I just finished reading The Holy Invitation by Anthony Sweat. It's a short book, a quick read. But I appreciated some of the insights I gained as well as the references at the back so I can do further study.
Here are the things I want to remember:
Joseph Smith: "I want you all to know God, to be familiar with him. When we know how to come to him, God begins to unfold the heavens to us and tell us all about it."
Anthony Sweat talks about King Solomon's temple. The temple was meant to emulate the Garden of Eden with symbolic trees and fruits. Sweat says, "The message of Solomon's temple was clear: Here is the presence of God; here is where you come to commune with Him; here is the power that brings people into His presence."
Endowment means capacity, power, or ability. Gift.
The temple promises that if we purify and sanctify ourselves we can part the veil and see God. Some people have actually seen the Savior face to face or have had visions of the Savior and even God in the temple.
Joseph Smith said, "God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what he will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them, for the day must come when no man need say to his neighbor know ye the Lord, for all shall know him...from the least to the greatest."
Anthony Sweat said, "Although the endowment is a gift of many things, the ultimate definition of the word endowment is the power and capacity to come into the presence of God to receive a fullness of His blessings. In other words, it is to know Him-truly know Him. It is to have Him minister to you, or, as Joseph once said, to 'have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend [to you,] or appear unto [you] from time to time, and even he will manifest the Father unto [you].'" (27)
He gives a metaphor of a commoner and a king. The commoner, Asher, was a stonemason and worked faithfully for the king. While he could see the palace and he made things for the palace, he had never been inside. Then one day Asher is invited to the palace. When he arrives, he is bathed and given new clothes. He must be clean and pure before seeing the king. He is taught how to greet the king and all the manners and actions he must take to enter the king's presence. Each shows reverence, obedience and commitment to the king. Asher is reminded that he is worthy and prepared to enter the king's presence. The royal court is far more lovely and breathtaking than Asher had imagined. Asher was admitted into the royal order and given authority to teach others of the king. He was given a ring as a sign of initiation and authority to teach others of the king. Asher was also instructed to come and visit often so he could learn more of the king and the mysteries of the kingdom. He was told that he was no longer a commoner. He is now an heir to all that belongs to the king.
Like the commoner, we have been invited to enter the temple and more intimately know God and His ways. Like Asher we can be purified and washed, anointed, clothed, taught, and endowed with power and knowledge and strength and capacity.
The endowment allows you to receive the same knowledge that prophets have received.
Brigham Young said, "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, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell.”
Anthony Sweat shares three things we can do to understand the temple better: use our minds (know), our heart (feel), and our actions (do). He calls it a tripod of truth that uses our mind, spirit, and body.
He gives these questions to ponder as you attend the temple: What does the Lord want me to know from this experience? What does the Lord want me to feel from this experience? What does the Lord want me to do because of this experience? If you ask these questions humbly, you will gain insights and revelation.
Pray to learn something new about the Lord, His ways, and His kingdom. The Lord has promised to pour down knowledge.
The temple uses symbolism and ritual to communicate spiritual knowledge. They require us to not be lazy learners or lax disciples to learn the temples' lessons.
Mystery: lack of obvious familiarity, foreign to your frame of reference. "Mystery is the revelatory vehicle to help transport your mind and heart to other realms-in this case, the realm of heaven. If at first you find yourself bewildered about some things, and that causes you to study, think and pray, then the endowment ceremonies are effectively doing their job." (48)
More questions to ask while in the endowment: Why are we doing this? What does the setting suggest? What does this room symbolize? What could this phrase mean? What might this clothing imply or teach? How could that symbol be interpreted? What could this gesture or movement represent? How is this related to that? What would God have me do based on what I am learning or feeling? What would He have me become? Ask the questions reverently and with desire to learn.
Pay attention to how you feel and to what is it about the temple experience that leads you to feel this way.
The temple is so beautiful. We feel similarly in the temple to how we will feel in the presence of God.
Seek to receive the Holy Ghost and the spiritual gifts and knowledge He imparts when you attend the temple.
Some parts of worshipping in the temple may be uncomfortable or confusing. Growth requires discomfort. The temple will be edifying and ennobling but not necessarily easy or without confusion. It helps accelerate our spiritual growth.
President Monson: "I think there is no place in the world where I feel closer to the Lord than in one of His holy temples."
Questions to ask related to the covenant of consecration: How can I better consecrate or dedicate my time to building God's kingdom? What should I do to more fully consecrate my money to building God's kingdom? What actions would God have me take to consecrate my talents to building God's kingdom? How can I become more consecrated to doing God's will? What can I do to better live my covenants? What can I act upon today to live this divine law?
The temple is an ideal place to get heavenly help with challenges and questions and needs. It is a house of revelation. It is a place for us to seek learning, to ask if we lack wisdom. The temple is a great Urim and Thummim or Liaohona. It is a physical revelatory tool that can help us understand God's will and purposes and increase our Christlike attributes.
President James E. Faust wrote, "One of the horizons that can profitably be expanded in all of us is spiritual excellence. I would surmise that all who are members of this great Church have a desire to see the face of the Savior. This is an available blessing, for He has said, 'It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am (D&C 93:1) Too few of us catch sight of this horizon as we fail to avail ourselves of God's promises."
Anthony Sweat points out that there is more than one way to enjoy the presence of God. Some will have dreams or visions or heavenly manifestations and will see God or even speak to Him face to face. ALL of us can feel His influence and come to know Him through the influence of the Holy Ghost. "As we intentionally seek to know God through study, feel of His influence through receiving the Holy Ghost, and do the actions that demonstrate discipleship, through the grace of Jesus Christ we can experience the glory, majesty, love, power and presence of God always, even if we don't literally see Him until heaven." (61)
The temple helps us to see things with clarity and depth.
The temple endows us with power which comes through ordinances and covenants. Pay attention the promised blessings associated with covenants. Ponder how you live the covenants and how they enrich and bless your life.
From notes Br. Sweat explains that changing clothes is common when meeting royalty. Before Joseph of Egypt was brought before Pharaoh, he changed (Genesis 41:14) Jacob and his household changed before going to Bethel (Genesis 35:2). The word endowment comes from Greek enduo which means to put on or to clothe with or invest with clothing (Strong's Concordance).
Things I want to study:
President Faust wrote "Lost Horizons" in the August 1999 Ensign.
Monson "The Holy Temple-A Beacon to the World" Ensign, May 2011
Monson "Blessings of the Temple" Ensign, October 2010
Hunter Follow the Son of God, Ensign, November 1994
Hales "Stand Strong in Holy Places" Ensign May 2013
book Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise and Worship in the Old Testament
book Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations
chapter entitle "Temples" in Adam Miller's book Letters to a Young Mormon
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