Why Mormons Build Temples

by Elder Mark E. Petersen Member of the Council of the Twelve

January 1972

As you have visited temples erected by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or as you have seen photographs of them, have you ever wondered why such edifices are built?

These temples are different from all other buildings in the world. Beautiful structures have been erected by other peoples, of course, and some of them have been called temples, but none have either the purpose or the functions of the Mormon temples.

Why do the Latter-day Saints build these temples? How are they used? Are they for worshipping assemblies or for ritualistic purposes? Just what takes place in them? Why have the Latter-day Saints made such investments in time, effort and money in such projects as these?

For more than a century they have carried on the work of temple building. It began with the Prophet Joseph Smith who erected two of these buildings and projected two more, all in the Middle-Western part of the United States .

On coming west, the Latter-day Saints continued this work, and within a few years of their arrival completed four temples in Utah . Since that time they have built others in Utah, Idaho, Arizona, California, Alberta, Canada; Hawaii, Switzerland, England and New Zealand.

It has been a multimillion dollar investment. The members of the Church have built in good times and bad, in the depths of poverty and affliction, always doing so in a spirit of worship and gratitude, for they were obeying the will of God.

Latter-day Saints declare that through the Prophet Joseph Smith the fulness of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ was restored to the earth. That "fulness" meant completeness. All things pertaining to the Gospel anciently were given to men in modern times by means of this restoration.

In Biblical times sacred ordinances were administered in holy edifices for the spiritual salvation of ancient Israel . The buildings thus used were not synagogues, nor any other ordinary places of worship. They were specially constructed for this particular purpose. While the people travelled in the wilderness, they used a portable Tabernacle. This tabernacle is called "the temple of the Lord," and it was there, for instance, that Samuel's mother went to pray.Samuel 1:9.1 When they ceased their wanderings and obtained a stable government, they built a glorious rumple in Jerusalem to take its place.

Following the pattern of Biblical days, the Lord again in our day has provided these ordinances for the salvation of all who will

believe, and directs that temples be built in which to perform those sacred rites.

Anciently, to obtain the savng blessings of the Lord, it was necessary for an individual to do two things:

(1) Live the righteous life described in the commandments of the Lord, and

(2) Participate in the saving ordinances administered by the Lord's truly authorized servants.

Although some of these ordinances could be performed wherever the people found themselves, others were so sacred that the Lord required that they be performed in a specially built edifice, such as the Tabernacle or Temple , as at first, or the Great Temple which replaced it.

There the priesthood ministered in solemn rites. Not everyone could enter, only those of proven worthiness. Unauthorized officiators suffered the wrath of God. The holy ordinances were never fully made known to the world at large; they were too sacred, but the chosen and faithful participated in all solemnity.

Temple Work Restored

As the Gospel was restored in these last days, temple building and temp7le ordinances also were restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Latter-day Saints were taught by their prophet that celestial glory could be theirs in the eternal world, but only through "obeying the celestial law, and the whole law, too."

Speaking to his people on April 8, 1844, the Prophet Joseph said that the temple ordi nances as he was giving them were so important that "without them we cannot obtain celestial thrones. But there must be a holy place prepared for that purpose."History of the Church. 6:318-320.2

Without temples, therefore, the blessings could not be given. The answer consequently was that the Saints should build temples and this the Lord commanded them to do.

Unitedly they began the work. Their first one was built at Kirtland , Ohio . It still stands today, although it was dedicated in 1836, but it is no longer in their hands

The temple at Kirtland was only a preparatory one, in which many of the sacred rites were revealed. Since it was only preparatory, and since the major portion of temple work was reserved to be given in other temples, the temple was not constructed after the pattern used in the later edifices. It has no baptismal font, for instance, and no rooms for marriages and other important ordinances It was built largely on the order of a worshipping assembly.

Persecution drove the saints from Kirtland and their temple had to be abandoned. They made a settlement at Jackson County, Missouri, and dedicated a temple site there, but persecution prevented construction. They made homes at Far West , Missouri , not far from Independence , and laid cornerstones at that location for a third temple, but persecution again interfered.

Movng to Nauvoo , Illinois , still under the direction of the Prophet Joseph Smith, they laid cornerstones for their fourth temple, and this time completed it despite attacks by their enemies who martyred the Prophet and his brother Hyrum.

Traversing the plains to Utah , the Latter-day Saints resumed their temple-building with undiminished fervor. They desired salvation in the presence of God. They understood that temple ordinances were essential to that salvation and, therefore, they spared no effort in building edifices in which to obtain them.

But how could a temple be so essential to one's salvation? Was it so in ancient times? What part did the temple in Jerusalem play in the religious life of ancient Israel ?

That the temple in Jerusalem was more than a synagogue is well established. That it was a sacred place in which only the priesthood could minister is also recognized. That its "Holy of Holies" was reserved for the most faithful is well known. That sacred ordinances not in any way related to the usual synagogue worship were administered there is likewise a fact. And that they were not open to the view of the curious and the uninitiated is also admitted.

Temple Was Desecrated

The temple in Jerusalem was desecrated by the unworthy who came there and made it a market place in the days of Jesus, as will be remembered. It was that which so angered the Savior that he drove them out of the temple with the words, "It is written my house shall be called the House of Prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."Matthew 21:13.3

Temples built in latter days are equally sacred and, therefore, they too are reserved only for the most faithful members of the Church.

But what goes on in a temple? Naturally there is curiosity about that which is kept from the public view.

As the temples have been built, they have been opened to public inspection and thousands have visited them and admired their beauty. After the buildings are dedicated and the usual activities of temple work are begun, no interruption is permitted to accommodate tourist groups.

When visitors have gone from room to room prior to the dedication of these temples, explanations have been given concerning the work done there.

Always a center of interest is the baptismal font. In each of the temples this font rests upon the backs of twelve stone or bronze oxen, following in this, as in other particulars, the pattern given by the Prophet Joseph Smith as he instituted temple building in his day under the direction of the Lord.

Why is there a baptismal font in the temple? Cannot people be baptized anywhere?

The living, yes. But the font in the temple is for vicarious baptisms performed in behalf of the dead.

Baptism for the dead? Is that a Christian doctrine?

In the epistle to the Hebrews we read about the forefathers of the faithful and then the author declares "that they without us should not be made perfect,"Hebrews 11:40.4 showing that there is a definite relationship between the salvation of the living and the dead.

Many people believe in some form of vicarious work for the dead, and burn candles or say prayers in their behalf.

The atonement of the Christ himself was a vicarious work. He died for us, that we might live. His suffering atoned for our sins. His was a vicarious sacrifice "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."John 3:16.5 "He was wounded for our transgressionsIsaiah 53:3-12.6 and by his stripes we are heard." He gave his life as a ransom for us, a vicarious offering.Matthew 20:28.7 His blood cleanses us of all sin.I John 1:5-7.8 By his being slain he redeemed us.Revelation 5:9-10.9

Vicarious work for the dead is a Biblical and a Christian doctrine. If men are to participate in it, they should determine what kind of service is acceptable to God. Obviously every form devised by man could not be approved. To arrive at an answer to this question, we should ask ourselves what is required to save a living person and then inquire if the Lord sets up something different to save the dead.

What does the Bible say may be done by the living to help save the dead? Is it the burning of candles? Is it the saying of prayers? Is it bringing food to the tomb as in the Orient, or equipment for travel, or implements of war?

Dead May Yet Be Saved

People who die without having been taught the gospel may yet be saved in the presence of God. This is made clear in the scriptures. But how? That is the question.

Jesus preached to the dead. The Apostle Peter taught this in his day, saying that after the death of the Savior, and while his body lay in the tomb, the Lord, as a spirit, went to the realm of the dead and there preached to the spirits of the people who previously had lived on the earth.I Peter 3:18-20.10

Then he gives us the reason for this preaching: "For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to the men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. "I Peter 4:6.11

These remarkable passages then make it known:

(1) That Jesus was a personage of both spirit and flesh, like all of us.

(2) That when Jesus went to the realm of the dead he was still himself an individual, the humble "Carpenter from Nazareth," although a spirit divested of his body of flesh and bones which had been crucified.

(3) That the dead—even those who died in the flood—also were intelligent persons, still individuals, although spirits like Jesus himself.

(4) That these dead were so much in possession of their reason and their faculties that they could hear the gospel like men in the flesh although they lived in a world of spirits, and that they were alive and alert and could use discretion in accepting or rejecting the teachings of Christ.

(5) That Jesus taught them the gospel, which was their opportunity for salvation.

(6) That having heard the gospel, they might accept it or reject it and thus be "judged according to men in the flesh." If they did accept it, they could then "live according to God in the spirit" just as the scripture indicated.

Now, what are the requirements made by the gospel for the salvation of living persons?

They must "live according to God" while they are in the flesh, conforming to both the laws and the ordinances of salvation including, for example, such ordinances as baptism in water.

Is baptism that necessary?

Jesus considered it so and was baptized himself in order "to fulfill all righteousness."Matthew 3:15.12 Can mankind do less than He?

Jesus' disciples baptized even more than did John the Baptist.John 4:1-2.13 And it was Jesus who taught, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,"Mark 16:16.14 making baptism as essential to salvation as faith itself. Then can we ignore baptism?

If baptism is so essential for the salvation of the living, is it less essential for the salvation of the dead? Can we reasonably suppose that some other rite would replace baptism, such for instance as burning candles or saying prayers?

But how can the dead receive baptism? History teaches that the early Christians baptized living persons in behalf of their dead. It was a customary practice. It was so in Paul's day. In fact he used this early Christian practice as evidence of the resurrection of the dead. To those who had doubted the resurrection he said, "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead? If the dead rise not at all, why then are they baptized for the dead?"Corinthians 15:29.15

This then is the real Christian doctrine of salvation for the dead. The same ordinance which was used for the living was used also for the dead. Nothing new was introduced. God did not require one thing for the dead and a different thing for the living. He treated them all alike and could therefore in all consistency judge the dead according to men in the flesh as Peter said, even while they lived in the spirit world.

Ordinances Made Available

Inasmuch as the gospel was preached to the dead, its ordinances were made available in their behalf.

Since baptism was an ordinance requiring immersion in water for all, whether living or dead, and since there was no way in which to baptize the dead personally, living people were properly baptized for and in behalf of the dead.

As part of the restoration of the gospel in these last days, the Lord revealed this doctrine and practice to the Prophet Joseph Smith, and commanded him to build temples in which these rites could be carried on.

The Saints, at this time, were living in Nauvoo, Illinois. Giving heed to the Lord's command, they prepared to build their temple in that city. They gave preference to the completion of the lower areas of the building, wherein they erected their first font. It was the intention to have a beautiful permanent vessel there for these vicarious baptisms and such an one was later built. But while the permanent structure was in course of preparation, a temporary one was made of wood, and in it these sacred ordinances for the dead were performed under the personal direction of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Thus was instituted one of the most important of all Christian practices, one which had been ignored and forgotten since the days of Peter and Paul, yet which was essential and fundamental in God's plan to save his children.

Without it how could He save them? All were alike to him and all must be treated alike with equal fairness, all must comply with the same conditions to be saved in His presence.

The Savior himself declared that He was God of both the living and the dead, "for all live unto him," Luke 20:38.16 showing that he regards them all in the same light.

So baptism of the living on behalf of the dead became a regular practice in modern times, just as was the case anciently.

But there are other things of great interest in these temples in addition to the baptismal work for the dead. One of the busiest places is what is known as the sealing room. There are usually five or six of these rooms in each temple to accommodate the many people who use them. They represent in a way what some regard as the most basic principle in the gospel of Christ.

To better understand this doctrine let us first point out that family life is of the greatest importance to the Latter-day Saints. Families are regarded as having everlasting significance. Husbands and wives marry for eternity, not merely until death brings an end to their union.

When children are born to such couples, they form a part of a family circle which is to be projected on through death and the resurrection into life eternal. As happy, loving individuals they may take with them into immortality all the virtues and blessings of a good home since family life becomes a part of our heavenly existence.

It is the doctrine of the Latter-day Saints that marriage never was intended by the Lord to be some temporary arrangement for mortal life alone. Marriage was instituted before mortality. It will continue beyond mortality for worthy persons, if solemnized for that purpose by the power of God.

The first marriage was that of Adam and Eve. It took place while they lived in the garden of Eden when as yet there was neither mortality nor death. It was performed also by the eternal power of God upon which death can place no limitations.

As Adam and Eve afterward disobeyed the Lord, their transgession brought a change in their physical condition which permitted death. In other words, they became mortal. But since their marriage preceded death, and was solemnized by the power of God, it also survived death. It was an eternal union.

May Other People Have It?

May other people have an eternal marriage even as did Adam and Eve? They may if their ceremony is performed by the everlasting power of God. Naturally marriages which are "until death do you part" are but temporary arrangements and end with death. It will be recognized, of course, that persons who perform marriages until death parts the couple have authority extending only that far. They do not have the power to marry for eternity. But there is in existence among men a power which can bind couples together for eternity. Do you recall that before the ascension of Jesus he gave to the apostles power that whatsoever they should bind or seal on earth should be bound and sealed in heaven?Matthew 16:19; 18:18; John 6:27; Romans 15:28; II Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30.17

Did the apostles ever exercise those powers? Everything they did by the authority of their priesthood had eternal significance. Even when a man was baptized, for instance, he received an eternal blessing. Will anyone say that baptism refers to mortality alone? Was not baptism essential to our salvation in the presence of God? Is not that salvation a matter which pertains to eternity?

Then those divinely authorized and ordained apostles performed acts on earth which were binding in heaven. This meant that the acts which they performed on earth will have effect upon individuals not only in this life but also in God's heavenly kingdom after they are dead.

It was part of the Lord's plan, otherwise why did he give the apostles power to bind in heaven as well as upon earth?

The significance of this point is emphasized still further as we reflect again upon the principle of vicarious baptism for the dead. It will be remembered that Peter said the Gospel was given to the dead that they might live according to God in the spirit world and yet be judged according to men in the flesh.

Baptism for the dead was provided to help dose the gap between "living according to God" in the spirit world and bring subject to the standards set up for men in the flesh. Living and dead were placed on an equal basis as far as salvation was concerned but to do so required a type of priesthood authority which was recognized both in this life and in the life to come. Hence the need of apostles being clothed with this power to bind or seal both for here and herafter.

As this principle pertains to baptism, so it applies to marriage. Marriage is ordained of God.Genesis 2:24-25; 1:28; 9:1:7; 35:11; Hebrews 13:4.18 The Almighty himself performed the first marriage, as we have said, before there was such a condition as mortality. It was He who gave the woman Eve to the man Adam, and then commanded them to multiply and replenish the earth. In performing this first marriage, of course, the Lord exercised His own eternal powers but He afterward gave to His ordained apostles a portion of that same power so that they could perform acts which would have eternal continuity also.

It is admitted that this eternal power made the benefits of baptism everlasting. Is there any reason why the same power could not give eternal permanence to marriage which was instituted by the same bring who also instituted baptism?

It should and it does. Husbands and wives may be bound together for time and all eternity by the power of this priesthood and in the same manner children are bound eternally to their parents. Families thus may be held together forever. Loving husbands and wives need not end their happy relationship at death. Neither need children be forever orphaned.

Just as baptism may bring them into the presence of God so may this sealing or binding ordinance of marriage preserve them there as a family unit.

Could heaven really be complete to any of us if we were deprived of our loved ones, if the most sacred and endearing ties in life were severed?

God is love. He preserves love. Our family relationships are built upon love. He who established such ties will preserve them in His kingdom.

So our temples have in them sealing rooms so-called because of the sealing or binding ordinances performed in them. Within their sacred walls bride and groom kneel at the altar and are sealed or bound in the holy order of matrimony for all eternity. Parents not previously sealed may bring their children to these rooms, that the family may be bound together for eternity by the powers of the Holy Priesthood.

What Of Their Families?

But what of the families who are dead? May husbands and wives who have departed this life be brought together again even though death has broken their marriage bonds? May marriages which were performed "until death should them part" be renewed on some eternal and everlasting basis? May dead children in some way be given back to their parents who are also dead so that families may be united again in the hereafter?

The power which binds on earth and in heaven is effective both in this life and in the life to come. It provides the necessary ordinances for the living and the dead. As it extends the redeeming power of baptism to those who live "according to God in the spirit," so it provides the sealing ordinances of marriage for the dead also, the living officiating in behalf of their departed loved ones.

Who may perform these vicarious works? May anyone participate?

Again, the Lord's house is a house of order. There is no confusion with God. That all might be done in order, it is ordained that every man and woman may perform this labor of love for their own departed relatives.

But how can this be done? Let us ask in reply, who knows the dead better than the blood relatives of the dead? Who has a great er interest in them? Who is more anxious to assist them?

But how can this assistance be given? By every family preparing its own genealogies to provide the identification needed to perform the ordinances for the dead. Properly performed ordinances for properly identified persons are acceptable to the Lord. He provides that all such work be done in a house especially built for that purpose. Such houses are called temples.

Why do Latter-day Saints build temples? That in them they may receive those sealing blessings for themselves and perform for their kindred the vicarious baptisms and sealings which will permit them in the words of Peter to "live according to God in the spirit" and yet be judged according to the opportunities and standards of men in the flesh.

In discussing this subject at one time the Prophet Joseph Smith taught his people: "There must be a place built expressly for that purpose, and for men to be baptized for their dead; * * * for every man who wishes to save his brothers, sisters and friends, must go through all the ordinances for each one of them separately, the same as for himself." History of the Church, 6:318-320.19

But how was such a work as this started in modern times? What is its further background?

One of the great Biblical prophecies tells of a modern mission of the ancient prophet Elijah who, it is declared, should come to the earth in the last days before the "great and dreadful day of the Lord." His coming was so important, says the scripture, that if it failed the whole earth would be smitten with a curse.

Malachi records the prophecy in the last few words of his book. It reads as follows:

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." Malachi 4:5-6.20

Two Important Elements

There are two interesting things about this prophecy.

First it has a definite time element. Malachi says Elijah is to come to the earth before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. We are living in the period immediately preceding that day. By the signs of the times we know that Christ's coming is near. Then by the same token, we may know that the coming of Elijah was reserved for the period of time in which we live.

Tihe question now is whether his coming is yet future, or if he has come in the recent past, and if so, to whom.

This lets us determine by an examination of the second significant thing in this prophecy—the reason for his coming.

Malachi plainly outlines the mission of Elijah—to establish a bond of interest between present and past generations, to "turn the hearts of the children to their fathers." In other words, the precise purpose of Elijah's coming was to create in the hearts of living men and women an interest in their ancestors.

With the purpose of his mission so definitely established by scripture, it remains but to determine whether he has yet come. To do so we must merry answer this question:

Is there a recently developed and widespread interest among living persons regarding their forefathers?

If by investigation we find no such interest, we may take it for granted that Elijah has not yet come. On the other hand, if we discover the presence of widespread genealogical activity we may accept it as direct evidence that he has come.

It is obvious from the scripture that there should be no general interest in ancestry prior to the prophet's coming, for he was to originate it.

From this we may know that if the results of his mission are here, he has come, his work has been launched, and the prophecy has been fulfilled.

What are the facts in the case?

The genealogical interest is here. It is of modern origin, and is so widespread that it has turned the hearts of living persons toward their forefathers in nearly every nation in the so-called western world.

Several hundred societies formed for the express purpose of preparing human pedigrees, have been organized in recent years.

Private individuals by the hundreds of thousands are engaged in a search for the records of their ancestors. Patriotic and hereditary societies have been formed by the score, in which eligibility for membership is based upon proof of descent from some honored statesman, soldier or pioneer.

There are many genealogical magazines in publication in various nations, and some newspapers of wide circulation have run genealogical columns.

Large libraries have been established in various nations devoted exclusively to genealogical material and family history.

Hundreds of thousands of volumes of such data have been published within the last century, and so great has been the popular demand for this kind of printed matter that free public libraries in most cities of the United States have found it necessary to establish genealogical departments, in many cases with trained genealogists in charge.

Through the means of microfilm, additional records in many countries of the world are being copied and preserved. These micro-film records are being used by researchers through the facilities of reading machines and are now among the richest sources of genealogical information.

The appearance of many volumes of fiction with a genealogical or family history theme is another indication of the reason of the American public to this subject. So popular, in fact, have some of these books been that they were among the best sellers for the years of their publication. Among the authors who have succeeded with this type of fiction are Kathleen Norris, Booth Tarkington, John Galsworthy, Pearl Buck and others.

In England, France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Scotland and other European countries governments have required the preservation of genealogical data and in many cases set up archives for this purpose.

When Did It All Begin?

Now since Elijah, whose coming created this interest, was destined by prophecy to appear in the latter days, "before the great and dreadful day of the Lord," it remains to determine if this vast genealogical activity is of modern origin.

The Encyclopedia Americana says:

"In the United States genealogy was generally neglected until the latter part of the 19th century when the organization of patriotic, state and colonial societies aroused an interest in genealogy."

Supporting the Americana, the New Standard Encyclopedia says:

"There has been a growing interest, especially in the United States in matters pertaining to genealogical research, and it forms a very important part of history. This is largely due to the growth of patriotic and hereditary societies which have flourished in the United States since 1890."

These two authorities then set the latter part of the nineteenth century as the period when a general interest in the subject appeared.

It is noted that the formation of patriotic and hereditary societies stimulated genealogical pursuits. Nelson's Encyclopedia explains:

"Patriotic Societies . . . In the United States, organizations in which the members bound together for patriotic work, and in many cases eligibilty is dependent upon descent from an ancestor who participated in the event which the society commemorates. These societies, especially the hereditary ones, publish registers with the pedigree of their members and the records of their ancestors. They celebrate anniversaries of important events in history and foster fraternal feeling among the survivors of wars and their descendents."

Lists of these societies and their aims, particularly concerning ancestral studies, may be found in any large encyclopedia.

These organizations include such groups as the Sons of the American Revolution, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Society of Mayflower Descendants, the Order of Descendants of Colonial Governors, etc.

Their work reveals that the "hearts of the children" are being turned to their fathers in more ways than the preparation of family histories and pedigrees. Interest is shown in the preservation of historical buildings, erection of monuments on sites where their forefathers won glory, the marking of graves, and the construction of memorial parks.

Many of these societies were formed about the year 1890, but some came into being as early as 1850. Naturally it would require a few years for the interest of individuals to crystalize into the organization of societies with a special interest in ancestry. Then to arrive at a definite time when interest began we must look to a year slightly earlier than 1850.

In response to a letter asking the date when genealogical interest began in America, F. A. Virkus, executive director of the Institute of American Genealogy, writes:

"In 1844 the New England Historical Genealogical Society was formed in Boston, and genealogy in America really dates with the rounding of this society."

To show how slender was the interest in this subject in 1844, Josephine E. Rayne, librarian of the New England Historical Genealogical Society, writes:

"When our society was formed, a single bookcase was sufficient to hold the entire library, and had the society then possessed one copy of each American publication devoted wholly to genealogy, a single shelf would have been ample for that division of its library. However, we now have in our specialized library some 80,000 volumes and several thousand pamphlets."

By way of still further arriving at the precise time when widespread genealogical interest began in America, we have a most interesting paragraph from the register of the New England Society for 1847, in which the founders discuss the reasons for forming their organization which came into being in 1844. They say:

"The period has arrived when an awakening and growing interest is felt in this country in the pursuit, and especially the result of historical and genealogical research and when the practical importance, both to individuals and to society, of the knowledge obtained from such investigations begins to be appreciated. The existence and activities of the historical, antiquarian and statistical societies which have arisen within a few years past in most of the other states of the Union is sufficient evidence of the fact."

Note that the founders of the society say this interest has "arisen within a few years past in most of the older states of the Union." And they formed their society in 1844.

The Prophet Elijah Came

We have shown what a tremendous international interest has been aroused in genealogy, and that it began a few years before 1844. According to the scripture, Elijah was to originate that interest. Then Elijah must have come a few years before 1844 in order to have started (according to prophecy) a movement which burst into activity at that time. And so he did!

There is a passage in the first epistle of Peter referring to the flood of Noah's day, saying that "a few, that is eight souls were saved by Water.''I Peter 3:20.21

Exactly "a few, that is eight" years before 1844, the date when the first genealogical society was organized, Elijah made his appearance in fulfillment of the words of Malachi.

In a temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Kirtland, Ohio, Elijah made a glorious appearance to mortal men on April 3, 1836. He there committed to Joseph Smith the "Mormon" prophet, and his associate in the ministry, Oliver Cowdery, powers from on high. In this visitation he declared that he had come in fulfillment of the words of Malachi, to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers—in other words to create in the hearts of mortal men, this genealogical interest in their fathers.

Is there any evidence that Elijah appeared? Every genealogical society, library and magazine; every genealogical record: every name on each page of every pedigree and every individual in the United States and foreign nations who is engaged in seeking after his dead, is a physical witness that Elijah came, because each indicates the fulfillment of that prophet's mission "to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers" as foretold by Malachi.

The results of his mission are all about us. The evidence is condusive. There is no room for doubt. Elijah has come. One of the greatest of the prophecies has been fulfilled. It is one of the most convincing of the signs of all times, testifying that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near.

But not only does this vast genealogical interest testify to the truth of Elijah's coming. It gives equal testimony to the divine calling of men to whom he made his modern appearance. It declares in indisputable truth that the men who received Elijah in that temple in Kirtland were chosen of the Almighty, and that the work they instituted with the assistance of Elijah was heaven-inspired.

Through the revelations of God, and empowered by angelic ministry, they organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and gave to the world in its purity, the Gospel of Christ. They received ordination to the Priesthood from John the Baptist and Peter, James and John, and with that power they preached anew the Gospel in its restored simplicity.

They preached the purpose of Elijah's coming and the reason behind his "turning the hearts of the children to their fathers."

They taught that this genealogical interest has a definte place in the plan of salvation, a direct relationship to the fundamentals of the Christian religion.

So we have great two-fold activity in the earth as a result of Elijah's modern mission. On the one hand there is world-wide activity in the preparation of family histories and pedigrees, providing the necessary identification for those who have lived on the earth and are now dead.

On the other hand is the intense activity of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in building temples and performing in them the sacred ordinances of the gospel that all who come unto Christ may be saved in His kingdom.

The temple work could not be done without the identification provided through this world-wide genealogical research. The two activities go hand in hand to accomplish the work of the Lord as it was instituted by the Prophet Joseph Smith and now carried on by his people.

This is why the "Mormons" build temples.