Temple is a Fortress - Featherstone

[tsc]

I received a copy of this years ago, and thought I would share it here. Enjoy.

The Temple is a Fortress of the Lord - Elder Vaughan J. Featherstone

The season of the world before us will be like no other in the history of mankind. Satan will unleash every evil scheme, every vile perversion ever known to man in any generation. Just as this dispensation of the fulness of times brought the restoration of all that is good and holy, so also did it bring the fulness of evil. As parents, spouses, children, and members of Christ’s church, we must find safety. Unfortunately, many will struggle mightily before recognizing this bitter truth: there is no safety in this world--wealth cannot provide it, enforcement agencies cannot ensure it, even membership in the Church will not guarantee it.
As the evil night darkens on this generation, we must come to the temple for light and safety. Only in the house of the Lord will we find quiet, sacred havens where the storm cannot penetrate. There unseen sentinels watch over us. So it was that the Prophet Joseph pled with God during the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple: “And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house [temple] armed with thy power and that thy name may be upon them . . . and thine angels have charge overthem.” ( D&C 109:22.) The Lord has promised: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.” (D&C 84:88.) Surely angelic attendants guard the temples of the Most High God. It is my conviction that as it was in the days of Elisha, so it will be for us: “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” (2 Kings 6:16.)

Before the Savior comes the world will darken. The time will come when even the elect will begin to lose hope if they do not come often to the temples. I believe that the Saints will come to the temples not only to do vicarious work but also to find a God-given haven of peace. True and faithful Latter-day Saints the world over will long to bring their children to the temple for service and for safety.

The Lord has promised that He will “suddenly come to [His] temple.” (D&C 36:8.) “The day or the hour no man knoweth; but it surely shall come.” (D&C 39:21.) We need to prepare for that day.

There are those among our youth today who will be someday called to the holy apostleship. The rest of us are walking with them daily, unaware that one day God will move His hand and the mantle of apostleship will rest upon them. We must keep those who have been so foreordained sweet, clean, and pure in our wicked world. Mothers will cradle in their arms and nurse at their bosoms babes who will yet become God’s living oracles.

There are great unseen hosts in the temple. Joseph told the brethren, “And I beheld the temple was filled with angels.” (History of the Church, 2:428.) I believe deceased prophets of all dispensations visit the temples. Those who attend the temple will feel their strength and companionship. We will not be alone in the house of the Lord.

Faithful, endowed members of the Church who keep all their covenants and properly wear their sacred coverings will be safe as if protected behind temple walls. The covenants and ordinances are filled with faith as a living fire. In a day of desolating sickness,scorched earth, barren wastes, sickening plagues, disease, destruction, and death (see Joel 2:2-6; also D&C 29 and 133), we as a people will rest in the shade of trees. We will drink from the cooling fountains. We will abide in places of refuge from the storm. We will mount up as on eagles’ wings; we will be lifted out of a wicked, insane, and evil world. We will be as fair as the sun and clear as the moon.

The Savior will come and honor His people. Those who are prepared and therefore spared on that glorious, triumphant day will be a temple-loving people. They will know Him and see Him “red in his apparel, and his garments like him that treadeth in the wine-vat. . . . The sun shall hide his face in shame, and the moon shall withhold its light, and the stars shall be hurled from their places.” The redeemed “shall mention the loving kindness of their Lord, and all that he has bestowed upon them according to his goodness.” (D&C 133:48-49, 52.) They will cry out, “Blessed be the name of he that cometh in the name of the Lord. . . . Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.” (Psalm 118:26, 28.) Then we will all join in one grand hosanna that will ring from one end of eternity to the other, a hosanna shout to God and the Lamb.

Those who live in that day--whether that be us, our children, our children’s children, or some future generation--will bow down at His feet and worship Him as the Lord of lords, King of kings. They will bathe His feet with their tears, and He will weep and bless them for having suffered through some of the greatest trials ever known to man. His bowels will be filled with compassion, His heart will swell wide as eternity, and He will love them as no mortal can love. He will bring peace that will last a thousand years, and they who have become his children of the covenant will dwell with Him.

Let us prepare this special future generation with faith to surmount every trial and every condition. We will do it in our holy, sacred temples. Come, oh, come up to the temples of the Lord and walk in His edifices wherein there is truly “holiness to the Lord.”

[Vision]

Just last Thursday in a Stake Temple Chapel meeting President Bateman (President of the Jordan River Temple) stated that in a short time people will be flocking to the Temples to find peace, because there will be no peace left in the World. He was very pointed and direct when he stated this. It was a pleasure to be there and hear him speak.

[Songbird]

He also said the following:

President Vaughn J. Featherstone promised if members of the Church would spend half a day in the Temple each month the following blessings would result:

1. A man would become mighty, and a woman powerful.
2. It would serve as great "insurance protection" for your marriage.
3. The blessings of the eternal God will be called down upon you, and great spiritual growth will be yours.
4. Unseen angels will watch over your loved ones when Satanic forces tempt them.
5. Your families will draw close to the Lord and there will be no empty chairs in the Celestial Kingdom.
6. Your children will go on missions.
7. Your children will get married in the temple.
8. The veil will be thin, you will have spiritual growth, and many spiritual experiences will distill upon you.
9. You will be prepared for exaltation-with a celestial body, a celestial mind and a celestial personality.
10. You will become receptive to divine guidance and receive spiritual perception to help you grapple with your problems and cares.
11. You will see clearly how to make critical decisions that weigh heavily on your mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Temple statement for Utah South Area - Given in the Manti Temple April 1987 by Vaughn J. Featherstone

"The season of the world before us will be like no other in the history of mankind. Satan has unleashed every evil, every scheme, every blatant, vile perversion ever known to man in any generation. Just as this is the dispensation of the fullness of times, so it is also the dispensation of the fullness of evil. We and our wives and husbands, our children, and our members must find safety. There is no safety in the world, wealth cannot provide it, enforcement agencies cannot assure it, membership in this Church alone cannot bring it.

As the evil night darkens upon this generation, we must come to the temple for light and safety. In our temples we find quiet, sacred havens where the storm cannot penetrate to us. There are hosts of unseen sentinels watching over us and guarding our Temples. Angels attend every door. As it was in the days of Elisha so it will be for us: 'Those that be with us are more than they that be against us.' Before the Savior comes the world will darken. There will come a period of time where even the elect will lose hope if they do not come to the temples. The world will be so filled with evil that the righteous will only feel secure within these walls. The Saints will come here not only to do vicarious work, but to find a haven of peace. They will long to bring their children here for safety sake.

I believe we may well have living on the earth now or very soon, the boy or babe who will be the prophet of the Church when the Savior comes. Those who will sit in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are here. There are many in our homes and communities who will have apostolic callings. We must keep them clean, sweet, and pure in an oh-so-wicked world. There will be greater hosts of unseen beings in the temple. Prophets of old as well as those in this dispensation will visit the temples. Those who attend will feel their strength and their companionship. We will not be alone in our temples.

Our garments worn as instructed will clothe us in a manner as protective as temple walls. The covenants and ordinances will fill us with faith as living fire. In a day of desolating sickness, scorched earth, barren waste, sickening plagues, disease, destruction and death, we as a people will rest in the shade of trees, we will drink from the cooling fountains. We will abide in places of refuge from the storm, we will mount up as on eagles wings, we will be lifted out of an insane and evil world. We will be as fair as the sun and as clear as the moon.

The Savior will come and will honor His people. Those who are spared and prepared will be a temple loving people. They will know him. They will cry out, 'blessed be the name of He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Thou art my God and I will bless thee, Thou art my God and I will exalt thee.'

Our children will bow down at his feet and worship Him as the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. They will bathe His feet with their tears and He will weep and bless them for having suffered through the greatest trials ever known to man. His bowels will be filled with compassion and His heart will swell as wide as eternity and He will love them. He will bring peace that will last a thousand years and they will receive their reward to dwell with Him.

Let us prepare them with the faith to surmount every trial and every condition. We will do it in these holy, sacred temples. Come, come, come up to the temples of the Lord and abide in His presence."
Vaughn J. Featherstone

[Rand]

Thanks TSC, that was excellent! I loved the lessons he taught subtly. Excellent.

[Kaarno]

Thank you. You have no idea how much I needed to read that right now.

[lcare]

I'm printing that off and posting it on my fridge. Thanks.

[Zowieink]

My son was married in the Mesa, AZ temple on Saturday. It was clearly shown to all of us what a fortress the temple is. His wife's a recent convert to the Church and they have waiting almost a year to "do it right" and be married in the temple. My son's life a few years ago was anything but spiritual.....worldly, lacivious, wild, and completely against the Church. Then one day, we hear from a friend that he's attending a single's ward...and we hold our breath. My wife then passed away and he came home to live with me. I didn't say anything about going to Church or keeping the standards. However, he just did them and soon met his new wife and they together have kept the commandments in order to go to the temple, which they did this past Saturday.

Contrast the simpleness, yet deep spiritual significance of the sealing vs. the worldly reception put on by her family. The temple was beautiful, simple, elegant, orderly, spiritual with nothing to inhibit the spirit who was there in abundance. The reception was roudy, loud, unorganized and even with an aunt on the wife's side passing out drunk on the floor and having to be carried out.

The next morning as I took them to the airport for the honeymoon trip to Hawaii, they both commented on the solemnity of the temple and wished they had never had the reception, which they felt ruined the day. They said that the temple was home and used the words "a fortress" for protection against the outside world. The sealer, a personal friend, told them that the marriage/sealing was the culmination of all the blessing of the temple. If you follow through the list of blessings that start in the initiatory ordinances through the endowment and then sealing, the temple is truely a Fortress to protect us from the outside world, as long as we don't invite the outside world into our lives. We are blessed to discern good from evil, never speak gile, to hear the word of the Lord, and bear the burdens that are placed upon us, and to have a shield and a protection around us provided we live the keep the commandments and covenants we make in the temple. What a wonderful place it is. I'm thankful to have one close...it IS home.