Thursday, May 16, 2024

Interesting Insights from Heber Q. Hale, "A Heavenly Manifestation" (1920)

 In 1920, a stake president, Heber Q. Hale, had a visionary experience, one that he was asked to report to the then-president of the Church, Heber J. Grant. As Richard Hemsley wrote:

 

Note: My father, Richard Hemsley, was in the Presiding Bishop’s office in Salt Lake City. One day President Heber J. Grant came in. In a few minutes President Heber Q. Hale, president of the Boise Idaho Stake came in. President Grant asked President Hale to relate the manifestation to those present; which he did. My father asked President Hale for a copy of it which he promised to send to him later. My father received the copy through the mail. —Job Hemsley

 

What is interesting about this vision is that Hale reported that, in the spirit world, ordinances were performed, and they are made effectual by the same ordinances taking place in our mortal realm:

 

All worthy men and women were appointed to special and regular service under a well-organized plan of action, directed principally towards preaching the gospel to the unconverted, teaching those who seek knowledge and establishing family relationship and gathering genealogies for the use and benefit of mortal survivors of their respective families, that the work of baptism and sealing ordinances may be vicariously performed for the departed in the Temples of God upon the earth. The authorized representatives of families in the world of spirits have access to our Temple records and are kept, fully advised of the work done therein; but the vicarious work done here does not become automatically effective there. The recipients must first believe, repent and accept baptism and confirmation; then certain consummating ordinances are performed effectualizing these saving principles in the lives of those regenerated beings, and so the great work is going on. They are doing a work there which we cannot do here, and we doing work here, which they cannot do there; both necessary, each the complement of the other, thus bringing about salvation of all God’s children who will be saved. (Heber Q. Hale, "A Heavenly Manifestation" [1920])