Lessons on the Temple
Lesson No. Fifty-Nine

Temples and The Book of Mormon are Sacred

Sacred things must not be treated lightly – The first edition of the Book of Mormon was published on 27 March 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized ten days later on 6 April 1830, and 2.5 years after that the Prophet Joseph received a revelation wherein the Lord said:  “And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received – Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole Church under condemnation.  And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.  And they shall remain under condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon…otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion” (D&C 84:54-58).  For over 150 years many individual minds were darkened and the Church as a whole was under condemnation for treating The Book of Mormon lightly. 

President Ezra Taft Benson, in his first Conference as President of the Church, promised “a blessing hitherto unknown – President Benson opened the April 1986 conference saying: “Now, in our day, the Lord has revealed the need to reemphasize the Book of Mormon to get the Church and all the Children of Zion out from under condemnation – the scourge and judgment.”  President Benson concluded this Conference with a marvelous promise:  “Now, in the authority of the sacred priesthood in me vested, I invoke my blessing upon the Latter-day Saints and upon good people everywhere….I promise you that from this moment forward, if we will daily sup from its pages and abide by its precepts, God will pour out upon each child of Zion and the Church a blessing hitherto unknown – and we will plead to the Lord that He will begin to lift the condemnation – the scourge and judgment.  Of this I bear solemn witness.”

The Lord poured out a blessing hitherto unknown through many more temples – Nine years later, in 1995, President Gordon B. Hinckley was in the Mormon Colonies in Mexico.  He was touched with the history and devotion of these people, and he knew how difficult it was for them to travel to a temple.  This caused him to seek a solution.   As a result he received a revelation on how smaller temples could be built throughout the world.  On the airplane returning from Mexico he sketched the basic design of a smaller temple and gave it to the Church Temple Department. President Hinckley had a goal of 100 operating temples in the year 2000.  (In the first 170 years of the Church there were 50 temples built)   

In October 1997 Conference President Hinckley announced the first three smaller temples, one of which was in Colonia Juarez.  In the year 2000 the goal of 100 temples was achieved, including the Louisville Kentucky Temple where I later served as temple president and Susan served as temple matron.

President Russell M. Nelson continues to emphasize the importance of temples and the Book of Mormon – Twenty-three years after the first milestone of 100 temples was reached, and under the prophetic guidance of President Nelson there are 300 temples that are operating, or under construction, or in planning.  In October 2022 General Conference he said:  “We rejoice that more temples are being built across the world. With the dedication of each new temple, additional Godly power comes into the world to strengthen us and counteracts the intensifying efforts of the adversary.

President Nelson has also spoken about the importance of the Book of Mormon said:  “My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life” (Oct 2017 General Conference).

The Lord said, “Trifle not with sacred things” (D&C 6:12) – We can make sure we are not trifling with the temple if we serve and worship there on a regular basis, often enough that it is a sacrifice.  We are not trifling with the Book of Mormon if we daily study, ponder, and apply its teachings

Testimony – I testify that if we worship in the temple and ponder The Book of Mormon and not treat them lightly, the Lord will pour out on each of us personalized blessings uniquely suited for our individual salvation and for the salvation of our family.

Susan and I love the temple and the Book of Mormon.  We have have studied the Book of Mormon most days for many years, and we have tried to live its teachings. We know that it is the instrument the Lord uses to gather latter day Israel to temples worldwide.  We testify that by keeping temple covenants all people, as children of God, can receive the blessing of exaltation, which “is the greatest of all the gifts of God” (1 Nephi 15:36).