Temples

Discusses the importance of temple worthiness in relation to being prepared to meet the Lord.
Discusses the importance of temple work and makes a plea that we attend.
We are encouraged to attend, or at least qualify to attend, the temple.
It is central to the purpose of the church's work and the work of the Lord.
A discussion of Don Bradley's insights into temple symbolism present in the scriptures.

History of Modern Temple Practice

  • 0:17 No. 10 Primary Temple Trips
  • 0:53 No. 9 Temple Fruit
  • 1:23 No. 8 Healing Baptisms
  • 2:05 No. 7 Healing Blessings
  • 2:49 No. 6 Prayer Circles
  • 3:27 No. 5 Temple Choir
  • 4:06 No. 4 Disney Footage
  • 4:32 No. 3 Temple Libraries
  • 5:02 No. 2 Consecrated Oil
  • 5:45 No. 1 Polyandrous Sealings

Jewish Temples

eg. Temple of Solomon

The traditional Jewish temple has a 3-part structure which moves from outside to inside.

Pre-Reform Temples

The Deuteronomic reforms (somewhat before 600 BC) significantly altered temple worship. We see evidence in the Book of Mormon that Lehi took umbrage with much that was going on in society in Jerusalem, but also there appears to be a criticism implied, by his famous dream of the tree of life, of the way temple worship had been altered. The most obvious change is that temple worship became a centralized state-run affair, but we also see the destruction of the Nehushtan, and the obscuring of the doctrine of the Messiah, and related teachings. In Lehi's time, his public assertion of the doctrine of the Messiah was so politically frowned upon, that it put his life in jeopardy. The Book of Mormon asserts that every prophet clearly testified of the Messiah, but today, we do not have such clear recorded testimony.

These pre-reform temples appear to have had the same overall 3-part structure, as what we are familiar with.

The commandment that is always mistranslated is the commandment to see the face of God 3 times a year.
Dan McClellan asserts that this face of God would have been the standing stone in Hebrew temples.
He further asserts that as the idea of God's face being dangerous came about, the Holy of Holies became less accessible to people generally, and ultimately became restricted to all but the high priests.
He also asserts that this motivated filling the room with smoke to obscure the standing stone so that the face of God would be hidden.
He uses the Tel Arad temple as an example.

Tel Arad

A temple structure in Tel Arad closely resembling the temple at Jerusalem at smaller scale, appears to have been intentionally buried, almost like a decommissioning. Strangely, it appears to have had two altars and two standing stones, and cannabis was burned on the smaller one. The complex which contained the temple appears to have been built in the 10th century B.C. and was likely decomissioned around 700 B.C.

Tel Motza

Need to learn more about what this is.

Supposed to be similar to Tel Arad, but more massive.

Horvat Qeiyafa

Need to learn more about what this is.

Tel Dan

Need to learn more about what this is.

Khirbet el-Qom

Need to learn more about what this is.

Kuntillet Ajrud

Need to learn more about what this is.

Temple Zero

I expect this will become its own page, but I want to work on the topic a bit here first.

Discusses a promising site for Beth-el, found in 2011.
Some commentary on how the chronology of this temple fits in with the Old Testament.
Some musings on the potential significance of Temple Zero

Mesoamerica

Cross-References