Kirtland Temple Dedication — Spiritual Outpouring and Heavenly Manifestations
Published September 2, 2026 at 5:48 AM
During the dedication of the Kirtland Temple on March 27, 1836, and in the days following, a series of spiritual manifestations occurred. After George A. Smith prophesied, Joseph Smith recorded that a sound like a rushing mighty wind filled the temple. The congregation rose, moved by an invisible power, and many spoke in tongues, prophesied, and saw visions. Witnesses, including Brigham Young and George A. Smith, also reported hearing the rushing wind, seeing a pillar of fire rest upon the temple, and seeing angels standing on the roof and in the windows. Joseph Smith testified that he beheld the temple filled with angels. Oliver Cowdery described the spirit being poured out, seeing the glory of God like a cloud resting upon the house, and cloven tongues of fire resting upon many as they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. Stephen Post reported that angels of God came into the room where priesthood holders met that evening, and cloven tongues like fire rested upon some, causing them to speak in tongues and prophesy. LeGrand Richards uses these events to demonstrate God's acceptance of the first temple of the Restoration, where the keys for the salvation of the dead were to be restored.
In Their Own Words
“The spirit was poured out—I saw the glory of God, like a great cloud, come down and rest upon the house, and fill the same like a mighty rushing wind. I also saw cloven tongues, like as of fire rest upon many, (for there were 316 present,) while they spake with other tongues and prophesied. In the evening following, I repaired to the Lord's house, in company with Elders Rigdon, Smith, and others, and beheld the glory of the Lord, as the cloud and the pillar of fire, resting upon the house; and in the evening, the angels of God came into the room where we were, and cloven tongues like fire rested upon some, and they spake with other tongues and prophesied. The spirit of the Lord was poured out upon the church, and the saints were filled with the Holy Ghost, and the power of God was made manifest in a glorious manner.”
— Oliver Cowdery, Diary, 27 Mar. 1836
Sources & References
LeGrand Richards, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, Deseret Book; History of the Church 2:427-428 (research confidence: high; source section: Temple work and salvation for the dead) LeGrand Richards, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, Deseret Book; Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 2, pp. 427-428 (research confidence: high; source section: The Kirtland Temple dedication and the vision of Christ) Also: Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate, March 1836 (Vol. 2, No. 6), minutes of the dedication. https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_latter-day-saints-messenger-and-advocate_1836-03_2_6 Additional sources (periodical research): Minutes and Prayer of Dedication, 27 March 1836 [D&C 109], Page 281, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/minutes-and-prayer-of-dedication-27-march-1836-dc-109/8 “A Pentecost and Endowment Indeed”: Six Eyewitness Accounts of the Kirtland Temple Experience, https://byustudies.byu.edu/online-book/opening-the-heavens/a-pentecost-and-endowment-indeed-six-eyewitness-accounts-of-the-kirtland-temple-experience “An Angel or Rather the Savior” at the Kirtland Temple Dedication: The Vision of Frederick G. Williams, https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/an-angel-or-rather-the-savior-at-the-kirtland-temple-dedication-the-vision-of-frederick-g-williams Full first-person account: Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820–1844, BYU Studies https://byustudies.byu.edu/online-book/opening-the-heavens/a-pentecost-and-endowment-indeed-six-eyewitness-accounts-of-the-kirtland-temple-experience
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