On March 27, 1836, Joseph Smith dedicated the Kirtland Temple, offering a prayer which he received by revelation. That prayer includes the following plea:
We ask thee, O Lord, to accept of this house, the workmanship of the hands of us, thy servants, which thou didst command us to build.
Doctrine and Covenants 109:4
One week later, on Sunday, April 3, 1836, Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in that building and said:
I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house.
Doctrine and Covenants 110:7
Commenting on this statement, President Russell M. Nelson said, “This significant promise applies to every dedicated temple today. I invite you to ponder what the Lord’s promise means for you personally” (“Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys,” April 2024 general conference).
Then, Joseph and Oliver received three sets of keys from heavenly messengers:
- Moses delivered “the keys of the gathering of Israel” (Doctrine and Covenants 110:11).
- Elias entrusted to them “the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham” (Doctrine and Covenants 110:12).
- Elijah gave them the sealing power, fulfilling an ancient prophecy of Malachi (Doctrine and Covenants 110:13-16).
President Nelson said:
The significance of these keys being returned to the earth by three heavenly messengers under the direction of the Lord cannot be overstated. …
These keys authorized Joseph Smith—and all succeeding Presidents of the Lord’s Church—to gather Israel on both sides of the veil, to bless all covenant children with the blessings of Abraham, to place a ratifying seal on priesthood ordinances and covenants, and to seal families eternally. The power of these priesthood keys is infinite and breathtaking.
“Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys,” April 2024 general conference
Then President Nelson gave us the following invitation: “Consider how your life would be different if priesthood keys had not been restored to the earth.”
This week, as we study Doctrine and Covenants 109 and 110, let’s accept President Nelson’s invitations. Let’s try to better understand how God will manifest Himself to us in His house, and let’s consider the implications for our lives of the priesthood keys restored by heavenly messengers in the Kirtland Temple.
Here are some of my favorite passages from these revelations with relevant blog posts and Book of Mormon connections.
Scripture Highlights and Related Blog Posts
1. God will help us to organize our lives and our worship.
Doctrine and Covenants 109:8, 15-16
Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;
And that they may grow up in thee, and receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost, and be organized according to thy laws, and be prepared to obtain every needful thing;
And that this house may be a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of glory and of God, even thy house;
Blog Posts
📄 This Holy Order
God wants our lives, our homes, and our discipleship to be organized, not impulsive, inconsistent, and unpredictable
Book of Mormon connection: Alma 13:7
2. We should prepare ourselves for sacred gatherings, like general conference.
Doctrine and Covenants 109:10
And now, Holy Father, we ask thee to assist us, thy people, with thy grace, in calling our solemn assembly, that it may be done to thine honor and to thy divine acceptance;
Blog Posts
📄 A Solemn Assembly
Prepare yourself to participate in sacred events in an attitude of solemnity.
Book of Mormon connection: Mosiah 2:1-9; Mosiah 4:1-3; Mosiah 5:1-5; Mosiah 6:7; Mosiah 26:1
3. God is eager to forgive when we repent and to pour out blessings upon us.
Doctrine and Covenants 109:21
And when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily repent and return unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be restored to the blessings which thou hast ordained to be poured out upon those who shall reverence thee in thy house.
Doctrine and Covenants 110:9
Yea the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this house.
Blog Posts
📄 “Any of Them”
God’s promise to forgive repentant sinners is universal.
Book of Mormon connection: Mosiah 26:30; 3 Nephi 10:6
📄 Poured Out
We can pour out our souls to God, holding nothing back; He is eager to pour out blessings upon us.
Book of Mormon connection: Mosiah 4:20; Alma 34:26
4. The Savior can break every yoke we bear.
Doctrine and Covenants 109:31-33, 47
For thou knowest, O Lord, that thy servants have been innocent before thee in bearing record of thy name, for which they have suffered these things.
Therefore we plead before thee for a full and complete deliverance from under this yoke;
Break it off, O Lord; break it off from the necks of thy servants, by thy power, that we may rise up in the midst of this generation and do thy work.
We ask thee, Holy Father, to remember those who have been driven by the inhabitants of Jackson county, Missouri, from the lands of their inheritance, and break off, O Lord, this yoke of affliction that has been put upon them.
Blog Posts
📄 Breaking a Yoke
The Savior has the power to lift our burdens, including those burdens which are imposed upon us by other people
Book of Mormon connection: Alma 44:2; Alma 61:12-13
5. The Savior makes repentance and forgiveness possible.
Doctrine and Covenants 109:50, 53
Have mercy, O Lord, upon the wicked mob, who have driven thy people, that they may cease to spoil, that they may repent of their sins if repentance is to be found; …
Inasmuch as they will repent, thou art gracious and merciful, and wilt turn away thy wrath when thou lookest upon the face of thine Anointed.
Blog Posts
📄 Because of Thy Son
God loves us and wants to bless us; He sent His Son to make our salvation possible.
Book of Mormon connection: Alma 33:11, 16, 22-23
6. Jesus can prepare us for a joyful reunion with God.
Doctrine and Covenants 109:76
That our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for all our sufferings.
Blog Posts
📄 “The Robe of Righteousness: The Savior’s Gifts in Isaiah 61”
The Savior can replace our “garment of heaviness” with a “robe of righteousness.”
Book of Mormon connection: 2 Nephi 4:33; Alma 36:20
📄 “[With] Palms in Their Hands”
Our reunion with God will be both peaceful and joyful.
Book of Mormon connection: 1 Nephi 1:8; Mosiah 2:28; Alma 36:22; 3 Nephi 11:17
7. When we praise God, we are in heavenly company.
Doctrine and Covenants 109:79
And also this church, to put upon it thy name. And help us by the power of thy Spirit, that we may mingle our voices with those bright, shining seraphs around thy throne, with acclamations of praise, singing Hosanna to God and the Lamb!
Blog Posts
📄 Hosanna
Our pleas for forgiveness can also be songs of praise and confidence.
Book of Mormon connection: 1 Nephi 11:6; 3 Nephi 4:32; 3 Nephi 11:27
8. The Savior’s light can dispel all darkness.
Doctrine and Covenants 110:3
His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:
Blog Posts
📄 “Above the Brightness of the Sun”
The Savior’s light is brighter than the sun; it can chase away all the darkness in our minds and hearts.
Book of Mormon connection: 1 Nephi 1:9; 2 Nephi 23:10; 3 Nephi 8:20-23
9. He is the Living Christ.
Doctrine and Covenants 110:4
I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.
Blog Posts
📄 He Who Liveth
Jesus not only conquered death; He can also help us truly live.
Book of Mormon connection: 3 Nephi 9:14; Ether 3:14
10. God is gathering all of His children and uniting them in eternal relationships.
Doctrine and Covenants 110:11-16
After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto us; and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.
After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed.
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–
Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.
Blog Posts
📄 Three Covenants
The gathering of Israel, the gospel of Abraham, and uniting of families are interconnected.
Book of Mormon connection: 3 Nephi 16:5; 3 Nephi 20:25; 3 Nephi 25:5-6
📄 How Did Elijah Turn the Hearts of Fathers and Children Toward Each Other?
The power restored by Elijah can help us strengthen family relationships.
Book of Mormon connection: 3 Nephi 25:5-6
📄 He Shall Turn the Heart of the Fathers to the Children – 3 Nephi 25:5-6
The Savior can heal not only our individual wounds but also our relationships
Book of Mormon connection: 3 Nephi 25:1-6
📄 What Is the Sealing Power?
God is willing to trust some of His children and to honor their declarations and promises, both on earth and in heaven.
Book of Mormon connection: Helaman 5:1, 4; Helaman 7:1-6; Helaman 9:37-41; Helaman 10:1, 5-10; Helaman 11:4, 17
Questions to Ponder
Here are some questions and topics I intend to work on this week:
- What can I learn about prayer from Doctrine and Covenants 109?
- What role do quotations from prior revelations play in this prayer?
- How should we pray about / for our enemies? (See Doctrine and Covenants 109:24-33, 41-53.)
- How does Jesus manifest Himself to us in the temple? (Doctrine and Covenants 110:7)
- What is the “dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, and how does it relate to the gathering of Israel? (Doctrine and Covenants 110:12)
- How can my heart be turned more fully to my children? (Doctrine and Covenants 110:15)
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