the king of many kings. This will constitute every man a prince, king, lord, or whatever the Father sees fit to confer upon us.
In this way we can become King of kings, and Lord of lords, or Father of fathers, or Prince of princes, and this is the only course, for another man is not going to raise up a kingdom for you.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3:265-66; Remarks made in the Bowery, Provo, Utah, July 14, 1855, by Pres. Brigham Young.)
20 Jul.: Bro. Webb’s house unfit for prayer circle.
“Geo. A. Smith left Provo by stange and traveled to Payson, where he arrived at 11 a.m. and put up with Bs. Chas. B. Hancock. In the afternoon Bro. Smith visited the city walls and the mills and also a room in Bro. Pardon Webb’s house which was being fitted up for a prayer circle; but he told the brethren that the room would not answer for the purpose.” (JH 20 Jul., 1855)
21 Jul.: Levi Hancock’s house OK for prayer circle.
“[Payson] At 5 p.m. Bro. [G. A.] Smith met with the brethren at Provo in a prayer circle. The meeting lasted 2 1/2 hours. It was decided that Levi Hancock’s house at Payson, now in course of erection, should be built in such a manner that it would accommodate a prayer circle.” (JH 21 Jul., 1855)
22 Jul.: Johnson’s house dedicated for prayer circle.
“[Springville] At 5 p.m. Elder Geo. A. Smith met in counsel in the Upper room of Aaron Johnson’s house, dedicated the room and held a prayer circle.” (JH 22 Jul., 1855)
5 Aug.: Those who would be crowned as Gods.
“President Young thought none would inherit this earth when it became celestial & translated into the presence of God, but those who would be crowned as Gods & able to endure the fulness of the presence of God, except they might be permitted to take with them some servants for whom they would be held responsible. All others would have to inherit another kingdom, even that kingdom agreeing with the law which they had kept.” (Journal of Wilford Woodruff, August 5, 1855.)
15 Sep.: Labourers to preside over the dead.
“Of these brethren [5 elders who died on missions] it may be said with justice, ‘They fell martyrs to the Truth.’ For who is a martyr, if he is not who falls in the path of duty, worn out by his sufferings and labours? We will not attempt to, we cannot enter uopn a detail of their ministry and faithfulness. They are of ‘the dead that die in the Lord,’ ‘they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them.’ Here is a source of comfort to the Saints, prepared in the wisdom of our Father, the world little dream of. When the labours of our present ministry have worn down our feeble bodies, a provision is made that our works may follow and continue; so that when we take that little ‘step between us and death,’ our time may still be occupied in an extended field of usefulness, preparatory to the time when our spirits and bodies will resume their united labours.
In the grief of the affectionate wife and child, at parting with the husband and father in this life, how often do they forget the necessity of such a parting and its happy results to others. In the contemplation of his pilgrimage, for years perhaps, in a strange land, their tears shut out the vision of the thousands whose bands are loosed by his ministry, and their return with him to kill the fatted calf, and celebrate the birth-day of their liberation. So it is with those that die as these our brethren have died. Our traditioned or untutored minds, at the moment of their fall, can contemplate nothing but the dark gloom and stillness of the grave, or perchance only a faint ray of light and joy away, far away in an uncertain, undiscovered future. As the fond wife, clinging to the bosom of her husband at parting, repeats again and again, ‘Why must you go?’ with a similar propriety may we, and do we, ask, ‘Why do our brethren die?’ So strongly has the idea been stamped upon our minds from infancy that everything pertaining to religion is theoretical, that when the practical truths of the Gospel are brought to bear upon us actively, they come with a shock, more or less severe, in proportion to the tenacity with which we cling to our traditions.
In our just and lawful anxiety to build up the Kingdom of God upon the earth, if we do not forget that the destiny of our probation here is closely interwoven with that state of existence, between which and us there is but that ‘one step,’ we are apt to fall back into our old reveries, and consider that what we cannot see is but a theory, and can have no practical connexion with us or our movements. Years have passed away since the Lord, through His Prophet Joseph, revealed the principle of ‘baptism for the dead,’ and their salvation as immediately connected and interwoven with that of the living. To this end temples were commanded to be built, and one was at last dedicated and accepted, in which this ordinance was first performed in this dispensation. Yet ere this was consummated do we not remember how one faithful servant of God was called away after another, and finally the Prophet of God himself, to whom had been committed the Keys of the Dispensation of the fulness of times. In all these trying circumstances the wrath of man is made to praise God, by more immediately connecting our interests here with those behind the vail. The preaching of the Gospel to the spirits in prison is as much a ceremony, real, substantial, and regular in its order, as the preaching of the Gospel to men in the flesh; and as the Gospel must first be established on the earth, among the children of men, ere it is preached to those behind the vail, so is it necessary that those tho whom this mission is intrusted should receive the Gospel and the Priesthood here, before they can administer its consolations, in any degree, in the prison house. It was not until after he had established the plan of salvation upon the earth, that Jesus was permitted to visit the captive spirits, and prepare them for the reception of lives eternal through their friends on earth. So is it now. Joseph, still holding the power ‘to preach deliverance to the captives, and the opening of the prison doors to them that are bound,’ presides behind the vail, and acts contemporaneously and in concert with Brigham here. As the kingdom increases in magnitude and importance here, that branch of it that extends into the hidden prisons of the dead keeps pace, and demands labourers to preside over and direct its various interests. So may we expect that as preparations are being hurried on for the completion of another Temple, details will be made from the ranks of the faithful servants of God, to assist in the consummation of the great work of welding together the broken chains of many generations.
Saints! your brethren have gone to prosecute their missions in a more expansive field. Elders of Israel! your fellow-labourers have gone to prepare a work for you to consummate. Wives! your husbands have gone to bind up the broken-hearted who have bewailed their captivity in hopelessness for centuries. Children! your fathers have gone to search out your ancestors and trace back the long chain of your genealogy, which you are required to perpetuate upon the earth.
Weep for the hopeless, whose last consolations
Are past when their pulse first refuses to beat,
Exult for the dead who have honoured their stations:
Their bitter cup’s empty, their tasks now are sweet.”
(Editorial [F. D. Richards, Editor], MS 17(37):586-588, 15 Sep., 1855)
28 Sep.: Bought apron which was painted in Nauvoo.
“Friday the 28 I have bought a apron that was painted at Navous for two Dollars from Wm Cahoon.” (William Knox diary, 28 Sep., 1855; LC Collection)
30 Sep.: Endowment House open two days a week.
“The Endowment House has been opened twice a week for the last month, for the purposes for which it was built; it is now closed until after Conference.” (George A. Smith [SLC] to F. D. Richards [England], 30 Sep., 1855; MS 17(50):799, 15 Dec., 1855)
20 Oct.: Relationship of 2nd anointing & blood atonement.
“I wish you all to understand that if you are Baptized & receive the Holy Ghost & your Endowments & are sealed up unto Eternal life against all manner of sins & blasphemies except against the sin of the Holy Ghost that mercy cannot rob Justice that after all this if you Commit any sin you will have to answer for it & pay for it in this life & if the sin is great Enough you will have to be destroyed in the Flesh & if necessary be deliverd over to the buffitings of Satan untill the day of redemption & if your sins are not unto death you may then Come forth & be exhalted to glory Immortality & Eternal life. But it is a great deal better not to sin at all.” (Parley P. Pratt, in Wilford Woodruff diary, 20 Oct., 1855)
29 Oct.: Ongoing endowments in Endowment House.
“The endowment house in this city was dedicated on the 5th of May last, and received the name of the ‘House of the Lord.’ Since then endowments have been regularly given and are still continued, principally under the direction of President Heber C. Kimball.” (Thirteenth General Epistle of the Presidency of the Church, 29 Oct., 1855, MS 18(4):50, 26 Jan., 1856)
29 Oct.: Plans to build canal to haul stone for Temple.
“A large amount of stone has been laid in the Temple foundation, which has been finished ready for the basement story, but owing to want of stone, the work, since the 1st of August, has been and still is suspended. The teams engaged in hauling stone had to be turned away to range, in consequence of the feed’s failing in the vicinity of the quarry and city.
We hope to obviate the occurrence of a similar suspension in future, by availing ourselves of the Big Cottonwood Canal, which, it is expected, will be ready for operations by the 1st of May next, and uopn which we design bringing the granite stone for the further erection of the Temple.” (Thirteenth General Epistle of the Presidency of the Church, 29 Oct., 1855, MS 18(4):51, 26 Jan., 1856)
29 Oct.: Prepare young people for endowments and sealings
“During the General Confernce, just closed, the youngerly people were counselled to obtain their endowments and marry; hence we wish it understood that we are prepared to give the Saints their endowments in the House of the Lord, which has been built and dedicated expressly for that purpose; therefore, let parents, guardians, and Bishops take this matter properly in hand, and counsel freely with the young people, and prepare them to receive their endowments and sealings. Young men, take unto yourselves wives of the daughters of Zion, and come up and receive your endowments and sealings, that you may raise up a holy seed unto the God of Abraham, even a holy and royal Priesthood who shall be born legal heirs thereunto, having a right to the keys thereof, and to administer in all the ordinances pertaining to the House of the Lord. Cease your folly and become men of God; act wisely and righteously before Him, and His choice blessings will attend you.” (Thirteenth General Epistle of the Presidency of the Church, 29 Oct., 1855, MS 18(4):54-55, 26 Jan., 1856)
“We publish in this Number of the Star a rich intellectual feast for those who love to hear the news from the Saints in Utah, and the counsels of the First Presidency in Zion. The General Epistle is eculiarly full of consolation, instruction, and counsel to the Saints. . . .
A house has been built and consecrated to the Lord, wherein the faithfuil may receive a portion of the ordinances, keys, and powers of the Holy Priesthood. The invitation is, ‘Come up here, all you that are worthy, that we may seal upon you the blessings of the powers of the world to come. Come, you young men, and take to yourselves the daughters of Zion, and lay the foundation for eternal lives.’ The invitation is wafted to the Saints scattered in the midst of the nations, and the gentle whisperings of the Spirit of peace are ‘Come all ye faithful, who have stood firm in storms and in calms. By the power of faith break the bonds that fetter you; we are ready to welcome you home, and bestow upon you those blessings for which you have long hungered.’
While the Lord is blessing the Saints in Zion, the faithful poor in foreign lands have the consolation of knowing that they are not forgotten. While as much as possible a helping hand is stretched out to release them, the Saints at home are strugling to prepare places for their reception, and also a place where they may mend the broken links in their generations, and extend the great chain throughout the never ending future. If the scattered Saints are thus remembered now, will they ever be forgotten? No, though they may lay down their bones in their native lands, still striving to do the will of the Lord, their names will be had in remembrance before Him, and will not be forgotten when the keys of revelation shall unlock the doors, and the spirits in prison receive the power of eternal lives.” (Editorial [F. D. Richards, Editor], MS 18(4):57-58, 26 Jan., 1856)
9 Nov.: Signs & tokens renewed in Prayer Circle.
“This Neight I have attended My Prayer Sircele Meeting and had the prevlege of renewing tokings and signs of the everlesting Presthood.” (William Knox diary, 9 Nov., 1855; LC Collection)
14 Dec.: Mouth in prayer circle for first time.
“This neight I have attended my Praye Sircul and for the first time was the mouth piece to the Sircul I felt my weakness in coming so near to my Father in Heaven.” (William Knox diary, 14 Dec., 1855; LC Collection)
Relationship of Gods and men.
“Gods, angels and men, are all of one species, one race, one great family widely diffused among the planetary systems, as colonies, kingdoms, nations, &c.
The great distinguishing difference between one portion of this race and another, consists in the varied grades of intelligence and purity, and also in the variety of spheres occupied by each, in the series of progressive being.
An immortal man, possessing a perfect organization of spirit, flesh, and bones, and perfected in his attributes, in all the fulness of celestial glory, is called a God.
An immortal man, in progress of perfection, or quickened with a lesser degree of glory, is called an angel.
An immortal spirit of man, not united with a fleshly tabernacle, is called a spirit.
An immortal man, clothed with a mortal tabernacle, is called a man.
It may then consistently enough be said, that there are, in a subordinate sense, a plurality of Gods, or rather of the sons of God; although there is one Supreme Head, who is over all, and through all, and in all His sons, by the power of His Spirit.
Jesus Christ and his Father are two persons, in the same sense as John and Peter are two persons. Each of them has an organized, individual tabernacle, embodied in material form, and composed of material substance, in the likeness of man, and possessing every organ, limb, and physical part that man possesses.
There is no more mystery connected with their oneness, than there is in the oneness of Enoch and Elijah, or of Paul and Silas.
Their oneness consists of a oneness of spirit, intelligence, attributes, knowledge, or power.
If Enoch, Elijah, Abraham, Peter, Paul, and millions of others ever attain to the immortal life, and their fleshly tabernacles be quickened by a fulness of celestial life and light, intelligence and power, then it can be said of them, they are one, as the Father and Son are one.
It could then be said of each of them, in him dwells all the fulness of the powers and attributes of the Eternal God, or, in other words, he possesses endless life, together with all intelligence, knowledge, light, and power. He therefore has the same mind as all the others–is in communication and in perfect union with each and all of them.
All these are Gods, or sons of God–they are the Kings, Princes, Priests and Nobles of Eternity. But over them all there is a Presidency or Grand Head, who is the Father of all. And next unto him is Jesus Christ, the eldest born, and first heir of all the realms of light.
Every person knows, by reflection, that intelligence may be imparted without diminishing the store possessed by the giver. Therefore it follows, that millions of individual beings may each receive all the attributes of eternal life, and light, and power.
Again it follows, that in the use of this power, by consent and authority of the head, any one of these Gods may create, organize, people, govern, control, exalt, glorify and enjoy worlds on worlds, and the inhabitants thereof; or, in other words, each of them can find room in the infinitude of space, and unoccupied chaotic elements in the boundless storehouse of eternal riches, with which to erect for himself thrones, principalities, and powers, over which to reign in still increasing might, majesty and dominion, for ever and ever.” (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, 1855 ed., pp. 33-36)
“Third estate” is the spirit world.
“Having kept his second estate, and filled the measure of his responsibilities in the flesh, he passes the veil of death, and enters a third estate, or probationary sphere. This is called the world of spirits, and will be treated on more fully under its appropriate head. [Penrose: “and enters a world of spirits, which will be treated on more fully under its appropriate head.”]
Filling the measure of his responsibilities in the world of spirits, he passes, by means of the resurrection of the body, into his fourth estate, or sphere of human existence. In this sphere he finds himself [Penrose: “into his third estate, and finds himself”] clothed upon with an eternal body of flesh and bones, with every sense, and every organ, restored and adapted to their proper use.” (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, 1855 ed., p. 52)
Nature of the spirit world following death.
“The spirit world is not the heaven where Jesus Christ, his Father, and other beings dwell, who have, by resurrection or translation, ascended to eternal mansions, and been crowned and seated on thrones of power; but it is an intermediate state, a probation, a place of preparation, improvement, instruction, or education, where spirits are chastened and improved, and where, if found worthy, they may be taught a knowledge of the Gospel. In short, it is a place where the Gospel is preached, and where faith, repentance, hope and charity may be exercised; a place of waiting for the resurrection or redemption of the body; while, to those who deserve it, it is a place of punishment, a purgatory or hell, where spirits are buffetted till the day of redemption.
As to its location, it is here on the very planet where we were born; or, in other words, the earth and other planets of a like sphere, have their inward or spiritual spheres, as well as their outward, or temporal. The one is peopled by temporal tabernacles, and the other by spirits. A vail is drawn between the one sphere and the other, whereby all the objects in the spiritual sphere are rendered invisible to those in the temporal.
To discern beings or things in the spirit world, a person in the flesh must be quickened by spiritual element, the vail must be withdrawn, or the organs of sight, or of hearing, must be transformed, so as to be adapted to the spiritual sphere. This state is called vision, trance, second sight, clairvoyance, &c.” (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, 1855 ed., pp. 126-127)
Status of earth following the resurrection.
“There are three general resurrections revealed to man on the earth; one of these is past, and the other two are future.
The first general resurrection took place in connexion with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This included the Saints and Prophets of both hemispheres, from Adam down to John the Baptist; or, in other words, all those who died in Christ before his resurrection.
The second will take place in a few years from the present time, and will be immediately succeeded by the coming of Jesus Christ, in power and great glory, with all his Saints and Angels. This resurrection will include the Former and Latter-day Saints–all those who have received the Gospel since the former resurrection. [Penrose adds: “and is included in that which is called ‘the first resurrection.'”]
The third and last resurrection will take place more than a thousand years afterwards, and will embrace all the human family not included in the former resurrections or translations.
After man is raised from the dead he will be judged according to his works, and will receive the reward, and be consigned to the sphere, exactly corresponding to his former deeds, and the preparations or qualifications which he possesses.
In the former resurrection, those raised left the earth and ascended, or, were transplanted far on high, with the risen Jesus, to the glorified mansions of his Father, or to some planetary system already redeemed and glorified. The reasons for thus leaving the earth are obvious. Our planet was still in its rudimental state, and therefore subject to the rule of sin and death. It was necessary that it should continue thus, until the full time of redemption should arrive; it was, therefore, entirely unfitted for the residence of immortal man. [underlined deleted in Penrose]
But in the resurrection which now approaches, and in connexion with the glorious coming of Jesus Christ, the earth will undergo a change in its physical features, climate, soil, productions; and in its political, moral, and spiritual government.
It mountains will be levelled, its valleys exalted, its swamps and sickly places will be drained and become healthy, while its burning deserts, and its frigid polar regions, will be redeemed and become temperate and fruitful.
Kingcraft and priestcraft, tyranny, oppression and idolatry will be at an end, darkness and ignorance will pass away, war will cease, and the rule of sin, and sorrow, and death will give place to the reign of peace, and truth, and righteousness.
For this reason, and to fulfil certain promises made to the Fathers, the Former and Latter-day Saints included in the two resurrections, and all those translated, will then receive an inheritance on the earth, and will build upon and improve the same for a thousand years.
The heathen nations, also, will then be redeemed, and will be exalted to the privilege of serving the Saints of the Most High. They will be the ploughmen, the vine-dressers, the gardeners, builders, etc., But the Saints will be the owners of the soil, the proprietors of all real estate, and other precious things; and the kings, governors, and judges of the earth.
As the children of man multiply in those peaceful times, a careful and wise system of agriculture will be rapidly developed, and extended over the face of the whole earth; its entire surface will at length become like the garden of Eden, the trees of life being cultivated, and their fruits enjoyed.
Science, and the useful and ornamental arts, will also be greatly extended and cultivated. the fine toned instrument of many strings, the melodious organs of the human voice, will then be tuned to poetry and sentiments equally pure and refined, and will pour forth melodies and strains of holy joy, calculated to purify and melt every heart in love, and fill every soul with mutual sympathy and extasy of heavenly union.
Geographical knowledge, history, astronomy, mathematics and navigation, will be greatly extended and matured. Railroads and telegraphic lines of communication will be universally extended, and the powers of steam, or other means of locomotion brought to the highest state of perfection.
Thus all nations will be associated in one great brotherhood. A universal Theocracy will cement the whole body politic. One king will rule. One holy city will compose the capitol. One temple will be the centre of worship. In short, [underlined deleted in Penrose] there will be one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, and one Spirit.
One equable, just and useful commercial interest, founded on the necessity and convenience of mutual exchange of products, will also form another important bond of union.
Mineralogy will also be greatly improved, and its knowledge extended. Its hidden treasures will be developed, and gold, silver and the most precious and beautiful stones will be the building materials in most common use, and will compose the utensils and furniture of the habitations of man.
The earth and man thus restored and exalted, will not yet be perfect in the celestial sense of the word, but will be considered, in the light of eternity, as occupying an intermediate and still progressive position amid the varieties of nature.
The flesh, bones, sinews, nerves–all the organs–all the particles of the celestial body, must be quickened, filled, surrounded with that divine and holy element, which is purer, more intelligent, more refined and active, fuller of light and life, than any other substance in the universe.
Every organ must be restored, and adapted to its natural and perfect use in the celestial body.
The Greek Philosopher’s immortal mind,
Again with flesh and bones and nerve combined;
Immortal brain and heart–immortal whole,
Will make, as at the first, a living soul.
Man, thus adapted to all the enjoyments of life and love, will possess the means of gratifying his organs of sight, hearing, taste, &c., and will possess, improve and enjoy the riches of the eternal elements. The palace, the city, the garden, the vineyard, the fruits of the earth, the gold, the silver, the precious stones, the servants, the chariots, horses and horsemen are for his use; also thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, might, majesty, and an eternal increase of riches, honours, immortality and eternal life are his. He is, in a subordinate sense, a god; or, in other words, one of the sons of God. All things are his, and he is Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
Such is the great Millennium.
And such is celestial man, in his progress towards perfection.
Besides the peculiar glory of the celestial, there are in the resurrection and final reward of man, many subordinate spheres, many degrees of reward adapted to an almost infinite variety of circumstances, conditions, degrees of improvement, knowledge, accountability and conduct.
The final state of man, though varying in almost infinite gradations and rewards, adapted to his qualifications and deserts, and meted out in the scale of exact justice and mercy, may be conceived or expressed under three grand heads, or principal spheres, viz.–
First. The Telestial, or least heaven, typified by the stars in the firmament.
Secondly. The Terrestrial, or intermediate heaven, typified by the moon.
Thirdly. The Celestial, or third heaven, of which the sun of the firmament is typical.
The qualifications which fit and prepare intelligences, for these different spheres or rewards, are an all important consideration, and well worthy of the sincere attention of all people.
These several kingdoms or degrees, and their comparative happiness, and what characters are candidates for each degree, are revealed in a most concise, clear, lucid and beautiful manner, in one of the visions of our great Prophet and founder. We will therefore complete this chapter by the insertion of said VISION.
[Quotes D&C 76 in its entirety.]” (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, 1855 ed., pp. 132-138)