Drop That Trumpet Moroni

 by Pastor Doug Cox

The Apostle Paul posed a question to the believers at Corinth saying “…do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV

On March 18, 2020 a magnitude 5.7 earthquake shook the LDS temple in Salt Lake City knocking Moroni’s trumpet out of his hand. Suddenly the iconic structure of the Mormon faithful was unsafe for use and the Mormon leadership had a decision to make. Would they tear down their iconic landmark and replace it with a new one or would they spend millions and millions of dollars to renovate. The answer is obvious, because Mormonism is about temples, temples and more temples. How could they not keep the original, even though Peggy Fletcher Stack in an August 8, 2021 article (Salt Lake Tribune) said there will be some reconfiguring, “reconfiguring of rooms, removal of murals and loss of live rituals (which may) leave some lamenting that the iconic structure just won’t be the same.”

That’s not surprising because ‘reconfiguring’ is nothing new for the Mormon church. While their missionaries are out knocking on doors preaching about a restored gospel and promoting what they call the most perfect book on earth, the Book of Mormon, the home office has been busy making 5,000 changes to that same book. And changes have not only been made to the Book of Mormon but to the Temple Ceremony as well. So much for the ‘restored gospel.’

You might be surprised to learn that Mormons used to swear death oaths during the temple ceremony beginning under Joseph Smith’s 1842 leadership until the church took a knife to it in 1990. During that time temple patrons promised to keep the law of sacrifice. After that they were given a new name that they were to never reveal. Next, they swore by oath they would keep it quiet and made an agreement to a penalty if they didn’t.

The gruesome oath and penalty went like this for each person. “I …covenant that I will never reveal the First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign and penalty. Rather than do so, I would suffer, my life to be taken.” And to put emphasis on the oath the patrons were instructed to place their right thumb under their left ear, then to draw their thumb across their throat to the right ear, then quickly drop their hands down to the sides while saying these awful words.

I can’t for a second see Jesus taking His disciples aside, giving them secret names and handshakes and then making them swear by their life that they won’t reveal them. Nor can I even imagine Him telling them to draw their thumb across their throat or lower stomach or chest telling them, “if you do reveal the secrets I just gave you, this is how you will die.”

Jana and I made those oaths back in 1984. I thought it a strange thing to do and I never caught the gravity of what it meant until 1985 after I left the church. After studying Mormonism’s shady history, I found Joseph Smith to be a false prophet and the Mormon church to be false as well. I sent out a letter making it known to everyone in the church. Shortly after we got an anonymous letter in the mail saying there is safety in numbers. In other words, don’t get caught alone, something could happen to you. My kids were called devil worshippers on the playground at school. I even had someone who I served with in the church point his thumb and finger at me like he was shooting a gun. It didn’t bother me. I had committed my life to the true Jesus and found a peace I had never known before.

The truth is Mormonism knows nothing about Biblical Temple worship. It doesn’t make sense that they want to put temples around the world in every country while God only wanted one Temple in the city of Jerusalem. Solomon built the first and after it was destroyed another was built on the same spot. It was known as Herod’s temple during Jesus’ ministry. The primary use for the Temple was to reveal that God is holy and man is not. The only way to Him was through sacrifice because the wages of sin is death, and all men are sinners.

God allowed animals to be substituted in death to cover the sins of the repentant. There was no swearing oaths or secret handshakes. There was sacrifice after sacrifice all pointing to the final sacrifice to come. John the Baptist pointed Him out one day calling Jesus the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. When Jesus died on the cross the veil of the Temple in Jerusalem was torn from top to bottom. Tearing the veil from top to bottom was God’s way of saying he was finished with manmade Temples. Herod’s Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

Friends the only blood God is looking for today is the blood of Jesus as it cleanses repentant sinners from their sin. God is not interested in some granite building with granite spiers and no cross. God is not making people wear fig leaf aprons or putting them under death oaths to keep temple secrets. God doesn’t live in buildings. Don’t you know that your body is to be the temple of the Holy Spirit?

In the book of Acts a young man named Stephen was martyred for his faith and witness of the risen Christ. He was stoned to death for telling the religious elite of his day that even though Solomon built God a house, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands. Stephen quoted a real prophet, Isaiah, who said “Heaven is God’s throne, and earth is His footstool.” While the religious Pharisees were picking up stones Stephen continued to quote Isaiah saying “What house will you build for Me says the LORD, or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things? You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.” (See Act 7:47-51)

What were they resisting? They were resisting the idea that the Resurrection of Jesus and the offering of His blood in heaven did away with the Aaronic priesthood and the Temple. They resisted the idea that God was doing a new thing with His people. (See Acts 2). They were resisting that God was bring His people into a spiritual rest through Grace.

Jesus said “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 He didn’t say follow the rules, pay your tithe and swear a death oath and I will give you rest. Mormon doctrine is ungodly doctrine that God never ordained.

Friends the blood of Jesus has the power to cleanse us from sin. John the Revelator said this, “… Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5-6)

Once an individual is cleansed from sin through faith in the blood of Jesus, that person’s body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit. They become a part of God’s kingdom of priests. It is a slap in the face to God to say that a manmade temple is greater than the body of Christ. It is demonic influence that puts people under death oaths. It is wrong for men claiming a special priesthood to make people feel guilty for not being temple worthy. It is wrong to tell people they have to earn something Jesus has already paid for with His own blood.

If only people would understand that God doesn’t dwell in physical buildings, but instead He desires to dwell in the repentant hearts of humans. Mormonism is an outright rejection of Christ’s power and instead of producing peace it uses fear and threats of death to make people hold to the strict Mormon temple ordinances. Friends if the Mormon temple is anything, it is unholy and ungodly. Moroni dropped his trumpet for a reason. God shook it out of his hands. The temple he is set on is not God’s temple, you are. That is if you will let God do His work of forgiveness and love in your life. In Revelation 3 Jesus is knocking on hearts doors waiting for the repentant to let Him in. Is that You?

Pray now!

Lord Jesus Christ, I’m a sinner, and I believe You love me. I believe that You are God in the flesh. I believe that You came to earth to die for my sins. I believe that God raised You from the dead after doing that. I believe that You are alive right now in heaven waiting to hear me call to You. I confess with my mouth what I believe in my heart… that You are Lord! I want You to be my Lord. I invite You to come into my heart. I want You to guide me forward as I live the rest of my life for You. Amen

To move forward in faith, it will help to pray and read the Bible with the idea that it is about revealing Jesus. Find a church that believes that Jesus is the only way to God and preaches from the Bible. Crossroads Newlife Fellowship Church is a good one but there are many others that are good as well.