Doctrine and Covenants 81-83: Care of the Widows and Fatherless

DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 81

Section 81 is given to a counselor to the Prophet as to how to fulfill his duties. One counselor did not do this, and so another was called. Frederick G. Williams, who was a scribe to the prophet already, replaced Jesse Gause and did not ask for a new revelation but simply crossed out the name and inserted his own in the record. He understood the revelation was for the calling and not for an individual.

DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 82

Section 82 regards the United Firm. For details regarding the United Firm, please see Max H Parkin, "Joseph Smith and the United Firm: The Growth and Decline of the Church's First Master Plan of Business and Finance, Ohio and Missouri, 1832-1834," BYU Studies, Vol. 46, no. 3.

DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 83--CARE FOR THE WIDOWS AND CHILDREN

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord, in addition to the ^alaws of the church concerning women and children, those who belong to the church, who have ^blost their husbands or fathers:

2 ^aWomen have ^bclaim on their husbands for their maintenance, until their ^chusbands are taken; and if they are not found transgressors they shall have fellowship in the church.

3 And if they are not faithful they shall not have fellowship in the church; yet they may remain upon their inheritances according to the laws of the land.

4 All ^achildren have claim upon their ^bparents for their ^cmaintenance until they are of age.

5 And after that, they have ^aclaim upon the church, or in other words upon the Lord’s ^bstorehouse, if their parents have not wherewith to give them inheritances.

6 And the storehouse shall be kept by the consecrations of the church; and ^awidows and orphans shall be provided for, as also the ^bpoor. Amen.

This revelation was given in April 30, 1832. Little did the Prophet Joseph know that in 12 years his wife would be counted among the widows and his children among the fatherless. Who would take care of them? Spoiler alert: It wasn't the Church. (The Church, however, did take care of Lucy Mack Smith and financially assist Joseph's sisters for the rest of their lives. For details, click here.)

So what happened to Emma?

EMMA'S ESCAPE FROM NAUVOO

When Joseph Smith was killed in June of 1844, he left his wife Emma with four young children and a fifth on the way. The following year, mobs threatened the Saints with death if they did not leave Nauvoo and those who could did so in February of 1846 and throughout the spring. By summertime, only 150 members remained in Nauvoo, mostly the poor or widowed who did not have means to travel. Emma Smith and her family, including most of her in-laws, were in this group. They had no funds, and they had enormous debt. Which parts of the debt and which parts of the property belonged to Emma and which to the Church would not be resolved for over a decade. (See Church History Topics, "Emma Smith") 

This is one of those unpleasant episodes in Church history wherein problems were extremely complicated, personalities were necessarily strong, emotions were exceptionally high, trust was unfortunately low, and no one had a template to tell them how to best proceed. 

Battle of Nauvoo, by C.C.A. Christensen (ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

LEWIS BIDAMON'S ROLE IN NAUVOO

Lewis Crum Bidamon had moved to Nauvoo earlier that year to take advantage of the low prices on property being sold by the departing Saints. The place was still very dangerous, however, with mobs attacking citizens. He had petitioned the governor to protect the city, but to no avail. The governor said he was tired of the problems in Nauvoo. Bidamon tried negotiating with the camp of the mob soldiers on behalf of the women, children, sick, and elderly left behind by the Saints. He was told they would throw the women and their children in the Mississippi River and they tried to get him to join up. He was sickened by their heartless cruelty. 

On September 10, 1846, an army of 1,000 local mobsters attacked Nauvoo to drive out the stragglers in what is now called The Battle of Nauvoo. Emma, with her children, ran to the river where "she prevailed upon a friendly riverboat captain to stop at the landing in Nauvoo where she and her family boarded the Toby, to go north to Fulton, Illinois, for refuge.  They heard the first volley of shots as the Battle of Nauvoo began as they were leaving" (Gracia Jones, "In Memory of Major Lewis Crum Bidamon," JosephSmithJr.org, August 16, 2020). Bidamon was dismayed by the locals' treatment of the remaining Latter-day Saints and joined them in defending the city. For his bravery, he was afterwards known as "Major" Bidamon.

Newel K. Whitney, as presiding bishop of the Church, was organizing rescue parties from Winter Quarters to emigrate these indigent remainders two weeks before the battle occurred, but they had not yet reached the area. By the time they arrived, Emma Smith was already gone.

The following January, Bidamon wrote to Emma Smith, who was living in a boarding house with her children, to ask if he could rent the Nauvoo House. She wrote back that it was already rented. Shortly afterward, Bidamon became aware that the renter was planning to move out and steal all of Smith's property, so he wrote her again with this information. She reportedly said, "I have no friend but God and nowhere to go but home." She gathered her children and meager belongings and hurried back to Nauvoo, catching the thief in the act and saving her home and furnishings. She reopened the hotel in the almost-deserted Nauvoo. Emma had always had a good head for business and she knew this would be a sure way to both shelter and support her family.

Nauvoo Mansion House, late 19th Century

JosephSmithPapers.org

LEWIS [OR LOUIS] BIDAMON'S CARE FOR THE SMITH FAMILY

Emma Smith was only 39 years old when she became a widow. She was a beautiful and refined woman who had two suitors after she returned to Nauvoo. Bidamon was the one she chose to marry. The wedding curiously took place on Joseph's birthday, December 23, 1847. Perhaps she wanted a happy memory on that day to replace her deep sorrow. Perhaps it was just the most convenient day for all. Perhaps birthdays were not a big deal in that time. She seldom shared her inner thoughts with others or wrote them down, so we cannot know.

Emma's great-great-granddaughter, Gracia Jones, writes about the legal difficulties facing a single mother in 19th Century America: "Emma’s marriage displeased many of the Saints, particularly the men who had been placed as agents over the Church business in Nauvoo.  But, to some extent, her marriage alleviated some of the pressures.  One of the interesting aspects of the law at that time was that a widow had to petition the court for guardianship of her children.  She not only had to pay for the privilege, she had to account to the court yearly on what she spent to support a minor child." [Is this crazy or what? Women had so few legal rights.] 

"If a woman remarried, her children became wards of the step-father. With this marriage to Joseph’s widow, Lewis did not gain anything financially, but took upon himself the responsibility of being a father to her children, a role he seems never to have resented nor shirked.  They shouldered the burden of debt, court litigation, even the forced sale of the property, more than once.  During one of these troubled times, Lewis’ brother Christian Bidamon stepped forward to purchase the property and Emma was enabled to buy it back from him.  Visitors to Nauvoo today owe thanks to Major Lewis C. Bidamon for helping Emma preserve the Smith homes, which so many enjoy visiting..."

Shortly after the marriage, Bidamon set out to provide for his new family. He and his brother followed the prospectors to California to sell them goods, in an unsuccessful attempt to earn enough to pay off Joseph Smith's debts. During the year they were apart, Lewis and Emma wrote to each other.

Emma: "My dear Lewis, I have scarcely enjoyed any good thing since you left home, in consequence of the terrifying apprehension that you might be suffering for the most common comforts of life...Some think that I might be content, but I am not, neither can I be until you are within my grasp."

Lewis: "I do not like California. It affords no charms for me and especially in the absence of her and only her that can make me happy." (Joni Wilson, "Emma's Enduring Compassion," Nauvoo Journal, May 2013, 72).

PRESERVATION OF MANUSCRIPT

Years later, when Bidamon was building an addition onto the Mansion House, he uncovered the cornerstone in which the original manuscript for The Book of Mormon had been hidden by Joseph Smith. It was damaged by moisture and time, but what was still readable he divided among the various sects of Mormonism. It had no value to him, but he knew it had great value to believers. He gave a portion to Apostle Franklin D. Richards and it stayed in the Richards family until it was donated to the Church in 1946. It is now on display at the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City as well as online at JosephSmithPapers.org (Jones).

BIDAMON AS A FATHER

Although polar-opposite reports were written about the character and aspect of Major Bidamon, depending on the bias of the one doing the reporting, evidence is strong that he was a good man and a good stepfather to Emma's children. He was loved and honored by Emma's boys, who worked by his side in his shop and in the field and whose education he fostered. He had two teenaged daughters from a previous marriage whom Emma and her children welcomed into their home and life. They maintained a loving relationship throughout their lives. Joseph III wrote, "Our stepfather is as good as a stepfather can be. He loves us all as well as he does his own children" (Wilson, 73).

Major Bidamon (seated left) with his four stepsons: Frederick and David, standing; Alexander and Joseph III, seated. (JosephSmithJr.org)

Perhaps no report is as telling, however, as the kindness Lewis Bidamon extended to his wife's first husband's mother, Lucy. Three years into their marriage, Emma brought Lucy into the Mansion House to care for her. She had been previously living with her daughter Lucy and her husband, but they moved east and Emma agreed to take over. She and Emma had a close relationship and great admiration for each other. Emma and Lewis cared for Lucy for the last four years of her life (Wilson, 74).

BIDAMON AS A CITIZEN

Major Bidamon was what we might call a "character," attracting attention through his fun-loving attitude and his love of conversation. He served as a justice of the peace and an assistant constable.

"In his later years, Major Bidamon became a favorite with reporters passing through Nauvoo.  He was always good natured, cordial, full of jokes and entertaining stories.  He never allowed anyone in his hearing to get away with disparaging words about the Prophet Joseph Smith.  Though he was not religious and sometimes rather roughly irreligious, he defended the Mormon’s right to believe what they chose and did all he could to defend Nauvoo" (Jones). 

He knew that his wife believed Joseph Smith and he respected that. He was beloved by his children, and he adored his grandchildren as well as Emma's, who trailed after him as he worked about the place, and to whom he never spoke a harsh word.

At his death, Bidamon's obituary stated, "Deceased was probably best known in the city, he became widely known to the general public, as the husband of Joseph Smith’s widow and the visits of all noted people, newspaper corrospondence, authors, etc., was never complete without paying a visit to the Major and the old mansion house; and all writer’s account of Nauvoo invariably gave an elaborate write up of him.  He was good natured, humorous and a jocular character and he scarely let a visitor go without first telling him of his “red hat” and “dark closet” jokes – Jokes that have become famous" (JosephSmithJr.org). (Makes you want to know those jokes, doesn't it?)

Bidamon was buried beside Emma, Joseph, and Hyrum Smith, in a grave that was unmarked until 2016. 

EMMA'S CARE FOR WIDOWS AND CHILDREN

Emma Smith Bidamon was widely known for her kindness in taking care of outcasts and orphans. Sometime I'd like to compose a list of them; there are so many. She did not descriminate by race, either, taking the entire family of Jane Manning James into her home while Joseph was still alive, and keeping Jane on after all the others found new situations. But of all the acts of compassion which Emma performed in her life, the most stunning involved Nancy Abercrombie. 

Lewis Bidamon had an extra-marital affair with Nancy which resulted in the birth of a son, Charles Edward, in 1864. (One source says he was called "Charlie," another "Eddie." I'm going with Eddie.) Eddie's mother had lived a challenging life. Apprenticed as a seamstress away from her own family at the tender age of 7, she had been married at 17 to a man who died or disappeared after the birth of her first child, married to a second man who died after the birth of her second child, and was living with a family near Nauvoo years later when she gave birth to a third child whose father was not revealed. Her fourth child was Eddie. When Eddie was 4 years old, Nancy was unable to care for him any longer and appealed to Emma. Apparently without rancor, 64-year-old Emma accepted him into her own home. He called her Grandmother. 

Four years later, in an almost unbelievable act of charity, Emma hired Nancy as a housekeeper to allow her to live with her now 8-year-old son. (Two of Nancy's children were now adults, and it is not known where the third lived.) Emma was 68, Lewis was 66, Nancy was 39. 

As Emma neared the end of her life, she asked Lewis to promise to marry Nancy and legitimize Eddie's family relationship, which he did one year after she died.

Still image of Eddie and Emma from the wonderful feature film, "Emma Smith: My Story,"

 JosephSmithJr.org

After her death, Eddie recalled Emma as "a person of even temper. I never heard her say an unkind word, or raise her voice in anger or contention...a noble woman, living and showing charity for all, loving and beloved" (Wilson, 75-76).

Charles Edward Bidamon

JosephSmithJr.org

TRUE RELIGION

As was taught by the brother of the Lord, 

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27). 

Note that care for the fatherless and widows is mentioned first, and keeping oneself holy is mentioned second. We cannot be truly unspotted from the world without living in that messy and muddy world and reaching out to those to whom it has dealt harsh blows. Lewis and Emma Bidamon did so, even though life had also dealt hard blows to them. Major Bidamon defended women and children in battle and took on a young family of six plus mother-in-law, including all their debts, legal battles, and negative press. He defended Joseph Smith's name, though he had never met the man. As for Emma, she had experienced a life of trauma and loss, but still she kept the commandment to love whomever was placed in her path. 

Doctrine and Covenants 77-80

SECTION 78: THE UNITED FIRM

For more details on Section 78, The United Firm, and other historical events relating to these sections, please refer to a great source I just discovered: BYU Studies, a scholarly journal, has prepared links to pertinent previously-published articles for each "Come, Follow Me" lesson. Access them here. 

SECTIONS 79-80 EARLY MISSIONARIES

It was standard in the early restored Church that men who joined the Church became missionaries almost immediately, even as they were learning the gospel themselves. In fact, becoming a member of the Church was basically a mission call in itself, a call to share the gospel with others. This orientation helped to grow the Church at a phenomonal pace. (Women also shared the gospel in their families and with their neighbors, but the "sister missionary" was still a thing of the future.)

Doctrine and Covenants 79 and 80 are mission calls. It's interesting how these two sections are so similar and yet, in one aspect, completely different. 

Section 79:

1 Verily I say unto you, that it is my will that my servant Jared Carter should go again into the eastern countries, from place to place, and from city to city, in the power of the ^aordination wherewith he has been ordained, proclaiming glad tidings of great joy, even the ^beverlasting gospel.

2 And I will send upon him the ^aComforter, which shall teach him the truth and the ^bway whither he shall go;

3 And inasmuch as he is faithful, I will crown him again with ^asheaves.

4 Wherefore, let your heart be glad, my servant Jared Carter, and ^afear not, saith your Lord, even Jesus Christ. Amen.

Section 80: 

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant ^aStephen Burnett: Go ye, go ye into the world and preach the gospel to every ^bcreature that cometh under the sound of your voice.

2 And inasmuch as you desire a companion, I will give unto you my servant ^aEden Smith.

3 Wherefore, go ye and preach my gospel, whether to the north or to the south, to the east or to the west, it mattereth not, for ye cannot go amiss.

4 Therefore, declare the things which ye have heard, and verily believe, and ^aknow to be true.

5 Behold, this is the will of him who hath ^acalled you, your Redeemer, even Jesus Christ. Amen.

(Emphasis added.)

JARED CARTER AND STEPHEN BURNETT

Jared Carter had just come from a mission to his home town and was called to go right back there in Section 79. His call was very specific. Stephen Burnett's call, however, was completely general. He could go wherever he saw fit "for ye cannot go amiss." He was only 18 and he and Eden Smith went east to New Hampshire. Levi B. Wilder wrote in a letter, "A small church was formed in [Dalton, New Hampshire] in the July of 1833, consisting of 15 members: brother Stephen Burnet was the first one that sounded the glad tidings of the everlastIng gospel in this place" (Susan Easton Black, Who's Who in the Doctrine and Covenants, 39-40).

Jared Carter went back to New York. He taught and baptized his brother-in-law Ira Ames who happened to be visiting in Benson, as mentioned in a previous post, and another 30-something people, for a total between the two missions of 79. (Brother Carter kept a detailed mission journal.) One of the people he taught on this second mission was a huge financial boon to the struggling Church: John Tanner. His story is told in a Church film posted in a September lesson on the "Come, Follow Me" website, but if you want to view it now, here is the link: Treasure in Heaven.

I suspect calls to service in the Lord's kingdom today follow both of these patterns. Sometimes there is something specific the Lord calls us to do, sometimes we get to choose. In both circumstances our consecrated service is acceptable and can be very productive and rewarding. 

THE FIRST BLACK MEMBER AND MISSIONARY: BLACK PETE

In this lesson on missionary work and new converts, I would like to highlight early Black members of the Church. We have to step back to 1830 when the gospel first came to Kirtland to find the Church's first Black convert/missionary, "Black Pete."

The core of the new Kirtland Church in 1830 was the communal group centered at the Morley farm. This group had been trying to live with "all things common," after the example of the primitive Church in the New Testament. They called themselves "The Family." 

As we read Church history, we must always keep in mind that there is no way we can fully understand it without having lived it. "History is a foreign land," but like all foreign lands, it is a fascinating place to visit. 

The rapidity at which new members became leaders led to some interesting combinations of former religious practices with new religious truths. One thing these "Family" members were looking for in a restored church was the gifts of the Spirit. They read of the conversion of King Lamoni, the great Lamanite king in the Book of Mormon. Lamoni had a profound spiritual experience that left him in a sort of trance or coma on the floor for days, after which he arose and taught the gospel. Isaac Morley, the "father" of The Family, was so taken by the story of this king that he named one of his sons Lamoni. 

These early Saints had the feeling that Blacks and Natives Americans were somehow connected, and the "slave shout tradition" felt similar to the spiritual experiences noted in the Book of Mormon. The Family did not have any Native American members and most had never met one since Natives had already been forced from the area, but they did have Black Pete. (See Mark L. Staker, Hearken, O Ye People: The Historical Setting of Joseph Smith's Kirtland Revelations, Kindle edition, 77.)

"Peter Kerr, a formerly enslaved person, was living in Ohio when missionaries began preaching in the area. He had been freed through the will of his master, John Kerr, but stopped using his master’s name upon obtaining freedom and became known as 'Black Pete.' Pete joined Sidney Rigdon’s congregation and often stayed in the home of Newel K. Whitney. Like most members of Rigdon’s congregation, Pete was baptized a member of the Church after listening to missionaries in the fall of 1830, making him the first known black member of the Church.

"Among some early Saints, he was considered a leader and a revelator. He integrated his newfound faith into his existing religious worldview, which combined traditions of Christianity, African religions, and Islam (the religion practiced by his mother). Some evidence suggests that he manifested the gift of tongues" ("Black Members of the Church Research Guide: United States," ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

"After the departure of the initial [four] missionaries [who had come to Kirtland, Ohio], new converts had little concrete information to rely on in defining their new faith. Nor could they rely heavily on the Book of Mormon. Few copies of the book were available...With thousands interested in their message the need for missionaries to carry every copy of the book on their backs as they walked from New York to Missouri, there clearly were not enough copies to go around" (Staker, 74-75).

The young people of the new Church were particularly drawn to Black Pete. He was exotic and exciting and charismatic. Three young men became his close friends and they taught the gospel together: Edson Fuller, Herman [also refered to as Heman] Bassett, and Burr Riggs. Black Pete was recognized in a newspaper article as the leader of the group. These young men tried to replicate the ecstatic spiritual experiences of King Lamoni, falling on the ground as if overcome by the Spirit. Some members (especially the teenagers) admired and emulated them; older people were repulsed by their behavior. Everyone was a little bit confused about how the Spirit worked. Remember: These people had never met Joseph Smith, the Church didn't even have a name yet, and there wasn't any sort of ecclesiastical authority. Everyone was just feeling it out, using their former religious practices (Black Pete's being African slave and Muslim traditions) as their starting spot.

Joseph Smith arrived in Kirtland the first week of February 1831. Then the Lord called the first bishop (Edward Partridge) and put forth the Law of the Church (Sections 41-42). It was then finally understood that one had to be called and ordained by authority to preach the gospel, which put an end to Pete's "mission." The wildest of the ecstatic spiritual practices were revealed to come from darkness rather than light. And, by the way, the revelation included the direction that "every family shall have place that they may live by themselves" (although this was not included in the canon), dissolving "The Family" commune. The nuclear family became the foundation of the religious community (Staker, 108). Black Pete then disappears from the record, but it's important to know that he was a part of the early Church in Kirtland and was admired and accepted by many.

You can listen to an interview with Dr. Mark Staker of the Church History Department speaking about Black Pete and the early ecstatic Church practices here. 

THE FIRST BLACK ORDAINED MISSIONARY: ELIJAH ABLE (also sometimes called Ables--he signed his name both ways)

The first documented Black priesthood holder and one of my personal heros of Church history, Elijah Able, joined the Church in 1832. He was ordained to the Melchizedek priesthood in 1836, received his temple washings and annointings in Kirtland, performed proxy baptisms for his dead mother and daughter, was a local congregation leader, was ordained a member of the seventy, served several missions, and died in his 70s just after serving the last one.

50 years after hearing the gospel through his missionary efforts, Eunice Franklin wrote about Elder Ables, "I know of no person living that I would be so glad to see as him" (Stevenson, 165).

"Hunted by mobs, criticized by fellow Mormons, and denied temple [endowment and sealing] privileges by two priesthood leaders, Ables seldom received the welcoming hand of friendship.

"But Ables did not leave. He accommodated, waited, and occasionally pushed back. He ignored the snipings of critics, extended his hand to Mormonism's avowed enemies, and helped a large body of saints escape from a war zone" (Russell Stevenson, "'A Negro Preacher': The Worlds of Elijah Ables," Journal of Mormon History, University of Illinois Press: Mormon History Association, Spring 2013, Vol. 39, no. 2, 166, available on JSTOR).

And yet, Danor Gerald, the actor who portrays Elder Ables in a Church History Museum video, points out, "We were more progressive than any other church at the time, if you really think about it. Elijah Ables represents a progressive movement to allow a person of African descent to hold the priesthood and to be basically equal with white clergymen in that organization. Nobody was doing that at that time!" (Russell Stevenson and Danor Gerald, Mormon History Guy Podcast, episode16, June 21, 2016).

To be such an outlier as Elijah Able and his wife were, to live in such a white church during such a racist time, and to stay: That is faith. 

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For another story about Elijah Able and his convert Eunice Franklin, see Saints, Vol. 1, 317-319. 

To read my personal take on Blacks and the priesthood, please refer to Bonus Post: Revelation on the Priesthood. 

The Revelation on the Priesthood

THE REVELATION ON THE PRIESTHOOD

June 8, 1978 a joyous letter was sent to all the local Church leaders throughout the world stating that "the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood, with power to exercise its divine authority, and enjoy with his loved ones every blessing that flows therefrom, including the blessings of the temple" (Official Declaration--2). Thus ended the 140-year era when the policies of the Church withheld the blessings of the priesthood from the Blacks.

Not many people know, however, that there was a very brief time period at the beginning of the Restoration, when the priesthood was denied to no man. Why did that policy of exclusivity arise, and why did it take so long for it to come full circle and allow Blacks the priesthood again?

THE FIRST BLACK PRIESTHOOD HOLDER--ELIJAH ABEL (1810-1884)

"A black skin may cover as white a heart as any other skin, and the black hand may be as neat and clean as the white one, and all the trouble arises from want of familiarity with the two." --Willard Richards, 1838

Elijah Abel was a free Black man who was baptized by Ezekiel Roberts in 1832, just two years after the Church was organized. He was ordained an elder on March 3, 1836, and a member of the Third Quorum of the Seventy within the year. Elder Abel moved with the Saints from Kirtland to Nauvoo and was a friend to the Smith family, being one of seven elders sent to rescue the Prophet Joseph when he was arrested in Quincy, receiving a patriarchal blessing from Joseph Smith, Sr., and visiting Father Smith on his deathbed. He was a member of the Kirtland Safety Society; he helped build the Nauvoo Temple and the Salt Lake Temple; and he served three full-time missions, first in the 1830's, then in the 1840's, and the last in 1884, when he was 74 years old. He returned home from that last mission early because of illness, and he died on Christmas Day.

THE CULTURAL DIFFICULTIES PREVENTING EQUALITY

In 1832 when Elijah Abel joined the Church, both he and Joseph Smith may have been capable of understanding the concept that all men were created equal, that, as the Book of Mormon says, Christ "denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female" (2 Ne. 26:33). But the rest of the world was not ready. Trouble arose. It quite soon became apparent that the social climate in America did not allow for this kind of equality. Elder Abel, in his position of priesthood authority, chastised some white women in 1843 and they were appalled and affronted. This was a potentially dangerous situation 100 years before the Civil Rights Movement. In consequence, the Brethren decided to limit Brother Abel's ministry to those of his own race, and segregated the Cincinnati congregation where he lived. Elijah obeyed humbly, and continued to serve in that limited capacity. Later he moved to Salt Lake City. Although he was able to do some baptisms for the dead, Elder Abel's requests to receive his endowments in the temple were denied by several consecutive Church Presidents.

THE LAND OF THE FREE (WHITE MEN)

The gospel was restored in the place best prepared for it: The United States of America, the most religiously free country in the world. But it was a country that still practiced slavery. In the very early days of the Church, when Elijah Abel was ordained, this wasn't a big problem. Only a handful of Blacks lived in Kirtland and Ohio was a free state. But when the Saints moved to the regions in and around Missouri, Black Church membership was a very touchy situation. Slavery was legal, and Joseph Smith's Articles of Faith stated that "we believe in honoring and sustaining the law." How does a slave join the Church, obey the Prophet, and gather with the Saints without becoming a runaway, in danger of the death penalty? Sometimes Joseph Smith solved the dilemma by buying the slave's freedom, but that couldn't always work. Surprisingly, moving the Saints to Utah did not eliminate the problem, just changed it a bit. (Note: I am using the term "slaves" to represent enslaved people because it is the term that was used at the time by the people quoted. I hope it does not offend; I recognize each of these enslaved people were people first, people of equal value to any others, and "slaves" only by the evils of the world slave trade and not by nature.)

JOHN BROWN AND THE MISSISSIPPI SAINTS

In 1846, John Brown, a missionary to the Southern states, following the Prophet's orders, emigrated a group of 14 convert families west to join with the Saints. Yes, that date of 1846 is correct: due to lack of communication, John Brown's Mississippi saints actually went as far as present-day Colorado the year before Brigham Young and the vanguard group left Winter Quarters. When it was discovered that the rest of the Saints had wintered over in Nebraska, the Southern saints waited out the winter at a fort, and in 1847 they met up with Brigham Young's wagon train, and finished the rest of the journey to the Salt Lake Valley. And here was the challenge: These 14 families were slaveholders from Mississippi and brought their slaves with them. From day one, there were enslaved people in Salt Lake City.

Feb. 15, 1851, Elder Orson Hyde addressed the subject in The Millennial Star: "We feel it to be our duty to define our position in relation to the subject of slavery. There are several men in the Valley of the Salt Lake from the Southern States who have their slaves with them. There is no law in Utah to authorize slavery, neither any to prohibit it. If the slave is disposed to leave his master, no power exists there, either legal or moral, that will prevent him. But if the slave chooses to remain with his master, none are allowed to interfere between the master and the slave."

JOHN BANKHEAD

Freeing long-enslaved people had its own set of challenges.
 

John Bankhead was a slaveholding Southern plantation owner who reportedly tried to teach his slaves to be self-sufficient. He provided each family with their own little home, a garden plot and farming equipment. He got medical care for them when needed. If one of his slaves wanted to marry a slave from another plantation, he either bought the mate or sold his slave so they could be united.

John Bankhead joined the Church, moved west with his slaves, and settled in Wellsville, Utah, at the north end of the state. His slaves were provided for and looked after. Following the Civil War, he had to force some of his more loyal slaves to leave his service and accept their liberty. "Now the war is over," he said. "You must be free men." He set them up with homes and farms and offered to help them in any way they needed. They, in turn, promised that they would defend him to the death.

Many years passed, as the Lord influenced people and nations to change the culture of inequality, in order to make it possible for everyone everywhere to partake freely of the full blessings of the gospel.

CONVERTS IN BLACK AFRICA

In 1965 Anthony Obinna, a Black Nigerian schoolteacher and convert to Christianity, had a remarkable dream in which a man showed him the rooms inside a beautiful building. In 1971 he saw a picture of the Salt Lake Temple in the Reader's Digest magazine and recognized it as the building from his dream. He wrote to the Church for literature, read it prayerfully, and gained a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. Then he began writing letters, asking for baptism for himself and a congregation of believers he had taught, including his own family. There were hundreds of non-baptized Latter-day Saints meeting in other various groups in Ghana and Nigeria as well, brought to the knowledge of the gospel by the Spirit in various ways. Petitions from these saints came before President Spencer W. Kimball and weighed heavily upon his mind. As had been previously evident in the South African Mission, the Church's growth and direction would not be possible if local members could not provide priesthood leadership. In South Africa, President McKay had revised the policy from requiring potential priesthood holders to prove themselves free of Black ancestry, to allowing ordination unless there was proof that there was a Black ancestor. In Nigeria and Ghana, there was no doubt the unbaptized saints were completely Black.

President Kimball and the Brethren studied and considered what should be done for many months. He reported, "I prayed with much fervency. I knew that something was before us that was extremely important to many of the children of God. I knew that we could receive the revelations of the Lord only by being worthy and ready for them and ready to accept them and put them into place. Day after day I went alone and with great solemnity and seriousness in the upper rooms of the temple, and there I offered my soul and offered my efforts to go forward with the program. I wanted to do what he wanted."

Finally, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve met and all expressed their views. They felt an outpouring of the Spirit upon them. They knelt around the altar and prayed, with President Kimball as the voice. Elder Gordon B. Hinckley later recalled, "For me, it felt as if a conduit opened between the heavenly throne and the kneeling, pleading prophet of God who was joined by his Brethren...Every man in that circle, by the power of the Holy Ghost, knew the same thing...Tremendous eternal consequences for millions over the earth are flowing from that manifestation."

Elder Bruce R. McConkie (who had previously published his opinion that the Blacks would not receive the Priesthood until the Millenium) said, "On this occasion, because of the importuning and the faith, and because the hour and the time had arrived, the Lord in his providence poured out the Holy Ghost upon the First Presidency and the Twelve in a miraculous and marvelous manner, beyond anything that any then present had ever experienced." There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the Lord wanted all people to now have every blessing. And opening the temple to the living Blacks also provided for every blessing to their ancestors.

JOY IN AFRICA

Immediately after this revelation was received, three missionary couples were sent to Africa. On November 21, 1978, they baptized Brother Obinna, ordained him to the priesthood, and set him apart as Africa's first Black branch president. He baptized his wife, Fidelia, and set her apart as the first Black Relief Society President. His two brothers were set apart as his counselors. 19 members joined that day, forming the first branch of the Church in which all members were Black.

Within one year these three missionary couples baptized over 1,700 Black Africans.

WHY THE WAIT?

Decades passed between the ordination of Elijah Abel (and a handful of other early Black saints), and the revelation rescinding the policy that had evolved in the Church prohibiting Blacks from the priesthood. Why did the Black members have to wait so long for equal blessings? Of course, no one knows the ways of God for sure, but for clues let's look carefully at what President Kimball said: "I knew we could receive the revelations of the Lord only by being worthy and ready for them and ready to accept them and put them into place" (emphasis added). The fact that Black people, including enslaved people, joined the Church and endured to the end during those 130-140 years of being denied blessings is a testament to their faith and their worthiness. Although the Church leadership has never given a reason for the delay, my personal opinion is that it took much longer for the social climate to evolve in the world in which they lived so that the non-Black members of the Church and of society as a whole could be "ready to accept it and put it into place."

It took many years for the "want of familiarity with the two" to be alleviated.

But, step by step, it eventually was.

In March 1954, three weeks after his return from a visit to the South African Mission, President David O. McKay stated to Sterling M. McMurrin, "There is not now, and there never has been a doctrine in this Church that the Negroes are under a divine curse...It is a practice, not a doctrine, and the practice will some day be changed." Leonard J. Arrington, Church historian, reported hearing Elder Adam S. Bennion say that President McKay "had pled with the Lord without result and finally concluded the time was not yet ripe."

President Harold B. Lee remarked during a United Press interview, November 16, 1972: "For those who don't believe in modern revelation there is no adequate explanation. Those who do understand revelation stand by and wait until the Lord speaks...It's only a matter of time before the black achieves full status in the Church. We must believe in the justice of God. The black will achieve full status, we're just waiting for that time."

The Lord is patient with his children. He works line upon line. He waits and works carefully, perfectly, and sometimes slowly to influence mindsets to change and cultures to evolve permanently in order to bring about His purposes. He touches one person at a time, and eventually moves whole nations. Then He steps outside the constraints of time to make blessings available through vicarious temple ordinances to those who missed them in life. He works everything together perfectly to accomplish His divine plan, despite the faults and ignorance of men and the persistent efforts of Satan. Sometimes it takes many centuries, as it did for the Restoration of the Gospel. And sometimes it only takes 130 years.


Sources:
Kate B. Carter, Negro Pioneer

History of the Church 4:365
Leonard J. Arrington, "Mississippi Mormons," Ensign, June 1977
Garr, et. al, Encyclopedia of L.D.S. History
Gregory A. Prince, et.al., David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism, p. 79-80
Marjorie Draper Conder, "A People Prepared: Latter-day Saints in West Africa," Ensign, August 1993
Our Heritage, p. 126-127
Anthony U. Obinna, "Story of a Nigerian Member," Liahona (Tambuli), June 1981

For the Church's official statement about the history of blacks and the priesthood, read "Race and the Priesthood."

For a brief, carefully documented treatment of this subject, see FAIR (FaithfulLatterdaySaints.org, Origin of the Priesthood Ban).

For a huge and detailed treatise on President McKay's role in preparing the way for the revelation later received by President Kimball, see Gregory A. Price, et. al, "Blacks, Civil Rights, and the Priesthood," in David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism, University of Utah Press.

Information on the Bankhead slaves in Wellsville, Utah, came from the Wellsville Historical Society in an article published in Cache Valley Daily News online, no longer available, but great information is available in an article in the Herald Journal regarding the placing of a monument there.

Doctrine and Covenants 76: The Vision

THE VALUE OF "THE VISION"

President Wilford Woodruff: “I will refer to the ‘Vision’ alone, as a revelation which gives more light, more truth, and more principle than any revelation contained in any other book we ever read. It makes plain to our understanding our present condition, where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going. Any man may know through that revelation what his part and condition will be” (G. Homer Durham, ed., Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p. 47-48).

President Joseph Fielding Smith: “Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants, in its sublimity and clearness in relation to the eternal destiny of the human family, has not been surpassed. It should be treasured by all members of the church as a priceless heritage. It should strengthen their faith and be to them an incentive to seek the exaltation promised to all who are just and true” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 2:50).

BACKGROUND FOR THE VISION

When Joseph Smith was translating the Bible in 1832, with Sidney Rigdon as his scribe, they came upon a remarkable passage of scripture, John 5:29. “ And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:29). (See heading to D&C 76.)

When they translated this verse, the Lord changed it slightly. The change is noted in D&C 76:17 “And shall come forth; they who have done good, in the resurrection of the just; and they who have done evil, in the resurrection of the unjust.”  “The resurrection of life” was clarified to “the resurrection of the just,” and “the resurrection of damnation” to “the resurrection of the unjust.” Joseph and Sidney had learned about being justified because that came up in the translation work on Genesis a year and a half previous, which we now call the Book of Moses in The Pearl of Great Price. 

“That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory”  (Moses 6:59).

The just are those who have had their sins forgiven, those who have “opened” the gift of Christ’s grace through exercising the first principles and ordinances of the gospel. So, the summation of this scripture is that those who are justified and sanctified are resurrected to eternal life.

Yet here it says in the writings of John that the “unjust” are also resurrected. Huh?  

“Now this caused us to marvel, for it was given unto us of the Spirit” (D&C 76:18). They were sure the change was correct, because it had been “given [to them] of the spirit.” They pondered about it and decided that, obviously, there was something more about the afterlife that they had not yet learned. 

”And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about” (D&C 76:19).

They found out the answer to their question by way of a grand and glorious vision which they were commanded to write down for us “while still in the spirit,” before they could make any human error in recall. That is the glorious chapter of scripture we now call Section 76.

But before they wrote down the glorious vision, they felt to testify to us of another great truth that was reaffirmed to them because of the experience.

“For thus saith the Lord—I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.  Great shall be their reward and eternal shall be their glory.  And to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom.  Yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know, and things to come will I show them, even the things of many generations.  And their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven; and before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the understanding of the prudent shall come to naught.  For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will—yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man” (D&C 76:5-10).

CHRONOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE VISION

The Kirtland Temple was dedicated in 1836. This vision of the three degrees of glory was given February 16, 1832. There was no temple of any kind on the earth for the Lord to visit, so he visited the two brethren in Joseph Smith’s temporary residence, the John Johnson home, in Hiram, Ohio.

Photograph from Mormon Historic Sites Foundation

By the way, do you know what other significant event occurred here, six weeks later? The first physical mob violence, completely unforeseen and unprovoked, led by two apostates, Simonds Rider and Ezra Booth: the tarring and feathering of the Prophet in the middle of the night. This action also led to the first martyrdom of the Church, the death of Joseph’s eleven-month-old baby, Joseph Murdock Smith, 4 days later, as a result of the exposure he endured. Heaven and hell in the same house. (Another interesting note is that little Joseph’s biological father, John Murdock, was on a mission at the time and didn’t hear about his baby’s death until he returned in June.) After that, as you know, mob action continued to escalate everywhere the saints moved to escape it. But at the same time, for those faithful in the church, visions and revelations and the bestowal of light and knowledge also escalated, giving the saints the eternal perspective that they needed to endure the difficulties that arose.

ELEMENTS OF THE VISION

We think of this as one vision, but as recorded, it was actually seven visions (as I see it) stuck together. Seven very important truths, six of which they were commanded to bear record of in writing. What were they, and in what order?

1.       The Vision of Jesus Christ. D&C 76:20-24.

2.       The Vision of Satan. D&C 76:25-29.

3.       The Vision of Sons of Perdition. D&C 76:30-49.

4.       The Vision of the Resurrection of the Just (Celestial Kingdom). D&C 76:50-70.

5.       The Vision of the Terrestrial World. D&C 76:71-80.

6.       The Vision of the Telestial World. D&C 76:81-113.

7.       The Unutterable Vision. D&C 76:114-118.

The Vision of Jesus Christ

This great testimony has been an anchor to many Saints ever since that day. 

20 And we beheld the ^aglory of the Son, on the ^bright hand of the ^cFather, and received of his fulness;

21 And saw the holy ^aangels, and them who are ^bsanctified before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who ^cworship him forever and ever.

22 And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the ^atestimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he ^blives!

23 For we ^asaw him, even on the ^bright hand of ^cGod; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the ^dOnly Begotten of the Father—

24 That by ^ahim, and through him, and of him, the ^bworlds are and were created, and the ^cinhabitants thereof are begotten ^dsons and daughters unto God.

The Vision of Satan

Why was it important for us to have a vision of Satan? When it comes to having an eternal perspective, understanding the reality of Satan is important, just as is knowing Christ. We cannot resist something we know nothing about.

25 And this we saw also, and bear record, that an ^aangel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who ^brebelled against the Only Begotten ^cSon whom the Father ^dloved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,

26 And was called ^aPerdition, for the heavens ^bwept over him—he was ^cLucifer, a son of the morning.

27 And we beheld, and lo, he is ^afallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning!

28 And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision; for we beheld Satan, that old ^aserpent, even the ^bdevil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our ^cGod and his Christ—

29 Wherefore, he maketh ^awar with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about.

The Vision of Sons of Perdition

30 And we saw a vision of the ^asufferings of those with whom he made war and overcame, for thus came the voice of the Lord unto us:

31 Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and ^asuffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power—

32 They are they who are the ^asons of ^bperdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born;

33 For they are ^avessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity;

34 Concerning whom I have said there is ^ano ^bforgiveness in this world nor in the world to come—

35 Having ^adenied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having ^bcrucified him unto themselves and put him to an open ^cshame.

36 These are they who shall go away into the ^alake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels—

37 And the ^aonly ones on whom the ^bsecond ^cdeath shall have any power;

38 Yea, verily, the only ones who shall ^anot be redeemed in the due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his wrath.

39 For all the rest shall be ^abrought forth by the resurrection of the dead, through the ^btriumph and the glory of the Lamb, who was slain, who was in the bosom of the Father ^cbefore the worlds were made.

40 And this is the ^agospel, the glad ^btidings, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us—

41 That he ^acame into the world, even Jesus, to be ^bcrucified for the world, and to ^cbear the sins of the ^dworld, and to ^esanctify the world, and to ^fcleanse it from all unrighteousness;

42 That through him all might be ^asaved whom the Father had put into his ^bpower and made by him;

43 Who ^aglorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands, except those sons of ^bperdition who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him.

44 Wherefore, he saves all ^aexcept them—they shall go away into ^beverlasting ^cpunishment, which is endless punishment, which is eternal punishment, to ^dreign with the ^edevil and his angels in eternity, where their ^fworm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, which is their torment—

45 And the ^aend thereof, neither the place thereof, nor their torment, no man knows;

46 Neither was it revealed, neither is, neither will be revealed unto man, except to them who are made partakers thereof;

47 Nevertheless, I, the Lord, show it by ^avision unto many, but straightway shut it up again;

48 Wherefore, the end, the width, the height, the ^adepth, and the misery thereof, they understand not, neither any man except those who are ^bordained unto this ^ccondemnation.

49 And we heard the voice, saying: ^aWrite the vision, for lo, this is the end of the vision of the sufferings of the ungodly.

Joseph Smith said, “What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin [and become a son of perdition]? He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against Him. After a man has sinned against the Holy Ghost, there is no repentance for him. He has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it” (Teachings, p. 358).

Are we in daily jeopardy of committing the unpardonable sin?  President Spencer W. Kimball answers the question: “The sin against the Holy Ghost requires such knowledge that it is manifestly impossible for the rank and file to commit such a sin” (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 23).

Although the visions are arranged in order of when the respective resurrections will occur, I want to move from the most miserable (the sons of perdition) to the most joyous eternal state, so I'm reordering them.

The Vision of the Telestial World

 photo from nasa.gov

 “These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus” (D&C 76:82). [And yet,] “These are they who deny not the Holy Spirit.  These are they who are thrust down to hell.”  [And yet, they will not stay there.] “These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb, shall have finished his work” (D&C 76:83-85, emphasis added). 

“These are they who say they are some of one and some of another—some of Christ and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch; But received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant” (D&C 76:100-101, emphasis added).

This refers to the question Jesus posed of his disciples:

 "When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 16:13-18).

Knowing that Jesus is the CHRIST, the SON OF GOD and not just another great teacher is of utmost importance to our salvation. If we deny this, we are lumped together with ”liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.  These are they who suffer the wrath of God on earth.  These are they who suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the fulness of times, when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work." (D&C 76:103-106, emphasis added).

They still will be resurrected to a kingdom of glory, because, unlike the devil and the sons of perdition, they did not deny the Holy Spirit, but they will have to sit in hell for quite some time, because that is the fruit of their actions on earth. Unfortunately, they are “as unnumerable as the stars in the [sky] or the sand upon the seashore" (See verse 109.)

And yet, “thus we saw, in the heavenly, vision, the glory of the telestial, which surpasses all understanding” (D&C 76: 89).  It will still be a glorious heaven, because eventually “These all shall bow the knee, and every tongue shall confess to him who sits upon the throne forever and ever” (D&C 76: 110). We can gain a testimony that Jesus is the Savior in this life, or we can gain it later, but when we gain it makes a difference in eternity.

The Vision of the Terrestrial World

photo from lds.org

71 And again, we saw the ^aterrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the church of the ^bFirstborn who have received the fulness of the Father, even as that of the ^cmoon differs from the sun in the firmament.

72 Behold, these are they who died ^awithout ^blaw;

73 And also they who are the ^aspirits of men kept in ^bprison, whom the Son visited, and ^cpreached the ^dgospel unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh;

74 Who ^areceived not the ^btestimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it.

[This last set verses seems to be contradicted or clarified by a later vision Joseph Smith received in the Kirtland Temple, to his great joy. That vision is recorded in D&C 137, which I will quote in the next section.]

75 These are they who are ^ahonorable men of the earth, who were ^bblinded by the craftiness of men.

76 These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fulness.

77 These are they who receive of the ^apresence of the Son, but not of the fulness of the Father.

78 Wherefore, they are ^abodies terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun.

79 These are they who are not ^avaliant in the ^btestimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God.

80 And now this is the end of the ^avision which we saw of the terrestrial, that the Lord commanded us to ^bwrite while we were yet in the Spirit.

Saddest of all in this group are those who knew the truth and let it go.

President Ezra Taft Benson has said, “Not to be valiant in one’s testimony is a tragedy of eternal consequence. These are members who know this latter-day work is true but who fail to endure to the end. Some may even hold temple recommends, but do not magnify their callings in the Church. Without valor, they do not take an affirmative stand in the kingdom of God. Some seek the praise, adulation, and honors of men; others attempt to conceal their sins; and a few criticize those who preside over them” (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 292-293).

Which of us thinks we fit here in the Terrestrial Kingdom? If we have sins (we all do), we need to give them up and follow Christ, and we have that opportunity every Sacrament Meeting. Membership in the Church alone does not get us into the Celestial Kingdom, it is true. We cannot join the Church and then sit still. We must use the gift of the atonement and unite with Christ, by exercising the first principles and ordinances of the gospel continually.

Some of us think that because we didn’t ever make the cut as bishop or Relief Society president or some other highly visible calling, we will be limited to the Terrestial Kingdom because that is the place for mediocre people. The Celestial Kingdom, we think, is only for the gospel valedictorians, or the doctrinal overachievers. However, that is not true:  To make mistakes, to have character flaws, to get tired, to try and not succeed, to find that your best was not quite good enough—that is not to not be valiant. That is to be human and to need a Savior. The Celestial Kingdom will be full of people like this.

The Vision of the Resurrection of the Just (D&C 76: 50-70)

Photograph from lds.org

As we learned in Moses 6:60 last week, and as Joseph Smith had learned a year or two earlier, those who exercise faith in Christ and are baptized for the remission of their sins and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by one in authority, and who endure to the end (or, as verse 53 says, “overcome by faith,”) will be perfected in Christ so that they will belong here in the Celestial Kingdom.  They will be Celestial people. Christ will “subdue all enemies under [their] feet,” even those within themselves. (See verse 61.) Just as we learned last week, they open the “gift” of grace by exercising the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, and they continue to use that gift throughout their lives by constantly trying to adhere to those principles and ordinances until eventually, through Christ, all the difficulties will be overcome.

“ Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God— Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. And they shall overcome all things. Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet” (D&C 76:58-61).

In a vision at the Kirtland Temple in 1836, President Joseph Smith learned a clarifying truth, 

"Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts" (D&C 137:7-9).

There is another term for the members of this kingdom introduced to us here in this vision: The Church of the Firstborn (D&C 76:54).  Where else can we find this in the scriptures? You really have to hunt. The Topical Guide and the Bible Dictionary will not help you much. It is found in the Joseph Smith Translation appendix in the beautiful passage which I call the “Covenant of the Rainbow,” given to Noah after the flood, JST Genesis 9:21-23.

"And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that, when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself.

"And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy;

"And the general assembly of the church of the firstborn shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch."

The Church of the Firstborn is the City of Enoch, also known as Zion. When we “embrace the truth, and look upward,” (get on the path and keep heading in the right direction), Zion will “look downward” upon us and “come down out of heaven and possess the earth.” This will be the Celestial Kingdom, This is the covenant of Enoch.

To those who claim to be "spiritual but not religious," who think an organized religion is not necessary to be close to God, The Vision and the scriptures say otherwise: Heaven itself is a Church, a collective, a unity of souls. As Thomas Wirthlin McConkie has written so beautifully in his transformative book, At.One.Ment, which I highly recommend:

"In Christ we are brought to life. And, this divine life cannot be understood apart from collective participation. It's to say that everything [we may learn and do] means nothing if we do not consecrate our lives, our livingness, in what Paul called the body of Christ. We are not holy until we are holy together and unite our unique personhood in a sacred and divine purpose" (p. 216).

Even Christ did not report experiencing a "fullness of joy" through His Atonement until he was united with His Church in the Americas as a resurrected being. (See 3 Nephi 17:20.) When we are one in Christ, we will have a fullness of joy as well.

“They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things— They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory; And are priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son” (D&C 76:55-57).

Where else can we find the order of Melchizedek and the order of Enoch in the scriptures? Again, it is in the Joseph Smith Translation. Speaking of Melchizedek, “And thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch, It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God; And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name”  (JST Genesis 14:27-29). 

What is meant by the word "order," anyway? It means an organized group. Priesthood is not a calling, or something you "hold" like a position or a title; it is something you join.

This wonderful covenant of the order of Melchizedek and the order of Enoch, is offered simply to “as many as [believe] on his name.” (See verse 29.) The people of Melchizedek kept the covenant of their father Enoch.  

“And his people [note the gender-neutral term] wrought righteousness, and obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days, or the end of the world...And this Melchizedek, having thus established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace”  (JST Genesis 14:34, 36).

They embraced the truth and looked upward, and joined Zion in Heaven, just as we will be able to do someday, through the grace of Christ, if we keep those same covenants.

D&C 76:69 – “These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood."  

They are “just" men (justified by Christ’s atonement, or made holy and worthy of the Celestial Kingdom—but it is also appropriate to say, they are “just" men, ordinary men, made perfect by Christ). And this refers to "just women" equally well. The temple initiatory, endowment, and sealing ordinances all verify that women enter into this order as priestesses.

The Unutterable Vision

Joseph Smith said of this vision, “I could explain a hundredfold more than I ever have of the glories of the kingdoms manifested to me in the vision, were I permitted, and were the people prepared to receive them” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 304).

WHAT IF YOU'RE NOT THERE YET?

If you are a member of the Church, but do not fit in the pattern of one who is “valiant in the testimony of Christ,” you just need one sacrament meeting in which you truly repent and covenant with Christ to start becoming so. Live the truths you know in love throughout the week. And then by the next week, attend the next sacrament meeting to keep “looking to Heaven.” Repeat to the End.

As my favorite Bruce R. McConkie quote goes:

“As members of the Church, if we chart a course leading to eternal life; if we begin the processes of spiritual rebirth, and are going in the right direction; if we chart a course of sanctifying our souls, and degree by degree are going in that direction; and if we chart a course of becoming perfect, and step by step and phase by phase, are perfecting our souls by overcoming the world, then it is absolutely guaranteed—there is no question whatever about it—we shall gain eternal life.  Even though we have spiritual rebirth ahead of us, perfection ahead of us, the full degree of sanctification ahead of us, if we chart a course and follow it to the best of our ability in this life, then when we go out of this life we’ll continue in exactly that same course.  We’ll no longer be subject to the passions and the appetites of the flesh.  We will have passed successfully the tests of this mortal probation and in due course we’ll get the fullness of our Father’s kingdom—and that means eternal life in his everlasting presence.”  (Bruce R. McConkie, "Jesus Christ and Him Crucified," Brigham Young University 1976 Devotional Speeches of the Year, p. 400-40, emphasis added.  The entire speech is available online at this link.)

“And thus we saw the glory of the celestial, which excels in all things—where God, even the Father, reigns upon his throne forever and ever;  Before whose throne all things bow in humble reverence, and give him glory forever and ever. They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace;

And he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion” (D&C 76:92-95).

BUT WHAT ABOUT MY "WAYWARD" FAMILY MEMBERS?

Please don't let this Vision stress you out about those you love who have stepped away from the Church or who haven't yet stepped into it. Let's re-read a familiar (and sometimes terrifying) scripture:

"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors" (Alma 34:32, emphasis added).

At BYU Campus Education Week, August 2015, C. Robert Line of the BYU Religious Studies Center taught that in this scripture, "this life" refers to our mortal life plus the spirit world. Verse 33 reads,

"...do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed" (emphasis added).

Labor can be performed in the Spirit World, right up until the Judgment Day. This is the great purpose of family history and temple work. 

Although clearly Paul was testifying of the resurrection when he wrote, "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?" (1 Cor. 15:29), we can also say, "Else why would we be [baptized, endowed, and sealed] for the dead, if the dead [can] rise not at all?" If the dead cannot learn the gospel, become justified and sanctified, and unite with Christ in His Church, why would we do their temple work?

"For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you and this is the final state of the wicked" (Alma 34:35, emphasis added). 

This "death" can only refer to spiritual death, which can only occur after the resurrection, because in the Spirit World, people can be taught and they can change. Therefore, the state in which they enter the Spirit World after their physical death is definitely not their "final state." 

While encouraging the early saints to be sealed to their parents, many of whom had disowned them bitterly when they joined the church, President Wilford Woodruff stated, 

“There will be very few, if any, who will not accept the Gospel. Jesus, while His body lay in the tomb, went and preached to the spirits in prison, who were destroyed in the days of Noah. After so long an imprisonment, in torment, they doubtless gladly embraced the Gospel, and if so they will be saved in the kingdom of God. The fathers of this people will embrace the Gospel” (General Conference, April 1894).

Twenty-four years later, President Joseph F. Smith beheld in his great Vision of the Redemption of the Dead that,

"...[in the Spirit World] the Lord went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth [in their mortal lives], to teach them; 

"But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority [endowed in the temple with priesthood authority], and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead.

"And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel.

"Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets.

"These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands,

"And all other principles of the gospel that were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit" (D&C 138:29-34, emphasis added). 

We don't need to panic about our loved ones who are confused, who have been misled, who have suffered from trauma or the abuse of others, who have reduced agency because of addiction, who have some spiritual learning disability we cannot overcome. We cannot judge even those who have died outside the faith; God doesn't judge them, either! Not yet! He expects us--demands of us!--that we be baptized and endowed for them and sealed to them. (See D&C 2:1-3.) He demands that we expect to meet them in the Kingdom of Heaven.  He has arranged in the post-mortal existence for their further education, their co-mingling with endowed family members and other member missionaries with whom they would (at first) feel more comfortable than they would with Him in His blinding glory. Thus through His future Church of The Firstborn, he helps the dead to "rise," from grace to grace, upward with their families, with their post-mortal Church leaders, and onward until they are united with Him in glory. Only if they refuse this journey, will they be judged as "wicked" afterwards, at the Final Judgment.

CONCLUSION

The seven-part Vision of the Degrees of Glory found in D&C 76 contains some of the greatest and most encouraging truths of God's great plan of happiness. As Joseph Smith said: 

“Nothing could be more pleasing to the Saints…than the light which burst upon the world through [that] vision. Every law, every commandment, every promise, every truth, and every point touching the destiny of man, from Genesis to Revelation, where the purity of the scriptures remains unsullied by the folly of men, go to show the perfection of the theory, and witnesses the fact that the document is a transcript from the records of the eternal world, the sublimity of the ideas; the purity of the language, the scope for action; the continued duration for completion, in order that the heirs of salvation may confess the Lord and bow the knee; the rewards for faithfulness, and the punishments for sin, are so much beyond the narrow-mindedness of men, that every honest man is constrained to explain: “It came from God” (History of the Church 1:252-253).