In Helaman 10:8, the Lord proclaims to Nephi that by means of the sealing power given him, "if ye shall say unto this temple it shall be rent in twain, it shall be done." Hugh Nibley notes that the temple is the connecting point between the worlds, the markas shame u irsitim, the point at which heaven and earth meet. Notice it doesn't say "veil of the temple." "And if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou cast down and become smooth, it shall be done" (Helaman 10:9). This power goes beyond ordinances, you see. We talk about ordinances [Matthew 18:18]: "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven." Well, this goes beyond that. This is more than an ordinance. There is an understanding between the worlds, we're told, which is expressed by the priesthood and is expressed nowhere else. There is this understanding and coordination between the worlds, and that's what we have here. [Nephi would] have power, and whatsoever he sealed in this world will go over in heaven, and the other way around. . . .
Characteristic of this [Nephite culture], as of other cultures, is the hierocentric point--the great temple, the great shrine, the great mound, the great tower--which is the center of the land and marks the place at which people assemble whenever there's any alarm or emergency, or when there is a great message to be given (see Helaman 10:11). [Hugh W. Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 3, pp. 263-264]
The Lord Confirms the Covenant Way
Alma 45 -- 3 Nephi 10