THE TEST IS THIS: WILL YOU FOLLOW THE BRETHREN OR THE SPIRIT?
🕊️ Heber C. Kimball’s Great Test – What Did He Really Know?
Heber C. Kimball loved Joseph Smith. No question about it.
He stood by Joseph when others mocked him, cried like a boy when Joseph first tested his faith, and followed him all the way to Nauvoo.
But here’s the real question for us in these last days:
When Heber gave that famous prophecy—the “Great Test”—was he speaking as Joseph’s loyal friend, or had Brigham’s inner circle already shaped the story?
A Loyal Heart – But Not an Insider
Heber was no schemer.
He wasn’t out there plotting power moves or rewriting history. He was humble, obedient, and spiritual to the core.
After Joseph’s death, Brigham Young and his tight circle—men like William Clayton and Willard Richards—took control of Joseph’s papers, controlled the story of Carthage, and pushed polygamy further than Joseph ever publicly taught.
Was Heber in on all that?
I don’t think so.
He was loyal to Joseph, and after Joseph died, he believed he was being loyal to the Restoration by following Brigham. That doesn’t mean he knew every backroom deal Brigham was making.
The Vilate Vision – Fact or Faith-Promoting Story?
You’ve probably heard the story: Joseph gives Heber an “Abrahamic test”—asking for his beloved wife Vilate. Heber weeps, prays, surrenders his will, and then Joseph says, “It was just a test.” Later, Vilate supposedly has a vision confirming plural marriage was from God.
That story is told again and again in Church books.
But here’s the truth:
✅ Heber himself never wrote this story.
✅ Vilate left no written record of that “vision.”
✅ The earliest written version comes from Brigham-era writers—decades later—especially his daughter Helen Mar, who was defending polygamy publicly when the U.S. government was attacking it.
Did something spiritual happen for Heber and Vilate? Maybe.
But can we take the polished Utah version as fact? Not without question.
It sure helped Brigham’s narrative to make it sound like Joseph fully endorsed Utah-style polygamy—and Heber’s family loyalty gave them the perfect story.
🔥 THE TEST IS THIS: WILL YOU FOLLOW THE BRETHREN OR THE SPIRIT?
Just weeks before his death in May 1868, Heber stood up in Salt Lake City and gave one of the most powerful warnings ever spoken to the Saints:
“The time will come when no man or woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within themselves.”
He said we would be tempted by riches and speculation. We would look for praise and security. And then would come a Test—“a test, a Test, a TEST”—that would shake even the strongest Saints.
And here’s the heart of it:
✅ Will you follow the Brethren blindly, or will you follow the Savior’s voice directly?
That’s the Test.
Not whether you stay in the boat. Not whether you can quote the Prophet. But whether you can hear Him for yourself—and obey.
Why It Matters Now
I believe the Lord allowed this humble man—maybe even a man kept in the dark about some of Brigham’s power moves—to give this final warning for us.
You don’t need Joseph’s trustworthiness to know this.
You don’t need Brigham’s approval.
You need Jesus.
He is speaking. Are you listening?
🕊️ What the Nemenhah Say
The Nemenhah prophets said the same thing:
They warned that in the last days, priests would teach the precepts of men, and a “goodly, industrious people”would build much but not hear the Lord’s voice.
Mohrhohnahyah said the small flock would hear Him directly—even when the larger crowds follow councils of men.
And Timothy taught that the real power of God only flows when every soul seeks the Peacemaker’s voice for themselves, not just through a priest or leader.
They were telling us the same thing Heber did: Stop leaning on borrowed light. Hear Him.
🙏 A Prayer for the Test
“Dear Lord,
Open our ears to hear Your voice.
Take away every false light we lean on.
Give us courage to follow You, even if it’s different from what everyone else expects.
Make us Your disciples, not just members of a crowd.
We love You. We need You. Guide us through this Great Test.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
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