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Question

Gramps,

Recently a friend made the following post on a social network and I was unable to find any information on it. I would love to bring her comfort. I was reading D&C 115 where Joseph Smith prophesied that God said to build a temple and within a time frame. It was never built. Then I read Deuteronomy 18:14-22 where it says that if God says something then it will happen. If it does not happen it is from a false prophet.

Thank you in advance,

A friend

 

Answer

Dear Friend,

One of the more difficult aspects of the Gospel is learning to understand the will and mind of God.
The one lesson I get out of Doctrine & Covenants 115 is that we are to be a temple-building people. And we are known for our temples. Have we stopped building temples as a church? No, we haven’t. The only thing that’s different now is that the Church hires construction firms to build the temples.

Revelation and prophesy can be a funny thing. The Lord commanded us to live the law of consecration. However, the Lord gave us the Law of Tithing to account for the weakness of His people. The Lord commanded us to enter into polygamous marriages, and that practice was ended as well.

Couldn’t these two evidences be used to say “Hey, if you were really the Lord’s people, and the Lord doesn’t change yesterday, today and forever… wouldn’t you live the way He commanded you to?”

What kind of people would we be if the Lord said “You won’t be here much longer, so don’t bother with a temple. It would just be a waste of resources.”?

One could also wonder why the Lord told Joseph to bring the people to Missouri where Lilburn W. Boggs would sign an execution order against the church six months after the Saints were told to build that temple.

[Note that in D&C 124, the extermination order was dated October 27, 1838 and the Far West Temple revelation (D&C 115) was given the previous April.]

How can you build a temple when it’s “hunting season” on you?

What becomes the greater priority? The building of the temple, or the survival of the Lord’s Church?

Satan had stirred up the hearts of evil men to try to kill the church in its infancy. After all, if the followers were exterminated, would there be a church left? A church without people is just a building.

Personally, I believe the Lord allowed the suffering of the Saints to teach us and humble us. It is also the testimony of the dead to stand as a witness against the murderers at the judgement bar of God.

If joining the Lord’s Church meant that you got to live in the Garden of Eden for the rest of your membership, AND we had perfect Prophets and perfect Prophesies, then we would’ve surpassed the Catholic Church in membership a LONG time ago!

There will ALWAYS be a reason to doubt something. That’s why it’s called faith.

 

Gramps

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