Elijah the Prophet

In his talk in general conference six months ago, Elder Cook spoke about Elijah and his role in the Restoration of the gospel. He explained how he and President Holland “had the privilege of escorting various groups of people—including Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Rabbi leaders, as well as secular Jewish leaders—through open-house tours in temples here in Utah.” There in a sealing room of a new temple, President Holland “explained that Elijah indeed had come and restored the sacred keys that allow the eternal sealing of husbands and wives and their families. He explained that the sealing room, where we were assembled, is a place where the restored keys are exercised. Our Jewish friends appreciated the fact that Old Testament scriptural accounts of prophets are featured so prominently in our temples and doctrine.” President Holland of course had a powerful connection with Jewish leaders because of his involvement with the BYU Jerusalem Center. Elder Cook explained, “He was in his 30s when, on behalf of President Spencer W. Kimball and other Church leaders, Elder Holland spearheaded the effort to establish the Jerusalem Center on the Mount of Olives. He worked for almost 15 years with many others to accomplish most of what the Church built in Jerusalem. Elder Holland worked tirelessly with both Palestinian and Jewish leaders.” I once had the opportunity to hear President Holland talk about his efforts, and he joked about having a reference to the BYU Jerusalem Center on his tombstone, highlighting the unbelievably difficult task it was to bring to fruition. The setbacks and obstacles to the project were unending and the opposition was fierce. But ultimately it was finished and to me is a symbol of our commitment to both Jews and Palestinians there in the region. The Church has people from both groups hired to work together to teach students at and maintain the center, and people from both cultures are welcomed to come and participate there in community events.  

As he spoke about these things, Elder Cook highlighted the importance of Elijah to both Jews and Muslims, underscoring the Church’s commitment to respect both of these religious traditions. He said, “Christians, Muslims, and Jews the world over accept Elijah as a prophet. Muslims believe that Elijah was a prophet sent by God (Allah) to call people away from idol worship—especially the worship of Baal—and back to the worship of the one true God. The Jews have been waiting for Elijah’s return for over 2,900 years as a forerunner to the coming of the Messiah.” Interestingly, this is the first time that I can find that the word Allah was used in general conference since 1980, and I appreciate Elder Cook’s careful way he respectfully spoke of both Jews and Muslims. As he discussed the visit of Moses, Elias, and Elijah to the Prophet Joseph Smith on April 3, 1836, Elder Cook made this comment in the notes of his talk: “It is inspiring that all three of the ancient prophets, Moses, Elias, and Elijah, who provided keys to the Prophet Joseph in the Kirtland Temple are revered as prophets by Christians, Jews, and Muslims.” This is the scriptural account of Elijah’s visit: “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: 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—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” (Doctrine and Covenants 110:13-15). Surely that turning of the hearts of fathers and children to each other is important for Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike as the Lord seeks to unite all the families of the earth through the keys restored to the Prophet Joseph Smith. And so, it is fitting that Elijah would be a part of the religious tradition of all three of the Abrahamic religions, and there is surely much future work to be done to seal families together. Elder Cook summarized, “The appearance of the Savior to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and the keys committed by Moses, Elias, and Elijah are central to the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter days. The role of Elijah in restoring the priesthood keys of the sealing power is crucial in our journey of returning to our Father as a covenant people.” We can rejoice that there are now 222 dedicated temples where these ordinances can be performed and that the rate of temple building continues rapidly under President Oaks.