The Temple as a Symbol of God’s Approval

Some consider the presence of modern temples to be a sign of divine approval. Elder Oaks recently said, “There are now more than 140 operating temples, just one fruit of the restored gospel and of our prophetic leadership.”¹ Does the number of temples,² or the fact that we have operating temples, signify divine approval? God said, through Jeremiah, Don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the LORD's Temple is here. They chant, ‘The LORD's Temple is here! The LORD's Temple is here! (New Living Translation, Jeremiah 7:4.)

Were there historic peoples who were inciting the wrath of God and still had temples? In the Book of Mormon, king Noah had a temple, yet was in an apostate state. The Old Testament contains countless examples of people who not only were apostate despite having a temple, but who actually summoned his wrath because of their temples. In Jeremiah we read:

Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these....Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; Don’t fool yourselves! My temple is here in Jerusalem, but that doesn’t mean I will protect you...You steal and murder; you lie in court and are unfaithful in marriage. You worship idols and offer incense to Baal, when these gods have never done anything for you. And then you come into my temple and worship me! Do you think I will protect you so that you can go on sinning? You are thieves, and you have made my temple your hideout. But I’ve seen everything you have done...While you have been sinning, I have been trying to talk to you, but you refuse to listen. Don’t think this temple will protect you. Long ago I told your ancestors to build it and worship me here, but now I have decided to tear it down, just as I destroyed Shiloh. And as for you, people of Judah, I’m going to send you away from my land, just as I sent away the people of Ephraim and the other northern tribes. Jeremiah, don’t pray for these people! I, the Lord, would refuse to listen. (Jeremiah 7:4,9,10,13-16.)

Temple worship in and of itself is not necessarily pleasing to the Lord. When we do not hearken to the ordinances God has given us, but replace them with the commandments of men, and build temples up to ourselves without God’s commandments, we anger God.

I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. (Amos 5:21-26.)

As we learn with king Noah, leaders who disobey God can cause the temple to become polluted:

Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God. Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. (Zephaniah 3:1-4.)

God said that Israel’s “sins are making my holy temple unfit as a place to worship me.” (Ezekiel 8:6, CEV.) The people in Jerusalem, including the leaders of the church, could not see that their acts of worship in the temple were an abomination before God. Perhaps this was because they were investing so much time, energy, and money in the effort of worship that they were blind to the fact that the worship had not originated from God but consisted of the innovations of man. What was God's reaction to the abomination? He commanded angels to slay all men, women, and children except those who were “truly upset and sad about the disgusting things” being done in the temple (Ezekiel 9:4, CEV). God will unleash the same judgment on those who similarly defile buildings allegedly built to be his house in our day, and he will only spare those who are “truly upset and sad about the disgusting things” being done in the temple.