Gospel Art Picture Kit
Isaiah 2:2–3
And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. Isaiah 2:2–3
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Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, like those in ancient times, are holy buildings dedicated to the Lord. A temple, also called the house of the Lord, is a place where worthy Church members receive sacred ordinances and make solemn covenants with God. In these holy temples families are sealed together forever. Although design and location vary, the work accomplished in each of the Lord’s temples is the same.
Heavenly Father established a plan so that the blessings of the temple could be offered to all His children. People who have received their own ordinances are encouraged to return to the temple often to act as proxies for those who have died without having the opportunity of going to the temple for themselves.
On 28 July 1847, only four days after the Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young marked a site with his cane and declared, “Here we will build a temple to our God.” That site is now Temple Square, the center of Salt Lake City.
Construction on the temple began on 14 February 1853 with a ceremonial groundbreaking, and on 6 April the cornerstones were laid. In 1855 the foundation was finished, and the first granite blocks from a quarry 20 miles south in Little Cottonwood Canyon were assembled. But in 1857 the Saints learned that a U.S. Army unit known as Johnston’s Army was marching on Utah. The pioneers buried all the work they had done, making the entire site look like a plowed field.
Work on the temple progressed very slowly until 1869, when the transcontinental railroad was finished and a spur could be built into the canyon. The completed temple was finally dedicated on 6 April 1893, 40 years to the day since the cornerstones had been laid. Today the Salt Lake Temple stands as a monument to the pioneers who built it and as the religious symbol of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world.
Summary
Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are holy buildings dedicated to the Lord. A temple is also called the house of the Lord. It is a place where worthy Church members receive saving ordinances and make sacred covenants with God. In temples families can be sealed together forever. President Brigham Young marked the site for the Salt Lake Temple on 28 July 1847, but construction did not begin until February 1853. It took the Saints 40 years to build the temple, and today it is the religious symbol of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world.
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