The Church began putting angels on top of the temples with the building of the Nauvoo temple. At that time weather vanes were very popular,
Wilford
Woodruff commissioned Cyrus Dallin to create an angel for the SLC temple. He
was only 21 yet had national awards for his sculptures. He refused at first saying
he didn’t believe in angels. WW asked him to go ask his mother about it. Cyrus asked
his mother, who whole-heartedly encouraged him to do the angel. She told him
that of course he believed in angels because he always called her his angel-mother.
So he did it and later said it was the most spiritual experience of his life.
Later
he was commissioned to create a statue of a pioneer woman and used Dallin H
Oaks’ mother as the model. That’s how Oaks got his first name!
To
make the angel Moroni statue, Cyrus needed a model and searched all over. He finally found a
young man who was very muscular. After he finished the body, he needed a model
for the head because he didn’t want it to look like a young man, so he searched
all over again and finally found a man. It turned out the man he found for the
head model was the father of the young man he had used for the body model.
The
original angel Moroni statue on the SLC temple was 12’. It also serves as a
lightning rod for the temple. Now there are 6 statues that can be used to top
temples.
20
years ago Elder Holland spoke to seminary and institute teachers and told them
we need to talk more often about angels when we teach. In 2008 Elder Holland
gave a talk saying that angels still minister to men.
Angel
means messenger
The
devil also has messengers. Revelations 12 talks about Satan and his angels were
cast down. The were sent to this earth because this is the headquarters for
Christ’s atonement.
The
devil is responsible for all illness and pain. That’s why there will be no
illness or pain in the millennium – because Satan will be bound.
The
devil’s #1 target are the prophets.
Jesus
has more angels than Satan does – story of Elisha – they that be with us are more
than they that be with them
The
angels are on our side. When we have problems, there is help from both sides of
the veil.
Pres
Nelson said that angels are always on call – always ready. WE can call on them
always to come down. Their only limitation is that they cannot do for us what
we can do for ourselves. They can only help after all we can do.
David
O McKay – Men’s extremities is God’s opportunity
Heber
C Kimball said there are possibly 10 times more angels here than people.
Pres
Monson’s favorite scripture was D&C 84:88. 88 And whoso areceiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go bbefore your face. I will be on your right hand and
on your left, and my cSpirit shall be in your hearts, and mine dangels round about you, to bear you up.
He was speaking in Conference when something happened and he wasn’t able to speak for a minute. A woman watching had children with her and had given the smaller children crayons and told them to draw the speaker. Later she looked at the pictures, and the 5 year old Saylor had drawn 2 men next to Monson. She asked her daughter about it. She said, those were the two men standing by him. That night she asked her again and she said they had sparkles on them, meaning they glowed or were shining.
Babies
and children see angels, like the the movie the Cokeville Miracle.
When
President Nelson was in Mozambique, some men attacked him and his wife and were
going to take his wife. When they aimed a gun at Nelson, it didn’t fire, and
they suddenly released Wendy and left. He said he knew angels were protecting them.
In
Russia, they had many missionaries speak of kind people who spoke English talk
to them to help them out. The Russians would never speak to a missionary to help
them out and very few spoke perfect English. They felt they had a lot of help
from Angels.
Angels
not only protect and help, but they can call to repentance like Alma the
younger and Laman and Lemuel.
There
are 4 types of angels:
Spirits
not yet born like who had to have helped Adam and Eve
Translated
beings – the 3 Nephites, John the Baptist, and maybe others (D&C 49)
Those
translated beings will be changed in the twinkling of an eye in the 2nd
coming. Right now they can blend in with all of us. We may talk to them without
knowing because they don’t have any glory yet.
Ressurrected
beings – like Moroni, Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist – had to have bodies to
be able to confer authority.
Angels
can minister to other planets but angels from other planets can’t come here.
Angels
don’t have wings. they were originally described or depicted that way to
represent motion.
Resurrected
beings can appear with glory like Moroni to Joseph Smith, or can withhold their
glory like the Lord on the road to Arameas. Ministering spirits can’t cover or
withhold their glory/light.
Cherubim
and seraphim are ranks of angels.
Most
people probably don’t have an assigned guardian angel who is always with them.
But the prophets do. Probably more than one angel. Joseph Smith always needed
protection from angels. Even at the martyrdom, as he was shot, a voice yelled, “The
Mormons are coming” so the crowd dispersed. They had planned to cut off JS
head.
When
David O McKay was a young missionary, someone was speaking to the missionaries
and talking about guardian angels. He said that there was one right there next
to that elder, motioning to David O McKay.
Joseph
F Smith and his sister’s father was Hyrum who was killed. They crossed the
plains with their mother. After they arrived, the mother died. JFS was 11 and
the sister was 9. She saw her mother and father. They rode up on the horses
they had before. The girl said they gave her much comfort and encouragement. The
history is written in pencil and on display in SLC.
MARTHA ANN’S VISION:
(YOUNGER SISTER OF JOSEPH F. SMITH) SHE WAS 11 YEARS OLD WHEN HER MOTHER DIED,
MAKING HER AN ORPHAN.
(dictated to her older brother,
Joseph, who wrote it out in pencil)
“I saw my mother and father sitting on the white horse my father used to
ride, dressed in white robes with veils over their faces. The horse was also clothed in white. Their hands were transparent. There feet were covered with their
robes. The horse’s feet looked beautiful
standing on a pavement of gold, smooth like glass.
My father asked me if we were all
well. . . Then mother explained that she
had worried about going and leaving her children when she died. She had asked Hyrum: “How can I leave the
children?” He answered: “The children
will be taken care of” - and that he would be with them, and watch over them.
My father then told my mother she had
done well by them and he was perfectly satisfied. . . and that he would be with them from this time
henceforth and forever.
I asked my father if I had been faithful. He said, “yes, thus far.” They said I must stay and take care of Joseph
and tell him to be a good boy and tell all the children to be good and they
should soon be together again.
Mother asked me if Sister Grennels tried to get Joseph to read. I said yes.
She said she was glad and she thought the world of her for that, and she
would like him to go to school if it were possible.
I asked Mother why they wore veils.
She said if they should remove them I could not look upon them. I kissed them both through their veils. Their
breath smelled like sweet ointment.
Their voices sounded like sweet music.
She said she had seen her mother and
that they had a joyful time, and they all dwelt in the same mansion.
Mother said: “Be kind to Aunt Thompson. She will soon come to us.” (Mercy
Thompson was Mary Fielding’s sister, and apparently it would soon be her time
to go. ) She then told me to tell John to be kind to her horse, Fanny, that she
would want her soon – but she was going to have one of her mother’s horses for
the present.”
Harold
B Lee gave talk in BYU devotional about angels as heavenly messengers.
Moroni
10:14 says it is a gift of the Spirit to see angels.
Angels
have special charges to watch over children. In Primary Children’s Hospital in
SLC one little girl told her parents that each child in ICU had an angel with
them.
3rd
Nephi the Savior says “Behold your little ones” then the eyes of the parents
were opened so they could see the angels ministering to them.
1990
New Era – article about Miracle by Ted Brereton
Elder
Hanson in New Zealand told of being so hungry. Their money hadn’t arrived
lately and were so hungry. They were missing their wives’ homemade bread. They rode
along on their horses and saw something in the road ahead. It was a loaf of
fresh bread with a white cloth over it. The letters took a long time to get
from home. He wrote home about what had happened and in a month he got a letter
from his wife saying that day she had made bread. When she took it out of the
oven, one pan was empty, and the white cloth was missing from the counter where
she left it. She was sure nobody had been in the house. They still have the white
cloth.
In
Russia, Laurel wondered why the Russians were so cold. They would not talk or
smile at strangers or ever help anyone they didn’t know. She wanted to study
the history of Russia to see why the people were that way, and had searched the
bookstores, but couldn’t find anything in English.
Larry had to go on a long trip and was going to be gone for a couple of weeks. She
didn’t like being alone. They lived on the 7th floor, and she had 3
deadbolts. After he left, she made sure all the deadbolts were locked before
gong to bed. In the morning she found a beautiful new book in English about the
history of Russia. She figured Larry had left it for her, but knew it wasn’t on
the coffee table when she went to bed. She spent the whole time he was gone
studying the book. Later he told her he knew nothing about it or where it came
from. They knew angels had helped them!
Elder
Hales spoke in conference regarding angels coming
Elder
Oaks said that if we take the Sacrament worthily, we are eligible for angels to
come to us.
The
wife of the president of the Mesa AZ temple had gone to the temple, leaving her
children home alone. When she got home she found wet clothes belonging to the 5
year old. She asked her about it. The girl said she had gone to the neighbor’s
pool and fell in (or jumped?) and was drowning. She said a woman came and
pulled her out and carried her home. The mom asked her who the woman was. She said
the lady said her name was …… The mom recognized it as the name of the woman whose
work she had just done in the temple.
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