Lessons of 2025
Lesson No. Twenty-Eight

Bookends In Coming Unto Christ

Introduction. This last week we have been on a Church history tour with our family. At the conclusion of the Nauvoo Pageant a bright light was shown on the Nauvoo Temple and the narrator quoted President Gordon B. Hinckley who pointed out that Joseph Smith was primarily responsible for building the Nauvoo Temple, and when the Saints got to the Salt Lake Valley Brigham Young was primarily responsible to building the Salt Lake Temple. As the latter day temple building commenced these two temples constituted bookends, the Nauvoo Temple facing West and the Salt Lake Temple facing East.

Thinking about bookends, the Prophet Joseph Smith was the instrument the Lord used to restore the Kingdom of God in the latter days, and Joseph’s ministry had bookends.

The Book of Mormon and the temple are the bookends of Joseph’s ministry. When Moroni first visited Joseph, he spoke about (1) the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and (2) of the return of Elijah. (See Joseph Smith History 1:34-49) These two events are the bookends of the Prophet’s ministry. After Moroni’s first visit on the night of September 21-22, 1823, the next seven years of Joseph’s ministry was focused on bringing forth the Book of Mormon. This is a bookend of the Prophet’s ministry.

On January 2, 1831, less than a year after the Book of Mormon was published on March 26, 1830, Joseph received his first revelation on the temple. The Lord commanded him to “go to the Ohio; and there I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with power from on high” (D&C38:32). The rest of Joseph’s life was primarily focused on the restoration of temple worship. This is the other bookend of Joseph’s ministry.

The Book of Mormon, one bookend of Joseph’s ministry, restores the knowledge of the power of the atonement of Christ. More has been revealed in our dispensation about the plan of salvation than in any previous dispensation. The plan of salvation is founded on three fundamental doctrines: the creation/pre-mortal existence; the fall/mortal probation; and the infinite and eternal atonement of Jesus Christ.

The atonement of Christ is central to and activates the plan of salvation. Without it the plan of salvation would only be a plan. The atonement of Christ ties the entire plan together and gives meaning and purpose to all that we do. The atonement of Jesus Christ makes eternal life possible.

In teaching about the atonement of Christ the Book of Mormon uses various names such as "the plan of restoration" (Alma 41:2); "the plan of happiness" (Alma 42:8); and "the plan of mercy" (Alma 42:15). However, most often the Book of Mormon speaks of the atonement of Christ as "the plan of redemption" (Jacob 6:8; Alma 12:25-26, 30, 32-33; 17:16; 18:39; 29:2; 39:18; 42:11).

The temple, the other bookend of Joseph’s ministry, gives access to the full redemptive power of the atonement of Christ. Baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost puts us on the path to eternal life. (See 2 Nephi 31:17-19) Keeping temple covenants is the way we “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and of all men…” (Keeping temple covenants gives us access to the full redemptive power of the atonement of Christ) “Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ (as found in the Book of Mormon and experienced in the temple) and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20, parentheses mine).

The Book of Mormon will change our heart. Like the people of King Benjamin, we experience this change through “the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” Then “we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments…all the remainder of our days” (Mosiah 5:2, 5). This includes keeping our baptismal and temple covenants.

The temple turns our heart to our family. Our hearts are turned to our family through the sealing keys restored by Elijah. The promise is that “[Elijah] shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers” (D&C2:2). President Russell M. Nelson has said that the spirit of Elijah is “a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family” (A New Harvest Time, Ensign, May 1998).

The Book of Mormon and the temple are personal bookends in our coming unto Christ. My personal experience in coming unto Christ, like many others in my generation, began as a young missionary where I learned to love and study the Book of Mormon. As Susan and I married and raised our children, the Book of Mormon was an important part of our family life. Over time temple worship increasingly became central to my life. Now the Book of Mormon and the temple are the book ends of my life.

In our modern world there is a great need for both the Book of Mormon and the temple. Today, the Lord in His great love and mercy, has provided easy access to the Book of Mormon. He has also opened the way for many more temples to be built. The opportunity to worship in a temple will continue to accelerate world-wide.

The Book of Mormon changes our heart and turns our lives to Christ, and the temple, through the power of the atonement of Christ, opens the door to eternal life. In the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple, given by revelation, the Prophet’s prayer included unique and wonderful blessings for “all those who shall worship in [the temple]. He prayed “that they may grow up in thee, and receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost, and be organized according to thy laws, and be prepared to obtain every needful thing” (D&C 109:14-15).

As we study the scripture referenced above, we will come to understand that the Lord has promised those who learn to worship in the temple (1) a fulness of the Holy Ghost to guide them in every dimension of their life; (2) that they will receive, in this life or in the next, the blessings of celestial marriage and eternal families; and (3) they will receive every needful thing which means they will partake of the fruit of the “tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God” (1 Nephi 15:36).

Temple worship brings a fulness of the Holy Ghost and turns our heart to our family. The Book of Mormon and the temple are the bookends of our coming unto Christ. They will protect us and our family against the power of the devil, and as we come unto Christ the promise of eternal life will become a reality.

Released on July 20th. 2025.