Ex-Mormons For Jesus

CARY'S COLUMN
The Biblical Temple vs The Mormon Temple

With the new Mormon Temple opening in Yorba Linda, some may be curious about what its purpose is and how it compares with God's temple in the Bible. Let me give you a simple overview of God's temple and then look at the difference with the Mormon temple.

In the Old Testament, God's temple served four primary purposes, among others. First, God's Temple represented God dwelling among His people. The idea was that it was where God's presence was -- Set apart from other nations, the temple symbolized that God lived in the midst of Israel. The inner room -- the Holy of Holies -- especially represented God's throne presence on earth.

Second, God's Temple taught of His holiness. With the layout of outer courts, inner courts, holy place, and holy of holies, God's holiness was set forth. Sinful humanity is separated by sin and cannot casually enter His presence. Priests, sacrifices, washings, incense, and sacred rituals all reinforced reverence for God's holiness.

Third, God's Temple was the center of sacrifice and atonement. It taught Israel that sin brings death and must be atoned for -- that substitution and cleansing are needed for reconciliation to God. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) especially highlighted this, when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year on behalf of the nation.

Fourth, God's Temple foreshadowed His dwelling with humanity and the fulfillment of the law with a new covenant. The New Testament teaches that Christ fulfilled the purpose of the Old Testament. Jesus referred to His own body as the true Temple (John 2:19-21) and His sacrificial death ended the need for repeated temple sacrifices. The veil of the Temple torn at Christ's crucifixion (Matthew 27:51) symbolizes direct access to God through Christ alone. The book of Hebrews especially emphasizes that Christ is the final High Priest and that His sacrifice was offered "once of all" (Hebrews 10:10-14). Because of this fulfillment, no continuing temple system is necessary for salvation, priesthood mediation or sacred ordinances.

The purpose of the Mormon temple, on the other hand, is completely different from the purpose of God's temple. The LDS Website states that their temples are used for Latter-day ordinances and ceremonies to "unite families together for eternity." For our readers who need clarification as to what that means, here are two short explanations to help you understand:

First, "uniting families together for eternity" is a nice way to describe their temple marriages. They believe that they are being "sealed" in marriage for all eternity. As husband and wife, they would be eternally progressing to godhood together, and they would be father and mother gods over their own world.

Second, the term "uniting families" is also a nice way to describe their prominent temple practice of baptism of the dead. Yes -- you read it right. Mormons believe that they can baptize each other in proxy for their dead relatives. As their website puts it, it is performed "on behalf of those who have died without the opportunity to hear and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ." I always jokingly respond to this by misquoting Hebrews 9:27, "It is appointed unto man once to die, and then there is a second chance."

Their eternal marriage sealings, baptisms for the dead, and other ordinances in their temples are all to bring about "exaltation" to godhood through their doctrine of "eternal progression." Quite different from God's temple in the Bible, don't you think? This means that instead of using their temples to promote the very idea that God so adamantly condemned through the prophet Isaiah: "...before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me' (43:10).

The LDS website states, "Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord declared that 'my people are always commanded to build [temples] unto my holy name' (D&C 124:39-40)." FYI, this takes the "name" of God in vain. It misuses His holy name;; Who He is in His majesty, glory and power, and substitutes His name for a counterfeit god with an abhorrent purpose of creating gods.

May God expose what the Mormon faith is by exposing the blatant difference between their temples and God's biblical temples.

From the EX-Mormons for Jesus newsletter, May/June 2026

Sandra Tanner speaking at the Utah Christian Research Center.

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