Obadiah

Obadiah 1:17, 21

17 ¶But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

 21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

What is Obadiah talking about? Who are the “saviours,” and what is “mount Zion?”

Obadiah is referring to the saving work to be performed for the dead, in the Lord’s temples. At this time, on the earth, the authorization to perform ordinances for the living and dead, has been restored. We call it the “priesthood.” Through those who hold the priesthood, these ordinances can be performed. Many of them are done in our temples, which are dedicated, holy places, specifically built for this work.  

We participate in these ordinances, first for ourselves, then for our ancestors who have gone before us; those who did not have the opportunity to receive them while they lived.

This is a crucial part of Christ’s church, and part of who he is. He would never condemn his children who didn’t have the opportunity to learn of him, while they lived. Jesus Christ is an equal opportunity savior.

To those who are unfamiliar with this concept, it isn’t new to Christ’s church. Paul says:

1 Corinthians 15:29:

“Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?”

Paul is speaking of the “lost” practice of baptism for the dead, wherein worthy members are baptized, by proxy, for those who missed this opportunity in life, but need it—just as we do—to return to live with God.

In Doctrine and Covenants 128: 5, 15, the prophet Joseph Smith explains:

“You may think this order of things to be very particular; but let me tell you that it is only to answer the will of God, by conforming to the ordinance and preparation that the Lord ordained and prepared before the foundation of the world, for the salvation of the dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel.

And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect.”

So, we are the “saviours” Obadiah referred to, and “mount Zion” is the temple. Our dead depend on us for salvation, and this work we can do in our temples is necessary for our own salvation.

For a better explanation, see here.