enoch – Temple Study

Gratitude Precedes Zion

November 23, 2014 by Bryce Haymond 4 Comments

Orderville Utah, circa 1890 (click to enlarge)

Note: My wife and I were asked to give talks today in our ward’s sacrament meeting on the topic of thanksgiving and gratitude. The following is the text of my talk.

One of the greatest blessings promised in the scriptures, and one which has always captivated me in its power and truth, is found in the last book of the Old Testament. In Malachi chapter 3 the Lord says through his prophet:

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings…

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:8, 10)

The commandment to live the law of tithing is perhaps unique in that it comes with an explicit test of its truth – “prove me now,” says our Heavenly Father. Do this and see. Prove me, if I will not open the windows of heaven, and pour out blessings so great that you won’t even have room enough to receive them into your life. What greater blessings could there be? My wife and I have been witnesses to these blessings in our lives.

I have always thought this promise was special in the extent and abundance of blessings promised by faithful obedience to a single law. But I recently came across another similar promise in the scriptures, based upon obedience to another single commandment. On March 1, 1832, while the Prophet Joseph was in Kirtland Ohio, this revelation was given: [Read more…]

Book Reviews, Abstracts, Enoch Material at Academy for Temple Studies

May 23, 2013 by Bryce Haymond Leave a Comment

I want to draw your attention to great new temple-related material which has been posted at the Academy for Temple Studies website at TempleStudies.org.

An “Enoch and the Temple” conference occurred in February 2013, with a keynote by George Nickelsburg. Videos of the conference are now available.
The Temple Studies Bibliography has been updated again, with inclusions of 900 more titles since its launch in the Fall of 2012, including a number of dissertations on temple themes. The bibliography is over 700 typed pages long!
A list of online Enoch resources has been posted.
Book reviews, Article Abstracts, and Dissertation Abstracts have also now begun to be posted to the site, coming from titles in the Temple Studies Bibliography.

These are great new resources for any student of temple studies to increase in learning. You can also subscribe by email to the Academy for Temple Studies, to get updates as soon as they’re posted.

“Enoch and the Temple” Conference Videos Now Available

March 15, 2013 by Bryce Haymond Leave a Comment

The conference “Enoch and the Temple,” which took place on February 19 and 22, 2013, in Logan, Utah, and Provo, Utah, respectively, was filmed. The videos are now available for free viewing in 1080p HD resolution, on the Academy for Temple Studies YouTube channel, the Academy’s website TempleStudies.org, as well as embedded below. [Read more…]

“Enoch and the Temple” Conference with George W. E. Nickelsburg

January 18, 2013 by Bryce Haymond 3 Comments

“God took Enoch,” illustrated by Gerard Hoet, 1728 Figures de la Bible

The Academy for Temple Studies in co-sponsorship with USU Religious Studies Program have announced a conference centered on the figure of Enoch and the temple. The keynote speaker will be George W. E. Nickelsburg, who is a well-known expert on 1 Enoch. Others will also present on Enoch literature and temple themes. The conference will take place in two locations, in Logan on February 19, and in Provo on February 22, 2013.

Below is the full press release announcement from the Academy’s website: [Read more…]

“The Temple as a Place of Ascent to God” – Notes from Dr. Peterson’s Fireside

July 15, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 43 Comments

View of Salt Lake Valley from the Draper Temple on July 10, 2009. The Jordan River and Oquirrh Mountain temples are in the distance.

On Sunday I had the opportunity of going to the Daybreak Stake Center in South Jordan and listening to a wonderful fireside given by Dr. Daniel C. Peterson about the temple. I audio recorded the fireside, and have a digital copy. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get a hold of Dr. Peterson to ask permission to post it on TempleStudy.com. But as I said previously, I also took notes as well as I could, and I hope that they might reproduce some of the excellent thoughts Dr. Peterson conveyed. [Note: Not all of the images below are the exact same as Dr. Peterson used, but I have tried to use similar ones.]

One of the first things he said was that the dedication of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple (which stands only a few blocks from the stake center) would be, in a way, a fulfillment of prophecy.

[Read more…]