The Mormon Temple Part 7

Mormonism 101 is research ministries Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson has helped many more to understand what separates Mormonism from the Christian faith. Mormonism 101 is available at your favorite Christian bookstore online@mrm.org .1 is examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective view .1 Mormonism sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect.

And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism are thanks that of Ruben for that musical introduction welcome to this edition of viewpoint on Mormonism. I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at MRM we been talking about the Mormon Temple.

As you know that Mormons are very energetic in building a number of temples throughout the world and many people looking at these buildings probably wonder what what is it all about. Why are they so significant do Mormons even worship in these buildings on Sunday know they don't they're closed on Sunday. They worship on Sunday and the local chapels but temple participation is absolutely essential if a latter-day saying hopes to get the best that their religion offers them. Let me just read you a couple of quotes from some LDS leaders. The first is from a Mormon apostle by the name of John Andrea's with so John a with so this is a book titled evidences and reconciliations page 201. Listen to what he says to enter the highest of the 3° in the celestial kingdom is to be exalted in the kingdom of God. We know that there are three levels of glory, the celestial, terrestrial into U.S. Steel kingdom is also outer darkness, but there's basically three levels of glory in the celestial, which is the top. There are three more levels now. I've never seen where the church differentiates what's going on in each of these levels, but the goal for the Latter Day Saints is to get into the top level of the celestial kingdom. It is also been referred to as the church of the first born to be relegated to the second or third level is not good enough.

There are no eternal benefits, at least that I know most Mormons are hoping for. In the second and third level they want to go to the top level. But let me go on with with those quote such exultation comes to those who receive the higher ordinances of the church such as the temple endowment. This is a significant part of temple worship. According to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, such as temple endowment and afterwords are sealed in marriage for time and eternity, whether on earth or in the hereafter.

Then we have this statement made by Boyd K. Packer. Also, who served as an apostle before his death. The blessing of the endowment is required for full exultation every Latter Day Saints should seek to be worthy of this blessing and to obtain it now from those two citations along, we can see why Temple building is so important to the average Latter Day Saints. They need this in order for this exultation. This is true salvation that they seek the point that we have been trying to make. When we began this series last week is that the LDS church gives the impression that what they do in their buildings is patterned after what was done in earlier days in the biblical days to be specific. Our objection is as we do not see this. We do not see this pattern spelled out in the New Testament we don't even see this pattern in history.

The early Christian church was not all that worried about temple participation.

It's not that we don't see Christians hanging out at the temple in Jerusalem, but we don't see them going through this endowment ceremony that as I just read is absolutely essential if a latter-day St. hopes to receive exultation. It's completely foreign to the New Testament we don't see it at all. What is this endowment last week I read a statement from the official website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It says this when it comes to the endowment in a general sense, a gift of power from God were the members of the church can receive a gift of power through ordinances in the temple that gives them the instruction and covenants of the holy priesthood that they need in order to attain exultation.

The endowment includes instruction about the plan of salvation that Eric and reading just that small explanation I can see so many areas that are entirely unique to the LDS church and not Christianity at large. That's not something that early Christians concerned themselves with, but the official website of the LDS church goes into a little more detail when it comes to this endowment.

What is it say on another page. This is on Church of Jesus Christ.org/temple/what is temple endowment hyphens between what is temple endowment and the title is about the temple endowment.

I think we should read this article to help us understand officially what the church believes about the endowment ceremony.

It starts off this way with the subheading your personal gift from God receiving your temple endowment is one of the most sacred experiences of your life. Personal preparation will make it more meaningful and powerful. Many members of the church receive their endowment before mission or marriage, while others simply have a strong desire to move forward along the covenant path regardless of the circumstances it's important to realize that your endowment is more than just another step. It's an essential and glorious part of your eternal journey. Okay, let's stop there seems to go along with what John with so said and what Boyd K. Packer said if this endowment is so essential in your spiritual journey.

Why is it we don't see anything about this in the New Testament.

Why is it that the book of Mormon doesn't mention anything about this. For all we know, based on what we read in the book of Mormon neophytes if they existed at all. Certainly were ignorant of such a temple endowment. We have no hit at all in the book of Mormon that they were doing what Mormons are doing today again when they try to make this comparison to what they think happened in ancient times, we don't see the evidence for that. Now a latter-day St. could easily say well I prayed about it and because I prayed I got a confirmation that this is the way it is, folks, that's just being lazy look into the history look into what the New Testament says you will not find anywhere were in the book of Mormon neophytes practice temple endowments or in the New Testament that the first century Christians were practicing temple endowment when it says that it's an essential and glorious part of your eternal journey we mentioned yesterday, the Christians after the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, by the Romans did not seem to mind that that there was no temple being rebuilt. Nobody was talking about that and in the fourth century have a guy named Constantine, who made Christianity the state religion. You talked about that yesterday but while Helen, Constantine's mom is going around looking at the different sites and verifying where these actually were in Israel. Nothing was done. As far as the temple location. Nobody was talking about building a temple which perhaps Ron could have done if it was essential and glorious part of an eternal journey and I think you you make a very good point there.

If it's that important of a piece in the puzzle of an individual salvation. Why is it ignored. Why is it not mentioned, folks, I think it's quite simple it's because it's unique in the mind of Joseph Smith.

It's not a part of history. It's not a part of early Christianity and if the Latter Day Saints are going to insist that what they're doing is a restoration, the only way you can really support that claim is if you can show from history, how it has been restored from something that was done earlier. If you have no evidence of it being done earlier. You cannot claim it was a restoration company Latter Day Saints and never even thought about the history of the temple and its importance back in the biblical time and why it's so important to Latter Day Saints today. The article on the church website continues by citing Pres. Russell M.

Nelson. It says he reminded us that every activity every lesson. All we do in the church, point to the Lord and his holy house. Our efforts to proclaim the gospel, perfect the saints and redeem the dead, all lead to the temple. Each holy temple stands as a symbol of our membership in the church as a sign of our faith in life after death and is a sacred step toward eternal glory for us and for our families and that's found in the inside magazine. It was a general conference talk & May 2001, page 32.

The article goes on is is only the temple can we receive the ordinances necessary for us to be exalted in the celestial kingdom temple ordinances, including the endowment lead to the greatest blessings available through the atonement of Jesus Christ and help us focus on the Savior.

His role in the and heavenly father's plan and our commitment to follow him.

I'm not quite sure how does the temple help a latter-day St. focus on the Savior will they would argue that everything in the temple is all about the Savior, but really when you think about it, a lot of it is all about obedience because you're going to be making these covenants that you're going to promise to do all these things that the church is telling you to do. It goes back to this whole notion of commandment keeping the temple is very much a part of that and I think what's important to is even to get into a temple, you have to prove yourself as you read earlier, you have to prove yourself worthy in order to get there all about commandment keeping everything about Mormonism is all about commandment keeping the fact that we are even here on this earth in human bodies.

According to Mormonism connects with how we behaved in this preexistence when we were mere spirit children of our heavenly parents because of our actions there. That's what determine where we would be in this mortality.

This is why the LDS church had for so long. This doctrine of the black skin. They argued that the people who have black skin in this life obviously were not as valiant as they could've been in the preexistence and that was a part of their punishment. LDS leader spelled this out. I know the church does not believe that today or at least they're trying to separate themselves from that teaching. And I can understand why it's a repugnant teaching. I'm glad they've come around on that list not forget it was a part of their church for much of its own history.

It only changed around 1978 and now they tell us they don't even understand why everything is connected with works in the LDS church.

It's all about works. While the article goes on. Well, this is what it says. The word endowment means a gift in this context the temple endowment is literally a gift from God, whereby he bestows sacred blessings upon you, the endowment can only be received in his way and in his holy temple.

Some of the gifts you will receive through the temple endowment include number one greater knowledge of the Lord's purposes and teachings to power to do all that God wants us to do three divine direction and protection as we serve the Lord, our families, and others for increased hope, comfort and peace finally number five promise blessings now and forever notice number two power to do all that God wants us to do you're right.

It's very much about obedience and in fact at every Temple open house.

They have a display where there's a reception room and that display reads this way in the temple. We promise to serve others and obey God's commandments. You're making covenants in there to do what God intends for you to do. Thank you for listening. If you would like more information regarding his research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website at www.mrm.org you can request a free newsletter Mormonism research. We hope you join us again as we look at another viewpoint is