I
was very familiar with scriptures in Malachi which say that the Saviour will
come suddenly to his temple and He shall purify the sons of Levi to offer an
offering unto the Lord in righteousness (Malachi 3:1-3). This is obviously a
reference to the temple in Jerusalem. I was not aware however, that this
prophecy had a dual meaning.
Section
133 of the Doctrine and Covenants mentions again that the Lord will suddenly
come to His temple before He pours out judgment upon the wicked (v 2) but no
mention of the sons of Levi. This apparently is a reference to one of the
latter-day temples. This prediction was partly fulfilled when the Saviour
appeared in the Kirtland Temple in 1836 but there is apparently a broader
meaning to this: “….the Lord shall come, without a doubt, to His Temple, where
He will sit as ‘a refiner and purifier of silver’, purging the house of Israel
and ministering to His people. This coming will be for the blessing and benefit
of the most faithful of His saints. (Smith and Sjodahl, “Commentary”, p 840 and
Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual p 335-6)
There is a parable
of a woman who wanted to understand the process of refining silver in relation
to Malachi’s prophecy. She visited a silversmith and watched the process of
refining silver.
She asked
the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire
the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered “Yes”, and
explained that he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to
keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver
was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be damaged.
The woman
was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when
the silver is fully refined?” He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy.
When I see my image in it.”
If it is
true that the Saviour will meet His most faithful in His temple, the
purification will be one of sanctification by the Holy Ghost. The symbolism of
fire is only ever used for the purging effect of this member of the Godhead. What
this suggests is that all those in Christ’s presence when He comes to His
Temple will be so purified they will have Christ’s image in their countenance.
This holy occasion for the most privileged of Christ’s Church makes this
prophecy by Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone a
reality, which he spoke during the centennial of the Manti Temple dedication in
April of 1987:
"Before
the Saviour comes the world will darken. There will come a period of time when
even the elect will lose hope if they do not come to the temples. The world will
be so filled with evil that the righteous will only feel secure within these
walls. When the Saviour comes He will honour His people. Those who are spared
and prepared will be a temple-loving people. They will know Him.
“Our
children will bow down at His feet and worship Him as the Lord of Lords, the
King of Kings. They will bathe His feet with their tears and He will weep, and
bless them for having suffered through the greatest trials known to man.”
When the
Saviour comes, we will want to be in possession of a temple recommend….
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
Artist Unknown
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