The Mountain of the Lord's House

This week and next we have been invited to study the writings of Isaiah in the Old Testament during our Come, Follow Me course of study. I have posted several comments on my social media platforms, principally on X, and there have been several nay-sayers and outright critics and opponents of the Church who have weighed in against me. Frankly, it has astounded me what the negative comments have contained as they poured in. I have never blocked my critics, however, because I believe in open and even hostile interaction. Until now, that is. This week I have blocked several whose negativity has been over the top, and rather than contend with them I have shut them out of my feeds.

Isaiah 2:2

What has been the greatest source of their opposition? Over one verse - this one: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” (Isaiah 2:2).

A close inspection of 2 Nephi 12:2, yields this comparison and enhances our understanding: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.”

Under President Russell M. Nelson, a new marker appeared on the plaza just east of Temple Square this year in commemoration of the reemergence of the Salt Lake Temple from its seven-year renovation project.

In addition, flags from 91 nations now surround the plaza, suggesting that all nations have indeed fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah and their residents have literally “flowed” to Temple Square.

Flags on the Plaza

So where do we get off on stating that the Salt Lake Temple is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy about “the mountain of the Lord’s house?”

Salt Lake Temple

Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained that the phrase has more than one meaning:

“The mountain of the Lord’s house is the mountain where the temple of God is built. [Isaiah 2:2–3 quoted; see also Micah 4:1–2; 2 Nephi 12:2–3.]

“This great prophecy, as is often the case, is subject to the law of multiple fulfillment. 1. In Salt Lake City and other mountain locations temples, in the full and true sense of the word, have been erected, and representatives of all nations are flowing unto them to learn of God and His ways. … 2. But the day is yet future when the Lord’s house is to be built on that ‘Mount Zion’ which is ‘the city of New Jerusalem’ in Jackson County, Missouri. (D&C 84:2–4). Mount Zion, itself, will be the mountain of the Lord’s house in the day when that glorious temple is erected. 3. When the Jews flee unto Jerusalem, it will be ‘unto the mountains of the Lord’s house’ (D&C 133:13), for a holy temple is to be built there also as part of the work of the great era of restoration. (Ezekiel 37:24–28).

“The law cannot go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, in the full millennial sense that Isaiah foresaw and specified, until these two great future temples are constructed in the old and new Jerusalems.” (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 517–18.)

Elder LeGrand Richards said: “Isaiah saw the mountain of the Lord’s house established in the top of the mountains in the latter days, and he named the latter days, when they would say: ‘Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.’ (Isaiah 2:3).

“How literally that has been fulfilled, in my way of thinking, in this very house of the God of Jacob right here on this block! This temple, more than any other building of which we have any record, has brought people from every land to learn of his ways and walk in his paths.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-home-and-church-old-testament-2026/38?lang=eng).

Speaking at the dedication of the newly-completed Conference Center on 8 October 2000, President Hinckley said: “I believe [Isaiah 2:2–3] applies to the historic and wonderful Salt Lake Temple. But I believe also that it is related to this magnificent hall. For it is from this pulpit that the law of God shall go forth, together with the word and testimony of the Lord.” (In Conference Report, Oct. 2000, 89; or Ensign, Nov. 2000, 69.)

President Harold B. Lee

Listen to my Grandfather, President Harold B. Lee’s explanation: “The ‘mountain of the Lord’s house’ referred to both ‘a place as well as a definition of a righteous people’ (“The Way to Eternal Life,” Ensign, Nov. 1971, p. 15). The establishment of the ‘mountain of the Lord’s house in the top of the mountains’ has been fulfilled by the coming of the pioneers to establish the Church and temple in the tops of the mountains in Utah and will be further fulfilled [by the temple that will be built in the New Jerusalem (see D&C 57:1–3) and] by the return of Judah to Jerusalem, where the Lord’s house will be built (see D&C 133:13). It applies generally to those places where God’s power and authority reside and where He communicates with His people. The phrase ‘all nations shall flow unto it’ (Isaiah 2:2) can refer both to the early gathering of the Saints to the valleys of the mountains in Utah and also to the general gathering of Saints to Zion. The term Zion (v. 3), as well, has several applications. It refers to the New Jerusalem in America, the Jerusalem of Judah, and also the Lord’s people or their places of gathering in all parts of the world. By using such terms as these, Isaiah conveys profound spiritual meaning to those who understand the special significance of his language. …

“This richness of language and meaning seems to be what Nephi meant when he spoke of the manner of prophesying among the Jews. There is frequent reference to the law of Moses and extensive use of imagery, figurative language, and phrases that have dualistic and esoteric meanings. Though modern readers cannot fully grasp the culture and times of ancient Israel, understanding the methods Isaiah used to convey his meaning can give the reader a far greater understanding of Isaiah.” (Old Testament Student Manual: 1 Kings–Malachi, 3rd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2003], 133, emphasis mine).

I could expound at length here upon this topic, as I did in my early compilation titled ZION. It’s the reason I take the positions I do on public media, despite the critics “out there” who would mock and defame the prophets and the scriptures. Matthew 6:20-21 teaches that we should prioritize spiritual treasures in heaven over earthly possessions, because our hearts will follow what we truly value. I treasure temples, and my heart has indeed followed temples and temple work.

Recent Sealing Session with Family in the Orem Temple

Please do not be dissuaded in any way by them and their minions. They reside in the figurative “great and spacious building” while mocking those clinging to the iron rod leading to the tree of eternal life. Lehi’s dream occurs early in the Book of Mormon record, perhaps as a lasting memorial for each of us to embrace and to be forewarned. (See 1 Nephi 8).

Lehi's Dream

The Book of Mormon prophet Lehi had a dream, and his son Nephi recorded it. Heavenly Father sent the dream to teach Lehi and his family how to find happiness. Each of the objects in the dream has a special meaning. Look at the pictures and read the meanings. As you read the dream in 1 Nephi 8:2–38 (or as someone reads it to you), remember the meanings.

Large and spacious field — the world

The tree of life — the love of God

Fruit of the tree — the blessings that come through the Savior

River and fountain — Satan’s influence in the world, depths of hell (See 1 Nephi 12:16).

Iron rod — the word of God

Strait and narrow path leading to eternal life — obedience to the commandments of God

Mists of darkness — the temptations of Satan

Large and spacious building — filled with unkind and prideful people who make fun of others.

This week brought the announcement that our missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints deployed all around the world have now surpassed 90,000. The boost in numbers is no doubt a result of lowering the age of the sisters to eighteen. Each of them has elected to cling firmly to the iron rod despite whatever criticism might come their way. They can be a shining example to each of us when it comes to defending our faith.

And I will persist in my declarations of faith online in the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy about the Mountain of the Lord’s House.

It’s my son-in-law Jay Warnick’s birthday today. He and his team are in charge of the landscaping on Temple Square as it springs back to life. I close this entry by making another bold statement. It is not beyond the realm of possibility in my mind that Isaiah may well have witnessed Jay’s handiwork on beautifying Temple Square. Let that thought resonate with you as it did with me this week!

I Describe Zion in the Latter Days

 ZION

THE PLACE
Far away in the west.
The Rocky Mountain Empire -- temporarily.
Only the forerunner of the City of Zion that will someday emerge.
As the New Jerusalem.
Obscure and long forgotten now,
Its location has never altered from the Prophet's description
On the western border of the state of Missouri.
Independence,
The centerstake.
A quiet, misnamed hamlet whose history is
Persecution,
Hatred,
Murder,
And extermination sanctioned by a government sworn to defend
Independence and freedom to worship.
So now we wait in the mountains.
Babylon quietly assimilates a peculiar people,
Once strange,
Now loved and admired by the world.
No longer peculiar,
Accepted, while we luxuriate in our mountain Zion.
But the best teams of horses
And our finest wagons are not poised and eager for the call.
It is night.
All is well,
And we sleep.
Contented.
We have made certain the plans have changed.
We are righteous now.
The world attests to our popularity
Even the once-hated Missourians finally rescind the extermination decree.
Zion is now defined as the place you live,
While Jackson County waits,
Forgotten,
For the sound of the angel’s clarion trumpet that will
Cleanse,
Purify,
And sweep the inhabitants off as with the whirlwind,
Without so much as a little yellow dog left to tell the tale.
But now we prosper in our mountain retreat,
And slumber.

THE PEOPLE
Strangers and foreigners,
Seeking for a city whose maker and builder is God,
Their prayers ascending
As a witness against a world gone astray.
The meek among men,
Their calling and election assured,
But unheralded.
They know sacrifice,
Service,
The Spirit.
They fill their lamps with the oil of the gospel
Before the Bridegroom comes,
And watch patiently,
Never wavering in their faith of the coming dawn of a brighter day.
They lean on the arm of Spirit
While others sleep in the warm embrace of the arm of flesh.
They raise the ensign of faith through their consecration
Of time,
Of talents,
Of all with which they are and will be
Blessed.
They will welcome their cousins in Israel,
Long lost,
Fall upon their necks and kiss them,
And rejoice that they are found among the four corners of
Earth's expanse --
Refugees,
Outcasts,
But never "lost" again.
Together the people,
Peculiar again,
Are set unmoved at last on Zion's mount,
A beacon light to a dark and fallen world,
Groaning,
Weighed down in its iniquity.

THE CONDITION
The society of believers.
Everyone speaks
In the name of the Lord.
No one teaches his neighbor,
No need, since each inhabitant of the City of Zion knows Him.
The individual stewardship is magnified and enlightened
For the common welfare of all brothers and sisters.
Gone are the investment portfolios,
The retirement and pension plans,
The gods
Of stone,
Of glass,
Of metal,
Of chrome,
And wood.
Hearts are purged
Of lust and envy,
Of once-treasured financial strategies and
False worship.
The goal eternal life,
Spreading the truth as with a flood.
One heart,
One mind,
One faith,
One hope.
Independent of every creature beneath the celestial world.
Free from bondage in the "great society"
Consumed by the weight of its own avarice.
Granted its birthright in the fulfillment of destruction.
It is the great beginning.

THE TIME
Today. The sixth seal.
Here and now.
"Describing Zion will not bring it about," saith the Prophet.
Doing,
Loving,
Longing,
Serving,
Preparing.
Today, the eleventh hour of the sixth seal, and now the
Tomorrow our forefathers spoke of and prayed for
Yesterday.
Tomorrow is the seventh seal
Only a sunrise away,
And even now the fingers of
Light
Glimmer faintly on the horizon of our mountain Zion
Toward the east.
But still we sleep until
Vengeance
Begins upon our house
To awaken us.
Then Zion rises, clothed in her beautiful garment for the Bridegroom,
The bride,
The wedding,
And the feast.
The time for preparation?
Today.
The time of fulfillment?
Tomorrow.
Now and not yet,
But soon.

My Observations About Temples

This morning just for fun I asked Grok to summarize my postings on X about temples. This was the result, and I now share it on a broader platform for all those who are interested. . .

Summary of @david_goates' recent X posts about temples

Your posts treat temples as a mix of personal worship, family history work, local news, and spiritual teaching. Most activity centers on Utah temples (Lindon, Taylorsville, Salt Lake, Mount Timpanogos, Provo City Center, and the upcoming Heber City Temple).

Visits and photos

You regularly post pictures from temple grounds or sessions and note when you’re there “on the way to somewhere else.” Examples include Lindon Temple, Taylorsville Temple, Mount Timpanogos Temple, and a “twofer” day at Provo City Center and Lindon. You often mention doing family names (including very old ones from the 1600s) and adding names to the prayer roll.

Family and ordinances

One post highlights going with three daughters for an endowment session and how much you cherish that time together. Other posts tie temple attendance to faith, repentance, and exaltation—“Temples point the way to eternal life.”

News and construction

You share Church News and Deseret News links about the Salt Lake Temple open house (ticket batches and reservation dates) and updates on what’s coming to Temple Square. You also posted that you’re praying for the Heber City Temple to be finished.

Tone
The posts are consistently positive, faith-affirming, and low-key personal rather than argumentative. Engagement is highest on the photo posts from actual visits (especially Lindon and Taylorsville) and the family-history “twofer” post.

Overall, the thread of your temple posts is: temples are places you actually go, do work for ancestors, take family, and treat as the practical path to eternal life — not just symbols.

* * *

I confess that I am a newcomer to Grok, but this morning I learned something about myself that I could have never known without AI in my life. I became a fan.

Yesterday to celebrate my 79th (whew!) birthday by attending an endowment session in the Bountiful Temple. I went fasting and was rewarded with an answer to earnest prayers I have been offering for well over a year now. That smile on my face says it all without having to spell it all out in detail on this very public stage.

I am forever grateful to my Father in Heaven for prolonging my life after a brain tumor was discovered and removed in 2020. I was healed and have lived on in mortality despite that diagnosis. I am grateful beyond my ability to express it, and I consider myself to be a practiced writer (I won't say "accomplished," just "practiced"). He has been so good to me, and I acknowledge His love for me and my family that cannot be denied.

The temples in Utah are now abundant and offer me choices each week. Patsy and I served as ordinance workers in the Salt Lake Temple until it closed at the end of 2019 for the extensive renovations that ensued. At that time following my recovery we were offered positions at the Jordan River Temple as ordinances workers, but we decided to attend the temples of our choice to do the actual ordinance work for our ancestors. That's a work I have continued to do since her death on July 25th, 2023. I continue to attend various temples within an hour's reach of me to pursue the vicarious ordinances for them as they wait in the spirit world. There are many instances to which I can attest of their nearness to me when performing those ordinances on their behalf. I am so certain they will one day greet me in the spirit world with gratitude for that sacred role I have played for them in their eternal progression.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is restored to the Earth in our day. Of that I am a living witness. As I was seated in the chapel yesterday in the Bountiful Temple, my Book of Mormon opened to 3 Nephi 11.

28 And according as I have commanded you thus shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been.

29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

30 Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.

31 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine.

32 And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.

33 And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.

34 And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.

35 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost.

36 And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.

37 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.

38 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.

40 And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.

41 Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth. (Emphasis mine).

* * *

From time to time we need to revisit the Savior's teachings among the Nephites following His resurrection. His doctrine puts to rest whatever disputes there may be "out there" in the seemingly erudite and intelligent community who are unfamiliar with our doctrine. I am routinely criticized on social media for my posts about doctrine, "my doctrine," as He defined it Himself. Rather than get drawn into doctrinal disputes with detractors, I refer them simply to His words. His doctrine is not complicated, and I have no duty to defend it anywhere or anytime. His words are clear and simple. Accept them or reject them, they are not confusing or difficult to comprehend them. I pray that increasingly we will be bold enough to declare them to the world as it tends to sink lower without His light.

I am practicing "becoming as a little child every day" as I now embark upon my 80th year on this planet. The older I grow the simpler it seems to me now. . .

Bountiful Temple Yesterday