The Draper Utah Temple is the 129 th to be dedicated by the Church. Until June 1, 1997, 167 years after that little meeting in the Whitmer Farmhouse in 1830, the Church had built but 50 temples. By 40 months later, to the day, October 1, 2000, the Church had doubled that number. The Oquirrh Mountain Temple will be dedicated in July, and the temples announced but not yet completed take that number to well over 140.
Brigham Young once said that the day would come when temples would dot the earth, and in the times we live, oh how we need them. Increasingly in General Conference we hear the prophets speak of our darkening times, yet in this era that could be just alarming, instead we have a landscape that is marked by these sacred Houses of God, announcing “Holiness to the Lord”, extending their invitation and possibility to be reconciled to God and enter His presence again.
In an unsafe world, they are the ultimate places of safety—not because we would all rush there at once to be saved from calamity and find a place of refuge, but because we build safety into our own hearts as we attend regularly, making God our covenant partner, who offers the covenant blessings—including protection as we face whatever happens in our lives.
The image the Book of Mormon often uses to portray the safety offered by the atonement of Christ is being “encircled in his robes of righteousness.” In the temple we are so encircled. We put on the whole armour of God. We understand more clearly what Nephi meant when he said that “the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.” The temple is all about the Savior and fully accepting the gift of his atonement.
In the temple we are blessed in another circle—surrounded and sealed to family for eternity as the Lord turns the hearts of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers”.
Those who visited this temple during the recent open house felt the power of light, the transcendence of circles of love in ways they couldn't deny. Here are some of their comments:
“The feeling of the Spirit I felt when I walked into the celestial room has changed me. I am now refocused as I was when I was young to strive to be there.”
“Thank you for the Spirit I felt today. The temple was beautiful, but the Spirit was remarkable.”
“The Spirit was so rich. In the sealing room I remembered 42 years ago kneeling with my husband and four daughters and being sealed. He is now gone, as are two of those little girls. How grateful I am for the sealing room.”
“Thank you for this wonderful experience. I am currently an inactive member and it's been a while since I have felt the Spirit so strongly. So thank you for this wonderful feeling I felt.”
“It amazed me to feel the Spirit so strong in the celestial room of an undedicated temple.”
“I am overwhelmed with the love of and for the Savior as I walk in His house tonight. How blessed I feel to have this beautiful new temple.”
“The temple cannot be matched with the Spirit that is felt there. I felt the calming influence of the Lord and His desire for us to learn of Him and to return to Him.”
“From the moment I got on the tour bus I felt the presence of Heavenly Father and did my best not to cry. The temple is so wonderful.”
“This is a magnificent building. I could tell that it is accepted by the Lord because I could feel Him there. You are so blessed to have such a beautiful temple.”
“It was so amazing. My 2 year old kept saying that she could hear Jesus. I was so struck by the feeling that it was really the house of God.”
“I have never felt such beautiful peace. When I was in the celestial room I felt like I never wanted to leave. Thank you for this amazing opportunity to feel close to the Lord…to feel this way.”
“If heaven is anything like the temple, I'll do whatever it takes to get back to my Heavenly Father!”
Click here to go to Part 3 of We Love Thy House, O Lord
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