The Orem Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was dedicated on Sunday, marking “a milestone in the progress of the kingdom of God on the Earth, and particularly in this vital part of his vineyard,” said apostle D. Todd Christofferson.
Latter-day Saints view a temple as a House of the Lord, a place where the faithful participate in their religion’s highest ordinances, including eternal marriage. At Sunday’s dedication, Christofferson urged church members to attend the new temple to become closer to God and find answers to their questions.
“What had seemed overwhelming and impossible can, with the Lord’s help, find resolution,” Christofferson said, “and we are more certain of his help. … In short, with our time in the temple we have been refined, even if only in a small degree, and heaven is that much closer.”'
The three-story, 71,998-square-foot temple is now the 17th currently operating in Utah, joining Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Draper, Jordan River (South Jordan), Logan, Monticello, Mount Timpanogos (American Fork), Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain (South Jordan), Payson, Provo (set to close on Feb. 24 to be demolished and rebuilt), Provo City Center (converted from the former Provo Tabernacle), Saratoga Springs (dedicated in August), St. George (rededicated in December after a massive renovation) and Vernal.
The dedications of three other Utah temples are scheduled in the next few months — the Red Cliffs Temple in St. George on March 24; the Taylorsville Temple on June 2; and the Layton Temple on June 16.
The iconic Salt Lake and Manti temples are undergoing renovation, and six more — Deseret Peak (Tooele), Ephraim, Heber Valley, Lindon, Smithfield and Syracuse — are under construction.
Church President Russell M. Nelson announced the Orem Temple at the October 2019 general conference, bringing “joy and an unexpected, miraculous surprise” for church members there, said Robert T. Smith, an area Seventy, especially because there are so many other temples nearby. (Five other temples are currently operating in Utah County, and another is under construction.)
“I feel like we’re living in the days when the revelations of the prophets are bringing to pass the prophecies of old and the inspired feelings of faithful church members,” Smith said. “This beautiful temple is part of fulfilling that prophetic destiny.”
