Over the course of the next two years she and I would become very good friends. She came to me often to seek advice and for friendship. She was so bubbly yet also incredibly deep and insightful. She was seeking Truth like no other teenager that I had ever met. Lexee eventually got baptized and was so excited to be able to do baptisms for the dead. She went as soon as she could and she spoke of loving the peace and quiet in the temple. Then one day she came to me and asked if she could tell me about a dream she had about the Temple.
She said she was in the basement of the temple preparing to do baptisms for the dead when a fire broke out. The fire was intense, huge, and everywhere. The members in the basement were panicking, screaming, and running for their lives. As she burst out of the door to the main level where the lobby was, it was filled with people who were immodest, worldly, and beautiful. They were mingling with each other and laughing. Then she awoke. She asked, "What do you think that means, Sister Thompson?!!"
I have pondered a lot on the Temple. I may have said this elsewhere on this blog but when my husband and I were first beginning our journey to Jesus, between the two of us, we went to the Temple every single day it was open for nearly a year. We couldn't get enough - we were seeking and we believed that to seek Jesus meant that you go to the Temple at every opportunity. It was a unique time and I had very special experiences because of the sacrifice made to get up in the 4am hour to be the first at the temple before our kids got up. I also had special experiences there because I truly believed it was the only place I could have real access to God. So he met me in my ignorance and taught me.
Before I share the crux of this post, I want to declare that I am not some inactive member who has an ax to grind about the Temple. I have found great value in the temple endowment journey and recommend this website. What I am is an inactive member who has thoughts and questions about the Temple.
About 13 years ago we remodeled our kitchen. Everything had to be torn out and a wall was knocked down to make it better fit our growing family. In the process we chose to take everything that was in the kitchen and move it downstairs in a vacant corner. At first it was an eyesore and drove me nuts. Those items weren't things we used often, but I couldn't wait to get the kitchen done and get everything properly organized.
It wasn't until a few months after our kitchen remodel was completed that my mother-in-law was visiting and she commented that she was proud of me for being able to "live with that mess downstairs" and was proud that, "it wasn't bothering" me.
Now, before you think my husbands mother was making a passive-aggressive comment to her daughter-in-law, let me dispel that stereotype immediately. She wasn't. She knew my need for order and was genuinely proud of me for, "letting it all hang out" as it were. The only problem was - I wasn't doing it intentionally nor had I "overcome" my need for neatness. I had simply blocked out that corner of my house in my mind - even though I had to pass it multiple times a day! It wasn't until she said that comment that my "eyes were opened" and I did see.
What I'm going to post today has been staring us members in the face for so long, we have blocked it out. Like my mother-in-law did for me, I want to say that we have something that needs our attention in the scriptures - it is time look where we have previously ignored.
D&C 137 is a revelation that was given to Joseph Smith in 1836. Let us read:
1 The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell.
2 I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire;
3 Also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son.
4 I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold.
5 I saw Father Adam and Abraham; and my father and my mother; my brother Alvin, that has long since slept;
6 And marveled how it was that he had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to gather Israel the second time, and had not been baptized for the remission of sins.
7 Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;
8 Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom;
9 For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.
10 And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.
This vision became D&C 137 which was the last chapter in our Doctrine and Covenants.
I should say, D&C 137 was the last chapter....until Joseph F. Smith, in the October 4th, 1918 General Conference, said that he had received a vision of the spirits of the dead the day prior. Three weeks later Joseph F. Smith's vision (along with other 'divine communications' he received) were voted on by the First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve, and the Patriarch. The visions were unanimously accepted to become D&C 138.
Coincidentally no church president (besides Joseph Smith) has ever offered any other dreams or visions to be accepted as scripture either before or after this experience from Joseph F. Smith.
Because Joseph's vision which became Doctrine and Covenants 137 had already been accepted by the members for decades and because it revealed that temple work was unnecessary, I wasn't surprised to see that the next and now final chapter of the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C 138) would need to be Joseph F. Smith's vision of....Drumroll please:
The importance of Temple work and Temple ordinances.
After General Conference last week I had a friend reach out and text me a link to President Nelson's latest General Conference talk. This friend isn't, in my opinion, a super 'spiritual person'. When they encouraged me to read the talk and said they, "felt electrified" by his words and that the end was nigh - my interest was piqued.
These lines summarized, in my opinion, President Nelson's agenda for his talk:
Here was President Nelson's piece de resistance line:
The spiritual perspective realizes that the inner cup (their soul) is to be cleansed first, then all things will be added. They understand that all ordinances are only outward symbols of what should have already occurred within themselves.
The carnal man emphasizes the beauty and purpose of the temple building. They speak of the temple often, surround themselves with images of it—on pictures, calendars, wall art, jewelry, etc—and make it a point to visit the grounds with their young children, or to visit as many different temples as they can.
The spiritual person realizes that the temple building is no more than a symbol of themselves and that they are a walking temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). The spiritual person realizes that God can create a building much more grand than the the best built by human hands, but to create a Son or Daughter of God is much more difficult. THIS is the work of creation! This is the Glory of "the Fathers". The spiritual person respects the building but sees it as a symbol of themselves and does not revere it excessively. The spiritual man or woman is a temple that is built without hands.
To the carnal man, the temple takes on an undue importance that overshadows other things. They see it as an important place that they must go so they can check off their list of saving ordinances. They attend regularly to do work for their kindred dead and believe their salvation is tied to the attending of the temple.
The spiritual man understands the temple's place in their spiritual journey and keeps it in proper perspective. They understand that they themselves are found among the (spiritually) dead and that the work they do in the temple is more for their own benefit than for their ancestors. They know their salvation is only found in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone.
The carnal person sees the creation parable in the endowment as nothing more than a historical account of the creation of the earth and how man and woman came to be. They see the fall of man as a event caused by literally eating from a prohibited fruit tree in the Garden of Eden. They see the way back to God as all the things that they must DO rather than what they must BE.
The spiritual individual realizes that all that is taught in the endowment is about them. They realize that they are "the man, Adam" spoken of in the creation story. On a deeper level of understanding, they see that they are comprised of a body, mind, and spirit (a holy trinity) and that Adam represents the Spirit and Eve represents the Body. They understand why Eve must be subject to Adam, because the body must be subject to the spirit, otherwise there is death (Mosiah 3:19). They understand that God is part of this trinity and that they (Adam; the spirit) can hear His voice if they will just pay attention and listen.
The carnal individual perceives the signs and tokens given in the endowment as grand secrets that are only given to the elect of God and feel that because they have received the signs and tokens, they are one of these elect. They believe there are things they must DO in order to reach the Celestial kingdom after they die. They think that they must protect the signs and tokens from being divulged on the peril of their own life because it is the mere knowledge of these secret signs and tokens which will allow one to pass by the angels and gain entrance into heaven.
The spiritual person realizes the signs and tokens have a deep spiritual meaning and that they are a mirror of what they should BE. They realize the mere knowledge of them exalts no one. They know that their own state of being and their relationship to God is what is symbolized by the tokens.
The carnal person lives in fear. They believe that when times get tough, they can save themselves by their external preparations (e.g. food storage), but are always fearful (and rightfully so) that they have not prepared enough. They suspect the "holy place" spoken of by Jesus (Matthew 24:15) means a place in the temple (building).
The spiritual person lives by faith and finds that perfect faith casts out all fear. They know that true peace comes from their relationship with God and the "holy place" spoken of is their own heart. They do not fear what happens externally, because they know that whatever happens will be for their own profit and learning. They take no thought for the morrow, but rely totally on God (Matthew 6:25-34).
The carnal person is "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7). The carnal individual is always searching for heaven but never seems to be able to find it. They are confused when others cry, "Lo here...here is the kingdom of heaven!" They choose one of the "strange roads" (1 Nephi 8:32) and become convinced that the way they have chosen is the correct one and that all others are in error. They trust in the arm of flesh (2 Nephi 4:34) and never find heaven because they are looking in the wrong place.
The spiritual person realizes that the creation parable teaches them that the new earth over which Adam is given dominion symbolizes their own physical body. They realize that they have been given dominion to overcome the "lusts of the flesh" and make their world (body) a celestial abode—a heaven on earth inside themselves. When others cry "Lo here," they are unmoved, for they do not externally seek for the kingdom of God. They realize the Kingdom of God is found within (Luke 17:21).
The carnal person thinks that life is a test and has a destination. They are seldom truly happy or joyful because of the stressful thoughts that arise from their own potential failure of the test or not knowing if they will truly arrive at the set destination.
The spiritual person knows that being redeemed from the fall and exercising great faith like the Brother of Jared is the destination. (Ether 12:19-22)
I should say, D&C 137 was the last chapter....until Joseph F. Smith, in the October 4th, 1918 General Conference, said that he had received a vision of the spirits of the dead the day prior. Three weeks later Joseph F. Smith's vision (along with other 'divine communications' he received) were voted on by the First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve, and the Patriarch. The visions were unanimously accepted to become D&C 138.
Coincidentally no church president (besides Joseph Smith) has ever offered any other dreams or visions to be accepted as scripture either before or after this experience from Joseph F. Smith.
Because Joseph's vision which became Doctrine and Covenants 137 had already been accepted by the members for decades and because it revealed that temple work was unnecessary, I wasn't surprised to see that the next and now final chapter of the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C 138) would need to be Joseph F. Smith's vision of....Drumroll please:
The importance of Temple work and Temple ordinances.
After General Conference last week I had a friend reach out and text me a link to President Nelson's latest General Conference talk. This friend isn't, in my opinion, a super 'spiritual person'. When they encouraged me to read the talk and said they, "felt electrified" by his words and that the end was nigh - my interest was piqued.
These lines summarized, in my opinion, President Nelson's agenda for his talk:
"Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace? Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!"I forget, won't we have an entire millennium to get temple work for the dead done? But we gotta hasten, hasten, hasten to add that single drop in the bucket of dead works.
Here was President Nelson's piece de resistance line:
"Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple."Translation: Pay your dues (tithing) so that you can go find Jesus in the only place you can truly find Him...in a temple made with hands.
Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me , and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.
— D&C 93:1
Below has been written elsewhere but I'll copy and paste it again:
The carnal view sees the temple as outward and literal. Just like Nicodemus thought Jesus meant he needed to literally go back into his mother's womb and be born again, the carnal man works from the outside in. They look for things outside of themselves and try to improve their environment, thinking it will bring happiness. They feel that outward saving ordinances and performances, like those done in temples, must be of the utmost importance over everything else.The spiritual perspective realizes that the inner cup (their soul) is to be cleansed first, then all things will be added. They understand that all ordinances are only outward symbols of what should have already occurred within themselves.
The carnal man emphasizes the beauty and purpose of the temple building. They speak of the temple often, surround themselves with images of it—on pictures, calendars, wall art, jewelry, etc—and make it a point to visit the grounds with their young children, or to visit as many different temples as they can.
The spiritual person realizes that the temple building is no more than a symbol of themselves and that they are a walking temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). The spiritual person realizes that God can create a building much more grand than the the best built by human hands, but to create a Son or Daughter of God is much more difficult. THIS is the work of creation! This is the Glory of "the Fathers". The spiritual person respects the building but sees it as a symbol of themselves and does not revere it excessively. The spiritual man or woman is a temple that is built without hands.
To the carnal man, the temple takes on an undue importance that overshadows other things. They see it as an important place that they must go so they can check off their list of saving ordinances. They attend regularly to do work for their kindred dead and believe their salvation is tied to the attending of the temple.
The spiritual man understands the temple's place in their spiritual journey and keeps it in proper perspective. They understand that they themselves are found among the (spiritually) dead and that the work they do in the temple is more for their own benefit than for their ancestors. They know their salvation is only found in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone.
The carnal person sees the creation parable in the endowment as nothing more than a historical account of the creation of the earth and how man and woman came to be. They see the fall of man as a event caused by literally eating from a prohibited fruit tree in the Garden of Eden. They see the way back to God as all the things that they must DO rather than what they must BE.
The spiritual individual realizes that all that is taught in the endowment is about them. They realize that they are "the man, Adam" spoken of in the creation story. On a deeper level of understanding, they see that they are comprised of a body, mind, and spirit (a holy trinity) and that Adam represents the Spirit and Eve represents the Body. They understand why Eve must be subject to Adam, because the body must be subject to the spirit, otherwise there is death (Mosiah 3:19). They understand that God is part of this trinity and that they (Adam; the spirit) can hear His voice if they will just pay attention and listen.
The carnal individual perceives the signs and tokens given in the endowment as grand secrets that are only given to the elect of God and feel that because they have received the signs and tokens, they are one of these elect. They believe there are things they must DO in order to reach the Celestial kingdom after they die. They think that they must protect the signs and tokens from being divulged on the peril of their own life because it is the mere knowledge of these secret signs and tokens which will allow one to pass by the angels and gain entrance into heaven.
The spiritual person realizes the signs and tokens have a deep spiritual meaning and that they are a mirror of what they should BE. They realize the mere knowledge of them exalts no one. They know that their own state of being and their relationship to God is what is symbolized by the tokens.
The carnal person lives in fear. They believe that when times get tough, they can save themselves by their external preparations (e.g. food storage), but are always fearful (and rightfully so) that they have not prepared enough. They suspect the "holy place" spoken of by Jesus (Matthew 24:15) means a place in the temple (building).
The spiritual person lives by faith and finds that perfect faith casts out all fear. They know that true peace comes from their relationship with God and the "holy place" spoken of is their own heart. They do not fear what happens externally, because they know that whatever happens will be for their own profit and learning. They take no thought for the morrow, but rely totally on God (Matthew 6:25-34).
The carnal person is "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7). The carnal individual is always searching for heaven but never seems to be able to find it. They are confused when others cry, "Lo here...here is the kingdom of heaven!" They choose one of the "strange roads" (1 Nephi 8:32) and become convinced that the way they have chosen is the correct one and that all others are in error. They trust in the arm of flesh (2 Nephi 4:34) and never find heaven because they are looking in the wrong place.
The spiritual person realizes that the creation parable teaches them that the new earth over which Adam is given dominion symbolizes their own physical body. They realize that they have been given dominion to overcome the "lusts of the flesh" and make their world (body) a celestial abode—a heaven on earth inside themselves. When others cry "Lo here," they are unmoved, for they do not externally seek for the kingdom of God. They realize the Kingdom of God is found within (Luke 17:21).
The carnal person thinks that life is a test and has a destination. They are seldom truly happy or joyful because of the stressful thoughts that arise from their own potential failure of the test or not knowing if they will truly arrive at the set destination.
The spiritual person knows that being redeemed from the fall and exercising great faith like the Brother of Jared is the destination. (Ether 12:19-22)
Well said. As a temple worker of 16 years before I resigned from the Corporation, what you wrote is so true! All LDS members should ponder D&C 137.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. I have for years now questioned why the temple has changed so dramatically? When I first went to the temple, on my wedding day back in 1973, my eyes were opened wide. There was no temple prep class back then. Since then the temple ceremony looks nothing like that. Why is that? If God is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever why the changes. It's like the Church leaders want to be politically correct. That is one reason I stopped paying tithing and stopped going to church.
ReplyDelete