Why We Build Temples....

From the days of the Old Testament, the Lord has commanded His people to build temples-sacred structures where He could teach, guide, and bless them. For example, the Lord told the Israelites to build a portable tabernacle that would be their temple while they traveled in the wilderness (see Exodus 26-27; 40:35). Additional Old Testament references to temples are found in 2 Chronicles 5:1-14; 7:1-2 (Temple of Solomon) and Ezra 3:1-13; 6:3 (Temple of Zerubbabel).

When Jesus Christ was on the earth, the only existing temple was known as the Temple of Herod. Jesus was often found in this temple (Luke 2:40-49; Matthew 21:10-14).

After the rejection and deaths of Jesus's Apostles, there were no temples on the earth for many centuries. When the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored in the early 1800s, the Lord again commanded His people to build temples (see D&C 88:119). The earliest temples of the restored Church were built in Ohio, Illinois, and eventually in Utah. Today, the Church has 133 operating temples around the world. Regardless of the place or time period, temples are the most sacred place on earth-a place where earth and heaven meet and where we feel close to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

The photo is of the Oakland LDS Temple, the Visitors Center is open 7 days a week and features the Christus, beautifully groomed gardens and a spectatacular view of the San Francisco bay area.