"The Chain That Binds"

The past several weeks, I have been reading Andrew C. Skinner’s book on Temple Worship and re-reading the Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard who served as an apostle of the Lord in the early twentieth century. It was because of this recent study that Elder M. Russell Ballard’s remarks given in Logan, Utah and reported in the February 19, 2011 issue of the Church News caught my attention in particular.

Speaking concerning the Prophet Joseph Smith’s lineage, Elder M. Russell Ballard quoted from an 1859 statement made by then President Brigham Young: “It was decreed in the councils of eternity, long before the foundations of the earth were laid, that [Joseph Smith] should be the man, in the last dispensation of this world, to bring forth the word of God to the people and receive the fullness of the keys and power of the Priesthood of the Son of God. The Lord had His eye upon him, and upon his father, and upon his father’s father, and upon their progenitors clear back to Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, from the flood to Enoch and from Enoch to Adam. He has watched that family and that blood as it has circulated from its fountain to the birth of that man. He was foreordained in eternity to preside over this last dispensation.”

This last dispensation is the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. It is upon this dispensation that all of the righteous Saints of former times have waited. For it is now that all that has ever been revealed to the prophets of God since the days of Adam has been restored for the benefit of all of God’s children, believers and not, from the beginning. In conjunction with this purpose, Joseph Smith taught: “The Bible says, ‘I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.’ Now, the word turn here should be translated bind, or seal. But what is the object of this important mission? or how is it to be fulfilled? The keys are to be delivered, the spirit of Elijah is to come, the Gospel to be established, the Saints of God gathered, Zion built up, and the Saints to come up as saviors on Mount Zion. But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building their temples, erecting their baptismal fonts, and going forth and receiving all the ordinances, baptisms, confirmations, washings, anointings, ordinations, and sealing powers upon their heads, in behalf of all their progenitors who are dead, and redeem them that they may come forth in the first resurrection and be exalted to thrones of glory with them; and herein is the chain that binds [emphasis added] the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, which fulfills the mission of Elijah” (Teachings, 330).

We are obligated to seek out our kindred dead and see to it that their temple ordinances are accomplished, for without them, we cannot be saved in the Kingdom of Heaven. In an 1842 epistle, the Prophet Joseph Smith elaborated upon this thought as follows: “And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers--that they without us cannot be made perfect [Hebrews 11:40]--neither can we without our dead be made perfect” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:15).

Speaking of our obligation to be involved in genealogy and temple endeavors, Elder Melvin J. Ballard taught that “We are limited to do the work for our own direct line, and that is right and proper, because out of the branch of the House of Israel, the lineage through which we came, will be found those who are receivers of this gospel. They were faithful before they were born. They will be found faithfully responding. Not all of our progenitors will be worthy, [but] . . . the majority of them will be waiting for you. I declare to you that there are those in the spirit world of your ancestors who died during the dark ages, whose blood is in your veins, who had not the knowledge of the truth, that would have responded, would have been as willing and obedient as you are. And yet they never had the privilege” (Sermons, 229).

From Elder Ballard’s remarks, we may glean two things of great importance. First, those of the dead who are numbered among the Lord’s sheep will respond to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and accept the gospel message when it is taught to them. Thus they will come to enjoy eternal life with their brothers and sisters living in this generation who are or were numbered among the Saints of God, and who performed the required saving ordinances for their ancestors in the Lord’s temples. Second, it should be evident that our birth into this world did not happen through happenstance. We were born into this world in time and space according to a determined plan. The affirmation of these points follows.

Elder Melvin J. Ballard continues: “Why is it that sometimes only one of a city or household receives the gospel? It was made known to me that it is because of the righteous dead who had received the gospel in the spirit world exercising themselves, and in answer to their prayers elders of the Church were sent to the homes of their posterity that the gospel might be taught to them, and through their righteousness they might be privileged to have a descendant in the flesh do the work for their dead kindred. I want to say to you that it is with greater intensity that the hearts of the fathers and mothers in the spirit world are turned to their children than that our hearts are turned to them” (Sermons, 249).

This is “the chain that binds” one worthy generation to the next establishing a patriarchal position for every worthy soul in an unbroken line back to our very first parents, Adam and Eve.