A selection from the
2017 book,
(From
the chapter on Elder McConkie’s special witness of Jesus.)
On June 1, 1978, Elder McConkie
enjoyed, with his Brethren of the First Presidency and ten of the Twelve, the
most spiritual experience of his life, at least to that point.[1] It came in the House of
the Lord at the time of the receipt of the revelation to President Spencer W.
Kimball extending priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy men regardless
of race (see D&C Official Declaration 2). On June 28, 1978, Elder McConkie
related the event to family members while vacationing in Nauvoo, and visiting
in the home of a Kimball relative. A family member present that took notes from
Bruce’s narration later described what he said:
When
we were all seated . . . Bruce began to tell us some of the events and details
about this revelation. . . . One thing that he cautioned us not to do was to
make it more than it was, even though I can’t imagine a greater thing than this
in this life. . . . With President Kimball the preliminaries for this
[revelation] started at least two years [before it was received]. There were
many, many, discussions, returning to the subject from time to time in their
quorum meetings in the temple. There was much fasting and there was much
praying and many prayers were offered pleading to the Lord for a resolution of
this problem. During the last three or four months there had been extended
discussion during the quorum meetings regarding offering all of the blessings
of the gospel to all the people of the earth.
Now
the various members of the quorum were asked to express themselves briefly and
did. . . . The Prophet had told the quorum that this was a problem that he had
been wrestling with for many hours and had spent many hours going to the upper
rooms of the temple, wrestling [in prayer] with the Lord. He had not received a
revelation but he wanted a revelation. . . .
This
particular Thursday (this was on June 1st) President Kimball asked
the members of the Quorum [of the Twelve] to stay; he said that he had some
things that he wanted to discuss further. All of the members of the quorum were
there except [two].
President
Kimball began by saying that there was a matter that had been discussed many
times and he would like to discuss it again. He said, “We would like to get an
answer to it. I would like to get a revelation one way or the other. If it is
to remain as it is, I will defend it with my life. But if the Lord feels that
the time is come to give the priesthood blessings to all worthy men, I want
that revelation.” And then he called another prayer . . . in which he asked the
Lord to give them an answer. . . . Bruce said, President Kimball in his modest
way, asked the Brethren if it would be alright if he were mouth, that is, if he
were the one who lead the prayer. And he said before the prayer, “Are there any
questions that any of you would like to ask?” It was an informal meeting and in
an informal meeting the Brethren do not have to follow seniority.
Bruce raised his
hand and for ten minutes he discussed points that were known to the
Prophet—that he had written in his memorandum to him—but they weren’t
necessarily known to the other members of the quorum. Elder Packer then spoke
and there were no new extensions of the discussion; there were no duplication
of ideas. Then the Brethren began to speak freely and there was a discussion
and clarification of ideas and talk that was going forward. Then they had the
prayer circle and the prayer given by the Prophet, Elder McConkie said, were
the words of the Lord and it was given by the Spirit. He prayed perhaps five or
ten minutes and he asked the Lord for an answer, to reveal to the brethren in a
simple way, His desires.
Bruce said he had
often wondered what Paul had meant in Acts [2:3] by “cloven tongues of
fire”—these were the words that Paul used because he had no other words to describe
it. But he said since this experience in the temple, when the Lord revealed to
the 10 members of the quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency His will
concerning the giving of the priesthood to all worthy men, he now understood
what Paul meant, because he had experienced it. But even having experienced it,
he couldn’t put into words what happened except to say that he now understood
what Paul meant when he said, “cloven tongues of fire fell upon the
congregation,” and he said it did upon each of the members present. …
Someone asked
Bruce, “was it like the day of Pentecost in the restored Church when some saw
angels, some saw others and so forth?” He said, “It was like that.” They tried
to get him to say who was present. He was very careful to say it was like that
day and would not go into detail. …
Bruce
says that this was the most spiritual experience that he had ever had, and
that, if you will remember back to his conference address when he was called to
be an apostle, he indicated that he had talked with the Lord prior to his being
called; that he had direct communication with the Lord, and the Lord let him
know that he was approved, and what was in store for him. And yet, despite all
of that, he said that this was the greatest spiritual experience that he had
ever had.[2]
President
Kimball heard of the informal McConkie family meeting and soon thereafter he
asked Elder McConkie to write for him an account of his statements to his
family at that time. Responding, Elder McConkie wrote a formal memorandum for
the Prophet, dated June 30. This account confirms the substance of the above
family recitation and adds further details:
In
recent years the counselors in the First Presidency and all members of the
Council of the Twelve and Presidency have had an acute awareness of the desire
of President Spencer W. Kimball to learn the mind and will of the Lord relative
to conferring the Holy Priesthood upon worthy males of every race and color. In
recent months one aspect or another of this matter has come up for informal
discussion in various regular meetings of the First Presidency and the Twelve.
. . .
On
two occasions in recent months President Kimball has invited the members of the
Twelve, if they felt so inclined, to give him written memorandums expressing
their personal views together with any doctrinal explanations as to whether it
would be appropriate to give the priesthood to worthy members of all races and
colors. Some of the Brethren responded to this invitation and sent documents to
the President. . . .
On
Thursday, June 1, 1978, the Twelve met as usual at 8 a.m. All of the Brethren
came in at 9 a.m. and the normal meeting including testimonies was held. There
were about fifteen Brethren invited to speak and bear testimony. . . . The
meeting on this day seemed to have a particularly high spiritual tone. All of
the Brethren who expressed themselves did so with faith and testimony and the
spirit of the Lord was present in manifold abundance.
At
the conclusion of the prayer . . . President Kimball took the unusual step of
inviting the members of the Presidency and the Twelve to remain in the room . .
. and then excused the other Brethren. Always on these first Thursdays, all of
the Brethren come to the meeting fasting. On this occasion on the first of
June, President Kimball said to the Twelve, that he would like them to continue
during the balance of that day to fast with the Presidency and that the normal
luncheon at the end of the business meeting had been cancelled. President
Kimball then advised the members of the Presidency and the Twelve that in
recent months he had been giving extended serious, prayerful consideration to
the matter of conferring the priesthood upon the Negroes and that he felt the
need for divine guidance. He said that in recent weeks he had spent many hourrs
alone there in the upper room in the temple pleading with the Lord for counsel
and direction. He said he hoped the Lord would give a revelation one way or
another and resolve the matter. He indicated that if it was the mind and will
of the Lord that we continue in the present course, denying the priesthood to
the descendants of Cain, that he was willing to sustain and support that
decision and defend it with all its implications to the death. He said however,
that if the Lord was willing to have the priesthood go to them, he hoped for a
clear affirmation of this so there would be no question in anyone’s mind.
There
followed a near two-hour period in which there was complete, extended and free
discussion on the matter. President Kimball began by asking for expressions of
opinion and feeling from members of the Twelve. The Brethren responded freely
and without hesitation. None were in any way inhibited in setting forth their
views. Each one spoke. Some questions were asked by the counselors in the First
Presidency as various of the Brethren expressed their views; these were
answered to the seeming complete satisfaction of all. There was a wondrous and
marvelous feeling and spirit of unity in the meeting. All of the expressions of
all of the Brethren leaned and tended toward the view that it would be a
wholesome and beneficial thing if the Lord felt inclined to approve the giving
of the priesthood and temple blessings to worthy men of all races and colors.
There was no divisive feeling whatever. A strong, compelling spirit of unity
was in the meeting. It seemed as though all of the Brethren were in effect
joining in the prayers which President Kimball had recently been making in the
same room on this tremendously important matter.
After
full discussion and full expression on the part of all concerned, President
Kimball suggested that we go forward with the prayer. . . . He said that if it
was agreeable with the Brethren he would be mouth. President Kimball then
importuned the Lord with great fervor and faith. All the Brethren joined in his
prayer as it was recited at the altar. He asked that a revelation might be
given manifesting the Lord’s mind and will on this matter so that the issue
could be resolved. It was one of those occasions when the one who was mouth in
the prayer, prayed by the power of the Spirit and was given expression and
guided in the words that were used and the sentences that were said. The spirit
of unity that had prevailed first in the meeting with all the Brethren and then
in greater manifestation and degree when the Presidency and the Twelve met
alone, continued to increase in the hearts of all present.
While
President Kimball prayed, the revelation came. When he ceased to pray, there
was a great Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit such as none of those present
had ever before experienced. There are no words to describe what then happened.
It was something that could only be felt in the hearts of the recipients and
which can only be understood by the power of the Spirit.
When
the Spirit of the Lord fell upon certain Nephite congregations, they were
unable to write in language what happened and indicated that the outpouring of
the Spirit could only be understood by the power of the Spirit. On the day of
Pentecost in the Old World it is recorded that cloven tongues of fire rested
upon the people. It is thought that this is an attempt to find language which
would describe the overwhelming power and impact of the Holy Ghost upon the
hearts of people. On this occasion in the upper room of the temple something
akin to the day of Pentecost occurred. All of the Brethren at once knew and
felt in their souls what the answer to the importuning petition of President
Kimball was. All knew with one voice what the intent and purpose of the Lord
was with reference to the priesthood. Nothing could have been more clearly and
forcibly presented. Some of the Brethren were weeping. All were sober and
somewhat overcome. When President Kimball stood up, several of the Brethren, in
turn, threw their arms around him and each of the Brethren knew that an answer
had been received and that the voice of the Lord had been heard. All knew what
should be done. At this point they retired. . . . All of the Brethren felt
subdued and sobered.
Subsequent
to the meeting President Kimball and each of his counselors and President
Benson, representing the feelings of all who were present, expressed themselves
to the effect that never in their experience in the Church had they ever felt
or experienced anything in any way comparable to what occurred on this first
day of June in 1978, in the upper room in the Salt Lake Temple. . . .[3]
The
clear intent of the message or meaning of the non-verbal revelation to
President Kimball was reduced to writing and shared with the other
General Authorities a week later and was approved
by them, and then quickly announced to the world. It was also formally
sustained by the body of the Church at the October 1978 General
Conference and became Official Declaration 2 in the Doctrine and
Covenants. June 1, 2018, becomes the fortieth anniversary
of the receipt of the revelation.
Portions of the memorandum written by Elder McConkie to President
Kimball were used by Edward Kimball in his biography of his father's
years as church president and in a
BYU Studies article (see note 3). Ed gave me a copy of it in
exchange for a copy of the Bill Pope item that I obtained (see note
2) decades ago, with the agreement that neither of us publish the
other's document without their permission. Since Edward
Kimball has now passed away (as has Bill Pope), I felt free to proceed
with publication of portions of both pieces, as part of a chapter about
Elder McConkie's special witness, in my book on Special Witnesses of
Jesus Christ (and in this blog), lest they be
lost to history.
[1]
In substantiation of this statement, Elder McConkie wrote: “In the days that
followed the receipt of the new revelation, President Kimball and President Ezra
Taft Benson—the senior and most spiritually experienced ones among us—both
said, expressing the feelings of us all, that neither of them had ever
experienced anything of such spiritual magnitude and power as was poured out
upon the Presidency and the Twelve that day in the upper room in the house of
the Lord” (Mark L. McConkie, Doctrines of
the Restoration: Sermons & Writings of Bruce R. McConkie [Salt Lake
City: Bookcraft, 1989], 161-62).
[2]
“Address of Bill Jordan Pope,” [brother-in-law of Elder McConkie], given
shortly after the 1978 revelation was received, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake
City, Utah.
[3]
Bruce R. McConkie, memorandum to President Spencer W. Kimball from Elder Bruce
R. McConkie, June 30, 1978, entitled, “The Receipt of the Revelation Offering
the Priesthood to Worthy Men of all Races and Colors,” 1-7; copy in author’s possession. Elder McConkie
is elsewhere quoted as saying: “On the day of Pentecost in the Old World it is
recorded that cloven tongues of fire rested on the people. They were trying to
put into words what is impossible to express directly. There are no words to
describe the sensation, but simultaneously the Twelve and the three members of
the First Presidency had the Holy Ghost descend upon them and they knew that
God had manifested his will. . . . I had had some remarkable spiritual
experiences before, particularly in connection with my call as an apostle, but
nothing of this magnitude.” This wording is incorrectly cited in Edward L.
Kimball, “Spencer W. Kimball and the Revelation on Priesthood,” BYU Studies 47:2 (2008), 56, as coming
from the McConkie memorandum to Pres. Kimball, but is not. I speculate this
wording may have come from an interview Edward Kimball conducted with Elder
McConkie at a later date.
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