=34. Temples or Other Sacred Places= are required for the performance
of these holy ordinances. Whenever an organization of the priesthood
has existed on earth, the Lord has required the preparation of places
suited to His use, where the rites of His Church could be performed.
It is but proper that such a structure should be the result of the
people's best efforts, inasmuch as it is made by them an offering unto
the Lord. In every age of the world, the chosen people have been a
temple-building people. Shortly after Israel's deliverance from the
bondage of Egypt, the Lord called upon the people to construct a
sanctuary to His name, the plan of which He minutely specified. Though
this was but a tent, it was elaborately furnished and appointed, the
choicest possessions of the people being used in its construction.[444]
And the Lord accepted this offering of His wandering people, by
manifesting His glory therein, and there revealing Himself.[445] When
the people had settled in the promised land, the Tabernacle of the
congregation was given a more permanent resting place;[446] yet it
still was honored for its sacred purpose, until superseded by the
Temple of Solomon as the sanctuary of the Lord.
[444] Exo. xxv; xxxv, 22. See "The House of the Lord," ch. ii.
[445] Exo. xl, 34-38.
[446] Josh. xviii, 1.
=35.= This temple, one of the most gorgeous structures ever erected by
man for sacred service, was dedicated with imposing ceremonies; but
its splendor was of short duration; for, within less than forty years
from the time of its completion, its glory declined, and finally it
fell a prey to the flames. A partial restoration of the temple was
made after the Jews returned from their captivity; and through the
friendly influence of Cyrus and Darius, the temple of Zerubbabel was
dedicated.[447] That the Lord accepted this effort of His people to
maintain a sanctuary to His name, is fully shown by the spirit that
actuated its officers, among whom were Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi.
This temple remained standing for nearly five centuries; and, but a
few years before the birth of the Savior, the reconstruction of the
edifice was begun by wicked Herod the Great, and the term "Temple of
Herod" passed into history.[448] The veil of this temple was rent at
the time of the crucifixion,[449] and in the year 70 A. D. the
destruction of the building was accomplished by Titus.
[447] I Kings vi, viii.
[448] Ezra i, iii, vi.
[449] Matt. xxvii, 50.
=36. Modern Temples.=--From that time until the present dispensation,
no other temples have been reared on the eastern continent. It is
true, imposing edifices have been erected for the purposes of worship;
but a colossal structure does not necessarily constitute a temple. A
temple is more than a church-building, a meeting-house, a tabernacle,
or a synagogue; it is a place specially prepared by dedication unto
the Lord, and marked by His acceptance, for the performing of the
ordinances pertaining to the Holy Priesthood. The Latter-day Saints,
true to the characteristics of the chosen of God,[450] have been from
the first a temple-building people. Only a few months after the
organization of the Church in the present dispensation, the Lord made
reference to a temple which was to be built.[451] In July, 1831, the
Lord designated a spot in Independence, Mo., as the site of a future
temple;[452] but the work of construction thereon has not yet been
consummated, as is likewise the case with the temple site at Far West,
on which the corner-stones were laid July 4, 1838, and relaid April
26, 1839.
[450] Doc. and Cov. cxxiv, 39. See "The House of the Lord."
[451] Doc. and Cov. xxxvi, 8.
[452] Doc. and Cov. lvii, 3.
=37.= The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has constructed
temples, each an imposing and costly structure, at Kirtland, Ohio;
Nauvoo, Illinois; St. George, Logan, Manti, and Salt Lake City, Utah;
Cardston, Canada; and Laie, Hawaiian Islands. The temples at Kirtland
and Nauvoo were abandoned as the members of the Church who had built
them through sacrifice yet untold were driven westward by the force of
persecution. The building at Kirtland is now used as an ordinary
meeting-house by a small sect that is but little known and that
evinces no activity in the sacred labors for which temples are built.
The temple at Nauvoo was destroyed through malicious incendiarism. The
magnitude and grandeur of the sacred labors accomplished in the
temples of the present dispensation, for the salvation of both the
living and the dead, give assurance of the Lord's gracious
acceptance.[453]
[453] For a comprehensive treatment see the author's work. "The
House of the Lord"--a study of holy sanctuaries, ancient and
modern: 336 pp. with illustrations.