Michael Wilcox- Temple

House of Glory,
House of Order,
House of Fasting,
House of Faith,
House of Refuge,
House of Thanksgiving,
Forgiveness (Solomon's dedicatory prayer)

House of Learning-

Going to temple to "be endowed" is more correct than taking out endowments.

What are we being endowed with? Knowledge, Light, Intellingence, Wisdom

He was confused, frighted when he took out his endowments.  He left feeling, "This cannot be my church"  Now, the temple is one of the great foundations of his faith.

Symbols are an important part of the temple.

The endowment is more figurative style than literal style.  Temple can mean many different things to many different times, at different levels.

George McDonald- CS Lewis Mentor who CS Lewis quoted in every book.  George preached about a loving and caring God, so much so that the church wouldn't let him preach anymore.

Prepare us for the temple.
1.  We do outward things that suggest spiritual truths- sacrament,
baptism- immersion in water- Why do we immerse? we can wash in a variety of ways.  Font is a womb, the child is born of water  Font is the burial.  We bury our sins and are resurrected.  Baptism is bath (cleaning), birth & burial
2.  The scriptures- Almost everything we say and do in the temple has a scripture that goes with it.  I'm to see myself as a child of Israel.  Everything in Exodus applies to us.
Manna-scriptures
Jordan River
Crossing Red Sea- Baptism
Pillar of Fire- Holy Ghost

Scriptures on the altar- is a hint.  Holding up the scriptures- another hint  Everything seen and done can be found in the scriptures

Everyone dresses in white- 1)purity & cleanliess 2) we're all equal, dressed in white 3)every color is reflected in white, my life must be a life of whiteness revealing all the light of God's truth 4) mirrors reflect all eternity- symbol of us being an eternal being, symbol of the chain, the welding link talked about in D&C.

4) Some symbols are much more difficult to comprehend- may require deep understanding of scriptures and ancient things.

Formula for Temple Worship (also works for studying scripture
3 Ne 17: 2   I ^aperceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot ^bunderstand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time.

  3 Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ^aponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and ^bprepare your minds for the ^cmorrow, and I come unto you again. 

Since you don't understand

1. Go home-
2. Ponder upon the things which I said (we have to go often enough to remember what was said)
3. Ask Heavenly Father to help you understand
4. Prepare- Be alert, attentive & reverent- helps prepare us.
5. Return

At the very beginning of the endowment, the use teaching words- Be alert attentive & reverent.

Everything in the temple can teach you. 

What does that big chandelier teach you?  It's light?  What's light in the scriptures, truth.  You can look in the mirrors and see the chandelier through eternity telling you to take the Spirit with you.  They don't say this in the temple, because the chedelier teaches us.

What does the altar represent.  We give each ourselves to the spouse & our spouse gives themselves to us.  Then we take each other's hand and we give your marriage to God.


Naman's 7 dips.  Which dip was the one that healed him?  Was the 7th the one that healed him?  Possibly it's the accumulation of all 7 that worked together towards the healing. 

Acuumulation of repeated visits to the temple that in time that will help us learn and change us.