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The author, David S. King, is a former president of the Washington, D.C. Temple. While presenting a series of lectures to a local High Priests group, he observed that many temple patrons were not experiencing the personal growth and feelings of joy that temple participation should bring. Come to the House of the Lord is his effort to provide temple participants with insights about temple worship which will revitalize their enjoyment of temple service.
Some of his insights are framed within an historical context. He shares intriguing comments about temples in Israel in Old Testament and New Testament times. He speaks of unique experiences in the Kirtland and Nauvoo eras, as well as modern times. But the historical aspects are only a framework for presenting many insights concerning temple symbolism, as well as the reasons for modern practices and protocols. He tells how many things are done, and why, in the administration of the Houses of the Lord. Elder King puts the grand principles of redemption for both the living and the dead in the context of the afterlife, explaining principles of both salvation and exaltation and their foundations: the atonement of Jesus Christ.
A valuable section of his book is devoted to the various processes of preparing for the temple, both for those who are attending for the first time and for those who are processing names and working with family genealogical matters.
A unique chapter, "The Temple Sanctuary," speaks of God's promised blessings, temple miracles, respect for holy places, covenants, and the endowment of power. His final chapter focuses on the temple's glorious role in "The Road to Glory."
Come to the House of the Lord is a book that teaches, inspires and motivates. All who read it will be blessed with new insights, and will gain knowledge and understanding that will make their temple experiences more rich, meaningful and beautiful.
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Photograph: The Angel Moroni, 8
1: Beginnings, 9
The Washington D.C. Temple, 10
Writing This Book, 14
The Rule of Confidentiality and Non-disclosure, 16
Patience in Learning the Things of God, 20
Spiritual Exertion, 22
Conclusion, 23
2. Roots, 24
Definition of the Term "Temple" and Its Purpose, 25
The Temple's Origins, 26
The Tabernacle in the Wilderness and Subsequent Temples, 29
Temples Subsequent to the Tabernacle, 40
The Temple of Herod, 45
The Post-Herod Period—Modern Israel, 46
Israel's Setting Sun, 48
Temples during the Early Christian Era, 49
Jewish and Kirtland-Period Parallels, 52
3. Temple Symbolism, 54
The Use of Symbols, 54
Explaining the Use of Symbols, 57
4. The Ecstasy and the Agony, 66
The Exodus to Kirtland, 67
Early Revelations and Miracles; the Temple Foreseen, 69
The Kirtland Temple, 76
Miracles in the Kirtland Temple, 80
The Kirtland Temple Dedication, 82
The Ecstasy Turns to Agony, 86
The British Mission, 91
LDS Church Membership in 1851, 91
The Missouri Episode, 92
5. Nauvoo, 95
A City is Born, 95
The Vision of a New Temple, 96
Temple Doctrine, 100
Answers to Church Critics, 105
Temple Construction, 106
The Temple Construction Continues, 107
Further Historical Highlights, 109
The Doctrine of the Endowment, 111
Refuting the Doctrinal Critics, 114
The Late Nauvoo Period, 120
Events Following the Prophet's Death, 121
6. Protocol, 126
The Need for Reverence, 128
Protocol and the Rules of Personal Purity, 135
7. Redemption of the Living and the Dead, 140
The Reality of the After-life, 140
Facing the Reality of the After-life, 142
Salvation Is Available to All, 144
The Atonement, 145
The Principles of Exaltation, 146
What Happens at Death, 147
8. Preparing for the Temple, 154
Information on Temple Procedures, 155
Types of Recommends, 157
Eligibility for Temple Ordinances, 158
Processing Names, 160
Family History, 162
9. The Temple Sanctuary, 164
God's Promised Blessings, 164
Temple Miracles, 165
Respect for Holy Places, 167
Covenants, 167
Endowment of Power, 168
10. The Road to Glory, 170
God's Miracle Production, 170
Preparing for Multilateral Judgment, 171
Encompassing All Mankind, 171
Get Started—"As I Can, But Not as I Would", 172
Marvelous and Miraculous Experiences, 173
Enthusiasm for Temple Work—A Special Kind of Spirituality, 175
The Need to Recharge Weak Spiritual Batteries, 176
The Lord Tests Our Patience, 177
The Temple Requires Spiritual Exertion, 177
Temple Ordinances Are a Form of Worship, 178
My Anchor and My North Star, 178
End Notes, 180
Bibliography, 183
About the Author, 185
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