A Blessing Such as is Not Known

By Hollie Wells

I can only imagine the anticipatory joy of the early Saints as Joseph Smith received line-upon-line revelations on the building of temples. One such 1831 revelation recently caught my attention. “And inasmuch as my people shall assemble themselves at the Ohio, I have kept in store a blessing such as is not known among the children of men, and it shall be poured forth upon their heads. And from thence men shall go forth into all nations” (Doctrine & Covenants 39:15). This blessing referred to is clearly the temple and its associated ordinances in retrospect, with my overarching view of Church history. However, this would not have been as clear to those living in the time of the revelation. I’m not even sure if, at this early stage in the Church’s development, Joseph Smith himself knew exactly what the Lord was implying would happen in Kirtland. They understood, though, that a great and unprecedented blessing would be poured out upon them if they were faithful to all the Lord had commanded them. As events unfolded, a temple was built five years later, and I wonder if those Saints looked back at the fantastic promises from the Lord in those early sections of the Doctrine & Covenants and realized they were living the fulfillment. 

I ponder this verse and think what a fitting way to prepare a people for the endowment! The very purpose of the endowment is to covenant to keep all of God’s commandments and receive unprecedented blessings upon our heads through our connection to Christ. This is exactly what the Saints were experiencing as they had the faith to act upon the sometimes difficult commandments like moving repeatedly, consecrating property, or leaving a home with no promise of somewhere to go. I trust they had a quiet hope encompassing all that the temples have grown into today. Just as a newly endowed member only glimpses the glory but lacks the exposure to have a deeper understanding, the early Latter-Day Saints could only glimpse the glory that was coming for the future generations in this dispensation. 

This verse in Doctrine & Covenants 39 reminded me of Captain Moroni in the Book of Mormon. He prepares his Nephite people so well that when the Lamanites initiated battle, they were astonished to find that “they were prepared for them, in a manner which never had been known among the children of Lehi.” President Nelson references Moroni’s preparation in his 2020 talk “Embrace the Future with Faith,” likening their past preparation to the work we are now doing to prepare the earth for the second coming. 

I love this sense of grandeur that the Lord is bringing about a work that has never been matched in the past. The latter-day temples surely are an unprecedented thing. Our modern temples share many similarities with Old Testament-era temples, but are also suited to meet our modern needs, and a people who are no longer living the Law of Moses. It is truly a work and a blessing that has never been seen before among the children of men. Also, our modern capacities to access databases of names and people make our proxy-ordinance effort something incomparable to anything in the past. I am grateful to be alive in this time to be living the fulfillment of ancient and modern blessings in real time!