Class Member Study Guide: Lesson 18
Doctrine & Covenants 95
Doctrine & Covenants 109
Doctrine & Covenants 110
Our Heritage: Pages 33-36
1832 Commandment to Build a Temple
Doctrine & Covenants 88:119
Doctrine & Covenants 109:2
Purpose of Temples
Doctrine & Covenants 95: 3-4, 8-9, 16-17
Doctrine & Covenants 109: 5, 8
Revelations on How to Build the Kirtland Temple
Doctrine & Covenants 95:13-17
Challenges and Sacrifices of Building the Temple
Doctrine & Covenants 109:5
Our Heritage: Pages 34-35
Why Do We Dedicate Temples
Our Heritage: Pages 35-36
Some of the workers suggested they build the temple with logs or boards.
But Joseph Smith replied:
“Shall we … build a house for our God, of logs? No. … I have a plan of the house of the Lord, given by himself; and you will soon see by this, the difference between our calculations and his idea of things” (quoted in Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, ed. Preston Nibley [1958], 230).
The Lord revealed His plans for the Kirtland Temple in a vision to the First Presidency (Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams).
President Frederick G. Williams said they knelt together in prayer, and a model of the building
“appeared within viewing distance. … After we had taken a good look at the exterior, the building seemed to come right over us.” When the temple was completed, Frederick G. Williams said it looked exactly as it had in the vision. (In The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Lyndon W. Cook [1981], 198.)
President Howard W. Hunter, the 14th President of the Church, described these promises in the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple as
“stirring and wonderful” (“The Great Symbol of Our Membership,” Ensign, Oct. 1994, 5). This prayer, he said, “continues to be answered upon us individually, upon us as families, and upon us as a people because of the priesthood power the Lord has given us to use in His holy temples” (Ensign, Oct. 1994, 4).
On 27 March 1836, the Prophet Joseph Smith dedicated the Kirtland Temple. The dedicatory prayer, which the Lord revealed, is recorded in D&C 109. The dedicatory service lasted seven hours and was accompanied by a great outpouring of the Spirit. It included the dedicatory prayer, hymn singing, testimony bearing, the passing of the sacrament, sermons, and a solemn assembly in which members sustained Joseph Smith and other Church leaders. The service ended with the Saints giving the Hosanna Shout—raising their hands above their heads and shouting three times, “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb, amen, amen, and amen” (History of the Church, 2:427–28).
The Lord fulfilled His promise to endow His servants with power from on high when the Kirtland Temple was completed (D&C 95:8). This endowment of power included an appearance of the Savior in the temple, an outpouring of the Spirit, many revelations, and the restoration of priesthood keys by Moses, Elias, and Elijah. With these sacred experiences and keys, the Lord’s servants were able to move His work forward with greater power and authority.
| Person | Keys Restored | Blessings and Responsibilities Today |
|---|---|---|
| Moses | Gathering of Israel | The authority to preach the gospel to gather Israel (missionary work). |
| Elias | The dispensation of the gospel of Abraham | The blessings of the Abrahamic covenant and the responsibilities associated with that covenant (see Abraham 2:9–11 for a review of these blessings and responsibilities). |
| Elijah | Sealing power | The power that makes priesthood ordinances valid in heaven. The sealing power makes possible temple marriage, sealings to children and ancestors, eternal families, and temple ordinance work for the dead. |
