December 1, 2013
Kirtland, Ohio Temple. Dedicated on March 27, 1836 by Joseph Smith, Jr.
Tonight we had the privilege of attending a missionary devotional at the Kirtland, Ohio, Temple. What an amazing night! We heard from several people who were recently baptized into our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.) Our friend Dayana, shared her conversion story and bore her testimony beautifully. President Vellinga, the mission president, spoke about some of the amazing events that have taken place in the Kirkland Temple. President Titera, our stake president, was the concluding speaker. He referenced the Bible and talked about temples and prophets of olden times and modern times.
I wanted to learn more about the history of the Kirtland Temple. This is what I've found~
~The Kirtland Temple was the first temple built in this dispensation.
~In this temple, Joseph Smith saw a vision of the celestial kingdom (D&C 137). This is how we know that children who die before the age of accountability are saved in the kingdom of God. What a comforting aspect of the Gospel.
~On April 3, 1836, the Savior appeared and accepted the temple as a place in which He would reveal His word to His people (D&C 110:1-10). We were in this SAME room! So awesome.
~Afterwards, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery received visits from Moses, Elias, and Elijah, all of whom gave them certain priesthood keys and important information (D&C 110:11-16). The members of the church used this temple for only 2 years before they had to flee Kirtland because of persecution.
You can't see them very well, but here's Jaylee, Conrad, Waverly, and Harrison.
The speakers were amazing, but for me, the music was even more powerful. We sang "Praise to the Man", "Silent Night", and "The Spirit of God". The first two songs were great, but "The Spirit of God" was so special. All of the area missionaries, young and old, stood in the front and sang the first two verses. A youth choir joined in for the third verse. The congregation was to sing the last verse with them. Without any prompting that I could see, the whole congregation rose together. The Spirit in the room seem to multiply...at least for me it did. I couldn't help but think of all of the people who had sang that same song before me, in the same exact spot as I was standing. I truly believe we were standing on holy ground.
I hope our fidgeting, not-always-reverent children remember the way they felt inside the temple tonight. I hope they remember how amazing missionary work is, and serve 2-year missions when they are old enough. I hope I will always remember how amazing it felt to stand and sing "The Spirit of God" in the first temple of this dispensation, dedicated by our Prophet Joseph Smith.
Temple Facts
The School of the Prophets, a forerunner to temple worship, was established three years before the dedication of the Kirtland Temple.
The early Saints referred to the Kirtland Temple as simply the "Lord's House," as the term templewas not in general use at the time.
Log construction was proposed for the Kirtland Temple in early discussions.
The design for the Kirtland Temple was received by detailed revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith and others. The temple included a lower hall for worship and an upper hall for education. Both featured pulpits on either end with initials representing priesthood offices.
During construction, the Kirtland Temple was guarded at night to protect the building from threatening mobs and vandals.
The Saints crushed glass and chinaware into the stucco applied to the exterior walls of the Kirtland Temple, which glittered in the sun.
During the weeks surrounding the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, the Saints experienced an outpouring of heavenly manifestations, which included the appearance of angels and the Saints seeing visions, uttering prophecies, and speaking in tongues.
On Easter Sunday, April 3, 1836, during the Jewish Passover, the Lord appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple, accepting His house. Priesthood keys were then restored through three ancient prophets: Moses, the keys to the gathering of Israel; Elias, the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham; and Elijah, the sealing keys.
Two years after the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, the Saints had largely abandoned Kirtland, and the temple became the venue of both private worship and public function. For a short time, the upper floors hosted a variety of public events while the basement was used to keep farm animals. The temple was later leased for many years as a public school.
In 1880, the Community of Christ reestablished ownership of the Kirtland Temple, and the building was restored as closely as possible to its original condition.
