Elijah Appearing In The Kirtland Temple, by Dan Lewis.

My father is on the High Council in the Riverton Utah Stake, and this past Sunday he was asked to speak in a ward about the temple and family history work.  He sent me his talk, and I thought it was good and thought provoking.  I thought you might like it too.  -Bryce

By Mark Haymond
November 15, 2009
Riverton 11th Ward

At the first of October, just last month, I had the privilege of traveling with other members of our stake and even President and Sister Higbee back to the important sites in early Church history. We visited the birthplace of Joseph in Sharon, Vermont. We visited Harmony, Pennsylvania, where the Prophet Joseph and Emma first lived after they were married. In the home in Harmony most of the Book of Mormon was translated and revelations were received. Just behind that home, not fifty yards, are the banks of the Susquehanna River where John the Baptist laid his hands on Joseph and Oliver's heads and the authority of the Aaronic Priesthood was bestowed upon them. While Joseph and Emma lived in Harmony, the Apostles Peter, James and John came to the earth and laid their hands on the heads of Joseph and Oliver and bestowed upon them the Melchizedek Priesthood and the holy Apostleship. 

We visited the Peter Whitmore farm where the Church was organized on April 6, 1830.

We walked in the Sacred Grove and experienced the sacred feeling that is there 189 years after the Father and Son appeared to Joseph in that grove. We experienced the place where Joseph was visited by the resurrected being Moroni who told Joseph about the Book of Mormon buried in the hill not far from his home. We climbed that hill, even the Hill Cumorah, where the golden plates lay hidden for fourteen centuries. We walked in the very rooms of the Grandin Print Shop where the Book of Mormon was first printed.

The last place we visited was Kirtland, Ohio. I was very impressed with Kirtland as I came to realize all that transpired there. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve were first organized in Kirtland. The School of the Prophets was started there. Great manifestations of God happened there. Sixty-five revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants came to the Prophet while he lived in Kirtland, including the revelation to build the Kirtland Temple. This revelation came before the church was three years old.

The Church was new and the Saints were few when the Lord told Joseph to build him a house. It was while I was there in Kirtland that I came to realize that temples, temple worship, and Family History work have been a central reason for the Restoration of the gospel from the very beginning of the Restoration.

This might seem obvious to us but it may be so obvious that we don't think about it. We seem to focus on the concept that the gospel was restored so we can become members of the true Church and be taught the true gospel, and temple work for the living and the dead is just another component of the Restoration. But, it started to become clear to me that this is not the correct way to view temples and family history work. The Prophet Joseph explained to us that the very purpose of the gathering of the Saints and the Restoration of the gospel was the building of temples.

Joseph said,

What was the object of gathering the Jews, or the people of God in any age of the world?… The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation; for there are certain ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be done in a place or house built for that purpose.

It was the design of the councils of heaven before the world was, that the principles and laws of the priesthood should be predicated upon the gathering of the people in every age of the world....

It is for the same purpose that God gathers together His people in the last days, to build unto the Lord a house to prepare them for the ordinances and endowments, washings and anointings, etc.

So, why the gathering of the Saints? So that there would be enough people with the right skills and enough resources to build a temple. What part did temple building play in the Restoration of the gospel? It has been a central reason from the very beginning.

Elder John A. Widtsoe, former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained this. He said,

When Joseph Smith was commissioned to restore the Gospel and to re-establish the Church of Jesus Christ, the building of temples and temple worship became almost the first and last issue of his life...  The main concern of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the restoration of the Gospel in these latter days was the founding, building, and completion of temples in which the ordinances "hid from before the foundation of the world" might be given.

In last month's Ensign, in an article entitled “Blessings of the Temple,” Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve quoted Joseph Smith,

The Church is not fully organized, in its proper order, and cannot be, until the Temple is completed, where places will be provided for the administration of the ordinances of the Priesthood.

So, the Saints have been gathered, and the gospel restored, so that temples could be built. Why? So that we could receive the ordinances of the Priesthood that have been hid from before the foundation of the world. But not only this. It was so that the "promises made to the fathers" could be fulfilled.

God the Father made "promises" to our "fathers" in the flesh, and in fact to everyone in the human family.  God the Father's family, in the pre-mortal life, was promised that even if they lived on the earth when the gospel was not here in its fullness, and therefore priesthood authority would not be here, they would still have the opportunity to hear the gospel.  Missionaries would be sent to everyone in the spirit world, and once taught the gospel they would be able to have ordinances performed for them even though they would not have a body. The hosts of heaven shouted for joy at the prospect (Job 38:7). This "promise to the fathers" is apparently one of the major features, facets, concepts and reasons why God the Father wanted to restore the fullness of the gospel and the power of the priesthood.

Elder Widtsoe explained,

…the Lord declared repeatedly to the Prophet that unless temples were built and used, the plan of salvation could neither be in full operation nor fully accomplished...  The plan of salvation for eternal beings involves the principle that God's work with respect to this earth will not be complete until every soul has been taught the Gospel and has been offered the privilege of accepting salvation and the accompanying great blessings which the Lord has in store for his children. Until that is done the work is unfinished.

Let's think about what happened from the beginning of the Restoration.

In the very first visit of Moroni to Joseph Smith, Moroni quoted a modified version of Malachi 4:5

Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. (D&C 2:1)

We know that Elijah was commissioned to bring the sealing power back to the earth which he did to the Prophet Joseph in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836 (D&C 110). That sealing power is used in temples to seal families together and in fact all the binding and sealing work in the temple is done because of the authority brought back to the earth by Elijah.

Moroni also quoted the next verse in Malachi to Joseph with some modification.

And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. (D&C 2:2)

This is an obvious reference to temple work and family history work. This statement was made by Moroni in the very first visit to Joseph of a heavenly messenger after the visit of the Father and Son. Temple and Family History work must be very important for Moroni to tell Joseph about the "promises made to the fathers" right then in his first visit.

The Lord was anxious to get on with the work of fulfilling "the promises made to the fathers" right from the very beginning of the Restoration. He pressed the early Saints to build temples almost before they had enough people or resources to even build temples. Thus the "gathering" in the early Church from England and other places was commanded so that there would be people enough with skills enough to build temples.

Soon after the Saints arrived in Kirtland the Lord told Joseph to build Him a temple. One of the major reasons for the building of the Kirtland temple was so that there would be a special place for Elijah to come back to restore the sealing power of the priesthood.

The Prophet Joseph arrived in Nauvoo in 1840. In January 1841 the Lord again told the prophet to build a temple. The doctrine of baptism for the dead was revealed to Joseph in Nauvoo and the Lord explained that a suitable place needed to be built to perform these baptisms. Thus, a baptismal font for baptisms for the dead was built in the Nauvoo temple.

I am a product of the gathering for the purpose of building temples. My own Great Great Great Grandfather, William Warner Player, was among them. He and his family joined the Church in England in about 1840. They were the products of the missionary efforts of Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and others in England. He was a skilled stone mason. He felt the need to gather with the Saints in America. After arriving in Nauvoo he quickly began working on the temple. His skills were great and he became the chief stone mason on the original Nauvoo Temple. This made him, effectively, the construction manager of the temple. He personally worked on the baptismal font and supervised the construction of the remainder of the temple.

Almost the first thing Brigham Young did after the Saints entered the valley was to designate the place for the temple. But this wasn't enough. The Salt Lake Temple was going to take 40 years to build, which is a long time. The Lord wanted to get on with temple work for the "fathers" so he had the Saints build temples in St George, Manti and Logan, all completed before the Salt Lake Temple.

As further evidence of the importance of fulfilling the "promises made to the fathers," think about the first thing Christ did after his crucifixion. Upon entering the spirit world he organized the missionary force to teach the gospel to those who had never heard it (D&C 138). That missionary force had operated in the spirit world for 1800 years. Everyone who heard and accepted the gospel would need the ordinances of salvation performed for them. By the time the Church was restored in 1830 there must have been a large backlog of people waiting for their temple work to be done.

No wonder fulfilling "the promises made to the fathers," the building of temples, and the performing of temple ordinances has been a central reason for the Restoration of the gospel from the very beginning. Temple work is not an incidental part of the Restoration. It is a critical reason for the Restoration.

It continues to be critical to God's plan to this day. All of the prophets continue to stress the importance of temples and temple work. President Howard W. Hunter was only the President of the Church for a short season. But, during the time he was president he repeatedly stressed the temple.

President Hunter said,

It is the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the Church worthy to enter the temple. It would please the Lord if every adult member would be worthy of--and carry--a current temple recommend. The things that we must do and not do to be worthy of a temple recommend are the very things that ensure we will be happy as individuals and as families.

Let us be a temple-attending people. Attend the temple as frequently as personal circumstances allow. Keep a picture of a temple in your home that your children may see it. Teach them about the purposes of the house of the Lord. Have them plan from their earliest years to go there and to remain worthy of that blessing.

Temples are being built increasingly faster. The Lord said, "I will hasten my work in its time” (D&C 88:73). We all know that temple building and temple work was central to the work of President Gordon B. Hinckley. When President Hinckley became President of the Church on March 12, 1995 there were about 50 temples operating throughout the world. Today, just fourteen years later, there are 130 operating temples, with many more announced and under construction. Five more temples were announced by President Monson at the last General Conference.

The Lord continues fulfilling His promises made to the fathers. It continues to be central to the Father's plan. In fact it is growing in importance and it is hastening in its speed.

What part do temples and temple work play in our lives? In Elder Hales article in last month's Ensign he said, "The temple endowment blessings are as essential for each of us as was our baptism". The Prophet Joseph Smith said,

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... they without us cannot be made perfect - neither can we without our dead be made perfect. (D&C 128:15)

We speak of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as having two parts. First, the suffering and sacrifice and resurrection of Christ broke the bands of death for every person who lives, who has lived, and who will yet live on the earth (Alma 11:40-41). Every person will be resurrected because of the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ. But, the Atonement of Christ also makes it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins and be worthy to live in the presence of the God. Christ said, "I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say ye have no promise" (D&C 82:10). If we obey Him, He will apply his atoning sacrifice on our behalf, cleanse us of our sins, and allow us to live in the presence of God. But, we don't just want to be with God. We want to be like God. This is what the gospel teaches us. The Lord said,

In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; And if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase. (D&C 131:1-4)

We don't just want salvation, we want exaltation. In order to be like God we must receive the ordinances of exaltation. Those ordinances are received in the temple including the crowning ordinance of the gospel, sealing in the new and everlasting covenant of celestial marriage.

In order for God to fulfill his "promises made to the fathers" we must be involved in the work that is obviously so important to Him--temple work. To be involved we must make ourselves worthy to enter the temple, keep ourselves worthy and then return often to do the work for our fathers to whom the promises were made.

Surely what Elder Widtsoe said is even more true today than it was when he said it.

We need more workers to accomplish the wonderful work... for all I know, the day may come... when we shall keep the temples open twenty-four hours a day. We need more converts to temple work, drawn from all ages, from the young, from the middle-aged, and from the rich and poor, from among the busy and those of leisure. The time has come, I verily believe... to bring into active service all the people, of all ages. From the children doing baptisms, to the aged grandparents doing endowments for the dead, all the members of the family, if we do our duty well, must be brought into the work. Temple work is quite of as much benefit to the young and the active, as it is to the aged, who have laid behind them many of the burdens of life. The young man needs his place in the temple even more than his father and his grandfather, who are steadied by a life of experience; and the young girl just entering life needs the spirit, influence and direction that comes from participation in the temple ordinances... Temple work is for the young and the middle aged and for the aged for all and not for one specialized, separated class within the Church.

In addition to receiving the temple ordinances for ourselves, we must search out our ancestors, our "fathers," and receive the ordinances for them or submit their names to the temple so the work can be done for them.

The Lord is increasingly hastening his work of identifying those who have gone before. Family history work is increasing. The spirit of Elijah has already made genealogy research the most popular hobby throughout the land. Even among those who are not members of the Church, or especially among those who are not members of the Church, people are searching out their fathers like never before.

The Lord is making it increasingly easy to find and submit their names to the temples. The temples are being built throughout the world. They must be filled with the names of our fathers to whom the promises have been made. In August 2008 Elder Robert D. Hales gave a devotional address at BYU. In his talk he said that computer technology has been given to man to hasten the work of the Lord done in temples. Elder Hales said that,

…in the 1970's, Elder Theodore H. Burton presented the concept of computers being used for family records and research. “He was even bold enough to teach and proclaim that the computer technology was given to man for his use to hasten the day of family history, genealogy and temple work.” His proclamation was met with reservations about the size and expense of computers for personal use and how few Latter-day Saints would be able to afford or operate them. Other concerns were their complexity how to make them compatible with temple records. “All seemed to be reasonable reservations for their time,” he said, yet, “today, we are embarking on a new era of family history computer technology.”

Elder Hales then explained the New Family Search program.

Those reservations back in the 1970's are not true today. Many of us have computers and the work of finding our fathers has never been easier. The New Family Search program has just been unveiled here in our own stake [Riverton Utah Stake]. As of the first of November we can now do Family History work right from the comfort of our homes like never before.

All of us are now encouraged to go to the new web site new.familysearch.org, register by entering our member ID number and our confirmation date, and then start learning and using this powerful tool for fulfilling the "promises made to the fathers." If you do not know your member ID number or confirmation date you can obtain them from the ward clerk.

There are easy to follow tutorials right on the web site that will teach us what to do and how to do it. We don't have to be computer experts or genealogy experts. If we need help our Ward Family History consultants will help us. If we don't have a computer the ward house has a Family History room with people ready to help us. The Church has prepared the new Temple and Family History Course. In clear and easy to follow steps the work is explained.

The New Family Search program combines and replaces the ancestral file, the IGI (the International Genealogical Index) and Temple Ready. From the comfort of our own computer we can now:

• Add, correct, and manage family histories online
• See what temple work needs to be done for ancestors
• Prepare names for temple ordinance work at home over the internet
• Easily see ordinance information and status or work in progress
• Significantly reduce duplication or research and ordinance work
• Correct personal submissions/data in real time
• Work collaboratively with family members and relatives
• Find living relatives not known to exist
• Print temple ordinance sheets at home and then take them to the temple to do the ordinances

After we do the ordinances in the temple we can go home and check the New Family Search again and by the time we sit down at our computer the temple ordinance information will be updated in the computer.

We have three basic temple and family history responsibilities:

1. Receive our own temple ordinances and help immediate family members receive them.
2. Hold a current temple recommend and attend the temple regularly.
3. Participate in Family History work.

Family History work involves a simple process:

1. Gather information to identify your ancestors.
2. Record information about your ancestors in the New Family Search to link them into families.
3. Perform temple ordinances for your ancestors who have not yet received them.

The Lord does not expect us to submit thousands of names to the temple. Start with the pedigree chart in the Temple and Family History Course materials.

Much of the information on the pedigree chart can be filled out right from our own memory or records at home, or the memories of other family members. Fill out the information and submit it in the New Family Search. This will update the information about you and your family. You may find much of this information already there. Just complete it and then go on.

If you are the only member of the Church in your family it is important that you start there. If you and your family have been Church members for generations it is important that you start there.

Our youth who enjoy so much texting with their cell phones can do indexing work right from their cell phones or computers in their spare time and put their text messaging skills to work. So can the adults.

Our lives will be blessed for engaging in this work.

President Higbee last week in stake general priesthood meeting, and again while giving instructions to the High Council for preparing this talk, said that worshipping in the temple is the way we will protect ourselves in the difficult days ahead.

Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, emeritus member of the Seventy, gave similar counsel:

The season of the world before us will be like no other in the history of mankind. Satan has and will unleash every evil, every scheme, every blatant vile perversion ever known to man in any generation. Just as this dispensation is the fullness of times, so it is also the dispensation of the fullness of evil. We and our wives and husbands, our children, and our members must find safety. There is no safety in the world; wealth cannot provide it, enforcement agencies cannot assure it, membership alone in this Church will not guarantee it.

As the evil night darkens upon this generation, we must come to the temple for light and safety. In our temples we find quiet, sacred havens where the storm cannot penetrate to us... Before the Savior comes the world will darken. There will come a time when even the elect will begin to lose hope if they do not come to the temples. The world will be so filled with evil that the righteous will only feel secure through their faith in Christ and within the temple walls. I believe the Saints will come to the temples not only to do vicarious work but to find a God-given haven of peace. The true and faithful Latter-day Saints will long to bring their children to our temples for safety's sake... There will be greater hosts of unseen beings in the temple. Joseph told the brethren, "And I beheld that the temple was filled with angels" (History of the Church, vol. 2, page 428). I believe prophets of old as well as those in this dispensation will visit the temples. Those who attend the temples will feel their strength and companionship. We will not be alone in our temples.

Endowed faithful members of the Church who keep all their covenants including the sacred coverings will be safe as protected behind temple walls.

Everyone is being asked to participate in this great eternity spanning effort. Temples are now more accessible than ever before. Family History, i.e. genealogy work, is now more popular than ever before. Getting the names of our "fathers" in to the temple so their ordinances can be done is now easier than ever before.

God will fulfill "the promises made to the fathers."

The Promises Made to the Fathers

William Weeks Nauvoo Temple architectural plan. (Click for larger view)

It is my honor and pleasure to introduce a new guest blogger to TempleStudy.com, Matthew B. Brown.  Many of you may already be familiar with the great work of this historian, scholar, and author.  If you are not, I heartily recommend his work to you. One of my favorite books on the temple is by Br. Brown, The Gate of Heaven: Insights on the Doctrines and Symbols of the Temple.  A big thanks to Br. Brown for sharing his insights with us here on TempleStudy.com.  -Bryce

Guest Blogger: Matthew B. Brown holds a degree in history from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He is the author of ten books and has published articles with the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at BYU (aka FARMS). Matthew serves as a volunteer researcher, editor, and respondent for The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) and has spoken at several of their annual conferences. He has also been featured on TV and radio programs as well as at a number of seminars and symposiums.

On 19 January 1841 the Lord issued an important revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith which is now known as Doctrine and Covenants section 124.¹ There are many verses within this revelation where the Lord describes concepts associated with the Nauvoo temple. These concepts can be placed under five general categories so that they can be more easily evaluated: The Lord's People, The Lord's Commands, The Lord's House, The Priesthood, and The Ordinances. This article is calculated to help students of the past more accurately understand what (and how much) the Lord revealed about the temple in Nauvoo, Illinois by the first month of the year in 1841. It is also designed to show intriguing connections between the Mormons who lived in the first half of the nineteenth century and what took place among the covenant people of the biblical period. 

The Lord's People

In the temple-related material recorded in D&C 124 the Lord uses two different terms to identify the group to whom He is speaking. In verses 39 and 40 He calls them "my people" while in verses 25, 29, and 31 He describes them as "my saints." In either case, the idea receiving emphasis is that they are the Lord's possession--they belong to Him. This notion of belonging to the Lord is tied in the Old Testament to being in a covenant relationship with Him (see Ex. 19:5)² and being a "holy people" (Deut. 14:2). Indeed, one word translated as "saint" in the Old Testament is the Hebrew qadosh (meaning 'holy')³ and another is hasid (meaning 'godly'),⁴ while in the New Testament it is the Greek hagios (also meaning 'holy').⁵

It should be noted that the phrase "my people" was utilized in an ancient Hebrew formulary when a covenant relationship was being formed. It was said by Deity with regard to the participating parties, "I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Ezek. 37:27; emphasis added). Notice that in the rest of this passage from the book of Ezekiel the Lord states, "my tabernacle" or temple "shall be with them." This should be compared to Revelation 21:3 where it is said, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them [cf. D&C 124:27; Ex. 25:8, 29:45], and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them [cf. D&C 124:28], and be their God."

The Lord's Commands

It is interesting to note that there are nine temple-related commands given to the Saints, by the Lord, in the 124th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. And it seems to be more than a mere coincidence that these directives are closely matched by what is said about the temple on the pages of the Old Testament.

1. LDS: The Lord said, 'send out messengers' (see D&C 124:26). ISRAELITES: Solomon sent his servants to talk to king Hiram about the temple project (see 1 Kgs. 5:1-6).
2. LDS: The Lord said, 'gather the Saints' (see D&C 124:25). ISRAELITES: there was a gathering in order to build the temple (see 1 Chr. 22:2).
3. LDS: The Lord said, 'assemble construction materials' (see D&C 124:26-27). ISRAELITES: there was a divine command to take an offering of construction materials (see Ex. 25:1-7).
4. LDS: The Lord said, 'build a temple' (see D&C 124:31). ISRAELITES: The Lord said, "let [the children of Israel] make me a sanctuary" (Ex. 25:8).
5. LDS: The Lord said, 'raise it to my name' (see D&C 124:27, 40). ISRAELITES: The Lord said, "build the house unto my name" (1 Kgs. 8:19, 44, 48 and 1 Kgs. 5:5).
6. LDS: The Lord said, 'erect it in a particular place' (see D&C 124:43). ISRAELITES: God commanded the building of a temple in a particular city (Ezra 1:2).
7. LDS: The Lord said, 'bestow ritual elements upon certain individuals' (see D&C 124:95, 97)⁶. ISRAELITES: The Lord said, 'bestow specific rituals on certain individuals' (see Ex. 29:1).
8. LDS: The Lord said, 'assign priesthood officers' (see D&C 124:144). ISRAELITES: The Lord assigned priesthood officers (Ex. 28:1).
9. LDS: The Lord said, 'construct rooms for priesthood officers inside of the temple' (see D&C 124:145). ISRAELITES: Solomon's temple included a courtyard for the priests (see 2 Chr. 4:9) and the revelatory temple design recorded in the book of Ezekiel had chambers for the priests (see Ezek. 40:45-46).

Since two of the commands above come from verse 26 in section 124 it is interesting to make note of specific Old Testament parallels associated with this passage. The Doctrine and Covenants verse reads: "And send ye swift messengers, yea, chosen messengers, and say unto them: Come ye, with all your gold and your silver, and your precious stones, and with all your antiquities; and with⁷ all who have knowledge of antiquities, that will come, may come, and bring the box-tree, and the fir-tree, and the pine-tree, together with all the precious trees of the earth." Mention of 'swift messengers' being sent out to members of a scattered nation can be found in Isaiah 18:2. The invitation to 'come' together for the purpose of temple construction is matched by words found in Exodus 36:2. The building materials listed in D&C 124:26-27 (gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, stones) goes right along with what is said in Exodus 25:2-3, 5, 7 and 1 Chronicles 22:14. Even the same types of wood to be used in the construction process are repeated in Isaiah 60:13. Finally, there is the curious reference in D&C 124:26 to persons who have "knowledge of antiquities." A match in wording can be found in Exodus 31:3 and Exodus 36:1-2 where the temple builders are said to be filled with "knowledge" of workmanship necessary for carrying out their task. By checking a popular English dictionary from the early nineteenth century one discovers that "antiquities" includes "edifices,"⁸ and so it may be that the Lord is indicating in verse 26 that it will be useful for the modern temple constructors in Nauvoo to possess knowledge about the ancient temples of the Bible.

The Lord's House

In addition to what has already been demonstrated above, there are connections to be ascertained between the way the Nauvoo Temple is described in the Doctrine and Covenants and the descriptions of Israelites temples in the Old Testament. Consider the exacting parallels and the proposed links in the following five categories.

Pattern:

• design details provided by the Lord (D&C 124:42 / Ex. 25:9, 40)

Character:

• place of holiness (D&C 124:39, 44 / Ex. 28:36, 29:43)
• place of honor and glory (D&C 124:34 / 1 Chr. 16:27)
• place of revelation (D&C 124:39 / Ex. 29:42)
• place of dwelling for Deity (D&C 124:27 / Ex. 25:8)
• dedicated to the Lord's name (D&C 124:40 / 1 Kgs. 8:16-20)

Materials:

• built of precious stones, woods, and metals (D&C 124:26-27 / 1 Chr. 29:2)

Objects:

• water receptacle [implied by "washings" rite] (D&C 124:39 / Ex. 40:30-32)
• oil receptacle [implied by "anointings" rite] (D&C 124:39 / 1 Kgs. 1:39)
• "font" (D&C 124:29) which matches the form of the Solomonic "sea" (2 Chr. 4:15)

Divisions:

D&C 124 includes direct and indirect evidence for contemplated spacial divisions inside of the Nauvoo Temple and these divisions have counterparts within biblical sanctuaries. The "most holy" place⁹ mentioned in verse 39 of section 124 is an unmistakable reference to the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle built by Moses and the Temple constructed by king Solomon (see Ex 26:33-34; 1 Kgs. 6:16, 19). The reference to an "assembly" in D&C 124:39 may possibly be connected with the assembly that was commanded to meet at the door of the Tabernacle proper--which served as the entryway into the Holy Place of the temple (see Num. 10:1-3). Sacrifice is likewise mentioned in the 39th verse of section 124 and since sacrifice in the Israelite temple took place at the altar (see Isa. 56:7) which was situated out in the courtyard of the complex (see Ex. 40:33) verse 39 seems to make an allusion to both the outermost space and the central ritual object which was placed there.

The Priesthood

The Lord discusses the priesthood and related subjects in several verses of D&C 124. He provides a lengthy list of the officers of His priesthood (see vv. 123-144)¹⁰ and directs that rooms be built for them within His temple (see v. 145).¹¹ The Lord also indicates that He is naming these priesthood holders and their respective offices so that they may "hold the keys thereof" and thereby legitimately engage in the work of governing and perfecting the Saints (vv. 123, 143). The Lord further reveals that "the keys of the holy priesthood" are "ordained"¹² specifically for the temple (v. 34) and He will show the Prophet Joseph Smith "all things pertaining to . . . the priesthood" of His holy house (v. 42), even all things connected with "the fulness of the priesthood" (v. 28).¹³

In D&C 124:39 the Lord makes a connection between Latter-day Saints and the ancient "sons of Levi" or Israelite temple priests (see Deut. 21:5, 31:9). The Old Testament states that it was "the sons of Levi . . . [who] did the work for the service of the house of the Lord" (1 Chr. 23:24). More specifically, they made offerings unto the Lord (see Mal. 3:3) and "c[a]me near to the Lord to minister unto Him" (Ezek. 40:46). Because the ancient sons of Levi ministered within the temple precincts they were required to wear "holy garments"--the pattern of which was revealed by the Lord Himself (Ex. 28:1-4).

The Ordinances

When the temple priests of ancient Israel received their sacral clothing during their induction into office they also participated in several rituals. Included among these rites were washing with water (see Ex. 29:4, 40:30-32) and anointing with oil (see Lev. 8:30). These very same ordinances were prescribed by the Lord for his modern temple ministers in the 124th section of the Doctrine and Covenants (see vv. 37, 39).

The "sacrifices" of section 124 verse 39 can certainly be classified as ordinances but the wording of verse 39 distinguishes them from their Old Testament counterparts. Whereas the ancient temple priests actually slew animals at an altar the Latter-day Saints were only going to offer "memorials" of those sacrifices. The word "memorial" was defined in Joseph Smith's day as "that which preserves the memory of something; anything that serves to keep in memory."¹⁴

Baptism for the dead receives a significant amount of attention in D&C 124 (see vv. 29-33, 35-36, 39). The Lord orders, in this revelation, that a font--instead of a natural body of water--be used for this ceremony (see v. 29) and gives divine sanction to the proxy method of salvation. This particular baptismal rite belongs to the temple (see v. 30, 33), was instituted as an ordinance before the foundation of the earth was established (see v. 33), and is meant to be performed in a place of refuge (see v. 36).¹⁵

The Lord teaches in section 124 that He will only accept certain ordinances if they are performed in a temple that has been built unto His name (see vv. 28-30, 33, and 37). Such a stipulation was laid down before the creation of the world (see v. 33). Indeed, The Lord says that this is the reason behind the construction of the wilderness Tabernacle and the Jerusalem Temple--a place was needed in which to reveal¹⁶ a set of ordinances¹⁷ (v. 38). And these ordinances were not new.¹⁸ The Lord had the Latter-day Saints build the Nauvoo Temple because He designed¹⁹ to "restore again" ceremonies which, over a period of time, had become lost (v. 28).²⁰

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NOTES

1. An extract of D&C 124 was first published in the Times and Seasons, vol. 2, no. 15, 1 June 1841 (hereafter cited as T&S). A large portion of this revelation which is pertinent to the present study can be found on pages 425 and 426 of that source. A comparison of this early printed text with the current version of section 124 indicates that a word has been added in verse 39. The Times and Seasons document reads, "and your oracles in your most holy places" while the current printing says, "and for your oracles in your most holy places." When the word "for" is removed the entire paragraph flows more naturally as a list of items. It should also be noted that in verse 26 of D&C 124 the Times and Seasons version and the modern printing agree in content. Both sources read: "and with all who have knowledge of antiquities." The 1841 newspaper source may contain a scribal error, however. The phrase "with all" occurs three times in verse 26 but if the word "with" is removed from the third instance then the information associated with it makes more sense.

2. The Lord refers to "my people Israel"--meaning the covenant people--on several occasions in the texts of the Old Testament (see 2 Chr. 6:6; 1 Sam. 9:16; 2 Sam. 7:7-8, 10; Ps. 81:8; Jer. 12:14).

3. John R. Kohlenberger III and James A. Swanson, eds., The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), 1448, word #6918.

4. Ibid., 1390, word #2623.

5. Ibid., 1475, word #40.

6. Elder Orson Pratt hinted at the identification of the D&C 124:95 and 97 "keys" in The Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: George Q. Cannon and Sons, 1891), 441, ftnts. 2o and 2p. Notice in Elder Pratt's statements that the "keys" belong to an "order" which has been "ordained of God" (cf. JST Ex. 34:1-2 which speaks of the Lord's "holy order, and the ordinances thereof").

7. See endnote #1 above for an explanation of this strikeout word.

8. "Antiquities comprehend all the remains of ancient times; all the monuments, coins, inscriptions, edifices, history and fragments of literature, offices, habiliments, weapons, manners, ceremonies; in short, whatever respects any of the ancient nations of the earth" (Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language [New York: S. Converse, 1828], s.v., "antiquity," definition #5).

9. In D&C 124:39 the Lord indicates that His disciples are to receive "oracles" and "conversations" in some connection with the most holy place (cf. 1 Kgs. 6:16, 8:6; 2 Chr. 5:7; Ex. 26:33, Ex. 29:42). Oracles can be defined as "communications, revelations or messages delivered by God" (Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language, s.v., "oracle," definition #4).

10. It seems to be relevant that within the list of priesthood officers provided by the Lord there is a distinguishable pattern. There are eight sets of presidencies named--First Presidency, Seven presidents of the Seventies, High Priests presidency, Elders presidency, Bishopric, Priests presidency, Teachers presidency, Deacons presidency. These presidencies were physically represented in the twenty-four Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood pulpits which were located on a lower floor of the Nauvoo Temple.

11. For an architectural diagram of the priesthood rooms built in the attic story of the nineteenth century Nauvoo Temple see Devery S. Anderson and Gary J. Bergera, eds., The Nauvoo Endowment Companies 1845-1846: A Documentary History (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2005), xvii.

12. The general meaning of the word 'ordain' is to 'appoint' (Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language, s.v., "ordain," definition #2, #4, #5). In Numbers 28:1-6 it is recalled by the Lord that the activities of the temple priests had been "ordained" by Him.

13. In order for a person to be perfected in 'the fulness of the priesthood,' said Elder Parley P. Pratt, they needed to receive "holy washings, anointing, keys, ordinances, oracles, and instructions" inside of the temple (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, 3d ed. [Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1874], 92). Elder Orson Hyde taught that "the fulness of the priesthood includes the authority of both king and priest" (Millennial Star, vol. 9, no. 2, 15 January 1847, 23). Elder Brigham Young declared, "For any person to have the fullness of [the Melchizedek] priesthood, he must be a king and priest" (Brigham H. Roberts, ed., History of the Church [Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1909], 5:527).

14. Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language, s.v. "memorial," noun, primary definition.

15. The idea of a city of refuge can be found in several Old Testament passages but Numbers 35:6 is especially interesting because it is indicated there that some such cities were connected with the Levites--the persons charged with the care of the temple.

16. Since there are some individuals who believe that Joseph Smith either made up or plagiarized the Nauvoo temple rites from non-Mormon sources it is crucial to point out three verses in D&C 124 where the Lord clearly indicates those ordinances were going to be revealed by Him (see vv. 38, 40, 41). Notice in D&C 124:40 that the Lord employs a possessive phrase for the Nauvoo Temple rituals, calling them "mine ordinances" (emphasis added). This precludes the idea that Joseph Smith borrowed those rites which were eventually practiced inside of the sanctuary at Nauvoo.

17. It appears that the "statutes and judgments" of D&C 124:39 fall under the category of ordinances in that the word 'statute' can be defined as "a positive law . . . . [which owes its] binding force to a positive command or declaration of the supreme power" (Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language, s.v., "statute," definition #1) and the word 'judgment'--from a scriptural perspective--refers to "the spirit of wisdom . . . enabling a person to discern . . . good and evil" (ibid., s.v., "judgment," definition #7). Latter-day Saints who have experienced the temple ceremonies which were vouchsafed during the Nauvoo period should have no difficulty correlating how such things apply to their experience.

18. It is not uncommon for the casual reader of D&C 124 to consider the content of verse 41 in isolation. It says, "For I deign to reveal unto my church things which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fulness of times" (emphasis added). The conclusion that is sometimes drawn from these words is that the Nauvoo Temple endowment was something new--only for the last dispensation of the gospel. But the content of verse 38 does not support such a view. It reads, "for this cause I commanded Moses that he should build a tabernacle, that they should bear it with them in the wilderness, and to build a house in the land of promise, that those ordinances might be revealed which had been hid from before the world was" (emphasis added). In other words, the same restricted, confidential ceremonies that were once practiced in the Mosaic tabernacle and the Solomonic temple were revealed once again in the latter days. It is interesting to note that priests were initiated in the tabernacle build by Moses and kings were initiated in the temple constructed by Solomon.

19. In the current LDS edition of the Doctrine and Covenants verse 41 reads, "I deign to reveal unto my Church" whereas the first known printing of this text said, "I design to reveal unto my Church" (T&S, vol. 2, no. 15, 1 June 1841, 426). In the Prophet's era the word 'deign' meant "to condescend to give to" (Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language, s.v., "deign," second listing).

20. In verse 28 of D&C 124 the Lord states: "there is not a place found on earth that [the Most High] may come to and restore again that which was lost unto you, or which He hath taken away" (emphasis added). By consulting the Joseph Smith Translation of Exodus 34 the meaning behind this becomes clearer. In verses 1 and 2 of that source (written in late July 1832) it is said by the Lord with regard to what happened at Mount Sinai: "hew thee two other table[t]s of stone, like unto the first, and I will write upon them also the words of the law . . . but it shall not be according to the first [set of tablets], for I will take away the priesthood out of their midst; therefore my holy order and the ordinances thereof shall not go before them . . . . they shall not enter into my presence" (Scott H. Faulring, Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds., Joseph Smith's New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts [Provo, UT: BYU Religious Studies Center, 2004], 701; emphasis added).

The Lord Speaks Again: Ancient Temple Patterns in D&C 124

If you’ve been following me for a while you know that I like computer graphics.  I’ve worked in the industry for almost a decade, and enjoy new technologies that make computing a more visual experience.  You’ve seen my 3D model of the Salt Lake Temple for Google Earth, and the Google Street Views of the temples along the Wasatch Front.  Well, here is one more cool technology to add to the list.

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

Salt Lake Temple model

One of my hobbies is 3D modeling with computers. A couple years ago, when Google acquired Keyhole and the Google Earth and Sketchup software, I chose to build the Salt Lake Temple in 3D for it, as a tribute to my love of temples and so all the world can see this unique temple’s architecture and majesty in Google Earth.

It took me a few days, and many hours of Photoshoping photographs of the Salt Lake Temple to get the textures just right and the structure built to scale. But I think it was a worthwhile experience and will give many people the opportunity to “virtually” visit the Salt Lake Temple on Temple Square.

When I was done I submitted my model to Google’s 3D Warehouse so that anyone in the world could download and see the temple in Google Earth. Just recently I noticed that my model has been given Google’s distinction of being one of the “Best in 3D Warehouse” and will show up in that layer of Google Earth if you have it.

You can view the model, download it into Google Earth, see rankings/reviews, descriptions, location, and other details at this link.

I guess you could say that I am continuing the tradition of my predecessors in a small way, since one of my ancestors was William Warner Player, the chief stone mason on the original Nauvoo Temple. I have built other temples in 3D also, which I will share on another day.

3D Salt Lake Temple in Google Earth