In the Old Testament, we read about the temple being a place of worship for the Israelites. The temple is intended to be a place where Latter Day Saints go to feel a stronger presence of the Lord and make higher level covenants with Him. Making these special covenants is required if someone desires to progress on their path and qualify for eternal life and live with God in heaven. There are over 300 LDS temples that have been built all around the world. A curious question we can ask is: How many temples were there in the Old Testament?
Is it true that God commanded the Israelites to build “temples?” The first temple was built by king Solomon. That temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, then God commanded Ezra to rebuild the temple and those were the only two times when God commanded people in the Old Testament to build a temple. There literally were only two temples that were built throughout the entire history prior to Christ. But another question is: what goes on inside of the temple and where did some of the rituals originate from?
Joseph Smith joined the free masons, he learned their masonic rituals, then shortly after this he created the temple endowment ceremony which conveniently has a number of similar rituals as the masonic ceremony. What exactly are some of these similarities?
- Handgrips (token handshakes)
- Key Words (similar to a secret phrase one must recite in order to enter into the celestial room)
- Special clothing (white temple garments)
This realization that Smith copied rituals from free masonry and then put a religious twist on them has trouble many Latter Day Saints. The Free Masons were also into symbols, specifically the compass and the square. Below is a free mason building that is located near my house:
As you can see, the compass and the square symbols are on the building’s sign (with the G in the middle). These symbols are also used and considered sacred in the LDS Church.
Have the temple Ceremonies Remained The Same Over Time?
After Joseph Smith “restored” the temple endowment ceremony, rituals were eventually removed following Smith’s death. Prior to the 1990’s, members in the temple would be required to recite the following oath:
“We, and each of us, covenant and promise that we will not reveal any of the secrets of this, the first token of the Aaronic priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign or penalty. Should we do so, we agree that our throats be cut from ear to ear and our tongues torn out by their roots.”
Members mentioned how uncomfortable this made them feel. Seeking to prevent members from leaving, the LDS Church eventually removed this part of the endowment ceremony.
Up until 2019, women were required to “pledge obedience to their husbands” during the temple ceremony while their husbands “pledged obedience to God.” Women started to complain about this and said that they didn’t think this part of the ceremony was fair. Why are the woman pledging allegiance to men while the men are pledging obedience to God? Once again, the LDS Church edited this part in order to make the women happy and retain their members. Now, both genders pledge allegiance to God.
If Joseph Smith truly did restore the temple ceremonies to what they originally should have been, why do they keep changing? Is it right for the LDS Church to change God’s ordinances just because they want to make other people happy and to stop them from complaining?
A number of Latter Day Saints claim that masonic practices can be traced all the way back to Solomon’s temple. Yet throughout the entire Bible and the Book of Mormon, you don’t see any mention of spouses being sealed (temple marriages) nor do we read anything about token handgrips and special phrases you must memorize if you wish to enter into the celestial room. There is no evidence to suggest that Moses, Solomon or any other prophet practiced these rituals. In fact, masonry wasn’t even invented until the 1,400’s and the LDS Church acknowledges this:
The best explanation is that the LDS Church as to offer is that free masonry was a catalyst or tool that God used to give Joseph Smith revelation to restore the temple ordinances to what they should be.
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What did Jesus say on this matter in regard to the temple?
Matthew 12:6 “I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.”
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
These verses along with others tell us that Jesus perfectly fulfilled all 613 laws of the Old Testament, and because of that, he is greater than the temple. The animal sacrifices in the temple were how our sins were atoned for under the old covenant. But the cross is how our sins are atoned for under the new covenant. In other words: JESUS IS THE NEW COVENANT. When it comes to eternal life (living in the presence of God in heaven), there is no need for temples because Jesus is enough.
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We read in Acts 17:24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.”
1 Corinthians 6:19 “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you.”
We see that God doesn’t dwell inside of temples or any other building that was made on this earth. Furthermore, Christians today have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of them. So under this new covenant of grace, our bodies are temples of God (the Holy Spirit). This would be another Biblical reason for why we no longer need physical temples today.
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Revelation 21:22 “I DID NOT SEE A TEMPLE in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the LAMB ARE ITS TEMPLE.”
John 4:20-21 “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.”
God’s Word clearly states that there will be no temple in Zion when God establishes the new heaven and the new earth. Jesus also told the Samaritan woman that there would be a time when we will worship God neither on the mountain nor in Jerusalem (where the temple was located). That time is began after Jesus died on the cross and the temple veil was torn from top to bottom.
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When the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, the apostle John and his own disciples (Ignatius and Polycarp) were still alive. There is a reason why none of them weren’t franticly writing letters about the need to rebuild the temple. It’s because they realized that temples were under the old covenant and that Jesus is the new covenant and Jesus is enough. After Christ ascended back into heaven, the apostles still went to the temple for worship. The temple was traditional and convenient…but no longer necessary. Remember when Jesus prophesied that the temple would be destroyed? Why didn’t He follow that up with: “and make sure to rebuild it if you want to live with me in heaven.” He said that it was going to be destroyed and never said anything about the need to rebuild it.
Since the death and resurrection of Christ, we now have the cross that permanently atones for the sins of those who have fully trusted in Jesus as their Lord and savior apart from works. Receiving eternal life has nothing to do with saving ordinances because it is Jesus alone that saves. But according to LDS doctrine, temple works are required for us to qualify for eternal life and live with God in heaven. If the gospel was truly restored to what it once was, why are today’s temple ordinances so different than what was practiced by the prophets of the Old Testament? Yes, we read about the prophets in the OT and Jesus and his apostles in the NT going to the temple to worship…but why don’t we ever read about Jesus or the apostles doing any of the saving ordinances? It’s because none of them ever taught the LDS saving ordinances.
In 2 Corinthians 11:4, the apostle Paul warns us about following after a false Christ, accepting a false gospel, and listening to a false spirit. Any organization that professes the need for temples or the mandate to do temple works in order to receive eternal life and live with God forever in heaven is preaching a different gospel that is not the new covenant of grace. According to Galatians 1:6-9, it is a cursed gospel that can’t save anyone.
I pray that you would critically think about these things and ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I under the new covenant of grace that was taught by Jesus and his apostles?
- Or am I under a gospel of temple works?
Please let me know your thoughts, things you appreciated or things that you disagreed with in the comment section below. Thank you for reading and God bless!
JLLDS Ministries 
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