Was there a Deeper Significance to the Dedication of the Palmyra Temple?

I originally wrote most of this post November 12, 2015, but in my private family blog, and have added more to it as time has gone on and I have learned more. I have copied it here for those who have expressed interest in reading it, and done my best to present it in an organized way with references. It was another’s blog on this topic that helped me begin my own search, and I hope that the information I have gathered can help others reflect deeper about the time we are in.  Kind thoughts, impressions, and insights are welcome in the comments. 

The Palmyra Temple was dedicated 6 April 2000, 170 years after the founding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was the 100th temple dedicated, and these significant numbers and dates were planned for (as background story here illustrates)

I alluded in my first post starting this blog that I am being taught things alluding to the 2nd coming of the Savior. I can only assume others eyes are being opened to this as well as I am hearing it be brought up more. In the opening prayer of a regional conference I attended in Owasso, Oklahoma this past week, the sister’s voice was filled with emotion and significance as the thanked Heavenly Father for helping us prepare for the Second Coming of His son. It really stuck out to me.  This past conference was notably different – all about spiritual preparation. It stuck out to me too.

Here are some things I’ve gathered and am mulling over a lot.

Personal Revelation & My own Research

• I began learning about the peculiar circumstances surrounding The Super Blood Moon that we experienced this year in September when I came across an LDS bloggers write up of it here. I felt it was important enough to take the kids to see, so they could have a reference if it was referred back to later in life. I also took some time to myself to go out under it and pray, asking if there was any significance. In response, I FELT a powerful Spirit of confirmation. In fact,  every time I went to stand in the middle of my backyard alone and look at it – I felt it signified a change. I felt a confirmation that a new time period was starting, but instead of a feeling of fear or dread, I felt a joyful anticipation. I did not expect that. I felt a similar feeling return with conference.  I felt confirmations when talking this over with my husband as well. I may not have all the details right, but many things are coming together.

• Oddly enough, I had a desire to read the Book of Revelation a few weeks before I learned these things. I don’t even remember what prompted me. But I remember a verse stood out to me that made me wonder what it meant. It said when the 7th Seal was opened, there would be silence for the space of about half an hour (Source). I thought, “What an odd thing to write down. And what’s the reason for it?” – in my mind, I pictured this was talking about literally silence throughout the earth for 30 minutes while we stood there, mingling with the Angels. I just really had no knowledge of what it could mean.
• I came to understand later that if 1000 years is 1 day to God, a half an hour is about 21 years to Him in our time. The “half hour of silence” most likely referred to a time period of about 21 years after the seal was broken, where the angels spoken of in Revelations chapter 8 held back on unleashing the various plagues/destructions/etc.
• I Came across someone’s thoughts in a forum about the half hour period of silence, I like how they were able to word this. I think it’s true. I put in bold the part that stuck out to me –

“If one does a word search through the scriptures on the word “silence” you will begin to realize that the symbolism employed in the Book of Revelation is quite complex and can have a benediction or malediction associated with it. I personally believe that the binary possibility is what was intended that the time and space referenced will be utilized by the covenant for preparation and by the world as a time of separation from righteousness. In general I believe it is a time that the heavens wait and observe as things already begun or set in motion mature and unfold.”

• I also came across many speculations online (as well as “I’ve heard Palmyra Temple workers say this” or “I heard Elder so-and-so confirm this at our stake conference” type rumors) that the dedication of the Palmyra Temple was the breaking of the 7th seal. How could that be? I began to try and dive in a little deeper.
• Thus the 21 or so years of silence after the seal being broken is the time I am living in right now. Those years can be divided up into three 7 year sections. The first seven years was marked with coming closer to God (because of the 9-11 attacks) and an abundance. Second 7 years was a famine (recession hit in 2007), and the third set of 7 years began or was symbolized as beginning by the Super Blood Moon this year. It is supposed to be the part of a lot of upheavel before things get really bad for the 2nd coming. I may have the 7 year periods wrong –  I am still trying to figure this out 🙂
• General Conference was held April 1-2 in 2000, and in his closing remarks, President Hinckley noted, “We have been here April 1 and 2 of the year 2000, the opening of a new century and a great new millennium. There is something wonderfully significant about all of this. It is a time of new beginnings…Now, in closing, may I give you just a very brief report on temples. As of today, we have 76 in operation. That is many more than we had a few years ago. We will dedicate the Palmyra temple this coming Thursday. That will be a great occasion. The temple overlooks the Sacred Grove…We plan on dedicating altogether 36 new temples in the year 2000. I think we will accomplish all we set out to do.” (Source)  (Also, it is interesting to note that the new Conference Center was dedicated in October 2000)

Does the Book of Revelation reference a Temple Dedication?

• Revelation 7:9-10 reads,  “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands”

  10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 

 

• The “Hosannah Shout” was given at the Palmyra Temple dedication. President Hinckley described it as thus at the October 2000 Conference: ““I will now demonstrate the shout. Each one takes a clean white handkerchief, holding it by one corner, and waves it while saying in unison, “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to God and the Lamb,” repeated three times, followed by “Amen, Amen, and Amen.” – The word “Hosanna” means “Please save us”. This shout is synonymous with what is cried in Revelation 7:10.

 

• The handkerchiefs waved during the shout represent the palms not only waved during the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem, but also of the palms waved anciently during the Feast of the Tabernacles. The description below from LDSLiving gives great insight, especially in light of how this shout is used today and was used on the occasion of the Palmyra Temple dedication/breaking of the 7th seal:

“Shouting hosanna can be traced even back to the Hebrew Feast of the Tabernacles. This feast, which began and ended on a Sabbath day, involved sleeping in temporary huts, erected in remembrance of the 40 years that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness. It also celebrated the gathering of nations and deliverance they received at the Lord’s hand. As part of the festivities, on the seventh day, which was sometimes called “the Great Hosanna,” a special meeting was held and shouts of hosanna were given while palm branches were waved.” (source)

• Also note that the Palymra Temple dedication was also the first temple dedication to be broadcast (only to America & Canada, the Nauvoo Temple 2 years later was the first to be broadcast worldwide). When all was said and done, 1.5 million Saints participated in the dedication and Hosanna shout. 

 

My Journal Reflections of that Day

• I came across my journal of the dedication of the Palmyra temple. I noted that our early-morning Seminary had been canceled that morning because the church had been dedicated as an extension of the temple, and was treated as such. I had to have a yellow ticket to get into the ceremony (random detail, but it served as my recommend).

 

• President Hinckley presided and talked about how the cornerstone represents Christ & how He is the cornerstone. He kept saying they had inserted important artifacts into the cornerstone and it would not be open for a VERY LONG TIME (caps emphasis put in my journal). The next part is directly quoted from my journal.

 

• “Then he talked of the significance of this day and how he is almost overcome with it. He said, “There will never be a more significant day – ” then he coughed, and stopped, overcome with emotion.
• There was silence for a good 15 seconds before he continued with a much softer, emotion-filled voice, ” in this church. The day the Palmyra temple is being dedicated, 170 years since the birth of this church, and on the day of the birth of our Savior.” He then spoke of all that has led up to the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. And what a sacred place this was – near the Sacred Grove.”

 

• I remember that his phrase about how important the day was puzzled me. As a teenager, the timing of the dedication seemed cool, but nothing more. I wondered over it, and President Hinckley’s emotional reaction to it, and it stuck in my mind long enough to write it down.
• In the context of it being the breaking of the 7th seal, his words and emotions make more sense to me and are very moving. It is also significant to me that he worked up through the different times until this moment – essentially walking us through the previous “seals” in time.

Other References to the dedication:

• An Ensign article of that year noted that 1.5 million members attended the dedication via satellite broadcast and noted also that President Hinckley said, “We have scarcely seen the beginning of what shall come to pass. These are the days of God’s great work in the earth.”
• It was a snowy and rainy morning, but sunshine broke through when he stepped out to do the cornerstone ceremony. After it, the weather turned blustery again and many news people commented on the timing of the temporary sunshine.
• I noted personally in my journal that during the dedicatory prayer and participation in the dedication, “the Spirit tingled through my body many times. But when the Prophet had finished the prayer, there was a different feeling. A peace & calmness”. I would be very curious to see what others experienced that day, looking back in their journals for notes, as most of these details I had forgotten about.

The Significance of April 6, 2000 on the Hebrew Calendar

• Some Ensign articles about key points in church history occurring on sacred Hebrew calendar days led me to the author’s webpage. I encourage all to peruse and read his articles, as his knowledge of sacred calendars relating to important sacred events AND the deep understanding of signs in the heavens relating to these dates is fascinating and helpful. (I recommend starting here).  Regarding the date of April 6, 2000, Brother Pratt wrote:

“The seventh 1,000-year period since Adam apparently officially began on 6 Apr 2000 at the dedication of the Palmyra temple. That day was 1 Nisan, New Year’s Day on the Hebrew calendar. But I’m not sure that is the same day as when the seventh seal begins. I suspect that the seven seals may be counted with a “little season” called the “meridian of time” between the 4th and 5th seal. Its minimum length would probably be 33 years (the Savior’s life time), and the maximum 70 years, ending at the destruction of the temple. If so, then the sixth seal may not end until 2033-2070, and the earthquake of the sixth seal (Rev. 6:12) could occur any time in the next few decades. I don’t know. This is all just speculation based on the fact that the scriptures say Christ would be born “in” the meridian of time, rather than “at” (Moses 5:57, 7:46). Moreover, some ancient calendars were structured with an “extra” little season (Passover week) wedged in the middle of the year, as well as having the little season at the end of the year (Tabernacles). Time will tell.” (source link here)

Signs in the Heavens

Also the below is directly from an article on NASA.GOV on 25 April 2000:

“April 25, 2000 — Two weeks ago stargazers around the world were outdoors in force. The moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars were clustered together in the evening sky on April 6 for a picturesque display just after sunset. With cameras poised to record the spectacle, observers were treated to a dazzling show — but it wasn’t the show they expected! The sky, instead of darkening as the sun sank below the western horizon, turned vivid red, then green and shimmering yellow. It was a rare and unexpected display of aurora borealis seen as far south as Texas and Florida.”

“The celestial display started around 1630 UT on April 6 when a powerful interplanetary shock wave passed by the Earth. Aurora borealis was observed almost immediately over Asia and Europe. Auroras, or “Northern Lights”, are usually confined to high latitudes, but this was the biggest geomagnetic storm in years. By 2000 UT, observers in central Europe were reporting colorful lights in the sky.”

 

Seen from Marquardt, Germany:

“Aurora borealis is a rare event in our area, so to see it for the very first time is impressive — to see a display like [this was] really dazzling!” recounted Ron Baart of Warmenhuizen, Holland. “It was about 10:55 p.m. local time [on April 6] that we saw a pillar of red light in the northern sky… also green-blue to white features could be seen dancing in the heavens.”

McDonald Observatory, in Fort Worth, TX:

“By the time night fell over North America, the geomagnetic storm was beginning to subside, but not before auroras were spotted in at least 23 states. Reports poured in from as far south as Florida and as far west as Utah.

Glengarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland

Glengarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland

“Most of northwest Colorado was cloud-covered the night of April 6,” recalls James Westlake, Professor of Astronomy at Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs, CO, “so I took a group of SKY Club members … west into Utah. We weren’t disappointed. From near Moab, Utah, we watched the pink and green fountains spurt above the northern horizon for several hours around midnight!”

The Big Dipper awash in the red glow of the aurora, Utrecht, Netherlands

 

Symbolism of the Planets Present on 6 April 2000

Brother John Pratt wrote of the significance of these planets being aligned on that day:

“Thursday, April 6, 2000 marks exactly 2000 years since the Savior’s birth during the night preceding Thursday, April 6, 1 BC. In a sight worth seeing, the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, along with the Moon will appear to be grouped in the sky on the nights of April 5-6, seemingly a birthday gathering for the Savior’s 2000th birthday. Equally intriguing, the other two visible planets, Mercury and Venus will be together about that time as they are last seen in the morning sky.

Mars, Jupiter & Saturn on 6 Apr 2000

What’s more this April 6 also marks the New Year’s Day of the Sacred Year on the Hebrew Calendar. The Hebrew day begins in the evening, and the new month usually begins on the evening when the thin crescent of the new moon is first visible. For those of you who are skywatchers, you will notice that shortly after sunset on April 5, a very thin crescent may be visible for a few minutes, heralding the coming day. Above the moon the planet Mars will be passing the brighter Jupiter like the minute hand passing the hour hand of a clock at midnight. On the next night, after sunset on April 6, the sight will be much more impressive with the easily seen crescent Moon next to Saturn. The accompanying illustration is taken from NASA. There is a similar photo in the April issue of Astronomy magazine.

The Mercury/Venus alignment is also significant because for chronology purposes, both planets are at the beginning point of their cycle. Both of those planets were precisely on that beginning day of their cycles on the day the Savior was born. Thus, we see that the planets are indeed useful for reckoning time, even as the Lord told Moses, that they are “for signs and for seasons” (Gen. 1:14). It may be interesting to note that next month all these planets will also align with the Sun. The cover article “When Planets Align” of the May, 2000 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine is devoted to convincing us that all such planetary alignments are meaningless. But that is just not true: one purpose for which the Lord created the planets was to keep time, and they do it extremely well.” (reference linked here)

My Concluding Remarks (September 2017)

I will take a page from John Pratt’s book, and take the stance that I do not wish to make predictions about the timing of the 2nd coming of our Savior or the events leading up to His return. I do, however, wish to share the fascinating information I am coming across. Brother Pratt’s decades long study of these topics has helped him conclude that the Lord does not usually accompany these signs with immediate, obvious destruction – but uses them as bookmarks that we may refer back to later. They testify to us that God is in control,  and that he knows the beginning from the end. When all is said and done, we will look back, understand these signs better and their significance.

I have found myself led to various LDS sources on this topic that have completely surprised me. I believe that when accompanied with prayer, we can each be taught by the Spirit about these matters, and use the study as a time to be in awe of our Father in Heaven, reflect upon what lies before us, and prepare spiritually by drawing closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

My own personal feelings on all of this are that I have had a few experiences now, feeling the excitement and joy the heavens feel for what is coming.  I approached learning about all of these things, thinking it would be feelings of doom, gloom and judgement. But instead, I feel we are entering something new and wonderful, where the miracles and powers of Heaven will be poured out in greater abundance!  It is an exciting time to be alive right now, and I am so grateful to be here for it!

It is curious to me to see the sudden pouring out of natural disasters since the eclipse   – but what has surprised me is the return to goodness and decency it has brought to our narrative (especially Houston), and the turning to prayer it is causing. Perhaps it will have the same affect on us as the Gadianton robber fiasco had on the Nephites, which coincidentally was in their 17 years into a new 1000 year period (3 Nephi chapters 3 & 4). I suspect the disasters partly are here to help us unite ourselves, turn our eyes heavenward and our hearts toward prayer, just as it did for them.

Thank you for your time in reading through what I have gathered. Please feel free to share your own insights and thoughts on these events and the times we live in below. I may not have any of this right, but I have tried to organize the information I have come across and have been led to.  I hope that it is of benefit to others who are seeking for more knowledge. I feel there is still much to learn, and I hope you do too 🙂