Ancient Israel was commanded to build temples as Houses in which the Lord their God would dwell. The Temple or בֵּית הַמִקְדָּשׁ, was God's Sanctuary, the House Of Holiness, and his people served him according to the several ways He directed they should do. Local Jewish congregations met in Synagogues that were markedly dissimilar to the Temples of their fathers. When Christianity left its Jewish roots it adopted the forms of service of the Synagogue in its Churches and thenceforward considered Temples and Temple worship redundant. As part of the 'restoration of all things,' Latter-day Saints were commanded to build temples. Today's Temples are different in from ancient Temples although they have much in common. Both ancient and modern Temples are designated as God's Houses, and serve holy purposes as directed by Almighty God. Yet, as some keen-eyed critics have noted modern temples have little in common with ancient temples with regard to their form and ritual function. That is no surprise to Latter-day Saints who do not expect post-meridian temples to serve the same functions as ante-meridian temples any more than the Mosaic Code is expected to serve the same purpose as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That there is a connection is undisputed but it would be a facile argument that Christianity is not right because it does not resemble Old Testament ritual practices. It is equally facile to complain that modern temples do not function in the same way as did Israel's ancient sanctuaries. | 