When President Nelson was born there were 6 temples: St. George, Logan, Mantis, Salt Lake, Cardston, and Leie. Additionally two temples had previously been built and were lost to the church at that point: Nauvoo and Kirtland. Now Nauvoo has been rebuilt and Kirtland has been repurchased by the church.
Without priesthood keys the church could serve as a teaching and humanitarian organization but not much more.
- The gathering of Israel is evidence of God’s love for all His children
- The gospel of Abraham is evidence of God’s love for all His children.
- The sealing power is evidence of how much God loves all of His children everywhere.
Another encouragement to spend more time in the temple. I’m glad I already started that process myself.
- New temples (15)
- Utiroah
- Chihuahua
- Florianopolis
- Rosario (this got auto-corrected to “today”)
- Edinburgh
- Brisbane
- Victoria BC
- Yuma AZ
- Houston South
- DeMoines
- Cincinnati
- Honolulu
- West Jordan
- Lehi
- Maracaibo
The Kirtland Temple has unusual significance in the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Several events that took place there had been prophesied for millennia and were essential for the Lord’s restored Church to fulfill its latter-day mission.
The most important of these events occurred on Easter Sunday, April 3, 1836. On that day, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery experienced a series of remarkable visitations. First, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared. The Prophet recorded that the Savior’s “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.”
During this visitation, the Lord affirmed His identity. He said, “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.”
Jesus Christ then declared that He had accepted the temple as His house and made this stunning promise: “I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house.”
This significant promise applies to every dedicated temple today. I invite you to ponder what the Lord’s promise means for you personally.
Everything before that point in church history was preparatory to these visits and everything since is based upon them.
It is important to note that prior to the organization of the Church, heavenly messengers had conferred the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods upon the Prophet Joseph and had given him keys of both priesthoods. These keys gave Joseph Smith authority to organize the Church in 1830.
Then in the Kirtland Temple in 1836, the conferral of these three additional priesthood keys—namely, keys of the gathering of Israel, keys of the gospel of Abraham, and keys of the sealing power—was essential. These keys authorized Joseph Smith—and all succeeding Presidents of the Lord’s Church—to gather Israel on both sides of the veil, to bless all covenant children with the blessings of Abraham, to place a ratifying seal on priesthood ordinances and covenants, and to seal families eternally. The power of these priesthood keys is infinite and breathtaking.
Consider how your life would be different if priesthood keys had not been restored to the earth. Without priesthood keys, you could not be endowed with the power of God. Without priesthood keys, the Church could serve only as a significant teaching and humanitarian organization but not much more. Without priesthood keys, none of us would have access to essential ordinances and covenants that bind us to our loved ones eternally and allow us eventually to live with God.
Priesthood keys distinguish The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from any other organization on earth. Many other organizations can and do make your life better here in mortality. But no other organization can and will influence your life after death.
The Book of Mormon was a great gift to mankind but without the restoration of these priesthood keys the Book of Mormon would have been basically wasted effort.
I invite you to consider carefully the following three statements:
- The gathering of Israel is evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere.
- The gospel of Abraham is further evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere. He invites all to come unto Him—“black and white, bond and free, male and female; … all are alike unto God.”
- The sealing power is supernal evidence of how much God loves all of His children everywhere and wants each of them to choose to return home to Him.
Everything God does, has done, and will do is proof of His love for His children.
Joseph Smith’s dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple is a tutorial about how the temple spiritually empowers you and me to meet the challenges of life in these last days. I encourage you to study that prayer, recorded in Doctrine and Covenants section 109. That dedicatory prayer, which was received by revelation, teaches that the temple is “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.”
This list of attributes is much more than a description of a temple. It is a promise about what will happen to those who serve and worship in the house of the Lord. They can expect to receive answers to prayer, personal revelation, greater faith, strength, comfort, increased knowledge, and increased power.
Time in the temple will help you to think celestial and to catch a vision of who you really are, who you can become, and the kind of life you can have forever. Regular temple worship will enhance the way you see yourself and how you fit into God’s magnificent plan. I promise you that.
One more thing in my list of items to study
My dear brothers and sisters, here is my promise. Nothing will help you more to hold fast to the iron rod than worshipping in the temple as regularly as your circumstances permit. Nothing will protect you more as you encounter the world’s mists of darkness. Nothing will bolster your testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement or help you understand God’s magnificent plan more. Nothing will soothe your spirit more during times of pain. Nothing will open the heavens more. Nothing!
We are pleased to announce that we plan to build a new temple in each of the following 15 locations:
- Uturoa, French Polynesia
- Chihuahua, Mexico
- Florianópolis, Brazil
- Rosario, Argentina
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Brisbane, Australia south area
- Victoria, British Columbia
- Yuma, Arizona
- Houston, Texas south area
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- West Jordan, Utah
- Lehi, Utah
- Maracaibo, Venezuela
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