Holiness to the Lord

The LDS Temple on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles

There is a sad feeling that hits most faithful Latter-day Saints when General Conference weekend is over.  The two days spent hearing uplifting messages from our Lord's mouthpiece here on earth are so great, that when it's over life feels a bit empty.

So, to combat this post Conference slump, I decided to post about latter-day temples.

Each Temple throughout the world bears these words, which never fail to warm my heart:
Holiness to the Lord
The House of the Lord

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only Christian religion that I know of that builds temples.  Temples were built by ancient people, but when the Priesthood of God was taken from the earth, the knowledge of what temples were for was lost.  Information about the purpose of temples, and the authority to act in God's name were restored to the Prophet Joseph Smith for the blessing of all mankind.

No stopping!  No blocking Santa Monica Boulevard!

Today there are 143 temples in operation throughout the world.

The Los Angeles Temple Visitor's Center by night

There are currently 15 temples under construction and 12 more that have been announced.  When all these are completed, there will be a total of 170 temples in the world.

Just to give you some perspective, when I was a girl, there were 16 operating temples, and I could name all of them.  I'm not sure I could name them today!

The Christus Statue by Torvaldsen, a Danish Sculptor

Most of the over 15 million Latter-day Saints in the world now live within 200 miles of an operating temple.

I've also heard (I'm not sure this is true, but I believe it is) that there are now more native Japanese and Spanish speaking Mormons that English speakers, and more Latter-day Saints living outside the United States, than in the U.S.  We are truly a global church. 

The Creation Room, Los Angeles Temple

Temples are not regular places of Sunday worship.  In fact, they are closed on Sundays so people can attend their regular congregations for Sunday School and a main worship service called Sacrament Meeting.

The World Room, Los Angeles Temple

I had trouble finding more photos of the Los Angeles Temple interiors, but these views from other temples will give you an idea of how beautiful it is inside:

A Sealing Room in the Atlanta, Georgia Temple

In the temple, we are taught, we make covenants with God, and we are promised blessings.

The Baptistry - the 12 Oxen represent the 12 Tribes of Israel
(I'm not sure which temple this belongs to, but it's a newer one)

Once we receive sacred temple ordinances for ourselves, we can receive them on behalf of our deceased ancestors.  This means that all God's children have the opportunity for these important ordinances, even if they never heard of Jesus Christ while on the earth.

Temples are a reminder that God loves all his children, and that no blessing will be denied to anyone who seeks Him, whether in this life or the life to come.

The Celestial Room
(I'm not sure where this is, either.  Possibly in the Washington, D.C. temple?)

The temple is a sacred and peaceful place.  It's easy to forget the world and it's troubles within the walls of the temple.

I believe this is a hallway in the Newport Temple
If not, it is very much like it.

To enter a temple, a person has to first be baptized.  Temple preparation includes living the Lord's standards of temple worthiness.

The World Room of the Newport Temple
This picture does not do it justice. The colors are so vibrant in person! It is an incredibly beautiful room.

I'm currently teaching the adult Sunday School class in my congregation.  This year we've been studying the Old Testament.  We're learned how the Lord commanded his people in ancient times to build temples.  These were sacred structures where He could teach, guide, and bless the people.

The Celestial Room of the Ogden, Utah Temple

When Jesus was on the earth, the only existing temple was the Temple of Herod.  Jesus was often found in the temple.

A Sealing Room of the Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah

When the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored in its fullness in the early 1800s, the Lord again commanded His people to build temples.

Temples are the most sacred places on earth.

The Los Angeles Temple

"I love to see the temple", is the lyric to a well-loved LDS Primary Children's song.  I couldn't agree more.  I also love to be in the temple.  There's no place like it on earth.  It is a little bit of heaven.

If you'd like to know more about Mormon temples, visit:  https://www.lds.org/church/temples?lang=eng