The Meaning of the Temple

"The temple is there to call us back to our senses, to tell us where our real existence lies, to save us from ourselves.  So let us go there often and face the reality, brethren and sisters."   - Hugh W. Nibley in Temple and Cosmos, vol. 12

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I have a fond admiration for the lessons learned in the house of the Lord.  The teachings of the temple center around Jesus Christ and those lessons teach us how to arrive back in the presence of our Heavenly Father.  However, despite my admiration, it is no secret that many in the contemporary Christian world despise the necessity of ordinances in order to obtain this blessing.  Many mock the temple as a foolish teaching of Mormonism, ignoring the fact of the importance that the symbolism of a temple has played in all eras of Christianity, dating back to Moses and continuing after the resurrection of Jesus Christ himself.  Many are unaware that (in both apocryphal writings, and otherwise) the Apostles gathered themselves together to fast and to pray after the Lord had once again ascended into heaven (see The Early Christian Prayer Circle by Hugh W. Nibley - FARMS at Brigham Young University, also The Acts of John apocryphal writings from the 3rd century AD).  If temples were needed by the Apostles after the ascension of Christ then we can rest assured that they are needed now, for God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  


Clearly the modern day temples are mysteries to those who are not enlightened by the Spirit of the Lord, but that does not destroy their importance nor the beauty of the revelations found in them.  In fact, Elder John. A Widtsoe of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the following about the temple teachings in our day.

"The endowment is so richly symbolic that only a fool would attempt to describe it; it is so packed full of revelations to those who exercise their strength to seek and see, that no human words can explain or make clear the possibilities. . . . the endowment which was given by revelation can best be understood by revelation."  - John A. Widtsoe in Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine (April 1921)

The temple and its ordinances are designed to be mysterious to those who are not ready for the teachings, which are only understood by revelation.  So, it becomes the responsibility of every man and woman to learn about revelation from God and learn how to receive it for themselves before they will be ready to enter such a place that is so fundamentally  designed around receiving revelation.  In no other way can it be understood and it is foolishness to try and go about it any other way.  


Even without the understanding of what goes on in the temples, it is possible to understand why there are temples and why there have always been temples on the Earth.  In the following document by Hugh W. Nibley, we are taught about the history of temples from the beginning of the world to our present day.  And while specifics about the temple ceremonies are not given here (for this isn't the proper place for it) there is enough information given for someone to understand the reason why temples are, and have always been, so fundamental to civilization.  


While there is much that must be learned in order to understand the "why" of temples, do not be discouraged.  The prophet Joseph Smith taught

"There is nothing made known," said Joseph Smith, speaking of the day he taught the Twelve the ordinances of the temple, "but will be made known to all saints of the last days as soon as they are prepared to receive."But, know this, he said, they are only to be received by the spiritually-minded.  - Truman G. Madsen in The Temple and the Atonement

The following 10 pages contain the full text of the document "The Meaning of the Temple" by Hugh W. Nibley.  The citation for the document is given on the first page.