The Temple and the Plan

Brothers and sisters, there is a big symbol in scripture, it’s not that we miss it—we see it, we read it, it’s right there in our face, but we don’t always grasp the gravity of it. The symbol is war. When we read, “and there was a war in heaven,” [1] it doesn’t quite hit us as hard as it maybe should.

In this war, “the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan.” [2] “Cast out” …cast out where? Where did he go? Well, “he was cast out into the earth.” [3]

Earth? Here? Wait a second, I’m here! I don’t want him here! Or maybe in the premortal life, we could have said, “I’m going there! I don’t like him here; I certainly don’t want to be around him there. And what is he going to be doing down there anyway?”

Well, “[Satan] went [to earth] to make war.” Make war? With whom? “To make war with [those who] keep the commandments of God, and have a testimony of Jesus Christ.” [4] And this war is the real thing; it’s not a movie or a video game. It’s war, and we are in the middle of it.

Satan vehemently despises who you are and the good you are doing. When Babylon falls (which is a symbol of Satanic wickedness), the scriptures teach that the merchants of the earth will “weep and mourn” [5] because nobody will buy their merchandise anymore. In a minute, I’m going to give you a list of this merchandise, but as I do, notice that most items listed are not inherently bad; most are typical things that are bought, sold, and traded, but remember, everything on this list is merchandise to Satan. Okay, here’s the list from Revelation 18:

The merchandise of:

• Gold
• Silver
• Precious stones
• Pearls
• Linen
• Silk
• Scarlet
• Wood
• Ivory
• Precious wood
• Brass
• Iron
• Marble
• Cinnamon
• Odours
• Ointments
• Frankincense
• Wine
• Oil
• Flour
• Wheat
• Beasts
• Sheep
• Horses
• Chariots
• Slaves
• And souls of men. [6]

Did you catch it? “Souls of men?” Our souls, you, me, we are nothing more than merchandise to Satan. Bought and traded, sold and bartered. Nothing more than cinnamon to him.

And here we are, all together on this planet.

Well, this is a cheery beginning, isn’t it? I am showing you this so you can see not only what we are up against, but what a loving God and a redemptive Savior have provided us in this war to fight against Satan and the forces that work against us in mortality. Indeed, not only are we “not [left] comfortless,” [7] but the promise given to Moses and the children of Israel, I believe, is also given to us: “The Lord shall fight for you.” [8]

But how? How does that happen, the Lord fighting for us? At your age, this fight is now in your most formative and important years of life. What help do we have? Well, what if there was a special set apart place? A place of peace and reprieve, but more than that, a place where we can learn and be blessed as we confront mortality. What if there was a space, granted, that isn’t quite heaven, but it isn’t quite earth—a sacred space where we can be anointed, blessed, taught, and experience the love and peace from God, but also a firm testimony that Christ will “[crush Satan’s] head” [9] and endow us with power, enabling us to overcome.

As I continue, please notice the connection between the temple and overcoming the adversary. This connection was clearly established when the early Saints gathered in Ohio so that they could “be endowed with power from on high.” [10]

That is Doctrine and Covenants section 38 verse 32. If you look at verse 31, it gives a reason for the needed endowment: “that ye might escape the power of the enemy.” [11]

Now, the endowment in Kirtland is not the endowment we receive in the temple today, but the principle holds true. In Kirtland, Rexburg, and anywhere the Lord has authorized His house to be built, He provides a sacred space for us to be endowed with power to overcome the enemy. [12]

Indeed, “we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them.” [13]

This war, mortality, adversity, whatever you want to call it, or whatever word best describes life today, was never intended to be fought alone, and it absolutely is intended for you and I to receive help, strength, grace, and power to overcome what this world is trying to do to us. This place is the temple.

President Russell M. Nelson said, “Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. … [to lift] us above the pull of this fallen world.” [14]

Notice the power doesn’t come from a building—no matter how sacred. Jeremiah prophesied against this thinking when the people thought the building itself provided protection: “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings . . . Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord.” [15]

The structure, the actual building does not save us. Having one (or two) in our town isn’t something we can hide behind. As President Nelson just said, the power comes from Jesus Christ.

Elder Dale G. Renlund taught:

Notice how Elder Renlund again promises power through walking the covenant path, but also “protection against the influence of the adversary.” Temples provide us with powerful, protective influence.

Now listen carefully to what Sister J. Anette Dennis teaches as she connects power from temple ordinances and covenants: “This power that flows from our covenants can bless our lives in so many different ways because it is God’s power!” For example: “Mothers can draw on His power for added capacity and energy to meet their daily challenges.” [17]

Do you see that? She’s giving an example here of mothers who can draw on power and capacity to meet daily motherhood challenges. I think we could insert students, teachers, or anybody! It is possible to have God’s power with us in daily life because of covenants.

We’ve learned so far that temples play a role in the plan of salvation by providing us power to overcome Satan through Jesus Christ. Additionally, real power can come into our lives from a real Savior who really wants to help us in our everyday lives. Power to do what? Well, to be a mother, a student, to learn, to repent, grow, etc.

Our body is the instrument used to carry us along the covenant path here in mortality. If we are going to love God with all our “heart … might, mind, and strength,” [18] then I invite you to participate in all ordinances of the temple looking for ways our bodies are blessed and strengthened to do those very things.

Let me tell you a story that I hope connects gaining power through temple covenants.

It was Friday, June 28, 2013. Sister Gwilliam and I found ourselves in a waiting room at a doctor’s office; it was here that our third child Elise received a life-changing diagnosis. The weight of uncertainty and complexity coupled with shattered dreams of the future rained down on us. I don’t have time and can’t portray this moment effectively here, but it was so heavy. Again, this was Friday, June 28. On Sunday, June 30, I was ordained as the bishop of a newly created ward. On Wednesday, July 3, we welcomed our fourth baby into the world. In six days, we had a life-changing diagnosis, a new calling, and a new baby. To top it off, I was working full-time and was a full-time doctoral student with a dissertation due in just a few months that I had completed the research on but hadn’t started writing. I had just turned 30, and the weight of the world seemed to crash down on my shoulders.

Over the next few months, I rarely slept more than 3–4 hours a night. I typed almost all of my dissertation standing up between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. because if I typed sitting down, I would fall asleep. Replicating this day-after-day was taxing, but I kept two commitments: Honoring the Sabbath day and attending the temple regularly.

I boldly testify that regular temple attendance not only changed me, but changed this whole experience.

The story I just told is about me—my life—but I was not the main character. Heavenly Father and His beloved Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ were the principal characters. While I fought fatigue and intellectual and physical exertion, they blessed me with grace and power which I believe stemmed from making covenants and being endowed with power. That endowment blessed my mind and body to do things I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do. I’ll be honest, there were times when I felt frustration, anger, and even some despondency, with so many nights with so little sleep, the pressure and stress would mount. Elise rarely slept, and remember, we also had the new baby.

In my extremity, I looked up to heaven probably more than once and asked, “God, where are you?”

Perhaps you have felt this before? This soul-reaching, life-stretching moment that has brought you to the edge of faith and capacity? In desperation, have you ever asked, “God, where are you?”

It’s a good question.

Well, where is He?

Would you like to know the answer? He was exactly where He said he would be! “Where are you, God?” we may ask, and I think we could get the response, “Where I told you I would be! I am at my house, in the temple. Where will you find me? You’ll find me there.”

I testify that we can find Him in our homes, in classrooms, in nature, but for today’s conversation, we can find Him and His power in the temple.

In Luke 2, when Mary and Joseph are searching for Jesus, where do they find Him? “And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple.” [19]

Where should you go to find God? His house, the house of the Lord. He is there! That is why His Prophet said: “Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple.” [20]

It was during this period in my life that regular, consistent time in the temple became an integral part of my life. It was the needs in my life coupled with temple worship where I really felt I was given enhanced power that enabled clear thinking in my intellectual pursuits, greater power to fight fatigue, and my vision and ability to recognize the presence of God were enhanced and more focused. In short, I was powerfully enabled to overcome the burdens of life, I came to know that my path was indeed watched over and I had the energy and capacity to walk that very path.

I could go on and on, but my declaration is this: One of the ways God helps you in the fight of mortality is giving you temples. More temples in more places than you can imagine. As the Doctrine and Covenants teaches, it is here that you can not only “enter upon the threshold of the Lord’s house,” but also “feel [His] power.” [21]

I am absolutely convinced from my past (and current life experiences) that a real Redeemer endowed me with real power in a real temple that enables me to receive “divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ. It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by His atoning sacrifice” that I received then and do receive now, “strength and assistance to do good works that [I] otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to [my] own means.” [22]

I testify it is real. It is absolutely real. After those life-changing six days described earlier, I submitted my dissertation after three months of middle of the night writing which ended up being over 300 pages, because I had divine help.

Drawing on past experiences is powerful, but we can’t just leave it in the past. We must continue this mortal fight by having our faith pointed toward the future.

Elder Patrick Kearon suggested, “Heavenly Father, a loving Heavenly Father, who adores us, His children. And the purpose of us coming here—to learn, to grow, to interact, to love, to behave in faith.” [23]

I had never heard that term: “To behave in faith.” But I love it. I don’t know exactly what Elder Kearon means. I’d love to ask him sometime. But for today’s discussion, may I suggest that “to behave in faith” might mean having complete fidelity to our past experiences, but not staying there. To “behave in faith” is present tense, not past. I think we can do a better job of loving and learning from past experiences, but using the past to give us strength, optimism, and hope in the future. Meaning, we don’t have to constantly dwell on how hard life is and being so focused on adversity. Rather, we put faith and optimism in the foreground to be joyful people. Our endowment of power was in the past, but its blessings are in the present!

Elder Kearon taught us:

That means knowing I have made covenants and have access to God’s power moves me with motivation knowing that I can be blessed with power today to do the things I need to do today. To behave in faith, to me, is putting faith in the foreground of the daily expectations and burdens that we deal with.

Now sometimes when we go to the temple, we might say something like, “I don’t understand all of it” or “I don’t get the symbols.” May I invite you to think about something? If you don’t speak the language of a foreign country you are visiting, it isn’t the language’s fault, and it isn’t the fault of the people speaking the language. This may sound harsh, but who is at fault for not knowing the language? You are. Now, you aren’t a bad person for not understanding a foreign language, and you can even be a brilliant person and not speak a foreign language, but if you want to speak the temple language, the language of symbolism, you must pay the price to learn the language. If you are going to go to the house of the Lord to meet Him there, you are going to need to learn His temple language of symbolism. You can’t fully embrace a place without speaking the language. The temple is the same. We need to speak the language to understand it, and this language is not beyond your ability to comprehend.

In closing, let me say it one more time: We can find the Lord in His house: The house of the Lord. In His house, we are endowed with real, legitimate powers to our heart, might, mind, and strength so we can serve with all of our heart, might, mind and strength. [25] This fight is real. Satan “rage[s] in the hearts of the children of men,” [26] but there is a place to combat all of it. God gave it to you: The house of the Lord.

Frequently, it feels like it is most every time at the beginning of each semester, President Meredith does a few things. Have you noticed? First, he always gives Sister Meredith a kiss…I was thinking of inviting Sister Gwilliam up here and giving her a kiss, but some things, I think, are reserved for executive privilege. The other thing President Meredith does at the beginning of every semester is invite all of us—students, faculty, employees, everyone—to attend the house of the Lord.

In his devotional at the start of this spring semester, President Meredith said this:

“God, where are you? Where can I find you?” we cry.

“But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” [28]

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Notes

[1] Revelation 12:7

[2] Revelation 12:9

[3] Revelation 12:9.

[4] Revelation 12:17.

[5] Revelation 18:11.

[6] Revelation 18:12-13.

[7] John 14:18.

[8] Exodus 14:14.

[9] Genesis 3:15; see Old Testament Student Manual Genesis-2 Samuel, Genesis 3: The Fall, Gospel Library, 41.

[10] Doctrine and Covenants 38:32.

[11] Doctrine and Covenants 38:31.

[12] See Doctrine and Covenants 38:9, 31.

[13] Doctrine and Covenants 109:22.

[14] Russell M. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 96, 97.

[15] Jeremiah 7:3-4.

[16] Dale G. Renlund, “Accessing God's Power through Covenants," Liahona, Apr. 2023, 37.

[17] J. Annette Dennis, “Accessing God’s Power through Covenants,” 2024 Relief Society Devotional, Gospel Library.

[18] Doctrine and Covenants 59:5.

[19] Luke 2:46.

[20] Russell M. Nelson, “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again,” Liahona, Nov. 2024, 122.

[21] Doctrine and Covenants 109:13.

[22] Bible Dictionary: Grace.

[23] Patrick Kearon, “Remarks and Discussions: Elder and Sister Kearon and Young Adults,” February 2026 Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, Gospel Library.

[24] Patrick Kearon, “Closing Remarks,” February 2026 Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, Gospel Library.

[25] Doctrine and Covenants 4:2.

[26] 2 Nephi 28:20.

[27] Alvin F. Meredith III, “How Can One Person Be a Peacemaker?” (Brigham Young University-Idaho devotional, April 21, 2026), byui.edu/speeches.

[28] Habakkuk 2:20.

About Ezra Gwilliam

Ezra Gwilliam grew up in the small logging community of Vanderhoof, British Columbia, Canada. He served as a full-time missionary in the California Roseville Mission from 2002-2004.

Brother Gwilliam earned a bachelor’s degree from BYU-Idaho, followed by a master’s degree in literacy and a doctoral degree in education from Boise State University. Before joining the BYU-Idaho religious education faculty in 2018, he spent ten years teaching seminary and institute in the Boise, Idaho area.

Brother Gwilliam has served in numerous Church callings, including elder’s quorum president, priest quorum advisor, gospel doctrine teacher, counselor in a bishopric, and bishop. He currently serves on the high council.

Ezra Gwilliam married Lindsey Ward in July 2005. Together they have five children. He loves the Holy Land, sports, teaching, hiking, trail running, and spending time with his family.