Open House and Dedication Dates Announced for Temples in California and Cambodia
The iconic San Diego California Temple is preparing to welcome the public once again following its recent renovations. Originally dedicated in 1993 by President Gordon B. Hinckley, this structure was only the third of its kind in the state.
Today, the spiritual landscape in California has grown significantly; the state now hosts 12 temples that are either operating, under construction, or recently announced. This growth serves a vibrant community of nearly 730,000 members across more than 1,000 congregations.
Key Dates for the San Diego Temple:
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Media Day: Monday, June 15, 2026
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Private Tours: June 16–17, 2026
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Public Open House: June 18 – July 11, 2026 (Sundays excluded)
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Dedication: Sunday, August 23, 2026, at 10 a.m. (Rebroadcast at 2 p.m.)
Currently, California’s dedicated temples include Feather River, Fresno, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Oakland, Redlands, and Sacramento. Expansion continues with the Modesto and Yorba Linda sites under construction, and new locations planned for Bakersfield and Sunnyvale.
The Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple
History will be made this August in Southeast Asia. The Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple will be the first house of the Lord in the nation, providing a local place of worship for the 17,000 Latter-day Saints living in Cambodia.
Announced in 2018 by President Russell M. Nelson, the temple stands as a testament to the faith of the 31 congregations within the country. During its announcement, President Nelson emphasized the importance of temple worship, stating:
“Our need to be in the temple on a regular basis has never been greater… I promise you that the Lord will bring the miracles He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in His temples.”
Key Dates for the Phnom Penh Temple:
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Media Day: Wednesday, August 12, 2026
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Private Tours: August 13–14, 2026
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Public Open House: August 15 – August 22, 2026 (Sunday excluded)
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Dedication: Sunday, August 30, 2026, presided over by Elder Patrick Kearon.
Latter-day Saints worship in temples for several reasons: to feel God’s love and peace, to learn more about God’s plan for His children and the gospel of Jesus Christ, to make promises with God and with one’s husband or wife and to unite families in this life and the next through sacred ordinances.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong Travels to Africa to Dedicate the Harare Zimbabwe Temple
Press release courtesy of the Church Newsroom. Visit their site HERE.
The Harare Zimbabe Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dedicated on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the Harare Zimbabwe Temple on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
In remarks shared before offering the dedicatory prayer, Elder Gong expressed deep gratitude to all who had prayed, worked and sacrificed for this sacred day. He emphasized the blessings of regular temple attendance and described it as an invitation from the Savior to “create a new gospel temple culture.”
“Instead of going to the temple once in our life, or once a year on a temple trip, we can plan and come ourselves to the Lord in the house of the Lord more often,” he said.
As Saints follow Jesus Christ willingly, obediently and joyfully, they prepare to “return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World), he said.
Elder Gong explained that the Lord gives us holy temples so we and those we love can return to the holy presence of God our Eternal Father and His Son Jesus Christ, spotless and clean, justified, sanctified and exalted.
Elder Steven R. Bangerter, and his wife, Susan; Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Susan; and Elder Elder Denelson Silva and his wife, Regina, pose with members of the Harare Zimbabe Temple presidency and their wives at the dedication of the Harare Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dedicated on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
“The Atonement of Jesus Christ helps us repent and change,” Elder Gong said. “The Atonement of Jesus Christ helps us forgive and be forgiven. The Atonement of Jesus Christ helps us mend and heal our relationships.
“Jesus Christ’s gospel and Atonement make bad men and bad women good and good men and good women better. Temple ordinances and covenants connect us by our own name with the name and infinite and eternal Atonement of Jesus Christ.”
To read the full story, please visit the Church Newsroom.
Creative Ways to Unite Your Ward Family Around the Temple
Each Sunday, at the end of Church, as we try to wrangle our little gaggle of children towards the door, we try to stop for nothing. If we stop, our toddler will probably bolt for the nearest light switch or our four-year-old will find a stretch of open hallway to run down (in the wrong direction). Once we’re moving, we need to keep moving.
There is but one exception.
On a side table in the foyer, as people filter out, is a little Lego-style build of the Salt Lake Temple that is coming together each week, brick by brick. Next to the little construction site is a sign that says:
My boys always ask if they can each put on a piece and I quickly scan the list hoping that we have done something that can count.
It is an over 1,500-piece build. That requires lots of little spiritual habits from the members each week to make progress. But then, so does being a covenant people who build the temple into the center of their worship.
I love this small visual reminder that unites our ward in an effort to keep remembering the temple.
The effort to bring a ward family together around a central purpose is an ongoing challenge of most callings in the Church. Of course, that central purpose is a relationship with the Savior, but facing your life towards the temple is an integral part of that struggle.
So, how can we help members to make that effort together? How we can encourage each other on that temple path and feel united as a ward family along the way?
The member of my ward who decided to be in charge of this Lego-style temple build had a wonderful idea to get people involved in working together.
I would love to hear what ideas your wards have used in the comments below.
One unforgettable initiative that my childhood ward undertook was the goal to do an entire additional ward worth of temple work for those on the other side. In other words, they wanted to complete all of proxy temple ordinances for the same number of people who had passed on, as were currently in our ward. In effect, we would be creating a sister ward in the Spirit World.
Our ward was the Fairfax Ward, our goal was to create the Fairfax 2nd Ward on the other side. We devoted an entire bulletin board in the Church to this effort. Though I was only old enough to do baptisms at that point and the temple was an hour away, I never forgot seeing “Fairfax 2nd Ward” written up on that bulletin board and watching the names be added, one after another.
There is something worthwhile in making your progress and your process as a ward, visual. Perhaps you may start to take that visual for granted in the hustle and bustle of your Church duties, but it might be a sight that your child never forgets.
I hope my sons don’t forget building our little Salt Lake Temple as a ward.
Their counterparts in the youth program certainly didn’t forget the sights and sounds of volunteering to staff the open house of the Saratoga Springs Temple when our ward was asked to participate.
As scores of temples are being dedicated all over the world, take the opportunity to participate in an open house if you possibly can—not just as a visitor, but as a volunteer.
I was asked by someone in my stake to be a host and lead tours, but I didn’t feel like I had the time or the flexibility in my schedule to say yes. When the open house time concluded and we had a testimony meeting where every single testimony from people of every age was about how meaningful the experience was to them, I felt like I had sorely missed out.
Thankfully, they announced a temple to be built even closer to us less than a year later so I look forward to having another chance.
But there was something deeply unifying about our ward having stewardship over a temple together. The sacrifice of time, the long hours, even the sometimes mundane tasks involved in it, increased each person’s love for the place and its purpose. I felt the magnetism of it, even from a distance.
My concluding thought in all of this is that there is creativity to be had in imagining the ways to unite our ward families around the House of the Lord. It can be more interesting and more involved than just bringing up the temple in any lesson you can.
What ideas have you been a part of? What has worked for your family or your ward? I hope you will all share resources and thoughts in the comments below.
Milestones for Temples in California, Guatemala, Mozambique and Utah
Press release and photos were originally published on the Church Newsroom. To visit their website, CLICK HERE.
Yorba Linda California Temple
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the open house and dedication dates for the Yorba Linda California Temple. A media day will be held Monday, April 27, 2026, and invited guests will tour the temple April 28–29. The public is invited to attend the open house April 30–May 23 (excluding Sundays).
The temple will be dedicated Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 10 a.m. (rebroadcast: 2 p.m.). The dedicatory session will be broadcast to all units in the Yorba Linda California Temple district. There are close to 729,000 Latter-day Saints living in California, meeting in nearly 1,100 congregations.
This will be the ninth operating house of the Lord in the state, joining the Feather River, Fresno, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Oakland, Redlands, Sacramento and San Diego Temples. The Bakersfield and Sunnyvale Temples have been announced, and the Modesto Temple is under construction.
The Yorba Linda California temple was announced in April 2021 by President Russell M. Nelson.
“We want to bring the house of the Lord even closer to our members,” he said, “that they may have the sacred privilege of attending the temple as often as their circumstances allow.”
Huehuetenango Guatemala Temple
Groundbreaking services for the Huehuetenango Guatemala Temple will be held Saturday, March 14, 2026. Elder Patricio M. Giuffra, Central America Area President, will preside at the event.
As previously announced, the temple will be located at 18 Avenida, Zona 4, El Terrero, Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
Over 292,000 Latter-day Saints reside in Guatemala and meet in nearly 440 congregations. Six temples have been announced, are under construction or are operating in the country. They are located in Cobán; Guatemala City; Huehuetenango; Miraflores Guatemala City; Quetzaltenango; and Retalhuleu.
The Huehuetenango Guatemala Temple was announced in October 2022 by President Nelson.
“Let us never lose sight of what the Lord is doing for us now. He is making His temples more accessible,” President Nelson said on that occasion. “I promise that increased time in the temple will bless your life in ways nothing else can.”
Beira Mozambique Temple
The location of the Beira Mozambique Temple has been announced.
This house of the Lord will be built on a 2.5-acre site located at Avenida 24 de Julho, Beira, Mozambique. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 10,000 square feet along with patron housing and arrival facilities. It will be located next to an existing meetinghouse. An exterior rendering of the temple will be provided at a later date.
The Beira Mozambique Temple was announced in April 2021 by President Nelson.
“Temples are a vital part of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness,” he said then. “Ordinances of the temple fill our lives with power and strength available in no other way. We thank God for those blessings.”
Nearly 32,000 Latter-day Saints reside in Mozambique, meeting in 80 congregations.
This will be the first temple in the country. Another, the Maputo Mozambique Temple, was announced in 2024.
Spanish Fork Utah Temple
The location of the Spanish Fork Utah Temple has also been announced. It will be built on an 8.7-acre site at the corner of 100 South and 2550 East in Spanish Fork, Utah. Plans call for a multistory temple of approximately 80,000 square feet and an accompanying ancillary building. An exterior rendering of the temple will be provided at a later date.
Utah is home to nearly 2.2 million Latter-day Saints. Including the Spanish Fork Utah Temple, there are 32 temples in the state, either in operation, under renovation, under construction or announced.
The Spanish Fork Utah Temple was announced in April 2025 by President Nelson. On that occasion, the prophet taught about the blessings of attending the temple.
“Regular worship in the house of the Lord increases our capacity for both virtue and charity,” he said. “Thus, time in the temple increases our confidence before the Lord. Increased time in the temple will help us prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ are different from meetinghouses or chapels, where members gather for Sunday worship services. A temple is considered a house of the Lord, where the teachings of Jesus Christ are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ceremonies that unite families for eternity.
Burley Idaho Temple Dedicated by President Dallin H. Oaks
Press release, photos, and video courtesy of the Church Newsroom. The visit their website, CLICK HERE.
The Burley Idaho Temple, a 45,300-square-foot structure, was first announced at the April 2021 general conference. Ground was broken on June 4, 2022. Idaho’s other dedicated temples are in Boise, Idaho Falls, Meridian, Pocatello, Rexburg and Twin Falls. Other temples announced or under construction in the state are the Caldwell, Coeur d’Alene, Montpelier and Teton River Idaho Temples. Idaho is home to nearly 500,000 Latter-day Saints in around 1,300 congregations.
President Oaks was joined at the dedicatory service in Burley by his wife, Kristen, and several Church leaders: Elder Steven R. Bangerter, Executive Director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Susan; Elder José A. Teixeira, United States Central Area President, and his wife, Filomena; and Elder K. Brett Nattress, General Authority Seventy, and his wife, Shawna. In remarks given before offering the prayer, President Oaks shared personal reflections about this temple. He said he chose to dedicate the Burley Temple because “it [is] close to my heart.” As a child, he lived in nearby Twin Falls, Idaho, for about five years.
The 93-year-old prophet also noted that the Church is “in a glorious season of temple building.” He reminded Saints in Burley that the purpose of the Church’s now 212 operating temples — plus 150 more in design or under construction — is to point people to Jesus Christ.
“The work of temples is centered on our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. All that is learned and done here relates to Him,” said President Oaks. “Here in His house, we make sacred covenants with and in the name of Jesus Christ, which among other meanings signify His authority and His work. All who worship here receive the blessings of His power and participate in His saving work. These blessings and this saving work, which we call ‘temple work,’ are supremely important for all of God’s children, those still living in mortality and those in the spirit world.”
He echoed teachings from the late President Russell M. Nelson that the house of the Lord is “at the center of strengthening our faith and spiritual fortitude because the Savior and His doctrine are the very heart of the temple.”
President Oaks noted that Latter-day Saints around the world will need such spiritual strength in the coming days.
“As we experience Satan’s deadly onslaught on morality and the integrity of families, and as we read the prophecies and feel the signs of the times, we cannot doubt that the future holds great sacrifices and challenges for Latter-day Saints individually and for the divinely prescribed work of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” he said. “The scriptures speak of perilous times, when men’s hearts will fail them. They also speak of worthy disciples escaping these things, of their standing in holy places and not being moved.”
In these holy temples, Latter-day Saints make covenants with God. This, the prophet explained, is “the way the Lord reminds us to stay worthy of His blessings and to translate the knowledge we receive in the temple into service to our fellowmen.”
“Surely,” President Oaks said, “the times ahead will call for us to remember our temple covenants and to rely on the blessings promised in these houses of the Lord here in Burley and throughout the world.”
“This is His house. This is His work. We are His servants,” the prophet concluded.
Visions of Deity in the Kirtland Temple
Editor’s note: This article features the chapter “Visions of Deity in the Kirtland Temple” from Karl Ricks Anderson’s book The Savior in Kirtland.
Cover photo: Joseph Smith’s office, west end of the third floor of the Kirtland Temple.
In the Kirtland Temple, visions of Deity and unparalleled spiritual manifestations flowed down upon the Saints. Most visions came during meetings as Joseph Smith conducted recently revealed sacred temple ordinances. When the Saints erected the first house of the Lord in this last dispensation, with humble faith and under direction of their prophet, they fully expected to see or feel the presence of the Savior and experience heavenly manifestations. Joseph taught the new Twelve Apostles, “All who are prepared and are sufficiently pure to abide the presence of the Saviour will see him in the solemn assembly.”1 
Letters from Church leaders indicated that ordinary Church members had been prepared to expect visions and heavenly manifestations. In one letter they wrote: “Within that house God will pour out his spirit in great majesty and glory and encircle his people with fire more gloriously and marvelously than at Pentecost because the work to be performed in the last days is greater than was in that day.”2
Modern-Day Pentecost
Because people of that period knew the Bible, they were familiar with the pentecostal period in the New Testament that surrounded the ascension of Christ and the descent of the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem. Large numbers of Jews witnessed speaking in tongues and seeing “cloven tongues like as of fire.”3 After the outpourings of the Holy Ghost, the Saints of the primitive Church had visions, participated in healings, and beheld wonders and signs. So it was in Kirtland. These modern disciples likewise experienced such spiritual manifestations.
The magnitude, depth, and variety of these manifestations in the Kirtland Temple compelled the Prophet Joseph Smith to record the following:
It was a Pentecost and an endowment indeed, long to be remembered, for the sound shall go forth from this place into all the world, and the occurrences of this day shall be handed down upon the pages of sacred history, to all generations; as the day of Pentecost, so shall this day be numbered and celebrated as a year of jubilee, and time of rejoicing to the Saints of the Most High God.4
The Lord’s inspired prophets of old foresaw and taught of future pentecostal periods such as Kirtland’s. Joel prophesied anciently: “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.”5
During Pentecost, Peter recognized that Joel’s prophecy had descended upon the Saints in Jerusalem. He informed the Jews: “These are not drunken, as ye suppose. . . . But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.”6 The manifestations spoken of by Peter were not the complete fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, however. As Moroni instructed young Joseph in 1823, he “quoted the second chapter of Joel, from the twenty-eighth verse to the last. He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be.”7
Lorenzo Snow declared that the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy began for the Latter-day dispensation in the Kirtland Temple. He said:
[The] magnificent [Kirtland] Temple was completed and dedicated to the Lord in the presence of thousands. The day of blessings, and of rejoicings in the history of the Saints, had now arrived. . . . The youth, the middle aged, both men and women, clothed with the spirit of inspiration, would speak, as with the tongue of angels. . . . One would exercise the gift of tongues, another that of interpretation, and some would have the gift of prophecy. One would speak of the blessings of faith, another would testify of knowledge, and some would have the spirit of exhortation. Thus were their gifts exercised, and all edified together, proving they lived in the time of the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy.8
This latter-day pentecostal manifestation indeed fulfilled Joel’s prophecy. Visions and spiritual manifestations flowed down from the heavens as he had prophesied.9 The Savior appeared in the temple in at least eight different visions (see chart, p. 229). The Father and the Son were seen together in four visions. In more than ten meetings, such as the two temple dedications, sacrament services, and priesthood leadership meetings, congregations experienced the presence of heavenly beings. Many Saints saw and heard manifestations such as the gift of tongues, sounds of a mighty wind, a pillar of fire resting upon the temple roof, prophesying, and voices of angels.
Benjamin Brown recorded that this pentecostal period was “even greater than at the day of Penti[cost].” He further elaborated, declaring:
Some have seen the heavens opend& seen the savior[;] others have seen angels on the four corners of the house of the Lord with drawn swords & also stood thick on the ridge Elisha with his chariot of Fire, Peter John & James. . . . Old father Adam was seen B[ea]utiful man his hair stood back & curled most b[ea]utiful even down on his shoulders.10
Following are accounts of visions of Deity in the Kirtland Temple on four different glorious days from January to April 1836.
Visions of Deity, January 21, 1836
The first recorded visions of Deity in the Kirtland Temple occurred January 21, 1836, in Joseph Smith’s office on the temple’s highest level. Joseph gave detailed descriptions of at least two extended visions experienced on that remarkable day. Each vision consisted of distinct parts. The occasion for each vision was the ordinance of anointing the head with oil of the First Presidency, bishoprics, and high councilors.
Vision of the Father and the Son in the Celestial Kingdom
The promised visions began as Joseph Smith was meeting with fifteen other Church leaders.11 As the visions occurred, the Prophet introduced, for the first time in this dispensation, the ordinance of anointing with oil in a temple of the Lord. He described the start of the first vision of the day: “The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell.
I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire;
Also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son.
I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold.
I saw Father Adam and Abraham; and my father and my mother; my brother Alvin, that has long since slept.12
Vision of Christ and the Latter-day Twelve Apostles
In the next part of his visions of this day, Joseph saw the Savior weep over His discouraged band of Apostles. He recorded:
I saw the 12, apostles of the Lamb, who are now upon the earth who hold the keys of this last ministry, in foreign lands, standing together in a circle much fatiegued, with their clothes tattered and feet swolen, with their eyes cast downward, and Jesus <standing> in their midst, and they did not behold him, . . . the Saviour looked upon them and wept.13
Twelve Apostles in the Celestial Kingdom
In the concluding scene of these visions, Joseph apparently watched until the Twelve arrived at the gate to the celestial kingdom and found Father Adam acting as gatekeeper and escort of the faithful to the throne. In recording this part of the vision, Joseph stated simply, “I finally saw the 12, in the celestial Kingdom of God.”14 Nonetheless, Heber C. Kimball remembered further details of Joseph’s vision, undoubtedly told him by the Prophet:
He (Joseph) saw until they [the Twelve] had accomplished their work, and arrived at the gate of the celestial city; there Father Adam stood and opened the gate to them, and as they entered he embraced them one by one and kissed them. He then led them to the throne of God, and then the Savior embraced each one of them and kissed them, and crowned each one of them in the presence of God. He saw that they all had beautiful heads of hair and all looked alike. The impression this vision left on Brother Joseph’s mind was of so acute a nature, that he never could refrain from weeping while rehearsing it.15
Vision of Christ with the High Councils of Kirtland and Zion
Later on January 21, the high councilors of Kirtland and Zion joined the ones already in the meeting, which increased attendance to forty brethren. These brethren also participated in visions of Deity that day. Joseph recorded:
The vision of heaven . . . <was> opened to these also, some of them saw the face of the Saviour, and others were ministered unto by holy angels, and the spirit of propesey and revelation was poured out in mighty power, and loud hosanahs and glory to God in the highest, saluted the heavens for we all communed with the h[e]avenly hosts.16
According to Joseph, “Some of them saw the face of the Savior.” This probably indicates that at least three17 other Church leaders besides Joseph became eyewitnesses to Christ’s existence and leadership of the Church.18
Vision of the Presidency in the Celestial Kingdom
During this final meeting of leaders that now included the high councilors of Kirtland and Zion, Joseph Smith beheld his third vision of the celestial kingdom that day. This time he saw many of those forty brethren, including the presidency, in that celestial setting. He stated: “I saw in my vision all of the presidency in the Celistial Kingdom of God, and, many others who were present.”19 In each of his two other visions of the celestial kingdom that day, the Prophet had seen the Father and the Son and also men who were assisting Joseph in leading the Church, many of whom were present in the meetings. In the first of those visions, Joseph saw God’s throne, the Father and the Son, and others, including his father, who had just anointed him. In the next vision, he saw the Twelve being embraced by the Savior in the presence of the Father. In the third vision, he sees the presidency there with other leaders who are with him in the meeting. Although he didn’t state it directly, it is probable that this final vision also included the Father and Son, because that was the pattern set in the two other visions.
Apparently because of the sacred nature of the visions, Oliver Cowdery, who was present at the meeting, did not record many details. He leaves us wishing for more details, however, with what he did write: “The glorious scene is too great to be described in this book, therefore, I only say, that the heavens were opened to many, and great and marvelous things were shown.”20
God the Father and Christ Seen in Meeting of Quorums, January 28, 1836
Seven days following the incredible visions of January 21, Joseph Smith and his counselors instructed high priests, seventies, and elders assembled in the Kirtland Temple. The leaders introduced to this group the ancient ordinance of anointing with oil. In addition, Joseph Smith conducted the procedure of sealing blessings given them in the anointing. During the proceedings, marvelous visions were distilled upon the priesthood quorums. In this meeting, Zebedee Coltrin saw the Savior. The Prophet recorded this and other visions: “Elder Roger Orton saw a mighty angel riding upon a horse of fire, with a flaming sword in his hand, followed by five others, encircle the house, and protect the Saints, even the Lord’s anointed, from the power of Satan and a host of evil spirits, which were striving to disturb the Saints.
“President William Smith, one of the Twelve, saw the heavens opened, and the Lord’s host protecting the Lord’s anointed.
“President Zebedee Coltrin, one of the seven presidents of the Seventy, saw the Savior extended before him, as upon the cross, and a little after, crowned with glory upon his head above the b[r]ightness of the sun.”21
Harrison Burgess added that Joseph Smith also saw the Savior. In his autobiography, Harrison vividly recalled that in the middle of the meeting, “Joseph exclaimed aloud, ‘I behold the Saviour, the Son of God.’”22 He recorded the following:
The Lord blessed His people abundantly in that Temple with the Spirit of prophecy, the ministering of angels, visions, etc. I will here relate a vision which was shown to me. It was near the close of the endowments. I was in a meeting for instruction in the upper part of the Temple, with about a hundred of the High Priests, Seventies and Elders. The Saints felt to shout “Hosannah!” and the Spirit of God rested upon me in mighty power and I beheld the room lighted up with a peculiar light such as I had never seen before. It was soft and clear and the room looked to me as though it had neither roof nor floor to the building and I beheld the Prophet Joseph and Hyrum Smith and Roger Orton enveloped in the light: Joseph exclaimed aloud, “I behold the Savior, the Son of God.” Hyrum said, “I behold the angels of heaven.” Brother Orton exclaimed, “I behold the chariots of Israel.”23
Two journal accounts lead to a conclusion that both the Father and the Son appeared in vision in this meeting. In an 1879 Sunday meeting, Harrison supplemented his journal account by adding that Joseph Smith also saw God the Father at that time. Charles Lowell Walker, one of the Church’s foremost diary keepers, heard Harrison say that Joseph saw both the Father and the Son. Charles then carefully recorded Harrison’s words in his journal entry:
Br Harrison Burgess spoke of the first Endowments given in the Kirtland Temple and that all the quorums met at one time in the Attic; Joseph and Hyrum met with them. He said that all at once there was a Heavenly and Divine Atmosphere surrounded them, and it seemed as if the rafters and Beams were all gone and Joseph gazing up said, I See the Son of God sitting at the right hand of the Father. Hyrum at the same instant said, I behold the Angels of Heaven, and Roger Orton said, I see the Horses and Chariots of Heaven.24
Although Joseph omitted in his journal account that he saw a vision of Deity, he did record that he saw “a glorious vision.”25 In his journal Harrison concluded that all present experienced the power of God. He wrote, “All who were in the room felt the power of God to that degree that many prophesied, and the power of God was made manifest, . . . the remembrance of which I shall never forget while I live upon the earth.”26
Another account attests to both the Father and the Son appearing, probably on this day. David Patten, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, also attended. David visited Abraham Smoot, a recent convert, in Kentucky within weeks of the temple dedication and told him about seeing God the Father and Jesus Christ in vision. Wilford Woodruff recorded his account:
He [Abraham Smoot] had Been with Elder Patten & his wife for several days. Br Smoot related the news to me from Br Patten which was glorious in the first degree. He gave me an account of the endowment at Kirtland Ohio. The heavens Was opened unto them. Angels & Jesus Christ was seen of them sitting at the right hand of the father.27
Joseph Smith described how the impact of the vision stayed with him during the night: “After these quorums were dismissed, I retired to my home, filled with the Spirit, and my soul cried hosanna to God and the Lamb, through the silent watches of the night; and while my eyes were closed in sleep, the visions of the Lord were sweet unto me, and His glory was round about me. Praise the Lord.”28
Divine Presence Felt in Dedicatory Services, March 27, 1836
Many journals testifying of heavenly manifestations on the day the temple was dedicated made reference to a divine presence. In what may have been a reference to Deity, Nancy Tracy recorded that “the heavenly influence rested down upon that house. . . . Heavenly Beings appeared to many. . . . It was heaven on earth.”29
Eliza R. Snow stated that “an abiding holy heavenly influence was realized.”30 In another account she wrote that the whole congregation felt the presence of divinity: “The ceremonies of that dedication may be rehearsed, but no mortal language can describe the heavenly manifestations of that memorable day. Angels appeared to some, while a sense of divine presence was realized by all present, and each heart was filled with ‘joy inexpressible and full of glory.’”31
Other spiritual manifestations were evident. Participants such as Benjamin Brown testified: “There the Spirit of the Lord, as on the day of Pentecost, was profusely poured out. . . .
“We had a most glorious and never-to-be-forgotten time. Angels were seen by numbers present.”32 A heavenly messenger who Joseph Smith said was Peter and who had “come to accept the dedication” was seen entering the temple and sat between Frederick G. Williams and Joseph Smith Sr.33 It seems that on the day of dedication, the Savior sent Peter, the presiding Apostle of the prior dispensation, to visibly accept the dedication. Then, a week later, Christ Himself appeared.
The Pentecost Continues in Priesthood Meeting, March 27, 1836
At a priesthood meeting held in the temple the evening of the temple dedication, additional pentecostal manifestations were given to the Saints. Benjamin Brown recorded:
Sunday Evening . . . Joseph spoke . . . & told them the day of Penticost was continued the . . . Brethren began to
. . . prophesy many prophesied in the name of the Lord then began speaking in tongues and it filled as it were the whole house, perhaps there were forty speaking at once Cloven tongues of fire was seen to sit on many of them an hand was seen laid upon one when he spake in tongues . . . many Visions seen, one saw a [pillar] or cloud rest down upon the house bright as when the sun shines on a cloud like as gold, two others saw three personages hovering in the room with bright keys in their hands, and also a bright chain in their hands. . . .. . . The west end of the House was illuminated by a light from heaven seen on the outside by many. . . .
Father Stephens saw . . . two rows of Angels through the House, at another time the glory of God came down on the Elders from the head down half way.34
Joseph Smith recorded the events of this evening meeting. He made a note about personally beholding a pillar of fire, writing:
All the congregation simultaneously arose, being moved upon by an invisible power; many began to speak in tongues and prophesy; others saw glorious visions; and I beheld the Temple was filled with angels, which fact I declared to the congregation. The people of the neighborhood came running together (hearing an unusual sound within, and seeing a bright light like a pillar of fire resting upon the Temple), and were astonished at what was taking place.35
Oliver Cowdery, present on the evening of the dedication, saw the glory of God descend upon the temple. He recorded:
In the evening I met with the officers of the church in the Lord’s house. The Spirit was poured out—I saw the glory of God, like a great cloud, come down and rest upon the house, and fill the same like a mighty rushing wind. I also saw cloven tongues, like as of fire rest upon many, (for there were 316 present,) while they spake with other tongues and prophesied.36
On the day of dedication, the Lord indeed rewarded His valiant people by opening the heavens.37 These Saints, in addition to building the Kirtland Temple, had sanctified their lives so that “the Son of Man might have a place to manifest himself to his people.”38
The Savior Appears at the Solemn Assembly in the Kirtland Temple, March 30, 1836
Joseph Smith, upon convening the long-awaited solemn assembly, said, “The presidency, the 12, the seventies, the high . . . councils, the Bishops and their entire quorums, the Elders, and all the official members in this stake of Zion amounting to about 300 met in the temple of the Lord.”39 Heber C. Kimball remembered the procedure followed in the solemn assembly:
When the Prophet Joseph had finished the endowments of the First Presidency, the Twelve and the Presiding Bishops, the First Presidency proceeded to lay hands upon each one of them to seal and confirm the anointing; and at the close of each blessing the whole of the quorums responded to it with a loud shout of Hosanna! Hosanna! etc.
While these things were being attended to the beloved disciple John was seen in our midst by the Prophet Joseph, Oliver Cowdery and others. After this all the quorums arose in order, together with the three Presidencies; and the Twelve then presented themselves separately and individually before the First Presidency, with hands uplifted towards heaven, and asked of God whatever they felt to desire; and after each individual petition the whole of the quorums answered aloud Amen! Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! To God and the Lamb, forever and ever, amen and amen.
. . . As a reward for their preparation, the Prophet promised, “All who are prepared, and are sufficiently pure to abide the presence of the Savior, will see Him in the solemn assembly.”40
The reward came to those who were prepared. The Savior appeared to some of the priesthood as described by Joseph:
The brethren continued exhorting, prophesying, and speaking in tongues until five o’clock in the morning. The Savior made His appearance to some, while angels ministered to others, and it was a Pentecost and an endowment indeed, long to be remembered, for the sound shall go forth from this place into all the world, and the occurrences of this day shall be handed down upon the pages of sacred history, to all generations; as the day of Pentecost, so shall this day be numbered and celebrated as a year of jubilee, and time of rejoicing to the Saints of the Most High God.41
Benjamin Brown recorded additional details of these and other spiritual manifestations in a letter to his wife. He mentioned two brethren who saw Christ. Although he wrote without punctuation and in seemingly disjointed thoughts, he provides a more complete account. He wrote: “Many Prop[h]esys [were] given & speaking in tongues . . . two corums continued all night in the House the twelve guarded it the Heavens was opened two saw the savior some saw chariots and other thing[s] one lay about half an hour & saw from Eternity to Eternity many Miracilous Experiences told Many Visions told.”42
Vision of Christ, Moses, Elias, and Elijah, April 3, 1836
The pinnacle of all the holy events transpiring in Kirtland and possibly even in the history of the young latter-day Church was reached with the supernal visions of this day. The Savior Jesus Christ—followed by Moses, Elias, and Elijah—stood before Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to instruct them and to bestow on them long-awaited priesthood keys and authority to carry out the missions of the Church. Joseph’s journal relates that as he and Oliver rose from prayer, Christ stood before them in His full glory. After testifying of Himself and His resurrection, He acknowledged His acceptance of His house, the temple. He then promised to appear again to His faithful servants. Joseph testified:
We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us. . . . His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying: I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father. . . . I have accepted this house. . . . I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my commandments, and do not pollute this holy house.43
Joseph and Oliver related this vision to other early leaders. In turn, William W. Phelps told his wife of the vision, saying, “On Sunday, April 3, the twelve held meeting and administered the sacrament. It was a glorious time. The curtains were dropt in the afternoon. And there was a manifestation of the Lord to Br Joseph and Oliver, [by] which they [learned] thus the great & terrible day of the Lord as mentioned by Mal[a]chi, was near, even at the doors.”44
Lorenzo Snow remembered the testimonies of Joseph and Oliver almost fifty years later. He said, “Those who saw Him testify to this fact.”45 He made particular reference to his association with Joseph and Oliver and to their vision. He said, “There were two persons [Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery] with whom I was very well acquainted who saw [Christ] . . . in the Temple in Kirtland, Ohio.”46 Lorenzo was so well acquainted with the vision that he gave these details: “They were sitting side by side, as my brethren are sitting here on this stand, and the Son of God appeared to them.” Lorenzo had obviously heard them relate the vision in 1836. He knew which pulpit Christ stood upon. He later said, “I have preached from that pulpit many times.”47 In relating his feelings in his journal, he tells of the first time he preached from the pulpit:
No language can describe my feelings when, for the first time, I stood up in one of those pulpits to address an audience—a pulpit on the breastwork of which, only a short time before, this holy Personage stood—‘his hair as white as pure snow, his eyes as a flame of fire’—where also Moses, Elias and Elijah came and committed the keys of their dispensations to Joseph Smith.48
The appearance of these divine heavenly visitors was even stamped on the memory of children. Mary Ann Stearnes Winters, a stalwart Utah pioneer, always remembered how, when she was a child, her mother showed her the exact spot where the Savior stood. She said, “Mother took me to the stand and showed me the place on the pulpit where the Savior had stood when He appeared to the Prophet, and where afterwards Moses and Elias came and delivered the keys for the gathering of the Saints (Israel), and the redemption of the dead.”49
Seemingly, the non-LDS community was aware of the Savior’s visit. One week after this vision of Christ, Lucius Parsons, a local resident, wrote of it to his sister: “They report that the Savior appeared personally with angels and endowed the Elders with powers to work Miracles.”50
Orson Pratt, who no doubt was present on April 3, 1836, concluded that this vision of Christ, Moses, Elias, and Elijah in itself rewarded the Saints for all they had endured in building the temple. He said:
Then you see that even this one revelation, which God gave in that Temple, paid the people for the toil they had endured in erecting it. What a satisfaction it was to them to know that angels administered in that Temple! What a satisfaction it was for them to go into that Temple and have the heavens opened to them so that they could gaze on the glory of God! What a satisfaction it was for them to know that the Lord accepted, as His own, the house which they had built according to the pattern which He had given! And what a satisfaction it was for them to know that they loved God by keeping His commandments!51
The Voice of God
Other manifestations experienced by the early Saints in the Kirtland Temple were preserved. For example, Warren Snow testified: “I have seen the power of God manifested. . . . I remember when receiving my endowments in the Temple at Kirtland, I heard the voice of God as plain as I hear my own, and this testimony I have borne for thirty-one years.”52
That We Might Know Jesus Christ
Through visions, appearances, manifestations, and an infusion of glory, the Lord bestowed His divine love upon His new Saints. With His voice from the heavens, He defined the path to be taken for His children to return and dwell with Him forever. When the accounts of the visions are read through spiritual eyes, a sense of overwhelming love seems to draw us closer to the Savior. From the Kirtland Temple, there comes an assurance that the crucified Savior truly did rise from the tomb. As He declared to Joseph and Oliver, He was slain, was resurrected, bears our sins, and truly is our advocate with the Father.53
Footnotes
1. Dean C. Jessee, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds.,Journals, 1832–1839, vol. 1 of the Journals series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008), 99.
2. Sidney Rigdon, Newel K. Whitney, and Oliver Cowdery, May 6, 1834, in Stanley R. Gunn, Oliver Cowdery: Second Elder and Scribe (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1962),101.
3. Acts 2:3.
4. Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts, 7 vols., 2d ed. rev. (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932–51), 2:432–33; Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:216.
5. Joel 2:28–29.
6. Acts 2:15–16.
7. Joseph Smith–History 1:41.
8. Eliza R. Snow Smith, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1884), 144–45; Joel 2:28–29.
9. Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled in Peter’s day as well as in the Kirtland Temple, but its further fulfillment continues today. President Henry B. Eyring, in speaking to religious educators stated that Joel gave “a promise of an outpouring of the Spirit. It was quoted by Peter and by Moroni. . . . This is not poetry, nor is it allegory; it is description of reality as it will be. Some of it will happen so gradually that you may not notice it. Some has already begun across the Church and we may not have seen the blessing developing. . . .
“That scripture does not say that your sons and your daughters may claim the gift of prophecy by the Spirit. It says that they will. It doesn’t say that your young men may see visions. It says that they will. And it will come because the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. Not only will the youth you love and serve have the Spirit poured out on them, but so will the people around them and those who lead them” (“Raising Expectations,” CES Satellite Training Broadcast, August 2004; in author’s possession).
10. Benjamin Brown, in Steven C. Harper, “‘A Pentecost and Endowment Indeed’: Six Eyewitness Accounts of the Kirtland Temple Experience,” in Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820–1844, ed. John W. Welch and Erick B. Carlson (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2005), 335; paragraphing altered. The events described here seem to describe happenings in the solemn assembly held March 30, 1836. However, this part of Brown’s record is disjointed; therefore, it is not possible to link it to one particular meeting with certainty.
11. These men were his five counselors and the presidents of the Church in Missouri, his scribe, and the bishoprics of the Church in Ohio and Missouri.
12. Doctrine & Covenants 137:1–5.
13. Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:168.
14. Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:168.
15. Heber C. Kimball, in Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1945), 93–94. It is assumed that this account relates to the January 21 visions for the following reasons: (1) Accounts of both Joseph and Heber refer to the gate through which the faithful enter the celestial kingdom. (2) This vision is the final scene of Joseph’s extended vision. In Heber’s account he said this scene was preceded by Joseph seeing the Twelve “in a far distant land . . . their clothes all ragged, and their knees and feet sore. They formed into a circle, and all stood with their eyes fixed upon the ground. The Savior appeared and stood in their midst and wept over them” (Heber C. Kimball, in Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, 93). (3) Joseph sees the throne of God. (4) Christ is present at the throne. (5) Adam is part of the vision. In recording this vision in his journal, Joseph Smith also recorded seeing Michael (Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, comp. Dean C. Jessee, rev. ed. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2002], 175). Doctrine & Covenants 137 follows the current edition of the History of the Church (2:380), which simplifies Joseph Smith’s journal by eliminating “and Michael” after Abraham. Perhaps this was done because the editors knew that Michael was another name for Adam. Heber C. Kimball’s account gives Adam, or Michael, the double roles of gatekeeper and the one who escorts the faithful to the throne. This double role may account for his double mention in the Prophet’s report of the vision.
16. Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:170; Doctrine & Covenants 137.
17. Although it is not known how many leaders saw the Savior, Joseph’s use of the word some would probably indicate more than two.
18. Newel Knight, a member of the high council in Zion, may have been one who saw the Savior in this meeting. He is a witness of Christ because he saw both the Father and the Son in a vision in June 1830 in Fayette, New York (History of the Church, 1:85). He is not listed as a witness in this book, however, because no record exists of his bearing witness of this vision in Kirtland.
19. Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:170. In recording these visions, Joseph was characteristically succinct, leaving others to fill in details such as Heber C. Kimball provided for the second vision of the day. For this third vision no additional details have surfaced.
20. Leonard J. Arrington,“Oliver Cowdery’s Kirtland, Ohio, ‘Sketch Book,’” BYU Studies 12, no. 4 (1972): 419.
21. History of the Church, 2:386–87; Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:174–75.
22. Harrison Burgess, Autobiography, in Windows: A Mormon Family, comp. and ed. Kenneth Glyn Hales (Tucson, Ariz.: Skyline Printing, 1985), 102–3. The account Harrison recorded does not specify a date for the meeting he described; however, a careful comparison of the events correlates with the January 28 meeting. No other meeting during this period comes close. Both Joseph Smith (History of the Church, 2:386) and Harrison identify the meeting location as the attic of the temple. Both indicate that Roger Orton saw a vision of heavenly horses in the meeting. Both say Hyrum Smith was present. Both indicate that the Melchizedek Priesthood quorums were present. Both refer to endowments or anointings given in the meeting. Both describe a heavenly atmosphere that surrounded them. Both specifically mention that instruction was received in the meeting.
23. Harrison Burgess, “Sketch of a Well-Spent Life,” in Labors in the Vineyard in Classic Experiences and Adventures (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969), 67; History of the Church, 2:387.
24. Diary of Charles Lowell Walker, ed. A. Karl Larson and Katharine Miles Larson, 2 vols. (Logan: Utah State University Press, 1980), 2:483. Harrison Burgess does not give the date of this meeting, but because its details correlate with Joseph Smith’s account of the January 28meeting, we can conclude that Harrison’s recollection was from the same meeting (see 234n22).
25. History of the Church, 2:387; Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:175.
26. Burgess, Windows, 102–3.
27. Wilford Woodruff, Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1833–1898, ed. Scott G. Kenney, typescript, 9 vols. (Midvale, Utah: Signature Books, 1983–85), 1:67. David Patten does not specify the date of the vision; however, the account seems to correlate more closely with January 28 than with any other meeting because David and the others of the Twelve were not present on January 21, when Joseph saw both the Father and the Son, but David and other members of the Twelve were present on January 28. Therefore, if we assume that the word “them” includes David Patten, this vision probably occurred January 28. The word also implies that more witnesses saw the Father and the Son in the vision.
28. History of the Church, 2:387; Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:175.
29. Nancy Naomi Alexander Tracy, Autobiography, typescript, 9–10, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah; hereafter cited as BYU Special Collections.
30. Eliza R. Snow, an Immortal: Selected Writings of Eliza R. Snow, ed. Nicholas G. Morgan Sr. (Salt Lake City: Nicholas G. Morgan Sr. Foundation, 1957), 63.
31. Edward W. Tullidge, The Women of Mormondom (New York: Tullidge& Crandall, 1877; repr., Salt Lake City: n.p., 1975), 95.
32. Benjamin Brown, Testimonies for the Truth: A Record of Manifestations of the Power of God, Miraculous and Providential, Witnessed in the Travels and Experience of Benjamin Brown, High Priest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Pastor of the London, Reading, Kent, and Essex Conferences (Liverpool: S. W. Richards, 1853), 6.
33. Carter, “Truman Angell Autobiography,” 10:198; Truman O. Angell, Journal 5, typescript, BYU Special Collections; Heber C. Kimball 1801–1868, Journal Excerpts (1833–1837), Church History Library; Heber C. Kimball, in Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, 91.
34. Benjamin Brown, Harper, in Welch and Carlson, Opening the Heavens, 336–37.
35. History of the Church, 2:428.
36. Arrington,“Oliver Cowdery’s ‘Sketch Book,’” 426.
37. Accounts for the two meetings on dedication day indicate that the Savior might have been present, although unseen, as indicated in chapter 9 regarding a meeting with the Smith family attended by Mary Elizabeth Lightner in 1831 (see pp. 172–73 herein). In that meeting, Joseph Smith announced, “The Savior has been in your midst. . . . [But] there is a veil over your eyes for you could not endure to look upon Him” (Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner, typescript, April 14, 1905, 1, BYU Special Collections). That could account for the outward manifestations and sense of the divine reported on dedication day.
38. Doctrine & Covenants 109:5.
39. Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:213.
40. History of the Church, 2:310; Karen Lynn Davidson, David J. Whittaker, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds.,Histories, 1832–1844, vol. 1 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2012), 1:123.
41. History of the Church, 2:432–33; Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, 1:215–16.
42. Benjamin Brown, Harper, in Opening the Heavens, 337. Benjamin Brown attributes these events to a meeting on March 29, 1836, but the events he describes seem more compatible with a March 30, 1836, meeting. Some problems exist in his account, however. Benjamin says the Twelve guarded the temple, but the Twelve were not present on March 29 to guard the temple. He first dates the meeting on April 29 and then changes it to March 29. If he confused the month, he could have confused the day, especially in light of the fact that his letter is somewhat disjointed at the end. Benjamin would not have been in attendance on March 29. The March 30 meeting is more in line with Joseph’s account because he makes reference to greater spiritual manifestations and pentecostal events on March 30 than he does on March 29 (History of the Church, 2:428–33). Because the March 29 meeting continued all night, Benjamin could have begun his entry with the March 29 meeting and then continued it into the March 30 meeting. Therefore, it is likely these events took place March 30, not March 29.
43. Doctrine & Covenants110:2–4, 7–8.
44. William W. Phelps, Journal, April 1836 (letter 27), 3, William Wines Phelps (1792–1872) Papers, Vault MSS 810, BYU Special Collections.
45. Lorenzo Snow, in Journal of Discourses, 23:342.
46. Snow, in Journal of Discourses, 23:291.
47. Lorenzo Snow, discourse at the Brigham City Tabernacle, March 6, 1887, reported by John Burroughs, in Collected Discourses: Delivered by Wilford Woodruff, His Two Counselors, the Twelve Apostles, and Others, comp. and ed. Brian H. Stuy, 5 vols. (Burbank, Calif.: B. H. S. Publishing, 1987–92), 1:28.
48. Snow Smith, Biography and Family Record, 11–12.
49. Relief Society Magazine 3, no. 8 (August 1916), 432.
50. Lucius Pomeroy Parsons to Pamelia Parsons, April 10, 1836, Church History Library, in Harper, in Opening the Heavens, 329. Parson’s letter does not identify in which meeting the Savior appeared. He wrote in the letter that the manifestation occurred “behind the curtains.” He dated the time for the meeting as being “of late” and around the time of the solemn assembly (March 30, 1836). It is concluded that it was the April 3 meeting because this was the only vision of Christ in the Kirtland Temple that occurred behind the dropped curtains with angels (likely a reference to Moses, Elias, and Elijah).
51. Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 13:359.
52. Millennial Star 26 (January 23, 1864): 51.
53. Doctrine & Covenants 110:4–5.
Church Wire: Elder Bednar in Dubai; Elder Soares in Brazil; Temple Dedication Date
The following stories come from the Church Newsroom. To visit their website, CLICK HERE.
Elder Bednar Visits BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints visited the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday, November 15, 2025. He met with His Holiness Brahmavihari Swamiji, head of the BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi, who also oversees international relations for BAPS.
The meeting was marked by mutual respect and a shared desire to promote harmony, peace and service. Both leaders emphasized the importance of fostering a compassionate and unified world.
Their conversation highlighted common values, such as dialogue and service. Faith leaders discussed ongoing efforts by both faith communities to support those in need and contribute to global peacebuilding.
Elder Soares Strengthens Ties with Leaders in Brazil to Serve More of God’s Children
Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Rosana, have concluded a five-day visit to Brazil, participating in outreach opportunities on behalf of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and meeting with members and missionaries.
“The people of Brazil are very faithful and they connect with the Savior Jesus Christ easily,” said Elder Soares, a São Paulo native. “It is wonderful to see the blessings the Lord has poured upon these people and upon this country.”
Open House and Dedication Dates for Temple in Oregon
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the dates for the open house and dedication of the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple.
A media day will be held on Monday, April 20, 2026. Invited guests will tour the temple on Tuesday, April 21 and Wednesday, April 22. The public open house will be held Thursday, April 23, through Saturday, May 9, excluding Sundays.
Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, is home to over 150,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 300 congregations. The Willamette Valley Temple will be the third house of the Lord in the state. Operating temples are in Medford and Portland, Oregon.
Location for Temple in Arizona
The Church has also announced the location of the Yuma Arizona Temple. A rendering of the temple’s exterior has also been provided.
This temple will be built on a nearly 7-acre site located at the corner of East 36th Street and South 8 East Avenue, Yuma, Arizona. Plans call for a single-story temple of around 18,500 square feet and an accompanying ancillary building.
Nearly 450,000 Latter-day Saints live in Arizona in over 900 congregations.
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Tours Underway for Burley Idaho Temple
The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
Public tours begin this week for the Burley Idaho Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Free public tours will be held from Thursday, November 6, through Saturday, November 22, 2025, excluding Sundays. The temple will be dedicated on Sunday, January 11, 2026, and the dedicatory session will be broadcast to all congregations in the Burley Idaho Temple district.
Idaho Governor Brad Little, along with local officials and invited guests, toured the temple during media day on Monday, November 3, 2025, led by Elder Steven R. Bangerter, executive director of the Temple Department. Elder K. Brett Nattress and Elder Karl D. Hirst, both General Authority Seventies, also attended the event.
A painting of the South Hills in the Burley, Idaho, area was gifted to Governor Little following his tour of the house of the Lord.
“We’re here looking at the South Hills, and it’s an honor to have [Idaho Lieutenant] Governor [Scott] Bedke here because he knows every river, every peak, and every cow that was represented in each picture,” Governor Little said. “The tours are so paramount, particularly to those not of the faith, because then they’ll have a grasp of the meaning of the temple for multiple generations.”
Four generations of Lieutenant Governor Bedke’s family have lived in the area surrounding the temple. He invited all to come to the temple open house and experience the beauty of the building.
“I’m blown away by the beauty of it and how it feels like home,” he said. “Everyone should come and take a look and experience not only the architecture and the beauty, but the sentiment of the temple,” he said. “You don’t find this anywhere except maybe at the tops of those mountains looking over God’s creations. This is a beautiful building built to honor Him.”
Open House and Dedication Dates Announced for the Lindon Utah Temple
The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To see the original article, CLICK HERE.
Lindon Utah Temple
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the dates for the open house and dedication of the Lindon Utah Temple.
A media day will be held on Monday, March 9, 2026. Invited guests will tour the temple on Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11, 2026. A public open house will be held beginning Thursday, March 12 through Saturday, April 11, 2026—excluding Saturday, April 4, and Sundays.
The temple will be dedicated on Sunday, May 3, 2026. The dedicatory session will be broadcast to all units in the Lindon Utah Temple district.
President Russell M. Nelson first announced the Lindon Utah Temple in October 2020.
“As we build and maintain these temples, we pray that each of you will build and maintain yourself so you can be worthy to enter the holy temple,” he said then.
Utah, the Church’s world headquarters, is home to nearly 2.2 million Latter-day Saints. Including the Lindon Utah Temple, there are 32 temples in the state either in operation, under renovation, under construction or announced.
President Jeffrey R. Holland Dedicates the Grand Junction Colorado Temple
The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
President Jeffrey R. Holland dedicated the Grand Junction Colorado Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, October 19, 2025, and encouraged Church members to serve in the house of the Lord.
The President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that in a time of division, hostility and dishonesty, the temple is a place of instruction, peace, cleanliness and divine covenants — “a world as close to God’s world as we can find in mortality.”
He spoke about the “simple and beautiful dual phrase” “House of the Lord, Holiness to the Lord,” which appears on the exterior of each of the Church’s temples worldwide.
He said he used to think those words “house of the Lord” just meant that the temple had been dedicated. But now he knows that the words mean that the temple is literally God’s house.
“It is one of the ties on earth that He has with His children that are here,” President Holland said. “It is the obvious place to which God could come if He had family business on the earth. And ultimately, all of His business on earth is family business.”
Regarding the phrase “holiness to the Lord,” President Holland said the world is a noisy, raucous and increasingly unclean place. That noise is often internal, he said, and can be distracting, incessant, demanding and destructive to human spirits.
“How wonderful to have ‘holiness’ be the watchword of our day, our Latter-day Saint day, where we make covenants from our service here that counter the distractions and the noise and the destruction of the world out there,” President Holland said.
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