Round About the Temple

In general conference six months ago, President Nelson focused his messages on the temple. In his introductory talk he said this: “We rejoice that more temples are being built across the world. With the dedication of each new temple, additional godly power comes into the world to strengthen us and counteracts the intensifying efforts of the adversary.” In his message about overcoming the world, he told a story of a group going through the Washington D.C. Temple open house and related how a young boy looked at the altar in an endowment room and said, “Oh, that’s nice. Here is a place for people to rest on their temple journey.” He commented, “I doubt that the boy knew just how profound his observation was. He likely had no idea about the direct connection between making a covenant with God in the temple and the Savior’s stunning promise: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; … and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’” He further elaborated, “Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. Please ponder that stunning truth!” He summarized with this invitation: “Spend more time in the temple, and seek to understand how the temple teaches you to rise above this fallen world.” And then in his final address he taught, “It is significant that the Savior chose to appear to the people at the temple. It is His house. It is filled with His power. Let us never lose sight of what the Lord is doing for us now. He is making His temples more accessible. He is accelerating the pace at which we are building temples.” After announcing eighteen new temples to be built, he ended with this invitation: “My dear brothers and sisters, may you focus on the temple in ways you never have before.” Clearly he wants us to increase our time in the temple and center our lives around the covenants we make there.

                In that final address President Nelson was referring to this passage in the Book of Mormon: “And now it came to pass that there were a great multitude gathered together, of the people of Nephi, round about the temple which was in the land Bountiful; and they were marveling and wondering one with another, and were showing one to another the great and marvelous change which had taken place. And they were also conversing about this Jesus Christ, of whom the sign had been given concerning his death.” They were gathered at the temple and they were speaking to one another about Jesus Christ. It was then that the voice of the Lord came to them: “They heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.” Eventually the understood the voice to be that of the Father: “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.” It was then that the crowning event of the whole book took place as they sought to indeed hear Him: “And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them. And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying: Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning” (3 Nephi 11:1-11). What a supernal experience that must have been for this people who were gathered at the temple. Perhaps then what we are to learn from this is that as we gather to the temple and as we focus on Jesus Christ there like this people did, we will hear the Lord’s voice and come to know Him better. Likely we will not see Him with our physical eyes as this people did, but as we focus on its teachings of Him and the covenants we make there we will truly “hear Him” as the Father invited them and us.

            We look forward to more messages about the temple and perhaps more announcements of new temples this weekend as a part of general conference. But no matter how many new houses of the Lord are announced, what is most important for us and our families is the time we spend there in His house and how we come to know Him there.