Lessons on the Temple
Lesson No. Sixty-Seven
The Temple Bridges the Past, the Present, and the Future
President Ezra Taft Benson gave us powerful insights about our pre-earth life – He wrote:
Illustration of the Plan of Salvation connecting the pre-mortal life, our ancestors, us in the present with temples, and the three degrees of glory of Heaven. (Illustrator was not found.)
“We once knew well our Elder Brother and His and our Father in Heaven. We rejoiced at the prospects of earth life that could make it possible for us to have a fullness of joy. We could hardly wait to demonstrate to our Father and our Brother, the Lord, how much we loved them and how we would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the evil one.
“Now we are here. Our memories are veiled. We are showing God and ourselves what we can do. Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us.”
“God loves us. He is watching us. He wants us to succeed. We will know some day that He has not left one thing undone for the eternal welfare of each of us. If we only knew it, heavenly hosts are pulling for us—friends in heaven that we cannot now remember who yearn for our victory. This is our day to show what we can do—what life and sacrifice we can daily, hourly, instantly make for God. If we give our all, we will get His all from the greatest of all” (First Presidency Message, Ensign, December 1988).
Illustration of three generations of a family followed by the multitudes of their ancestors. (Illustrator was not found.)
The belief in a pre-mortal life where we had Parents, family, and friends is a great motivator to live the gospel in this life – To believe that we have “friends in heaven (from our pre-mortal life) who we cannot now remember who yearn for our victory” increases our understanding of the importance of this life. Friendships formed in the pre-mortal life continue in this life, and if we are faithful in this life they will continue in the eternities to come. I believe that friendships formed in our pre-mortal life include our companion, children, grandchildren, siblings, and other ancestors and descendants. Parents bond with their children at birth, and mothers often while still in the womb. Who else yearns more for our victory, then and now, than our family members.
Susan and I believe we were close friends in our pre-mortal lives. From our first blind date we were instantly attracted to each other, and it has been that way since. We feel the same about our children and grandchildren.
The temple is the bridge that ties together the past, the present, and the future – In this life, living the gospel is easier with help from family and friends. It is also a great blessing to know that we have help from family and friends who are pulling for us from the pre-mortal existence and in the post-mortal spirit world. The temple enhances our feelings that we are part of an Eternal Family.
President Benson taught that now “our memories are veiled” and “nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us.” I am sure the same is true with our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, when our memories are restored we will then realize how well we knew our loved ones from our pre-mortal life. We will then see more clearly that the blessings of the temple tie together eternity past, eternity present, and eternity future.