The Veil

On April 3, 1836, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were in the Kirtland Temple, and after holding several meetings with the church leadership, they retired to the pulpit area of the temple and dropped some curtains around them and began to pray. As they were praying, they had Jesus Christ appear to them, along with many ancient prophets who came to restore important keys to them. As recorded in the D&C 110, they described how it was that they were able to have this marvelous vision:

"The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened."

On another occasion, when Joseph and Sidney Rigdon had several visions of the degrees of glory, as recorded in the 76th section of the D&C, in an upstair's room in the John Johnson home in Hiram, Ohio, they were there with 12 other men. Joseph and Sidney were the only ones in the room who had the veil lifted from their eyes and saw the visions of the three degrees of glory. Mom and I have been in the upstairs room on one of our trips, and felt the spirit of that experience. 

Philo Dibble, one who was present during this vision, gave this observation, "Joseph and Sidney were in the spirit and saw the heavens open, there were other men in the room, perhaps twelve, among whom I was one during a part of the time—probably two-thirds of the time,—I saw the glory and felt the power, but did not see the vision."

I had a sacred experience while I was serving in the bishopric, and was in the Baptistry in the Jordan River Temple with a group of our youth. I had been called on to offer a prayer before we began our work for the dead. While I was praying, facing the group in the small chapel, and with my back to the font, I heard a beautiful men's choir singing from the font area behind me. After ending my prayer, I turned around to see who was singing, and no one was there. Afters a sister from the office area came out and asked who was singing such beautiful music. So only two of us, from all the people in the baptistry heard a choir of angels.

I find it interesting that sacred experiences like these, that only some have the veil lifted, while others don't.

I have pondered a lot about the veil recently.

What exactly is "the veil" and how does it work and operate?

I found an interesting article entitled "The Veil: Its Use and Abuse," about this topic found in the Church's Improvement Era of 1929. It was written by Professor N.L. Nelson, a professor of English at Brigham Young University.

I'd like to share some of his comments on the topic of "the veil."

"Where is the Veil?" Is it something outside of us or something within us? Does the Veil, for instance, hang in the air between me and my sainted mother who has just come into my room? I do not see her, but she may easily be there, blessing and encouraging me, for all that. In the temple, while taking their endowments, men and women often see those for whom work is being done, and sometimes hear what they interpret to be a heavenly choir. Is there a veil of sight and sound surrounding others in the same company—others who do not see and hear these things?

Happily the question is answered by no less an authority than the Prophet Joseph Smith, when he said, "the veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened." The Veil, or barrier between the spiritual and the natural world, lies deep within the soul itself; just as do the rosy morn, the vivid flash of lightning and the startling crash of thunder.

A veil is different from a wall or a chasm, either of which might completely shut off communication. A veil may, indeed, be opaque at one extreme, if its material be black; but at the other, it may be almost transparent, if it be made of filmy white. Between these two poles are all degrees of translucency. Then, too, a veil is a movable scene: it can be lifted or drawn close. Also silhouettes from the other side are often visible upon its surface. It is, moreover, an effective screen only as its sacredness is acquiesced in. Men may violate that sacredness at will; for a veil rarely fails to give up messages more or less distorted to the Paul Pry who sits with all his senses strained to detect its secrets. All these various meanings, applicable to a human veil, say, the veil between adjoining apartments, have real analogies when applied to the mysterious curtain which at once shuts out and yet reveals the spiritual world behind and within the natural world; which various analogies it is hoped this discussion may further serve to show.

Let us next consider the other extreme of the Veil, that which approaches transparency. This is the achievement of prophet, seer, and revelator, and of those choice spirits on earth who have learned to "live in the light as he is in the light." It is the possible goal of every man and woman who has made covenants with God in sacred places; the possible, let us say, but still rarely achieved in mortality; for it means a life of such consecration to righteousness as to insure an unbroken stream of truthness from the Source of all truth. Many, indeed, are called, but few are chosen.

In helping us to understand the veil Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, 

Without the veil, we would lose that precious insulation which would constantly interfere with our mortal probation and maturation. Without the veil, our brief mortal walk in a darkening world would lose its meaning-for one would scarcely carry the flashlight of faith at noonday and in the presence of the Light of the World. Without the veil, we could not experience the gospel of work and the sweat of our brow. If we had the security of having already entered into God's rest, certain things would be unneeded; Adam and Eve did not clutch social security cards in the Garden of Eden. ("Patience," p. 219.)

The partition which produces [premortal forgetfulness] is something we call the veil-a partition the presence of which requires our patience. We define the veil as the border between mortality and eternity; it is also a film of forgetting which covers the memories of earlier experiences. This forgetfulness will be lifted one day, and on that day we will see forever-rather than "through a glass, darkly" (1 Cor. 13:12). ("Patience," p. 219.)

We are cocooned, as it were, in order that we might truly choose. Once, long ago, we chose to come to this very setting where we could choose. It was an irrevocable choice. And the veil is the guarantor that our ancient choice will be honored. ("Patience," p. 220.)

Fortunately, the veil keeps the first, second, and third estates separate, hence our sense of separateness. The veil insures the avoidance of having things "compound in one"-to our everlasting detriment. (2 Ne. 2:11.) (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, p. 11.)

The veil (which is both the film of forgetting and the border between mortality and eternity) will, one day, be shown to have been a succoring screen for us earthlings. Were it possible to breach it on the wrong terms, we would see and experience, before we are ready, things that would moot much of the value in this mortal experience. (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, p. 11.)

The veil of death stands, not to forever shut us out but as a reminder of God's tutoring and patient love for us. Brushing against it can produce a feeling of "Not Yet," but also faint whispers of anticipation. Then there is the still later and glorious moment when, in the words of the hymn, those who have prevailed "by the patience of hope and the labor of love" will hear in the final judgment these glad words, "Well and faithfully done; enter into my joy and sit down on my throne." (Hymns, no. 217.) ("Patience and the Law of the Harvest.")

For me, the veil seems very transparent at times. I am grateful that we have a knowledge that the Lord and his angels are very near and interested in our well-being and success as mortals working towards Godhood.

I hope that we, as a family, can stand in holy places, as we entertain angels unawares.

... for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Heb 13:2)

Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen. (D&C 87:8)

Love, Dad