Temple Worthiness Helps to Prepare us for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ
Christ is coming. Are we ready?
Deception and Distraction
In 1978 then-President of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles Ezra Taft Benson gave this warning:
As the second coming of the Lord approaches, Satan’s work will intensify through numerous insidious deceptions…Yes, there is a conspiracy of evil. The source of it all is Satan and his hosts…His evil influence may be manifest through governments; through false educational, political, economic, religious, and social philosophies; through secret societies and organizations; and through myriads of other forms… https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1978/04/may-the-kingdom-of-god-go-forth?lang=eng
In our day of contention and devastation the biggest conspiracy of all, what I consider to be the biggest con of this dispensation, is that we are all being distracted -duped- by Satan. The master deceiver, who has honed his evil craft for eons of time, is blinding us with discord, despair, and distrust. Blinding us to the fact that Jesus Christ is coming soon to the earth. Our King is returning and too few of us, even as Latter-day Saints, are not ready.
How can we know what is true? How do we increase our preparedness? As Latter-day Saints we know that some of the best places to look for truth are in the scriptures and in the words of God’s prophets.
The Watchmen on the Tower
I have noticed an intriguing and exciting pattern over the past several years of general conferences of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. References to the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ have been steadily increasing, with President Russel M. Nelson leading the prophetic charge of heralding Christ’s return. President Nelson has also emphasized in multiple addresses about living worthy to worship and work in the temple. These two principles are key companions. Preparing for one is preparation for the other. Being worthy for one is to be worthy of the other.
Now I don’t want to paint too biased a picture; President Nelson and others emphasize a lot of important topics, in particular missionary work and the gathering of Israel. My message today is centered on references to temple worthiness and the 2nd coming of the Savior, with a heavy emphasis on messages from President Nelson.
The Temple is Crucial
In his first general conference as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (April 2018), President Russel M. Nelson said
Our message to the world is simple and sincere: we invite all of God’s children on both sides of the veil to come unto their Savior, receive the blessings of the holy temple, have enduring joy, and qualify for eternal life…Eventual exaltation requires our complete fidelity now to covenants we make and ordinances we receive in the house of the Lord…My dear brothers and sisters, construction of these temples may not change your life, but your time in the temple surely will. In that spirit, I bless you to identify those things you can set aside so you can spend more time in the temple. www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/04/let-us-all-press-on?lang=eng
He also said this during his first general conference as president of the Church (April 2018),
If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation…Nothing opens the heavens quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon, and regular time committed to temple and family history work…
Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.
My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/04/revelation-for-the-church-revelation-for-our-lives?lang=eng
Does that pleading not seem prophetic given the intense amount of social, political, medical, and other challenges we are now facing?
Six months later in October 2018 President Nelson reiterated,
We know that our time in the temple is crucial to our salvation and exaltation and to that of our families. After we receive our own temple ordinances and make sacred covenants with God, each one of us needs the ongoing spiritual strengthening and tutoring that is possible only in the house of the Lord. And our ancestors need us to serve as proxy for them…
My dear brothers and sisters, the assaults of the adversary are increasing exponentially, in intensity and in variety.3 Our need to be in the temple on a regular basis has never been greater. I plead with you to take a prayerful look at how you spend your time. Invest time in your future and in that of your family. If you have reasonable access to a temple, I urge you to find a way to make an appointment regularly with the Lord — to be in His holy housefd — then keep that appointment with exactness and joy. I promise you that the Lord will bring the miracles He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in His temples. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/10/becoming-exemplary-latter-day-saints?lang=eng
“I plead with you…I urge you…I promise you…” this is fairly strong language that deserves our full attention.
I love the idea of setting an appointment with the Lord to visit him in his house and then “keep[ing] that appointment with exactness and joy.”
In October 2018 President Nelson also made this invitation:
To those who have long been absent from the temple, I encourage you to prepare and return as soon as possible. Then I invite you to worship in the temple and pray to feel deeply the Savior’s infinite love for you, that each of you may gain your own testimony that He directs this sacred and ageless work. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/10/becoming-exemplary-latter-day-saints?lang=eng
He followed up in April 2019 with a talk focused on temple sealings accompanied by a warning:
Now, as President of His Church, I plead with you who have distanced yourselves from the Church and with you who have not yet really sought to know that the Savior’s Church has been restored. Do the spiritual work to find out for yourselves, and please do it now. Time is running out. www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/46nelson?lang=eng
The Infinite Blessings of Preparation
In October 2019 President Nelson spoke several times about temples and temple worthiness. Notably, he provided edited temple recommend questions publicly. Now, to my knowledge this is something that has never happened before. In my experience it was standard procedure to not share the temple recommend interview questions with anyone unless they were sitting for an interview. Making specific temple qualifications public, sends a message that the Lord is extending his arms ever wider, urgently beckoning us to come the sacred strength and protection of covenant obedience. This is not something we undertake without preparation nor return to with casualness.
To enter the temple is a tremendous blessing. But first we must be worthy. We should not be rushed. We cannot cut corners of preparation and risk the breaking of covenants we were not prepared to make. That would be worse than not making them at all. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2001/04/personal-preparation-for-temple-blessings?lang=eng
Now listen for his repeated use of the word prepare in this quote from October 2019:
Individual worthiness to enter the Lord’s house requires much individual spiritual preparation. But with the Lord’s help, nothing is impossible. In some respects, it is easier to build a temple than it is to build a people prepared for a temple. Individual worthiness requires a total conversion of mind and heart to be more like the Lord, to be an honest citizen, to be a better example, and to be a holier person.
I testify that such preparatory work brings innumerable blessings in this life and inconceivable blessings for the life to come, including the perpetuation of your family unit throughout all eternity “in a state of never-ending happiness.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/57nelson?lang=eng
Here’s some similar language from Elder D. Todd Christofferson (April 2019) who said that
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is uniquely empowered and commissioned to accomplish the necessary preparations for the Lord’s Second Coming; indeed, it was restored for that purpose…crucial for the Lord’s return, is the presence on the earth of a people prepared to receive Him at His coming. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/44christofferson?lang=eng
What were some of the earliest features of the restoration? Priesthood authority, ordinances, and temple endowments.
President Nelson confirms this (October 2019):
the crowning jewel of the Restoration is the holy temple. Its sacred ordinances and covenants are pivotal to preparing a people who are ready to welcome the Savior at His Second Coming. www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/57nelson?lang=eng
We Latter-day Saints are not of the world; we are of covenant Israel. We are called to prepare a people for the Second Coming of the Lord. www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/36nelson?lang=eng
I believe these quotes of preparing for the temple and preparing for the 2nd coming are practically interchangeable. When we truly prepare for temple worthiness we are preparing to meet Him. When we are really worthy and ready to enter the House of God, we are worthy and ready to meet Him in His glory when he comes again.
In April 2001 then-Elder Nelson said this:
Inscribed on each temple are the words “Holiness to the Lord.”1 That statement designates both the temple and its purposes as holy. Those who enter the temple are also to bear the attribute of holiness.2 It may be easier to ascribe holiness to a building than it is to a people. We can acquire holiness only by enduring and persistent personal effort. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2001/04/personal-preparation-for-temple-blessings?lang=eng
In fact, President Nelson makes this connection explicit. First published online in March for the April 2020 Ensign, President Nelson provided an article titled boldly and plainly: “The Future of the Church: Preparing the World for the Savior’s Second Coming.” This article has not received a fraction of the attention among us as Latter-day Saints as it deserves. If you have not read it yet, I encourage you to do so.
In this article President Nelson referenced multiple processes and events that must occur prior to the 2nd coming, including the building of a temple in Jerusalem with a particularly stunning feature (that you can read about on your own).
He says,
I emphasize again that construction of these temples may not change your life, but your service in the temple surely will. The time is coming when those who do not obey the Lord will be separated from those who do (see Doctrine and Covenants 86:1–7). Our safest insurance is to continue to be worthy of admission to His holy house. The greatest gift you could give to the Lord is to keep yourself unspotted from the world, worthy to attend His holy house. His gift to you will be the peace and security of knowing that you are worthy to meet Him, whenever that time comes. www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2020/04/the-future-of-the-church-preparing-the-world-for-the-saviors-second-coming?lang=eng
In 2001 Elder Nelson quoted Brigham Young, saying,
“Your [Temple] endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, … and gain your eternal exaltation.”8
When we are truly worthy to worship in His Holy House, we are worthy to meet Him in His glory. How could it be any other way?
In early January 2020 President Nelson wrote on social media and elsewhere,
prepare yourself for sharing the important messages of the ongoing Restoration. As you seek Jesus Christ in these efforts, God will prepare you to receive further light... The time to act is now. This is a hinge point in the history of the Church, and your part is vital. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/inspiration/my-2020-invitation-to-you-share-the-message-of-the-restoration-of-the-saviors-gospel?lang=eng
As a side note, it is of interest to me that in April 2004 then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks referred to the 2nd coming as a “hinge point of history.”
One of the key things that made April 2020 conference a hinge point was the Restoration Proclamation. Prior to the unveiling of this proclamation President Nelson Promised:
I promise that if we will do our best to exercise faith in Jesus Christ and access the power of His Atonement through repentance, we will have the knowledge and power of God to help us take the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2020/04/the-future-of-the-church-preparing-the-world-for-the-saviors-second-coming?lang=eng
Thus, as we prepare ourselves, we are able to help others do the same.
The closing paragraph of the Restoration Proclamation reads as follows:
We testify that those who prayerfully study the message of the Restoration and act in faith will be blessed to gain their own witness of its divinity and of its purpose to prepare the world for the promised Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/the-restoration-of-the-fulness-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ/a-bicentennial-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng
Again, the purpose of God’s restored church and His temples is to prepare us and the world for the glorious return of His Beloved Son. The quantity of references supporting this idea is not only large, but increasing in their frequency and urgency.
In the April 2020 Ensign President Nelson states,
Today, the Lord’s work in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is moving forward at an accelerated pace. The Church will have an unprecedented, unparalleled future…Remember that the fulness of Christ’s ministry lies in the future. The prophecies of His Second Coming have yet to be fulfilled. We are just building up to the climax of this last dispensation — when the Savior’s Second Coming becomes a reality. www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2020/04/the-future-of-the-church-preparing-the-world-for-the-saviors-second-coming?lang=eng
Letting go and Moving on
Speaking to the Sisters in October 2019, President Nelson had this to say:
Part of this endeavor [of drawing the power of God into your life] will require you to put aside many things of this world…truly doing so requires you to examine your life meticulously and regularly. As you do so, the Holy Ghost will prompt you about what is no longer needful, what is no longer worthy of your time and energy.
As you shift your focus away from worldly distractions, some things that seem important to you now will recede in priority. You will need to say no to some things, even though they may seem harmless. As you embark upon and continue this lifelong process of consecrating your life to the Lord, the changes in your perspective, feelings, and spiritual strength will amaze you! www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/36nelson?lang=eng
I had a dream recently that was instructive. Our family was getting ready to leave for a trip and as I looked in the back of the suburban, it became clear to me that we were missing a lot of stuff. Normally packed to the brim, the back of our suburban was not even half full. I told Joy I was going to go back inside and look for things we might have left behind. She knowingly cautioned me to not take too long and not get distracted with non-essential items. She even insinuated that she would leave without me if I took too long.
I walked back to the room where we’d been staying, which was a dark and messy hotel room. There were several other people there, caretakers of the room and building. I began looking through the area where my stuff was and kept finding old belongings that had been missing for a while, or that I had forgotten about but were still interesting. I kept trying to orient myself to those things I really needed but repeatedly found myself occupied with much more fascinating objects, and the ideas that accompanied them. For example, gathering the missing members of my model car collection so I could sell them.
Of note is that so many of the items I was distracted by were my own former belongings, some useful, some sentimental, none of them immoral or distasteful. I don’t remember ever getting back to the car before I woke up.
In this dream the dingy hotel and the stuff inside can represent mortality, the stuff I’m attached to, my habits and philosophies, my various weaknesses, which in this metaphor are framed more as distractions than fatal flaws. The suburban is the pending transition, moving from one stage of progression to the next. There’s not much packed because there is not much of real value to take with me. So very much of what I accumulate in life (ideas, opinions, habits, hobbies, etc) will not be worth carrying with me. TRUTH is the only fare worth having. As the world gets messier and more less truthful, more spiritually dangerous, we need to be prepared to be bold and firm in our efforts to detach ourselves from those things that will weigh us down and hold us back from seeking holiness.
Some key question we must ask ourselves are: what is distracting me from moving ahead? From seeing and acting on what matters most? What lies or half-truths have crept into my life? Just like in my dream, you will need to leave behind some things that used to be a regular part of your life, even though they weren’t “bad.” There’s just no longer time and room enough in a consecrated life to hang on to them any more. There is simply to much for us to do to prepare to meet Jesus and too many people in our stewardship and in our circle of influence that would benefit from our shining light.
Sister Wendy Watson Nelson in a January 2016 devotional spoke about this theme of lettings things go. She started by giving examples in the scriptures when individuals have been desperate for answers or for healing.
When we’re desperate to become the people we were born to be, our vision changes. We wake up from the spiritual amnesia the adversary so cleverly administers, and suddenly we see things about ourselves, others, and our lives we’ve never seen before. The world’s “fun” and “entertainment” start to look almost ridiculous, perhaps even spiritually dangerous. We begin to see the adversary’s tricks and traps for what they really are — temptations to make us forget our true identity and our destination.
We begin to spend our time differently. Time on Facebook doesn’t seem half as compelling as time in the temple. We experience for ourselves the profound truth taught by a wise temple president: “When we enter the temple, we leave the world of make-believe.”7 We become much more interested in eternal truths the Lord will teach us in His holy house than in the latest sensational comments on social media, which can be so glib and brain-numbing.
She continues,
My dear brothers and sisters, whom I love, the reality is that someday you and I will each have an individual, face-to-face interview with the Savior Himself. When this eventuality becomes real to us, we will be willing to do whatever it takes to be prepared!
So, now a question as I conclude: What if you learned that the Savior had already returned to this earth — that He, as part of His Second Coming, had already met with some of His true followers in several marvelous, large gatherings — gatherings about which the world, including CNN and the blogosphere, knew nothing. If you found out that the Savior was already on the earth, what would you desperately want to do today, and what would you be willing and ready to do tomorrow?
I pray that this year you will have some moments of anguishing desperation that will propel you further along the path to becoming the man or woman you were born to be. Your true self is spectacular! Never settle for less. www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts/article/worldwide-devotionals/2016/01/becoming-the-person-you-were-born-to-be?lang=eng#note13
A Spiritual and Legal Passport
Want an example of what can happen if we settle for less? We’re all familiar with the parable of the ten virgins. Let me quote now from Elder Oaks from April 2004
Given in the 25th chapter of Matthew, this parable contrasts the circumstances of the five foolish and the five wise virgins. All ten were invited to the wedding feast, but only half of them were prepared with oil in their lamps when the bridegroom came. The five who were prepared went into the marriage feast, and the door was shut. The five who had delayed their preparations came late. The door had been closed, and the Lord denied them entrance, saying, “I know you not” (Matt. 25:12). “Watch therefore,” the Savior concluded, “for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 25:13).
The arithmetic of this parable is chilling. The ten virgins obviously represent members of Christ’s Church, for all were invited to the wedding feast and all knew what was required to be admitted when the bridegroom came. But only half were ready when he came. www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2004/04/preparation-for-the-second-coming?lang=eng
This is a really sobering idea: Outwardly active and worthy members of Christ’s church, waiting to welcome his coming, and only half were fully prepared when the time came (later than expected). The parable suggests that an extra layer of thoroughness in preparation is what made the difference. Without the benefit of hindsight, some might even say an excessive or unnecessary degree of preparation.
There will be a solemn celebration of the Lord when he comes to claim his bride, the Church (a marriage feast), to which his covenant children are invited. But, we will only be admitted if we are on time, and have the necessary credential. We will need a token of our spiritual preparedness. I submit that a valid temple recommend fulfills that criteria. When that sacred celebration is called to order, if we are not already worthy and ready, there will not be enough time to put our lives in order or arrange for the necessary temple recommend interviews before the meeting begins and the doors are closed.
There have been only a handful of temple dedications broadcast to Stake Centers over the years but in those settings you must have a current temple recommend and once the meeting starts, the doors are locked, and the ushers walk away and are seated. There is no further admittance once it has begun.
If marriage traditions are applicable here, being shut out from the marriage feast does not necessarily mean we will be shut out from witnessing or participating in other joyful circumstances with regard to the wedding. Not everyone is invited to wedding luncheons, typically the bride and groom’s inner circle of family and friends. That would be us as covenant children of Israel. but if we’re not ready in time, we won’t get in.
Elder Nelson in 2001 said this:
Our Redeemer requires that His temples be protected from desecration. No unclean thing may enter His hallowed house.11 Yet anyone is welcome who prepares well. Each person applying for a recommend will be interviewed…[to] assess several vital issues [of worthiness]…Why are these issues so crucial? Because they are spiritual separators. They help to determine if we truly live as children of the covenant,13 able to resist temptation from servants of sin.14 These interviews help to discern if we are willing to live in accord with the will of the true and living God…Because the temple is the house of the Lord, standards for admission are set by Him. One enters as His guest. To hold a temple recommend is a priceless privilege and a tangible sign of obedience to God and His prophets. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2001/04/personal-preparation-for-temple-blessings?lang=eng
During this time when several temples are closed for renovation, and all temples are temporarily closed to proxy ordinances because of the Covid19 pandemic, we might be tempted to become casual in our temple readiness. We might say something like, “what does it matter if my temple recommend is expired? I can’t go to the temple anyway.” or another variation of that is “I know I’m worthy, what difference does it make if I don’t have a current recommend?”
Think of a driver’s license. You can be an incredibly skilled driver, know all the rules of the road, and follow those rules, but without a license you are not legally authorized to operate a motor vehicle on state roads. The same applies to many professions: you can go to the necessary schooling, pass exams, and get certified by the accrediting institution, but unless you have taken the final legal steps through the department of occupational and professional licensing, you are not authorized to practice your trade in the state.
A temple recommend has always been more than a piece of paper. A temple recommend is a solemn declaration, with the signatures of three witnesses testifying that you are worthy to enter the most sacred buildings on the planet. A spiritually legal document testifying that you are worthy to enter the same space and walk the same halls where God himself enters and walks.
Without a recommend we are not authorized to enter the holy structures we call temples, no matter how good we might otherwise be. On the flip side however, as “the keeper of the gate” the Savior knows (and we know if we’re honest with ourselves) when our otherwise signed and current recommend is not valid due to our unworthiness. In this scenario a spiritually expired temple recommend could be like a lamp without oil. It looks useful, we appear to be ready, but we are not. Another potential analogy is that the lamp is our membership (think baptism and/or ordination) and the oil is our current valid recommend.
In Conclusion
One last quote from President Nelson:
When these temporary COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, please schedule regular time to worship and serve in the temple. Every minute of that time will bless you and your family in ways nothing else can. Take time to ponder what you hear and feel when you are there. Ask the Lord to teach you how to open the heavens to bless your life and the lives of those you love and serve.
While worshipping in the temple is presently not possible, I invite you to increase your participation in family history, including family history research and indexing. I promise that as you increase your time in temple and family history work, you will increase and improve your ability to hear Him. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/45nelson?lang=eng
It is my witness that God is our Father, and that His Beloved Son is returning to earth to claim his right as King of kings and Lord of lords. I am a witness of His atoning, healing, ransoming power and His immense grace and compassion. I am trying to be worthy and ready for His glorious return, and I hope you will too.
