Transcription
[music] [music] All right. Hello everyone and welcome to Rise Zion. My name is Seth and I am here in our virtual studio with Melissa from Catch the Bud Buzz podcast as well as Lovevenotes from God podcast. We are here today to discuss with you a very fascinating and interesting topic. We talked about it just a little bit before we started the program, but I don't know all of the details. Melissa has shared with me that she was actually an ordinance worker at the temple, and she's going to share with us some very interesting insights that we've decided to call temple secrets that kind of reveal. And she she had noted to me before that this kind of reveals the direction that the church is heading in. There are some very fascinating implications as to what the future might hold based on these insights that Melissa has noticed and just based on what she shared with me thus far. I can I can tell that there's something to this. There's something to what she has to say. So, we're going to dive right into these temple secrets together and explore with you what these might mean for, you know, I don't know, like church policy moving forward into the future. Um, different, you know, doctrinal shifts maybe and how we view the temple ceremonies, all sorts of different things. Very fascinating, you guys. But Melissa, uh, why don't you go why don't you take it away and tell us and kind of introduce this topic from your perspective just a little bit and then we can get started.
Okay. So, thanks everybody and Seth for letting me come and share. There's been a couple years I've been waiting to share these with everybody. So, I have um especially when they just had to change how they were announcing the temples. We just had that happen where in Maine they announced on location a temple that will be built there.
And and Seth was sharing that in a live stream, wasn't it? Was it a live stream?
Yeah. So, I created a premiere and we talked about all the in this video you guys just to do a review. I guess it would be kind of important for people who haven't watched the video. But um in this video we talked about the historic Portland Maine temple announcement, how it was done. Um and this is really significant because President Oaks during general conference seemed to suggest that no new temple announcements would be made um or would be forthcoming at that general conference. I don't think that we I think that we will see some temple announcements made in the temple in the future, but this uh Portland main announcement really marks a shift and how the church is going to be announcing new temples. It's it was described by Elder Heiny who was there as a historic temple announcement because nothing like it had ever been done before in the past. The reason why it was so historic is because this was delegated authority given to the uh general the area general authorities in that area to announce a temple and it was outside of general conference. It's it it was very personable to the people who were there. You could see the excitement on everybody's faces as they saw in this Christmas devotional that they were going to get a temple finally. They'd been waiting for so long to receive this gift from Heavenly Father and uh you could just see the excitement just from the pictures that they that they had posted on the church news website. Uh so it was really exciting. But you said, Melissa, as we were in our live stream, as or not in our live stream, but in our premiere of that video that this may not have been such a surprise to you because you remember certain things that had been, you know, brought up during the temple as as an ordinance worker that kind of hinted that something like this might be coming our way. Can you go ahead and explain what that might what that looks like to you?
Yeah. So, just to make sure people know as we talk about temple secrets, there's not going to be anything here that is not appropriate that is like too overly sacred. It's just things that from me having gone to the temple for so many years um on a on a weekly basis for years. Um and I'm only I'm 40. I just turned 45 actually, but I started going in like 2010 2011. I started going every week and so it's been you know like over 13 years that I've been going weekly to the temple. So I've had just a lot of years of experience. Okay. In 2019 as I was an ordinance worker we would have a meeting before our shift and the temple president said that the prophet wanted to have 100 more temples in 6 years. And so I knew the pace was going to have to start picking up. Things were going to have to start being different than they've been before. the traditional patterns were not going to work anymore. Like it just you could just feel it when you're in the temple. There's this like spiritual electricity >> and with people being on like the same frequency with the Lord, this revelation is it's just drinking through a fire hose. It's >> it's so different. It's so different. And I always wondered when I see these people hugging each other with so much love and they were other temple workers. I could see how that is when you've consecrated yourself to something like this.
That's really interesting implications, Melissa, because I remember too when we were talking uh previous to uh you know all of this happening even pre even before general conference uh I had heard that interview by Elder Wilson who was the general authority over temple building and he also talked about the the plans that President Nelson had put in place to have a certain amount of temples. I believe it was like a total of 600 temples by 15 years out. And these these plans had already been put in place all the way back before his time before President Nelson became prophet. They they started rolling these temples out even before him. So my thought process was well that's really interesting that President Oaks would then come out with this announcement. Okay, we're slowing down temples. And maybe they are kind of still slowing down temples. >> But you're right. It's kind of like it indicated that to you as you heard in the temple from the mission from the temple president that you know and your thought process was okay are still going to come but things have to be shifting up a little bit.
Yeah. And the other thing is too that they said that was significant the um [snorts] was that they said no longer are we trying to build temples like up on a mountaintop. We're not trying to hide temples, but we are trying to have them blend in >> to fit in. And so that was another thing where seeing these progressions I I was like, "Oh yeah, they're going to announce it in like a state conference." Of course they are. You know, it just makes sense. So, I mean, and I've even gone further to think that maybe at some certain point, okay, well, there's more things to say, but a certain point that maybe they would take stake centers and could be able to have a certain part of the stake center that is set aside for temple services just to make because if you think about it, it makes sense with the parking lot. It's not being used most of the time during the week. You know, all that parking space, there's a lot of space there. And so it, you know, we're trying to get talk about um the Lord is wants us to be good with our means, with our resources. And so I was like, that would make it really easy, a really easy transition, >> you know, >> especially in places where, you know, it's it's kind of difficult to have temples, you know, um >> or where it takes a particularly long time to build a temple. I think that the precedent is is that we of course want to build something that honors God and and is, you know, a house for him, something of the finest materials as the Bible points out. But when that's not possible, I think that's a fantastic, you know, and we have all this space, you know, and stake centers and stuff that could be used. That's a very interesting thought. So they're saying at the temple that they wanted to, you repeat that again. They wanted to have temples be blending in.
Blend in. Yeah.
Interesting.
Yeah. And I think we we see that as I've seen these other more recent temples that they've announced where they're having a ground breaking, but they can't really because there's an existing building. They're just changing over.
Yeah. Like in Brussels, right?
Mhm. Yep. Exactly. And there's another one there's another temple that is the same situation. I can't remember what temple it is, but it's also >> Yeah. >> Mhm. So it's like see for me I've already heard it's like I've already heard this, you know.
Yeah. [laughter] So that's very interesting. So they're they're trying to blend in more. So that's really interesting. You guys in in the comments let me know what you guys think that could mean different possibilities too. I mean that's that's a fascinating idea >> and that's where some of the challenges have been been. If people have known the oppositions that's come against the temples as they've been building them. They've had prejudice against our temple having a spire that's too tall. Yet some other churches of other faiths, their spire is even higher.
Yeah. >> So that's quite a double standard.
Yeah. To me it does sound more like bigotry a lot of the times. It's like in Las Vegas the lights are too bright.
Yeah. >> It's a pers Yeah. Right. [laughter] Las Vegas. [gasps] Yeah. But I mean it's all part of this persecution of the saints that we're being warned against >> that that is coming along. So um yeah but so even to me when I look at the scripture study cards and this is the one for this year right >> for come follow me.
Uhhuh.
It's interesting from an artistic perspective. It's black right?
Yeah. like that seems >> it it's black and then it's interesting to me when you look at this picture to me it felt like dark times are coming we need to focus >> on something we focus on >> we focus on the savior we focus on Christ we focus on the gospel >> we've just discussed uh two major temple secrets that kind of bring up implications what is your third uh temple secret that you'd like to share with us today Melissa
So something that I had shared with you before is as I was an ordinance worker, we did something called what was called Temples of the Sea, if I remember that correctly. And we were piloting it. And what would happen is as I was the first follower and of course the first time I was the first follower, I had this harder thing because we would have a tablet and instead of like the video progressing itself, we would have to do it manually ourselves.
Interesting. So this is like Can you explain what that is a little bit more? So this is called Temples of the Sea or is it Isisles of the Sea?
Something like that. Yeah, Temp. We would refer to it as Temples of the Sea.
Temples of the Sea. Interesting.
And it's like an app or it's like a program that was developed or >> Yeah, it was in it. We had it. Sorry. We had it like self. It was like um the video in this tablet that would progress things along. Um, and so yeah, I I don't know, of course, exactly how it all worked, but again, this is just this is a means of being able to get temples to everywhere, whether or not there be internet access.
So, it's sort of like a cloud system.
This is something >> where it kind of broadcast this temple video out to all of the different temples around the world.
Just it seems like it's just streaming, you know, from that device to the television. They had a TV in there.
Interesting. And so, and so that's another way the Lord is accommodating for these things that happen. Just like the ASL, I happen to be there. And I have a video about this this ASL miracle where there's I there's a a seat available next to a lady and I um was like, hm, she's got a TV by her. I feel as like a podcaster that people want to know things and I should find out, right? So, I was like, hey, can I sit by you? And I sat by her and found out that her daughter was the one that was doing the ASL in this video. And so before you would only go to the temple and be able to do work if you had a translator there for you for ASL. So now of course they can go at any time. And then also in the video it used to just well it used to just play but now it's like still images which helps with the language translation because now you're not trying to match up a mouth with all these words. It's just a still frame.
Yeah. It's just a still frame like a like a presentation PowerPoint kind of thing. Yep. And so it makes it so much easier. And also I think that we don't really think so much and you would probably understand better having gone to a foreign country in your mission, but culturally people perceive diff things differently. And so also by not having so much action, I think it makes it easier for them to be able to focus first of all on just words rather than watching some actions but also not trying to interpret like >> feeling emotion and purpose.
Yes.
Yeah. Intent.
Okay. That's an that's an interesting thought.
Yeah.
Going back just a moment though, Melissa, back to the temples of the sea concept that you introduced just a moment before. We need to talk about some of the implications of that. because that is that's really significant I feel because if we're talking about going into countries like China for example that are communist countries or other countries that are not um you know perhaps very friendly to >> well like the church that was just built in uh in a Muslim country.
Yeah. Like these dictatorships that's very fascinating and it kind of seems to indicate where the church is heading >> if we understand the preparations that [laughter] they're making. Yeah. Yeah. They're they're heading in everywhere and so they're making accommodations.
Well, and as I just mentioned to you before also, Roots Tech, as I've heard before, was like 90% of the people that would go to Roots Tech wouldn't be members of our church. And now it's like 98%. It's increased. And now I mentioned the United Nations, they said they recognized like 200 about 250 countries. And they had like 200 they had like 235 countries represented through Roots Tech of people who were virtual attendees which happened because of the pandemic. They changed the way they were doing things and that opened those doors. And that's why I say with the pandemic with those that focused on the negative things that were being pushed out to us, they didn't see how God was working. A lot of people did not see the flood of revelation and gathering that happened during that time because >> technological advancements >> 15 countries away from covering the world just in this one event. I mean that's huge >> especially for those who don't think that it's happening.
It's amazing. And I can see as I've watched the temple work happen over the years looking at the lists of names. I did a name from Iceland and I was just like, "Oh my gosh, has anybody," you know, I was asking my other temple worker friends that were there. I'm like, "Has anybody else seen a name from Iceland?" And I have a friend actually that I was messaging to and she goes, "Oh, sorry. I I'm in a different time zone. I'm in Iceland." I was like, "You're in Iceland?" And her son who's from Utah was working in Iceland and they had that fissure that opened up with like lava and everything. And so I just feel like >> every corner of the world is being touched by God.
That's fascinating. >> By the gospel, by the gathering. Nothing is being left untouched. We're looking for it.
Hastening on the preparation for what's coming next.
Oh yeah. Especially in the temple. Yeah. You see the second coming coming. When you go to the temple, you can you can just It's everywhere. If your eyes are open to Revelation, it is everywhere.
Well, yeah. And it's not I think that one of the interesting things that when we before we started recording what's so fascinating to me is that you're telling me here that there's things that we can learn in the temple that's not necessarily in the temple presentation, not necessarily in the covenants. Even though those are very valuable things and the principal things I would say that we are learning, there's so much more that we can be learning and you're kind of, you know, sharing with us some of these little tidbits, these temple secrets >> that really kind of prove that this is the case. So that's really fascinating.
Well, >> oh, another one I forgot to.
All right, so now we're moving on to our fourth temple secret. [laughter] So what was so amazing is so I was doing ceilings and I stayed a little bit after and there was a patron that was speaking to the sealer and he I don't know what country he was in but it was in the area of Russia and he said that he was speaking to a sealer and he was just amazing. He goes how he the patron said to the sealer he goes how many languages do you speak and he says well I only speak one >> and he's like I speak German. And the guy says, the patron says, "How's that possible? We're speaking in English right now." And he's like, "When I am in the temple, as soon as I enter the doors, I can speak seven languages >> and [clears throat] as soon as I leave, just one." And then I was sharing that with a a friend of mine who also has been an ordinance worker and she had the same thing happened at a temple she is was at that there was it's seven languages. another sealer that also was speaking seven languages within the temple. To me, that that is significant. We know that the Lord works through numbers too. And >> you know, the Lord will not have his work be stopped.
That's very interesting. We when we consider some of the ancient temple practices that existed where um there were seven different levels of understanding. um that that's probably for a different video, but that is a fascinating concept that they would learn seven different languages for that reason. We'll have to go into that later.
Yeah. Just gifted that. And and to me, that's part of when you are trying to build Zion and you are trying to work with your spiritual gifts like when they talk about the veil thinning that the gift of tongues. Some people are getting that at the temple. Well, and I just want to share this with you, too. It's really cool. My little temple wallet, >> and I love the Yeah, you can order these online. >> But, um, >> they have like the little cards inside. >> Mhm. And then that saying from President Nelson. Um, every time you were worthily serve and worship in the temple, you leave armed with God's power and with his angels having charge over you. >> And that was one of those things, my family is the most important to me. And I was like, I need an army of angels. I am building an army of angels. And a secret I can tell you too that some people have been told but don't even quite understand is that those that you do the work for are there. They're there when you do the work. They are. And I and I've had people say like I had a former bishop from my board. He was like, "Well, they might be." And and I'm like, no. Every time I have a a moment where I'm like, is that is that really right or is that just what I think that I'm remembering or is that personal revelation to me, I have a sealer, for example, reminding me again that so you guys know they're here when you do the work.
They are they're real people.
Yeah, I definitely have a testimony of that as well. I don't >> I don't have any doubt as to that. [laughter] That is definitely true. So, I love that. Thank you for bringing that that secret up again. I think that that is something that um I don't know I've talked about that before just mentioning it in in passing, you know, every once in a while, but it's so important that we do recognize that they not only are they there with us as we're doing the ordinance with them, but they come out with us as we leave the temple and they are with us to, you know, kind of help us as well. So, I think that that is that is significant. Well, Melissa, let's move right into I guess that you've just shared with us like I think we're on our sixth sixth temple secret. I think that you just shared um uh four and five already. So, I think that we're on the sixth. I'm not sure though, [laughter] but yeah. And how interesting, Melissa, that all of these temple secrets that you've been sharing with us >> kind of indicate that the church is putting in place infrastructure to be able to move into >> the, you know, the with the greatest population on the planet in China. So we see you have this temple uh how do we how do you say it? Temples of the sea you called it. this infrastructure is in place >> so that the sacred nature of the temple can be kept secret can be kept protected you know from >> from a communist regime for example >> we see how >> or terrorists possibly terrorists coming in you never know >> I I wanted to recap what we had just discussed >> um but in addition to that you had outlined how the church is also preparing in terms of um just the different cultural aspects, the fact that the fact that the church has removed a lot of the different actions so that these um so it's mostly just a slideshow now that we see at the temple during the video and so that the cultural changes don't necessarily have to be so great. We're just focusing on words and that is very important in in uh eastern uh you know areas because they have such a different perspective than western cultures. So that's very important. Um, another fact that you brought up was the fact that I mean we're getting to the point now where you're seeing all of these different names brought that are from all over the world. We're getting to the point where we've done a lot of the ones in the west and it's time to move on into the east. So, the Lord is hastening his work in ways. Another thing that you brought up was that uh the fact that uh the temples needed to be more excl how did you say not on the mountain tops but rather less noticeable more uh subdued and in buildings that are already in existence so that it's it's less auster or it's less ostentatious we'll say and that's something that I think that would be very important for >> uh moving into China. And that's kind of what El President Nelson kind of pointed out is it would likely be I I view what he said as prophetic because he announced a temple for which they didn't have uh plans. You know, essentially he's describing something that's not really been done before in China. And he's describing a building that is a multi- a multi-purpose used building, a place where people can go to do ordinances, but it isn't necessarily what we've come to expect as a temple. But yes, just to recap everything that we've talked about, it seems that that is where the church is heading in these major implications. Well, Melissa, we're going to move in to our seventh now. Did we just discuss sixth? [laughter] >> We're going to discuss our next temple secret. And it kind of indicates where the world is heading as well. So, one of the things that we learned about in our uh meetings that we had before our shift is we would talk about like active shooter scenarios and um any other kind of threat, any other just different various emergency situations and so but and of course in our church right now we've seen a lot of threats. I don't know are you aware of the chemical um attack that happened? No, I'm not aware of this. >> Oh, this is how much this stuff is happening. So, yeah, I can't remember what country it was in right now, but yeah, there was somebody that came into a church house and they said it was like 9:15. So, they had planned that people would be there for church services and they had modified like a child's toy gun to for chemicals and nobody was killed but people were injured. But that's the thing is as the Lord and okay I this is another thing my mom she continued to be an ordinance worker I I was only a couple years and in one of the meetings when they had changed things in the endowment in the video how they changed it to being more of still images they said well why are there these changes happening and they said as there are more temples built there's more light and knowledge and so to me we have to expect with that precedent and I believe I've heard that said other places as well like possibly in general conference or another general authority that as these templars are built there's more revelation that happens so of course as the Lord moves forward and spreads more light the darkness has to come to balance and try to fight that light >> there must be opposition in all things and that's things you learn at the temple as well is that there must be like there's an eternal balance that happens with things.
Mhm. So, we're seeing an increase of preparation at the temple for these bad things that could happen. Um, you know, we don't want everybody to feel like the temple is an unsafe space. But it is kind of telling that the temple is taking these kind of things seriously. These kind of threats are increasing in the world rather than decreasing. Um, that's perfectly >> and perfectly to follow what you just said. Remember what President Nelson said when they were doing the remodel of the Salt Lake Temple and they realized the extent they were going to do for earthquake preparations?
He said there will not be a safer place to be than in the temple.
Yes, it's a very safe place. And I appreciate that you guys are actually doing, >> you know, preparations as temple workers for the event that something like that would happen like somebody would come in and try to harm people. So, it does speak to the fact that you're making preparations as well. We have the spiritual protections on the other side. >> Our house is almost burned down twice, but we it was a dedicated home and so we've been protected. The damage that needed to happen for us to do repair to uh fix up things in our home happened, but the Lord blessed us to be okay. And as we I know that as we make and keep those sacred covenants, the Lord will offer us those same protections. And that's why we build this army of angels around us and our family. So as temple workers, we prepare for things like an active shooter, what we are to do under those situations as far as communicating with different people in the office or other ordinance workers. Um exits to take um and then just know um also sacred things that we would want to remove quickly. um just all the different scenarios for different natural disasters as well. And as we know, the Lord is preparing his people and the temple is no different.
Interesting. So, you're preparing both temporally and spiritually for whatever might happen.
Yes.
That's very comforting.
You're being warned.
And so, to me, those are different warnings we've been given to prepare. And as Latter-day Saints, this full circle is coming around for us to be threatened because the savior is coming.
H interesting. So I yeah that's very interesting to consider that at the temple they're preparing for whatever might happen >> um >> because of wherever we are >> you know all over the world against I mean I think that we've I think that we can see plainly that we've had an increase in >> ideological violence which is very disturbing >> um >> yes >> and that manifests in different ways it manifests in politics it manifests in religion we had in the same month you know two things happen that that demonstrate that kind of violence against uh both members of the church even specifically and even against political uh political opponents or you know they view them as political opponents. Well, thank you so much Melissa for coming on the show today and telling us about your temple secrets that kind of indicate where the church might be going in the future. This has been really fascinating. We've gleaned some insights. I feel like you guys out in the audience, make sure to comment what you think about these Temple Secrets and what they might mean for the future. Um, before we go, make sure to like, comment, and subscribe to the channel. Our new goal is to reach 60,000 subscribers. We are well on our way to achieving that goal. Um, make sure to become a member if you haven't become a member yet. That's just a really fun way that you can support the channel and support our volunteers who've so diligently been working behind the scenes to make the channel a success. When you become a member, you're rewarded with cool perks, including custom emojis and a custom name badge that goes next to your name. Also, we'll be doing a raffle for members only. Make sure to check out our live streams in the evening every Thursday. And thank you guys so much for joining us this evening. We'll talk to you next time.
See you.
See you.