Another peculiarity of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the use of temples in worship and work. While temples are symbols of belief and faith, their purpose is to help members make and keep sacred covenants with God and to help those who have died have the opportunity to receive these important covenants by proxy. There are140 temple currently in use throughout the world. Map of temples.
Here is a short clip entitled: Why Mormons Build Temples
Sections 109 and 110 comprise the dedicatory prayer and answer to that prayer of the first temple built in modern time, in Kirtland, Ohio. The pleadings and requests and expressions of gratitude are as relevant today as they were then.
The prayer is voiced by Joseph Smith, but he said the words were given to him by the Lord. This would seem a little odd for a prayer, but when you consider who the prayer is to: God, the Father, then it makes sense that God, the Son, Jesus Christ, is offering the prayer to His father, using Joseph as voice. Joseph would then close in the name of Jesus Christ, as all prayers should be to invoke the power granted to the Savior by way of who he is and the atonement he wrought for us.
The beginning of the prayer is a reminder of the command the people received to build the Kirtland Temple:
6 And as thou hast said in a revelation, given to us, calling us thy friends, saying—Call your solemn assembly, as I have commanded you;
7 And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom, seek learning even by study and also by faith;
8 Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;
9 That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord, that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord, that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with uplifted hands unto the Most High—
This is a work WITH the Lord not just a work by the hands of man saying 'look what we have done for you, what a great job we've done, since we've done such a great job, you should accept it and us'. It is symbol of how man works with God and God works with man to accomplish the same work, the work of bringing to pass "the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:30), italic added. Very relevant to today's worship as we certainly need the assistance of the Lord in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
10 And now, Holy Father, we ask thee to assist us, thy people, with thy grace, in calling our solemn assembly, that it may be done to thine honor and to thy divine acceptance;
11 And in a manner that we may be found worthy, in thy sight, to secure a fulfilment of the promises which thou hast made unto us, thy people, in the revelations given unto us;
12 That thy glory may rest down upon thy people, and upon this thy house, which we now dedicate to thee, that it may be sanctified and consecrated to be holy, and that thy holy presence may be continually in this house;
13 And that all people who shall enter upon the threshold of the Lord’s house may feel thy power, and feel constrained to acknowledge that thou hast sanctified it, and that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness.
A wonderful part of temple worship is remembering the atonement of the Lord. In verse 21 there is reminder that while those who go to the temple should be worthy to be there, perfect people are not required, only those seeking to eventually be perfect. It says not "if" but "when" thy people transgress. I take this to mean that the Lord knows we will transgress, he has placed temples on this earth to help us remember to repent and return to him. Some people mistakenly believe that if you are not perfect in obedience, you cannot enter the temple. While you must qualify by being morally clean, paying tithing, being physically clean and such, the Lord recognizes your life is a work in progress and the temple will help you with that progress:
20 And that no unclean thing shall be permitted to come into thy house to pollute it;
21 And when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily repent and return unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be restored to the blessings which thou hast ordained to be poured out upon those who shall reverence thee in thy house.
Prayers in the temple often include protection for those who are serving as missionaries or in other capacities of the church. I believe that these people are protected by these prayer, according to the will of God, which means that sometimes there will be rough patches and still persecution but there will be protection. This prayer comes at a time when the saints were being heavily persecuted for building the temple and their belief.
24 We ask thee, Holy Father, to establish the people that shall worship, and honorably hold a name and standing in this thy house, to all generations and for eternity;
25 That no weapon formed against them shall prosper; that he who diggeth a pit for them shall fall into the same himself;
26 That no combination of wickedness shall have power to rise up and prevail over thy people upon whom thy name shall be put in this house;
27 And if any people shall rise against this people, that thine anger be kindled against them;
28 And if they shall smite this people thou wilt smite them; thou wilt fight for thy people as thou didst in the day of battle, that they may be delivered from the hands of all their enemies.
29 We ask thee, Holy Father, to confound, and astonish, and to bring to shame and confusion, all those who have spread lying reports abroad, over the world, against thy servant or servants, if they will not repent, when the everlasting gospel shall be proclaimed in their ears;
30 And that all their works may be brought to naught, and be swept away by the hail, and by the judgments which thou wilt send upon them in thine anger, that there may be an end to lyings and slanders against thy people.
31 For thou knowest, O Lord, that thy servants have been innocent before thee in bearing record of thy name, for which they have suffered these things.
However the cry for protection was followed by this:
43 O Lord, we delight not in the destruction of our fellow men; their souls are precious before thee;Temples are a symbol and blessing of the gathering of Israel as prophesied in the Old and New Testaments, as well as The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants:
44 But thy word must be fulfilled. Help thy servants to say, with thy grace assisting them: Thy will be done, O Lord, and not ours.
59 We ask thee to appoint unto Zion other stakes besides this one which thou hast appointed, that the gathering of thy people may roll on in great power and majesty, that thy work may be cut short in righteousness.
60 Now these words, O Lord, we have spoken before thee, concerning the revelations and commandments which thou hast given unto us, who are identified with the Gentiles.
61 But thou knowest that thou hast a great love for the children of Jacob, who have been scattered upon the mountains for a long time, in a cloudy and dark day.
62 We therefore ask thee to have mercy upon the children of Jacob, that Jerusalem, from this hour, may begin to be redeemed;
63 And the yoke of bondage may begin to be broken off from the house of David;
64 And the children of Judah may begin to return to the lands which thou didst give to Abraham, their father.
The temple is a place of personal reflection, rededication, education and request. The Lord gives these words to Joseph about himself and his situation, which must have been a very humbling and intimate experience for Joseph to voice:
68 O Lord, remember thy servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., and all his afflictions and persecutions—how he has covenanted with Jehovah, and vowed to thee, O Mighty God of Jacob—and the commandments which thou hast given unto him, and that he hath sincerely striven to do thy will.
69 Have mercy, O Lord, upon his wife and children, that they may be exalted in thy presence, and preserved by thy fostering hand.
70 Have mercy upon all their immediate connections, that their prejudices may be broken up and swept away as with a flood; that they may be converted and redeemed with Israel, and know that thou art God.
Section 110 in response to the dedicatory prayer, in which Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery saw the Lord, Jesus Christ himself in the temple, who accepted the dedication of the building and the building itself. Following the visitation of the Lord, Moses and Elijah came to restore the keys of the priesthood that allow the gathering of Israel and the sealing power, as prophesied in the Old Testament (Mal 4:5-6):
1 The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened.
2 We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber.
3 His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:
4 I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.
5 Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me; therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice.
6 Let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the hearts of all my people rejoice, who have, with their might, built this house to my name.
7 For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house.
8 Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my commandments, and do not pollute this holy house.
9 Yea the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this house.
10 And the fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands; and this is the beginning of the blessing which shall be poured out upon the heads of my people. Even so. Amen.
11 After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto us; and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.
12 After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed.
13 After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said:
14 Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come—
15 To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse—
16 Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.
My life has been blessed by going to the temple to make covenants with God. I try harder to be good and try harder to understand God and my life. One of the things I enjoy most about the temple is that when I go, proper perspective in life is restored. The things that are really important are restored to the top of my list and the less important things move down the list. As my perspective changes, my life is more balanced. I am grateful to God for commanding there be a place of refuge from the chaos and confusion of so many other information outlets of life.
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