Priesthood power was sought by the great prophets of old. Abraham said he sought diligently for priesthood authority that he might administer the ordinances to others (Abraham 1:2). He had a testimony of the work of God and he wanted to be an instrument in the hands of God in bringing many people to salvation through saving ordinances, such as baptism. Other ordinances also included in primitive Temple worship were washing and anointing, a special garment, prayer circles, veils, etc. (Nibley, Temple and the Cosmos, p.26)
Sacred temple work has always been a part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ since time began with Adam and Eve. The great apostasy predicted by Paul in the New Testament testified that these things would be lost. They are, even now, considered Jewish mysteries and unknowable. But this timeless, sacred temple work continues in our day, thanks to the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Ordinances and covenants are described in scriptures such as the Bible, The Book of Mormon, and the Pearl of Great Price. However, only members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in good standing are permitted to participate. Why?
LDS scholar, Hugh Nibley, explains that Temple ordinances are not discussed openly and “the reason is not absolute secrecy, but to keep these sacred things from becoming vulgar, popular, the subject of everyday discussion, in a word, trivia. This is blasphemy.
Blasphemy is simply taking holy things lightly. What is evil in innocent everyday conversation about the temple? Even at its most innocuous, the bringing up of such matters in public can only lead to their cheapening, but, worst of all, to all manner of misunderstanding, misrepresentation, disputation, contention, contamination, and corruption.”
Jesus Christ is the very center of Latter-day Saint Temple worship. The temple is a gift to sustain the true disciple of Christ in their journey through life. It is truly amazing that there are 200 operating temples in the world today that serve more than 17 million disciples in 70 countries of the world. Daniel’s prophecy of the stone cut from the mountain without hands that would fill the whole earth is being fulfilled. The mountain of the Lord’s house is established for all who seek Him.
President Russell M Nelson has promised: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the Temple.
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