Since God is we ought

The idea of the Lords House, a Temple,  is interwoven throughout our entire body of scripture. The Temple has existed in multiple places and multiple forms all the way from a simple stone alter to the magnificent structure of Solomon’s Temple.  The temple keys have been present at many times and places throughout the dispensations. The wonder of the Temple has influenced not only the believers but also the world at large. The mysteries of the temple have been sought after from the Hamitic line in Egypt all the way up to Jewish mystics of today.  Groups have recognized the loss of these ultimate truths at various points of history.  The Jews most noticeably after rebuilding the temple after its first destruction said it was missing many things such as the Ark of the Covenant, the holy eternal fire, and the spirit of the Lord.  They didn't realize that they themselves were missing the higher covenant from their temple, the covenant that their forefathers had received.  We see in Genesis that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the place called Bethel (literally translated the house of the lord) received messengers from the Lord and received the Covenant from God of everlasting families and children in number beyond the stars of the sky and all were renamed by the Lord, Jacob most notably became Israel.  The message repeats itself in Isaiah, “And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder, so he shall open and none shall shut” and in Revelations,  “and in a stone a new name written” and Mosiah, “and I give unto them a name”. The temple discusses our earliest ancestors Adam and Eve.  We see this theme and other parts of the mysteries played out in rituals from many cultures in almost every age. The Egyptians death ritual has the first man, Atúm, being tested to enter heaven; they wore a sacred garment on death with appropriate symbolism. This is something we see among the early Chinese as well. The Egyptians sought to replace the priesthood, which was lost to them. The Zoroastrians from the time of Persia up to modern times have a temple like ceremony and wear a white garment throughout their lives as a sign of their promises to God, a God different in name, but incredibly similar to Jehovah.  The Mandeans, a gnostic church from soon after the time of Christ, a group that still exists today in small numbers, also discusses Adam in their sacred ceremonies and the sacred knowledge and signs needed to enter heaven.  Brigham Young famously said that the purpose of the temple is to receive the signs and tokens needed to pass by the sentinel angels and enter heaven.  From mysticism to freemasonry we can see vestiges of the truth lost to be regained in modern times.  Although there is very little description of the temple ceremonies, including baptism for the dead, in ancient scripture there is ample evidence that the ancient prophets were well versed in these “mysteries”.  Although the Temple Keys have always existed the work of saving the dead will reach its peak in this the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times.

 

The central message of the Gospel is The Plan of Salvation. These principals are taught in one form or fashion by all the Worlds Christian denominations. Sadly as religion has, as they say in the vernacular, became more “progressive” salvation has become an abstract idea. Even among the more orthodox The Plan of Salvation is a poorly understood principal. For those of us gifted with a testimony of the restored gospel it has a very different reality. One of its most beautiful concepts is that of the eternal family a concept so beautifully taught to Jacob who became Israel in the process. That precept and the Temple Keys that make the work possible are present in our day to a degree never before seen. The heavens have been opened, the gospel has been restored, the priesthood keys have been delivered and the dead are speaking. They are calling on us to do their work; they are present in the Temples proclaiming their acceptance and joy. It has been my observation that the Griffins of early America were religious people. They did in fact believe in their God. As I have researched these families I find myself looking for clues as to their religious convictions. I find it very comforting when I come to the conclusion that they will accept the work. I can testify that there are people working on both sides of the Veil to bring about this marvelous work. One of the more recent families I have been working on is the family of Daniel Stevens and Mercy Griffin. That project was blessed with the discovery of a collection of letters preserved in the Connecticut State Library. The letters were written in the time frame of 1850 to 1870. They paint a picture of a very loving family. Deeply involved in caring for each other and their widowed father. The letters primarily revolve around their concern for their two brothers serving in the Civil War, Ellis and Emerson who survived, among others, the battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg. The primary letter writer is their sister Sabra who married Harlow Lewis. Her letters are poignant with her concern for the boys. They in turn write that with the passing of their mother she has stepped in to fill that role in their lives.  What follows is an excerpt from one of her letters. See if you get a sense of their belief in salvation and family.

 I trust that the message will inspire all of us to lengthen our stride as we perform this important work of saving our family.

Sabra had been discussing the number of funerals in town including a woman who “left a babe two days old.” “Death is all around us. The new year seems eager to fill its numbers……Our time will come ere long and if we are ready it will not be an unwelcome messenger to us. We shall be glad to lay this weary body to rest and be free from care and sin. We have the promise that if we are truly his we shall be at rest.  I hope we all shall meet in heaven. The departed ones that have left us, which I trust, are those waiting to welcome us home. I do feel very sad today. I am thinking where I was three years ago. Life very different than the scene I witnesses then and Friday it will be three years since my mother one the best of mothers died. She is gone never to return but we may one day go to her. This is a comfort to think that we may meet if we are faithful to the end  AND SINCE GOD IS WE OUGHT’.