Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Dedicated 16–18 December 1989
by Gordon B. Hinckley

O God our Eternal Father, Almighty Judge of the nations, we thy thankful children solemnly bow before thee in a prayer of dedication. We are gathered in thy holy house to present it unto thee and unto thy Beloved Son, our Redeemer.

We lift our voices in gratitude for thy manifold blessings. Thou hast favored us with life in this glorious dispensation of time. Thou hast granted us citizenship in this good land. Above all, thou hast blessed us with the truths of thine everlasting gospel and the authority of thine eternal priesthood.

We thank thee for the Prophet Joseph Smith, an instrument in thy hand in bringing to pass this great work of restoration in preparation for the time when thy Son shall come to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

We thank thee for this beautiful temple, this house of worship, of learning, of covenants and everlasting promises. We thank thee for the faith and skills of all who have contributed to make it possible. It stands in this community which has become an oasis in the desert. As men have brought water to the dry earth of this region it has become fruitful, and now as a crowning jewel stands thy holy house with its surrounding lawns of green, its beds of colorful flowers, and the trees and shrubs which enhance its beauty.

Within its walls are to be tasted the refreshing waters of living and eternal truth. For all who enter the portals of thy house may this be an oasis of peace and life and light, in contrast with the clamor and evil and darkness of the world.

It stands where it will be seen by multitudes of the generations of men. May all who look upon it regard it reverently as the house of the Lord. May the hand of the destroyer be kept from it by thy power.

We are mindful of thy promise given in the early days of the Church that "inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it;

"Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God" (D&C 97:15-16).

We plead for forgiveness and strength to overcome our weaknesses. We long for the day when we may be worthy to look upon thy face. Keep us from the decay and servitude which come from sin. Bless us with the light and freedom which come of righteousness.

Thy house is now complete. It is beautiful, and we present it as the gift of thy thankful children.

And now, acting in the authority of the holy priesthood which comes from thee, and in the name of Jesus Christ thy Son, we dedicate unto thee and our Savior this, the Las Vegas Nevada Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We dedicate it as thy holy house. We pray that thy Spirit may fill this sacred structure and that thy influence may hover over it by day and by night. We pray that thou might hallow it by thy presence.

We dedicate unto thee the grounds on which it stands with their vegetation and all of the ancillary construction associated therewith. We dedicate the sacred rooms, each one, with its associated fittings and furnishings. We dedicate the baptistry, the endowment rooms where thy people will enter into covenant with thee, the sacred altars and the sealing rooms where eternal promises will be made and accepted, and every other facility within this beautiful structure. May it be hallowed to all who enter. May their thoughts be lifted to thee and thy Beloved Son. May a spirit of peace and reconciliation be in their hearts. In the great work that will be performed here, everlasting in its consequences, may thy people find satisfaction and gladness.

O Father, look with favor upon thy sons and daughters wherever they may be. When they err, and come unto thee in repentance, wilt thou forgive and remember their sins no more. Give them grateful hearts for the blessings which thou hast showered upon them. Grant unto them strength to walk the straight and narrow way that leads to life eternal. May the people of thy Church across the world become a great and singular community, united by the bonds of the everlasting gospel, with love and respect one for another, with faith and knowledge of thee and thine eternal purposes, with obedience to thy commandments and that happiness which thou hast promised to those who walk acceptably before thee.

We pray for thy prophet of this day, even President Ezra Taft Benson. Give him strength of body and mind according to his need. Give him joy in his heart concerning thy work and thy people. Bless those associated with him among the General Authorities and officers of the Church. Bless all who hold responsibility of any kind in thy Church and kingdom wherever it may be organized. Pour out thy spirit upon thy faithful saints everywhere.

Touch the hearts of the people of the nations that they may receive the testimony of thy servants the missionaries. And bless these, thy dedicated servants, that they may be powerful in their teaching of divine truth and in their testimony of thy Beloved Son.

Bless the homes of thy people. May there be peace and harmony and love. May thy people look to thee and live.

Father dear, we remember before thee the suffering and needful of the earth. There are so many who struggle and yearn. There are so many in the depths of sorrow and pain, of hunger and want, of darkness and sin. Let thy spirit brood over the earth and lead thy sons and daughters of all lands that they may drink of the waters of divine truth.

We so invoke thy blessing, dear Father, with grateful hearts and in humility before thee in the name of thy Beloved Son Jesus Christ. Amen.