God is omniscient, He sees all-time at one-time.  I try to remember that when things go inexplicably wrong. For example, He commanded the early Mormons to build the Nauvoo Temple — only for them to leave it behind and see it destroyed. In a mortal world, that would not be a good investment. Especially if you could see into the future.
The Mormons struggled to build the Nauvoo Temple. And although they were receiving their endowments in the room above the red brick store, and doing proxy baptisms in the river, God instructed them to build a temple.
Before the first story of the temple was up they used the basement for baptisms. Joseph and Hyrum were killed in June 1844, and the temple was no where near complete. In December of 1845, Brigham Young dedicated the upper room for endowments. They completed most of it under great difficulty — the possibility of mob violence being one, the other being the extreme cost in terms of money.
But then the Mormons had to leave the Nauvoo Temple. And it caught on fire in 1848. A tornado hit it in 1850. And then it was just a pile of stone and one remaining wall. In 1865, fire brought it all down. (ref) Stones were left in piles, and used by anyone who came along to pick them up. (However, one of the sunstones is in the Smithsonian. It was purchased from Quincy, Illinois for $100,000 in 1989.)
When the Mormons finally left Nauvoo under threat of the mobs, Brigham Young “saw the Nauvoo Temple burning and said, “Good, the best thing that could happen; take it, Father, it’s yours. I’m glad of it.” He never looked back. Five times his own house was taken from him, as well as his farm and everything he’d built up. He said he never thought of it; (Brigham Young Challenges the Saints, Nibley)
Later in Salt Lake, Brigham spoke to the people–
I was thankful to see the Temple in Nauvoo on fire. Previous to crossing the Mississippi river, we had met in that Temple and handed it over to the Lord God of Israel; and when I saw the flames, I said “Good, Father, if you want it to be burned up.” I hoped to see it burned before I left, but I did not. I was glad when I heard of its being destroyed by fire, and of the walls having fallen in, and said, “Hell, you cannot now occupy it.” JD 8:203
I realize there are questions of who and how the temple was set on fire. Especially since Brigham Young seemed to talk alot about setting things on fire if they had to abandon them. But aside from those questions, God still knows the beginning from the end. From an earthly mortal perspective, it would never make sense to build something that you knew would not last. God seems to have other plans than the best investment practices of the telestial world.
The Jews rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem, and it was destroyed. It appears that God wants us to trust Him, at all times, in all scenarios, and not place our faith in the arm of flesh. It is a lesson that will hopefully lead us to walk among the disasters of the last days, trusting God to lead us as He did the Israelites. We have so much in common with their past history. What has been shall be. And now it may be the closing of the time of the gentiles.
Jerusalem Zion Gate bewteen 1898 and 1914
Jerusalem Golden Gate between 1856 and 1860
Nauvoo Temple daguerrotype, 1847
Nauvoo Temple ruins, 1854
Nauvoo Temple Sunstone, Smithsonian Institute
Nauvoo Temple 2014
