Salt Lake Temple Stone Symbols

The Salt Lake Temple

The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the international symbol of Mormonism.  To outsiders, it can be seen as a mysterious building of which little is known.  But this confusion concerning LDS beliefs is alleviated by understanding the meaning of the symbols in stone.  President George A. Smith said of the symbolism, "Every one conveys a moral lesson, and all point to the celestial world" (Printed on a Charles W. Carter photographic collage entitled 'Salt Lake City Temple in its different stages of construction,' Archives Division, Church Historical Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah).

An Earth Stone

The Earth Stones (50 in total) may not seem like much.  Originally they were to be carved with images of Earth and the seven continents, but the granite used in construction was not capable of such minute detail.

A Moon Stone

The Moon Stones (50 in number) show the 1878 lunar cycle.  From the June 1978 New Era we learn that there are 13 New Moons, 13 First Quarters, 12 Full Moons, and 12 Last Quarters.  The Moon Stones symbolize the Terrestrial Kingdom (see D&C 76:71-80).

Two Sun Stones

The Sun Stones (50 total) represent the Celestial Kingdom.  Revelation gives us greater insight into this kingdom.  It is written, "In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.  He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase. (D&C 131:1-4)"

A Star Stone

 The Star Stones (I am not sure how many there are; if one knows, please enlighten me).  The Star Stones represent the Telestial Kingdom of God, of which revelation states, 

And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of th+e glory of the moon in the firmament.  These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus.  These are they who deny not the Holy Spirit.  These are they who are thrust down to hell.  These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb, shall have finished his work. (D&C 76:81-85)

The Hand Clasp

 The Hand Clasp is probably the most symbolically rich carving seen on the exterior walls of the House of the Lord.  Paul says in Galatians 2:9, "And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship . . ."  Jeremiah writes, "the covenant . . . I made with their fathers in . . . that I took them by the hand . . . (Jeremiah 31:32)"  The scroll above the Hand Clasp says,"I am Alpha and Omega", which is a Title held by Jesus the Christ.

The All-Seeing Eye

The All-Seeing Eye symbolizes the infinite knowledge of God, as spoken of by Nephi's brother Jacob, when he says that the people are being examined "under the glance of the piercing eye of the Almighty God. (Jacob 2:10)"  He later states, "O that he [God] would show you that he can pierce you, and with one glance of his eye he can smite you to the dust! (Jacob 2:15)"

The Big Dipper

The symbolism of Ursa Major is spoken of by President Gordon B. Hinckley.  At the April 2002 General Conference, he said, "Like the polar star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives."  Truman O. Angell, Sr., the Church Architect and designer of the symbols, spoke of Ursa Major as the lost finding themselves through the Priesthood (Deseret News, 17 Aug. 1854).

The Cloud Stones

The Cloud Stones represent the Presence of God and His divine protection.  "And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord. (1 Kings 8:10-11)"

I love the Salt Lake Temple.  Whenever I am down in Salt Lake City, I love to go to the Temple grounds and admire the stonework.  I know that the ordinances in the House of the Lord are necessary to live with God again.  If we do not obtain them, we cannot live with Him again.  I say this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ, amen!

Mormon Theology no. 18 - The Endowment of the Holy Priesthood

Probably the most talked about LDS doctrine by the world, but surely the least understood, is the Latter-day Saint Temple Endowment ceremony.  In the pioneering-era of Utah, "the ceremony of Endowment . . . occupies usually about eight hours (History of Utah, 1540-1886, [1889], p. 357-358)."  Now it lasts about two hours.

In order to proceed, we must first define the word "endowment".  I like the way dictionary.com defines the word: "an attribute of mind or body; a gift of nature"  Dear reader, pay careful attention to the words "attribute" and "gift".  President Brigham Young defined the LDS Endowment in these words.  Said he, "Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the House of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, … and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell (JD 2:31)."

Creation Room of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple

To fully understand the nature of the Endowment, one must understand that the structure, teachings, wordings, and symbols in the Endowment did not come from the wisdom of man, but from the wisdom and revelations of God.  The first endowments given in the last dispensation were given on 4 May 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois by Joseph Smith, Junior.  Of these events the Prophet wrote,

"I spent the day in the upper part of the store . . . instructing . . . in the principles and order of the Priesthood, attending to washings, anointings, endowments and the communication of keys pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood, and so on to the highest order of the Melchizedek Priesthood, setting forth the order pertaining to the Ancient of Days, and all those plans and principles by which any one is enabled to secure the fullness of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the First Born, and come up and abide in the presence of the Elohim in the eternal worlds (HC 5:1-2)."

Alberta Canada Temple Garden Room

What we learn in the Endowment pertains to the purpose of life.  Said President Gordon B. Hinckley, "Here we have sketched before us the odyssey of man’s eternal journey from premortal existence through this life to the life beyond. Great fundamental and basic truths are taught with clarity and simplicity well within the understanding of all who hear (Ensign, March 1993, p. 5-6)."  The fundamental truths President Hinckley speaks of are the attributes of God, whether taught by spoken words or symbols.  The definition above said, "an attribute of mind or body; a gift of nature."  Surely the Endowment speaks essentially of the attributes of the Great Mind of the Universe, and a gift of nature's Creator Himself.

World Room of the Manti Utah Temple

As mentioned before, the Endowment teaches us about the Plan of Salvation.  Elder John A. Widstoe once wrote, 

"The temple ordinances encompass the whole plan of salvation, as taught from time to time by the leaders of the Church, and elucidate matters difficult of understanding. . . . The endowment and the temple work as revealed by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith … fall clearly into four distinct parts: The preparatory ordinances; the giving of instruction by lectures and representations; covenants; and, finally, tests of knowledge. I doubt that the Prophet Joseph, unlearned and untrained in logic, could of himself have made the thing so logically complete (“Temple Worship,” The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine 12 [April 1921]: p. 58)."

 Salt Lake Tempe Terrestrial Room

Most importantly, we make covenants during the Endowment.  Elder James E. Talmage tells us of them.  He said,  

"The ordinances of the endowment embody certain obligations on the part of the individual, such as covenant and promise to observe the law of strict virtue and chastity, to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and pure; to devote both talent and material means to the spread of truth and the uplifting of the race; to maintain devotion to the cause of truth; and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation that the earth may be made ready to receive her King,—the Lord Jesus Christ. With the taking of each covenant and the assuming of each obligation a promised blessing is pronounced, contingent upon the faithful observance of the conditions (The House of the Lord, p. 100)."

Celestial Room in San Diego California Temple

In order to enter the temple, one must be worthy.  The qualifications begin with baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the only true and living church on the face of the earth.  I know the teachings of the Lord's House are simple yet profound, peaceful and yet powerful.  Jesus Christ does indeed dwell within His temples, only in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

LDS Temples and their Priesthood Assembly Rooms

There are 8 temples built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that have Assembly Rooms, and 7 temples whose Assembly Room is used at least once a year.  Temples with Assembly Rooms of some kind are located, in order of construction: Kirtland, Ohio; Nauvoo, Illinois; St. George, Utah; Logan, Utah; Manti, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; Los Angeles, California; and Washington D.C.

KIRTLAND TEMPLE: Kirland, Ohio (1833-1836)

The Kirtland Temple was constructed from the Summer of 1833 to Spring 1836.  It is the first temple to have Assembly Halls of any kind in this dispensation.  One was on the bottom floor, used for worship services.  The second was on the top floor, used for educational classes.  The lower court is pictured above.

The west pulpits are for the Melchizedek Priesthood, and the east for the Aaronic Priesthood.  This is the same in all other LDS Temples.  The lettering* on the west pulpits is as follows, reading from the top pulpits to the bottom:

M.P.C. (Melchizedek Presiding Council) – First Presidency of the Church or Stake Presidency

P.M.H. (Presiding Melchizedek High Priesthood) – Quorum of Twelve Apostles or Stake High Council

M.H.P. (Melchizedek High Priesthood) – High Priests Quorum

P.E.M. (Presiding or Presidency Elders Melchizedek) – Elders Quorum Presidency

The lettering* on the east side is thus, also from the top pulpits to the bottom:

B.P.A. (Bishop Presiding over Aaronic Priesthood) – Presiding Bishopric or local Bishopric

P.A.P. (Presiding or Presidency Aaronic Priests) – Priest’s Quorum Reps

P.T.A. (Presiding or Presidency Teachers Aaronic Priesthood) – Teachers Quorum Presidency

P.D.A. (Presiding or Presidency Deacons Aaronic Priesthood) – Deacons Quorum Presidency

*The information on the lettering were found here:  Backman Jr., Milton Vaughn, The Heavens Resound: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Ohio, 1830–1838, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1983, 160; Black, Harry, Kirtland Temple, Independence, Mo.: Herald House, 1958, 17–18; Cowan, Richard O., Temples to Dot the Earth, Springville, Utah: Cedar Fort Incorporated, 1997, 21–35; and Fields, Clarence L., “History of the Kirtland Temple,” master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1963, 28.

NAUVOO ILLINOIS TEMPLE: Nauvoo, Illinois (1999-2002)

The second temple built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lies in a town on the banks of the Mississippi River in Western Illinois.

The Nauvoo Temple originally had two large assembly halls, one above another.  General Conference was held in the Assembly Hall on the first floor in October 1845.  This is the first of only three occurrences in which a General Conference was held in a temple.  This temple was gutted by an arson fire in 1848, and then the remaining walls were destroyed by a tornado in 1850.  The temple has since been rebuilt (2002), and the first floor has an assembly hall, albeit on a smaller scale as that found in the original.  The new Assembly Room holds500 people, including in the pulpits.  

Many have wondered what the lettering on the original pulpits stated.  We have two completely different sources giving the answer.  One is J. H. Buckingham, who apparently was a non-Mormon.  He lists the following letters and meanings when he toured the Nauvoo Temple in the late 1840s (Buckingham, Papers in Illinois History and Transactions, 1937; "Illinois as Lincoln Knew It", Illinois State Historical Society, Springfield, Illinois, p. 172).  On the east end of the hall stood the Melchizedek Priesthood pulpits, which had, set in gilded letters, written (from the highest pulpit to the lowest):

P.H.P. - President of the High Priesthood (First Presidency of the Church)

P.S.Z. - President of the Seventies in Zion

P.H.Q. - President of the High Priests Quorum (Stake Presidency)

P.E.Q. - President of the Elders Quorum.  

The second source for the meanings of the gilded lettering of the original Nauvoo Temple pulpits comes from a Latter-day Saint who happened to be in the Temple on 1 May 1846, when it was publicly dedicated.  His testimony agrees with Mr. Buckingham.  The Mormon spoken of was James A. Scott.  He wrote in his journal the meaning of the letters (Journal of James A. Scott, p. 4, LDS Church Archives). 

Above these pulpits, in gilded letters, were the words, The Lord Has Seen Our Sacrifice - Come After Us.

The pulpits on the west were for the Aaronic Priesthood.  The lettering thereon was, according to users.marshall.edu:

P.A.P - President of the Aaronic Priesthood (President Bishopric)

P.P.Q - President of the Priest's Quorum (local Bishopric)

P.T.Q - President of the Teacher's Quorum

P.D.Q - President of the Deacon's Quorum

These initial do not appear in the current Assembly Room's pulpits, unfortunately.  When the temple was dedicated on 27 June 2002 Presidents Hinckley and Monson sat on the brown bench at the lowest West (Aaronic) pulpits, which are the pulpits closest to the reader in the below picture. (Lisle Brown, "Dedication of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple", users.marshall.edu).

ST. GEORGE UTAH TEMPLE: St. George, Utah (1871-1877)
This temple was built from 1871 to 1877.  It was here in 1877 that a second General Conference of the Church was held in a temple, where on 6 April 1877 it was dedicated by President Daniel H. Wells of the First Presidency.

Aaronic Priesthood Pulpits

LOGAN UTAH TEMPLE: Logan, Utah (1877-1884)

This temple was constructed from 1877 to 1884.  There have been numerous Solemn Assemblies held in this Assembly Room.  In one such Assembly, President David O. McKay developed "Every Member a Missionary!", his trademark phrase.  The Solemn Assembly was given on 21 September 1953.  Also present at this Solemn Assembly were: 1,500 Melchizedek Priesthood holders, Presidents Stephen L. Richards, and Clark; and Elders Joseph Fielding Smith, Lee, Spencer W. Kimball, Petersen, Cowley, Moyle, Stapley, Romney, LeGrand Richards, Bennion, Morris, Evans, and McConkie (The Logan Temple: The First 100 Years, p. 196-197).

Two more Solemn Assemblies of note took place in this House of the Lord.  On 4 May 1967 all Returned Missionaries attending Utah State University and then-Weber State College met in the Assembly Room and were instructed by then-Elder Thomas S. Monson and Elder Hugh B. Brown (Ibid.).

The final Solemn Assembly held in the Logan Temple was on 6 December 1975, wherein 1,340 Priesthood leaders in the Logan Temple District heard sermons from Presidents Kimball, Tanner, and Romney, as well as from Elders Benson and Petersen (Ibid.).

I also have a friend who served in the Utah Ogden Mission in the early 2000s.  He told me that he had the opportunity of having two Zone Conferences in the Assembly Room of the Logan Temple, during which all the missionaries sang "The Spirit of God".

MANTI UTAH TEMPLE: Manti, Utah (1877-1888)
The House of the Lord at Manti was announced in 1875.  I went through this temple for the first time in the summer of 2008.  While there, I asked a temple worker how often they use the Assembly Room.  She told me that the Assembly Room is used at least once a year for a devotional with all the temple workers.

 

SALT LAKE TEMPLE: Salt Lake City, Utah (1853-1893)

The flagship temple in the LDS Church, the Salt Lake Temple was built between 1853 to 1893, being dedicated by President Wilford Woodruff on 6 April 1893.  From ldschurchnews.com, we read, "July 2 [1899] — A solemn assembly was held in the Salt Lake Temple, attended by the Church's 26 General Authorities, presidencies of the 40 stakes, and bishops of the 478 wards of the Church. The assembly accepted the resolution that tithing is the 'word and will of the Lord unto us.'"  During the April General Conference of 1942, "Conference sessions were held in . . . the assembly room of the Salt Lake Temple."  Also, when my father was in the Mission Home in Salt Lake City in 1973, he was instructed by President Spencer W. Kimball in this Assembly Room.  Also, semi-annually, a devotional occurs in this room for all the temple workers.  All General Authorities meet in this room monthly.

LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA TEMPLE: Los Angeles, California (1951-1956)

Built from 1951 to 1956, the Los Angeles California Temple was the first temple in California, and the tenth in the Church.  Originally it was the largest temple in the Church, but the Salt Lake Temple has had additions that make the LA Temple now number two in size.

WASHINGTON D.C. TEMPLE: Washington D.C (1968-1974)
The temple in which I was endowed, this massive temple is the tallest in the Church, standing 306 feet tall to the top of the Angel Moroni, which Angel Moroni is 18 feet tall.  It is one of five Angel Moroni statues holding the Gold Plates.  It is the last temple in the Church to have an Assembly Room.