Second Anointing

What is the second anointing?

The second anointing is a temple ordinance.[1] The ordinance is typically[2] given only to couples who have been sealed in marriage.[3]

Why haven't I heard about this before?

The ordinance is administered by invitation only[4] and isn't generally taught in Church meetings or in Church publications.[5]

Why doesn't the Church openly teach about the second anointing today?

It's unclear why it is no longer mentioned in modern times. It might be because the ordinance is seen as sacred.[6] In the past, second anointings came up more often in Church literature[7] and Church leaders mentioned it occasionally in public sermons.[8]

Is it okay to talk about it?

Yes and no. The Church officially tells members not to discuss the second anointing in classrooms or other Church settings.[9] However, in other contexts, the Church has published descriptions and early accounts of second anointings.[10]

Latter-day Saint historians have also written about the second anointing.[11] Some have cataloged and published records from the Nauvoo period onward on the ordinance.[12]

Are there descriptions of how the ordinance was or is given?

Yes. Temple records from Nauvoo give early descriptions of the ordinance.[13] Written remembrances from those who received the ordinance also summarize what was said and done and why they thought it was significant.[14]

An engraving of Mary of Bethay washing and anointing Jesus's feet from the New Testament of the Bible. — Mary of Bethany anointing and washing Christ's feet.

What does the ordinance involve?

First, in the temple, the husband is anointed with oil[15] as a king and priest to God, and the wife is anointed as a queen and priestess.[16] Second, in a private setting,[17] the couple gives each other a blessing and performs the washing of feet[18] as a symbolic gesture similar to how Mary[BIO] washed Jesus's[BIO] feet soon before his death.[19]

So then what's the first anointing?

The first anointing is given as part of the temple initiatory ordinance.[20] In that ordinance, a man or a woman is washed and anointed to later become a king and a priest or a queen and a priestess.[21] Although in the second anointing people are ordained as priests and priestesses and kings and queens, they do not yet receive a "kingdom."[22]

What other names are used to refer to the second anointing?

Other names include "second endowment(s),"[23] "second ordinances,"[24] the "fullness of the priesthood,"[25] and "second blessings."[26]

Are "sealed up unto eternal life" or "having one's calling and election made sure" or "receiving the Second Comforter" names for the second anointing?

No. Those terms are sometimes affiliated with the second anointing,[27] but they aren't typically used as names for the ordinance. However, being "sealed up unto eternal life" is reportedly a part of the ordinance.[28]

Okay, so if they aren't the second anointing, what are they?

"Being sealed up unto eternal life,"[29] "having your calling and election made sure,"[30] and "receiving the more sure word of prophecy"[31] refer to different kinds of conditional assurances that one will have eternal life.

Receiving the second comforter is when Jesus Christ visits you and "seals you up unto eternal life" which is also an assurance of exaltation.[32]

Does the second anointing or these assurances guarantee exaltation?

No, probably not. Joseph Smith and other Church leaders[33] taught that these blessings are conditional upon faithfulness.[34] However, Orson Pratt taught that being "sealed unto eternal life" would guarantee exaltation.[35]

I've heard that the children of parents who have received their second anointing are guaranteed exaltation. Is that true?

No, probably not. This misunderstanding likely comes from a poor transcription of a sermon from Joseph Smith given on August 13, 1843.[36] This transcription error was repeated in a 1929 General Conference talk by Orson F. Whitney[BIO][37] as well as in the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith which was published in 1938.[38]

Do women get the priesthood when they receive the second anointing?

Sort of. It depends on how you define "priesthood." Women who receive their second anointing are ordained as queens and priestesses.[39] But receiving the second anointing does not in itself authorize women to administer additional priesthood ordinances in this life.[40]

Were anointings performed in the Bible?

Yes. Israelite priests performed washing, anointing, and clothing anciently in the tabernacle.[41]

Read More Difficult Questions

144 Primary Sources

Footnotes

BIOMary of Bethany
Mary of Bethany was the sister of Lazarus and Martha. She appears in the gospel of John when she washes and anoints the feet of Jesus. She was also present when Lazarus was raised from the dead.
BIOJesus Christ
Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God.
BIOOrson F. Whitney
Orson Ferguson Whitney (1855 – 1931) Whitney served as a reporter and city editor of the Deseret News. He taught English and theology at Brigham Young College in Logan, Utah. In 1899, he was called to the position of Assistant Church Historian and served until that position until he was called as an apostle on April 9, 1906. Whitney was the author of books including The Life of Heber C. Kimball, History of Utah (4 volumes) and Elias: An Epic of the Ages.
BIOHeber C. Kimball
Heber Chase Kimball (1801–1868) was an early Latter-day Saint leader. He was born in Sheldon, Vermont and was trained to be a potter at an early age. Kimball joined the faith through the preaching of Phineas Young, Brigham Young's brother. Kimball was appointed to be an apostle in the Church's first Quorum and served a mission to the United Kingdom. When the Saints were expelled from Missouri, Kimball, along with fellow apostle, Brigham Young, oversaw their flight across the Illinois state border. Kimball served as an apostle and counselor in the First Presidency under Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Following Joseph Smith's death in 1844, Kimball aligned himself with the Quorum of the Twelve against the claims of opponents such as Sidney Rigdon and James J. Strang. In 1847, Kimball became a member of the newly-constituted First Presidency. Once the Saints had arrived in Utah, Kimball served as the Territorial Chief Justice and Lieutenant Governor. He died of injuries sustained in a carriage accident in 1868.
[1]↩︎
It was first administered in September 1843 in the upper room of the Newel K. Whitney store in Nauvoo because the temple had not yet been completed.
- Joseph's Journal Entry; Second Anointing given for first time.
[2]↩︎
The nature of the ordinance implies that it is for married couples only, although there are some instances where single men have had the second anointing.
For example, Parley P. Pratt was reported to have had his second anointing without his wife (as she did not want to be sealed to him) and was advised by Joseph Smith to take an additional wife who was sealed to him for time and eternity.
Orson Pratt and Orson Hyde likewise received their second anointing without their wives due to similar concerns.
[3]↩︎
For example, after Benjamin Johnson was sealed in marriage, Joseph Smith explained that Johnson had "taken the step which is necessary" in order to be "sealed up by the power of the priesthood unto eternal life."
Elder Bruce R. McConkie made the following statement:
Eternal life does not and cannot exist for a man or woman alone, because in its very nature it consists of the continuation of the family unit in eternity.
[4]↩︎
Early on in Church history, invitations were given by stake presidents or general authorities. However, starting in 1926, the policy changed to have second anointing recommends issued by apostles and approved by the president.
[5]↩︎
The Doctrines of the Gospel Teacher Manual directs Church members in classroom settings to "not attempt in any way to discuss or answer questions about the second anointing."
- Gospel Teacher Manual says not to discuss second anointing and to exercise caution in discussing having "our calling and election made sure" in classes.
[6]↩︎
The Church asks members to be "reverent, reserved, and careful we are in discussing" temple ordinances.
- Church teaches that temple ordinances should not be talked about.
[7]↩︎
The ordinance is referenced in several twentieth-century Church publications. Sometimes the ordinance is mentioned directly by name, other times indirectly.
[8]↩︎
For instance, Apostle George A. Smith openly discussed the second anointing in a Christmas 1847 sermon that was published in a Church periodical two months later.
Later in 1901, Lorenzo Snow and Joseph F. Smith both discussed the second anointing in public settings.
- George A. Smith discusses origins and significance of the second anointing.
- Thomas A. Clawson records sermon by Lorenzo Snow and Joseph F. Smith on second anointing.
[9]↩︎
The Church published this instruction in a 2000 manual. It directed Church members in classroom settings to "not attempt in any way to discuss or answer questions about the second anointing."
It also instructed teachers to "exercise caution while discussing the doctrine of having our calling and election made sure," a separate but related event to second anointing.
- Gospel Teacher Manual says not to discuss second anointing and to exercise caution in discussing having "our calling and election made sure" in classes.
[10]↩︎
For example, the editors of the Joseph Smith Papers described and discussed the "second anointing" in the introductions to a 2015 volume on Joseph Smith's 1843–44 Journals and a 2016 volume containing the minutes of the "Council of Fifty."
- The Joseph Smith Papers discussion of "second anointings" in the context of Joseph's 1843–44 Journal entries.
- The Joseph Smith Papers provides a discussion of "second anointings" in the context of the minutes of the Council of Fifty.
[11]↩︎
For example, Andrew F. Ehat, a Latter-day Saint historian, wrote his 1982 master's thesis on "Joseph Smith's Introduction of Temple Ordinances and the 1844 Mormon Succession Question."
In 1983, David John Buerger also published the study "'The Fulness of the Priesthood': The Second Anointing in Latter-day Saint Theology and Practice" in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.
- Andrew F. Ehat's thesis on temple ordinances.
- David John Buerger's article on the second anointing in Dialogue.
[12]↩︎
For instance, the works of Devery Anderson and Gary Belgera survey these records:
- The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, 1845–1846: A Documentary History edited by Devery S. Anderson and Gary J. Bergera
- Joseph Smith's Quorum of the Anointed, 1842-1845: A Documentary History edited by Devery S. Anderson and Gary J. Bergera
- Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History edited by Devery S. Anderson
[13]↩︎
The Book of Anointings, a record book of those who received the second anointing ordinance in the Nauvoo Temple, contains a lengthy description of the blessing offered by Brigham Young to Heber C. Kimball and an abbreviated version of the blessing Kimball gave to Young a few days later.
This may not be the same blessing given to all recipients, but some elements of Kimball's blessing are found in other sources.
- Heber C. Kimball's second anointing blessing in Book of Anointings.
[14]↩︎
Most of these accounts are brief, but they generally show that the recipient of the ordinance greatly valued it and felt immensely blessed by it.
[15]↩︎
Each account mentions being anointed with oil, which is where the name "second anointing" comes from.
[16]↩︎
Many accounts describe this first part of the ordinance.
The accounts of Heber C. Kimball's and Brigham Young's anointings are among the earliest and provide a rich description of the event.
- Heber C. Kimball's second anointing blessing in Book of Anointings.
- Heber C. Kimball administers Second Anointing to Brigham.
[17]↩︎
Several accounts indicate that the second part of the ordinance, the washing of feet, was performed separately after the first part, the anointing.
One 1890 source from Thomas Memmot indicates that "shortly after" the first part of the ordinance, he and his wife attended to the second part (presumably at home).
A letter Eliza I. Jones wrote to Wilford Woodruff shows that the second part of the ordinance was expected to be done at home, and an account from William Smart indicates the second part of the ordinance took place at their home a few weeks after the first part.
However, Hans Mattsson and Tom Phillips said that the second part of their second anointing occurred in a private room in the temple immediately after the first part.
[18]↩︎
Some details in accounts of the washing of feet vary. Some state that only the wife washes the husband's feet. Others record the wife and the husband washing each other's feet.
Heber C. Kimball's, Lewis D. Wilson's, and Tom Phillips's accounts indicate that only the wife washes the feet of the husband. However, Rhoda Ann Fullmer's and Thomas Memmot's accounts can be read as the husband and wife washing each other's feet.
[19]↩︎
Heber C. Kimball explained, "Even as Mary did Jesus, that she mite have a claim on Him in the Reserrection."
Lewis D. Wilson's account explained that the significance of the wife washing the feet of the husband was for him "to be her king and priest and Savior, that she might have claim on him at the resurrection."
William Smart, in his firsthand account of receiving the second anointing, says he and his wife read John 12:1–8 during the second part of the ordinance.
Phinehas Richards also mentions "the ordnance of the washing & anointing of feet for burial" in his account of the ordinance.
[20]↩︎
The Church does not publish details about the first anointing ordinance; however, the Church's website contains a very brief description of it:
. . .you will privately and individually receive preliminary ordinances called the initiatory ordinances. The initiatory ordinances include special blessings regarding your divine heritage and potential. As part of these ordinances, you will also be authorized to wear the sacred temple garment.
The Church has also, at times, published comments by Church leaders that mention the initiatory ordinance. For example, in 2007, the Ensign published excerpts from Boyd K. Packer's book The Holy Temple where he wrote: "Associated with the endowment are washings and anointings—mostly symbolic in nature, but promising definite, immediate blessings as well as future blessings."
[21]↩︎
On December 2, 1843, Wilford Woodruff wrote that he and others received their first anointing "preperitory for further Blessings."
Speaking to those who had already been washed and anointed a first time as part of the endowment, Brigham Young reportedly said, "Those who have come in here [to the temple] and have received their washing and anointing will [later] be ordained Kings and Priests, and will then have received the fullness of the Priesthood."
[22]↩︎
Only some of the blessings promised in prior temple ordinances are fulfilled in the second anointing. Brigham Young explained that “a person may be anointed king and priest long before he receives his kingdom.”
- Wilford Woodruff records Brigham's description of the "fullness of the Melchisedec Priesthood."
[23]↩︎
David O. McKay called it a "second endowment" in his private journal in 1966.
- David O. McKay says not all members o the Quorum of the Twelve in 1966 had second anointing.
[24]↩︎
Abraham O. Smoot called it the "second ordinances" in 1846 in his journal.
- Abraham O. Smoot received second anointing.
[25]↩︎
David Fullmer, in recalling when he received his second anointing, said that he received the "fullness of the priesthood" at that time.
To a group of Saints that had already been endowed, Brigham Young reportedly said, "Those who have come in here [to the temple] and have received their washing and anointing will [later] be ordained Kings and Priests, and will then have received the fullness of the Priesthood."
Another time, Young said, "for any person to have the fulness of that priesthood <he> must be a king and a Priest."
Joseph Smith reportedly said, "Abraham . . . received a blessing under the hands of Melchesideck even the last law or a fulness of the law or priesthood which constituted him a king and priest after the order of Melchesideck or an endless life."
[26]↩︎
Heber J. Grant called it "second blessings" in 1926 in a letter to S. L. Chipman.
- Heber J. Grant policy change on second anointing; only Twelve recommend ordinance.
[27]↩︎
For example, Heber C. Kimball may have been referring to the second anointing when using the phrase "sealed up to eternal life."
- Heber C. Kimball offers sermon on theology of being sealed to eternal life.
[28]↩︎
The Doctrine and Covenants section 131:5 references this phrase:
The more sure word of prophecy means a man’s knowing that he is sealed up unto eternal life, by revelation and the spirit of prophecy, through the power of the Holy Priesthood.
Tom Phillips reported that his experience with the second anointing included being "sealed up unto eternal life".
- Tom Phillips provides a contemporary account of the second anointing.
- Church manual states "more sure word of prophecy" is being "sealed up unto eternal life."
[29]↩︎
On May 16, 1843, Joseph Smith, referring to William Clayton, said "nothing but the unpardonable sin can prevent [William] from inheriting eternal glory for he is sealed up by the power of the priesthood unto eternal life having taken the step which is necessary for that purpose."
- Joseph defines the unpardonable sin as shedding innocent blood.
[30]↩︎
This is an assurance of eternal life which Peter equated with receiving "the more sure word of prophecy."
- Church manual states "more sure word of prophecy" is being "sealed up unto eternal life."
[31]↩︎
The phrase "the more sure word of prophecy" appears in 2 Peter 1:19, in a chapter that encourages readers to make their “calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10), according to a seminary teacher manual. The idea is that a personal promise of God Himself is “more sure” than an assurance given by anyone on earth.
Joseph Smith taught:
It is one thing to receive knowledge by the voice of God, (this is my beloved Son &c.) & another to Know that you yourrself will be saved, to have a positive promise of your own Salvation is making your Calling and Election sure. viz. the voice of Jesus saying my beloved thou shalt have eternal life.
And in an 1833 letter to Silas Smith, Joseph Smith stated that those who “inherited the promises, might have the assurance of their salvation confirmed to them, by an oath from the mouth of Him who could not lie” just as “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had the promise of eternal life confirmed to them by an oath of the Lord."
[32]↩︎
In William Clayton and Willard Richards's reported Joseph Smith's sermon of June 27, 1839 on being "sealed up unto eternal life" and the second comforter:
Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more or less than the Lord Jesus Christ himself & this is the sum & substance of the whole matter, that when any man obtains this last Comforter he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him or appear unto him from time to time.
- Willard Richard's record of a discourse where Joseph speaks of being sealed to eternal life.
- Joseph describes the doctrine of election and the Second Comforter who he identifies as Jesus.
[33]↩︎
In an 1883 sermon, George Q. Cannon explained that the blessings of the second anointing would only be effective in the next life "provided [the recipients] were faithful before God, and fulfilled their part of the covenant. There is no doubt about it."
Joseph Hovey, an early Church member, apparently understood that his exaltation was conditional, even though he had received his second anointing on January 16, 1846.
He wrote that prayed daily, after his wife's death on 16 September 1846, that he would continue "hold out untill the End" in order to "injoy the glories of the Celestial Kingdom <with her> and "rain with my Brethren … in … Eternity."
[34]↩︎
Joseph Smith stated that nothing can prevent any individual against committing the unpardonable sin:
All sins and blasphemy, were to be forgiven except the sin against the Holy Ghost. … What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin they must receive the Holy Ghost have the heavens opened unto them, & know God, & then sin against him, this is the case with many apostates in this Church they never seease [cease] to try to hurt me, they have got the same spirit the devil had, you cannot save them
Elsewhere, the Prophet described the unpardonable sin differently: as being "the sin against the Holy Ghost" or as being "to shed innocent blood or be accessory thereto."
The Church teaches that those who "receive a witness of the Holy Ghost" and then fall away or go less active are "not guilty of the unpardonable sin."
[35]↩︎
In an 1855 sermon, Pratt taught:
The Saint who has been sealed unto eternal life and falls into transgression and does not repent, but dies in his sin, will be afflicted and tormented after he leaves this veil of tears until the day of redemption; but having been sealed with the spirit of promise through the ordinances of the house of God, those things which have been sealed upon his head will be realized by him in the morning of the resurrection.
Also in 1855, Heber C. Kimball was emphatic that only those who exercised "faith and obedience" would be saved after receiving their temple ordinances (including the second anointing).
The timing of Elder Kimball's remarks, given a few months after the statement by Orson Pratt, may have been to correct teachings like Pratt's.
- Orson Pratt discusses enduring to the end after being sealed.
- Heber C. Kimball offers sermon on theology of being sealed to eternal life.
[36]↩︎
William Clayton transcribed the August 13, 1843 sermon and the notes on the passage reads:
When a seal is put upon the father and mother it secures their posterity so that they cannot be lost but will be saved by virtue of the covenant of their father. [emphasis added]
However Martha Coray also transcribed the sermon that day and her transcription reads:
when a Father & Mother of a family have entered into their children who have not transgressed are secured by the seal wherewith the Parents have been sealed [emphasis added]
In a 2014 Ensign article, Elder Bednar described the nature of the textual misunderstanding and how it was inconsistent with other Church teachings.
[37]↩︎
In a General Conference address in 1929, Elder Orson F. Whitney said:
The Prophet Joseph Smith declared — and he never taught more comforting doctrine — that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity.
- Orson F. Whitney teaches that wayward children of sealed parents will be saved.
[38]↩︎
A portion of this sermon was published 1938 in the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith:
“When a seal is put upon the father and mother, it secures their posterity, so that they cannot be lost, but will be saved by virtue of the covenant of their father and mother.”
- William Clayton reported that Joseph taught that when a seal is put upon the father and mother it means their children cannot be lost.
[39]↩︎
Elizabeth Ann Whitney, for example, was "anointed a Queen & Priestess unto her Husband" in January 1846.
That same month, Lewis D. Wilson recorded that his wife, Nancy, "received her washings and anointings even to become a queen and a priestess."
[40]↩︎
There are no known records that indicate that women that have received the second anointing have been permitted to perform priesthood ordinances outside of the temple such as baptism or blessing the sacrament.
[41]↩︎
In Exodus 40:12-14, it states:
12. And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
13. And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:
14. And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.
[42]↩︎
David O. McKay recorded in his private diary that the ordinance was given to members of the Twelve in 1966.
Russell M. Nelson alluded to receiving the ordinance in 1974 in his autobiography.
Hans Mattsson, a former Swedish area authority, and his wife Birgitta Mattsson left the Church and published a book in 2018 that described receiving the second anointing in 2000.
Tom Phillips, a former Church leader in the UK, who was later excommunicated, wrote an exposé in 2008 where he claimed he received the second anointing.
[43]↩︎
According to Joseph Smith's journal, which was scribed by Willard Richards, the group who first received the ordinance were Joseph Smith, Emma Smith, Hyrum Smith, Newel K. Whitney, George Miller, Willard Richards, John Smith, Amasa Lyman, Lucien Woodworth, John M. Bernhisel, William Law, and William Marks.
Three days later these same men and others, including a few women, were anointed or "re-anointed" (these entries suggest Joseph was anointing on September 28 and again on October 1).
[44]↩︎
Shortly after Heber J. Grant made this policy change, he informed another inquirer that "it is not customary now for presidents of Stakes, as you know, to recommend people for higher blessings. That matter should be taken up by the visiting apostle at your quarterly conference, and all recommendations of this kind should come direct from the apostles."
- Heber J. Grant policy change on second anointing; only Twelve recommend ordinance.
- Heber J. Grant indicates stake presidents will no longer recommend people to receive second anointing.
[45]↩︎
By June 27, 1844, the second anointing ordinance had been given to a handful of Joseph's closest friends and family, including members of the Quorum of the Twelve, their wives, and other Nauvoo leaders.
[46]↩︎
Many of these Church members received their second anointing during the Nauvoo Temple's brief operation in 1845–46, sometimes directly after receiving other temple ordinances such as the endowment and sealing.
[47]↩︎
This was a typical procedure at the time. Church leaders would urge stake presidents to be very careful in who they recommended receiving the second anointing.
[48]↩︎
This has been recorded in private journals and an article reporting the number of both living and vicarious second anointings performed up to 1937 (14,779 living, 6,308 vicarious).
In 1908, the First Presidency issued a letter stating that the vicarious ordinance can only be given to those who were Church members while alive.
[49]↩︎
Historian David John Buerger wrote, "Counting all temples, just under 15,000 second anointings had been performed for the living by 1941, and just over 6,000 for the dead." This estimate aligns with what the April 1938 issue of The Genealogical and Historical Magazine of the Arizona Temple District reported: 14,779 people, in total, had received the second anointing through 1937.
In 1937, there had been approximately 782,000 members since 1830—which means that about 2% of them had received their second anointing.
- David John Buerger's article on the second anointing in Dialogue.
- Statistical Report on Temple Ordinances; Second Anointing listed.
[50]↩︎
In his journal for June 30, 1961, John A. Tvedtnes recorded Harold B. Lee's answer to his query if the "second endowment" was necessary for exaltation:
You don't have to worry. You've received all the ordinances necessary for exaltation. .. . It is a special blessing given by the President of the Church to men who have been called. It is not necessary to receive it, however. You have all the endowment you need to be exalted.
- John A. Tvedtnes records in personal journal Harold B. Lee saying 2nd Anointing is not necessary for exaltation.
[51]↩︎
Joseph Fielding Smith taught that
There is no exaltation in the kingdom of God without the fulness of priesthood. How could a man be an heir in that kingdom without priesthood? While the sisters do not hold the priesthood, they share in the fulness of its blessings in the celestial kingdom with their husbands. These blessings are obtained through obedience to the ordinances and covenants of the house of the Lord.
Explaining how one receives this "fulness of the priesthood," Fielding Smith added that
Only in the temple of the Lord can the fulness of the priesthood be received. Now that temples are on the earth, there is no other place where the endowment and the sealing powers for all eternity can be given. No man can receive the keys of exaltation in any other place.
- Joseph Fielding Smith teaches that the "fulness of priesthood" is required for exaltation.
[52]↩︎
In his journal for April 8, 1901, Anthony W. Ivins reported Joseph F. Smith teaching that
no man receives a fullness of the Melchisedec Priesthood till he has recd his second anointings. Men recommended for this sacred ordinance should be men of God whose faith & integrity are unquestioned.
- Anthony W. Ivins reports hearing that Joseph F. Smith taught that "no man receives a fullness of the Melchisedec Priesthood till he has recd his second anointings."
[53]↩︎
In a sermon delivered April 6, 1863, Heber C. Kimball, discussing the Temple, said
Have you not had your endowments, sisters, and been sealed to your husbands? Yes, many of you have, and now let me ask if there is anything more than what you have received, any further ordinances to be received? Yes, lots of them. There were but a hundred and thirty who received a part in advance of the ordinances of endowment that were revealed by the Prophet Joseph. Bless you, it will be one endowment after another till we pass through the veil into the other world, and until we have passed all the ordeals requisite to prepare us to enter into celestial glory and exaltation.
- Heber C. Kimball teaches that there will be further ordinances required "till we pass through the veil into the other world" and receive our exaltation.