{ "lessonDate": "2026-11-04", "lessonNumber": 141, "lessonTitle": "Ezekiel 47 — Blessings of the Temple", "semester": "fall-2026-ot", "source": "Seminary manual, Lesson 141 — Ezekiel 47, \"Blessings of the Temple\"", "scriptureBlock": "Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47", "bookName": "EZEKIEL 47", "deckType": "scripture", "lessonObjective": "Let students draw Ezekiel's river as it deepens and reaches the Dead Sea, find for themselves that the Lord heals and gives life to everything His water touches, and leave having named one blessing from the Lord through the temple they want and one step toward the house this month.", "doctrinePrinciple": "As we worship the Lord in His temple, He blesses us with healing, new life, and growth. The blessings come from Him, through the temple — and the further we walk out into them, the deeper they get.", "personalScriptureStudy": { "chapters": "Ezekiel 47:1–12", "questions": "Ezekiel is shown a temple in vision, with water running out from under its door. Read verses 1 to 5 and track how deep the water gets every time the messenger measures it. Then read 8 and 9 and find where the water goes and what happens to everything it touches — the sea it reaches is the Dead Sea, where nothing can live. Finish at verse 12 and find what the trees on its banks are for." }, "teacherNote": "SUPPLIES: a picture of a temple (Atlanta if you have it — it is the one this class goes to), blank paper for every student, colored pencils if you can, and a printed copy of the 'Blessings of the Temple' handout (Elder Renlund's list) for each student — it is the last page of Lesson 141 in the manual. Optional video: 'And the River Will Grow' on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, 0:26 to 1:29, and 1:58 to 2:33. THIS IS THE THEME LESSON OF THE YEAR AND YOU SHOULD SAY SO. Since September the class has carried the picture of a thirsty hiker and a water station on a hill. Today Ezekiel sees it: a house of the Lord on a mountain, with water pouring out of the door. Do not explain the connection — let them see it. Put the theme panel up next to Ezekiel 47:1 and ask what they notice. OPEN WITH THE TEMPLE PICTURE AND TWO COLUMNS. On one side of the picture write reasons a teenager might want to go to the temple; on the other, reasons they might not, or what makes it hard. Take every answer on both sides. Then two quiet self-assessment questions nobody answers aloud: how strong is my desire to worship in the temple, and what keeps me from wanting to go? PASTORAL NOTE, CARRIED OVER FROM LESSON 201 AND STILL THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ON THIS PAGE: some of this class go to the temple often with family, and some have never been, for reasons that are not theirs. Never ask for a show of hands on who has been. Keep every question about desire and the Lord, not about attendance. THE MANUAL'S NOTE IS WORTH OBEYING EXACTLY: say the blessings come FROM THE LORD THROUGH the temple, not from the temple itself. The building is the place; He is the water. THE DRAWING IS THE LESSON. Read 47:1 — waters 'issued out from under the threshold of the house.' Ask why water is a fitting symbol for the Lord's blessings: it gives life, everyone needs it, it cleans, and it is free. Point them to John 4:10 and 7:37–38, where the Savior calls Himself living water. A cubit is about 18 to 21 inches, elbow to fingertip. Then 47:3–5 and the measuring: a thousand cubits out, ankle deep; another thousand, knees; another, loins; another, 'a river that I could not pass over … waters to swim in.' Everyone draws the top half of the page — the temple and the river getting deeper. ASK THE QUESTION THE TEXT IS BEGGING FOR: the water got deeper because Ezekiel kept walking out into it. What was the Lord teaching about the blessings He gives through the temple? Ankle-deep is not the whole river, and nobody gets to the deep part without walking. THEN THE DEAD SEA. Ask: if you drew a place on your page where nothing can live, what would it be? In Ezekiel's day the answer was the Judean wilderness and the Dead Sea — so salty nothing lives in it, and undrinkable. Read 47:8–9 and 12: the water goes down into the desert and into the sea, and 'the waters shall be healed'; 'every thing shall live whither the river cometh'; fishermen stand on the shore of the Dead Sea; trees on the banks bear fruit every month, 'and the leaf thereof for medicine.' Students draw the bottom half. Then the open question: how would you summarize what you learned? Thank them, and help them reach a principle like: as we worship the Lord in the temple, He blesses us with healing, new life, and growth. 47:11 IS AN HONEST DETAIL IF A SHARP STUDENT FINDS IT: 'the miry places … shall not be healed.' The water heals what it reaches. You have to let it reach you. THE HANDOUT AND THE RIVER ON THE BOARD. Pass out Elder Renlund's list ('Family History and Temple Work: Healing and Sealing,' Liahona, May 2018, 47). Each student circles two or three blessings that stand out and writes them into the water on their drawing. Then draw a big river on the board and invite them to come up and write one each. Ask: which of these heal, and which give life? When have you or someone you know received one of these blessings from the Lord — including while preparing for the temple, or doing family history at home? Renlund's last line is the promise to read slowly: 'If you have prayed for any of these blessings, participate in family history and temple work. As you do so, your prayers will be answered.' FAMILYSEARCH ON A PHONE IS A REAL ANSWER FOR ANYBODY in this class, including the ones who cannot get to Atlanta this month. THEME LINK, AND BE PRECISE: panel one is the climb — the water station is on the hill, and Isaiah 2:3 is 'let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.' Panel two is that it is better than expected — ankles, then a river to swim in. Panel eight is the Dead Sea: salt water you can see from flat ground that will never quench anything (Jeremiah 2:13). The river from the house is the only water in the chapter that heals salt. THE WEEK: Monday the watchman, yesterday the word in one hand, today the water comes out of the house, tomorrow you find out what you promise when you go in. TIMING: temple picture and two columns five minutes, self-assessment one, 47:1–5 and the top half of the drawing seven, the Dead Sea and 47:8–12 and the bottom half six, the principle two, handout and the river on the board seven, testimony two, journals at 7:05. If you are behind, skip the video and shorten the two columns, never the drawing.", "cards": [ { "card": 0, "sectionName": "CONTEXT SETUP", "tagline": "Water From The House.", "title": "EZEKIEL 47 — CONTEXT SETUP", "subtitle": "The Water Station On The Hill Was In The Bible All Along.", "columnHead": "THE CHAPTER AT A GLANCE", "bullets": [ "Ezekiel saw a temple of the Lord in vision.", "Water flowed out from under its door.", "Every thousand cubits, the water got deeper.", "Ankles, then knees, then a river to swim in.", "It flowed down into the Dead Sea.", "Where nothing could live, the sea was healed.", "Everything lived wherever the river came." ], "keyFacts": { "Author": "Ezekiel, a captive in Babylon", "Setting": "A vision of a temple in Jerusalem", "A Cubit": "Elbow to fingertip, about 18 to 21 inches", "Key Phrase": "\"Every thing shall live whither the river cometh\"", "Main Themes": "Temple, healing, new life, growth", "Christ Connection": "He is the living water; the blessings come from Him (John 7:37–38)" }, "bandHeading": "SIX STEPS FROM THE DOOR TO THE SEA", "timeline": [ { "title": "THE DOOR", "ref": "Ezekiel 47:1", "text": "Waters issued out." }, { "title": "ANKLES", "ref": "Ezekiel 47:3", "text": "A thousand cubits out." }, { "title": "KNEES", "ref": "Ezekiel 47:4", "text": "Another thousand." }, { "title": "A RIVER", "ref": "Ezekiel 47:5", "text": "Waters to swim in." }, { "title": "THE DEAD SEA", "ref": "Ezekiel 47:8", "text": "The waters shall be healed." }, { "title": "EVERYTHING LIVES", "ref": "Ezekiel 47:9", "text": "Whither the river cometh." } ], "scrollQuote": { "text": "Every thing shall live whither the river cometh.", "attribution": "Ezekiel 47:9" }, "artPrompt": "A warm painterly golden-hour landscape of a white temple on a hilltop at sunrise with a clear stream flowing out from beneath it and winding down the hill into a dry desert valley, the land turning green along both banks of the stream." }, { "card": 1, "sectionName": "DIRECT TEXT INTERACTION & AI", "tagline": "Keep Walking Out.", "title": "EZEKIEL 47 — DIRECT TEXT INTERACTION & AI", "subtitle": "Measure The Water, Follow It Downhill, And Draw What You Find.", "focusHead": "OUR FOCUS TODAY", "focusText": "Track how deep the water gets as Ezekiel walks out into it, follow it down to the sea where nothing lives, and find what happens to everything it touches.", "scripturesHead": "TODAY'S SCRIPTURES", "scriptureKey": "The key: Ezekiel 47:1–9", "scriptureList": [ "Ezekiel 47:1 — waters from under the threshold", "Ezekiel 47:3–5 — ankles, knees, a river", "Ezekiel 47:8–9 — every thing shall live", "Ezekiel 47:12 — the leaf thereof for medicine", "John 7:37–38 — rivers of living water", "Isaiah 2:2–3 — the mountain of the Lord's house" ], "aiUseHead": "HOW WE USE AI", "aiUse": [ "Picture: What is the Dead Sea like?", "Measure: How far is a thousand cubits?", "Connect: Living water in the New Testament.", "Stay Spiritual: AI supports — the Spirit teaches." ], "aiPromptHead": "AI PROMPT TO TRY", "aiPrompt": "\"In Ezekiel 47:1-12 the prophet sees water flowing out from under the door of the temple, getting deeper from the ankles to the knees to a river that can only be swum, and flowing into the Dead Sea, where the waters are healed and 'every thing shall live whither the river cometh.' Describe what the Dead Sea and the Judean wilderness are actually like. Then explain what this vision could teach about the blessings the Lord gives through His temple, and how it connects to Jesus calling Himself living water in John 4:10 and 7:37-38.\"", "afterHead": "AFTER YOU GET A RESULT", "after": [ "Draw the river in your journal.", "Write the blessings in the water.", "Circle 'every thing shall live.'" ], "rememberHead": "REMEMBER", "rememberText": "The blessings come from the Lord, through the temple — not from the building. And the water only got deeper because Ezekiel kept walking out.", "bandHeading": "EXAMPLE QUESTIONS WE CAN EXPLORE WITH AI", "bandQuestions": [ "Why water?", "Why does it get deeper?", "What is the Dead Sea?", "What does the water heal?", "What are the leaves for?" ], "scrollQuote": { "text": "Waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.", "attribution": "Ezekiel 47:5" }, "artPrompt": "A warm painterly golden-hour scene of a clear shallow river flowing over smooth stones with a person's bare feet wading in at ankle depth, the river widening and deepening into the distance under early morning light." }, { "card": 2, "sectionName": "TALK ABOUT EXPERIENCE", "tagline": "Into The Water.", "title": "EZEKIEL 47 — TALK ABOUT EXPERIENCE", "subtitle": "Write The Blessings Into The River, Then Talk About Where It Reaches.", "goalHead": "DISCUSSION GOAL", "goalText": "Fill the river on the board with blessings the Lord gives through the temple, and talk honestly about which ones heal, which ones give life, and which ones we want.", "howHead": "HOW TO DISCUSS", "how": [ "Say what you want, not what you've done.", "Answer each other, not only the teacher.", "Family history counts — it starts at home.", "Keep the Savior at the center." ], "aiHead": "CONTINUE TO USE AI", "aiText": "Pick one blessing from Elder Renlund's list and ask how the temple and family history could bring it, then bring back one idea for this month.", "questionsHead": "THINK ABOUT THESE TOGETHER", "questions": [ "The water was ankle-deep at first and a river to swim in later — and the only thing that changed was how far Ezekiel walked out. What does that say about the blessings of the temple?", "Which blessing on the board feels most like healing, and which feels most like new life? Why would a teenager need either one?", "The Dead Sea could do nothing to heal itself. What is something in a person's life that only the Lord's water can reach?" ], "bandHeading": "EXAMPLE QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS", "bandQuestions": [ "Why go to the temple?", "What makes it hard?", "Which blessing do I want?", "Where is my Dead Sea?", "What is the next step?" ], "scrollQuote": { "text": "Being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.", "attribution": "Ezekiel 47:8" }, "artPrompt": "A natural photograph of teenagers in a classroom in early morning light drawing on paper with colored pencils, a large blue river drawn on the whiteboard behind them with short handwritten words inside it, open scriptures on the table." }, { "card": 3, "sectionName": "CHRIST-CENTERED ACTION", "tagline": "Every Thing Shall Live.", "title": "EZEKIEL 47 — CHRIST-CENTERED ACTION", "subtitle": "The Water Station Is A House On A Hill. Start Walking.", "columns": [ { "head": "START WITH JESUS", "text": "He is the living water. The river flows from His house, and every blessing in it comes from Him — healing, new life, and growth wherever it reaches.", "citation": "See John 4:10, 14; 7:37–38; Revelation 22:1.", "art": "A warm painterly golden-hour scene of the resurrected Savior in white robes standing beside a clear flowing stream on a green hillside at sunrise, the water bright in the morning light, no other symbols in the scene." }, { "head": "HE HEALS WHAT IT TOUCHES", "text": "The Dead Sea could not heal itself, and some things in us cannot either. Through the temple and family history, the Lord promises to mend what is broken.", "citation": "See Ezekiel 47:8–9, 12; Doctrine and Covenants 109:15, 21.", "art": "A warm painterly golden-hour scene of fruit trees with green leaves growing along both banks of a river where it meets a still blue sea, the shoreline turning green, morning light." }, { "head": "WALK OUT FURTHER", "text": "The water got deeper with every thousand cubits Ezekiel walked. Preparing, doing family history and going to the temple is how you get out of the shallows.", "citation": "See Ezekiel 47:3–5; Isaiah 2:3; Malachi 4:5–6.", "art": "A warm painterly golden-hour scene of a young person wading out into a wide, clear river up to the knees at sunrise, the water calm and the far bank green." } ], "ideasHead": "IDEAS: WHAT COULD I DO TODAY?", "ideas": [ "Open FamilySearch.", "Find one family name.", "Ask about a recommend.", "Plan a temple trip.", "Pray for one blessing.", "Look at a temple picture." ], "planHead": "MAKE A PLAN", "planQuestion": "Which blessing from the river do you most want, and what is one step toward the house this month?", "plan": [ "Which blessing have I prayed for?", "Where am I standing — ankles, knees, or deeper?", "What is one step I will take, and when?" ], "challengeHead": "CHALLENGE THIS WEEK", "challengeText": "Before Monday, take one step toward the temple: find one name on FamilySearch, talk to your bishop about a recommend, or plan a trip with your family. Write down what happened.", "rememberHead": "REMEMBER", "rememberText": "The water station was always on the hill, and today Ezekiel saw it: a house of the Lord with water pouring out of the door. Free, but you still have to walk out into it.", "scrollQuote": { "text": "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.", "attribution": "John 7:37" }, "artPrompt": "" } ], "journalPrompt": "Look at your drawing of the river and find the blessing you wrote into the water that you want most. Write why you want it and where you would honestly say you are standing right now — ankle-deep, knee-deep, or further out. Then write how you feel about worshipping the Lord in His temple, ask the Holy Ghost to help you say it accurately, and finish with one step toward the house this month and the day you will take it." }