Lessons on the Temple
Lesson No. Forty

The Temple in the Book of Mormon

Introduction – “Whenever the Lord has had a people on the earth who will obey His word, they have been commanded to build temples in which the ordinances of the gospel and other spiritual manifestations that pertain to exaltation and eternal life may be administered” (LDS Bible Dictionary, Temple).

Building of temples is referenced in the Book of Mormon – These references include:

  • After the Nephites separated from the Lamanites, they “did build a temple” (2 Nephi 5:16). 

  • After the Nephites settled in the land of Zarahemla they built a temple.  King Benjamin invited his people to gather at this temple to hear his final sermon.  (Mosiah 1:18)

  • A group of Nephites returned to the land of Nephi and reoccupied the temple. (Mosiah 7:17)

  • The Lord appeared to the Nephites at the temple in the land Bountiful.  (3 Nephi 11:1)

Nephites worshiped and reconciled with the Lord in temples –   

  • “And I, Nephi, did build a temple” and “we lived after the manner of happiness” (2 Nephi 5:16, 27).  Temple worship is essential to truly live after the manner of happiness.

  • The temple was central to their worship.  They were taught at the temple by Jacob (Jacob 1:17), Benjamin (Mosiah 1:18), Limhi (Mosiah 7:17), and Jesus (3 Nephi 11:1).

  • Temple ordinances are given “that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to [Christ] for redemption” (Alma 13:2).  Elder Russell M. Nelson taught: “Ordinances of the temple symbolize our reconciliation with the Lord” (Ensign, Nov 1996, 35).

In the temple we make covenants, and we keep those covenants primarily in the home – The Lord taught this principle when, at the conclusion of His first day with the Nephites, He said:  “I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words….Therefore, go ye unto your home and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again” (3 Nephi 17:2-3).  This principle applies to temple worship.

The Book of Mormon speaks of “the greater things” associated with temple worship – 

  • Mormon in making his abridgment said that he had written “a lesser part of the things which [Jesus] taught the people.”  Mormon continued, “And when [the gentiles] have received this (the Book of Mormon] which is expedient they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them” (3 Nephi 26:8-9, emphasis added).  This prophesy is being fulfilled in our day.  People are given the Book of Mormon to try their faith, and if they believe the Book of Mormon then they are on the path to the temple where greater things will be taught them.

  • Alma and Moroni both spoke of greater things.  (See Alma 12:9-10; Mormon 8:12) The greater things include “the mysteries of godliness” (D&C 84:19-21).  The mysteries of godliness cannot be discovered by man alone, they must be revealed from God.  They are found in the temple.

  • The Nephites were taught “marvelous things; and the things they [were taught] were forbidden that there should not any man write them” (3 Nephi 26:16).  The temple is sacred, and therefore we do not write down the things we learn there or speak of them outside.

Testimony – In the temple we learn the plan of salvation, including the plan of ordinances, in unique and wonderful ways.  These are the greater things.  We are prepared to receive these greater things by gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon and living its teachings.

Even after we receive the greater things of the temple our daily prayer and study of the Book of Mormon gives us the power to resist temptation and fully keep our temple covenants.