Pillar of Light

by Gerald N. Lund

  They talked softly as they walked, their quiet happiness tinged with sorrow as well. Caroline had come to see them off and wept openly at the thoughts that this being sealed as husband and wife for eternity was a privilege she might never have. Melissa knew about their going as well, but there was no sign of her as they walked past her house. On the other hand, the couples were ecstatic to think that it was finally going to happen. They had all been envious of Nathan and Lydia. Joseph had sealed a few selected couples, then shut it off again until it could be done in the temple. Now at last the time had come.

  “Did you know that Jessica and I were there that night when Joseph taught the principle of eternal marriage over in Ramus?” Solomon asked as they started climbing the low hill that led up to the top of the bluff.

  “Oh, yes,” Lydia said. “I remember you telling us that a while back. But I can’t remember the details.”

  “Yes,” Jessica answered. “It was while Joseph and some others had come out to visit the Saints. That would have been . . .” She looked to Solomon. “When?”

  “May of ’43, almost three years ago now. He was staying at the home of Benjamin F. Johnson. I think you know the Johnsons.”

  Benjamin nodded. “The Johnsons were close friends to the Prophet for a long time. In fact, Benjamin Johnson was Joseph’s private secretary for a time.”

  “That’s right. We had a larger meeting at the Perkins’ home earlier; then Jessica and I walked Joseph and those with him back to the Johnsons’. He invited us in and we were just sitting around visiting. Anyway, what happened next very much surprised us all. William Clayton was sitting beside Joseph. We had been talking about the importance of eternal marriage and other such things. Then Joseph did an unusual thing. He reached out and laid his hand on Brother Clayton’s knee. ‘Your life is hid with Christ in God, and so are many others,’ he said. ‘Nothing but committing blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, the unpardonable sin, can prevent you from inheriting eternal life, for you are sealed up by the power of the priesthood unto eternal life, having taken the step necessary for that purpose.’”

  Solomon stopped, shaking his head. “By ‘the step necessary’ we assumed he meant being sealed together as husband and wife. But you could tell his words really stunned Brother Clayton.”

  “Those were the words he used?” Nathan asked, quite taken aback.

  “Yes, as near as I can recollect.”

  “He said ‘sealed up to eternal life’?”

  “Yes,” Jessica said. “I remember that clearly.”

  Nathan shook his head, looking at his father. “Isn’t that like having your calling and election made sure?”

  “That’s my understanding.”

  “Well,” Solomon went on, “it was a very solemn moment. And then Joseph looked at the rest of us. We knew a little about the idea that a man and woman could be joined together forever, but that was all. I can still remember the thrill that shot through my whole body as I heard him explain just what the possibilities were.”

  “What did he say?” Jenny asked eagerly.

  “Yes, what?” Rebecca and Derek said together.

  Solomon looked at Jessica, motioning for her to answer.

  She nodded and looked at the family. “He told us that except a man and a woman enter into an everlasting covenant and be married for eternity by the power and authority of the holy priesthood, not only will their marriage end when they die, but they will not have increase either.”

  “Increase?” Rebecca echoed. “You mean children?”

  “That’s right. He said that those who have not been sealed will not have any children after the resurrection. But—” Suddenly her voice was husky and filled with a quiet joy. “But he said that those who are married by the power and authority of the priesthood and who continue faithful, especially not committing the sin against the Holy Ghost, will continue to increase and have children in the celestial glory. For those, the family will continue on into the eternities forever and ever.”

  Solomon reached inside his jacket and withdrew a flat purse. He opened it and took out a folded piece of paper. “That’s when Joseph made this statement. Someone wrote it down—Brother Clayton, I think. I later asked if I could make a copy. I’ve carried it with me, waiting for the day when we would see it come to pass.” His voice went suddenly soft. “And now it’s here.”

  “Read it to us,” Peter urged.

  He unfolded the paper. They all stopped now, circling around Solomon. He lifted it so he could watch them as he read. “‘In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; and in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood—’ Joseph let us know that meant the new and everlasting covenant of eternal marriage. ‘And if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.’”

  “I’ve read that,” Peter exclaimed. “Elder Taylor thinks it is so significant that it ought to be included in the next edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. So he had me typeset a copy.”

  Solomon nodded, folded the paper, took out the wallet again, and put it away. No one spoke for a moment. Then finally Benjamin reached out and took Mary Ann’s hand. “When I married this woman,” he said to his family, “I knew I loved her and wanted to spend my life with her. Now, after all these years of being together, I can tell you this. If I could not spend eternity by her side, I would know the true meaning of hell.”

  Mary Ann just looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears. “And I as well,” she whispered.

  He shook his head and cleared his throat, turning again to face the temple. “Come on, Mrs. Steed,” he said gruffly. “We’ve got an appointment with eternity.”

  They filled every chair in the small room except for three chairs that sat behind the altar and that had ribbons draped across them so they couldn’t use them. There were not enough chairs, and so Nathan and Solomon and Derek had to stand behind their wives. Willard Richards had shown them to the room but left again immediately. A few moments later, William Clayton, who was the temple recorder, came in and sat in one of the three empty chairs. No one spoke. The room was plainly furnished except for the altar that stood near the center of the room. Every eye was drawn to it.

  The altar was about two and a half feet high and that same width across the front. It was no more than a foot wide and had a platform of eight or nine inches in height attached all around it to provide for a convenient and comfortable place to kneel. The top of the altar and the place for kneeling were covered with cushions of scarlet damask cloth. The upright sides, or body, of the altar were covered with white linen. It was beautifully simple, and yet carried such a feeling of sacredness that they could not take their eyes from it.

  After about five minutes, the door opened and Brigham Young and John Taylor came into the room. Smiling, speaking in low murmurs, they went around the room, shaking hands and greeting each couple. When finished, Brigham went to stand behind the altar and faced them.

  “I can see from your eyes that I do not need to tell you what a wonderful and special occasion this is. Nathan and Lydia were among the privileged few to be sealed under the hand of the Prophet Joseph. Now, the time has come for the rest of you to have this sacred and remarkable privilege and promise. Now you can begin to sense why we have felt that we must finish the temple at all costs, even though we shall soon abandon it. Yes, sooner than we thought. Sooner than we hoped. But even under threat of destruction by federal troops, we cannot stop this work, for without the temple, we could not endow and seal our people. That is worth whatever it costs us.”

  He looked around the group, his eyes resting briefly on each one. “As a family you have been with the Church from the beginning. Nathan and Mary Ann and Lydia and perhaps others of you were baptized two years before I was wise enough to join the Church. You have been faithful members in all that time, through all that the Lord has seen fit to lay upon us. How fitting that you should come h
ere this day to kneel before the Lord and receive this highest of earthly blessings.”

  He paused and looked around once more, letting his gaze stop on Benjamin and Mary Ann. “I assume the family will have no objections if we begin with your mother and father?”

  They all shook their heads. Several had tears in their eyes.

  “Then Benjamin Steed, will you bring your wife here to the altar. You kneel on this side. Mary Ann, you kneel opposite him so that you face one another.”

  They stood and did as instructed.

  “Nathan? I would like you and Solomon to act as witnesses. As you know, in the Lord’s kingdom all things are done in order. Brother Clayton will record the proceedings this day. It will be noted that witnesses made certain that all was done in order. If you’ll come and sit here.” He motioned at the two vacant chairs behind him.”

  They did so.

  “Now, just before we begin, may I remind you that the keys of the sealing power were brought back from heaven on the third day of April, 1836. They were brought by the hand of the ancient prophet Elijah and given to the modern prophet Joseph Smith, Junior. Shortly before his death, Joseph bestowed those keys upon the members of the Twelve. He gave us full power and authority to carry on this work after he was gone.

  “Those are the keys that I hold and the power by which I shall act this day. If it were not so, it wouldn’t matter what words I said or what I did. It would not be recorded in heaven. Peter, James, and John received those keys on the Mount of Transfiguration by the hand of Elijah as well. The Savior taught Peter that with those keys, whatsoever he bound on earth would be bound in heaven. And whatsoever he loosed on earth would be loosed in heaven. This is the only way wherein we can bind the heavens and pronounce that what is done here today will be recognized there forever.”

  He stopped, smiling down now on Benjamin and Mary Ann. He stepped forward, moving closer to the altar where they knelt. “And now, Benjamin, if you will take Mary Ann by the right hand, we shall proceed.”

  As they walked slowly back home, their feet crunching in the snow, their breath trailing in clouds around them, the stars hung above them in the immense blackness, so close as to be touchable, and yet so vastly far away as to fill the soul with thoughts of eternity.

  As they reached Steed Row, they all stopped in front of Benjamin and Mary Ann’s gate. The air was still now and the night filled with silence. It was as though the whole city were hushed by the sacredness of what had transpired that night. Finally Benjamin looked around at his family. He reached out and took Mary Ann’s hand. “This has been a wonderful evening,” he said softly, not wanting to disturb the silence. “Now each of us as couples have been joined together through eternal and sacred covenants. Remember the Lord’s own words. ‘I am bound when ye do what I say, but if ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.’

  “We received marvelous promises today, promises that very few in the history of the world have been privileged to receive. Now it is up to us to keep the covenants we have made. If we do, by his own word, the Lord is bound to honor his word.”

  There were grave nods and soft murmurs of assent. Each couple stood close together, either holding hands or having an arm around the other’s waist or shoulder.

  “Today we were sealed together as husbands and wives. Soon we shall have our families sealed to us as well. Think about that. If there is one thing I have learned in my years of fumbling through life, it is this. When it comes down to it, all that really matters both here and in the world to come is our family. Let us go into the wilderness.” He waved his hand, taking in the houses along Steed Row. “Let us leave all this. Even if we don’t get a dime for it. What does that matter? I think of your children. Will and Alice, filled with enough faith to follow a prophet’s voice. Emily and Rachel, now women in their own right.” He smiled. “Savannah, who as you all know is the apple of her grandfather’s eye.” He turned to Derek and Rebecca. “I think of Christopher and little Benjamin and your sweet, sweet little Leah.” He looked at the others. “There’s not time to name them all. But you know how you feel about them, and you know how we feel about them. They are all that really matter.”

  Now they were all nodding.

  “Do you know what I was thinking as we finished tonight?”

  They watched him quietly, waiting for him to answer his own question.

  “I remembered that day several weeks ago when your mother and I got off the boat. How terribly disappointed we were as we looked at the faces in the crowd and saw no one we knew! Think of that. Think of entering the spirit world and having no one there.

  “And then I picture going around the side of the Nauvoo House and seeing all of those grandchildren standing there waiting for us.” His voice caught and he had to look away. When he spoke again, it was with difficulty. “I think of all of you stepping out to greet us.” His body started to shake a little as he fought to hold back his emotions.

  Several were wiping at their eyes now, and there were more than just a few sniffles to be heard.

  “The Lord has promised us a fulness of joy if we are faithful,” he finally went on. He stepped nearer to Mary Ann and pulled her close to him. “Well, if that’s the case, he’s going to have to give me a lot bigger bottle to hold it in than I have now, because I can’t imagine being happier or more joyful than I was at that moment. And if there’s more joy than that to be found, I will just simply burst.”

  They laughed with him through their tears, all of them deeply touched.

  Benjamin straightened, his face calm and serene. “We must continue to pray for Carl and Melissa and Joshua and Caroline so that they someday will be with us. And other than that, it doesn’t matter what happens now. We have obtained the blessings that the Lord has designed for us. We shall seal our children to us and become one great, eternal family. And then no one can take it from us and we can go from here in peace.”

  “Amen!” Nathan said in a near whisper.

  “Amen!” murmured the others.

  Chapter Notes

  While on a trip to the outlying settlements, Joseph Smith pronounced the doctrine of the new and everlasting covenant of marriage in Ramus. This eventually became section 131 of the Doctrine and Covenants (see HC 5:391–93). Though Joseph Smith had sealed a few couples for time and eternity before his death—Brigham and Mary Ann Young, Heber and Vilate Kimball, Parley and Mary Ann Pratt, and a few others—the ordinance of sealing couples together for time and eternity, revealed in what is now sections 131 and 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants, was not administered to the general membership until 7 January 1846 (see HC 7:565–66).

  The description of the altar comes from the official history of the Church (see HC 7:566).

  Chapter 29

  Brethren!”

  Those assembled in the largest room of the upper floor of the temple stopped their quiet whisperings and turned to face Brigham Young.

  “Thank you for coming. If our count is right we have all but one or two of the captains of companies here. We also have several captains of tens and other leaders with us. We appreciate your coming. We know that you are busy and that every minute away from your workshops is time away from your preparations, so we shall keep this meeting short.”

  He looked tired. Two days before, Heber Kimball had told Nathan that with the time growing shorter and with the huge numbers of Saints who wished to have their temple ordinances, Brigham had been working day and night in the temple. Heber said that he had been home only once in the past week and was averaging no more than four hours of sleep each night.

  “We regretfully inform you that the news from our friends in high places is not good. They say that the federal troops in St. Louis are ready to march on us at any time. We know not how much longer we can stay safely in our city.”

  He stopped, letting the soft cries of alarm play out, his fingers drumming softly on the small table he was using as a podium. “A few days ago, we called for a report from the captains as to who i
n their respective companies were ready to leave immediately. We learned that we now have about a hundred and forty horses or other draft animals and seventy wagons. That is terribly disheartening in a way. We estimate that we are going to have to eventually move close to fifteen thousand Saints, so this is a pittance. And time is running out.”

  He squared his shoulders, looking at the men through narrowed eyes. “We are now certain that we can no longer delay our departure, certainly not until there is grass on the plains. If evil descends upon us, our only safety will be in our departure from this place. So I am asking, How many of you captains are ready and willing to start immediately?”

  Heads turned as men looked at each other in dismay. “How soon is immediately, President?” someone called out.

  “Two weeks, maybe less.”

  That brought a rumble of surprise. Men gaped at each other. Some just shook their heads. Nathan Steed turned and looked at his father. Two weeks! Today was the eighteenth of January. Two weeks meant about the first of February, two and a half months sooner than they had been planning.

  “I’m not talking about having every single nail and piece of rope you’re going to need. I’m talking about who is close enough in their preparations to leave immediately if the call comes. Let me see by raise of hands.”

  Benjamin gave Nathan a long appraising look, and then, not waiting for an answer, raised his hand.

  “There’s no way we can be ready that soon,” Derek said, reflecting the discouragement they all felt at hearing the news Nathan and Benjamin had brought back from the temple. “We only have three wagons thus far and still need more oxen to pull them.”