Exodus Endowment: Understanding What It Means When President Russell M. Nelson Tells Us Temple Ordinances Are "Ancient"

by Russell McConkie, Jennifer Lovell (Editor)

Have you noticed that President Russell M. Nelson keeps reminding us that the modern temple endowment has “ancient” roots? If you do not know what this means—if you do not have a solid understanding of what was done in the temples of ancient Israel—then you are missing many of the most basic and important aspects of your temple experience.
Unfortunately, it is very common for someone to enter the temple for the first time with little to no understanding of what to expect. And the five-minute rundown someone receives from the stake president hardly changes that. It is also common for people to adopt the philosophy that if they return to the temple often, then time and repetition will teach them what they need to know. For a lot of people, however, that only leads to decades of continually doing the same thing without knowing why or where these things began.
Just as President Nelson says, an understanding of these things can be found in “ancient” times. By using a mix of history and personal experience, Russell McConkie does a beautiful job of making these things personable and easy to understand. Whether you are preparing to receive your own endowment, or you have been attending the temple for many decades, Exodus Endowment will help broaden your understanding of the history and purpose of our modern temple ceremonies.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Mormonism, Lds

116 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 10, 2022

Reviews

[Kay Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better than expected

I love this book and the approach the author takes to explain five different temple sacrifices to help me to understand each step, the explanation of what he wears, the explanation of what the sacrifice stands for, and how he connects ancient sacrifices to our day. This is very informative and interesting book to read!

[Deborah M Ledgerwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Temples

I've been to the temple and received my own Endowment. I was very confused. This book helped with my confusion, and has made me eager to go go again.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful book that provides a better understand behind President Nelson’s comment that, “temple ordinances are ancient.” Ther author provides an in depth look at ancient temples; their layout, who performed temple ordinances, and the ceremonies themselves. It addresses the different type of sacrifices that were performed in ancient temples. Then it compares them to current ceremonies, recognizing the covenants have remained the same but the ceremony itself has changed and will continue to change (as of 2017). I’m grateful that the author took the time to write this book which gave me a chance to step back in time and appreciate the temple ceremony from a historical perspective.

[Heather Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is a book I will re-read often! It's an important book full of spiritual insights. No matter how long you've been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I feel confident there is much in this book you either didn't know, have forgotten, or just need to read to be inspired.

If you aren't a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints you might still enjoy learning more about us. And if you are Jewish you might enjoy reading about how we honor the symbolism and rituals related in the Old Testament that you continue to practice today; we practice many of them too.

I am so glad the author wrote this book and so glad I read it.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend! FIVE Stars for sure.

For endowed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this delves into the ancient history of the need for temples, the temple ceremonies and ordinances, their history, meaning, symbolism, and how those have come forward into modern age through the restoration of all things. It is our great honor, gift, privilege, blessing and... endowment!... to receive these and this books helps us understand their foundation a lot better.

[Rene Quiroz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intersecting old testament temple symbology with LDS temples

I liked how humble the author explains himself and his desire to be faithful in the Church of Jesus Christ. I believe him to be faithful in keeping God's commandments. I felt there could be much more added such as the covenant taken among ancient tribes of Arabia. The commitment levels and protection of taking a tribal covenant.

[Steffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this as I’ve been diving deeper into more ancient traditions which has really helped in my understanding of gospel truths and why we do what we do today. It’s been an amazing spiritual journey and this was super helpful to put things in a short and concise book. This is very helpful for anyone going through the temple for the first time or anyone that wants more context to ancient temples with our modern ones today.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how simple yet informative this book was. I have done a recent dive into Ancient Hebrew tradition and Old Testament and found this to be a great introduction for anyone. It is super approachable and can be referenced multiple times to see the connection and symbolism between ancient and modern temples. I appreciated the little things like illustrations and the walk though of each of the offerings that were brought to the temple anciently.

[Dana Pomante · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very helpful book

This book has blessed me with such a deeper understanding of the temple and the ordinances performed there. It has been one of the most helpful and easy to read books I've ever read. I am so thankful for Brother McConkie's work and research. Thank you for enriching my life with this book!

[Jenacee Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! As a convert to the church, some (let’s be honest, most) of the endowment ceremony was a bit of a mystery to me, especially because I don’t have the strongest scriptural foundation, but this helped everything make so much more sense! I can’t wait to go back to the temple after having finished this. Thank you Brother McConkie!

[Wendy Reese · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some good insights and was successful in helping me see some things in the temple more clearly. However, he does quote a couple of examples from non-LDS scholars that helped him see our temple ceremony with gratitude. Wish he would have given the references! I would have liked to look those up myself.

[Sharon E. Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life is an adventure

I chose this rating because he revealed his true feelings and included all people and not just LDS. Life is an adventure and we all have to find out ourselves how to do that.
Amazon and Goodreads - Sharon E. Nielsen

[Paula Horsager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well layed out and informative

I really enjoyed the detailed descriptions of the clothing and ritual preformed anciently and to be able to see how they relate to our current temple experience.

[Don Gubler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not very helpful in illuminating needs and purposes. Helps some with source and reference.

[Colletta McDermed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

I know very little about ancient temple practices so this was very interesting to me. I do see the correlation between ancient and modern temple worship.

[Aryn Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid quick read! I’m buying it for my brother who will go through the temple soon

[Adam Torkildson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Temple goer for 20 years. But now I get it!

I served a mission. I grew up in the church. I’ve been an Elders Quorum president. I attend the temple weekly. But never have I gained such a deep understanding and appreciation for the temple ceremonies and symbolisms.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Written by an amateur scholar, but well thought out. Inspires me to study the topic more.

[Elaine Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Apzmarshl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book ties the ancient temple rituals of the Old Testament with the current endowment.
Lent study 2025

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent foundation to any serious temple study.

[David Sylvester · Rating 5 out of 5]

OUTSTANDING Work

This should be a must read for anyone who has questions or a curiosity about Temples, ancient or modern.

This is a fresh look at something very traditional in LDS life or also in ancient times. Big time Kudos to Brother McConkie for sharing his insights in all of his books!!!