The Temples of the Lord

The Temples now being built to the Lord, will be dedicated to him for his work to be performed in, and will stand as monuments in time and all eternity, showing forth a tangible kingdom to be established in the last days upon the earth.  Although unfinished they stand forth in grand relief in our mountain vales, and no Latter-day Saint can look upon these gigantic edifices without particular feelings of awe, and sublimity, and as we read the words of Solomon, when he built a house to the Lord, he felt his weakness, so great was the magnitude of the work for so great an end.  Said Solomon “But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?  Behold heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!”  Solomon offered up a most efficient prayer for the people of the Lord, and the Lord appeared to Solomon and said to him, “I have heard thy prayers and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.”  He also made promises to Solomon in regard to curses that should come upon the land on account of sin: The dearth, locusts and pestilence.  “Now mine eyes shall be opened, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.”  II Chronicles chap. vii.  One Temple was sufficient in those days but now many are necessary, to perform the work of the last days; and let us be diligent in assisting to build our temples, that our Father in heaven will commune with us, and turn away our afflictions; the canker worm, caterpillar, and all devouring insects, our enemies, and all sin; that we may go into these holy temples with clean hands, and pure hearts and rejoice in the God of Israel, who has accounted us worthy to build temples to his holy name, wherein we can attend to the redemption of our dead; open the prison doors and let the captive free.

“Behold I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his Temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: he shall come, with the Lord of hosts.”  But who may abide the day of his coming?  Malachi chapter iii: “And I will come near to you to judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorceress, and against the adulteress, and against false swearers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me; saith the Lord of hosts.”  Also 5th and 6th verses last chapter, “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 hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

Many prayers were heard and answered in the Temple at Jerusalem.  Zacharias was promised a child: the forerunner of Christ.  Hannah was blessed by the high priest Eli, in the house of the Lord, and had a son.  Samuel who was a mighty prophet was raised up in that house.  The Latter-day Saints have also been blessed in the temples that have been built, and many things made known by vision, revelation, and the pure and the holy Spirit of the Lord, has been poured out in great abundance.

What a great satisfaction it will be to those who give their mite toward the great and noble work, the building of the temples of the Lord in the last days, to bring about God’s purposes for the winding up scene.

M. A. M. Pratt
Salt Lake City, Sep. 6th, 1881.

[Woman’s Exponent, 1881]

[transcribed and proofread by David Grow, May 2007]