T10 Teaching Temple Covenants | An Interview with Anthony Sweat

[@jennabeers2594]

Anthony and Curt, Thank you 1000xs!!! I have been a diligent student of the priesthood ever since President Nelson invited us women to dig deep into understanding it. A giant piece has been missing from my understanding this entire time, but today as I heard Anthony's explanation about being invited into the Order of the Son of God (15:05-23:00), so many pieces were put into place in my understanding. Then I went into the scriptures and discovered verses in the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price that all reference the Order of the Son of God. Mind blown and heart full. Thank you so much!!!

[@davidknecht]

I am so grateful there are Professors like this at BYU. Instructive. Inspiring. Thank you!

[@idabug3]

Thank you for this wonderful discussion. I will definitely recommend it to others thank you again.

[@glorynwankudu2498]

I am deeply grateful for this teachings. It brought a lot of clarity to my understanding of temple Covenants. I am also grateful for all of you at BYU who have given so much of your time to teach us.

[@amyhowland9693]

Soooo gooood!!!! Ahh I love this description of the temple🥳🙏🏻 49:26

[@jwinn1269]

Thank you for this informative podcast. It has enriched my own temple worship and better prepared me as a mother to teach my son who desires to receive his endowment. 🙏🏻💞

[@ohdema]

This inspires me to keep trying, thank you! I really like your encouraging words around minute 48. Rather than stress about everything we're failing in, go to the temple to feel that spiritual uplift.

[@GrandmaSarahElizabeth]

Thank you Anthony for taking your time to share your insight.

[@CalledtoShare]

I feel like there is an increased desire to learn an teach about covenants. This is wonderful!

[@peterhumiston2607]

Thank you for your message

[@TempleScoop]

I am glad there is so many members making things like this keep it up-ChadJames

[@terrylanier5677]

I have been studying the Torah and Abrahamic covenants - this brings deeper meaning to covenants and God's promises. We are called saints -God's holy people. These teachings are meant to enable us to walk back into the presence of God - how to do that and to be prepared for that privilege. There is literal access to God's power when we intentionally live true to our temple covenants.

[@yvonneolree4443]

I do agree more in-depth teaching of the covenant s we make in the temple be taught in preparation classes Good on you bishop for dedicating your time to this. But please be careful in all that is said not want to bring you down but to make it known that there are members who would lay their life down not for the church but for a heavenly cause and stand for the truth in his heavenly father s wiord and works/ will be done.

[@helenstephens7553]

I agree with you I wish I had more about all temple covents,Thank You

[@saintinlower48]

When I received my endowment when I was 23, I didn't even comprehend that I was actually making 5 covenants or what they were. Not to say that I wasn't taught at some point, but when I walked in, I did not know. I will be finding your book to give me my son who is filling out his application to serve a mission. And I will also read it. :)

[@iknovate]

Just as I appreciate the fact that the Catholic Church preserved the records of my ancestors, having attended Catholic gradeschool, during which we attended church every day, I had no problem with the ritual and symbolism. I miss some of the symbolic clues even in the costumes in older movies.

[@timothymagaoa6216]

I think you are in the track to explain this topic and more please continue .

[@leslieshelton1835]

Where can I find that video on temple clothes please?

[@NebjosaMeier]

This is really interesting. Is there any info on the history of the covenants? In the original endowment there were only 3: law of sacrifice, obedience, and vengeance. I'm really interested in the law of the gospel and when it was added. I'm thinking in the seventies because the language seems to mirror Spencer w Kimball. Any info on the history? Thanks

[@kennethmadsen]

I'm wondering if we still don't get it? Speaking of "Entering the order of the Son of God", imagine it in the context of the tuplet: As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become. I suppose the temple ordinances as being the coronation ordinances of Christ, which Christ would have received before this earth was created. As a mortal man, wasn't he like us, only on a previous planet? Hadn't he entered into the order of the Son of God, and then received the remission of sins through an earlier atonement of an earlier Lamb of God? Isn't entering the order of the Son of God another way of accepting the highest and holiest calling? It is answering the question from God, concerning who should I send?: Send me, I will go down and atone for the sins of a new world, and the glory will go to the father. I've heard from an apostate member who claims to have served in the temple for years, and he focused his angst against the temple, on the outward appearance of sacred ordinances. I marvel that he missed the temple prep lesson that taught about symbolism. He was seeing the ordinances, but missing the parable all those years. And then he wants to go around profaning the temple because he didn't get it. Either the temple is the most significant experience of life, or it ought to be. We hope the medical industry will make us more and more immortal. Elon Musk speaks of making humanity a multi-planetary species. Our highest expectations are for a perfect world. Our highest aspirations are to become like God. Our sacred records reveals the transformation of Jesus of Galilee to Jesus the Crucified and the Resurrected Lord and Redeemer. That can only happen once on this planet, but what about other planets? Are we at the center of the universe, or had Christ learned all he did from observing his Father? There is none other who was first on this earth. He alone, came forth in the first resurrection. The power which he proposes to give to those who take upon themselves the name of Christ, transforms us from sins of scarlet to becoming white as snow. He proposes that we become one with him and the Father, in the way that we saw him do in our New Testament. If this isn't true, it ought to be. There can be no greater aspiration.

[@user-tc1kj6mb8m]

Which talk from E Bednar are they referencing is the first minutes? I’d like to hear it.

[@TheUkuloonie]

Quick Search I come up with April 2019 Conference talk, "Prepared to obtain every needful thing." by Elder Bednar, about 2/3rds down the talk . It reference's a talk by Elder Ezra T Benson. "The Temple is a shared place and the ordinances in the Temple are of a sacred character. Because of it's sacredness we are sometimes reluctant to say anything about the Temple to our children and grandchildren..." and it continues. cool talk.

[@dr.troycrane9973]

Michael Burgess, the book of Mormon and New Testament fit extremely well together, what is it you don't understand Bro?

[@johnrowley310]

They should bom was copied from the Bible...

[@Sadliers]

There is a MAJOR neglect regarding how covenants are entered into. It seems that it is well understood if it’s a covenant from one person to another, but if it’s between the person and God then somehow it gets forgotten. If I were to enter into a covenant with you then there are some basic requirements. The first requirement is that it must be understood that BOTH parties are making a promise and will be obligated to keep their promise. If one person breaks their promise then the other is u def no obligation to keep their promise, and the one that broke their promise is subject to a penalty. That’s the first point that will be revisited. The second point is that both parties must have full clarity and full disclosure of the covenant. If they are tricked into it then the covenant is invalidated. If they weren’t given sufficient understanding of what was expected of them then the covenant may be subject to being vacated. And, most of all, neither can be forced to join into the covenant. That’s the second point. The third point is that the entering into the covenant must be clearly manifest by each party, and, if possible, at least two witnesses to attest that they saw and heard the party enter into the covenant. That’s the third point. When we get baptized we are entering into a covenant with God, particularly the New Covenant. So, going back to the first point, both parties must enter into the covenant, not just one. Our baptism is a witness of our offering to enter into a covenant with God, but for some reason it then gets assumed that our offering obligates God to join into that covenant. Not so!!! God will join as HE sees fit, not as WE see fit. The idea that God will enter into the covenant as HE sees fit leads to the question: how do we know if God entered into the covenant? That’s where the third point comes in: witnesses will be able to attest that they saw and heard God manifest it. How so? Jesus demonstrated it (2 Nephi 31:12), and we read of it in all four gospels. All four record that the witnesses will SEE the apparition of the Holy Ghost descend onto the recipient, and HEAR Heavenly Father speak. The receiving of the Holy Ghost in that manner is called the Baptism of Fire. Even the Lamanites that didn’t know that they had experienced that ordinance had attested that they SAW the apparition descend (Helaman 5:45) and HEARD Heavenly Father speak (Helaman 5:46-47). Simon the former sorcerer SAW the apparition of the Holy Ghost descend onto the recipients and that highly impressed him (Acts 8:17-19). That’s according to the law of witnesses that is to be followed when entering into a covenant, and God follows that law. Notice that within the church there are no such witnesses from God. There are witnesses to attest to the baptism of the individual but no witnesses to attest that they saw the Holy Ghost descend and heard Heavenly Father speak. I have never seen it happen to anyone at the time of confirmation, and neither have you. That’s God’s witness that He DIDN’T enter into a covenant with that individual, but how does the church interpret it? “He did it silently”. Nope, that’s not what the scriptures teach and that’s not how one signifies that they are joining into a covenant. It is either ignorance or arrogance, or both, to suppose that God entered into a covenant with an individual when He never gave a witness to it, neither to the one that made the offering nor to the surrounding observers. The hard facts need to be acknowledged that God isn’t entering into covenants with members of the church. The question then becomes, “why isn’t He?” That brings us to the second point: each party must understand what is required of them. Hid WILL NOT enter into a covenant with an individual if that individual is incapable of adhering to the covenant: it would be unjust and unreasonable to do so. So God will accept our offering to enter into the covenant but will not do so Himself until WE prove that we u sets tabs the terms of the covenant AND CAN COMPLY WITH THEM. What is happening is that He KNOWS that those that are getting baptized do not understand what is required of them, therefore He will wait until we prove that we understand. The Sacrament covers both covenant conditions. It covers those that offered to enter into the covenant but did not receive the Baptism of Fire (meaning that God did not enter into the covenant), and it covers those that DID receive the Baptism of Fire EXACTLY as Jesus demonstrated that it would occur. The water/wine is for those with whom the covenant has not been completed. The bread is for those with whom the covenant has been sealed and are now under covenant obligation; in other words, they have received the Baptism of Fire. Thus it is from the prayer on the bread that we learn what is expected of us in order for God to complete the covenant-making process. “O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.” (D&C 20:77) The covenant requirement is: 1. We must be willing to take upon us the bane of Jesus (meaning that we seek to be in His image in how we think and behave); 2. We always remember Jesus. Thoughts of Him are always in the soul. 3. We will keep His commandments which He has given us. If we do those things then we will ALWAYS have the Spirit with us; that means that we never have to go to the temple or to church to feel the Spirit. If we have to go to the temple or church to feel the Spirit then that is PROOF that the Spirit is not always with us. And if the Spirit is not always with us then that is PROOF that we aren’t measuring up to the covenant. If we were measuring up to the covenant then the Spirit will ALWAYS be with us, no differently than when in the temple. In order to receive the Baptism of Fire we must FIRST prove that we can live so that the Spirit is always with us. The Spirit will teach us what is unacceptable by withdrawing, thus the failure to feel the Spirit proves that we are unable to live by the terms of the covenant. God already knew that and that’s why the Baptism of Fire isn’t happening during the confirmation after the baptism. Have you noticed his members BELIEVE that they have the Holy Ghost simply because of the confirmation ordinance? They are basically saying that God was required to enter into the covenant BECAUSE of the ordinance, even though there was no clear witness that God DID enter into the covenant. Those members then run around claiming to have the “Holy Ghost” though they couldn’t even keep the Spirit with them. The reality is that they DON’T have the Holy Ghost but rather only the Spirit WHEN they are feeling the presence (many claim to have the Holy Ghost though nothing other than normal human emotions are being felt). Remember the endowment ceremony where there were three messengers sent to the man? Remember how their identity was hidden at first? Those messengers constitute the Spirit. And remember WHEN they finally revealed their identities? That occurs at the Baptism of Fire. In other words, those that haven’t received the Baptism of Fire, which means to receive the Holy Ghost as Jesus had demonstrated, will not know the difference between the Spirit and the Holy Ghost. Since that is not happening to members then members obviously will not know the difference. Does the Baptism of Fire occur today exactly as Jesus had demonstrated? Yes, it does. It occurs with the Zion Kingdom. It is the essential requirement for entrance into the Kingdom. Think about it: that ordinance is not occurring in the church, thus the church redefined it to an unscriptural interpretation, but it IS occurring with the Zion Kingdom. Both claim to have the fulness of the gospel yet only one is receiving the manifestation from Heavenly Father that a covenant is made. Which do you REALLY think is on the right path?

[@scottcantwell4512]

Give parents the license and the right to talk about the temple and prepare their kids? Um, you have that backwards. The parents have the right already… no bishop has the authority to grant that right to them, because they have it by default, from God. Hopefully they are able, if not, the local church should support them to either help them or do it for them.

[@chrisblanc663]

I think he meant, let parents know they can teach their kids about the temple. Some people get nervous if you so much as reference the plan of salvation outside of the temple. Most of its shareable, albeit strive to keep such conversations respectful and sacred.

[@michaelburgess6556]

Mormon theology is completely at odds with the New Testament and the teaching of the Christian Church from Apostolic times down to today. In no way can Mormons be regarded as Christians.

[@joyexcellence]

In your opinion of course. Which then leads to limiting any insights that could come because your mind is closed. There is so much more. In fact, many more scriptures are coming as the lost tribes of Israel are restored. You will unfortunately miss all of it because of what you “think is right”. The term ‘Christians’ by pure definition is those that follow Him. The very name of this church is The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints. Every ordinance is done by the name of Jesus Christ. This group is for sure followers of Christ. Of course there are pretenders, but then those types of people are found everywhere. Hopefully before Jesus comes again you will be more open to personal revelation concerning this matter.

[@rhondapawlak5105]

Hi Michael, I grew up in the Catholic church, did you know that there are 17 missing scriptures in the Old Testament? My question is, how can we have a complete or little knowledge about our Father in Heaven or His only Begotten Son when so much information is lost or taken out? It is our job to find the truth while we are here. Sometimes called missing scripture, they consist of at least the following: book of the Wars of the Lord (Num. 21:14); book of Jasher (Josh. 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18); book of the acts of Solomon (1 Kgs. 11:41); book of Samuel the seer (1 Chr. 29:29); book of Gad the seer (1 Chr. 29:29); book of Nathan the prophet (1 Chr. 29:29; 2 Chr. 9:29); prophecy of Ahijah (2 Chr. 9:29); visions of Iddo the seer (2 Chr. 9:29; 12:15; 13:22); book of Shemaiah (2 Chr. 12:15); book of Jehu (2 Chr. 20:34); sayings of the seers (2 Chr. 33:19); an epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, earlier than our present 1 Corinthians (1 Cor. 5:9); possibly an earlier epistle to the Ephesians (Eph. 3:3); an epistle to the Church at Laodicea (Col. 4:16); and some prophecies of Enoch, known to Jude (Jude 1:14).

[@shirleyoxburgh6061]

I disagree but I respect you believe differently