Kirtland Temple

Three locations in a new list of the world’s most holy sites will be especially familiar to Latter-day Saints.

The Kirtland Temple endowment was central to the Lord’s purpose for bringing His Saints to Kirtland. Understanding varies, however, regarding what the Lord meant when He promised such a blessing.

I’ve been a fan of the Joseph Smith Papers Podcasts since the release of ‘The First Vision’ podcast in 2020 and the latest in the series, ‘Kirtland, City of Revelation,’ is no exception.

When we take the time to understand the deep historic and religious significance behind it, the Hosanna Shout becomes less unusual and more sacred.

Though the particular date it was written and the events that inspired "The Spirit of God" are unknown, there are many miraculous and incredible stories behind this beloved song and its author, William Wines Phelps, that have lead it to become one of the most recognizable and beloved Latter-day Saint hymns.

“He was visited constantly by angels,” Elder George Q. Cannon said of Joseph Smith. “These various angels, the heads of dispensations, . . . ministered unto him. . . . He had vision after vision in order that his mind might be fully saturated with a knowledge of the things of God, and that he might comprehend the high and holy calling that God had bestowed upon him” (Journal of Discourses, 23:362). Historical records of early Latter-day Saints, Doctrine and Covenants, and early Church documents reveal that Joseph Smith's visions and visits by heavenly messengers are too numerous to count.

Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery lowered one of the temple curtains that provided a private place to pray among the pulpits in the Kirtland Temple.