LDS Freedom Forum

this got me thinking when we go in for a temple recommend we normally go through the routine with questions that the Bishop and the Stake Presidencies ask us. After that we get a temple recommend that has it in paper. During the time when a temple was on earth say during Solomon's time would not have this same kind of communication like we had. I would only say that they had a way of knowing either you are a member or not by asking you question before you enter the temple.

In the Old Testament they had "keepers of the gate of the tabernacle" who were "keepers of the entry" (1 Chronicles 9:19-23) that kept the unworthy from entering the Temple.

1 Chr. 9: 17-18, 21-22, 24, 26
17 And the porters were, Shallum, and Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, and their brethren: Shallum was the chief;
18 Who hitherto waited in the king’s gate eastward: they were porters in the companies of the children of Levi.
• • •
21 And Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was porter of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
22 All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office. ..
24 In four quarters were the porters, toward the east, west, north, and south…
26 For these Levites, the four chief porters, were in their set office, and were over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God.

The tabernacle also is very similar to the New Jerusalem:

Rev. 21:12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The "cube" of the New Jerusalem has MANY more similarities to the Temple than just the number of gates.
Here is an EXCELLENT talk on the correlation between the two:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLy2tIbqeAc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

livy111us wrote:In the Old Testament they had "keepers of the gate of the tabernacle" who were "keepers of the entry" (1 Chronicles 9:19-23) that kept the unworthy from entering the Temple.

so much in the same way as we do today such as Bishops, and Stake Presidencies

Or that the Lord set a flaming sword and Cheribum before the tree of life. Not because he doesn't want us to partake of the tree of life, but that he wants us to be prepared when we do partake of it.

Another thing to keep in mind is most people who went to the temple in ancient times didn't go into the actual temple. They went into the courtyards where sacrifices were made. It was the priests who went into the temple to perform the daily tasks. And only the High Priest could go into the Holy of Hollies which was once a year on Yom Kippur (day of atonement).

If you read more about the temple however, you will learn that there was a second level to the temple, with a layout identical to the first level. Who knows what went on up there? But some LDS scholars have guessed endowments in the first chamber, and sealings in the second.

Nibleys book The Temple and the Cosmos talks a great deal about that very thing. It is most interesting to coorelate what they did then and how it is done today. very cool read and I recommend it to anyone wondering

Nan wrote:Or that the Lord set a flaming sword and Cheribum before the tree of life. Not because he doesn't want us to partake of the tree of life, but that he wants us to be prepared when we do partake of it.

amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen