Sanctuary: Discovering the Temple

In this conversation, Josh walks us through the pattern of the ancient tabernacle and Solomon’s temple, helping us begin to understand what temple worship and sacrifice looked like for the ancient Israelites. Gaining an understanding of what the temple experience was like anciently has really helped to enrich my relationship with our modern temple. I was struck by both the similarities and the differences in how we relate to the temple today. Josh breaks down the various types of sacrificial rites the Israelites performed and shows how they are more similar to our modern law of sacrifice than we might expect.
These were people who faced the same challenge we face today: how to move beyond outward performance and truly offer our whole heart and soul to the Lord. Josh teaches that, in the end, the only thing we can really offer God is our will. God invites us into the experience of sacrifice and repentance—a journey that both transforms and liberates, a journey back to Eden. And all that is needed to begin is our desire
Joshua M. Matson is an assistant professor in the Department of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University, with an appointment to the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. His published work has focused on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Hebrew Bible (particularly the Old Testament Minor Prophets), ancient and modern manuscript studies, and the Jewish context of the Greek New Testament. He is the editor for the book of Haggai for the Society of Biblical Literature Hebrew Bible Critical Edition and is a member of the editorial board for the BYU New Testament Commentary Series. He is a former researcher for the Scripta Qumranica Electronica project and an Orion Center for Dead Sea Scrolls Research Fellow at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. A former Religious Educator with Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, Josh and his wife Erin are the parents of four children and reside in Santaquin, Utah.
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As we began preparing to create the Sanctuary podcast, one of our goals was to offer a resource for those preparing to attend the temple for the first time. We wanted to have a straightforward conversation about what you can expect in the endowment ceremony and provide some context to help you begin understanding the purpose behind these sacred rituals.
In this episode, Jasmin and I zoom out and take a bird’s-eye view of the “covenant path.” She helps us begin to see the greater message and pattern that is unfolding, and how the different ordinances connect to one another. I was inspired to have this conversation with Jasmin after hearing a comment she once made: “The endowment covenants are deeper iterations of baptismal covenants.”
If you—or someone you love—is preparing to receive their endowment for the first time, this episode is for you. I remember wishing that someone had walked me through what happens in the endowment ceremony, like Jasmin does in this episode, before I went through the temple for the first time. Sometimes, simply knowing what to expect can make something as big and magnificent as the temple experience feel more approachable. At the same time, as Jasmin mentions in this episode, there is also something to be said for leaning into the mystery and surrendering to the experience.
Come learn about God’s invitation to become kings and queens, priests and priestesses—and how taking on Christ by emulating Him is the process through which we move toward this eternal destiny.
Jasmin Rappleye is a social media content creator, where she focuses on addressing challenging Latter-day Saint beliefs, history, and news. She has a degree from Brigham Young University in Ancient Near Eastern Studies and has a passion for sharing her faith online. She was the former Director of Communications at Scripture Central and is now on the Executive Committee of the Ancient America Foundation and Faith Creators Alliance.
Follow Jasmin on Instagram here.
Follow Jasmin on Youtube here.
Listen to Jasmin’s podcast here.
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This conversation with Matt was one of my favorites. I am endlessly fascinated by ritual. Why have humans, since seemingly the beginning of time, performed rituals? I want to understand the role ritual plays in my life, in my community, and in the world. I have wrestled with it. I have hated it. I have been transformed by it. I have come to deeply love it—and will likely cycle through all of those feelings many times throughout my life.
I’m convinced of ritual. I really am. Even more so after this conversation with Matt. In this episode, he walks us through the history of Christian ritual, how our relationship with ritual was profoundly transformed during the Reformation, and what Joseph Smith envisioned for the Saints when establishing something radically different in the 1830s.
We explore why people believe that Jesus “did away with the law of Moses,” where that phrase came from, and why so many Christians believe we have “outgrown” ritual. Matt invites us into a new way of understanding the purpose of our rituals, and I left the conversation feeling truly inspired to more fully embrace what we are doing in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Matthew Bowman was appointed the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies in 2019, with a joint appointment in History and Religion. He is a specialist in American religious history, with particular interests in Mormonism, new religious movements, UFOs, and the development of the concept of “religion” in the United States. Most recently, he is the author of Joseph Fielding Smith: A Mormon Theologian and The Abduction of Betty and Barney Hill: UFO Encounters, Civil Rights, and the New Age in America.
Finding Matthew’s books here.

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I was so grateful to have the pleasure to speak with Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife for this episode.. This conversation is another exploration of covenants, but from the framework of the stages of development. This episode begins with Jennifer introducing the three stages of development she describes in her work, and from there she helps us get a feel for how we might relate to God’s laws based on the current stage of development we are operating in. I love that Jennifer emphasizes that value of each stage, whilst also holding a vision for what is possible, both for the individual and the community. We planned to work through all of the covenants, but this ended up being a conversation largely on obedience and what it might look like to have an evolving relationship with it.
I myself have witnessed an evolution of how I relate to my faith and discipleship over the years, and this information has really helped me to better understand the developmental journey that I’m on, and to look forward to what it is I’m moving into. I feel it is so valuable to learn that there are new ways we might experience our faith and relationship with God.
This felt like a perfect moment to share this conversation as we are exploring obedience in Come, Follow Me this week. I hope you love it as much as I did.
Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife is an LDS relationship and sexuality coach with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. She is the author of That We Might Have Joy: Desire, Divinity, and Intimate Love and the creator of six online courses that help individuals and couples create happier lives and stronger intimate relationships. She also hosts Room for Two, a popular sex and intimacy podcast, and is a regular guest on LDS-themed podcasts discussing relationships, faith, and sexuality.
Find Jennifer’s book here.
Find Jennifer’s courses and podcasts here.
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Gosh, I really can’t express how much I loved this conversation with George. It felt like a celebration of life—and an invitation to live and love it more fully. This conversation explores the five covenants we make in the temple, with particular emphasis on the first and the last: obedience and consecration. George shares his personal journey of coming to know the true God and of developing his own desire to offer his obedience to Him. We explore what true freedom is, the gift of our own weaknesses, and how to answer the call to a life of generosity and service. And that, perhaps, what becomes unveiled as we truly align ourselves with these divine laws is our ability to see just how precious and beautiful life really is.
George Handley has taught at BYU in the fields of humanities and environmental studies for the past 28 years. He and his wife, Amy are the parents of four children and grandparents of four little ones. He is an incredible writer. His books include Hope of Nature, If Truth Were a Child, American Fork, and Home Waters.
*Just a heads up, towards the beginning of this episode, George mentions his brother’s death by suicide and speaks to how that profoundly impacted his life and spiritual journey. Please be aware if this is something you are sensitive to.
Follow George on Substack here.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.sanctuarypod.org