Temple Endowment Ceremonies Part 1 The Creation

23 August

Temple Endowment Ceremonies Part 1 The Creation

The Endowment Ceremony Prior to 1990

The Creation

[Initiates have assembled in silence in the chapel. When all is ready, they are ushered into the Creation Room.]

For the next 2 or so hours patrons stay in the same room while watching a drama type scenario that takes place on the movie screen in the front of the room.  Throughout the different films, patrons will stand and kneel to pray around the altar or put on various temple clothing which signifies the robes of the priesthood while they chant their oaths and make the arm and hand gestures at the appropriate times.

FIRST LECTURER: Brethren and sisters, we welcome you to the temple and hope you will find joy in serving in the house of the Lord this day.

Those of you who are here to receive your own endowment should have been washed, anointed, and clothed in the garment of the holy priesthood. The ordinances of washing, anointing, and clothing in the garment of the holy priesthood, together with the ordaining on behalf of deceased brethren, were performed previously for those deceased persons whom you are representing.

Each of you should have received a new name in connection with this company. If any of you have forgotten the new name or have not received these ordinances as explained, please stand.

[Pause. If someone has forgotten the new name, a temple worker draws the person aside briefly to repeat the portion of the initiatory in which the new name is bestowed.]

Please be alert, attentive, and refrain from whispering during the presentation of the endowment. As you are asked to proceed to the veil, please do so in an orderly manner, row by row, as directed. After passing through the veil into the celestial room, and in other areas in the temple, if you need to communicate, please whisper, thus helping us maintain the quiet reverence that should prevail in the house of the Lord.

We will now proceed with the presentation of the endowment.

INTRODUCTION

SECOND LECTURER: Brethren, you have been washed and pronounced clean, or that through your faithfulness you may become clean, from the blood and sins of this generation. You have been anointed to become hereafter kings and priests unto the most high God, to rule and reign in the house of Israel forever.

Sisters, you have been washed and anointed to become queens and priestesses to your husbands.

Brethren and sisters, if you are true and faithful, the day will come when you will be chosen, called up, and anointed kings and queens, priests and priestesses, whereas you are now anointed only to become such. The realization of these blessings depends upon your faithfulness.

You have had a garment placed upon you, which you were informed represents the garment given to Adam when he was found naked in the Garden of Eden, and which is called the garment of the holy priesthood. This you were instructed to wear throughout your life. You were informed that it will be a shield and a protection to you if you are true and faithful to your covenants.

You have had a new name given unto you, which you were told never to divulge, nor forget. This new name is a keyword which you will be required to give at a certain place in the temple today.

The endowment is to prepare you for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. If you proceed and receive your full endowment, you will be required to take upon yourselves sacred obligations, the violation of which will bring upon you the judgments of God, for God will not be mocked.

If any of you desire to withdraw rather than accept these obligations of your own free will and choice, you may now make it known by raising your hand.

[Pause.]

Brethren and sisters, as you sit here; you will hear the voices of three persons, who represent Elohim, Jehovah, and Michael. Elohim will command Jehovah and Michael to go down and organize a world. The work of the six creative periods will be represented. They will organize man in their own likeness and image, male and female. This, however, is simply figurative, so far as the man and the woman are concerned.

THE FIRST DAY

[Elohim, Jehovah, and Michael are heard speaking outside the Creation Room.]

ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, see–yonder is matter unorganized. Go ye down and organize it into a world like unto the worlds that we have heretofore formed. Call your labors the first day, and bring me word.

JEHOVAH: It shall be done, Elohim. Come, Michael, let us go down.

MICHAEL: We will go down, Jehovah.

JEHOVAH: Michael, see–here is matter unorganized. We will organize it into a world like unto the worlds that we have heretofore formed. We will call our labors the first day, and return and report.

MICHAEL: We will return and report our labors of the first day, Jehovah.

JEHOVAH: Elohim, we have been down as thou hast commanded, and have organized a world like unto the worlds that we have heretofore formed; and we have called our labors the first day.

ELOHIM: It is well.

THE SECOND DAY

ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, go down again. Gather the waters together and cause the dry land to appear. The great waters call ye Seas, and the dry land call ye Earth. Form mountains and hills, great rivers and small streams, to beautify and give variety to the face of the earth. When ye have done this, call your labors the second day, and bring me word.

JEHOVAH: It shall be done, Elohim. Come, Michael, let us go down.

MICHAEL: We will go down, Jehovah.

JEHOVAH: Michael, we will gather the waters together and cause the dry land to appear. The great waters we will call Seas, and the dry land we will call Earth. We will form mountains and hills, great rivers and small streams to beautify and give variety to the face of the earth. We will call our labors the second day, and return and report.

MICHAEL: We will return and report our labors of the second day, Jehovah.

JEHOVAH: Elohim, we have been down as thou hast commanded, and have gathered the waters together, and have caused the dry land to appear. The great waters we have called Seas, and the dry land we have called Earth. We have formed mountains and hills, great rivers and small streams, to beautify and give variety to the face of the earth; and we have called our labors the second day.

ELOHIM: It is well.

THE THIRD DAY

ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, return again to the earth that you have organized. Divide the light from the darkness. Call the light Day, and the darkness Night. Cause the lights in the firmament to appear–the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. Cause the stars also to appear and give light to the earth, the same as with other worlds heretofore created. Call your labors the third day, and bring me word.

JEHOVAH: It shall be done, Elohim. Come, Michael, let us return again to the earth that we have organized.

MICHAEL: We will return again, Jehovah.

JEHOVAH: Michael, we will divide the light from the darkness, and we will call the light Day, and the darkness Night. We will cause the lights in the firmament to appear–the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. We will cause the stars also to appear and give light to the earth, the same as with worlds heretofore created. We will call our labors the third day, and return and report.

MICHAEL: We will return and report our labors of the third day, Jehovah.

JEHOVAH: Elohim, we have been down as thou hast commanded, and have divided the light from the darkness, and have called the light Day and the darkness Night. We have caused the lights in the firmament to appear–the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. We have caused the stars also to appear and give light to the earth, the same as with worlds heretofore created; and we have called our labors the third day.

ELOHIM: It is well.

THE FOURTH DAY

ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, return again. Place seeds of all kinds in the earth that they may spring forth as grass, flowers, shrubbery, trees, and all manner of vegetation, each bearing seed in itself after its own kind, as on the worlds we have heretofore created. Call your labors the fourth day, and bring me word.

JEHOVAH: It shall be done, Elohim. Come, Michael, let us go down.

MICHAEL: We will go down, Jehovah.

JEHOVAH: Michael, we will place seeds of all kinds in the earth that they may spring forth as grass, flowers, shrubbery, trees, and all manner of vegetation, each bearing seed in itself after its own kind, as on the worlds we have heretofore created. We will call our labors the fourth day, and return and report.

MICHAEL: We will return and report our labors of the fourth day, Jehovah.

JEHOVAH: Elohim, we have been down as thou hast commanded, and have placed seeds of all kinds in the earth that they may spring forth as grass, flowers, shrubbery, trees, and all manner of vegetation, each bearing seed in itself, after its own kind, as on the worlds we have heretofore created; and we have called our labors the fourth day.

ELOHIM: It is well.

THE FIFTH DAY

ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, now that the earth is formed, divided, and beautified, and vegetation is growing thereon, return and place beasts upon the land: the elephant, the lion, the tiger, the bear, the horse, and all other kinds of animals–fowls in the air in all their varieties, fishes of all kinds in the waters, and insects and all manner of animal life upon the earth.

Command the beasts, the fowls, the fishes, the insects, all creeping things, and other forms of animal life to multiply in their respective elements, each after its kind, and every kind of vegetation to multiply in its sphere, that every form of life may fill the measure of its creation and have joy therein. Call your labors the fifth day, and bring me word.

JEHOVAH: It shall be done, Elohim. Come, Michael, let us go down.

MICHAEL: We will go down, Jehovah.

JEHOVAH: Michael, now that the earth is formed, divided, and beautified, and vegetation is growing thereon, we will place beasts upon the land: the elephant, the lion, the tiger, the bear, the horse, and all other kinds of animals–fowls in the air in all their varieties, fishes of all kinds in the waters, and insects and all manner of animal life upon the earth.

We will command the beasts, the fowls, the fishes, the insects, all creeping things, and other forms of animal life to multiply in their respective elements, each after its kind, and every kind of vegetation to multiply in its sphere, that every form of life may fill the measure of its creation and have joy therein. We will call our labors the fifth day, and return and report.

MICHAEL: It is well, Jehovah. Now that the earth is formed, divided, and beautified, with vegetation growing thereon, and provided with animal life, it is glorious and beautiful.

JEHOVAH: It is, Michael.

MICHAEL: Let us return and report our labors of the fifth day, Jehovah.

JEHOVAH: Elohim, we have been down as thou hast commanded. We have placed beasts upon the land: the elephant, the lion, the tiger, the bear, the horse, and all other kinds of animals–fowls in the air in all their varieties, fishes of all kinds in the waters, and insects and all manner of animal life upon the earth.

We have commanded the beasts, the fowls, the fishes, the insects, all creeping things, and other forms of animal life to multiply in their respective elements, each after its kind, and every kind of vegetation to multiply in its sphere, that every form of life may fill the measure of its creation and have joy therein. We have called our labors the fifth day.

ELOHIM: It is well.

THE SIXTH DAY

ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, is man found upon the earth?

JEHOVAH: Man is not found on the earth, Elohim.

ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, then let us go down and form man in our own likeness and in our own image, male and female, and put into him his spirit, and let us give him dominion over the beasts, the fishes, and the birds, and make him lord over the earth, and over all things on the face of the earth.

We will plant for him a garden, eastward in Eden, and place him in it to tend and cultivate it, that he may be happy and have joy therein. We will command him to multiply and replenish the earth, that he may have joy and rejoicing in his posterity.

We will place before him the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and we will allow Lucifer, our common enemy, whom we have thrust out, to tempt him and to try him, that he may know by his own experience the good from the evil.

If he yields to temptation, we will give unto him the law of sacrifice, and we will provide a Savior for him, as we counseled in the beginning, that man may be brought forth by the power of the redemption and the resurrection, and come again into our presence, and with us partake of eternal life and exaltation.

We will call this the sixth day, and we will rest from our labors for a season. Come, let us go down.

JEHOVAH: We will go down, Elohim.

THE CREATION OF ADAM

[Elohim, Jehovah, and Michael enter the Creation Room. Michael sits in a chair with his head on his chest, his eyes closed, as if he were lifeless.]

ELOHIM: Jehovah, see the earth that we have formed. There is no man to till and take care of it. We are here to form man in our own likeness and in our own image.

JEHOVAH: We will do so, Elohim.

[Elohim and Jehovah pass their hands in the air over Michael’s body, from head to foot.]

ELOHIM: Jehovah, man is now organized, and we will put into him his spirit, the breath of life, that he may become a living soul.

[Elohim and Jehovah lift Michael’s head into an upright position. He opens his eyes.]

THE CREATION OF EVE

ELOHIM: Jehovah, is it good for man to be alone?

JEHOVAH: It is not good for man to be alone, Elohim.

ELOHIM: We will cause a deep sleep to come upon this man whom we have formed, and we will take from his side a rib, from which we will form a woman to be a companion and helpmeet for him.

[Elohim and Jehovah lower Michael’s head to his chest again. He closes his eyes as if asleep.]

JEHOVAH: Brethren and sisters, this is Michael, who helped form the earth. When he awakens from the sleep which we have caused to come upon him, he will be known as Adam and, having forgotten all, will have become as a little child. Brethren, close your eyes as if you were asleep.

[While the brethren’s eyes are closed, Elohim and Jehovah lead Eve into the Creation Room.]

ELOHIM: Adam, awake and arise.

JEHOVAH: All the brethren will please arise.

ELOHIM: Adam, here is a woman whom we have formed and whom we give unto you to be a companion and helpmeet for you. What will you call her?

ADAM: Eve.

ELOHIM: Why will you call her Eve?

ADAM: Because she is the mother of all living.

ELOHIM: That is right, Adam; because she is the mother of all living.

ADAM AND EVE ARE INTRODUCED INTO THE GARDEN

ELOHIM: Adam, we have organized for you this earth and have planted a garden, eastward in Eden. We will place you in the garden and will there command you and Eve to multiply and replenish the earth, that you may have joy and rejoicing in your posterity.

[Jehovah, introduce Adam into the garden which we have prepared for him.]

JEHOVAH: It shall be done, Elohim.

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