The Temple Throughout The Scriptures feat. Bruce Porter

Joseph Smith does not make up with the temple ceremony.
The Temple is about Exaltation. We don't talk about it enough. If we don't have that doctrine, then we are like every other Christian denomination.

 Raw Transcript

did you know the temple was found throughout the scriptures I don't mean blatantly I don't mean directly but the
authors of the scriptures use the temple and its rituals often to teach
principles and to write accounts of these rituals as the official spokesman
for going do travel I am reminding you about the momentum cruises 2025 we have got the momentum West
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[Music]
go all right welcome to Quick show my name is Greg Matson and I am your host in this episode we bring back again
Bruce Porter to talk about the temple in the scriptures welcome back Bruce thank
you Greg it's good to be back I'm excited again you know there's a lot of talk right now in the church uh you know
you know On The Fringe perhaps but it's it's prevalent out there online and it's
it's it has to do with the temple and its newness and talking about how you know
is this something that Joseph Smith actually came up with or was it Brigham Young who came up with this and is there
a need for the temple or or do we just need a a direct spiritual relationship
with God and or did this come from the Masons and and uh you know so I want to
talk a little bit more about look these are ancient scriptures that we have and the authors were in many cases very
familiar all cases probably very familiar with the temple ceremony and
with the ordinances isn't that right it is if I mean if you look if you look at
the purpose of or God's work in glory first his work in glory is to bring to
pass the immortality and eternal life of man if that's his work in glory then surely the scriptures have to be founded
on that very same work and Glory the things that are taught in the scriptures have to have to be connected to that
work and glory and so we should be able to see not just Shadows but clear evidence
of that work and Glory throughout the scriptures from beginning to end from Adam to the to the end of time and so if
these were if there were references to the temple and the ordinances early on
then this is something that would have always existed and just something that had would have to be restored by Joseph
Smith correct exactly they it's it is a restoration you have spiritual entropy
going on that's why and the proof of spiritual entropy and entropy is going
from a state of order to a state of disorder uh spiritual entropy the proof of that is that there's
dispensations if there were not spiritual entropy there would be no we we'd still be in the adamic dispensation
if that were not the case but because that goes on there's a restoration that has to take place and that restoration
is that work in glory that was given to Adam that Adam was taught um in the G
after he was cast out of the Garden of Eden so you know a couple points here before we we get into some of these
examples of the temple in the scriptures uh you know I just think it's very interesting when when you this is not
you know the temple isn't something that Joseph Smith comes up with in navoo no it it's it's not something that comes up
when he gets has an affiliation with the Masons uh if you look at the history
Joseph Smith history when Moroni comes to him visits him in his room before he has ever seen
the Golden Plates right he he is
told by the angel Moroni he he he
Malachi 4 is referenced right then and there as part
of these things that are not just that are happening but that need to be restored and and this is where you he
the very this is the ve these are the very last verses of the Old
Testament right the very last verses of the Old Testament are the fathers turning their hearts to the children and the children turning their hearts to the
fathers which we know is the spirit of Elijah we know that this is about Temple ceiling so right from the
get-go this is this is front and center yeah the even the uh the doctrine
Covenant section one even though it was given a little bit later it was designated to be the preference and he says that that the Lord called upon his
servant Joseph Smith because people had changed because they had changed the ordinances and broken the Everlasting
Covenant he's just saying that there needs to be a restoration there has to be a restoration of this of this not
just a higher law but an understanding of the work and glory of God and then of course when he's
translating The Book of Mormon early on before the church is even formed right if if there is evidence of
the temple in the Book of Mormon then obviously this is before Joseph Smith
has come up with this before he initiates it and before he would say okay well I'm adding all this other
stuff into the Book of Mormon it's already there right before he even starts off with this what give let's
start off just as an example of what what were where would you see a temple text in the Book of Mormon
well you know the years ago I went through I tried to list all of the
doctrines that I uh I should learn from the temple from participating in the Temple and so I
went through and listed those doctrines and I came up uh when I got into the book of I realized that everything
that I was supposed to know was in second Nephi chapter 2 um those are and I call that chapter
the doctrine of the temple because the concepts that are talk that that Lehi is teaching Jacob his son he's giving in my
opinion Lehi is giving he's giving him his endowment he is endowing him with
power to get through mortality so that he can understand and and an endowment of power is more than just ordinances
it's knowledge it's knowledge of of the Plan of Salvation it's it's knowing and
understanding that we existed before we came here it's knowing that there's life after death it's it's knowing what our
potentials are it's knowing why there's evil in the world uh why there's opposition why we have to deal with
these things that that gives a person an endowment of power over mortality that most most religions don't have most
people don't have and they're searching for and it's what you see Lehi when he's giving Jacob that his endowment of power
there in second Nephi chapter 2 he's teaching all of the same Concepts that
we would learn in the temple we we're learning about the the law of opposition we're learning about evil we're learning
about these things that will give us power over mortality and in second Nephi
chapter 2 when you go through it when you actually break it down and look at it it's it is the doctrines of the
temple and that's what he's giving to his sons and other Sons too we see the
same thing with Alma later on if if the temple has existed you know
in some form or another obviously there isn't always a temple even with the children of Israel they first build the
Tabernacle they've got some kind of a quasy structure in Shiloh along with maybe a tabernacle and then later you've
got the Temple of Solomon but you know what about going back to Adam and Eve
you know may we don't know maybe they had a building but what about the Patriarchs there's no mention of a
temple there before you know Israel is even created
it's a temple is to maintain when when the um uh when the dedication of the London
Temple um took place place the church published a pamphlet and they had asked nibi to
write an article in specifically for that that opening and in that
pamphlet uh and in that article um nibble makes the statement or the statement is made that a temple is a
building to maintain Sacred Space because all covenants maintain the
Sacred Space of the altar because all covenants are made at or as as if you are at an altar so it's to maintain that
Sacred Space of the altar now if that's the case then we can see this happening
during that during the patriarchal narratives in the Old Testament Abraham
builds the altar you know Jacob uh Isaac they all have they all have these altars
these early Patriarchs would build an altar because that that becomes the place where you make covenants even
within our own church today within our own with our own meeting houses we have altar of sacrifice there that that we
prepare the sacrament and pass the sacrament to the members of the church that's an altar of sacrifice and that's
where we're making covenants we're making covenants at that altar of sacrifice and the same we do in temples
but a temple at least in the in that early statement it says that a temple
was constructed to maintain the Sacred Space that surrounds the altar so that
you can do those things now anciently they would go up to mountains anytime you see mountains mentioned in the Old
Testament especially we even see it in the Book of Mormon multiple times when mountains are mentioned it's usually in
a temple context or within a temple text itself um we have Isaiah saying the
mountain of the Lord's House is established in the tops of the mountains Nephi is taken up carried away to a high
mountain uh the brother of Jared goes up to the mountain and and while he's on the mountain and this is one of those
Temple texts in the scripture when when he's on the mountain the Lord Parts the veil he puts his hand through the veil
the brother of Jared falls back and the Lord says what's wrong and he says I knew not that you had a body of Flesh
and Bones and I thought you might smack me it says Smite but it means the same thing then he asked him do you want to
see more yes do you have faith yes then he says Thou Art redeemed from the fall
you're cleansed from the fall and then he's admitted into the presence of God and it says three times there he could
not be kept from the presence of the god God so the veil Parts the Lord's hand comes through the veil the brother of
Jared is then pronounced clean and then he's admitted into the presence of God now that's to me that's a temple text
but it's on a high mountain and so and altars represent that primordial Mountain that and altars always
represent that under the law of the altar represent that primordial Mound the highest point the closest point
between Heaven and Earth which if you get into that symbolism it's there so we may not have temples
uh we that we see in the early days of the Patriarchs but the concept is there
because the covenants are being made at an altar which is that closest point between Heaven and
Earth you know I had thought that you know even looking at the Book of Mormon where with Lehi um and I don't
know if this makes sense or not but uh I the shortest verse in all of the Book of
Mormon is and my father dwelt in a tent and I just always thought why is that
important why is he saying that and and I just wonder is that I I don't know is he saying he was
at they They Carried a temple with him did they did they have some kind of a little Tabernacle that they used or some
sort of uh something that was pieced together for them uh as they left
Jerusalem and didn't have the temple any longer I don't know but it's it wouldn't surprise me because the temple seems to
be at the center of everything all the time every time the Saints go to a new place they dedicate you know in church
history they're dedicating the land immediately of where they're going to put the temple it's the first thing they think of this is we have to have this so
You' think that Lehi would be focused on this if if he's got a knowledge of the importance of the temple one thing you
got to remember there's two different aspects um Lehi was living under the law of Moses and so they have to function
when they build it when they get to the promised land they use what is in the brass plates the design of Solomon's
Temple to construct a temple and that's an ironic based Temple now prior to Moses the Patriarchs lived a higher law
they had a higher law they had greater covenants had greater obligations and so under the law of Moses we have two
different two different types of Ceremonies taking place under the Patriarchs versus under the law of Moses
now Lehi lived under that law of Moses that's what he was familiar with that's what he was doing now whether or not he
took had a tabernacle or a sac space or whether when he stopped and camped and they may have camped in the same place
during a whole rainy season for their flocks and herds that rainy season can be almost a year's time because the the
way the the rains uh take place there but they I don't doubt that they built
an altar because we we know from the text itself that Lehi offered sacrifice
when they got in out into the Wilderness and the sons returned home safely he offered sacrifice now it may have been a
a offering it may have been a young camel which was a common sacrificial
animal with them I we don't know whether they had the sheep or the you know uh
Lambs with them that they could sacrifice but he talks about he's offering a sacrifice as a thank offering
so they would have had at least constructed uh in their Camp some type
of altar some kind type of Center Place one thing that we get get with the
restoration is the idea of the temple which is tied directly to
exaltation and and the abrahamic Covenant right so we would find the
abrahamic Covenant we would think throughout the scriptures a references to these things um if I go back and I
look at for example uh well let's go
to Abraham 27-2 you've got this a reference in here
in you've got a a a page here called Temple texts you got the abrahamic
Covenant you've got priesthood posterity and inheritance those three things and then
you talk about the that the whole book of Abraham is a record of his endowment
tell me about these three things first in looking at the abrahamic Covenant priesthood posterity and
inheritance well that's that's the blessing that Abraham says he was seeking for in in in chapter one and
there in verse two he says I sought for the blessings of the father fathers and the right to be ordained to administer to the same and then he goes through and
he talks about he wanted to be a high priest holding the right belonging to the fathers now high priest is dealing
with priesthood and holding the right belonging to the fathers he says um
which he ends that kopon there by saying uh concerning the seed concerning that
posterity that he has so his desire and what he is blessed with what what we see
in Genesis 17 as well as in Abraham uh there in the second chapter of Abraham
is he's blessed that this priesthood will be upon him and upon his posterity
is what the Lord is telling him the priesthood will be upon him and his posterity and that then he says and and
this right that right shall continue with thee and thy seed after thee and
that that all the nations of the earth will be blessed because of that Seed of
Abraham because they have that right of priesthood and it comes down to that posterity many
people think that Abraham wanted children for the sake of children I don't know whether anybody in your right
mind wants that but Abraham didn't want children for the sake of children he loved God so much he wanted a posterity
that could carry on in the service of God and that's why the Lord tells him
that this right shall continue in thee and thy seed after thee to bless all nations of the Earth with the blessings
of Salvation and life eternal and so that's what Abraham wanted so we see the abrahamic Covenant Genesis 17 as
priesthood and a posterity to hold that priesthood and administer that priesthood and an inheritance so that
they can live and and be able to administer that priesthood now when you look in the doctrine covenants you can
you can see in the doctrine covenants after the restoration you can see the B
the celestial blessings of all three of those elements a priesthood a righteous
posterity and a celestial inheritance those are all blessings that show up in the doctrine covenants when you break it
down so it's the same thing but when you look at what Abraham received you look at what Isaac received you look at what
Jacob when Jacob is out um in the wilderness there he he he has that he
wrestles that angel he's not wrestling the angel it's just that the translators didn't know how to translate the Embrace
and so they translated wrestle because when you're wrestling you're embracing something and while he's in that Embrace
he gets a name change from Jake to Israel the the the angel questioning what is your name he says my name is
Jacob the angel says I'm going to change your name your your name is no longer Jacob but she'll be called Israel for this day thou Hast striven for a
blessing and hath prevailed now that means and are found worthy hath prevailed you wanted a blessing and
you've prevailed in receiving that blessing because you're worthy to re receive that blessing and in that ritual
em Embrace and with a name change he receives the abrahamic Covenant again of
priesthood and posterity and inh in heritance and the Lord just a few chapters later uh after the Embrace of
the Angel the Lord reinforces that again with the name change and gives him the Covenant and Blessing of Abraham but
it's it all has to do and that abrahamic Covenant all is connected to uh the
service that Abraham wanted his posterity to do for God because he Lov
loved God so much he wanted a righteous posterity this the same reason that Rebecca says that um in regard to uh
Isaac and and um or Jacob and Esau he says of what value will my life be to me
if he marries the daughters of Heth who can't have that priesthood so she's worried that the
abrahamic Covenant won't be able to pass down if if Jacob were to marry the
daughters of Heth she recog she was she recognized and was living under the reality of that
abrahamic Covenant and wanted to make sure that her son could continue that abrahamic Covenant uh continue on with
that abrahamic Covenant and so that comes down to the Bas the basics or the
basis of any type of Temple worship is be becoming the Seed of Abraham as the
Lord tells Abraham he says those who accept my gospel become my will become your seed becoming the Seed of Abraham
and offering that service that Abraham wanted his posterity to offer to God
it's interesting you see the story of Abraham and of course it's one of struggle and he doesn't have a son right
he gets Ishmael and then eventually he ends up with Isaac but the whole story is do you have faith in in in well
ultimately we learn it's about Jesus Christ in the Joseph Smith translation but it's do you have faith in Jesus Christ to be able to
accomplish what you need to accomplish in becoming the father of Nations right
and and he's tested and Sarah's tested this whole time saying you know thinking it's impossible for me to get this uh
this to fulfill the abrahamic Covenant yeah uh because we have no seed we have
no we have no posterity and of course eventually they get they get Isaac and so the whole story there is about what
we believe in the temple and I I just as I'm saying this I'm thinking why why
don't we talk about this more because I'm thinking to myself the only time I talk about this is with you and a few
other people I don't hear it in Sunday school I don't hear it you know at the pulpit I I just kind
of that's part of the problem I think with our understanding as members of the church is why are we not tied more to
the temple and to the restoration of the plain and precious things of exaltation that that are prevalent
throughout the scriptures you know I I don't think you'd have as many people worried about
this or wondering about the temple if as as being inspired if if they understood what's
already been the groundwork that's already been laid since the time of Adam yeah we don't talk about the the
doctrine of of exaltation and everything is based that's the work and glory of God God finding himself says Joseph
Smith in the midst of these Spirits in glory prepared a plan whereby they could receive the same Glory that he had I
mean that's the Joseph Smith statement the that's the every single thing we
believe in I mean everything the organization of the church the purpose of written scriptures the priesthood of
of of a first presidency a prophet and apostles even Christ coming to the Earth
even Christ's Resurrection even the teachings of Christ everything comes back to support
that one single doctrine of exaltation the work and glory of God and so we you
don't talk about it we talk about how fun and great the church is and we have our our our our our social activities
and things like that but we don't talk about the the whole doctrine of exaltation which separates us from every
other Christian religion separates us and that's the part of that restoration and that's part that's connected
directly connected to that abrahamic Covenant it yeah it's it's odd to me
that you know you're you're given in the Church These plenty and precious things
and and you don't hold them up you know and I'm saying not anyone specifically but that you know to not hold that up
and lean into it not just for yourself but you know for the rest of the world I
mean what lean into it don't worry about what other people might think of you or what they're saying or the the fingers
pointed from the great and spacious building it's a beautiful incredible Doctrine
and and if we were leaning into it more it I I think that you know we we'd be more like that shining City on a Hill
instead of down in the valley with everybody else and and but but if you're not leaning into it there's there's not
much of a light that that that's shining there that's showing you the difference there's an old there's an old
uh text it's the I can't remember whether it's the test I think it's the Testament of of Adam could be the
Apocalypse of Adam I was just looking at it the other day again and and Christ is speaking or the Savior speaking to Adam
he says you wanted to you wanted to become a God but I can't make you a God right now you wanted ex exaltation but I
can't do that right now because I have to be I have to through time I have to be born of you and then I have to I have
to live and I have to die then I have to be resurrected and he says when I'm resurrected then you will be resurrected
and then he says I'll put you on the right hand of my Divinity and make you a God just like you wanted in the very
beginning it's a very interesting text that's that's going back that when they
partook they wanted to become like God is one reason that Eve you know you'll become as the gods knowing good from
Evil good good and evil and so that might be the excuse or some
people might look at that as an excuse for partaking of the fruit that they wanted to become like God which was
required for them to become like God they needed that fall in order to do that but there's texts out there that go
right back or at least imply that it goes back to the time of Adam and the
whole concept of exaltation I mean that's that lies the further back in time you go the
oldest religions that you can study be it Mesopotamia or be it Egypt their whole basis of their and the basis of
their faith of the ancient Egyptian faith is the concept of of of uh Living
For Eternity but being resurrected and being exalted everything com comes back to that exaltation and we you're right
we don't talk about it enough we talk about what we need to do and how we need to do something or or whole different
concepts in Our Gospel Doctrine classes that that hardly ever get into exaltation but exaltation this Doctrine
is the foundation of every single thing we believe in if we don't have that
we're just like every other Christian Church yeah and and it's it helps you understand every more
you understand the gospel more if you understand the the the doctrine of exaltation and eternal growth and
eternal families but also understand then that there's a problem there there
is a massive obstacle to exaltation and and that is the Eternal
law that you speak of which is no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of God that's right and so it's you have
this the doctrine of exaltation this is what we're trying to accomplish but but
a massive obstacle in the way which ultimately I would I would say is
judgment and and and you can't get past it so everything about the gospel as you
say everything's toward exaltation but to me I would be even I think you could be even more precise in saying
everything is about overcoming this problem yeah you know how do you preach
what the priesthood in longsuffering with others and teaching and the atoning sacrifice and all of these things
everything charity is all about overcoming the problem exactly holding
us away from exaltation even Commandments themselves are are to assist us in developing a character
worthy to dwell with God because no unclean thing can dwell with God and that's an eternal law and that can't
change it's not going to change this this whole concept of these covenants this that second paragraph in the title
page of the Book of Mormon I can't I'm not going to be able to quote it correctly but it says uh that they might
know what great things the Lord has done for their fathers uh which is in the
past that we might understand the covenants of the fathers and that we might know that
we're not cast off forever so you get past present and future but they're all connected to covenants now when you look
at you brought up Malachi when you look up at Malachi and it talks about the promises made to the
fathers uh to plant in the hearts of the children and that changes in the doctrine covenants to plan in the hearts
of the children the promises made to the fathers now that promise and those
covenants that's talked about in that second paragraph of the title page may be that very Covenant of Abraham that's
the promise Abraham says I sought for the blessings of the fathers the covenants of the fathers and the
covenants and blessings may be that Covenant of exaltation that Concept in Covenant of exaltation of priesthood
upon you and your posterity for that exaltation that I think is what is what
Malachi is talking about I think that's the connection that ceiling into that exaltation is the connection that
Elijah has with that gospel and that restoration and we don't we just don't
talk about the exaltation and that's our whole religion our whole faith in Christ
is based upon that concept that doctrine of exaltation well it seems going
further into the book of Mor you know when they talk about salvation in at least in almost all
cases it seems to be referring to exaltation The Book of Mormon is an all
or I look at that as an All or Nothing book now you have to remember they're living under the law of Moses but you're
either in the presence of God or you're in outer darkness in the Book of Mormon it's just one or the other so if you're
in the presence of God that's exaltation and so this All or Nothing book written to the children of Israel
still living under the law of Moses that's just the way that's the way the Book of Mormon shows up you're either in
the presence of God or you're in outer Darkness you're you're you're in hell you're in damnation you know you're damned and so it comes across very very
harshly compared to what we have restored in our time but you have to remember you have to remember the
setting and the people that's talking about and it's trying to explain that hey the best thing you can do is be
working for that presence of God rather than being cast out out of the presence of God yeah which the children of Israel
rejected at sin exactly that's what they're looking at that's the reference they rejected the presence of God at sin
exactly they said we don't want to do it because you know you Moses you go up there and you take care of it we we need a mediator between us and God rather
than and and I think that's the great thing and the great symbol behind the veil being ran at the time of Christ's
death is that Veil is now open for the individual uh going through Elma 1213
and 4 Alma 12 I I just love Elma 12 it is maybe the best
reference to the Garden of Eden anywhere I think I'm it's 12 right Elma is that
what I'm thinking El yeah Elma 12 and it's there's so much I mean there's obviously some in second Nei too as you
explained also about the guard of but Alma 12 really goes over this it is if
you want more context and understanding of the of the Garden of Eden you go to you go to Elma 12 and you're going to a
lot explain to you and then you go right into Elma 13 and you have now talking about the mestic priesthood and and uh
and then you also list uh 14 here all do I have that right no 34 34 with going
into Elma 33 in the atonement and whatnot where do you see the temple in Elma 1213 and
34 well I the the mezic if you look at section 84 of the doctrine countenance
when it talks about the mesic priesthood starting verse 19 it says now now these ordinances are uh let's see this this
greater priesthood administers these ordinances and you have to have this greater priesthood this speaking of the
meic priesthood to administer the ordinances of of Salvation and
exaltation is what we're getting at and I think that's what chapter 13 of Alma is talking about 12 is coming in and
dealing with with Adam and Eve and the fall it's it's it's setting a stage for
what we're trying for that for that whole idea of coming back to the
presence of God after they left the presence of God and even now overcoming the problem exactly and even it even
talks about Mysteries the mysteries of godliness now when mystery shows up in scripture it's generally connected to
ordinances and it says unto many it is given to know the mysteries of God the ordinances the the concepts of this
exaltation nevertheless they are laid under strict command not to impart except that portion which is readily
available which he do freely Grant into the Children of Men and so he talks about that fall in chapter 12 and then
he moves into the authority that's required to reverse that fall and then
the connection to Alma 34 is the atonement which can satisfy the demands
of justice so that our confidence can waack strong there's we don't we don't
um we don't look at what God has done God has if if you look at this whole
concept of exaltation and I I look at it when I go back and I think of the pre-existence or the prear
life the the counsel in heaven let's put it there and God and and the Lord says or God says the father says we have this
plan where you're going to be able to go down to this earth and we need and you need to come back but your body this
this nasty body of Flesh and Bone and with desires appetites and passions you're going to separate yourself and no
unclean think and dwell with me and I I keep thinking we probably ask the question well how are we ever going to get back and he says well I'm going to
give you I'm going to give you prophets to teach you I'm you're going to have prophets and I'm going to give you scriptures so that you can read these
scriptures so that you can learn how to come back and I'm GNA I'm actually going to give you a church organization that's
going to be headed by inspired men that are going to be inspired for me that's you know Apostles and Prophets that are
going to teach you I'm going to give you a church organization I'm going to give you an organization so that if you want to partake of the sacrament have a
relationship with me then you can do that I'm going to I'm going to give you this I'm going to make opportunity so
that you can be edified by in the in the sacrament meetings or you can learn more about the scriptures in your Sunday school um I think God said that but
there's two things that we C two things so he gave us everything that we need to
use our agency to come back to his presence we have everything we need but there's two
things that that we can't do there's two things that can't be done and that is we
can't resurrect oursel and we can't can't sanctify
oursel we can't be cleansed from sin we have to have so he's given us everything
and then he says then Christ comes in and this is where Alma 34 comes in Alma
34 is providing for us what we cannot do for ourselves because everyone is going
to be resurrected and everyone's going to be brought back to the presence of God everyone everyone whether we stay
there or not is going to be our choice but every everyone is going to be resurrected everyone's going to be
brought back to the presence of God and those are the two things that we can't do everything else is agency based
everything else is making that choice those who who uh who may can come unto
Christ if they want to but the two things that we can't do is reverse the fall the physical death and the
spiritual death and Christ does that but everything else becomes a choice of ours do we want to participate in the
ordinances of the temple do we want to participate in the sacrament that is offered God has given us those things so
that we can learn to develop the character worthy to enter his presence he's going to give us the resurrection
and bring us back to the presence of God for free that's the grace that's there but the mercy comes only upon those who
exercise as Elma 34 says 15-1 17 uh those who exercise Faith unto
repentance repentance yeah which is interesting you know because that that proxy Act
by Christ is not the gift of
exaltation right it's not the gift of exaltation it's a gift for sure because it gives us the opportunity but as as
specified there and elsewhere in the scriptures it's based on our repentance
yeah and so you have this proxy act where he's like okay I will be outlas I will I will take the world and put it on
my back and I will take care this for you and I will pay the price Etc right
it's a spiritual economy that's happening here there's a it's like a spiritual transaction that that he's
covering it the problem is is that with him stepping in and
doing this we still have to rise to him yeah we we still have to be able to rise
to him to to get over the obstacle he he he paid for it but
not not like okay great now I'm good right it it it's and that's what get
gets lost I think a lot that because it's an a proxy Act of of of of
payment right we we we have number one we're always in debted to him but but
number two we still have to work to get through the
obstacle that's that's exactly right ex exaltation or being in the presence of
God which I would consider exaltation or or at least that Celestial life is
character-based it's character-based because no unclean thing can be there
well character if exaltation is character-based character is agency based that's agency based God doesn't
come in and say okay I'm going to poof you into Perfection you're never going
to have any more sin you're never going to have any more evil thoughts I'm going to poof you or there's some ordinance or magic wand that turns us perfect it has
to be agency based or it's not ours it's not us it's not me and so exaltation is
character-based because no unclean thing can be there character is agency based and that's the great thing that Alma 34
says that if we are exercising Faith under repentance and repentance the word repentance is means nothing more than
the the process of changing character that's what repentance means you're changing your character it's not just
punishment exactly it's not meant to be punishment yeah because everyone needs to repent everyone needs to change their
character Christ says there's there's none good no not one there's none righteous so so we all have to repent
and it's what Elma 34 says is that if we are exercising Faith unto the change of
character I.E repentance then Christ steps in and will
satisfy the demands of justice is what he's saying is he will satisfy the
demands of justice that would automatically kick us out of his presence so that we have the time to develop the
character that's worthy to be with God that's the mercy Grace is getting us there everyone's going to be resurrected
everyone's going to be brought back to the presence of God but whether or not we stay there is if we are trying to
exercise Faith unto the change of character and if so it says that that
his Mercy will satisfy the demands of Justice which then gives us the confidence that our confidence will wax
strong in the presence of God but it's the time he gives us the time to develop a character worthy to be with God even
Joseph Smith said we cannot dwell with God until we have the character of God and he says that's going to take a long
long time yeah that's interesting on on your character will your your confidence will wax strong it's like how can your
Char how can your confidence waack strong unless you've already earned that unless you've already been to gotten
through that process right right to be there it's that that's very interesting I want to end on this we didn't finish
up on the book of Abraham you also say that the book of Abraham is is in itself
as a whole it it's it it represents I think is it represents Abraham's
endowment C can you go over that yeah even the best way to explain it is just
looking at the at the illustrations in the book of Abraham I mean he starts out by saying I wanted the blessings of the
fathers and the rights of the fathers and to be ordained to administer the same he wanted to become a high priest
holding the right belonging to the fathers he wanted the blessings and the Covenant of that we call the Covenant of Abraham but if you look at those three
fact simes and the way that they are they represent they that fact simly
number one even though Abraham is using it as a representation that fact simly number
one is always the death of the god is the death of the god and that has to do with the death of Christ factsim number
two when you get through it is the resurrection and Ascension through the heavens where the dead go are
resurrected and Ascend through the heavens now this is looking at it from an Egyptian perspective but
Abraham Egypt was the place where Abraham went to teach and where Abraham went to learn so so you you have the
death of the god in fact sbly number one in fact Sly number two you have the resurrection and Ascension and then in
fact similing number three you have the enthronement Abraham now sitting on the throne so if you look at that and think
of and think of the endowment that we participate in we have to first
participate in the death of the go we have to participate in in the wa what we would call the washing and anointing or
initiatory well that washing and anointing is dealing with a me with not just the message but the mission of
Christ we are washed because of that atonement and we're anointed to come
forth in that first resurrection see that's the life of Christ that's the death that's the atonement and res and
and Resurrection right there of Christ Christ says no man cometh unto the father but by me but we have to
participate in his is death in order to move forward we have
to participate in that death and we have to participate in an ordinance of the Resurrection which in the Egyptian uh um
theology is that anointing they would anoint the body in seven different places so that the body would function properly in that Resurrection it's
called the seven blows of life so in that initiatory we do that well in fact simly number two you have that
resurrection and Ascension through the heavens now we used to ascend in our Temple worship we used to ascend through
the heavens we'd go from from the from the from the creation room to the Garden Room to the you know to the telestial
room to the terrestrial to then eventually ended up in the SE Celestial so we we would go through the heavens
then they changed it to lights the lights would get brighter and brighter when we quit moving to represent that
Ascension towards God until it's bright and then we stand at the veil and then we're admitted into the presence of God
that's fact simbly number three where you receive as the scriptures say you receive all that the father hath you
become an heir and a joint air with Jesus Christ and receive all that the father hath and admit it into his
presence so those three fact assemblies in that order in the order that Abraham puts them or Joseph Smith at least gives
them to us is is a synopsis of that endowment from from initiatory right
into the celestial room it's a synopsis of that endowment and anytime there's a there's a great biblical scholar I can't
remember his name right now um I've got his name somewhere but he says that
anytime time a creation text a creation epic is given he says a creation epic is
always given in connection to a ritual or an initiation and that that has to take
place because we have to understand our relationship with God that's why creation accounts are there they're not
to tell us the creation accounts don't tell us how long it took God to create the world or in what order things were created they're to establish
relationships and all you have to do is look at King Benjamin's address when he brings up creation and and and our
existence in this creation more than just more than any other author in the
scriptures I believe but he is establishing relationships the creation account there
is to establish a relationship between God the Creator and us uh that are that have the potential
to become like God and the en environment the world in which we must live in order to work out our own
salvation and fear and trembling and that exaltation so every creation account as this man
says this biblical scholar says is there as a ritual or an initiation when you
see those creation accounts to establish a relationship between God man and the environment which man has to work out
their salvation and that's what we see in second Nephi chapter 2 Lehi is saying
look you know you've got the Flesh and the and the evil contained therein in that flesh there's the law of opposition
and he goes right through everything every doctrine of the temple there in Chapter 2 of second Nephi so so Abraham
is just a synopsis of his endowment that verse 2-4 there he says that I wanted my
endowment I wanted the concepts and the ordinances of exaltation and then he begins explaining it chapter two he gets
the Covenant but then he goes into goes into the creation accounts after that
which is trying to establish those relationships relationships so that we can understand the covenants that we're
making and the covenants uh the promises that God has made to those who make the covenants and then we don't have the
third part right not the text right that that that's that third part is was
translated but not prepared for publication so yeah shoot yeah yeah
really all right well Bruce thanks so much uh great stuff I I just think it's
important that we understand the temple has been around forever this is not a a something made up by Joseph or Brigham
Young um and and it's a core part of the Gospel it is it is and it's not just a
checklist it is a it is a relationship that we're trying to build as we go through and make covenants I in fact in
my mind and and I don't know if this is a perfect uh uh example of how this
would the word actually means this but when I when I hear someone like Jeremiah say talking about the New Covenant and
and Covenant and um saying saying that you know God will know his people and
they will know him I just think that know is a familiar no KNN W and and I
just can't help but think that that's the covenants you know that that perhaps that's what it means that we will know
him through that relationship that's built through Covenant so really appreciate your help on this and
guidance as we walk through it next time we see each other we'll be in Egypt as I just recorded that's right I'll see you
I'll see you in Cairo I guess that's right it's fine all right Bruce thanks so much thank you Greg