The Biblical Temple versus Book of Mormon Temples

 God promised that He would show the children of Israel the place where He would put His Name forever. That place is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Jesus taught there, ascended to heaven from there, and is returning there. The Temple in Jerusalem was the center of worship of the One True God.

 The Bible says that the Temple on earth is an exact replica of the Temple in heaven (Ex 25:40, Heb 8-5). King David (Psalm 138:2) and Daniel while in exile prayed facing Jerusalem and the Temple Mount (Daniel 6:10) in acknowledgement of Solomon’s prayer request at its dedication, and in acknowledgement that it was God’s dwelling place on earth. God said that He would answer their prayers when they prayed facing the Holy Temple. There was and is only one Temple. God didn’t tell them to build a in Temple in Egypt or Babylon. King Cyrus of Persia sent them back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. I think it’s significant that thousands of years after its destruction even the possession of the site where God’s Temple was, is still something people are willing to die for. The Catholics claim it’s theirs, Islam claims it’s theirs. You don’t see that with Mormon Temples.

            Here’s the most important point. The Temple was standing when Jesus walked the earth.  The sacrifices and ordinances commanded by God to be performed there all pointed to Christ and His Atonement. They are types and shadows and the fulfillment is Christ. It was how God told Israel to worship Him. The Mormon temples and the things that they do there are nothing like what the  God the Bible commanded. They are not types and shadows of Christ. What are they types and shadows of? (I have the answer is you want to know.)They are man-made, that’s for sure. The Northern Kingdom tried that, and now they are the Lost Ten Tribes.

Jesus said that man made religion, ordinances, etc. is not worship that He’ll accept. It’s vain, empty, and useless. “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men... Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” Mark 7:7-9

Last but not least, I was told when I was a little Mormon girl that we needed to go to Salt Lake (the desert) to go to the temple. It was where I was married. They tell you that Christ appears at the Temple in the “Solemn Assembly Room”. It reminds me of the words of Christ.

“Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”  Matt 24:27-26

According to the Words of Christ He’s not skulking around Mormon Temples in SLC or anywhere else.