Pillar of Light

by Gerald N. Lund

  There were dozens of similar cases. Benjamin shook his head. No wonder they had had a Pentecostal season! And no wonder that he had not. What had he done? Fought Joseph Smith bitterly. Forbidden his family to read the Book of Mormon. True, he had finally come around, he had finally put all that behind him, but it had taken so long. And what had he sacrificed? He was prospering. Everything he seemed to set his hand to blossomed. He and his family had not gone without food. They were in a comfortable home.

  How blessed the day when the lamb and the lion

  Shall lie down together without any ire,

  And Ephraim be crowned with his blessing in Zion,

  As Jesus descends with His chariots of fire!

  Benjamin dropped his head, feeling a great shame. Now he understood why on this great day of Pentecost he felt nothing but sorrow.

  “Benjamin, my son.”

  Benjamin’s head snapped up.

  “Listen to my words, my son. Be still and know that I am God.”

  Later he would conclude that he didn’t hear the voice as much as he felt it. It came inside his mind, but the effect was to permeate every fibre of his being to the point that he felt as if his whole body were on fire.

  “Your sacrifice is acceptable unto me. I am well pleased with your desires and with your labors on my house. Murmur not about those things which you have not yet seen. Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected.”

  The rest of the dedicatory service was mostly a blur in Benjamin Steed’s mind. After the choir finished singing “The Spirit of God Like a Fire Is Burning,” the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was administered to all present. Oliver Cowdery spoke. Frederick G. Williams rose and testified that while Sidney Rigdon was offering the invocation earlier, he had seen a being enter through the window and take a seat between him and Father Smith. Joseph later explained that it was the Apostle Peter. David Whitmer testified that he also had seen heavenly beings. President Rigdon arose and led them in the Hosanna Shout, a shout that nearly lifted the roof right off the temple. Brigham Young spoke in tongues, David Patten interpreted.

  He was vaguely aware of it all, but for Benjamin Steed one thing burned all the others into insignificance, and that was the words, “My son, your sacrifice is acceptable unto me.”

  Lydia stepped back into the kitchen area of her mother-in-law’s house.

  Mary Ann looked up. “Is he asleep?”

  “Yes, thank goodness.”

  “It’s been a long day, but he was so good in the temple.”

  “I know, it was wonderful.” Lydia suddenly stopped, the emotion rising unbidden. “When I think—” She swallowed, then tried again. “When I think about possibly not being there, I can hardly stand it. If we were still in Palmyra...” She couldn’t finish. Mary Ann patted the chair next to her and Lydia came over, sat beside her, and took her hand.

  Jessica sat on a chair in the corner, knitting a shawl for Rachel. She nodded, her own eyes suddenly misty. “And I could have stayed in Missouri,” she whispered.

  “All right, now,” Melissa said, coming in from the parlor where she had been changing little David, “don’t make this any harder on me than it already is.”

  “I’m sorry, Melissa,” Lydia said. “I know how badly you wanted to be there.”

  Mary Ann decided to change the subject. “Do you think the brethren will have anything like that happen tonight?”

  They all contemplated that for a minute. Joseph had reconvened priesthood holders for another service. Nathan and Benjamin had left just a few minutes earlier to be in attendance for the evening’s meeting.

  They all jumped as the front door to the house exploded inward, slamming against the wall. “Mama, Mama!” Little Emily burst into the kitchen with Joshua hard on her heels.

  Lydia jumped up in alarm. “What is it?”

  “They’re meeting on the temple!” Emily blurted. “Come see.”

  “They’re what?” the women all said at once.

  “It’s true, Mama,” Joshua gasped. “Quick, come and see.”

  In a moment they all rushed through the house and out of the front door. Mary Ann stopped and gaped in amazement. It was true. There were people on the top of the temple, walking back and forth. Though it was late afternoon, it was still full daylight, and while they were nearly two blocks away, they could see the people clearly. Then, even as she watched, Mary Ann felt a shiver shoot up her spine. The people on the temple had disap-peared. In an instant they were back again, walking and conversing. Then again they disappeared.

  “Who are those men?” Melissa asked. “That’s dangerous up there.”

  Lydia was staring, one hand to her mouth. She had seen what Mary Ann had seen. “They’re not men,” she whispered breathlessly.

  Melissa jerked around as though she had been yanked with a rope. It was true. The figures on top of the temple could be seen clearly. They were dressed in white, with robes that came down to the ankles. And they disappeared, then reappeared.

  At that moment, Matthew came tearing around from the back of the house, Rachel and young Carl in tow. He pulled up short at the sight of the women. “Listen, Mother!”

  Mary Ann looked at him in surprise, but in obedience to the urgency in his voice, cocked her head. The others did the same.

  “What is it?” Emily cried in alarm, moving closer to her mother.

  “Listen!”

  They all heard it together. At first it sounded like the beginnings of a breeze sighing in the trees, but it swelled rapidly in volume. Mary Ann stared upwards at the treetops around them. Nothing there stirred, and the sound was not really coming from above. She turned her head. It was coming from the direction of the temple.

  Across the street, their neighbor Sister Carlson came dashing out. She looked up, then when she also saw nothing she ran over to them. “What is it!” She had to shout to make herself heard.

  Jessica cupped her hands, instinctively bracing herself against the wind that was not there. “We don’t know,” she yelled.

  All up and down the street now, people were coming out of their houses, staring up into the sky.

  Suddenly Mary Ann started. “I know,” she cried.

  They all swung around to stare at her. “In the book of Acts. Remember? On the day of Pentecost?”

  Jessica’s eyes widened. Lydia nodded, understanding. Melissa still looked puzzled, so Mary Ann leaned closer toward her. “The Bible says that when the tongues of fire appeared, there was a sound like the sound of a mighty rushing wind which filled the house.”

  They stood there for a moment in awe, no one moving as the sound finally began to die gradually. Mary Ann turned toward the temple. The roof line was clear now. The figures were gone. She felt a pang of disappointment. But then, just as she was about to turn back, her eyes looked again. The temple seemed to be glowing more brightly.

  “Look,” Matthew cried out beside her. Then she knew her eyes were not deceiving her.

  Melissa unconsciously pulled David closer to her.

  “What is it?” little Joshua whispered.

  No one answered. A shaft of light, like a mighty pillar of fire, enveloped the entire building now, and the temple glowed as though the very walls were made of light.

  “What is it?” Lydia whispered, echoing her son.

  Mary Ann slowly turned. “Our sacrifice is accepted,” she said slowly. “God has accepted his house.”

  Approximately four hundred brethren had gathered back in the temple for a special priesthood session called by Brother Joseph. This time Joseph was conducting the meeting. It started out normally enough. After a hymn and prayer, Joseph told those assembled that on the upcoming Wednesday those present would participate in the sacred ordinance of the washing of feet. He cited from the scriptural account of when the Savior performed the ordinance for the eleven Apostles in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, then instructed them as to how the or
dinance was to be performed. Nathan was very much sobered by the time Joseph finished. This would be a sacred and holy experience indeed.

  But then Joseph’s demeanor changed. Now he was speaking to them on the subject of the spirit of prophecy. He indicated that it was one of the gifts of the Spirit, and that as members of the Church and righteous priesthood holders, it was their right and privilege to exercise that gift.

  Nathan glanced out of the corner of his eye at his father. Benjamin was leaning forward, totally enraptured with what Joseph was saying. Joseph had paused now. Every eye was on him. No one so much as stirred.

  “Brethren,” Joseph said quietly, “I now call upon the congregation to speak. The spirit of prophecy belongs to you, so do not fear to prophesy good for the Saints. If you prophesy the falling of these hills and the rising of these valleys, if you prophesy the downfall of the enemies of Zion and the rising of the kingdom of God, it shall come to pass.”

  His eyes swept over the assembly, seeming to catch each man’s eye and to hold it for a moment, though in actuality it was done in one moment. “Brethren, I tell you, the first one who rises to his feet and opens his mouth shall prophesy.”

  For a moment the group was stunned. They glanced around at each other, and the air was filled with a sudden tension. Then, two rows in front of where Nathan sat, eighteen-year-old George A. Smith, cousin to the Prophet Joseph, stood up. He opened his mouth and began to speak, and Nathan gaped at him. Nathan had traveled for three months with this young man on Zion’s Camp. He had seen him wince with pain when his feet were so badly blistered that they left his boots wet with blood. He had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him on a bluff overlooking the Fishing River and seen him tremble with fear. But now, George A. Smith threw his shoulders back and spoke with the roar of a lion.

  Barely had he begun when another sound began to fill the temple. It was a pleasant day outside, and so the windows on both sides of the temple were open to the evening air. At first Nathan thought the wind had started to blow outside, but as he looked out he saw that it was not so. The leaves on the trees outside were limp and still. The sound rose rapidly in volume. It filled the great hall in which they met, like some roaring hurricane that drowned out all sounds but its own.

  Without realizing it, Nathan was on his feet. So was every man in the room. Their heads turned this way and that, looking up toward the ceiling to ascertain the source of the mighty roaring. Nathan felt a hand grip his shoulder. He turned. His father was staring at him, eyes wide with amazement and wonder. And then Benjamin began to speak. At least his mouth started to move, and sounds came out, but it took a moment before Nathan realized that it was unintelligible, a babble of sounds and words that made absolutely no sense to him at all.

  Then suddenly he jerked forward, his eyes glued on his father’s mouth. It was the gift of tongues! His father was speaking in tongues! Nathan felt a jolt shoot through him. It hit him with such force that he groped wildly for the edge of the pew to stop his knees from buckling.

  “The temple is filled with angels!”

  The cry brought Nathan around to look up at the pulpits. It was Joseph who had shouted out. He was pointing out across the assembly room. Chills and a wild tingling were coursing all up and down the entire length of Nathan’s body now. But when he turned to scan the hall, he saw nothing. There was a sharp pang of disappointment. Then suddenly he was aware of another sensation. He felt them! His head came up sharply and he looked around again, focusing inwardly now. It was as if he had suddenly acquired another sense—not seeing, not hearing, but...He groped for the right word. Knowing! That was it. He knew, as surely as if he saw them, that there were other beings present with them in the room. Tears sprang unbidden to his eyes. He knew! He knew!

  The assembly room was now filled with a roar of a different kind. All around him men were talking or calling out excitedly. Some pointed at the air in front of them, crying out that visions were opened to their view. Others evidently were allowed to see the heavenly beings. Some spoke in tongues, many were prophesying.

  Nathan whirled back around to his father. Benjamin had stopped speaking now, but his face still glowed with a radiant power, as though inside there was some unseen fire. Nathan reached out and took him by the shoulders and shook him. “Pa,” he cried, “you spoke in tongues.”

  For several moments, Benjamin just stared at him, then suddenly one great racking sob shook his body. “I know,” he whispered. “I know.”

  It was eleven P.M. when father and son came out of the east doors of the Kirtland Temple and turned south toward their homes. They were still overwhelmed. And drained! Benjamin could not remember a time when he felt more exhausted. When they came to the gate in front of Benjamin’s home, he stopped for a moment. He turned back, and Nathan did the same. For almost a minute they gazed at the great dark silhouette of the building to the north of them.

  “We’ll sing and we’ll shout with the armies of heaven.” Earlier that day he had faltered when the choir had begun to sing that chorus from William Phelps’s dedicatory hymn. He had felt nothing but sorrow and envy then, and had lowered his eyes, not wanting anyone to see his shame. “The Spirit of God like a fire is burning,” the hymn began. This afternoon he had known that to be true, but only for others.

  Now all of that was changed. Now he understood.

  Benjamin turned to his son. His mouth opened, then shut again—a great lump in his throat suddenly cut him off. It was all right, though. Words could not possibly say what he was feeling. Instead, he held open his arms. Nathan’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, in an instant, he stepped into Benjamin’s encircling embrace.

  For a long time, father and son stood there, not far from the shadow of the temple, holding one another, and silently rejoicing.

  Dedication of the Kirtland Temple

  Notes

  Chapter One

  The earliest documented account we have of Joseph Smith performing a marriage for members of the Church is that of 24 November 1835 (see History of the Church 2:320; hereafter cited as HC). In that account Joseph does not specifically say it was the first marriage he had performed, but that seems to be the implication. Though the form and content of the ceremony as presented in the novel are essentially as described in the 1835 account, having Joseph perform the marriage of Nathan and Lydia in April 1830 is a fictional device, as is the attempt to have the constable arrest Joseph for doing so.

  Chapter Three

  The depiction of events in Colesville associated with Joseph’s visit and the attempts to baptize and confirm converts—principally Emma Smith and members of the Joseph Knight family—is essentially as described in Joseph’s history (see HC 1:86-88) and noted by Joseph Knight, Jr. (see Larry C. Porter, “The Colesville Branch and the Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon,” BYU Studies 10 [Spring 1970]: 372-74). The legal harassment Joseph faced at this time, including the change of heart on the part of the constable and his giving Joseph assistance in escaping the hands of the mob, is also recorded in his history (see HC 1:88-89).

  Chapter Four

  The depiction of the trials in South Bainbridge and Colesville, including some of the dialogue and the blasphemous mocking Joseph received at the hands of his enemies, follows the recorded account in Joseph’s history (see HC 1:89-96). Some of the details are taken from a report made by one of Joseph’s defenders, John Reid, which is included in a footnote in that same source.

  Chapter Five

  Emma was pregnant and in poor health during the time the sisters were sewing clothing for the missionaries to the Lamanites, but refused to use that as an excuse to leave the work to others (see Church History in the Fulness of Times [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1989], p. 80; hereafter cited as CHFT). The Mary Whitmer story is reported by her son David Whitmer (see CHFT, pp. 57-58). Emma and Joseph were living with the Whitmers at the time Mary had this experience, and so Emma undoubtedly heard Mary’s report. The suggestion that Emma reac
ted to it with frustration, however, is speculation on the part of the author. Section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants, wherein Emma is counseled not to murmur, was given in July 1830, about a year after Mary Whitmer had the experience with Moroni.

  Chapter Seven

  The depiction of Joseph Smith’s arrival in Kirtland and his prophetic greeting of Newel K. Whitney is, in general terms, historically accurate (see CHFT, pp. 90-91).

  Chapter Eight

  The giving of the background of the Newel Whitney story (see note for chapter seven) to Carl Rogers is, of course, a fictional device; but the details of that story are accurate (see Andrew Jenson, comp., Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia [1901-36; reprint, Salt Lake City: Western Epics, 1971], 1:223).

  Chapter Nine

  Lucy Mack Smith makes it clear that she was the one who led the Saints on the canal boat to Buffalo, and then on to Kirtland (see her History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, ed. Preston Nibley [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1958], pp. 195-97; hereafter cited as Mack Hist.).

  Chapter Ten

  On the journey to Kirtland, Lucy Mack Smith cared for the needs of her group, settled disputes, and saw to it that the group conducted prayer and worship services while under way. Her speeches of exhortation and encouragement in the novel come largely from her own account. (See Mack Hist., pp. 196-99.)

  Chapter Eleven

  The group of Saints from the Finger Lakes region was too large for one boat, so a second company, under the direction of Thomas B. Marsh, left at about the same time. They arrived in Buffalo shortly after Lucy Mack Smith’s group. The Colesville Branch, under leadership of Newel Knight, had left earlier but were delayed in Buffalo for some time because of the ice. The depiction of the other groups’ reluctance to declare their identity is as described by Mother Smith (see Mack Hist., p. 199).