Temples Laurel Lawrence’s class October 14 2021

The first recorded temple is Solomon’s, 1000 years before Christ. People were so excited to have a temple that they donated their jewels, etc which made it the most beautiful of all temples.

The Holy of Holies contained the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the 10 commandments. Only the 1 high priest could enter there.

When Jews prayed, they always faced the temple to remind them of their covenants. We are told to have a picture of a temple in our homes to remind us of our covenants.

SLC temple has a Holy of Holies, but other temples don’t. Only the prophet enters, but there are 2 chairs there.

600 years BC the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. When Jews returned 70 years later, they wanted to rebuild the temple. Herod remodeled and expanded it so it was called Herod’s temple. that’s where Jesus taught. He prophesied that the temple would be destroyed. Now all that remains is the ancient western wall. It  is considered sacred. When Jews visit it, they write prayers on little pieces of paper and insert them into small holes in the wall like our prayer roll, showing our prayer roll comes from ancient times.

Before the 2^nd coming, the Jews will rebuild their temple.

Nephi built a temple after the manner of Soloman, also Benjamin and Jesus at Bountiful record being on the temple steps.

The new commandment is to build temples all over the world. 83 of the new temples were announced by President Nelson (1/3rd)

The construction sites are holy. The workers have to not smoke, drink, swear, and no contention or arguing. One man named Stansbury worked on a temple site in Alabama (?) and was so impressed with the atmosphere while building that he investigated and joined the Church.

The first temple in the latter days was Kirtland. The blueprints or images of how it should be built were shown by vision in living glory. The rooms are 55’ by 65’. The 1^st floor was for Sunday meetings, the Thursday fast meeting. The 2^nd floor was for Priesthood meetings and the school of the prophets. The 3^rd floor had classrooms and ordinance rooms.  There were Many heavenly visitors to that temple.

  

  

The Hosanna Shout is in remembrance of when Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem and the people waved palm leaves and shouted hosanna.

Hosanna Shout - President Russell M. Nelson
  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/46nelson?lang=eng

There was no baptism for the dead and no endowment in the Kirtland temple, only initiatories.

In the Nauvoo temple God taught baptism for the dead. It had a font with 12 oxen representing the 12 tries of Israel. The Ox is the symbol of Ephesians. The early saints started doing the endowment in the upstairs of the red brick store so by the time the temple was built, there were about 80 who had been endowed and could serve as temple workers. Joseph Smith had to begin teaching the endowment in the red brick store upstairs because he would die before the Nauvoo temple was finished. Hundreds of saints went through the temple before they were driven out of Nauvoo. Those who went through were protected and none of them went inactive.

The first temple in Utah was St George. A guy was called to be a night watchman who had night blindness. He would have someone walk him to the temple, then when he entered, the whole building would be light enough that he could see. Then he would leave after his shift, and wouldn’t be able to see anything outside. Later he was a temple recorder. He was worried about his spelling and whether the names were pronounced correctly and during one session of baptisms for the dead he saw a spirit who was a 2^nd recorder, who corrected all spelling and pronunciation. D&C 128- what is recorded on earth is recorded in heaven, literally!

In 1997, the police were called and told the top of the temple was on fire. The fireman came, but there was no fire

In the San Diego temple it has 8 point stars repeated all through the building. The architect was inspired to put hundreds of 8-point stars. Later he spoke with Hugh Nibley and found out that was an ancient symbol of the Seal of Melchizedek.

Plans have already been revealed and are kept for the temple in Jerusalem. It has 24 circular and arch over center.??

One woman named Hilda King in Idaho Falls wanted to do something significant after her husband died, so she set a goal to do 20,000 endowments before she died. He got that goal and passed it. She did 105 endowments each month. She died at 94, 1 week after finishing.

Hilda Tovey Knighton King Temply Work
  https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/8010302/hilda-tovey-knighton-king-temply-work

Horace Cummings recorded: “Concerning the work for the dead, [Joseph] said that in the resurrection those who had been worked for would fall at the feet of those who had done their work, kiss their feet, embrace their knees and manifest the most exquisite gratitude.” The Prophet added, “We do not comprehend what a blessing to them these ordinances are.” See statement of Horace Cummings in Lundwall, comp., The Vision, p. 141.

The plans for the Fresno temple were given to President Hinckley while he was on a plane and he wrote them on a small piece of paper or napkin.

There is a feeling of urgency to have temple work done before the 2^nd coming because every spirit wants their work done so they can be resurrected in the first resurrection. Every week President Hinckley asked temple department “how many prisoners did we release this week?”