Temple Experiences

December 23, 2008 in Religion by Greg | No comments

This morning I happened across a post about Karen R. Merkley’s temple experiences that I thought were powerful. Here is what she shared with me:

One night in the temple, I pondered the changes occurring in some of my loved ones lives. Then another thought attached itself to the previous one like a precious string of pearls forming a necklace. The gems were these impressions: Just as your ancestors prepared the way for you to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ by prompting you along the way, you prepared the way for them to receive it fully through family history and temple ordinances. They, in turn, have come back in great beauty and force to teach, instruct, guide our extended families.

Draper Utah Temple

And then came the additional thought: In much the same way, but on a much more significant scale, the Savior prepared the way for us to receive the gospel, and we now have the opportunity to prepare the way for Him through missionary, family history, and temple work–sealing together the human family in preparation for His Second Coming. This pattern is stunning to me.

And these impressions have changed my life.

I have since come to see that family history is synonymous with family healing. The waters of the temple are the waters of life. Those who are faithful are called to work with the Savior in being “repairers of the breach”–or the gaps in the human family caused by sin and error (Isaiah 58:11-12). I testify that we can do this–we can help heal the human family through this glorious work made possible through Christ’s work of proxy for us–his atoning sacrifice. His endowment prepares us for ours and our provision of endowments for others will prepare us to receive the Second Endowment–to see the face of the Lord. It’s better than lobster tail. It’s the fruit off the tree of life itself – white, delicious, sweeter than any other – of that, I bear witness.1

In another post, Karen wrote:

Some wonder about the symbolic nature of the temple ceremony. Those outside the Church often mystify what isn’t mysterious, and sensationalize what isn’t sensational in the worldly way. We learn symbolically. Just as baptism is symbolic of our death to our old selves and a rebirth to a new life in Christ, and as well, of Christ’s resurrection, so, too, is the endowment symbolic of our commitments and our progression as we learn how to enter the Lord’s presence in an instructional venue.

I like what Mormon educator, Truman Madsen, says about the nature of ordinances. Truman acknowledges the blend of thought and feeling that occur in the temple, and says he wishes we had a word for it, like “compre-feel.” In the ordinances, “a symphonic combination of all aspects of the self occurs” (The Highest in Us, p. 39). Ordinances trigger spiritual memories and enable us, endow us with power to carry on here tapping into a reservoir of strength and knowledge that has come with us here and which the Savior has provided through his atoning sacrifice for our sins. This is not a matter of magical mysticism but of the Master’s manner of teaching us in His house.

I love the temple. I recently found one expression of my feelings about the temple ordinances in the scriptures: “More to be desired are they than gold, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Psalms 19:10).

This is only a glimpse into what a temple is. There is much more to come. And there is much that can only be experienced first-hand.2

Sources:

  1. Merkley, Karen R. “Mormon Woman Shares Conversion to LDS Faith”. 22 December 2008. Mormon Bloggers. 23 December 2008.↩
  2. Merkley, Karen R. “Temple Ceremony”. 7 May 2008. Mormon Bloggers. 23 December 2008.↩

Wadi Hammamat

December 22, 2008 in Religion by Greg | No comments

Wadi Hammamat is the probable route taken by the Naqada II people who were the first to bring authentic Egyptian civilization to that land. Wadi Hammamat – translated the Valley of Many Baths – is of interest to students of the Book of Abraham which teaches that ancient Egypt was discovered by a woman:

The land of Egypt being first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden. When this woman discovered the land it was under water, who afterward settled her sons in it. Now the first government of Egypt was established by Pharaoh, the eldest son of Egyptus the daughter of Ham, and it was after the manner of the government of Ham, which was patriarchal. (Abraham 1:23-25).

According to Dr. Hugh W. Nibley:

Matriarchal primacy in Egypt was traced by the Egyptians to a certain great Lady who came to the Nile Valley immediately after the flood and established herself and her sons as rulers in the land. Since this is the same story that is told in Abraham 1:21-27, it is fortunate that the Egyptian sources are both abundant and specific.1

Elise Baumgartel wrote:

Road in Wadi Hammamat We do not know where Nakada II people came from [but] we find their earliest remains in that part of Egypt where the Wadi Hammamat joins the Nile Valley. Koptos is situated at this junction, and at no great distance across the river are Nubet, the Capitol, and Diospolis Parva.2

Map of Wadi Hammamat

Below is a Google Map of the Wadi Hammamat which stretches from the Red Sea coastline at Quseir westward to the bend in the Nile river at Qift.

The wadi – which is an Arabic term for a valley or a dry riverbed – was used anciently as an important trade and mining road. As such, it led to the “oldest temple and the oldest settlement in Egypt”:

There existed in Egypt from prehistoric times a nome which bore the still obscure name of Kepti (Koptos). . . . [The name was] derived from [the] . . . pre-Misraim inhabitants who called their capital Kebti and the land and even their river by the same name.”3

In addition to being a major road to the Red Sea, the Wadi Hammamat served as a quarrying area for the Nile Valley. Wikipedia reports:

Ancient Egypt Detail of Wadi HammamatQuarrying expeditions to the Eastern Desert are recorded from the second millennia BCE, where the wadi has exposed Precambrian rocks of the Arabian-Nubian Shield. These include Basalts, schists, bekhen-stone (an especially prized green metagraywacke sandstone used for bowls, palettes, statues, and sarcophagi) and gold-containing quartz.4

Wadi Hammamat Links

Sobek the Crocodile God in the Wadi Hammamat The wadi has some spectacular rock art. For some fascinating pictures see Wadi Hammamat – The Road to the Sea by Yarko Kobylecky. See also Wadi Hammamat at Rock Art of the Eastern Desert.

For a tourist’s perspective, see Tour Egypt’s Ancient Rock Quarries: The Ravine of Inscriptions. Lastly, you may be interested in the Turin Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian map of the Wadi Hammamat created in 1160 BC and “generally considered the oldest surviving map of topographical interest from the ancient world.”5

Sources:

  1. Nibley, Hugh W. Gary Gillum, ed. Abraham in Egypt. 2nd Edition. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000. 466.↩
  2. Baumgartel, Elise J. The Cultures of Prehistoric Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1947. 44.; as quoted in Nibley, Hugh W. Gary Gillum, ed. Abraham in Egypt. 2nd Edition. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000. 537.↩
  3. Phythian-Adams, W. J. “Aiguptos: A Derivation and Some Suggestions”. Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society. 2 (January 1922): 95-99. For a PDF of this journal see The Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society (1920-1948); as quoted in Nibley, Hugh W. Gary Gillum, ed. Abraham in Egypt. 2nd Edition. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000. 537.↩
  4. “Wadi Hammamat”. Wikipedia. 22 December 2008.↩
  5. Ibid.↩

Kirtland Temple Endowment – End of Week

December 20, 2008 in Religion by Greg | No comments

The “Kirtland Temple Endowment – End of Week” is the third in a three-part series of articles about the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in 1836. (See Kirtland Temple Endowment – Beginning of Week and Kirtland Temple Endowment – Mid-Week for the other posts in this series.)

The purpose of this series - and the information listed under the temple endowment, temple, and endowment tags – is to provide online reference material about the temple that is difficult to find. Additional sources of information about temples – ancient and modern - can be found at LDS Temples.

Waiting for the Fulfillment of the Promise

On Wednesday, March 30th, the Prophet Joseph Smith declared:

. . . that the time that we were required to tarry in Kirtland to be endowed, would be fulfilled in a few days, and then the Elders would go forth, and each must stand for himself, as it was not necessary for them to be sent out, two by two, as in former times, but to go in all meekness, in sobriety, and preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified; not to contend with others on account of their faith, or systems of religion, but pursue a steady course.1

Kirtland Temple Endowment – End of Week

The following text is the record of the Kirtland Temple endowment as found in the History of the Church:

Sunday, 3.–Attended meeting in the Lord’s House, and assisted the other Presidents of the Church in seating the congregation, and then became an attentive listener to the preaching from the stand. Thomas B. Marsh and David W. Patten spoke in the forenoon to an attentive audience of about one thousand persons. In the afternoon, I assisted the other Presidents in distributing the Lord’s Supper to the Church, receiving it from the Twelve, whose privilege it was to officiate at the sacred desk this day. After having performed this service to my brethren, I retired to the pulpit, the veils being dropped, and bowed myself, with Oliver Cowdery, in solemn and silent prayer. After rising from prayer, the following vision was opened to both of us—2

Christ Appears in the Kirtland Temple Vision Manifested to Joseph the Seer and Oliver Cowdery. 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.

Sources:

  1. See Kirtland Temple Endowment – Mid-Week.↩
  2. Roberts, Brigham H., ed. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932–512. 2:435-436.↩

Prophet of Doom

December 19, 2008 in Government by Greg | 2 comments

Shortly after 9/11, Gordon B. Hinckley stated that he did not “wish to be a prophet of doom.”1 When he made that comment, I had the thought that he didn’t need to be a “prophet of doom” because preceding prophets going all the way back to the Old Testament had prophesied about the events of the latter-days. And as I studied their statements, I got a pretty good sense that the dispensation in which I live is not going to be a “bed of roses” so to speak. Especially after recently rereading Orson Pratt’s comments about the redemption of Zion and contemplating Jeffrey R. Holland’s message in a recent fireside for young adults (see Lessons from Liberty Jail).

Nouriel Roubini So when I received this article sent to me by a good friend, I got a chance to read something by Mr. Doom himself – Nouriel Roubini, an economics professor at New York University – and it reminded me of President Hinckley’s comments.

Here’s what a modern-day Cassandra has to say about the current economic crisis:

We are in the middle of a very severe recession that’s going to continue through all of 2009 - the worst U.S. recession in the past 50 years. It’s the bursting of a huge leveraged-up credit bubble. There’s no going back, and there is no bottom to it. It was excessive in everything from subprime to prime, from credit cards to student loans, from corporate bonds to muni-bonds. You name it. And it’s all reversing right now in a very, very massive way. At this point it’s not just a U.S. recession. All of the advanced economies are at the beginning of a hard landing. And emerging markets, beginning with China, are in a severe slowdown. So we’re having a global recession and it’s becoming worse.

Things are going to be awful for everyday people. U.S. GDP growth is going to be negative through the end of 2009. And the recovery in 2010 and 2011, if there is one, is going to be so weak - with a growth rate of 1% to 1.5% - that it’s going to feel like a recession. I see the unemployment rate peaking at around 9% by 2010. The value of homes has already fallen 25%. In my view, home prices are going to fall by another 15% before bottoming out in 2010.2

As the Obama administration prepares for an $850 billion infrastructure plan to jolt the economy, it seems wise to remember how the similar New Deal and Fair Deal stimulus plans worked in the 1930’s:

“Why the Great Depression lasted so long has always been a great mystery, and because we never really knew the reason, we have always worried whether we would have another 10- to 15-year economic slump,” said Ohanian, vice chair of UCLA’s Department of Economics. “We found that a relapse isn’t likely unless lawmakers gum up a recovery with ill-conceived stimulus policies.”

“President Roosevelt believed that excessive competition was responsible for the Depression by reducing prices and wages, and by extension reducing employment and demand for goods and services,” said Cole, also a UCLA professor of economics. “So he came up with a recovery package that would be unimaginable today, allowing businesses in every industry to collude without the threat of antitrust prosecution and workers to demand salaries about 25 percent above where they ought to have been, given market forces. The economy was poised for a beautiful recovery, but that recovery was stalled by these misguided policies.3

President Hinckley didn’t need to be a doomsayer. We had already been warned and forewarned. In 2001, and even before (see Lay Up Grain for Seven Years), we have been told to “be prepared”.

Sources:

  1. Hinckley, Gordon B. “The Times in Which We Live”. November 2001. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 19 December 2008.↩
  2. Roubini, Nouriel. Beth Kowitt, Jon Birger, and Brian O’Keefe, eds. “8 Really, Really Scary Predictions“. 11 Decmber 2008. CNN Money. 19 December 2008.↩
  3. See Smith, Jimmy. “The New Deal Prolonged the Depression and We’re Doing It Again”. 18 December 2008. Analytical Insights. 19 December 2008. The original quote is from Sullivan, Meg. “FDR’s Policies Prolonged Depression by 7 Years, UCLA Economists Calculate”. 10 August 2004. UCLA Newsroom.↩

My Heart Always Wanders - Sissel

December 18, 2008 in Personal by Greg | No comments

Listen to “My Heart Always Wanders” (Mitt Hjerte Alltid Vanker), a song written by Danish Pietist Hans Adolph Brorson as sung by Sissel and accompanied by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Given my mother Dorothy’s rich Danish heritage and the Christmas season, this seems like the perfect celebration for the holidays.

YouTube Preview Image

Here is the English translation of the song:

My heart doth always wander
To Jesus’ manger bed.
His lowly birth I ponder;
To Him my thoughts are led.
My yearning finds assurance,
And faith renews so bright,
When I recall with reverence
That blessed Christmas night.

Ah come, dear Lord, be with me.
And in my heart reside.
Sweet comfort Thou shalt give me;
Come, Jesus, here abide.
To my heart be no stranger–
Thy home it e’er shall be.
And as within the manger
My love shall cradle Thee.

Thy holy crib I’ll honor
And round it palm leaves lay.
To Thee alone, dear Savior,
I give my life each day.
Come, grant me heav’nly pleasure
And true delight impart.
For Thou art my soul’s treasure,
Born deep within my heart.

LDS Temples

December 18, 2008 in Religion by Greg | 2 comments

This post – LDS Temples - is all about finding information about ancient and modern temples. A few weeks ago I saw Jeff Lindsay’s post The Mormon Temple Ceremony: What is the Most Helpful Thing for Members to Know Before They Go?, and thought it would be a good idea to create a list of links to blogs and sites that provide information not only about LDS temples, but temples in every age of the world.

Sealing Room in the Manti LDS Temple This list will change over time so feel free to bookmark this page and if you have any suggestions and/or good sources of information on this topic, please leave a comment and we’ll add new sites to the list of links below:

  • Heavenly Ascents - David J. Larsen’s illuminating and scholarly approach to the temple roots of early Christian beliefs.
  • The House of the Lord – Authoritative – albeit few – talks about the temple maintained by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  • LDS Church Temples – A site which contains up-to-date information about all LDS Temples – those operating and under construction – by Rick Satterfield.
  • LDS Temples - About.com’s resource center maintained by the ever capable Rachel Woods.
  • Mormon Monastery – A quiet place to study and learn about temples which is run by a humble monk.
  • Mormon Mysticism – A blog by David Littlefield about “Mormonism, the Temple, Mormon Mysticism, Jewish Mysticism, and the meaning of life.”
  • Mormon Temple Ceremony – Answers to basic questions about LDS teachings concerning the temple.
  • Mormon Temple Origins – Jeff Lindsay’s lengthy treatise and links to other sources of information about the apparent origins of Mormon temple worship.
  • Mormon Temples – A site maintained by Light Planet with links to additional sources of information about the rites of the temple.
  • Ritmeyer Archaeological Design – Leen Ritmeyer’s blog about The Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
  • The Temple Institute – A Jewish site dedicated to “rekindle the flame of the Holy Temple in the hearts of mankind through education” and to rebuild the “Holy Temple of G-d on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.”
  • Temple Studies Group – A site created by Margaret Barker and friends “to convene symposia on Temple themes.”
  • Temple Study - Bryce Haymond’s spectacular blog dedicated to LDS scholar Dr. Hugh W. Nibley who seemed to have a special calling to teach us about the temple.
  • Things Unutterable – William J. Hamblin’s occasional musings on ancient temples, celestial ascent and deification.

    •  
    LDS Temples Backgrounder

    As mentioned in a previous post, the basis of every temple ordinance and covenant is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Russell M. Nelson stated:

    The temple is the house of the Lord. The basis for every temple ordinance and covenant—the heart of the plan of salvation—is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Every activity, every lesson, all we do in the Church, point to the Lord and His holy house. Our efforts to proclaim the gospel, perfect the Saints, and redeem the dead all lead to the temple. Each holy temple stands as a symbol of our membership in the Church, as a sign of our faith in life after death, and as a sacred step toward eternal glory for us and our families.1

    Dr. Hugh W. Nibley once wrote:

    It is an eloquent commentary on the bankruptcy of the modern mind, as Giorgio de Santillana points out, that we can find so little purpose or meaning in the magnificent and peculiar structures erected by the ancients with such immense skill and obvious zeal and dedication. These great edifices are found throughout the entire world and seem to represent a common tradition; and if they do, then we have surely lost our way.2

    Hopefully, this page - and the information listed under the temple endowment, temple, and endowment tags - can act as a resource for those searching for information about LDS Temples.

    Sources:

    1. Nelson, Russell M. “Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings”. May 2001. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 16 December 2008.↩
    2. Nibley, Hugh W. “Ancient Temples: What Do They Signify?”. September 1972. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 18 December 2008. For a review of this article, see Nibley on Book of Mormon Geography.↩

    Kirtland Temple Endowment – Mid-Week

    December 18, 2008 in Religion by Greg | No comments

    The “Kirtland Temple Endowment – Mid-Week” is the second in a three-part series of articles about the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in 1836. (See Kirtland Temple Endowment – Beginning of Week and Kirtland Temple Endowment - End of Week for the other posts in this series.) The purpose of this series - and the information listed under the temple endowment, temple, and endowment tags - is to provide online reference material about the temple that is otherwise difficult to find. Additional sources of information about temples – ancient and modern - can be found at LDS Temples.

    Kirtland Temple Endowment – Mid-Week

    The following text is the record of the Kirtland Temple endowment as found in the History of the Church:

    Kirtland Temple by Walter Rane Tuesday, 29.–Attended school, which was the last day of our course of lectures in Hebrew, by Professor Seixas.1

    At eleven o’clock, a. m., Presidents Joseph Smith, Jun., Frederick G. Williams, Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith, and Oliver Cowdery, met in the most holy place in the Lord’s House, and sought for a revelation from Him concerning the authorities of the Church going to Zion, and other important matters. After uniting in prayer, the voice of the Spirit was that we should come into this place three times, and also call the other presidents, the two Bishops and their counselors, each to stand in his place, and fast through the day and also the night, and that during this, if we would humble ourselves, we should receive further communications from Him. After this word was received we immediately sent for the other brethren, who came.

    The Presidency proceeded to ordain George Boosinger to the High Priesthood, and anoint him. This was in consequence of his having administered unto us in temporal things in our distress, and also because he left the place just previous to the dedication of the Lord’s House, to bring us the temporal means, previously named. Soon after this, the word of the Lord came, through President Joseph Smith, Jun., that those who had entered the holy place, must not leave the house until morning, but send for such things as were necessary, and, also, during our stay, we must cleanse our feet and partake of the Sacrament that we might be made holy before Him, and thereby be qualified to officiate in our calling, upon the morrow, in washing the feet of the Elders.

    Jesus Washes Peter's Feet by Ford Madox Brown Accordingly we proceeded to cleanse our faces and our feet, and then proceeded to wash one another’s feet. President Sidney Rigdon first washed President Joseph Smith, Junior’s feet, and then, in turn, was washed by him; after which President Rigdon washed President Joseph Smith, Sen., and Hyrum Smith. President Joseph Smith, Jun., washed President Frederick G. Williams, and then President Hyrum Smith washed President David Whitmer’s and President Oliver Cowdery’s feet. Then President David Whitmer washed President William W. Phelps’ feet, and in turn President Phelps washed President John Whitmer’s feet. The Bishops and their Counselors were then washed, after which we partook of the bread and wine. The Holy Spirit rested down upon us, and we continued in the Lord’s House all night, prophesying and giving glory to God.

    Wednesday, 30.–At eight o’clock, according to appointment, the Presidency, the Twelve, the Seventies, the High Council, the Bishops and their entire quorums, the Elders and all the official members in this stake of Zion, amounting to about three hundred, met in the Temple of the Lord to attend to the ordinance of washing of feet. I ascended the pulpit, and remarked to the congregation that we had passed through many trials and afflictions since the organization of the Church, and that this is a year of jubilee to us, and a time of rejoicing, and that it was expedient for us to prepare bread and wine sufficient to make our hearts glad, as we should not, probably, leave this house until morning; to this end we should call on the brethren to make a contribution. The stewards passed round and took up a liberal contribution, and messengers were despatched for bread and wine.

    Tubs, water, and towels were prepared, and I called the house to order, and the Presidency proceeded to wash the feet of the Twelve, pronouncing many prophecies and blessings upon them in the name of the Lord Jesus; and then the Twelve proceeded to wash the feet of the Presidents of the several quorums. The brethren began to prophesy upon each other’s heads, and upon the enemies of Christ, who inhabited Jackson county, Missouri; and continued prophesying, and blessing, and sealing them with hosanna and amen, until nearly seven o’clock in the evening.

    The bread and the wine were then brought in, and I observed that we had fasted all the day, and lest we faint, as the Savior did so shall we do on this occasion; we shall bless the bread, and give it to the Twelve, and they to the multitude. While waiting, I made the following remarks: that the time that we were required to tarry in Kirtland to be endowed, would be fulfilled in a few days, and then the Elders would go forth, and each must stand for himself, as it was not necessary for them to be sent out, two by two, as in former times, but to go in all meekness, in sobriety, and preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified; not to contend with others on account of their faith, or systems of religion, but pursue a steady course. This I delivered by way of commandment; and all who observe it not, will pull down persecution upon their heads, while those who do, shall always be filled with the Holy Ghost; this I pronounced as a prophecy, and sealed with hosanna and amen. Also that the Seventies are not called to serve tables, or preside over churches, to settle difficulties, but are to preach the Gospel and build them up, and set others, who do not belong to these quorums, to preside over them, who are High Priests. The Twelve also are not to serve tables, but to bear the keys of the Kingdom to all nations, and unlock the door of the Gospel to them, and call upon the Seventies to follow after them, and assist them. The Twelve are at liberty to go wheresoever they will, and if any one will say, I wish to go to such a place, let all the rest say amen.

    The Seventies are at liberty to go to Zion if they please, or go wheresoever they will, and preach the Gospel; and let the redemption of Zion be our object, and strive to effect it by sending up all the strength of the Lord’s House, wherever we find them; and I want to enter into the following covenant, that if any more of our brethren are slain or driven from their lands in Missouri, by the mob, we will give ourselves no rest, until we are avenged of our enemies to the uttermost. This covenant was sealed unanimously, with a hosanna and an amen.

    I then observed to the quorums, that I had now completed the organization of the Church, and we had passed through all the necessary ceremonies, that I had given them all the instruction they needed, and that they now were at liberty, after obtaining their licenses, to go forth and build up the Kingdom of God, and that it was expedient for me and the Presidency to retire, having spent the night previously in waiting upon the Lord in His Temple, and having to attend another dedication on the morrow, or conclude the one commenced on the last Sabbath, for the benefit of those of my brethren and sisters who could not get into the house on the former occasion, but that it was expedient for the brethren to tarry all night and worship before the Lord in His house.

    I left the meeting in the charge of the Twelve, and retired about nine o’clock in the evening. The brethren Frederick G. Williams, Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdery, William W. Phelps and John Whitmer, which was to have a bearing upon the redemption of Zion. After mature deliberation the council decided that Oliver Cowdery and myself should act as a board or committee to raise, in righteousness, all the money we could for a season, to send by, or to, certain wise men appointed to purchase lands in Zion in obedience to a revelation or commandment of the Lord, for the mutual benefit of the council.

    Also, it was agreed by the council that Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams exert themselves in devising ways and means with the stock on hand, the available outstanding claims of the company, and such other means as they shall deem most proper, to discharge the company’s debts. It was also agreed that W. W. Phelps, John Whitmer, and David Whitmer have five hundred books of Doctrine and Covenants, when bound, and five hundred Hymn Books, together with the subscription list for the Messenger and Advocate and Northern Times, now due in Clay County, Missouri; and that Messrs. Phelps and John Whitmer be released from the responsibility of claims on them, or either of them, as joint partners in the firm.

    As soon as the above plans were settled, I started with President Cowdery on our mission, and our success was such in one half day as to give us pleasing anticipations that we were doing the will of God, and assurance that His work prospered in our hands.

    Sources:

    1. Roberts, Brigham H., ed. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932–512. 428-434.↩

    Scriptural Meaning of the Word Endowed

    December 17, 2008 in Religion by Greg | 4 comments

    I found insightful John W. Welch‘s discussion of the scriptural meaning of the word endowed found in a 1993 Ensign article1:

    Hebrew Scriptures What is the meaning of the word endued or endowed? In Luke 24:49, shortly after his resurrection, Jesus told his Apostles, “I send the promise of my Father upon you,” but they were to remain in Jerusalem, “until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Emphasis added; see also Acts 1:4–5, 8.) The Greek word in the text is enduo.

    Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language (published in 1828) noted that the English word endue (or indue) “coincides nearly in signification with endow, that is, to put on, to furnish, … to put on something; to invest; to clothe.” The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary notes that endue means “to put on as a garment; to clothe or cover.”2 Indeed, Joseph Smith’s diary uses the spellings endument and endowment interchangeably, as when he prayed in December 1835 that all the elders might “receive an endument, in thy house.”3

    The Greek word enduo has two main meanings. The first is “to dress, to clothe someone,” or “to clothe oneself in, to put on.” Second, the word can also be used figuratively, meaning to take on “characteristics, virtues, intentions.”4

    Thus, the endowment is a dressing not in ordinary clothes, but “with power from on high” (Luke 24:49) and in the virtues and intentions of God. It involves the opportunity to “put on (enedusasthe) Christ” (Galatians 3:27), so that “this mortal [can] put on (endusasthai) immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:53.) It is possible to see both literal and figurative significance in the word enduo in connection with the desire of the pure in heart to be encircled in the robes of God’s righteousness.

    Sources:

    1. Welch, John W. “New Testament Word Studies”. April 1993. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 17 December 2008.↩
    2. “Endue”. The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. 2 Vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971. 1:863.↩
    3. Jessee, Dean C. Ed. The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984. 105.↩
    4. Bauer et al. Greek-English Lexicon. 263.↩

    Kirtland Temple Endowment – Beginning of Week

    December 16, 2008 in Religion by Greg | 2 comments

    The following “Kirtland Temple Endowment – Beginning of Week” is adapted from the History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is the first in a three-part series of posts about the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in 1836. (See Kirtland Temple Endowment - Mid-Week and Kirtland Temple Endowment - End of Week for the remaining articles). Since this information is somewhat difficult to find online, it is hoped that this series of articles, the information listed under the temple endowment, temple, and endowment tags, and LDS Temples may serve as reference material.

    Introduction to Latter-day Saint Temple Worship

    Russell M. Nelson discussed the centrality of the atonement of Christ as taught in modern day temples:

    The temple is the house of the Lord. The basis for every temple ordinance and covenant—the heart of the plan of salvation—is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Every activity, every lesson, all we do in the Church, point to the Lord and His holy house. Our efforts to proclaim the gospel, perfect the Saints, and redeem the dead all lead to the temple. Each holy temple stands as a symbol of our membership in the Church, as a sign of our faith in life after death, and as a sacred step toward eternal glory for us and our families.1

    Kirtland Temple History

    A brief history of the Kirtland Temple is given by Keith W. Perkins:

    The divine command that led to the building of the Kirtland Temple was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in January 1831 when the Church was beset by poverty and turmoil. At that time, the Saints were to gather to Ohio, where the Lord promised he would endow them “with power from on high” (D&C 38:32; cf. D&C 88:119; 95:3, 8, 11). Thus they began to build the first of the Latter-day Saint temples.

    The Church then consisted of only a few hundred members, men, women, and children who labored together for the temple and contributed, as Eliza R. Snow wrote, “brain, bone and sinew” and “all living as abstemiously as possible” so that “every cent might be appropriated to the grand object” (Tullidge, p. 82). According to Benjamin F. Johnson, “there was not a scraper and hardly a plow that could be obtained among the Saints,” to prepare the ground for the foundation of the temple (Benjamin Johnson, My Life’s Review, p. 16). Lumber was brought from nearby forests. Stone was hewn from a local quarry.

    King Solomon's Temple As the exact patterns of the Tabernacle of Moses and Solomon’s temple had been revealed from on high (Exodus 25:9; 1 Chronicles 28:11-12), so also were the design, measurements, and functions of the Kirtland Temple revealed. Its interior was to be fifty-five feet wide and sixty-five feet long and have a lower and a higher court. The lower part of the inner court was to be dedicated “for your Sacrament offering, and for your preaching, and your fasting, and your praying, and the offering up of your most holy desires unto me, saith your Lord.” The higher part of the inner court was to be “dedicated unto me for the school of mine apostles” (D&C 95:13-17).2

    Purpose of the Endowment

    A temple endowment,

    . . . generally is a gift, but in a specialized sense it is a course of instruction, ordinances, and covenants given only in dedicated temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The words “to endow” (from the Greek enduein ), as used in the New Testament, mean to dress, clothe, put on garments, put on attributes, or receive virtue. Christ instructed his apostles to tarry at Jerusalem “until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49), a promise fulfilled, at least in part, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). In modern times, a similar revelation was given: “I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power on high; for this is the promise of the Father unto you; therefore I command you to tarry, even as mine apostles at Jerusalem” (D&C 95:8-9).

    Though there had been preliminary and preparatory spiritual outpourings upon Latter-day Saints in Ohio and Missouri, the Endowment in its full sense was not received until the Nauvoo Temple era. As he introduced temple ordinances in 1842 at Nauvoo, the Prophet Joseph Smith taught that these were “of things spiritual, and to be received only by the spiritual minded” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 237). The Endowment was necessary, he said, to organize the Church fully, that the Saints might be organized according to the laws of God, and, as the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple petitioned, that they would “be prepared to obtain every needful thing” (D&C 109:15). The Endowment was designed to give “a comprehensive view of our condition and true relation to God” (TPJS, p. 324), “to prepare the disciples for their missions in the world” (p. 274), to prevent being “overcome by evils” (p. 259), to enable them to “secure the fulness of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the Firstborn” (p. 237).3

    Kirtland Temple Endowment

    Kirtland Temple The remaining text is the record of the Kirtland Temple endowment as found in the History of the Church:

    Sunday, March 27.—The congregation began to assemble at the Temple, at about seven o’clock, an hour earlier than the doors were to be opened. Many brethren had come in from the regions round about, to witness the dedication of the Lord’s House and share in His blessings; and such was the anxiety on this occasion that some hundreds (probably five or six) assembled before the doors were opened. The presidents entered with the doorkeepers, and stationed the latter at the inner and outer doors; also placed our stewards to receive donations from those who should feel disposed to contribute something to defray the expense of building the House of the Lord. We also dedicated the pulpits, and consecrated them to the Lord.4

    The doors were then opened. Presidents Rigdon, Cowdery and myself seated the congregation as they came in, and, according to the best calculation we could make, we received between nine and ten hundred, which were as many as could be comfortably seated. We then informed the doorkeepers that we could receive no more, and a multitude were deprived of the benefits of the meeting on account of the house not being sufficiently capacious to receive them; and I felt to regret that any of my brethren and sisters should be deprived of the meeting, and I recommended them to repair to the schoolhouse and hold a meeting, which they did, and filled that house also, and yet many were left out.

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    1. Nelson, Russell M. “Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings”. May 2001. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 16 December 2008.↩
    2. Perkins, Keith W. “Kirtland Temple”. 1992. Encyclopedia of Mormonism. 16 December 2008.↩
    3. Burton, Alma P. “Endowment”. 1992. Encyclopedia of Mormonism. 16 December 2008.↩
    4. Roberts, Brigham H., Ed. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932–512. 410-428. This article is “adapted” because Psalm 96 and 24 were added to the body of the text.↩

    O Jerusalem

    December 15, 2008 in Religion by Greg | No comments

    In 1855, George A. Smith reflected on the scripture:

    O Jerusalem by Greg Olsen O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37).1

    After referring to this scripture, Elder Smith taught about the gathering and sanctification of the Lord’s children at sacred places in every gospel dispensation. Although the Lord had attempted to reveal those principles which would exalt his children in each gospel dispensation, he was rarely able to accomplish his divine purposes. Elder Smith lamented:

    Let me say, then, that from the foundation of the world, or, in other words, from the fall of man until the period of the declaration of the words of our text, we find plainly illustrated, in the whole history contained in the sacred book, the principle that the Lord wished to reveal unto the children of men things which had been hid from before the foundation of the world, principles which would exalt them to celestial thrones, but they would not, or, which amounts to the same, He could never find a people, could never communicate with a generation or a very numerous body of men that would obey His commandments, listen to His counsel, and observe His wisdom, or be led by His revelations.

    The people of Enoch are one of the few groups who prepared themselves to receive these principles.

    Some of my friends may think I am doing injustice by these remarks to the Zion of Enoch. I am aware that the Lord did in the days of Enoch gather together enough of the inhabitants of the earth to build a city, but in consequence of the rebellion, the wickedness, and oppression of the great mass of mankind, He could not save that city from destruction, only by taking it unto His own bosom; hence went forth the saying of old, “Zion is fled.” So far as revealed records show, that is the nearest He ever came to the point of accomplishing the end of His undertaking, touching the redemption of the human family, up to the days of the Savior.

    Preparation for the Endowment

    Elder Smith then went on to discuss the purpose of gathering and the Lord’s attempt to reveal these things in the present dispensation:

    Among the first principles that were revealed to the children of men in the last days was the gathering; the first revelations that were given to the Church were to command them to gather, and send Elders to seek out a place for the gathering of the Saints. What is the gathering for? Why was it that the Savior wished the children of Israel to gather together? It was that they might become united and provide a place wherein he could reveal unto them keys which have been hid from before the foundation of the world; that he could unfold unto them the laws of exaltation, and make them a kingdom of Priests, even the whole people, and exalt them to thrones and dominions in the celestial world.

    Kirtland Temple ca 1900 For this purpose, in 1833, the Saints commenced to build a Temple in Kirtland, the cost of which was not less than one hundred thousand dollars. A mere handful of Saints commenced that work, but they were full of faith and energy, and willing, as they supposed, to sacrifice everything for the building up of Zion. In a few weeks some of them apostatized; the trials were too great, the troubles were too severe. I know persons who apostatized because they supposed they had reasons; for instance, a certain family, after having travelled a long journey, arrived in Kirtland, and the prophet asked them to stop with him until they could find a place. Sister Emma, in the mean time, asked the old lady if she would have a cup of tea to refresh her after the fatigues of the journey, or a cup of coffee. This whole family apostatized because they were invited to take a cup of tea or coffee, after the Word of Wisdom was given.

    Another family, about the same time, apostatized because Joseph Smith came down out of the translating room, where he had been translating by the gift and power of God, and commenced playing with his little children. Some such trials as these, you know, had to be encountered.

    I recollect a gentleman who came from Canada, and who had been a Methodist, and had always been in the habit of praying to a God who had no ears, and as a matter of course had to shout and halloo pretty loud to make him hear. Father Johnson asked him to pray in their family worship in the evening, and he got on such a high key, and hallooed so loud that he alarmed the whole village. Among others, Joseph came running out, saying, “What is the matter? I thought by the noise that the heavens and the earth were coming together,” and said to the man, “that he ought not to give way to such an enthusiastic spirit, and bray so much like a jackass.” Because Joseph said that, the poor man put back to Canada, and apostatized; he thought he would not pray to a God who did not want to be screamed at with all one’s might.

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    1. Smith, George A. Journal of Discourses. 2:211-220.↩

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