Lessons on the Temple
Lesson No. Fifty-Four

The Dispensation of the Fullness of Times

All other dispensations have looked forward to our dispensation with joyful anticipation - The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote:  “The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live" (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church – Joseph Smith p.186).

Our dispensation welds together in “a whole and complete and perfect union” all prior dispensations - The Prophet Joseph was visited by all dispensation heads from “Adam down to the present time, all declaring their dispensations, their rights, their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their priesthood….”  These dispensation heads taught Joseph “giving line upon line, precept upon precept; here a little, and there a little; giving us consolation by holding forth that which is to come, confirming our hope” (D&C 128:18, 21)

The Lord has revealed doctrine that pertain to our dispensation that has never been revealed before (see D&C124:41) – Children in our dispensation understand things that have been “kept hidden from the wise and prudent” in prior dispensations (D&C 128:18).  This includes: 

Redeeming the dead pertains to the dispensation of the fullness of times – Any temple work performed for the Dead in New Testament times or among the Nephites was very limited in time and place.  In our dispensation the Lord has provided modern technology, communications, and transportation to overcome the limitations of the past and move his work forward worldwide.

The work of our dispensation takes place and is correlated on both sides of the veil - “I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, through the sacrifice of the Only begotten son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead” (D&C 138:57).

In a sermon entitled All are Alike unto God describing the revelation on the priesthood received by President Spencer W. Kimball on June 1, 1978, Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained that this revelation was of “tremendous import and of eternal significance” because it “affects our missionary work and all of our preaching to the world.  This affects our genealogical research and all of our temple ordinances.  This affects what is going on in the spirit world because the gospel is preached in the spirit world preparatory to men’s receiving the vicarious ordinances which make them heirs to salvation and exaltation…. We correlate and combine our activities and do certain things for the salvation of men while we are in mortality, and then certain things are done for the salvation of men while they are in the spirit world awaiting the day of the resurrection.”

Testimony – A new dispensation is required because of apostasy in the previous dispensation. All other dispensations fell into apostasy, ours will not.  The knowledge that there will not be a general apostasy in our dispensation is a wonderful blessing.  What this means is that while there may be individual apostasy, but if we stay in the mainstream of the Church and follow the prophet our future in things that matter is certain and secure.