Temples

Fort Collins Temple

Temples have been an important part of the Lord's church for a long time. We even read about them in the Old Testament. In fact, when Moses and the Israelites were walking in the wilderness they had a tabernacle that traveled with them. Solomon built a temple to worship God as well. He did not have to make it portable, so he made a large one of stone. In Isaiah, we learn more about why we need temples rather than how they are built.

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, an d let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths..."

~Isaiah 2:2-3

I love that we are learning the things that will lead us to exaltation in the temples still. I learn something new every time I go, and it is not always something that is formally being taught. There are times where I am praying in and meditating that I learn a lot in the form of personal revelation. After all, we are closer to the Lord when we are in the temple than any where else. 

I, also, love that Isaiah says that "all nations [will] flow unto [the temple]. We can really see this come true today. I remember President Hinkley saying that we would have over 100. At the time, it seemed like a lofty goal, but he was the prophet, so I believed him. I just did not know how this would happen. Before I knew it, there were what we called at the time mini temples being built in more places than I could keep track of. The goal of 100 temples was complete by 200 (https://www.lds.org/ensign/2000/11/news-of-the-church/a-milestone-in-church-history-100-temples?lang=eng) This month, President Nelson, our current prophet, announced twelve more temples that will be built. This will make 201 temples that will be either "operating, announced, or under construction" (https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/temples-announced-october-2018-general-conference). This means that people from nations from all over the world are able to go to the temple. 

This month, in the Women's Session of General Conference, President Nelson gave us some goals to help us gather Israel. Among those goals was to make temple attendance a regular part of our lives. While we attend the temple we are to, "Seek to know more, to understand more, to feel more about temples than [we] ever have before." Again, I think this fulfills the prophesy/teachings of Isaiah.

As I have studied Isaiah this week and worked on the goals set forth by President Nelson has made me understand even more about how the Church today is not only like the Church of the Bible, it also fulfills the prophesies of the Bible.

We Can Overcome Obstacles

http://www.believetrust.com/bible/ezra-4-opposition-rebuilding/

There are so many things in this life that make it hard for us to do the things that we know we need to do. Sometimes they are self inflicted. For example, social media is a highly addictive platform that can affect our mood and suck away hours of our lives. Some of the obstacles we have to overcome a due to the decisions of other people. For me, this was the case in my divorce. There are still many other challenges that we face without understanding why we have to be the one to live with them. This would be the case in the death of my mom and brother. No matter what the trials are we face in life, we can learn from them or dwell on them.
In the book of Ezra, the people of Israel worked together to rebuild the temple including the alter for the sacrifices. They did this because of their faithfulness to the Lord. Then, in chapter 4, the Samaritans tricked the children of Israel into believing that they wanted to help. Instead of helping, they hindered the work. They even wrote a letter to the king and lied about the motives for the city and temple to be rebuilt. Because of this letter, the king commanded they cease the building of the temple. When men were sent to find out what their motive was for building the temple, the people answered, "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago..." (Ezra 5:11). Then, they explained everything they were replacing and why. Finally, the king decrees that the people could be built.
These people learned and showed great things through this trial. First of all, they learned patience. The people did not know how long it would take before they were told they could continue to build the temple. They did know that it was a commandment of the Lord to do so, though. They, also, show that honesty can help with the Lord's work. When the governor asked why and how, they told him exactly how they planned on completing it and that it was for worshiping the Lord. Finally, they learned that the work of the Lord will go on no matter what obstacles are put in the path.