Wherefore it must be that the whole Adam, the finished Adam (human), the Adam Elyon must be all of these; and this is not a creation that mankind can make of themselves; therefore, it must be the very work of YHVH, our Elohim.”
–Zenock 11:15-16
After tracing the sacred pattern from Eden to Sinai, from Solomon’s Temple to Ezekiel’s vision, and finally to the New Jerusalem, one profound realization begins to emerge: The temple has never been the destination. Rather, the temple has always been the teacher! Every altar, every veil, every sacred mountain, every holy city, every carefully measured sanctuary points beyond itself toward something infinitely greater. They are living symbols designed to prepare humanity for its own restoration. This is one of the central insights of Mormon Kabbalah.
The purpose of sacred architecture is not merely to build holy buildings, it is to build a holy people. The end of the Restoration is not the construction of countless temples of stone. Those temples are important because they teach eternal realities, but they are never the final goal. They are classrooms in which God patiently teaches His children who they have always been. The ultimate temple is the restored human family (Revelation 21:22). The bricks eventually become living stones, the architecture becomes character, and the measurements become mercy. The geometry then becomes love. Everything converges upon the restoration of the Adam Kadmon, the transformation in Christ Jesus to the Adam Elyon.
The Eternal Pattern of Humanity
And the first stage of man, the eternal human Adam Kadmon that was never born and shall never die, was brooding upon the face of the waters.”
–Melchizedek 4:5
Traditional Kabbalah often describes Adam Kadmon as the primordial human through whom creation first unfolds that shatters being unable to hold the divine light (Or En Sof). Mormon Kabbalah approaches the idea somewhat differently. To the Mormon Kabbalist, Adam Kadmon is understood not as one, singular, primordial individual but as the eternal spiritual pattern according to which every son and daughter of God was organized before mortality. The Hebrew word “adam” (אָדָם) is more than a name, it means “mankind” or “humanity.” In Hebrew, “Kadmon” (קַדְמֹון) translates to “primordial,” “ancient,” or “first.” When we say “Adam Kadmon,” we mean “primordial humanity,” the perfect children of God we were before we were born into this world. Who we were before the worlds were organized, before stars filled the heavens.
We are not here on this earth by accident, we are eternal beings clothed temporarily in mortality. The physical body is not an afterthought, and neither is the spirit. Both belong together, that was always the eternal plan. Rather than being shattered by the Divine Light, we are lamps meant to shine the Light of Christ out into the world, like holy lighthouses (Matthew 5:14-16). Mortality then becomes one chapter very short in a much, much larger eternal story. If we look backwards from this point, we would see that we have always existed, eternally with God. If we look forward, we will see the same, as we have been perfected in Christ. Therefore, Adam Kadmon is not someone we replace, it is not who we use to be. It is the divine image we gradually remember as we deepen our relationship with God through the Grace and atonement of Jesus Christ that we return to.
The Temple Mirrors the Soul
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”
–1 Corinthians 2:12
Thinking of ourselves as eternal beings may seem overwhelming, complicated, or even impossible. How could a finite being remember its eternal existence? Yet the concept likely feels familiar, feels right, feels true to many. Likewise, ancient temples appear complicated until one realizes that they are describing the interior life of every disciple. In the previous section, we discussed how the different temples in the Bible represent our journey as we grow in Christ’s Grace. Looking at the structure of the temple itself, we will see it is a mirror of each of us.
The outer court represents our interaction with the world, our lives. The laver (a large bronze basin used by priests for ceremonial washing and ritual cleansing) represents our cleansing in and through Jesus’ atonement. The altar represents sacrifice, both Jesus’ and ours as we pick up our crosses and follow Him. The Holy Place represents our spiritual growth. The menorah represents divine illumination, divine light, the presence of God, and the Tree of Life. The bread represents continual nourishment, as Jesus said, His body is the bread (John 6:51, Matthew 26:26). The altar of incense represents prayer, the power of our words floating up to the Heavens. The veil represents the transition between earthly consciousness and heavenly communion. The Holy of Holies represents direct fellowship with God. These are not merely rooms, they are stages of becoming, and every disciple journeys through them repeatedly. Sometimes we begin again at the laver, sometimes we linger near the altar. Sometimes we stand before the veil, and sometimes, through moments of profound grace, the heavens open and we glimpse the Presence beyond it. The temple describes spiritual formation, our spiritual formation.
Sacred Geometry as Spiritual Formation
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints… Let all things be done decently and in order.”
–1 Corinthians 14:33, 40
As stated previously, modern readers sometimes misunderstand sacred geometry as a sort of “mysterious mathematics.” The ancients rarely separated mathematics from theology. To them, numbers were relationships, measurements revealed harmony, and proportions taught balance. Geometry expressed wisdom, tying everything together in divine patterns. The universe itself was understood as ordered because our God is a God of order (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40). The temple embodies this divine harmony, giving us a stage to reenact our lives and our spiritual growth. This includes the architecture, where every measurement teaches balance. The Holy of Holies is a perfect cube, representing justice balanced with mercy, power balanced with compassion, truth balanced with love.
A cube rests perfectly, as it is one of the strongest geometric forms. This balance represents knowledge balanced with humility, strength balanced with gentleness. These are not abstract ideals, they are the architecture of Christlike character. When our lives become balanced in this way, we ourselves become sacred geometry made visible. Throughout Scripture, God is called the Rock, the Foundation, and the Cornerstone. The cube shape of the Holy of Holies becomes an architectural expression of these ideas.
Jesus Christ as the True Temple
The New Testament makes a startling declaration: Jesus identifies Himself as the Temple. John records Christ saying:
Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
–John 2:19
His listeners assumed He meant the building, but John explains He spoke of His body. Suddenly everything changes! The temple is no longer merely a place, it is a Person. Christ becomes the meeting place of heaven and earth, the Holy of Holies in the flesh. He is Jacob’s ladder, the Mercy Seat, the living Bread. He is the Light. Jesus is both the great High Priest, and He is the Lamb to be slain, the sacrifice.
We can now see that everything the ancient temple symbolized finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. This understanding is foundational in Mormon Kabbalah. The Tree of Life ultimately points to Jesus Christ, the temple points to Jesus Christ, and the Adam Kadmon finds its perfect expression as Adam Elyon in Jesus Christ. This is not because humanity disappears into Him, but because He reveals what humanity always was eternally before, and what we were always intended to become after the final judgement and resurrection.
The Restoration of the Human Family
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”
–Malachi 4:6
Still, why do we need a temple to see our individual salvation? Because this restoration was never merely individual. Scripture consistently tells a larger story of God restoring families, communities, cities, nations, even the creation itself! The Restoration has always been communal, this is why Zion matters so much to Latter Day Saints. Zion is not simply a place where righteous individuals happen to live, it is ubuntu: a people who have learned to become one. Ubuntu is a South African philosophy that centers on interconnectedness. The term loosely translates to “I am because we are.” It teaches that our individual identity, humanity, and success are deeply tied to the well-being and dignity of our community. Ubuntu and Zion are both concepts of the creation being one heart, one mind, one purpose, and one love.
The geometry of Zion is relational, as it is built in the architecture of compassion. Its measurements are forgiveness, and its foundations are mutual service. Its walls are hospitality, and the gates are always open. This explains why the scriptures consistently unite temple worship with care for the poor, a temple that is disconnected from mercy becomes empty architecture (Mosiah 2:28-38 [4:16-23]). We must remember that beautiful buildings alone cannot produce Zion, only transformed people can. And this is the point of purpose of temples: to build sacred communities.
The Priesthood of Living Stones
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”
–1 Peter 2:5
Peter describes believers as “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5). This image transforms our understanding of sacred architecture. Now, every disciple becomes part of the temple. But it is not merely us, it is our actions. Every act of kindness becomes sacred construction, as every reconciliation lays another foundation stone. Every meal shared with the hungry expands Zion, every forgiveness strengthens the bridge to Zion, and every honest conversation opens another gate. The Church is not some building or corporate entity, it is us! And we see that the Kingdom advances wherever living temples gather.
This understanding reshapes Priesthood itself. Rather than existing as authority over others, priesthood becomes stewardship. Its purpose, our purpose; is not domination, it is service. It is ubuntu. This is why God has called us to be a nation of kings and queens, priests and priestesses: we are all called to serve. And the greatest among us becomes the servant of all, this is precisely the pattern established by the life and teachings of Jesus the Christ.
The Temple and the Whole Creation
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
–Romans 8:27
Paul writes that creation itself groans, awaiting redemption (Romans 8:27). Mormon Kabbalah hears this as profoundly temple language. The creation longs for consecration, and the earth itself awaits restoration. The temple drama teaches us that the Garden will return, and the rivers will flow again. The Tree of Life bears Her fruit, and as we partake of it, the nations will be healed. Human redemption and creation’s redemption are inseparable, the temple therefore extends beyond humanity. It tells not merely our story, but the story of us all. The gardens, forests, animals, wateres, even the land itself, they all matter. The whole of creations participates in God’s covenant.
Knowing this, understanding it, we see that when we cultivate the earth wisely, we are not merely practicing environmental stewardship, we are participating in sacred Priesthood. The first command given to humanity was not to build kingdoms, it was to tend to the garden. The first priesthood calling was literally gardening. Think about that! The first sanctuary, the first temple, was Eden. Perhaps the final sanctuary will resemble a sacred garden more than we are ready to imagine.
Every Home Can Become a Temple
For behold: It pleaseth me that in every home there should be made a place to serve as a temple, and that ye always do remember to keep your homes holy, that I may find rest within.”
–Doctrines of the Saints 13a:81
One of the beautiful implications of this understanding is that sacred space is no longer confined to designated religious buildings. Our homes become temples, our dinner tables become altars, and our gardens become sanctuaries. What a unique gift for our families! Rather than waiting to go to a holy place, our understanding transforms, our eyes are opened, and we see we are already raising up our families in our own sacred spaces.
But just as this idea extends beyond ourselves to our families, it extends beyond our homes into the whole community. Hospitals can become places of physical and spiritual healing, schools become places of wisdom, and shelters become places of refuge. Any place where Christ’s love is made visible becomes holy ground. This democratizes holiness. Every believer becomes capable of participating in temple work, not because every place replaces the temple, but because every place can reflect its purpose.
The Restoration Is Still Unfolding
I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from out of the mouth of God, for He will give unto the faithful line upon line precept upon precept.”
–Doctrines of the Saints 61c:8
Perhaps the greatest lesson of Mormon Kabbalah is that revelation did not conclude with any single generation. God continues to teach us. The heavenly pattern continues to unfold all around us. The Restoration remains alive as each generation receives additional opportunities to understand the eternal design. This is not because eternal truth changes, but because humanity grows. We continue to learn line upon line, precept upon precept. Like children learning increasingly advanced mathematics, we receive greater understanding as we become capable of living it. The temple itself teaches this principle, as one moves gradually inward, each room prepares for the next. One revelation prepares for the next as the journey itself is sacred.
The final vision of Scripture is surprisingly simple: God dwells with humanity. The veil, the separation, ends. Life overcomes death as love overcomes fear. Creation becomes what it was always intended to be. The New Jerusalem descends not as humanity escaping earth, but as the Heaven embracing this creation. The cosmic temple is completed as the family of God is gathered. The Tree of Life bears fruit for all nations, and the Presence fills everything. Maybe this has always been the deepest purpose of every temple ever built, not merely to teach us how to find God, but to prepare us to become the kind of people who can joyfully dwell forever in His presence.
