Temples in New Testament
Did Jesus and his followers practice the Mormon temple ritual & endowment ceremonies in the Jerusalem temple under the authority of their Melchizedek priesthood? Did James & his Jerusalem community of temple-observant Jews continue after Jesus died?
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Ray Farmer
Jealous of and Zealous for the Book of Mormon1y
No, they didn’t because temples didn’t matter after the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In 3 Nephi 11:31, 39. Jesus says "Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine". Any time he says something like that, it behooves us to pause and take notes.
Between verses 31 and 38, Jesus declares what his doctrine is. He repeated it three times in emphasis. I will not detail that doctrine here, but the section is short so you can read it for yourself.
At the end of repeating this doctrine thrice, He adds
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them".
So, let's see if some Temple concepts are included or are they more or less and established as his doctrine.
Must have Melchizedek Priesthood. Hmmmm....not there.
Must be sealed to bride and family, past and present. I don't see it.
Learn signs and tokens. Certainly not there, either.
Sacred covenants. He left all that out.
Special clothing. Not declared.
Repeat written prayers. Nope. Not included.
Accept Joseph Smith and restored Church. Oh boy.
I could go on, but the above should suffice. All of the above was added to his declared "doctrine" and so must have come of evil " and the gates of hell stand open to receive" those who establish such foreign doctrines and claim they are of him. Sorry if that was harsh but "it must needs be expedient that I teach you the consequences of sin".
The New Testament tells us what the true temple now is. 1 Corinthians 3:16 "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" His saints constitute his body, and his body is the temple that was raised on the third day.
1 Peter. 2:5-6 runs with that concept "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded".
Acts 7:47-51 talks about temples "But Solomon built him an house.
Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
Hath not my hand made all these things?
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye".
Jesus said temples would not be the places of worship in the future. "Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father....But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth”. (John 4:21, 23-4)
When the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom, it showed us that we can have full access to the holiest place, not by oaths and covenants or temple worship but, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Heb. 10:19)
All that seems pretty clear. But there is nothing more clear than Alma's answer to the question regarding the conditions of salvation.
"And I say unto you that they are saved.
And now I ask of you on what conditions are they saved? Yea, what grounds had they to hope for salvation? What is the cause of their being loosed from the bands of death, yea, and also the chains of hell?
Behold, I can tell you--did not my father Alma believe in the words which were delivered by the mouth of Abinadi? And was he not a holy prophet? Did he not speak the words of God, and my father Alma believe them?
And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true.
And behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved”. (Alma 5:10-3)
I would plead with you to study, therefore, the words of Abinadi and find out what you must do to be saved. Nothing about temples there, either.
Matt Wayne
Matt Wayne Wrote
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First off, the only priesthood held by mortal man was the Levitical and no one could even hold it unless they possessed the proper lineage. Most LDS today wouldn’t even qualify for it since they don’t come from the right lineage and any violation of this strict rule carried the penalty of death of the OT! No apostle had the Melchizedek and the temple had no such ceremony. The one performed in the LDS temple was copied from Freemasonry by their founder and false prophet Joseph Smith. The ceremony originated from the occult and is even done in Wicca. Christians have no ceremony, other than a wedding. All that is needed for salvation is Christ and anyone adding anything more is condemned to Hell Gal 1:6–9.
Now let’s discuss the priesthoods. The Levitical was created so men could offer sacrifices to God under the system of law. This system is what’s known as an Old Testament shadow, it pointed to Christ, who would come and take away all sacrifices once and for all with his own body. Thus, it pointed to Jesus. Hebrews tells us that this priesthood was ‘’abolished’’ and for a specific reason, because Jesus came and ended it with his sacrifice. Heb 7:11 ‘’The people were given the law under the system of priests from the tribe of Levi. But no one could be made spiritually perfect through that system of priests. So there was a need for another priest to come. I mean a priest like Melchizedek, not Aaron’’.
This was the main problem, it couldn’t make man perfect, it didn’t really remove sin. A priest is a person who goes to God and offers sacrifices, but after Jesus died on the cross, He now became our high priest and no longer did mortal men need to go to God on behalf of the people, as was done in the OT, now Jesus goes on our behalf. Jesus stopped sacrifice and the Levitical order ended. So when LDS claim it was lost that’s false. It was not lost nor did it need restored, God ENDED IT. Jesus alone goes to God now to offer up a sacrifice, himself, no longer mortal men.
Another problem with mortals being the high priest is that they all died, so it continually had to be passed on to the next in line who had the right by lineage. However, Heb 7:16 tells us that Jesus holds Melchizedek by the power of ‘’ENDLESS’’ life. The high priest only passed it on to another through death. Jesus however, will never die which is why Heb 7:24 says, ‘’Heb 7:24 But Jesus lives on forever, and his work as priest does not pass on to someone else’’. Now we’re starting to see why LDS do not have it and never did, nor does anyone else. KJV says, ‘’Heb 7:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood’’. Let’s focus on the Greek word for ‘’unchangeable’’.
Some translations use ‘’untransferable’’ which is the definition. It cannot be passed on to ANYONE because the current high priest Jesus Christ, IS STILL ALIVE! That’s why no Mormon has it, no mortal man has a sufficient sacrifice to take to God on behalf of the worlds sins, so he would be a failed high priest to begin with. And again, Jesus still lives so it cannot go to anyone else in any way, shape or form. To hold this greater priesthood you must be a King of righteousness, which the Bible only gives to Jesus alone. You also must possess endless life, yet all Mormons are mortal who will die. Mormonism has no Levitical, it ended at the cross. They have no Melchizedek because they don’t qualify and Jesus is still alive.
LDS defies every biblical known law regarding priesthood and preaches heretical theology claiming things they simply don’t have and going through Masonic rituals and claiming them Christian.
Christopher Agne
The question seems quite loaded as to find some ‘proof’ that what LDS believes is untrue. Let me be clear, I do not actually know, I was not there. However, as Jesus made it a point to follow the customs of His time, even when they wouldn’t apply to Him, it would seem highly unlikely, and indeed very strange if He did such things, particularly considering He was of the tribe of Judah (according to the Gospels and the books of Hebrews and Revelation) and it was the Levites and further the sons of Aaron who were in charge of things pertaining to the Temple.
Furthermore, Melchizedek is mentioned 10 times in the Bible, once in Genesis, once in Psalms, and the rest in Hebrews. In Genesis 14:18–20: ‘Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said:
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
And he gave him a tithe of all.’
Which means he was a king, the priest of God Most High, was able to give Abram a blessing, and Abram paid him a tithe, the first mention of tithing in the Bible. In Psalms 110: 4 it is written:
‘The Lord has sworn
And will not relent,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”’
Which many attribute the Psalm as a pointer towards the Messiah, even Jesus asks how David can call his own son Lord referencing the first line of this Psalm.
I could go on about all the mentions of Melchizidek in Hebrews 7 and how he was higher than Aaron and Abraham, but I think the point of the question was to somehow discredit LDS practices by suggesting that since it isn’t specifically mentioned in the Gospels it must be false. There are lots of veiled references throughout the Bible that seems to suggest, albeit obliquely, of things that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claim to believe and practice. So, instead of trying to be an apologetic for LDS, let me ask some other questions.
Can we reasonably assume that the Bible contains all the words that have ever been spoken by God, there has been absolutely no mistranslation (deliberate or not), and that He’s stopped talking or working since the time of Jesus? Especially since we know from 1 Kings 15:7 that we’ve lost the “book of the annals of the kings of Judah” and “annotations of the prophet Iddo” from 2 Chronicles 13:22. How much more has been lost or not recorded? Since it was all hand copied over many hundreds of years, and was handed down as oral record before that, can we not also assume that someone somewhere has removed, added, or mistranslated (purposefully or not)? Can it not also be presented that as it passed through the hands of men that would use religion to get gain and power that they did not deliberately remove or adjust? If He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, have miracles, prophets, and His word ceased to continue? Lean not to your own understanding (let alone another’s based on the learning of man), but if anyone seeks wisdom, let them ask of God.
If someone can believe all the miracles and stories written in the Old and New Testments, the leap to believing the Book of Mormon is not exactly that big, especially since it’s supposed to be based on getting a personal testimony directly from God after reading it inquiring of its truth in prayer with intent and a sincere heart, unlike all the proselytizing I’ve heard involving threats of eternal hellfire and damnation to those who don’t blindly believe.
This is my personal position, I do not have the authority to speak on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nor do I seek to.
Brian Wilson
The answer to this is an emphatic YES! They did practice the temple endowment, although it was not given in a temple, but a special sacred room set apart for the practice, and we have historical evidence of this. If you read in the ancient document called “Cyril’s Lectures on the Ordinances” by Cyril, the Bishop of Jerusalem, from around 300 AD, you will see that an ordinance was practiced where a newly baptized Christian, once he was mature enough, would be taken into a room where he would undergo a ceremony and take the place of Adam (or Eve if female) and would take a symbolic journey starting with being washed and anointed, receiving garments, and then gradually going from earth to heaven. So, there is historical evidence for the LDS temple ritual.
There are similar historical documents that reference this ritual such as the Gospel of Philip. Also, once you study the pattern of the ritual you will see it follows a pattern in the Bible such as the Book of Revelation (new name, clothed in white, received into heaven, etc.)
Brad Leeser
Clearly, there is more priesthood that is discussed in the Bible other than the Levitical or Aaronic Priesthood. Melchizedek held a priesthood. In fact he held THE Priesthood. The Levitial priesthood was a lesser portion and part of the law of Moses. The Bible is also clear that the Levitical priesthood was to continue throughout the generations.
If our critics say there is no functioning Levitical priesthood today then they make the Bible a liar. God forbid.
It is true that most Levitical or Aaronic Priesthood holders today are not Levites. That’s OK because just like Jesus did away with dietary restrictions of the Law, he also did away with the lineage restrictions of the Law regarding the Levitical priesthood. Hence, boys and men today can and do function with God’s authority in the Aaronic priesthood.
Just as Paul says that Law of Moses was a schoolmaster to prepare us for Christ, so the Aaronic Priesthood of today prepares boys and men to receive the full authority of the Priesthood and we call that The Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God, or the Melchizedek since he was such a great high priest. We are a nation of priests in The Church of Jesus Christ and we are a royal priesthood.
There is more to it, but that gives an overview and refutes those who see things from only a one-dimensional perspective.
Was the Endowment given or practiced in the New Testament? Yes. There are veiled references to it in the New Testament. For example what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration? Why did the apostles want to build three “tabernacles” or temples right after the experience?
Why are there things sacred (secret?) that are referenced in the Bible that are not to be written? What is the purpose of the New Name on the white stone? Why are we encircled in the arms of His love (figurative, literal or both)? Why are the righteous dressed in white? And there are ancient texts that describe some of the hidden parts of the Gospels.
So, why doesn’t the Bible say more about the Endowment? Well, that issue is not important as the Bible does not contain all truth. It is not sufficient nor complete. The Bible says it, itself, is neither and as a Bible-believing Christian, I believe the Bible.
Most, but not all, of the information about the endowment comes from revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Note, is is not the form of the endowment that is important, it is the presentation of the truths of the endowment, the covenants, and the blessings that are important.
When one has experienced the Endowment, then passages in the Bible make more sense. While we still see through a glass darkly, it is not quite as dark after the Temple experience.
Yes, The Church of Jesus Christ of the former days did practice the endowment and yes, it was similar to the endowment of today.
Toby Dillon
We have no direct, indisputable evidence of any endowment ceremonies practiced in the New Testament, though I find a few verses that hint of similar rituals that may have been performed (or may not).
The point of the modern Church of Jesus Christ is that it is a restoration of that primitive church—not that we do exactly the same things they do, but that we build on what they did (and taught) and, following the Holy Spirit as Jesus taught, continue to grow, as the stone cut out of the mountains that Daniel prophecied about.
It will be interesting to talk with those early Christians in the hereafter about what they did or didn’t do, and we may yet unearth documents about such practices, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and whatnot, but to the modern Saint, it’s not terribly important if Jesus or his followers performed these rituals in those days. Remember: the temple was destroyed about 30–40 years after Jesus’s death, and thus these could not be performed, under any authority in the temple after that time.
(Now watch as archaeologists uncover a hitherto-unknown temple in Antioch detailing similar rituals and teachings, just to spite me!)