Salt Lake Temple - Symbolism

Symbolism

The Salt Lake Temple incorporates many symbolic adornments, similar to other LDS temples around the world. Symbolism is an important subject in the LDS faith.

The golden Angel Moroni placed on the capstone of the temple symbolizes the angel mentioned in Revelation 14:6 that will come to welcome in the Second Coming of Christ. The six spires of the temple represent the power of the priesthood. The three spires on the east side are a little higher than those on the west: they represent the Melchizedek or "higher priesthood" and the Aaronic or "preparatory priesthood" respectively. The three spires on the east side represent the First Presidency of the Church and the twelve smaller spires on those three represent the Twelve Apostles. On the west side of the temple the Big Dipper appears, which represents how the constellation was used to help travelers find the North Star and help them on their way, in the same way the Temple is viewed as a symbol to help people find their way back to Heaven. On the east side of the Temple are "clouds raining down" representing the way God has continued revelation and still speaks to man "like the rains out of Heaven". Above each door appears the "hand clasp," which is a representation of covenants that are made within temples—a central point of the LDS religion. Around the temple there are several carved stones known as "sunstones" which represent Heaven, "moonstones" in different phases representing this life in its different phases, and "starstones" representing Jesus Christ. The center tower on each side contains a depiction of the All-Seeing Eye of God representing how God sees all things.