Below is an example of Temple Square, and the Jordan River temple. These are interactive embedded maps, so you can drag them around with your mouse and look at various parts of Temple Square, in exquisite detail, as if you were in an airplane.

Just think what it’ll all look like when they get 3D aerial photography in Google Maps!

View Larger Map

Jordan River temple (this one is a bit more finicky, if it doesn’t show the 45 degree angle at first, zoom out one level and back in):

View Larger Map

Bird’s Eye View of Temple Square (and others)

Example of a popup using the new WordPress LDS Scripture Linker Plugin by DearScriptures.com

For some time I’ve been using the excellent LDS Linker WordPress plugin, developed by Joey Day, to automatically link all scripture references on TempleStudy.com directly to the Church’s online scriptures at scriptures.lds.org.  It worked very well, and continues to be one of the most popular WordPress plugins for LDS bloggers to link their scripture references to the online scriptures.

Recently I was thinking how much easier it would be to just hover your mouse over a scripture reference and see a popup with the scripture reference written out.  It would make reading the scripture references that much quicker in a blog post, rather than clicking a link to another site. 

A couple months ago I began some conversations with Steven Lloyd, developer of DearScriptures.com, the same person who developed the ability to search the scriptures via instant messaging (a feature I use often).  He began work on a WordPress plugin that would give LDS bloggers the ability to have scripture reference popups on their blogs.  Over the last month Steven has worked hard on the plugin.  He asked me for feedback, and I gave him some tips and suggestions along the way.

I’m pleased to announce that the LDS Scripture Linker plugin for WordPress blogs is now available for download and use.  Here is what the plugin does:

1. Any scripture references written in a blog post are automatically converted into a link when published.
2. The link contains a hidden popup with the scripture reference written out in full.
3. When you mouseover the link, the popup appears, displaying the scripture.
4. When you move your mouse away, the popup disappears.
5. (If you want the popup to stay, such as when you want to scroll longer references, click on the link.  To make it disappear, click on the “close” link.)

Below are a few examples of what this plugin can do.  The scripture references below were written out normally, without any linking or anything else done before being published.  The plugin does all of the fancy work.  Move your mouse over the references to see the popup of the scripture.  For longer references, click on the link, which will make the popup stick, and you can then scroll the reference; use the “close” link to close the popup.  (Note: This functionality only works if you are viewing the post on the website, and will not show in an email or RSS feed).

• James 1:5-6
• D&C 121:7-8
• Alma 32
• 1 Ne. 3:7, 15-16
• 1 Ne. 4:1, 5:8, 16:8

As you can see, you can string multiple references together, in different parts of the same chapter, or different chapters of the same book.  You can write out the scripture books in full, or use the standard abbreviations.  Even entire chapters are linkable.

The plugin also includes several customizable options on the administration interface:

• Customize the link hover color
• Customize the link click color (for references over 1000 characters)
• Customize the border color (IE only)
• Customize the scripture reference box background color
• Underline or not the scripture links
• Index the scripture reference text in full on Google, or not

I am very pleased with the work Steven Lloyd of DearScriptures.com has done with this plugin.  I am now using this new scripture linker plugin across all of TempleStudy.com.  It is particularly useful in posts which deal with the scriptures heavily, such as Matthew B. Brown’s excellent guest post about D&C 124.  Check out that post for a great example of this plugin in action.

I hope this plugin provides more value to you here on TempleStudy.com, and across the Bloggernacle where it’s used.  What are your thoughts about this new feature?  Any tips or suggestions?  Please tell us in the comments below.

New WordPress LDS Scripture Linker Plugin for Bloggers

DearScriptures.com

I’m always looking for better ways of accessing, searching, and reading the scriptures.  They are truly the words of eternal life.  Whenever I hear of a new way of encountering the scriptures, I check it out.  DearScriptures.com is an online version of the scriptures that now allows you to text message (SMS) or instant message (IM) scripture references to it, or search for scriptures, and it will reply with the references and/or text of the scripture(s). It includes other great features as well, such as searching hymns and retrieving hymn lyrics.  And it’s all free!

DearScriptures.com is an online scripture database that allows you to “read, study, listen, annotate, take notes, search, look up a word's dictionary definition in multiple online dictionaries, and look up the Greek or Hebrew translation of nearly any word in the Old Testament or New Testament using Strong's Concordance”.

The thing that really interests me is the new powerful ability to interface with the scriptures (and hymns) through text messaging and instant messaging.  Sometimes I just need to look up a scripture quickly, I don’t have my physical scriptures with me, and if I’m by a computer, I don’t want to take the time to open up LDS.org or a scripture program or the scriptures on my iPhone.  Sometimes I just need a scripture really fast, such as when I’m emailing, or in a conversation with someone.  That’s where DearScriptures.com new features come into play.

Features

You can send a number of different commands to the service (via either text or IM), and it will respond almost instantly:

• scripture reference -- by simply sending the scripture reference, the service will respond with the verse(s) requested. Examples, “Amos 3:7″ or “Amos 3:7,10″ or “Amos 3:4-7″
• chapter reference -- sending any scripture chapter, with no verse, will return all verses in the chapter. Example, “Amos 3″
• s[earch] text -- this basically searches all the scriptures for the text following the “s”, and returns all scripture references it finds. Example, “s revealeth his secret” returns the following “Amos 3:7″
• d[efine] text -- this searches for the word following the “d” in a number of different dictionaries, and returns the definitions.  Dictionaries include The Collaborative International Dictionary of English, WordNet, Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary. Example, “d prophet”
• r[ead] text -- this searches similarly to the “s” search command above, except that it returns the references and the text of the scriptures it finds. Example, “r revealeth his secret”
• m[astery] text -- this command searches only the scripture mastery scriptures for the text after the “m”, and returns the references and text of the scriptures. Example, “m prophet”
• h[ymn] text -- you can use this a couple different ways.  Put in some text after the “h” and it will return the numbers and titles of all hymns with that text in their titles or lyrics.  Put in a number after the “h” and it will respond with all the lyrics of that hymn number.  Examples, “h prophet” returns 30 hymns with prophet in the title or lyrics, “h 19″ returns the lyrics to the hymn “We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet.”
  
• b[ug] text -- this command will send a bug notice or enhancement request to the developer, so he can fix the problem or enhance the service.
  
• h[elp] -- this will respond with a shortened version of these commands, so you don’t have to remember them.  It will also include any new commands when they are added.
  

I’ve tested sending these commands via text message and instant message, and the service works great at replying with the request in just a couple seconds.  This is certainly the fastest way I’ve ever seen to access the scriptures. No more excuses for not having a hymn book too!

One limitation with the SMS texting side of the service is the length of text message allowed.  Usually the length of a text message is limited to something like 170 characters, depending on the service used.  Any references/scriptures that are returned that are longer than this will be cut off.  The developer is planning on adding a feature to send only the top results, and allowing the user to request “more” by sending such a text back.  Google Talk seems to have the longest character limit.

Set up Instant Messaging

To set up the instant messaging, you have to be using Google Talk (or Gmail chat), MSN Messenger, AIM, Yahoo, or Jabber.  Just add the respective address below to your account:

• Google Talk, add the user dearscriptures@gmail.com as a friend.
• MSN Messenger, add the user im@dearscriptures.com as a friend.
• AIM, add the user dearscriptures@aim.com as a friend.
• Yahoo, add the user dearscriptures@yahoo.com as a friend.
• Jabber, add the user dearscriptures@bot.im as a friend.

Then all you have to do is send a chat message to that user, using any of the commands above, and it will reply almost instantly.

Set up Text Messaging

(Update 5/9/11: The text messaging service is no longer functioning.)

To use the service through text messaging, just send a text of any commands listed above to the phone number 206-552-8927.  It will reply with a text message in seconds.  That simple.

This is a great new service, that I think will get lots of usage.  If you like it, try out the website version too at DearScriptures.com.

What are your thoughts about the ability to look up scriptures quickly by IM or text?  Any situations you can think of in which this would be really handy?  Please share with us in the comments.

Access the Scriptures via SMS Text or Instant Message

Google Wave

Anyone who has been following this blog for some time knows that I love new technologies, and most particularly how those new technologies might be used to benefit the Church and the work of the kingdom of God on the earth.  Last week I received a nomination to the “preview” of the new Google Wave service from a friend on Twitter (thank you!).  Last night I finally received my invitation to join the service and test it out.  I quickly hopped on board and began exploring.

I’ve only used the tool for a few hours, and its only available in a very limited preview release at the moment, but I’m already wondering how this cool new technology could be used in the Church to help the work roll on.  For those who are not familiar with the service, it is being touted as the ultimate collaboration tool, an amalgam of email, instant messaging, wikis, social networking, document collaboration, picture/video sharing, and much more.  Many are still not sure what exactly its potential is, or if it will even catch on.  But from my limited encounter so far, it does seem like a powerful tool for working on things together, and I think it will be of use to many.

So the question that’s been rolling around in my head then is, how can we use Google Wave in the Church?  How could it facilitate those things we already do in the Church to make them better?  How can we harness its power to help the threefold mission of the Church accomplish its ends in a quicker, easier, or simpler way? 

The introductory material in Google Wave gives some use case scenarios of when you might use Google Wave.  I’ve included the main points below with some thoughts about how each could be used in the Church:

• Organizing Events – heaven knows that members of the Church love having events: BBQs, ward breakfasts, luaus, scout camps, Christmas parties, primary activities, Relief Society meetings (formerly “Enrichment”), sports activities, holiday get togethers, firesides, reunions, etc.  Sometimes, however, organizing such events can be a big headache, especially for the activity coordinators in the ward.  Might Google Wave be a way for everyone to hop online and bust out ideas, brainstorms, organization, menus, RSVPs, maps, program, etc.?
• Meeting Notes – if we love our events, we also love our meetings, right?  Well, maybe not all the time.  Sometimes we have meetings just to say we have meetings, and they don’t get anywhere very fast.  If they do get a lot discussed, it is almost all forgotten the next day.  From quorum presidencies, relief society presidencies, committee meetings, PEC, ward council, bishopric meetings, home teaching coordination meetings, and the list goes on.  Could Google Wave be used to prepare an agenda, keep notes among all participants, record assignments and decisions, and follow up with each other after the fact?
• Group Reports and Writing Projects – “Return and report” is a well used expression in the Church, one in which we go do our duty, and then report back to our priesthood leaders the result.  We also like to write histories, journals, family genealogies and summaries of ward activities, stake activities, personal activities, quorum activities, family activities, and personal activities.  Might Google Wave be a tool in which all those who participate in such activities or duties could collaborate together on such reports or projects to produce a history much stronger than one could alone?
• Brainstorming – I must say, one of the most brainstorming intensive times of my week is when I’m in a Church meeting, or in a meeting that is Church-related, trying to come up with ideas:  ideas for lessons, ideas for activities, ideas for answers to Gospel questions, ideas for how to be a better person, ideas for family activities, ideas for bringing the Gospel into my home, ideas for talks, ideas for fellowshipping or missionary work, etc.  We do a lot of brainstorming in the Church, trying to come up with the best ways of being most effective and conscientious disciples.  Could Google Wave could bring together like-minded members to do a brain dump of creative ideas?
• Photo Sharing – Latter-day Saints love to share photos!  We take photos and pass them around for scout camps or girl’s camps, ward activities, youth conferences, Fathers and Sons outings, or even things more practical like ward or quorum photo directories, or teaching visual aides.  Might Google Wave be an optimal place for everyone to get together to drop their photos for an activity to share them with each other, and easily create a group album and slideshow?

These are just some of the things I’ve been pondering about since I first heard about the potential of Google Wave.  We don’t know everything that Google Wave can do yet, and it has ability to be added to quite significantly with gadgets and extensions, but if this technology really takes off like many say it will, the Church and its members will surely find uses for it to help them in their responsibilities and studies.

What are some ideas you have for how Google Wave might be used in the Church, and for the building up of Zion?  And just to get the waving started, if you already have Google Wave, I’ve embedded a wave directly below for discussion of this topic which you can use to add your thoughts right here! (You’ll need to be logged in to Google Wave to see it.)  If you don’t have Google Wave, you’ll just see a message below that says you cannot yet access Google Wave, but feel free to leave your comments in the blog comment area further below, like normal.

I’m anxious to hear your thoughts!  Any way we could use this technology in temple work?

[wave id="googlewave.com!w+h2fvBN8CC" color="#000000" bgcolor="#ffffff" font="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" font_size="10" width="625px" height="700px"]

Using Google Wave in the LDS Church

What does the temple mean to you?  Why do you go to the temple?  Do you have a short experience you’d like to share?  Do you have a testimony of the temple you think others could benefit hearing?  Does the temple have an important place in your life?  What have you learned about the temple that you’d like to teach others about?  Is the temple a blessing to you?  How has the temple changed your life?  What is it that makes the temple different from the rest of ordinary life?  Have you been privileged to do temple work for your ancestors?  What was it like?  Are you grateful for the temple?  Why?  Has the temple brought you closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ?

Here is an excellent example from a convert who has been a member of the Church for 11 years, and who has a genuinely powerful testimony of the temple.  Press the play button below:

Thank you, brother, for sharing with us your witness and testimony of the temple and the Holy Ghost.  You’ve blessed my life today.

What could you share with us about the temple?

The method is the same.  Just click the “Call Me” button below, enter in your name (or “anonymous”), your phone number, select “keep number private,” and then click “Connect.”  You will receive a phone call and be connected straight to the TempleStudy.com voicemail where you can share with us your message (3 minute limit). In a few days I’ll select some to share with everyone.

Feel free to be a missionary today and share what the temple means to you.  It’s easy and you could make a positive difference in someone’s life by something you share.

Mormon Thoughts on the Temple – Round #2

The way we’re going to do this is using a brand-new service called Google Voice.  I love new technology, and especially when I can find new ways to use new technology to further the work of the kingdom of God.  In this case, I’ve found a way that I can use Google Voice to collect voicemail from you, sort through them, and then embed those messages into a future post on TempleStudy.com for all to hear.  Here is how it’ll work:

1. Click on the “Call Me” button below.
2. Enter your name (or just type “anonymous”), your phone number, and please select the checkbox to “keep number private.”
3. Click the “Connect” button.
4. Google Voice will call your phone and connect you directly with my TempleStudy.com voicemail.  (It might take a couple minutes for the call to come through after clicking “Connect”)
5. You’ll hear a short recorded message from me, and then you’ll have the opportunity to share your message.  (You can share your name if you want, or keep it completely anonymous).
6. You have a limit of 3 minutes, so you might want to keep your eye on the time.
7. Once you are done, you just hang up.
8. I will receive your voicemail, and a transcription of your message.
9. I will sort through all the messages, and in a couple days I will post some of them on TempleStudy.com for all our readers to hear.

It’s as simple as that.  Easy!  This should be a fun experiment, and will give you an opportunity to share your insights and feelings about the temple, and how the temple has made a difference in your life.

You don’t have to be a member of the LDS Church to share your thoughts about the temple either.  If you attended an open house of a temple in your area, or have other experiences with Mormons and LDS temples, please share them.  Of course, please keep comments positive; I will not publish derogatory messages.

So this is a great way to literally make your voice be heard using “New Media,” just as Elder M. Russell Ballard has encouraged:

This is your world, the world of the future, with inventions undreamed of that will come in your lifetime as they have in mine. How will you use these marvelous inventions? More to the point, how will you use them to further the work of the Lord?…

Words create conversations, and conversations create understanding… In many cases, it is with words that you will accomplish the great things that you will now set out to do.  And it's principally about ways to share those words that I want to talk to you today…

The Lord over the centuries has had a hand in inspiring people to invent tools that facilitate the spreading of the gospel. The Church has adopted and embraced those tools, including print, broadcast media, and now the Internet…

Today we have a modern equivalent of the printing press in the Internet and all that it means. The Internet allows everyone to be a publisher, to have their voice heard, and it is revolutionizing society.  Before the Internet, there were great barriers to printing. It took money, power, or influence and a great amount of time to publish. But today, because of the emergence of what some call New Media, made possible by the Internet, many of those barriers have been removed. New Media consists of tools on the Internet that make it possible for nearly anyone to publish or broadcast to either a large or a niche audience… The emergence of New Media is facilitating a world-wide conversation on almost every subject including religion, and nearly everyone can participate. This modern equivalent of the printing press is not reserved only for the elite…

Again, readers or viewers are free to add their comments and join in what becomes an ongoing, worldwide conversation…

That word conversation is important. There are conversations going on about the Church constantly. Those conversations will continue whether or not we choose to participate in them. But we cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches. While some conversations have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller.  But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the Church are established one conversation at a time…

Now all of you know that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are constantly reminded and encouraged to share the gospel with others. The Church is always looking for the most effective ways to declare our message…

Now, … may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet, particularly the New Media, to share the gospel and to explain in simple, clear terms the message of the Restoration [including the temple].  Most of you already know that if you have access to the Internet you can … begin sharing what you know to be true…

We are living in a world saturated with all kinds of voices. Perhaps now, more than ever, we have a major responsibility as Latter-day Saints to define ourselves, instead of letting others define us…

Others have recorded and posted their testimonies of the Restoration, the teachings of the Book of Mormon, and other gospel subjects [like the temple] on popular video-sharing sites.  You, too, can tell your story to nonmembers in this way.  Use stories and words that they will understand. Talk honestly and sincerely about the impact the gospel [and temple] has had in your life, how has it helped you overcome weaknesses or challenges, and helped define your values. The audiences for these and other New Media tools may often be small, but the cumulative effect of thousands of such stories can be great.  The combined effort is certainly worth the outcome if but a few are influenced by your words of faith and love of God and His son Jesus Christ…

Do not be afraid to share with others your story, your experiences as a follower of the Lord, Jesus Christ. We all have interesting stories that have influenced our identity.  Sharing those stories is a non-threatening way to talk to others. Telling those stories can help demystify the Church. We've recently been made aware that the reason many people believe we are secretive is because they think our worship services held in 18,000 plus chapels that we have around the world are closed on Sunday's to nonmembers. Most think they can only attend if someone invites them. They've gained some of that perception from stories in the media about the requirements for entering one of our 126 dedicated temples.  They confuse our temple worship with our Sunday worship. You could help overcome this and other misconceptions through your own sphere of influence, which ought to include the Internet…

Let us all stand firmly and speak with faith in sharing our message with the world.  Many of you are returned missionaries and can carry on meaningful conversation in the language you learned on your mission.  Your outreach can be international…

Our position is solid; the Church is true. We simply need to have a conversation, as friends in the same room would have, always guided by the promptings of the Spirit and constantly remembering the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ which reminds us of how precious are the children of our Father in Heaven…

Let your voice be heard in this great cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is taking Elder Ballard’s admonition and counsel one step further and allowing you to literally let your voice be heard about the temple.  And you can even keep it completely anonymous if you like.  But most of all, as Elder Ballard said, don’t be afraid to share with others your story, your experience, and your testimony.  It could change lives.

Mormon Thoughts About the Temple Using Google Voice

The Philadelphia temple will be built in downtown Philadelphia, at North Broad Street between Hamilton Street and Noble Street. Several other temples occupy urban sites, including those in Manhattan and Hong Kong. No designs have been completed for this temple or the others announced on Saturday.

For the temple serving the greater Kansas City area, the site will be in Clay County, Missouri, on residential land within the Kansas City limits that is already being developed by the Church. The development is known as Shoal Creek. [As the crow flies, this is about 11.5 miles from the Temple Lot in Independence, Missouri, and only 2-4 miles from Liberty Jail.]

The temple in Córdoba, Argentina, will be situated on the Belgrano meetinghouse site, next to the present mission home of the Church, and the Calgary temple will be built on Church-owned land next to an existing chapel in the northwest part of the city, at the intersection of Rocky Ridge Road and Royal Oak Road.

In Rome, the temple will occupy part of a 15-acre Church-owned site near the ring road skirting the northeast section of Rome. [As the crow flies, this is about 6.5 miles from the Vatican.]

(http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/new-temple-site-locations-announced)

Locations of Five New Temples Announced

Seal of Melchizedek turned into LDS cufflinks, tie bars/clips, tie tacs

(Continued from Part 2)

Having found the mosaics from Ravenna, Italy, that displayed this symbol in connection with Melchizedek, I wanted to do some more research to see if I could find the symbol mentioned anywhere else.  And, of course, I went to the best tool for online research – Google.  The difficulty with using Google is that you can usually find someone saying something about pretty much anything.  So it’s not only a task of finding the correct information, but of determining its credibility.

One of the first results you come to is a blog called “Ernest Goes to Iraq” with a blog post “The Sign of Melchizedek.”  Ernest explains:

I heard directly from one of the architect team partners that designed the San Diego Temple, he explained that the designer saw this symbol in a dream and based the floor plan and décor of the temple on this design; namely two offset, intersecting squares. Much like the 6-point Star of David but with 8 points instead. 

Ernest continues by quoting the caption from Temple and Cosmos about the seal of Melchizedek.  This is the only place that I’ve found on the internet that talks about the architect’s involvement in the design of this symbol, but it has some differences from the version of the story that my parents told me, namely that the designer purportedly saw the symbol in a dream.

Other interspersed references to the symbol online refer to it as a six-pointed star, not eight, and conflate it as the same symbol as the Seal of Solomon, or the Star of David.  There might actually be some correlation between the two symbols, which we will explore in a later post.

One interesting find was that someone had posted a question to the 100 Hour Board at BYU asking about the appearance of this symbol on the Newport and Redlands California temples.  The responder gave the description from Temple and Cosmos also.  So this symbol makes its appearance on more than just the San Diego Temple.  As the questioner pointed out, the symbol has also made its way into LDS merchandising (see image above).  Usually in these instances it has become referred to as the “Melchizedek Priesthood Symbol.”

As I learned more about this symbol, I wanted to know more about the origin of the story of the symbol on the San Diego California Temple, and to clarify any inaccuracies that might have crept into the story.  I couldn’t find any other account online of the design of this temple, so I decided to call the design architect of the temple, Br. William S. Lewis, Jr., and ask him directly.  He is a member of the Church and a current sealer at the San Diego Temple.  I thought that he’d probably be able to give me the most accurate account of the story behind this symbol, which I will relate in the next portion of this series.

(Continued in Part 4)

The Seal of Melchizedek – Part 3

Title Page

I was doing some research this morning when I stumbled upon a very interesting passage from a book published in 1916 by Levi Rightmyer entitled, The Light of Truth as Revealed in the Holy Scriptures.  The entire text of the book is available for perusal on Google Books here.  The author is not LDS, although he appears to have known something of the Church (see page 482 for his reference to “Joseph Smith and the Mormons of Utah”).

What I found was a passage which discusses Christ, a priest after the order of Melchizedek, and that “all who are called to God’s kingdom and glory are called to fill the positions of Melchisedec kings and priests in the ages to come under the Lord Jesus Christ…” and if this truth is not so today it is because of apostasy:

…mankind have been deceived by false and ignorant teachers who in the early days of the church corrupted the way of the Lord as the antediluvian sons of God did before the flood, who walked after the vain imaginations of their own evil hearts even as it is now.  The world is full of religion, but nearly empty of the true knowledge of God. There are many great revivals in which are developed a high degree of religious feeling, but unfortunately they are attended with a very low degree of scriptural knowledge and true religious intelligence. (p. 740)

I did a search for the author, Levi Rightmyer, but came up short.  Does anyone know anything more about this author?  In addition to the above, part of the preface to the book describes the author’s purpose, which sounds quite similar to Joseph Smith’s early feelings – “Familiar with many of the conflicting religious beliefs of these and former days, Mr. Rightmyer was early filled with an earnest determination to search the Scriptures for himself, and if possible to find out the truth contained therein.”

While Rightmyer gets a few things wrong, such as his belief that a Melchizedek priesthood is only available to saints after the resurrection (not sure why he believes this since the person Melchizedek was clearly a mortal priest – see Gen. 14:18-20), he gets an amazing amount right about this order of the priesthood and its associations.  I’ll be interested to read more of this book to see his take on the rest of the scriptural record.

Here is the entire passage about the Melchizedek priesthood from his book, including temple imagery and symbolism:

CHRIST A PRIEST AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEC

Now before any one can understand aright and correctly interpret these sayings, he must have knowledge of the Melchisedec order of priesthood, and of the patterns of things in the law. Christ is a priest of the order of Melchisedec. He entered upon that priesthood when he was born again from the dead, as it is written of him, ” Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee ” ; and again, ” Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” (an immortal priest) (Ps. 110:4). This priesthood was ordained and established before the days of Abraham, and its numbers were increased by one when Christ was raised from the dead, and will be further augmented when the body of Christ, the righteous of all ages past, are born from the dead as Christ was, which appears and is clearly taught in the song that the four beasts and four and twenty elders sung when they fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors which are the prayers of saints. Therefore it is said they sing a new song, saying, ” Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth ” (Rev. 5: 9-10).

Here the calling and hope and work of those in the resurrection who are redeemed out of every kindred and people and nation, is plainly stated. They are to be employed as kings and priests over mortal men in the earth, -- kings and priests of the order of Melchisedec. Kings are appointed to rule over others beneath them. Priests are ordained for the purpose of ministering on behalf of sinners and those who repent and seek pardon from God, through a divinely appointed order of priesthood. Christ is the high priest of the order of Melchisedec. All his brethren will be kings and priests under him, and all the prayers and supplications of those under their supervision they present to the Father through Jesus Christ. He is himself the antitypical golden altar of incense before the throne, the altar upon which the Melchisedec priests offer up the prayers of all saints as a sweet incense before God.

The angel which came and stood at the altar having a golden censer (8: 3), is one of Adam’s posterity raised to angelic equality, and is therefore an angel and so called. He is a priest of the order of Melchisedec, but he offers much incense which is given to him, with the prayers of all saints, upon the golden altar which was before the throne. That altar is Christ. All prayers reach the Father through him only.

The angels that are engaged in the work of judgment, as they are brought to view in the Book of the Revelation, are angels from among men of our species, and as the angels in former ages were ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation, even so in the ages to come will the angels of Adam’s race be employed, as Paul in his letter to the Hebrews testifies saying, ” For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come whereof we speak.” The world to come is to be placed under the Melchisedec order of priests, consisting of Christ and his brethren. Therefore all persons in times past from the beginning of the world, and during the times of Christ and his apostles, and since, -- all who are called to God’s kingdom and glory are called to fill the positions of Melchisedec kings and priests in the ages to come under the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, and to minister in those ages and generations on behalf of mortal men such as we are at the present time ; but before the righteous of past and present times can enter upon that employment, they must be first made perfect by resurrection from the dead as Christ has already been.

Moreover, if these hopes and expectations are not according to the faith and hopes of these times of the various sects and denominations, it is simply because mankind have been deceived by false and ignorant teachers who in the early days of the church corrupted the way of the Lord as the antediluvian sons of God did before the flood, who walked after the vain imaginations of their own evil hearts even as it is now. The world is full of religion, but nearly empty of the true knowledge of God. There are many great revivals in which are developed a high degree of religious feeling, but unfortunately they are attended with a very low degree of scriptural knowledge and true religious intelligence. (p. 739-40, link)

Levi Rightmyer on “Kings and Priests of the order of Melchisedec”

Microsoft has built some free software called Photosynth with which you can take many photographs of an object or place, and the software will automatically overlay them together seamlessly and construct a 3D model from their similarities.  You can then fly around the object or place in real-time and zoom in to see details in the photographs.  It’s fascinating technology.  See a fuller definition here.  It’s been in beta for a while now, but has just been released for anyone to make their own “synths.”  A designer from the Church has picked up on it. 

Aaron Barker, one of the Church’s designers, has created a “photosynth” of the Salt Lake Temple, as reported on NorthTemple.com yesterday.  It is only 58% “synthy,” which means that you cannot go all the way around the temple in 360°, which can make it difficult to navigate, but it does have about a 200° viewable space of the Salt Lake Temple (the east, north, and west sides).  It was built using 117 photos of the temple, and there are many detailed ones too that you can zoom in on and see close-up.

Because Photosynth is so graphics intensive it does require a browser plugin and an application installed on your computer in order to see a synth.  But I guarantee it is worth it.  They are free.  To install it go here.

I have embedded the synth of the Salt Lake Temple below.  Or you can see it here on Photosynth’s website.

I echo Aaron’s excitement about the possibilities of this technology.  Think if you could see a synth of any temple in the world, fly around it, and see the details, all while online.  Think of the Church historical sites you could virtually visit like Carthage jail, the Sacred Grove, Nauvoo, and Palmyra.  It’s going to be interesting to see where this technology goes, particularly if and when they build a social community around it and allow any person to add photos to synths.

Salt Lake Temple in 3D with Microsoft Photosynth