My scripture studies article “The Desert Shall Rejoice, and Blossom as the Rose.” Quote from the opening paragraphs:
“In ancient times the great prophet Isaiah proclaimed
“The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing…they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God…for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirty land springs of water…and an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of Holiness…and the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall fee away.” (Isaiah 35:1–2, 6–8, 10)
“The early saints who entered the Salt Lake Valley understood the words of Isaiah to have special meaning and application to them. Indeed the Salt Lake Valley was at that time a desert, a solitary place. But since then it blossomed as the rose and became the center place where the ransomed of the Lord came to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads.
In this lesson we will briefly review the history of the saints reaching the Great Basin and the founding of the first temple unto God in the West. Then we will discuss the typologies of ancient temples and compare that to temples today. Finally, we will discuss the gospel principles that lead us to the temple and the some of the principles that we receive at the temple.”
