The Things of Eternity -
Stand We in Jeopardy?

The Preston Temple Baptismal Font

Over the years as my thoughts and heart have turned to the lives of my noble ancestors, my 
appreciation for them has increased.  Learning about my ancestors has not only turned my heart
to them, but has helped me see eternity more clearly.  My own life is rooted not just in the
present, but in the lives of my ancestors as well.

I remember reading a message that Grandfather Kimball wrote to his children, in which he
said, "I only care for the things of eternity.  When I behold the great things of God and the glory
which awaits the righteous, and when I reflect that the road is so straight that but few find it, I feel
to pray the Lord to bless my children and save them.  I am thankful to God because I live in a
day when some will find it and will become Gods."  (Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C.
Kimball, Bookcraft, 1945, p. 513.)

If we live in such a way that the considerations of eternity press upon us, we will make better
decisions.  Perhaps this is why President Brigham Young once said that if he could do but one 
thing to bless the Saints, he believed it would be to give them "eyes with which to see
things as they are."  (Journal of Discourses, 3:221; italics added.)  It is interesting to
note how those last words reflect the words of the scripture in which truth is described as
"knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come."  
(D&C 93:24.)  Jacob reminds us also that "the Spirit speaketh the truth … of things as they 
really are, and of things as they really will be."  (Jac. 4:13.)

The more clearly we see eternity, the more obvious it becomes that the Lord’s work in which we
are engaged is one vast and grand work with striking similarities on each side of the veil.

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 here
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 those 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!

During the span of ages there have been periods of time when the Lord has gathered his
people together and established the gospel and certain of the ordinances of salvation among
them.  These we call gospel dispensations, each headed by one or more prophets who held
the holy priesthood and the key authorizing the exercise of that priesthood.  We honor them
for their noble and inspired works of righteousness.  We see that in each dispensation
prior to our own, certain aspects of the work of salvation for all the larger family of God
have been introduced and a part of the labor completed.

In our own dispensation, which the scriptures have identified as the dispensation of 
the fulness of times, the Lord has promised that he would "gather together in one all things,
both which are in heaven, and which are on earth."  (D&C 27:13; see also Eph. 1:10.)

Certainly gathering "together in one all things" is related to the apostle Peter’s statement
regarding the "times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his
holy prophets since the world began."  (Acts 3:21.)  This very important prophecy refers
especially to the return of those prophets of old who held the various priesthood keys
of the kingdom

Thus, the keys of the divine patriarchal order which were held by the fathers anciently were
restored, saying, in effect, that the time had finally come for Abraham’s great lineage to be
restored to the gospel and the priesthood.  Through this priesthood "shall all the families of the
earth be blessed" (Abr. 2:11) - meaning in part that the blessings of the gospel are 
brought to individuals and also that, through the priesthood’s new and everlasting 
covenant of marriage, all the elect children of God who are gathered together out of the earth
may be sealed together in family units into the lineage of Abraham, or, in other words, into
the organized, eternal family of God.

Is it any wonder that the organization and work of the Church and its priesthood in this
day are patterned after the keys it possesses?  We are a missionary Church, participating to 
the fullest possible extent in the gathering of Israel.  We are a Church founded upon 
families; a Church that takes care of its own, stressing the economic, intellectual, and
spiritual development of its families and individual members in preparation for salvation in the
kingdom of heaven.

And we are a Church that is actively engaged in temple and genealogy work for ourselves
and for the infinite numbers of our Father’s children who have the promise, but not as yet
the opportunity, for the ordinances of salvation.  This is a work that makes even more
meaningful the great corresponding missionary work being carried out in the spirit world.

Time and time again when I have read certain passages in the Bible pertaining to this
work, I have been struck by the forceful questions Paul posed when he asked the Corinthian
saints:  

"Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?  why are
they then baptized for the dead?
"And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?"  (1 Cor. 15:29-30; italics added.)

Paul’s last question has caused me much reflection in recent months.  Why do the peoples of
the world stand in jeopardy?  Because they cannot be saved without their families and their
associates.  They will continue to stand in jeopardy until the gospel is taken to them in such
a way that they are willing either to receive it or reject it.  This responsibility also places us
in jeopardy so far as missionary work is concerned if we don’t share the gospel with them.

At the same time, we as members of the Church also stand in jeopardy if we do not do our
temple work.  Much of our time is taken up with the mundane details of everyday living,
which must be done, of course; but those who are members of His kingdom at this critical time
should endeavor to give much time and effort to this important work.

These things of eternity pertaining to the spirit world and the hereafter were on the mind of
the Savior when he was crucified.  This is reflected in his statement to the repentant
thief, which has puzzled many people:

"And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save
thyself and us.
"But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the
same condemnation?
"And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man [the Christ]
hath done nothing amiss.
"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
"And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."
(Luke 23:39-43.)

What did he mean?  He meant exactly what He said.  The hours would pass, death would
come to them all, they would go into another world, and "To day thou shalt be with me in
paradise."

You will also remember that when the woman came to the tomb of the buried Savior, the Savior
was not in his tomb.  When he met her in the garden, he said, "Touch me not; for I am not yet
ascended to my Father [in heaven]: but … I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my
God, and your God."  (John 20:17.)  He had still not been to see his Heavenly Father, so he
hadn’t gone directly to the heaven we think of.  He had gone some other place.

And then Peter explains to us later just where the Savior went and for what purpose.
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to
God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
"By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison….
"For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be
judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit."  (1 Pet. 3:18-19; 4:6.)

He provided the opportunity whereby they might repent of their sins, change their attitudes
and their lives, and live according to God in the spirit.  We do not know how many millions
of spirits are involved.  We know that many have passed away in wars, pestilence, and in
various accidents.  We know that the spirit world is filled with the spirits of men who are
waiting for you and me to get busy - waiting as the signers of the Declaration of Independence
waited.  "Why," they asked President Wilford Woodruff, "why do you keep us waiting?"  
That question continues to be asked of us also, by our own people.

We wonder about our progenitors - grandparents, great-grandparents, 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.

The temples are reserved for sacred ordinances pertaining to the living and the dead. 
Worthy members of the Church should go to the temples as often as possible to participate
in this important work.  One of the ordinances performed in the temple is that of the
endowment, which comprises a course of instruction relating to the eternal journey of man
and woman from the preearthly existence through the earthly experience and on to the
exaltation each may attain.

Brigham Young has indicated the following concerning the endowment:
"Let me give you a definition in brief.  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."  (Discourses of Brigham Young, 
Deseret Book, 1954, p. 416.)

Because of the sacred nature of the endowment and the other ordinances performed in
the temple, those who go to the temple to receive them must be prepared and worthy.  People
who are converted to the Church often feel enthusiastic about going to the temple
immediately after their baptism.  But it takes time for them to adjust their thinking to
things of an eternal nature, and it takes time for them to adjust their lives so that they are
prepared and worthy when they do attend the temple.

Thus, we have counseled stake presidents and bishops not to recommend people to go
to the temple to receive their endowments until they are sufficiently mature in the gospel.
We have established a policy that new converts should prepare themselves for at least
one year after baptism before receiving these additional ordinances and blessings.

We are also concerned that our temples not become desecrated by improper actions.

The words "the Lord’s house" appear on each of the temples.  A temple is the 
Lord’s house, and when we enter his house, we enter as his guests.  Thus, we should do
everything possible to keep the Lord’s house holy, unpolluted, clean, and sweet.

Some of the ancient temples were desecrated by the actions of outsiders.  The Temple of
Solomon, for example, was desecrated by those without authority who walked into the temple,
robbed it of its precious treasures, and took those treasures to foreign lands for use in
idolatrous practices.  But the possible actions of outsiders are not the only potential
pollutants of holy places.

Holy temples may also be defiled and desecrated by members of the Church who go into
the temple and make covenants unworthily or which they are not prepared or willing to
accept and carry forward.  When people go to the temple and then make light of its sacred
principles, they are defiling it.  When unrepentant people accept the holy ordinances
without full determination to prove worthy of them, they are helping to violate the sacredness
of the holy temple and they are desecrating holy places.

When promises are made and covenants are entered into without serious or pure intent to
magnify them, pollutions may occur in the holy temples.  It is not only a matter of receiving a
recommend to enter the temples of the Lord, but it is also a matter of one having a pure,
sweet, and repentant spirit as well.  When we enter the door of the house of the Lord, we
might well remember a theme that was mentioned in the Washington Temple:

Enter this door as if the floor within were gold;
And every wall of jewels all of wealth untold;
As if a choir in robes of fire were singing here;
Nor shout nor rush but hush … for God is here.
(From "Words of Life," p. 45.)

Some of us have had occasion to wait for someone or something for a minute, an 
hour, a day, a week, or even a year.  Can you imagine how our progenitors must feel, 
some of whom have perhaps been waiting for decades and even centuries for the temple work
to be done for them?  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 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.

During the past few months I have been privileged to attend the rededication of a number
of our temples.  Perhaps the Lord permits us to hold such rededication services so
that we can sit in the temple and think and reflect and ponder on the things we ought to
be doing.  As a result of such experiences, I have resolved to continue to give of myself and
my energies to this great and important work and encourage others to do likewise.

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.  To my knowledge, there has never been another time in this dispensation
when we have had four temples at various stages of planning and construction as 
we now have, together with the refurbishing and rededication of others.  Thus, I said
to my Brethren of the General Authorities, "This work is constantly on my mind, for it
must be carried forward."

Having in mind the importance of temple work, wouldn’t it be wonderful if every Latter-
day Saint home had in the bedroom of each boy and each girl, or on the mantle of the
living room, a fairly good-sized picture of a temple which would help them recall, 
frequently, the purpose of these beautiful edifices.  I believe there would be far more
marriages in the temple than there are today, because the children would have as part
of their growing experience the picture of one of our temples constantly before them
as a reminder and a goal.  I recommend that to the Saints.  It is almost costless and
certainly would help develop the thinking processes of little minds that are growing, as the
temple and its meaning is contemplated and is discussed in the family home evening.

This is the work of the Lord, and he has given it to us.  It is our responsibility, our pleasure,
and our privilege to carry this work forward.  We should so organize ourselves and
the work that it will go forward in leaps and bounds.  In the book of Revelation, John
saw that sometime in the future (and it is still in the future to us), those who were faithful
and have cleansed their lives will work night and day in the holy temples.  Evidently 
there will then be a constant succession of groups going through the temple somewhat
like it was in the days of the Nauvoo Temple.  My grandfather, Heber C. Kimball, wrote
in his journal that during the last days of February 1846, groups were going through the
Nauvoo Temple night and day, "way into the night and way into the day," he said.  He
indicated that Brother Brigham took a group through, Brother Willard took a group through,
and so on.  The faithful Saints then were so anxious that they should receive the numerous
blessings and ordinances which are given in the temple that they virtually lived in the
temple those last few hours before they crossed the plains.  Today we should begin to
act with that same fervor and desire.

We have asked the members of the Church to further the work of turning the hearts of the
children to the fathers by getting their sacred family records in order.  These records,
including especially the "book containing the records of our dead" (D&C 128:24), are
a portion of the "offering in righteousness" referred to by Malachi (3:3), which we are to
present in His holy temple, and without which we shall not abide the day of His coming.

We also have asked that the families of the Church organize themselves to perform more
efficiently their sacred missionary, welfare, home education, temple, and genealogical
responsibilities and to set the pattern for things to come.  I recall it was said that the last
public words of my grandfather, Heber C. Kimball, were to the effect that the time had
come for all men to set their houses in order.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said: "Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause?  Go
forward and not backward.  Courage, brethren, and on, on to the victory!  Let your hearts
rejoice, and be exceedingly glad."  (D&C 128:22.)

My prayer for all of us who are members of the Church in this great dispensation of 
the fulness of times is that we might indeed go forward in this great work so that we will
not stand in jeopardy of our eternal reward.