Baptism2 3
Baptism Continued
Work of the Living for the Dead-The redemption of the dead will be effected in accordance with the law of God, which is written in justice and framed in mercy. It is alike impossible for any spirit, in the flesh or disembodied, to obtain promise of eternal glory except on condition of obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. And, as baptism is essential to the salvation of the living, it is likewise indispensable to the dead. This was known by the saints of old, and hence the doctrine of baptism for the dead was taught among them. In an epistle addressed to the church at Corinth, Paul expounded the principles of the resurrection, whereby the bodies of the dead are to be brought forth from the graves-Christ the firstfruits, and afterward they that are Christ’s-and as proof that this doctrine of the resurrection was included in the Gospel as they had received it, the apostle asks: “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?” These words are unambiguous, and the fact that they are presented without explanation or comment argues that the principle of baptism for the dead was understood among the people to whom the letter was addressed.
Herein is shown the necessity of vicarious work-the living ministering in behalf of the dead; the children doing for their progenitors what is beyond the power of the latter to do for themselves. Many and varied are the interpretations rendered by fallible human wisdom on this plain question by Paul; yet the simple and earnest student finds little difficulty in comprehending the meaning. In the closing sentences of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi predicted the great work to be carried on in behalf of the dead during the latter days: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” It is a current belief among many Bible students that this prophecy had reference to the birth and ministry of John the Baptist, upon whom indeed rested and remained the spirit and power of Elias as the angel had foretold; but we have no record of Elijah ministering unto John; and moreover the results of the latter’s ministry warrant no conclusion that in him did the prophecy find its full realization.
We must therefore look to a later date in the world’s history for a fulfilment of Malachi’s prediction. On September 21, 1823, Joseph Smith received the visitation of a resurrected being who announced himself as Moroni, sent from the presence of God. In the course of his instructions to the youth, he quoted the prophecy of Malachi, already referred to, but in language slightly different from and certainly more expressive than that appearing in the Bible; the angel’s version is as follows: “For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. * * * Behold I will reveal unto you the Priesthood by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. * * * And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.”
In a glorious manifestation to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, given in the Kirtland Temple, April 3, 1836, there appeared unto them Elijah the prophet, who had been taken from earth without tasting death; he declared unto them: “Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi-testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come-To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse-Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.”
Fathers and Children Mutually Dependent-One of the great principles underlying the doctrine of salvation for the dead is that of the mutual dependence of the fathers and the children, of ancestors and posterity. As the Prophet Joseph Smith taught the saints, but for the establishment of a connecting link between the departed fathers and the living children the earth would be smitten with a curse. The divine plan provides that neither the children nor the fathers can alone be made perfect; and the necessary union is effected through baptism and associated ordinances administered by the living in behalf of the dead. The manner in which the hearts of the children and those of the fathers are turned toward one another is made plain through these scriptures. As the children learn that without their progenitors they cannot attain perfection, their hearts will be opened, their faith will be strengthened, and good works will be attempted for the redemption of their dead; and the departed, learning from the ministers of the Gospel laboring among them that they depend upon their children as vicarious saviors, will seek to sustain their mortal representatives with faith and prayer for the perfecting of those labors of love.
Love, which is a power in itself, is thus intensified. Aside from the emotions stirred within the soul by the presence of the divine, there are few yearnings stronger and purer than the love for kindred. Heaven could not be all we wish were family love there unknown. Affection there will differ from its earthly type in being deeper, stronger, purer. Thus in the mercy of God, His erring, mortal children, who have taken upon themselves the name of Christ on earth, may become, in a limited sphere, each a savior in the house of his fathers, by vicarious labor and sacrifice, rendered in humility, and, as represented in the baptismal ordinance, typical of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Redeemer.
The Labor for the Dead is Twofold-That performed on earth would be incomplete but for its supplement and counterpart beyond the veil. Missionary labor is in progress there, whereby the tidings of the Gospel are carried to the departed spirits, who thus learn of the work done in their behalf on earth. So far as the divine law has been revealed, it requires that the outward ordinances, such as baptism in water, the laying on of hands for the bestowal of the Holy Ghost, and the higher endowments that follow, be attended to on earth, a proper representative in the flesh acting as proxy for the dead. The results of such labors are to be left with the Lord. It is not to be supposed that by these ordinances the departed are in any way compelled to accept the obligation, nor that they are in the least hindered in the exercise of their free agency. They will accept or reject according to their condition of humility or hostility in respect to the Gospel; but the work so done for them on earth will be of avail when wholesome teaching and real penitence have shown them their true position.
Temples
Temples or Other Sacred Places are required for the administration of the ordinances pertaining to the salvation of the dead, and in certain ordinances for the living. It is but proper that such structures should be the best the people can build. In every age of the world the covenant people have been a temple-building people. Shortly after Israel’s deliverance from the bondage of Egypt the Lord called upon the people to construct a sanctuary to His name, the plan of which He minutely specified. Though this was but a tent it was elaborately furnished and appointed, the choicest possessions of the people being used in its construction. The Lord accepted this offering by manifesting His glory therein, and there revealing Himself. When the people had settled in the promised land the Tabernacle of the Congregation was given a more permanent resting place; yet it still was honored for its sacred purpose until superseded by the Temple of Solomon as the sanctuary of the Lord.
This Temple, one of the most imposing structures ever erected by man for sacred service, was dedicated with solemn ceremonies. However, its splendor was of short duration; for, within less than forty years from the time of its completion, its glory declined, and finally it fell a prey to the flames. A partial restoration of the Temple was made after the Jews returned from their captivity; and through the friendly influence of Cyrus and Darius, the Temple of Zerubbabel was dedicated. That the Lord accepted this effort of His people to maintain a sanctuary to His name is fully shown by the spirit that actuated its officers, among whom were Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi. This Temple remained standing for nearly five centuries; and but a few years before the birth of the Savior the reconstruction of the edifice was begun by Herod the Great, and the Temple of Herod began to figure in history. The veil of this Temple was rent at the time of the crucifixion, and in 70 A.D., as predicted, the destruction of the building was accomplished by Titus.
Latter-day Temples-From that time until the present dispensation, no other Temples have been reared on the eastern continent. It is true, imposing edifices have been erected for purposes of worship; but a colossal structure does not necessarily constitute a Temple. A Temple is more than church-building, meeting-house, tabernacle, or synagogue; it is a place specially prepared by dedication unto the Lord, and marked by His acceptance, for the solemnization of ordinances pertaining to the Holy Priesthood. The Latter-day Saints, true to the characteristics of the covenant people, have been from the first a temple-building organization. But a few months after the establishment of the Church in the present dispensation, the Lord made reference to a Temple that was to be built. In July, 1831, the Lord designated a spot in Independence, Mo., as the site of a future Temple; but the work of construction thereon has not yet been consummated, as is likewise the case with the temple-site at Far West, on which the cornerstones were laid July 4, 1838, and relaid April 26, 1839.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has constructed Temples, each an imposing and costly structure, at Kirtland, Ohio; Nauvoo, Illinois; St. George, Logan, Manti, and Salt Lake City, Utah; Cardston, Canada; Laie, Hawaiian Islands, and Mesa, Arizona. The Temples at Kirtland and Nauvoo were abandoned as the members of the Church who had built them, through sacrifices yet untold, were driven westward by the force of persecution. The building at Kirtland is now used as an ordinary meeting-house by a small sect that evinces no activity in the sacred labors for which Temples are required. The Temple at Nauvoo was destroyed through malicious incendiarism. The magnitude and grandeur of the sacred labors accomplished in the Temples of the present dispensation, for the salvation of both the living and the dead, give assurance of the Lord’s gracious acceptance.