Every time that Israel has been gathered, they have been commanded to build a place where God could reveal to them his ways—the very power of godliness (see D&C 84:20).
Moses gathered Israel and built the tabernacle for this purpose; Solomon gathered Israel and built the temple at Jerusalem for this purpose; Jesus attempted to do this as well, bringing Israel to the Herodian temple, but try as he might—even “as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings” (Luke 13:34)—Israel in his day would not come together!
And what happened when Christ was rejected by Israel? We read that the veil in the temple, which represents Christ’s flesh (see Heb. 10:20), “was torn in two from top to bottom” (Mark 15:32 NIV). This was a symbolic lesson: without Christ, there is no temple and no revelation of God’s ways; however, with Christ, the temple is central to his condescension.
This first devotional might sound like a downer if history ended there! But here is some good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ: today, Israel is again being gathered and there are temples on the earth where God can once again reveal to them his ways. God has not left us comfortless but is working a great and marvelous work upon the earth, bringing heaven down to earth and earth up to heaven to meet at holy places. This is symbolized beautifully by the Star of David where an upward triangle and a downward triangle meet—that is the temple:
I remember the first time I went through the temple and entered the “Holiest of all” (Heb. 9:3) I was amazed at the beauty of the space and also the intense feeling of the presence of God’s spirit. Then a man approached me whom I did not know (and still do not know [Heb. 13:2]) and he spoke to me, saying: “When you leave this place, will you be sad to go back to the real world? “I answered that I would. He then said, “Do not be sad, for in here is the real world; out there—outside God’s temple—that is the false world, and every time you enter this place you come back a step closer to home, a step closer to the real world. Do not forget it.”
And with that he departed from my presence.
For all who wish to be taught by the Lord, his angels, and his servants, I say, come up to the temple, for our God is gathering with healing in his wings (3 Ne. 25:2).
Home | The Science of Theology 