One of the purposes of the Book of Mormon is for us to "know the covenants of the Lord" (Title Page). The Savior emphasized three of those covenants during His visit to the American continent, following His death and resurrection: Israel will be gathered: "Then will I gather them in from the four quarters of the earth;... Continue Reading →
“The Pure in Heart…Shall See God”
King David asked the following soul-searching question: Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? Then, he provided the following answer: He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.Psalm 24:3-4 The Savior taught the same principle as one of the Beautitudes: Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.Matthew... Continue Reading →
Endowed with Power
The Greek word enduo (ἐνδύω) means "to clothe." In the New Testament it is sometimes used literally (Mark 1:6: "John was clothed with camel's hair." ) and sometimes figuratively (Galatians 3:27: "As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.") In the King James Version of the Bible, the word... Continue Reading →
Patterns
When the children of Israel constructed the tabernacle in the wilderness, they built it according to a pattern which the Lord revealed to Moses. "Look that thou make them after their pattern," the Lord said, "which was shewed thee in the mount" (Exodus 25:9, 40). The objects in the tabernacle, such as the candlestick, were also made "according... Continue Reading →
A House of Prayer
Through the prophet Isaiah, God made the following promise to all those who reverence sacred things: "Them I will bring unto my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer" (Isaiah 56:7). Years later, the prophet Jeremiah stood at the doorway to the temple and denounced the wickedness of the people, who... Continue Reading →
“If You Will Hearken” – Alma 5:60
During Abinadi's message to the priests of King Noah, he quoted the following words from Isaiah: All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way. (Mosiah 14:6) One of those priests, Alma, was converted to the gospel because of Abinadi's words. Years later, as Alma's son (also named... Continue Reading →
What Offering Will the Sons of Levi Make in Righteousness?
The last prophet of the Old Testament, Malachi, prophesied that "the messenger of the covenant" would "suddenly come to his temple." This sounds like a reference to the Savior's Second Coming, especially when Malachi asks, "Who may abide the day of his coming?" He tells us that this messenger will refine and purify the sons... Continue Reading →
Let Us Go Up – 2 Nephi 12:2-3
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go... Continue Reading →
He Shall Turn the Heart of the Fathers to the Children – 3 Nephi 25:5-6
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord;6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.(3 Nephi 25:5-6)The temple... Continue Reading →
Whatsoever Ye Shall Seal on Earth – Helaman 10:7
7 Behold, I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people.(Helaman 10:7)Today, I'm pondering the permanence of the work we do in temples. If we were... Continue Reading →
