Temple Reflections: Insights into the House of the Lord

by Alonzo L. Gaskill

Understanding the temple is a lifetime pursuit. To help you on this journey, bestselling author Alonzo L. Gaskill has compiled this collection of temple insights.

With inspired thoughts on
- The role of women in temple ceremonies
- The holy garment, ancient and modern
- The veil and finding hope in images of Judgment Day
- The meaning of becoming God’s covenant people

This enlightening book will help you see the temple in a new light and open your heart and mind to its divine messages.

Genres: Religion, Lds, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published August 1, 2016

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is kind of a random collection of thoughts and ideas about the temple and some of its symbols. Some of it is a little dated, but there a few interesting thoughts here. Some of my favorites:

"'It is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved' (p. 26)."

"The ordinances of the temple (which are Christ-centered in nature) teach us how God offers a resolution to the predicament that we have created for ourselves. The temple endowment seeks to bring us full circle. It seeks to bring us back to paradise--to redeem us from the chaos that we have introduced into our lives and into this world (through our tendency to listen to the enticements of Satan) (p. 27)."

"At the end of our lives, 'We shall appraoch the veil and there, with signs and tokens given, we will be extended the sublimest of all invitations: 'Enter into the joy of thy Lord'' (Boyd K. Packer, p. 28)."

"The Lord commands those who seek to commune with Him, to 'draw near' to Him. Anciently we find depictions of GOd embracing the forgiven and redeemed at Judgment Day... The ritual act of embrace, which may be alluded to in the eighty-eighth section of the Doctrine and Covenants, implies that the Father loves and forgives (p. 28)."

"When you begin to sense how very much this is about Him and His love for you, the Atonement becomes real and you begin to be able to rely upon it, because you know you aren't able to do this yourself. But Jesus can and will! (p. 29)"

"There are three ritual acts that premodern religions traditionally have in common: eating, washing, and clothing (p. 36)."

"Priestly and religious clothing is often intended to represent 'the garb of God,' and dressing in 'special clothing' can denote a change in role or status. The changing of one's clothes has long been a sign of consecration and preparation for 'spiritual duties' (p. 36)."

"As it relates to their symbolic value, beyond representing the wearer's promises to God, for many Latter-day Saints the temple garments are also a symbol of the flesh of Christ and the need for the wearer to seek to live a life of holiness (p. 37)."

"It is an inward sign of an inward commitment. In outward behaviors, the wearer's commitment is manifest. But the garment, itself, is not shown (p. 46)."

"We should not be surprised to learn that the Prophet Joseph was not the only member of the early Church to be attacked by Lucifer (p. 57)."

"'I have come to the conclusion that if our eyes were open to see the spirit world around us, we would not be so ungauarded and carless, and so indifferent whether we had the spirit and power of God with us or not; but we would be continually watchful and prayerful to our heavenly Father for His Holy Spirit and His holy angels to be aorund about us to strengthen us to overcome every evil influence' (George Q. Cannon, p. 65)."

"Clearly, Joseph saw the 'signs' and 'keys' of the holy temple as endowments of 'power' to keep one from being 'imposed' upon or deceived (p. 69)."

"'The Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement are inseparably woven together to form one plan of salvation. No one of them stands alone; each of them ties into the other two; and without a knowledge of all of them, it is not possible to know the truth about any one of them' (Bruce R. McConkie, p. 81)."

"'When the Lord formed the earth and its heaven, he pronounced them very good. He sanctified them, and when man was placed on the earth, this condition of goodness and sanctification prevailed' (Joseph Fielding Smith, p. 82)."

"The endowment is entirely Christocentric. Every aspect of it--covenants, commands, clothing, signs, tokens, etc.--is about Christ (p. 82)."

"The endowment then goes on to teach us about how the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ can fix all of the chaos we have created. It can get us back to paradise where we can eternally dwell with God in a state of absolute perfection (p. 83)."

"God separates the light from the darkenss, just as He constatnly prompts us to do the same in our own lives (p. 83)."

"Symbolism is the language of scripture and ritual (p. 86)."

"The architect of the San Diego California Temple... was inspired to place the overlapping squares design throughout the temple without knowing what the symbol meant. Sometime after the temple was constructed, it was brought to his attention that the design was actually the 'seal of Melchizedek' and that it was an ancient symbol for the Melchizedek Priesthood (p. 88)."

"Squares 'in Christian tradition symbolize a firm foundation.' They can also symbolize honesty, perfection, dependability, intetrity, morality, protection, and unchangeability, all attributes of Christ (p. 94)."

"Anciently, stars were common symbols for angels (p. 95)."

"'The altar represents both the tomb and the resurrection, death tranformed into life, the sacrifice of Christ... and Christ as the Son of Righteousness (p. 97)."

"Symbols sometimes evolve in their meaning and use... The cross has become the universally recognized symbol of the worldwide body of bleievers in the divine mission of the Lord Jesus Christ. But... the cross as a symbol predates Christianity. One noted expert in symbolism referred to it as the 'universal symbol from the most remote times' and as 'a cosmic symbol par excellence' (p. 99)."

"The garments of the Aaronic high priest were, through their symbolic design, a teaching device given by divine revelation to the prophet Moses (p. 115)."

"'When we put on Jesus Christ we accept him and his Atonement, and we become like him' (p. 115)."

"Beyond the reference to the Messiah, this linen coat may also allegorically suggest that the Church, as a community of Christ's followers, must be completely morally pure (p. 118)."

"The fact that these breeches cover the loins... the reproductive area--is itself a potential symbol that the wearer needs to control his appetites and passions, lest defilement and corruption ensue (p. 119)."

"The fact that the girled bound the coat and breeches close to the wearer's body was important, for... 'This is nearly always a symbol of service, the girded loins denoting readiness for action. THis must always be the attitude of the priest and it is certainly true of Christ' (p. 119)."

"The fact that the garment was donned by the high priest after the linen coat has been seen as an indicatoin that divine sanction comes only to those who have purified their lives and taken virtue to the entirety of their beings, confirming such virtue through their actions (p. 121)."

"Aprons also served anciently as symbols for 'priestohod' and 'work' (p. 123)."

"The miter (or headdress) of the high priest was made of linen. It was 'of the distinctive design worn by royalty.' Upon the front of the miter was fastened the 'holy crown' which consisted of a golden plate that bore the inscription 'HOLINESS TO THE LORD.' Additionally, the holy crown was secured to the miter with 'a blue lace' ribbon (p. 127)."

"Though only the high priest was commanded to wear such an inscription, certainly what it represented is expcted of all of God's servants (p. 128)."

"'Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For as mnay of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ' (Galatians 3:24-27). For Christians, this is the invitation of the garments of the high priest: to 'put on Christ'! (p. 129)"

"The various denominations associated with the Prophet Joseph hold Independence, Missouri, as a sacred location of significance and veneration for different reasons (p. 137)."

"It became the place where God first spoke to man (the Garden of Eden) and where Christ would return and speak during both the Restoration and the Millennium, for 'out of Zion shall go forth the law' (p. 138)."

"Before Joseph sent men on missions to 'gather Israel' and thereby build Zion, he revealed to them what members of the LDS Church have come to call 'the holy endowment.' For Joseph, Zion, could not exist aside from the temple. Hence, when he gathered the Saints to Ohio, he had them construct a temple. When he gathered them in Independence, Missouri, they dedicated a spot for a temple... Finally, the Prophet gathered the Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois, and, once again, they built a temple. For the early Latter-day Saints, the temple and Zion were inseparable (p. 139)."

"One of the chief components of the gathering to this 'promised land' of North America was protection. Zion was to provide 'defensen' and 'refugue' for members of the fledging Church--protection from their enemies, but also from the sin and evils of a fallen world (p. 139)."

"The idea of a city implies planning, forethought, and order--which are distinctive traits of God, who harnesses the chaos to create an ordered universe (p. 140)."

"Being driven from Jackson County, and then from Caldwell and Davies Counties, and finally from the state of Missouri, left them members of the restored Church reeling. On top of that, to then lose their presence in Kirtland, Ohio... certainly caused some to question the revelations of the Lord (p. 141)."

"Curiously, following the death of Brigham Young the leaders of the Church ceased to publicly discuss a return to Missouri. Certainly some still expected it, but formally, it desappeared from the public discourse of the presiding Brethren... The leadership of the Church said members 'should not be encouraged to immigrate to this place.' Rather they were encouraged to stay in their homelands and build the Church there (p. 143)."

"In 1903, President Joseph F. Smith suggested that the Church now begin to construct meetinghouses in Great Britain--something they had neglected to do in the first sixty years of the Church's presence in that country (p. 143)."

"David O. McKay (who served as President of the Church from 1951 to 1970) initiated the construction of temples outside of North America (p. 143)."

"'Many people have been holding their breath waiting to see the gathering of Israel. We are in Israel and are being gathered... The gathering is taking place. Korea is the gathering place for Koreans, Australia for Australians, Brazil for Brazilians, England for the English... I am hopeful that each of you will ponder carefully what it is the Lord would have you do with your lives, with the special skills, training, and testimonies you have' (Spencer W. Kimball, p. 144)."

"Today members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are consistently taught to stay where they are--build Zion in their homeland; whether that's Pittsburgh or Paris, London or Los Angeles (p. 145)."

"The Church's choice to build a temple that close to Independence, but not in Independence seems to send a rather clear message as to how imminent an LDS 'return' to Jackson County is (p. 146)."

"This very brief survey might cause one to ask, has the doctrine or position of the LDS Church with regards to Independence, Missouri, changed? (p. 146)"

"'Brethren... you know no more concerning the destinies of this church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother's lap. You don't comprehend it. It is only a handful of priesthood you see here tonight, but this church will fill North and South America it will fill the world' (Joseph Smith, p. 146)."

"Joseph not only predicts an exodus from Nauvoo, but he indicates that in the new land to which the Saints would go (the Rocky Mountains) they would build many temples, and they would remain there until the return of Christ (p. 148)."

"'What is Zion? In one sense Zion is the pure in heart. But is there a land that ever will be called Zion? Yes, brethren. What land is it? It is the land that the Lord gave to Jacob, who bequeathed it to his son Joseph, and his posterity, and they inhabit it, and that land is North and South America. That is Zion as to land, as to Territory, and location' (Brigham Young, p. 148)."

"Joseph saw the idea of Zion (and the gathering) as inextricably connected to the building of temples--particularly after God revealed to him the endowment (in early 1842) (p. 149)."

"Was the 'one place' to gather--the 'place of preparatoin'--actually the temple of the Lord, wherever it was found? (p. 149)"

"Independence is to be 'the center place' of gathering... it is 'a location' but not 'the only location' of gathering (p. 150)."

"The scriptures simply do not declare Independence or Jackson County to be the sole or ultimate place of gathering (p. 152)."

"Joseph was quite clear: the holy temple, at the center of Zion communities, is 'the place' of gathering, the place of safety, the place of refuge (p. 152)."

"Could Jackson County, Missouri, play a significant role in some future stage of the Church's development? Certainly! Will the Saints en masse return there prior to the Second Coming? From what Joseph Smith and Brigham Young taugt, not likely. Is it necessary that Independence play a role in the fture of the Church in order to fulfill scriptual or prophetic pronouncements? Such does not appear to be the case (p. 153)."

"'The redemption of Zion is more than the purchase or recovery of lands, the building of cities, or even the founding of nations. It is the conquest of the heart, the subjugation of the soul, the sanctifying of the flesh, the purifying and ennobling of the passions' (Orson F. Whitney, p. 153)."

"'We no longer think of Zion as where we are going to live. We think of it as how we are going to live' (Jeffrey R. Holland, p. 153)."

"'Zion is Zion because of the character, attributes, and faithfulness of her citizens' (D. Todd Christofferson, p. 153)."

"Shoes, slippers, and sandals are important symbolic articles for ancient and modern Israel--God's covenant people (p. 169)."

"The removal of shoes upon entering sacred ground symbolizes the temporary divesting of oneself of the world and its ways--exchanging temporal prophet for a spiritual residence... Elsewhere we read of a connection between the ceremony of the shoe and the removal of one's footwere when entering sacred ground (p. 172)."

"Symbolically speaking, removal of the shoe is a ritualistic way of exhibiting faith in the Bridegrrom and his ability to save or reedm (p. 174)."

"Appertain usually means 'to belong to rightfully'... whereas pertain usually means 'to relate to; concern' (p. 183)."

"Though we frequently identify that 'angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth' as Moroni, that scriptual symbol is really a compsoite respresentation of the many angels associated with the Restoraton and the work of God in the latter-days (p. 189)."

"In addition to being unique because of its horizontal stance, the original Nauvoo angel is also distinctive because of its dress. This angel was conspicuously clothed in a pleated robe with a round, flat cap (p. 192)."

"While not a temple, the Washington Ward chapel... is the only Sunday meetinghoues... to have ever been adorned with an angel Moroni... According to some who attended church in that building, the statue drew many into the church to inquire about it and the faith that it represented. It was said to have been a great missionary tool (p. 194)."

"The Monticello Utah Temple statue was also the first Moroni statue to hold a scroll in his hand (p. 197)."

"While not formally a temple, no doubt in some ways the Hill Cumorah functioned as such for the Prophet Joseph. And, thus, perhaps it is appropriate that this is the one Church monument that currently sports a statue of the angel Moroni. Cumorah's Moroni is the only one to be posed without a trumpet up to his lips. While he does hold a stack of golden plates, he holds his right arm to the square, while pointing upward (p. 197)."

"The ordinances of the house of the Lord simply confirmed for me the rightness of my deicision to bcome a Latter-day Saint (p. 204)."

"'For us, the scriptures are not the ultimate source of knowledge, but they are what precedes the ultimate source. The ultimate knowledge comes by revelation' (Dallin H. Oaks, p. 205)."

"The Spirit knows what you and I need; and to some degree, the 'right interpretation' of a ritual or ordinance may be the one that the Holy Ghost reveals to you at a given stage in your life (p. 206)."

"'Eve is a type of the church as Adam is a type of Christ. As Eve was made out of a part of Adam, so the church is part of the Lord Jesus. The church is called His bride as Eve was Adam's bride' (p. 208)."

"Elder Russell M. Nelson called women 'a keystone in the priestohod arch of creation' (p. 211)."

"'Because our sins separate us from God, we cannot act in our own names and have our acts be recognized by God. We must have a mediator, a savior, whose power of redemption will validate our rightoues acts. We need One who is not separated from God to stand between us and God' (p. 212)."

"We make no covenants to other people in the temple (p. 212)."

"The veiling of the bride is a symbolic reminder to us that she must attach herself to the groom (Christ) so that she can safely be led home (p. 216)."

"All promises and agreements are between the individual and our Father in Heaven (p. 217)."

"Giving one's self to the Groom represents laying one's will upon the altar. It symbolizes living for God, and not for one's self (p. 218)."

"'I really love the blessings in the initiatory and I love that women are doing it' (p. 219)."

"If we are Spirit-directed, the Holy Ghost will reveal to us the most helpful meaning of any given symbol, basedon our current needs and our specific stage of life (p. 222)."

"'Did you notice what Adam was doing when Satan tempted him?... Absolutely nothing!'... 'Let every man be diligent in all things. And the idler shall not have place in the church, except he repent and mend his ways' (p. 232)."

"Protection comes when we both avoid the bad, but also fill our lives with good (p. 233)."

"May we learn the lesson of spiritual idelness--and its dangers (p. 234)."

[Brett Folkman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is written from how I enjoyed the book. If you do not read much on the temple, there will be some new insights from a few of the articles compiling this volume, which seemed to be just a collection of sometimes not related materials necessarily. Pretty sure I've read all of Alonzo's books over the years and he has some great insights. That said, I find his writing style overly authoritative when he's dealing with symbolism, which by nature can have a plethora of meanings to different people at different times in their progression back to God. There can also be a condescending nature at times as well, for example in the introduction he writes:

"I have worried that the Saints do not care much for symbolism - or at least, don't "get it" - and, thus, may not grasp much of that the Lord is seeking to convey to us within the walls of His most holy sanctuaries."

It's this subtle pride and authoritarian attitude that grates me just a bit, hence, not a higher rating. I even took a sharpie marker to his book "The Truth About Eden" and made it instead "The Speculation About Eden". The real teacher is the Holy Ghost who reveals truth to us as we attend the temple and search the scriptures - my fear is that an authoritarian view on the meaning of symbolism will stifle individuals from discovering what God wants to tell them personally and directly by revelation.

[Jeff Birk · Rating 5 out of 5]

As per any Alonzo Gaskill book, I took a ton of notes on this one. Really gained some wonderful insights into temple work and ordinances, symbolism and doctrine. Really enjoyed the chapter "Through Female Eyes" on the role of women in the initiatory, endowment and sealing ordinances. Loved how he made the connection of Adam and Eve representing the bridegroom (Christ) and the bride (the church). Really opened my eyes to some things I hadn't before considered. Some really diverse chapters in this book. Kind of a spooky one dealing with the physicality of Satan. A fantastic chapter on grace. Just a couple chapters that weren't of interest to me (Ceremony of the Shoe, The Seal of Melchizedek) but otherwise loaded with great info. The passages I underlined were so long that there is no way I can include them here but I would like to end with just one:

“I am so busy in my Church calling, my sins are dying of neglect.”

[Fabrizio Poli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear in mind this book was written in 2016, so it doesn't take into consideration certain Temple ceremony v]cganges that have happened since.
This was a good read and the author has done his research. I picked up a few new gems and insights, so overall it was worth the time.
I found the chapter about the Church's future offer a different perspective to what I had heard in the past. The fact the Church is building many more Temples all over the USA and other parts of the world gives this chapter even more meaning.
I f you are planning to go to the Temple or are a regular, you will find value in studying this book. It gets you looking out for certain things, making your Temple visits more meaningful and revelatory.

[iLa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed two chapters particularly. Probably more of a '3' star for me, except for those two chapters. I felt like a lot of the other chapters were interesting and well referenced, but will not necessarily "add" to my personal temple worship experience.

My favorites: Chapter 7 which discussed ancient temple clothing and Chapter 12 which focused on the female perspective of temple worship. Thought provoking!

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of essays or articles, some written for this book and some written at other times. I enjoyed some of them much more than others. But, I loved the new look at different symbols and aspects of the temple and the ceremonies it it. I will definitely revisit this book again sometime.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, some chapters I learned a lot, some were just nice to read. Since the temple ceremonies have recently been updated, a couple of the chapters feel unnecessary, but still good background info. Well documented

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2. This is a collection of academic essays vaguely related to the temple. A few were somewhat interesting, but overall they were too scholarly and filled with unimportant minutiae to have any real impact on my spiritual understanding.

[Skylar Hatfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily understood collection of essays about specific symbols relevant to Latter-day Saints and worship in temples.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Sacred Symbols, but the chapter titled Through Female Eyes by itself makes the book worth picking up.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essays about various aspects of temple worship. Interesting and helpful, even though some of the procedural things he discussed have changed.

[Liesl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. It gave a wonderful perspective on women's rolls in the temple and answered a couple of questions that had disturbed me from anti-Mormon things I had seen. This is a great book with helping clarify a few things in the temple. He never gets too specific or covers anything that is not supposed to be discussed. Great book.

[Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Time and again I see new things—things I had never noticed before. I continue to be surprised at the Spirit’s ability to reveal new layers to the ordinances and covenants of the house of the Lord. And, thus, I offer one more installment in my series of temple-related books."

This is the opening thesis of Gaskill's new book, but, unlike his other temple-related books, this is more a collection of various temple themed articles/vignettes. I picked up this book as I had learned a lot from his other books that I had read, and while there was, of course, a lot of value in this book, it was very different. A lot of the information I found to be interesting, but not particularly compelling. Perhaps my own spiritual preparation wasn't where it should have been, but it seemed like a lot of the information could be catagorized as "temple trivia" as opposed to deep thoughts on the doctrine or symbolism of the temple.

That said, it was a fairly quick read that I enjoyed. I found several of the chapters to be very good. I'm sure that others would enjoy the same or find more significance in the other chapters depending on their own circumstances.