President Monson Announces New Temples

I always enjoyed the announcements that President Hinckley would make during the LDS General Conference. I can still remember the buzz from the announcement of the Nauvoo temple. Well, President Monson created one of those moments today when he announced that five new temples would be built in various locations throughout the world.

Here they are in the order they were announced:

1. Calgary, Alberta, Canadia (I always call it Canadia...)
2. Cordova, Argentina
3. The greater Kansas City area
4. Philidelphia, PA
5. Rome, Italy

It was kinda funny when the prophet announced the Rome temple. The whole conference center gasped. I'm sure they were thinking something like, "Wow! We'll be neighbors with the Pope!!" or something. I wasn't really paying attention to that, though. I was more interested in the announcement "hidden" in the middle... the greater Kansas City Area!?

I don't think most members realize that Independence is a suburb of Kansas City. Now I have no idea if the temple announced will be in Independence. It may be on the Kansas side of the river for all I know. That information has not been released yet, but I thought it would be cool to mention a few scriptural references to the temple that will be built there before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in the clouds in glory. As the Lord told Moses:

Moses 7: 62
62 ...righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.

To begin our discussion, I want to go to a scripture from Malachi:

Malachi 3:1
1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

This prophesy of course has been fulfilled many times, but the most notable fulfillment will be in the future when Jesus Christ suddenly come to the temples built in Zion (New Jerusalem) and in Jerusalem itself. D&C 42: 35-36 talks a little about this. Here are a few scriptures about the location of the temple in Zion:

D&C 57: 1-3
1 Hearken, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, who have assembled yourselves together, according to my commandments, in this land, which is the land of Missouri, which is the land which I have appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints.
2 Wherefore, this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion.
3 And thus saith the Lord your God, if you will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse.

The lot mentioned in this scripture is larger than we usually think of most lots. It consists of several acres, some of which are owned by the church. A large LDS visitors center is there as well. The Community of Christ has both a temple and an auditorium there. But a small church called the Church of Christ owns the main section which most people consider to be the center of the temple lot. The sign shown at the left here is from that church. I took these pictures myself in 2007. Let throw in some more pictures for kicks, shall we?

Here is the Community of Christ temple with the temple lot in the foreground. (Click on it for a larger version.)


And here is the LDS visitors center.


And now here's a very interesting scripture to tie things together:

D&C 84: 2-4
2 Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem.
3 Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.
4 Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation.

So, first of all the building of the city of Zion (or the New Jerusalem) will begin with the building of the temple. The city itself will be located in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri (or the greater Kansas City area...) It will also be built by the "gathering of the saints." Let's not be hasty and start saying that all LDS people have to move to Kansas City to build the City of Zion. As Alma would say, "Ye cannot suppose that this is what it meaneth..." The Book of Mormon makes it clear exactly what will happen:

3 Nephi 23-25
23 And they [the Gentiles] shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.

24 And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.

25 And then shall the power of heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst.

It is clear here that the gathering of the Lord's people "in unto the New Jerusalem" will happen after the city has been built. We also learn here that there are three groups that will help build the city--the "remnant of Jacob," "many of the House of Israel," and the Gentiles, who will assist. I'll let you all discover for yourselves who these groups are.

Alright, now here is a long one to finish up:

Ether 13: 3-11

3 And that it [this land] was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord.

Now, you may be thinking... "Wait a minute. I thought the House of Israel was going to build the city!?" Let's continue to figure out what Moroni is speaking of here.

4 Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land.
...

6 And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type.

...

8 Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.

9 And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new.

10 And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel.

The New Jersusalem is synonimous with the city of Zion. Enoch and his city of Zion from ancient times was taken up into heaven. This city will return and become part of the New Jerusalem in the last days after the city has been built by the "remnant of the house of Joseph." This is what the scripture means when it says "the New Jerusalem... should come down out of heaven."

11 And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father, Abraham.

A less commonly understood doctrine is that the people in ancient Jerusalem (or Salem), under the leadership of Melchizedek, also "wrought righteousness, and obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days, or the end of the world." (JST Genesis 14: 34-35) It appears that these people, too, will come down from heaven to join with those who have rebuilt Jerusalem in the latter-days. Both cities were taken up into heaven. Both cities will return, in their time, to join their modern counterparts.

For as the prophecy says, "[God] hath said, and sworn with an oath, that the heavens and the earth should come together; and the sons of God should be tried so as by fire." (ibid)

So, to summarize and conclude our discussion:

1. First, the temple will be built in Zion by the House of Israel, the remnant of Jacob, and the Gentiles
2. The rest of the city of Zion will be built next and called the New Jerusalem
3. Then the people of the Lord, the remnant of Joseph specifically, will be gathered to Zion
4. The Savior will come down and dwell among those who dwell in Zion
5. The ancient city of Zion led by Enoch will come down out of heaven and dwell with the latter-day city of the New Jerusalem
6. The ancient city of Salem led by Melchiziedek will come down out of heaven and dwell with the latter-day city of Jerusalem

I hope you enjoy studying these scriptures that are very applicabe to events that are happenning to us right now.


UPDATE:

I learned that the temple will be in Liberty, MO (which is in Clay County not Jackson County). One of the comments to the post also pointed that out.  The building of the temple in Zion is not yet.