Temple and Family History Work Doctrinal Foundation Doctrine and Covenants 2: 1. Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 2. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. 3. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming. Also: Malachi 4:5 6; 3 Nephi 25:5 6; and JSH 1:37 39 Doctrine and Covenants 109: 22. And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them. Doctrine and Covenants 128: 15. And now my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers that they without us cannot be made perfect neither can we without our dead be made perfect. Doctrine and Covenants 128: 24. Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner s fire, and like fuller s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation. Shortly after the death of Sister LeGrand Richards, I was assigned to be Elder Richards junior companion to assist him in creating the Atlanta Georgia Stake. As we were flying toward his beloved Southern States Mission, he said to me, Brother Ballard, I am not afraid to die; the only thing I worry about is, will I be able to find Mommy over there. I was impressed to say to Elder Richards that in his case that could be a real problem. Immediately, I had his full attention. He looked me directly in the eye and said, What do you mean by that? With my emotions near the surface, I answered this great missionary, Elder Richards, when you die, so many people there will be anxious to greet you because you introduced the gospel to them that you might have difficulty finding Mommy in the crowd. His response was, Oh, you don t mean that. We all might ask ourselves the question, Who will be there to greet us? M. Russell Ballard. We Proclaim the Gospel. Ensign Nov. 1986, 31.
What do you suppose the fathers would say if they could speak from the dead? Would they not say, We have lain here thousands of years, here in this prison house, waiting for this dispensation to come? Here we are, bound and fettered, in the association of those who are filthy? What would they whisper in our ears? Why, if they had the power, the very thunders of heaven would be in our ears, if we could but realize the importance of the work we are engaged in. All the angels in heaven are looking at this little handful of people, and stimulating them to the salvation of the human family. So also are the devils in hell looking at this people, too, and trying to overthrow us, and the people are still shaking hands with the servants of the devil, instead of sanctifying themselves and calling upon the Lord and doing the work which he has commanded us and put into our hands to do. When I think upon this subject, I want the tongues of seven thunders to wake up the people. (Brigham Young. Discourses of Brigham Young, selected and arranged by John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1954] 403. Print.) Sister Susa Young Gates once asked her father [Brigham Young] how it would ever be possible to accomplish the great amount of temple work that must be done, if all are given a full opportunity for exaltation. He told her there would be many inventors of labor saving devices, so that our daily duties could be performed in a short time, leaving us more and more time for temple work. The inventions have come, and are still coming, but many simply divert the time gained to other channels, and not for the purpose intended by the Lord. (Improvement Era, Oct. 1952) Oh, I wish many times that the veil were lifted off the face of the Latter day Saints. I wish we could see and know the things of God as they do who are laboring for the salvation of the human family who are in the spirit world; For if this were so, this whole people, with very few, if any, exceptions, would lose all interest in the riches of the world, and instead thereof their whole desires and labors would be directed to redeem their dead, to perform faithfully the work and mission given us on earth; so that when we ourselves should pass behind the veil and meet with Joseph and the ancient apostles, and others who are watching over us and who are deeply interested in our labors, we might feel satisfied in having done our duty. (Wilford Woodruff. The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, edited by G. Homer Durham [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969] 152. Print.)
I would advise all the Saints to go to with their might and gather together all their living relatives to this place, that they may be sealed and saved, that they may be prepared against the day that the destroying angel goes forth; and if the whole Church should go to with all their might to save their dead, seal their posterity, and gather their living friends, and spend none of their time in behalf of the world, they would hardly get through before night would come, when no man can work. (Joseph Smith. Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Compiled by Alma P. Burton [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1977] 146. Print.) Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors. Elder Richard G. Scott (CR, Oct, 2012) Very simply, the Spirit of Elijah is the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of Elijah will influence anyone who is involved in this work. That, for a young person in the wickedness in the world in which we live today, is one of the greatest safeguards against the temptations of the adversary. The Spirit of Elijah will not only bless you, it will protect you. Elder David A. Bednar You will be tempted to stop and leave the hard work of finding to others who are more expert or to another time in your life. But you will also feel a tug on your heart to go on in the work, hard as it will be. As you decide, remember that the names which will be so difficult to find are of real people to whom you owe your existence in this world and whom you will meet again in the spirit world. When you were baptized, your ancestors looked down on you with hope. Perhaps after centuries, they rejoiced to see one of their descendants make a covenant to find them and to offer them freedom. In your reunion, you will see in their eyes either gratitude or terrible disappointment. Their hearts are bound to you. Their hope is in your hands. You will have more than your own strength as you choose to labor on to find them. Elder Henry B. Eyring. Hearts Bound Together. The Ensign May 2005, 77.
We wonder about our progenitors grandparents, greatgrandparents, great great grandparents, etc. What do they think of you and me? We are their offspring. We have the responsibility to do their temple work, and the beautiful temples of the Lord stand day after day, yet we do not fill them always. We have a grave responsibility that we cannot avoid, and may stand in jeopardy if we fail to do this important work. I hope our Saints will understand the glorious reality of it all: that as the work in our temples is done in this world; it helps to prepare us for another and better world I have tried, in my mind s eye, to envision our progenitors who are anxiously waiting for those of us who are their descendants and are members of the Church on the earth to do our duty toward them. I have also thought what a dreadful feeling it would be for us to see them in the hereafter and have to acknowledge that we had not been as faithful as we should have been here on earth in performing these ordinances in their behalf. (Spencer W. Kimball, The Things of Eternity Stand We in Jeopardy? Ensign Jan. 1977) This vicarious work constitutes an unprecedented labor of love on the part of the living in behalf of the dead. It makes necessary a vast undertaking of family history research to find and identify those who have gone before. To assist in this research, the Church coordinates a family history program and maintains research facilities unmatched in all the world This program has been praised by genealogists throughout the world and has been utilized by various nations as a safeguard of their own records. But its primary purpose is to afford members of the Church the resources needed to identify their ancestors that they might extend to them the blessings that they themselves enjoy. They in effect say to themselves, If I love my wife and children so dearly that I want them for all eternity, then should not my deceased grandfather and great grandfather and other forebears have opportunity to receive the same eternal blessings? (Gordon B. Hinckley. Why These Temples? Tambuli June 1992, 3) I am confident that the Lord will permit us and direct us to go on building these sacred structures as we become worthy of them. Our important test of that worthiness will lie in doing the research that becomes the foundation for the major work to be carried on in them. Gordon B. Hinckley. A Century of Family History Service. Ensign Mar. 1995, 61.
Saviors on Mount Zion Obadiah 1: 17, 21 17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. 21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord s. In our pre existent state, in the day of the great council, we made a certain agreement with the Almighty Since the plan is intended for all men, we became parties to the salvation of every person under the plan. We agreed, right then and there, to be not only saviors for ourselves but measurably, saviors for the whole human family. We went into a partnership with the Lord. The working out of the plan became then not merely the Father s work, and the Savior s work, but also our work. The least of us, the humblest, is in partnership with the Almighty in achieving the purposes of the eternal plan of salvation. That places us in a very responsible attitude towards the human race. By that doctrine, with the Lord at the head, we become saviors on Mount Zion, all committed to the great plan of offering salvation to the untold numbers of spirits. To do this is the Lord s self imposed duty, this great labor his highest glory. Likewise, it is man s duty, self imposed, his pleasure and joy, his labor, and ultimately his glory. (Widstsoe. The Worth of Souls. The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine 1934, 25: 189 190.) This work, unselfishly given in behalf of those on the other side, comes nearer to the unparalleled vicarious work of the Savior than any other of which I know. The great and important work of teaching the gospel of Christ to the people of the world is incomplete, at best, if it does not also provide for that teaching to those in another sphere and making available to them those gospel ordinances required of all if they are to move forward on the way to eternal life. (Gordon B. Hinckley. Ensign Nov. 1985, 60.) With the announcement just made of the construction of seven new temples, there begins the most intensive period of temple building in the history of the Church. The building of these temples must be accompanied by a strong emphasis on genealogical research on the part of all members of the Church. (Spencer W. Kimball. No Unhallowed Hand Can Stop the Work. Ensign May 1980, 4.)
We have great works to perform on this earth, and I suppose the whole program of the Church could be put in one of three categories: missionary work, temple work, and keeping Church members active and faithful. It is hard to overemphasize the value and importance of any one of these activities. Our great and growing missionary program among mortals is the most extensive it has ever been in this dispensation as we preach, teach, and baptize tens of thousands of our fellowmen. However, missionary work is not limited to proclaiming the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people now living on the earth. Missionary work is also continuing beyond the veil among the millions and even billions of the children of our Heavenly Father who have died either without hearing the gospel or without accepting it while they lived on the earth. Our great part in this aspect of missionary work is to perform on this earth the ordinances required for those who accept the gospel over there. The spirit world is full of spirits who are anxiously awaiting the performance of these earthly ordinances for them. I hope to see us dissolve the artificial boundary line we so often place between missionary work and temple and genealogical work, because it is the same great redemptive work! Recently I have felt impressed to share some thoughts about the work for the dead because I feel the same urgency for it that I do about missionary work, since they are basically one and the same. (Spencer W. Kimball. The Things of Eternity Stand We in Jeopardy? Ensign Jan. 1977.) Temple and Family History Work No work is more of a protection to this Church than temple work and the family history research that supports it. No work is more spiritually refining. No work we do gives us more power (President Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, Oct. 2010). I invite the young people of the Church to learn about and experience the Spirit of Elijah As you respond in faith to this invitation your testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding. And I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary. As you participate in and love this holy work, you will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives (Elder David A. Bednar, CR, Oct. 2011).
The work of redemption of the dead more nearly approaches the divine work of the Son of God, who gave his life for others, than does any other work of which I know (President Gordon B. Hinckley, CR, April 1983). The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead Those saints who neglect it, in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their own salvation (President Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 6:313). Whoever seeks to help those on the other side receives help in return in all the affairs of life Help comes to us from the other side as we give help to those who have passed beyond the veil (Elder John A. Widtsoe, Utah Genealogical & Historical Magazine, July 1931). There are some members who engage in temple work but fail to do family history research on their own family lines. Although they perform a divine service in assisting others, they lose a blessing by not seeking their own kindred dead as divinely directed by latterday prophets I have learned that those who engage in family history research and then perform the temple ordinance work for those whose names they have found will know the additional joy of receiving both halves of the blessing All of us should find joy in this magnificent labor of love (President Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, February, 1995).
This is a spiritual work, a monumental effort of cooperation on both sides of the veil where help is given in both directions. It begins with love. Anywhere you are in the world, with prayer, faith, determination, diligence, and some sacrifice, you can make a powerful contribution. Begin now. I promise you that the Lord will help you find a way. And it will make you feel wonderful (Elder Richard G. Scott, CR, November 1990). We should understand that in the work of redeeming the dead there are many tasks to be performed, and that all members should participate by prayerfully selecting those ways that fit their personal circumstances at a particular time...our effort is not to compel everyone to do everything, but to encourage everyone to do something (Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, June 1989). You will be tempted to stop and leave the hard work of finding to others who are more expert or to another time in your life. But you will also feel a tug on your heart to go on in the work, hard as it will be. As you decide, remember that the names which will be so difficult to find are of real people to whom you owe your existence in this world and whom you will meet again in the spirit world. When you were baptized, your ancestors looked down on you with hope. Perhaps after centuries, they rejoiced to see one of their descendants make a covenant to find them and to offer them freedom. In your reunion, you will see in their eyes either gratitude or terrible disappointment. Their hearts are bound to you. Their hope is in your hands. You will have more than your own strength as you choose to labor on to find them (President Henry B. Eyring, CR, April 2005).
We, as spirit children of our Heavenly Father, were sent to earth at this time that we might participate in hastening this great work. The Lord has never, to my knowledge, indicated that His work is confined to mortality. Rather, His work embraces eternity. I believe He is hastening His work in the spirit world. I also believe that the Lord, through His servants there, is preparing many spirits to receive the gospel. Our job is to search out our dead and then go to the temple and perform the sacred ordinances that will bring to those beyond the veil the same opportunities we have The Lord expects you and me to perform our family history work well We are going to make mistakes, but none of us can become an expert in family history work without first being a novice. Therefore, we must plunge into this work, and we must prepare for some uphill climbing. This is not an easy task, but the Lord has placed it upon you, and He has placed it upon me As you pursue family history work, you are going to find yourself running into roadblocks, and you are going to say to yourself, There is nothing else I can do. When you come to that point, get down on your knees and ask the Lord to open the way, and He will open the way for you. I testify that this is true There are millions upon millions of spirit children of our Heavenly Father who never heard the name of Christ before dying and going into the spirit world. But now they have been taught the gospel and are awaiting the day when you and I will do the research necessary to clear the way so that we can go into the house of the Lord and perform for them the work that they themselves cannot perform. My brothers and sisters, I testify that the Lord will bless us as we accept and respond to this challenge (President Thomas S. Monson, June 2014, Ensign).