A Vision
While thus engaged the heavens were opened and the Prophet received the following vision:
“I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell. I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire; also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son. I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold. I saw Fathers Adam and Abraham, and my father and mother, my brother, Alvin, that has long since slept, and marveled how it was that he had obtained an inheritance in the kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to gather Israel the second time and had not been baptized for the remission of sins.
“Thus came the voice of the Lord to 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.’
“And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.”
Many other wonderful manifestations they beheld, and angels ministered to them; the power of the Lord rested upon them and the house was filled with the glory of God. The Prophet’s scribe, Warren Parrish, saw the armies of heaven, and visions of the redemption of Zion.
At this and succeeding meetings the various councils and presiding officers in the several quorums, each in turn, received blessings by the anointing of oil and laying on of hands, such as the patriarch and presidency had received, and the visions of heaven were opened to their view with wonderful manifestations of the glory and power of God, and they shouted, “Hosanna to God and the Lamb.”
The Solemn Assembly
In the city of Kirtland on Sunday, March 27, 1836, the members of the Church realized their hopes, long anticipated, when they gathered in the temple in solemn assembly. As early as 1832, the Lord had given commandment for the building of a house to his name, for such a place was not to be found on the earth; nor had there been for many centuries. The ground was broken for this building, June 5, 1833; the corner stones were laid on the 23rd of the following month—the same day the Saints in Jackson County were forced by mob violence from their homes. Now the house was finished; a monument to the faith and industry of the little band of Latterly Saints who had constructed it in their poverty, amidst the threatened violence of enemies. It is a building of no mean proportions; built of stone; eighty feet in length, sixty in width, fifty feet to the square, with a tower one hundred ten feet from the ground. The 27th of March, 1836, was a solemn and momentous occasion. Long before the appointed hour the building was thronged with eager and interested people, many were turned away for lack of room. At nine o’clock the session was called to order by President Sidney Rigdon, who, in the midst of breathless silence, read the 96th and the 24th psalms. The choir then sang: “Ere long the veil will rend in twain”—which declaration was to be fulfilled earlier than the congregation realized. After prayer and another song appropriate remarks were made, and then the various officers of the Church were sustained by separate vote, which procedure was interspersed with singing.
The Prayer of Dedication
The prayer of dedication which had been given by revelation (Doc. and Cov. Sec. 109) was offered and the house was presented to the Lord.[6] Following the prayer, the congregation sang the hymn Hosanna[7] which had been written for this occasion, and then shouted “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna, to God and the Lamb,” sealing it with “Amen, Amen, and Amen.” Angels were present and the Holy Spirit, like the sound of a mighty rushing wind, filled the house and rested upon the assembly. The people of the neighborhood came running together hearing a strange sound and seeing a bright light resting on the temple. The house had been accepted by the Lord.