“I now pronounce you man and wife, and oh, by the way, on December 5, five years from now you will automatically be divorced. It doesn’t matter how you feel about each other, come the 5th and your marriage will end.” That pronouncement expresses the feelings we have about sealings performed outside Mormon or LDS Temples. Most marriages are performed for time during our mortal stay on earth, and when one partner dies, the marriage is dissolved. Of course, we do not know ahead of time when the death will occur. In contrast, we believe sealings performed in the Temples, by the power of the Priesthood of God, are performed for both time in mortality and eternity in Heaven. Implicit in this belief is the condition that both partners remain true to the commandments of God; the ceremony itself is only a promise of eternal marriage.
Bind in Heaven
When Jesus commissioned his Apostles, he told them their actions would be in effect in the next life.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19)
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18)
The Greek word translated ‘bind’ in those two verses is deo and means to tie or to be in bonds. Likewise, the Greek word translated ‘loose’ is luo and means to loosen, breakup, destroy, or dissolve. Jesus told the Apostles that whatsoever they tied together in the spiritual sense on earth would be tied together in Heaven and whatsoever they dissolved on earth would be dissolved in Heaven. An example of this authority to ‘bind’ is found in the verse immediately following the Savior’s declaration to them that they could bind in Heaven. Jesus told them that if two of them agreed on how the prayers of the faithful should be answered by God, then the prayers would be answered that way.
Again, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 18:19)
That is, the Apostles would act for God in giving answers to prayers. This scripture implies that the authority given the Apostles to bind or make valid in Heaven applied in general to all the work of the Apostles. Thus, if they performed marriages, those marriages would be accepted by God in heaven and would be eternal marriages.
Adam and Eve Were Married
Prior to the Fall, Adam and Eve were in a condition in which there was no death. We read in Genesis that Eve was Adam’s wife, indicating they were married by God while in the Garden of Eden.
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:25)
That marriage was eternal because it existed prior to the Fall.
Eternal Marriage
Through latter-day revelation, the Lord revealed that all covenants made with God that are not sealed by the Holy Ghost are null and void upon death.
And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise….are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead. (D & C 132:7)
That is, from the perspective of God, this earth life is but a small moment, and it is his intent that his relationship with us and our relationship with each other be eternal ones, lasting forever. The Lord went on to explain that marriages should be eternal, and that marriages not performed by the Priesthood are void when death occurs.
Wherefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world. (D & C 132:15)
The Lord has revealed that marriages for eternity are to be performed in Temples, both for living couples and by proxy for those who died without this opportunity.
Some who oppose the LDS Church say there are no eternal marriages, and they refer to Matthew 22:30 in which the Savior said in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage. Let us look more closely at that verse. The Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection and were trying to trick the Savior, asked Jesus a question about the resurrection. According to the Law of Moses, if a man died his brother would marry his widow to raise up children to the first brother. The Sadducees posed the theoretical question of brother after brother dying, and they asked, Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven [brothers]? for they all had her. In response, Jesus said the following.
Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. (Matthew 22:29-30)
Notice that Jesus did not say that marriages would not exist in the resurrection. What he did say was that “they neither marry, nor are given in marriage”, that is, marriage ceremonies are not performed by resurrected individuals. He was talking about the act of marriage not the condition of marriage.
Allen's Mormon (LDS) Site 
I do not have anything against the subject matter. However, I have a question in regards to eternal marriage. If you wish to comment on it or not I will understand. If 10 women are sealed to me in the Temple in this life, are they all going to be my wives in the Celestial Kindom? (I was abled to marry all my three wives in the Temple and 7 more women decided to be sealed to me in the temple after I die. I was familiar with the first three women but not the seven. Will they all be my wives in the Celestial Kingdom because it was done by the Authority of the Priesthood and sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promised, eventhough I was not aquainted with the seven women? If my question is out of order then please disgarded. I want to know more on what the Church teaches about this matter. Thanks!
The fact that sealings were performed in the Temple doesn’t imply that those sealings will be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. So, concerning your hypothetical question, we don’t know if the 7 women will be your wives or not. I don’t know if the Church has a current policy about women being sealed to a man who never knew them. You’d have to ask a representative of the Church about that. At any rate such a policy, if it exists, is just that, a policy for activities in the Temple. Only the Lord knows which sealings will be made by the Holy Spirit of Promise and which ones won’t. Other LDS might have different views about your question, but this is how I understand the situation.
This is an excerpt from a talk given by President Spencer W. Kimball and can be found on lds.org under gospel topics/marriage.
It will be remembered how the Lord answered the hypocritical Sadducees who, trying to trap him, propounded this difficult problem:
The husband died leaving no posterity, and the wife married his brother who also died without seed. She in turn married a third brother, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, and a seventh all in accordance with the law of Moses, and then the woman of the seven husbands died also.
Dr. James E. Talmage writes: “The Lord’s meaning was clear, that in the resurrected state there can be no question among the seven brothers as to whose wife for eternity the woman shall be, since all except the first had married her for the duration of mortal life only. … In the resurrection, there will be no marrying nor giving in marriage; for all questions of marital status must be settled before that time, under the authority of the Holy Priesthood, which holds the power to seal in marriage for both time and eternity.” (Jesus the Christ, p. 548.)
Undoubtedly, the first husband married the woman for eternity by a ceremony which was not limited by time. She became a widow at his demise until she should also die and join her husband. Now, she married brother number two, “until death do you part,” and it definitely parted them even before posterity, and he went into the spirit world through the veil and with no wife, for their contract also had been terminated by death. And brothers number three and four and five and six and finally number seven in turn—all married her in temporary marriage, in which ceremonies were the limitations, “so long as you both shall live.” And death terminated what happiness they had had and their promise of future bliss.
I hope this helps to answer some questions. We don’t practice polygamy now and we are only going to be sealed to one person in this life for all eternity.
Dr. Talmage,
Jesus did NOT say that the first husband would be the eternal mate. Please do NOT take your opinion and present it as fact. Far too much is spent on opinion and opinion which are passed off as facts. This is not convincing at all. I think Jesus was as clear as one could get on a straight forward question and answered this clearly. Jesus did not go into any syntax slight of hand.
The idea that there is no eternal marriage is opinion. It is the opinion of biblical scholars and philosophers. It is nothing more. They have no authority outside of their own opinions as to what the Bible means. They may translate it correctly but understanding it is another thing. Why else do you think there are so many churches? This is why God called prophets in days of old and now again in the latter-days. Marriage and the family are ordained of God. They are eternal as he is eternal. Marriage was not a new invention 6000 years ago. We were not created out of nothing at birth. We are the children of heavely parents as the Proclamation on the Family states.
Hi, I have a question. I am Mormon and my husband is not and we are both very committed to each other and righteous, and I know he would accept the gospel on the other side.. but has not yet accepted it here, Would we have the opportunity to be sealed after death? And also if he died could I be sealed to him?.
Hi Lynny,
First, a couple of general comments. Bishops and Stake Presidencies judge us as far as the church is concerned. The church forms policies about things. However, none of these things mean anything as far as salvation is concerned. These things only apply to the church as a mortal organization. Whether the two of you will have the opportunity to be sealed after death, and whether you can be sealed to your husband if he dies first, only Jesus Christ can say that. So, what do we do? We follow church policy and then leave the rest to the righteous judgment of God. If your husband dies first, you can be sealed to him. However, understand that that sealing (and this applies to all temple marriages and sealings) are only promises of what may happen. God will judge us, according to our works as the scriptures say, and He will decide if our sealings will be actually sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise.
My mother and father in law are in the same situation as you and your husband. My mother-in-law is LDS and my father-in-law wasn’t. He died at age 89, and a year later my mother-in-law was sealed to him. I told her that we don’t understand why her husband never joined the church. He was a good man. Loyal, dependable, a good supporter, and a righteous man. We can’t judge him. Only God can do that. I told her I believed he would accept the Gospel in the spirit world, and that she should have faith that the Lord’s will be done.
So, Lynny, do your best to live the Gospel and to be a disciple of Christ. Love your husband and be loyal to him. Be an example to him of Christ. Have faith that God will, in the final judgment, do what is best for all. Have hope for the future.
Yes!! Absolutely!! Granted, your husband would be better off in accepting God’s words and teachings now. The consequences are eternal for not having married in the temple. The possibility that your faith dies with you highly exists, as your faith may not be passed down through the generations. I imagine that there will exist children in your posterity who should have, and could have served many wonderful missions and who could have brought many thousands of souls to a knowledge of the truth. This does not support your cause in being able to have your husband in the next life (in my opinion). However, let us not doubt the tender mercies of the Lord. Let us remember that He loves us, and wants us to come unto Him, and that He is quick to forgive and that He desires to bless us. You could have “bound” God to an eternal marriage, but as D&C 82:10 states, “…when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise”. The truth is only God knows if your marriage will be valid after death, but YOU CAN have the ordinance work performed after he dies. As far as that ordinance work being honored or not by God, I don’t know.
Are you saying that only the LDS are Christians and theirs is the ONLY way. How odd. It is written “For all who call upon my name will be saved”. This sounds inclusive rather than exclusive.
Thank you so much for your quick response! 🙂 it has definitly made me feel better about my situation. 🙂
I would like to re-phrase the biblical dilemma into a more realistic LDS conundrum. Let’s say a worthy LDS woman marries a worthy LDS man and they are sealed together in their temple marriage. The man later dies, and the woman, being young, desires to re-marry. She then marries and is sealed to another worthy LDS man who has never been married before. Since eternal marriage is a condition of exaltation, whose wife will she be at the time of the resurrection? Did she just screw her first husband out of the chance of exaltation because she is now eternally married to a different man? Or will they somehow share the same wife? Which one has true “sticking power?” Would the second man need to go into the marriage knowing that his chance at exaltation might be null and void based on her first marriage vows for all time & eternity? The problem presented in the Matthew verse is not solved by eternal marriage rites. It just ripples the problem further into the afterlife. Has it ever bothered you that the reality of your eternal reward is so dependent on the instability of human actions, both yours and your spouses, rather than solely on the unshakable power of Christ’s death & resurrection? You do greatly err thinking that what’s given to you in your temple marriage ceremony is a promise; a promise is a declaration of assurance. You are given an offer at best, not a promise, and an offer that is contingent on many vague factors (like worthiness- how much is enough?) at that. I don’t think I would even buy a used car with so many unknowns, let alone feel secure in the outcome of my efforts.
Additionally, down further in D&C from the passage you quoted in section 132, Joseph Smith writes:
“15 Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world.
16 Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.
17 For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.”
That passage seems to nullify the practice of sealing ceremonies after one has died or marriage by proxy in the temple, considering if the sealing ceremony was not done in life then the individuals are relecated to being angels forever & ever, with no hope of exaltation. Not to be discouraging to anyone, and please correct me if I’m wrong, but Joseph Smith seems pretty clear there.
Just some thoughts from a different perspective.
You have brought up for discussion the situation where a woman marries a man and is sealed to him. He dies, and she marries another man and is sealed to him. She has been sealed to two men. I’m not aware that women can be sealed to two men. and your hypothesis is likely an impossible situation. However, there is a more important principle that needs to be brought into this conversation. As we discuss temple sealings, we need to keep in mind that those ceremonies are not actual sealings. They are promises of what can happen if the two people are faithful throughout their lives. The real sealings will take place later on, under God’s direction, by the Holy Spirit of Promise. Thus, it isn’t important whether a woman can be married to two men or not. What is important is what God dictates will happen to the people involved. As far as I know, the latter-day scriptures do not teach that a woman can be married to two men. If a woman was sealed in a temple to two men, God would decide who should be sealed to whom, and that is what would happen.
You also brought up D&C 132: 15-17. Verse 15 states that marriages not made by the word of God, which LDS believe refers to temple marriages, are not in effect after death. Verse 16, which is a paraphrase of Biblical scriptures, states that the man and woman referred to in verse 15 will not be married after death because marriages are not performed in the spirit world. That verse does not say that married people won’t be in heaven. It only says that marriages will not be performed in heaven. Verse 17 repeats that the two people will be single.
I don’t think those verses imply that marriages in LDS temples for people who have died are null and void. We believe that temple work for people who have died give those people opportunities that they didn’t have during their mortal lives for Gospel blessings. If the people who have died do not accept the vicarious temple marriages performed for them, those people will be like the people referred to in verses 15-17. But, if the people who have died accept the vicarious temple marriages, then their marriages are as if they were performed during the mortal lives of the people, and if the people are faithful, they will be married in heaven.
I’d just like to add that if a woman is sealed to her first husband as the “hypothetical” situation suggests, then no sealing would be preformed on a second husband without a Dispensation to loose the first sealing. Such an unimaginable thing to do to the assumed innocent and passed-thru-the-veil first husband would be unthinkable to a faithful wife. As tragic as that situation is, one has to take in mind the level of devotion that a LDS couple has. If my wife were to die, I MAY marry again ( although I don’t intend to…I prefer to wait for her, but she has cancer and may pass son and I’m 31 yrs old and loneliness may change my min ), but I’d never be sealed to anyone else and would be quite frank on the matter to whomever this potential wife may be. Most likely, if I weren’t strong enough to stay alone, I’d find another widow whom was sealed to her former husband and simple share company together on the earth until such time we were reunited with our eternal spouse. I know of three couple in this situation right now and that is what they did. I think this level of Christ-like love and selflessness is not something that other Christian sects teach well, as it seems so many have such a base perspective of what marriage is truely about. Marriage is a binding covenant for life as eternal marriage is the same for all eternity, and the scriptures are VERY clear on the idea. Divorce is not in the plan of our Father or the Savior and was only allowed,”due to the hardness of your hearts”, as the savior Himself stated. With a true commitment to the commandments as our faith dictates, the concepts of being married to anyone else is not meant to be considered and in the Celestial Kingdom, noone whom thinks selfishly and of base physical desires void of the comfort of the knowledge only provided thru personal revelation and the Holy Ghost would even consider such things.
The plan of our Heavenly Father was clear from start, in the first lines of Genesis it mentions Adam, “the man and his wife were naked, and not ashamed”, the further on in the Bible it is discussed both in Old Testament and the aforementioned discourse of Jesus that divorce is NOT in line with the Father plan and only “allowed” on the earth. If the highest principle of the fullness of the gospel life is to be reached, Eternal Marriage, then one must only consider the realm of Celestial Heaven and if divorce & remarriage are both earthly dispensations, then no such living situation crafted by men will be allowed. Only true Christ-like love and devotion to your spouse will bring exaltation. This means, marriage for time and eternity with complete devotion to your eternal companion. To take another wife and sever this Holy Sealing to your love, your life, your eternal companion would mean you would be willing to sacrifice the eternal companionship of the one whom you previously loved so much that you made a covenant with the lord to stay faithful to for all time and eternity just for some earthly “companionship” and noone that would do such a thing would be of the spiritual state to qualify for Exaltation. I don’t say that to judge, as I don’t, and probably understand better than most the motivations. But, it is simply not considerable that our Heavenly Father would break His Commandment and Covenant, and in doing so probably destroy all Creation, to provide for such hardness of heart in His Celestial Kingdom.
We are a church of the “elect”, with a path that is narrow and the door small. Not even the majority of members will be able to fully conquer the “natural man” and leave behind such thinking. We don’t believe this condemns the spiritually weak to a pit of flames, but the highest level of oneness in purpose with Christ, Exaltation to be a joint-heir with Christ Himself as described in Romans? No. One must be willing to live by the fathers rule to abide forever in His house, but His divine mercy allows one whom hath not the faith and live not the ideal can stay in the guest house, pre se. Such is the plan of our creator to give us a path to the live our highest potential in His Sons example and yet a lesser level of glory for those that are not consumed by the Adversary, but not able to achieve Exaltation either.
To HONEST QUESTION…once a good LDS woman gets re-sealed, she BROKE her first sealing, and the first husband is no longer sealed to her. The first husband didn’t get screwed out of his opportunity of exaltation, but will be able to marry sometime in the eternities.
To David: How is that possible if, as Allen points out, there is no marriage in the resurrection?
A different twist – So a man and woman are sealed – the woman dies first, what does she do in heaven since her husband is not there to take her through the veil? Does her father take her through the veil or does she have to just wait and not enter into the Highest Kingdom? Are there different veils for different levels? I can’t imagine there are bunch of women hanging around outside the veil waiting for their husbands to let them in heaven.
I don’t think it matters who dies first. The ceremony in the temple is not the real sealing; it is a promise of what can happen if the people are faithful. D&C 138:30 makes it clear that people who have died won’t be hanging around waiting for their spouses to join them. They will be busy, as missionaries, taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the billions and billions of people who have lived on the earth and who haven’t heard or understood about Jesus Christ as the Redeemer. For example, my wife and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple. If I die first, I will, hopefully, be called as a missionary and will be busy, very busy, teaching the spirits of others who have died. Later when she dies, she will also be busy teaching. If we are faithful, at some future time, our promise of an eternal family will be fulfilled when we are sealed as an eternal couple. Until that sealing does occur, we have the hope of an eternal family, and we go forward with faith that we will be actually sealed. But, for the moment, we just have a promise of what can happen.
I was born into the church and have been sealed to my sweetheart….plural marriage really troubles me and I can’t seem to get a straight answer from anyone. It is the only thing that would ever make me consider leaving the church as I just could never share my husband with anyone else. This worries me so much that I am battling to share my testimony at the moment.
I hope I give you a straight answer.
First, the Lord doesn’t and won’t force anything on us. We have our agency and the right to choose. If you object, a second wife won’t be forced on you and your husband.
Second, the sealings in our Temples are only promises of what may happen if all concerned are righteous. The actual sealings take place later on when (if) sealings are performed for real (this is referred to as sealings by the Holy Spirit of Promise (Holy Ghost).
So, let’s consider an example. You’ve been sealed to your husband, that is, you’ve been given the promise of a sealing if you and your husband are righteous. You die, and later on your husband chooses another wife and is sealed to that woman. That is, he has been sealed in a Temple to two women. Keep in mind that those sealings are just promises, not actual sealings. At a future time, you, your husband, and his second wife will have to make a decision, since God won’t force anything on you. If all three of you want to be one family, assuming you are worthy, that will happen. If one of you don’t want the three of you to be a family, that won’t happen. My brother -in-law, who was a witness at my wedding, was killed two days later in a truck accident. The truck was full of boy scouts, and the brakes failed. My sister choose to never remarry, and she was a widow for almost 40 years. She passed away a few years ago and had, I’m sure, a joyful reunion with her husband.
The bottom line is that you and your husband can live together as a family, helping each other to come unto Christ. Don’t worry about the future — the Lord will take care of that. Your husband may never take a second wife, if you should die, and the question of plural marriage will never come up. If he does take a second wife if you should die, have love in your heart for him that he needs companionship during his life, and wait for the Judgment Day when the three of you and the Lord will sort it all out and do what is best for you.
Thank you for that…we have been married for many years and both decided if anything should happen to either one of us, neither would remarry as we are so devoted to each other and are prepared to wait. However I have always been taught that PM is a commandment in the C Kingdom…as it was on the earth for Abraham and others…and in Joseph Smith’s day…many of those people could not abide that commandment and some even left the church….there are many of us today who would do the same if we had that commandment given to us!!
To TROUBLED, plural marriage has been around forever. It is an eternal principle. It is ok if we don’t understand all of the commandments, but we must be willing to obey ALL of them, including Polygamy when the time comes to put that commandment in practice. You may not be prepared now to live it, but God will prepare you for it if you let him. Just like the early saints tried to live the “law of consecration”, they had trouble with it. They weren’t ready to give everything to the Lord, but they will need to. We may not be ready to live Polygamy now, but we will need to be ready. No offense, and I speak to everybody including myself, but if we have trouble accepting a commandment of God, we need to humble ourselves and find a way to accept it, and cry as did the Savior “thy will be done”. Even Brigham Young, when asked to enter in to Plural Marriage, said that he “desired the grave”. It was a tough concept for Brigham to grasp as well, but God helped him through it, and the earth has been blessed through his faithfulness and his faithful posterity.
I just wanted to comment on your question about plural marriage. I used to feel that way too – it used to upset me a lot. I prayed about it many times and it still took me a long time to understand. I had to pray and study and wait and pray….. Elder McConkie said when we don’t understand something, we need to “suspend judgment” while the Lord teaches us. We might be asking for a college understanding and we’re still in 3rd grade in that area…you know? So we have to give him time to teach us. I’m a mom and sometimes I tell my teenage kids things I can’t explain all the way and sometimes I just ask them to trust me….that it will get more clear later. God is like that too – he can’t explain everything up front.
Yes, there will be plural marriage in the Celestial Kingdom but I don’t know of anything saying it has to be for everyone. But honestly, the bottom line is there will be more women than men, and how can God say no to his righteous daughters that weren’t as blessed as you to live in a time and place to meet a righteous husband? There’s so much to it – so many things to be understood. If you read about plural marriage in history, you will see that it was a very difficult thing for them, that there can be no lust involved – that it’s to care for people. Allen is right about agency too – agency is a constant. And guess what? When we’re celestial, we won’t be jealous or selfish or scared or insecure anymore….it’ll be all about love. In the highest sense.
You implied you might leave the church if this commandment were given again – what about all the other things you know are true? Do you leave your Savior because of a thing you don’t understand? The ironic thing is, if you truly did leave the church, what would happen to your sealing to your husband? Don’t let one doctrine shake your testimony – pray for understanding and then do your part and study and listen. And trust the Lord. He loves you and every one of his daughters. I know it’s hard – I promise, I remember being so upset about it too – but it’s a spiritual understanding that words can’t give all the way. Read the history and how hard it was for them too – read about Heber and Vilate Kimball. One book that helped me a lot is “Doctrine of the Kingdom” by Hyrum Andrus – the chapter called “The Divine Patriarchal Order of Marriage.”
Brigham Young said, “it is not the privilege of any Elder to have even one wife before he has honored his Priesthood, before he has magnified his calling. If you obtain one, it is by mere permission to see what you will do, how you will act, whether you will conduct yourself in righteousness in that holy estate.”
There are several reasons for plural marriage and I’m not going to take away from the Spirit’s job to teach you — I understand more because I worked for it. But I learned more about how much God loves ALL his children. Ask the Lord to help you understand it. And if you’re still too angry, be sure to give him extra time.
Amen
I am a convert. I am now 39 years old. I joined the LDS Church in 1997 when I was 24. I received the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood in March 1998, got Endowed in the Temple in May 22, 1998 and after my two years mission, got married in the Temple in June 2, 2001. Unfortunately, my ex wife abandoned me and left me and my daughter. Now my daughter is ten years old but my child lives with me permanently, in time and all eternity as she was born in the covenant. My ex wife left the Church. My goal is to remain faithful to the Church and to my Temple covenants in full. My painful divorce has strengthened my resolve to remain strong and faithful to my covenants of Eternal life.
I love the gospel and I honor Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ in my prayers and acknowledging Their Hands in all things, both temporal and spiritual.
Part of honoring Heavenly Father is by learning about the Infinite Universe. I know that there are four rocky planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars and four Gas Giants planets called Jovian planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The Sun is a yellow star that is 10 895 Fahrenheit on its surface but 28 million F at its core. Heavenly Father’s Galaxy, the Milky Way is 294 Billion stars.
The reason I value astronomy as a sacred subject is because, beside the fact that I will NEVER be rreleased as a father, but I will in the Celestial kingdom be set apart by Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and be given Eternal priesthood powers of Divine Creatorship. Knowing by heart about the Universe is not a suggestion but a divine commandment. Eternal life is absolutely synonymous to Godhood, Eternal Parenthood, divine Kingship and so forth.
Heavenly Father Eloheim and His Eternal Wives live together at the Center of the Galaxy.
The Lord Jesus Christ is Exalted to Godhood with Mary, Martha and Mary Magdalene.
Adam, as the Archangel Michael and His Wife Eve are Exalted to Eternal Godhood.
Eternal Marriage= Exaltation= Eternal Godhood= Eternal Life= Eternal Increase are all the same because these divine blessings are supreme in the Extended Universe of 100 Billion Galaxies without number, Redeemed by Eloheim’s divine Son, the Lord Jesus.
I believe Joseph Smith’s teachings with all my heart that Heavenly Father, when he was a mortal man, Elohim redeemed His own Universe of Billions of Galaxies and later on, our Lord and Savior did the same thing in redeeming this current Universe.
The Atonement is for man’s benefit. I know that I will return to God’s presence as I am doing my part to honor Heavenly Father. I know that it will be on Heavenly Father’s terms and conditions that I will get my Celestial Crown and scepter of Godhood power. And on the Lord Jehovah’s Timing that I will gain the training necessary for becoming a God to my future spirit offspring.
It will take me and all of worthy men, litterally many millions of years in the Resurrection before I gain Celestial glory.
Hi Francis,
Thank you for commenting in my blog. I do have a few reminders for you.
Just keep in mind that some of the beliefs you’ve expressed aren’t LDS church doctrine and are your individual beliefs. Specifically, the church does not teach that the center of the Milky Way galaxy is Heavenly Father’s home. In fact, science teaches that the center of the galaxy is a black hole. Nor does the church teach that Jesus is sealed to Mary, Martha and Mary Magdalene. And, the church doesn’t teach that Heavenly Father has plural wives. Someday, we’ll understand the truth about these things, but that time is not now.
I hope that you have success in raising your daughter, that she becomes a responsible adult with a testimony of the gospel and common sense about her life.
Luke 20:34Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection
This is what God said about marriage it is good for now while we are on earth but to be counted worth of the next age, to be counted worth of him we must forsake, mother, father, sister, brother, children, HUSBAND, OR WIFE, EVEN our OWN LIFE FOR JESUS. LIFE, death, marriage, unmarried, widowed… its all about JESUS. why would we have need of anything else if we are with him!!!
I enjoyed reading everyone’s comments here. I too have a question that concerns me. Maybe someone else feels the same way about this one.
If a couple are married and one dies young, Lets say the husband dies leaving a young wife and three kids. He of course would not want her to leave him and marry another man while he is alive, why should he feel any different if he dies? If this marriage is really eternal then is it not just as important to be faithful to each other in life and in death? But…
Consider this too. If I died tomorrow leaving my wife of 8 years with three little ones. I would never wish her to remain a widow for the rest of her life either. I would never ask her to do that. But in my heart I would never want to give her away to another man either. Think about this.. after 8 years marriage, then she remarries and builds another marriage with another man and they live happily together for another 50 or 60 years, really, whose wife is she really going to be after all that. Would she really want to give up a life long happy marriage of 60 years for one she had only begun with her first husband? A marriage of only 8 years, that has been dormant and sitting on the shelf for 60 years, by two people who are not the same people anymore? She would be his wife after all that time, not mine. Would I want her back after she had lived 60 years, an entire married life with some other man? The person she would be after all that would be all his, not mine. I would think it would be better in this case to be divorced and go separate ways.
I think I would feel better just giving her completely to her new husband and moving on. This is my concern with eternal marriage. Not really a concern though unless I died. My wife doesn’t want to talk about this and says she would remarry if I died. I think If she would not wait for me then I would have to leave too. I would want to start over.
What do you think about this?
I remember words from Prophet Brigham Young, that if some one wants to have eternal family he should marry a virgin woman who had not make a covenant in the Temple with another man. But if he do so he do it with open mind, for all his children with that marriage shall be counted to the first marriage. That is why from the scripture when the elder die, the younger brother shall raise seed for his elder brother. So if you will guys marry, marry the whom you can have for eternity.
To Ian. I sense a sincere question there and I hope that I can provide a simple yet acceptable answer. – It will all work out as it should.
It is my belief that our Father in Heaven wants all of His children to have joy for all eternity. I believe, as we live worthily of His kingdom, we will have that opportunity. We will still be free to choose and everything will work out. Much of the concerns that many people have about eternal marriage aren’t as important as they think in the grand scheme of things. There is still the millenium for ordinances that need to be performed in the temporal realm (such as baptism and Temple Marriages) to all be performed for and accepted (or not) by those who have passed on. There will be much more communication between those who have passed on and the living during that time so it can all be straightened out. Who says that death of one spouse or the other and the resulting decisions in life to be married again in the temple will be the end of all happiness for the one who passes first? Our own selfish (disobedient) actions will be the only thing that will cause us unhappiness in the next life. And really, it takes a great deal of selflessness and Christ-like love to make it to the Celestial Kingdom in the first place. So, if you think about it, there isn’t time to be concerned about things that are currently out of our hands. All we need to do now, after obtaining those ordinances, is concentrate on emulating our lives after that of the Savior’s. (Why obtain the ordinances now? because of the increase in blessings and spiritual strength doing so provides. We will be the same people after this life. The same thoughts and desires will carry with us after this life. – If i were to reject the opportunity in this life to be sealed to my wife, what makes me believe that it will be any different in the next life? Seize the day!)
By the way. There is nothing better than the feelings that come with temple marriage and striving for an eternal family. It’s pure joy. It’s hard work, but … truly awesome!
-Will
Hi I have a question I am a memeber of the church 2 years and goin strong. I have always had this question in the back of my head about what if my spouse broke our vows and we were married in the temple would we still be sealed for ever? This is just a example of my question my marriage is great. I just need an answer because my parents are not a memeber of the church and they always ask me this question I know nothing about. Please help me I wonna give them an answer and I want them to know that the church is true.
I think everyone gets so scared about having so many wives. Last night I spoke to my husband and asked him if he would have more than one wife in the next life? he said he doesn’t know much on the doctrine but he said he was sure that it will be a calling and as men they still have the freedom to choose wether they accept the calling or not. I thought when I become a perfect women why would I care anyway if he has 700 wives …. A perfect women won’t be jealous or upset she will be happy and love all people and want to make sure other women have a husband too. I’m not perfect yet though so the thought makes me upset 🙂
EVERYTHIN ABOUT ALL THE SAID ABOUT ETERNAL MARRIAGE WAS TOTALY RIGHT,I STILL NEED MORE LIGHT.THE MAN THAT HIS WIFE LEFT HIM WITH 10YEARS OLD BABY,I PRAY THAT THE GREACE OF GOD WILL REMAIN PERMANENT IN UR FAMILY,I AM REALLY CHALANGE
THIS IS DOC ED IM A LDS MEMBER SINCE 1973 I WAS BAPTIZED….I MARRIED TO A WOMAN, AN HEART SPECIALIST-CARDIOLOGIST DOCTOR-SHE’S NOT AN LDS MEMBER…SHE DEVOTED FAITH IN ROMAN CATHOLIC….I PROXY PERPORMED MANY SEALING TO SPOUSE IN THE HOLY SACRED HOUSE OF THE LORD-TEMPLE…BUT ON MY SIDE HAVE AUTHORITY OF PRIESTHOOD I NOT DONE SEALED TO MY WIFE…I KNOW WHAT HEAVEMLY FATHER REQUIRED ETERNAL MARRIAGE…ANOTHER I HAVE FAILURED WE HAVE NO BLESSING CHILDREN ASSIGNED TO FORM A FAMILY…HOW LONG HOW TO WAIT…MY WIFE AN OPPOSITION AS I MEMBER OF OUR TRUE CHURCH….I WANT ETERNAL LIFE PARTNER…I WANT TO HAVE CHILDREN…. IM 57 YEARS OLD NOW…WHAT WILL I DO…DO I SEPARATE TO MY WIFE AND I LOOK BESIDES FOR LIFE ETERNAL MARRIAGE….WHEN I MET ONE OF THE QUORUM OF THE TWELVE APOSTLE-RICHARD SCOTT…I INTRODUCE TO HIM MY WIFE…I SAID SHE IS AN HEART SPECIALIST-CARDIOLOGIST BUT SHE’S NOT AN LDS MEMBER…I ASK WHAT WILL I DO….HE ANSWERED ME…BROTHER, BE PATIENCE..YOU CAN DO ONLY THE POWER OF PRAYER MIGHT TO COMPORT YOU….
The sealings in the temple are only promises of what can happen if you remain worthy. Keep the commandments of God. Spend your life in service to others. Let the atonement of Jesus Christ be in your life. Look forward to the time when actual sealings will take place. And, as Elder Scott counseled, follow the Spirit as it is manifest to you through your prayers.
I guess the answer to most of these questions is no one knows. It is interesting that in the past, many apostles and presidents have spoken and believed many things that are now not part of the LDS doctrine. These were people who were the mouth piece of God here on earth. It is still interesting all this comes about if one believes that the LDS is the only church with the authority directly from God to Joseph Smith, and from Joseph Smith on to the current president. Does each president get this authority from God or does it come in a line from Joseph Smith? It all seems to neat and contrived to set up as THE AUTHORITY and no one else. I trust Jesus as the authority. I do not put my trust in men and their opinions. Absolute power Is very seductive and corrupts absolutely. In the end, if we are honest, facts tend to be straight forward and lies stagger the imagination. May Christ open all of our eyes and may we see the truth and nothing but the truth.
I was born into the LDS church, my story might sound twisted, but I am hard stuck for an answer, for not even my Bishop has been able to give me a clear response. I have been married to my first wife for 17 years, having 4 kids ,(all but 1 active in church), my second wife is converted LDS member. I am still happy with her ,she is a loving person thou she isn’t actually that active in the church but don’t really want to be sealed in the temple with her. I am currently 49 years old, I have known a young woman for quite some time, but she is not an LDS member, but she is a good friend and we get along so well. I have never lusted her. but in the same sense we are so compatible. for some reason, I feel a like if I am in peace when I am around her, I always see a certain glow in her, and a thought always comes to me as if I had seen her in another life or another time. sad as it seems, But I can NEVER marry her on earth for it would be impossible, for many reasons, one of them being that I am currently married and my wife has never given me a reason to divorce her, and even if she did, this young lady is a lot younger than I am, and other reasons not mentioned. When I die?, would I be able to just wait for her ,(no matter how long it takes) to be with her when its her time to die, if within her time on earth she never actually became an LDS member, and was never sealed to her husband. I have searched for something like this all over the LDS sites and have not seen anything similar to my story. I have indeed prayed for many things I have needed help on throughout my life and the Lord has answered my prayers by means of dreams an such other ways, but I have prayed for this one and have not had a response, I still pray every day and night, for an answer, and might ever stop
Jacob,
What you are describing is called an emotional affair. This situation sneaks up on people without them being aware of anything “wrong” since an actual act of sin is not committed. Depending on the depth of your emotional attachment to the other woman you may need to seek counsel from your bishop. I have first hand experience of how easy it is to fall in to this trap. It feels like an addiction, one you don’t want to let go of. This article from the September 2009 Ensign has some good counsel:
https://www.lds.org/ensign/2009/09/fidelity-in-marriage-its-more-than-you-think?lang=eng
Good luck, and I hope you are able to find peace of mind through your prayers.
Jacob,
My thoughts are not doctrine, but this is what I think. . . I understand you are married yet you love another woman because you are very compatable with her and you want to know if you will have an opportunity to be sealed to her after this period of mortality. I have no idea, but I think what you need to focus on is your current marriage and wife. Find ways to be more connected and compatable with her and stop thinking about how life would be with the other woman. I think God would be more likely to bless you with what you want if you truly are devoted to Him and His ways. First love God, Jesus Christ and your current wife and if you and your current wife and your friend all want to be together in heaven maybe God will grant you that blessing if you are righteous. But definitely focus on your current wife, that is what God wants.
I agree completely with your statement some marriages r not meant to be for abusive reasons. I’m not one that thinks divorce should be first answer but ultimately I had no choice if I wanted to be around for my son so I had to make a huge decision for my safety. I’m not sure how god looks at that but I’m sure he didn’t want me beat to death. It crippled me enough for rest of my life.
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). We must first seek to build the kingdom of God and then God will bless us with the desires of our hearts!
Thank you , Harmony, it does make sense.
If a woman married in the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage loses her husband she must have the right to re-marry for time to a man who is also living this covenant. If she loses her husband to adultery, D&C 132:44 specifically commands she be given to another man in the covenant– even if it means plural marriage. If she marries a man outside the covenant she cannot live the covenant, because he is not living it, and the covenant requires her to live under the government of her husband as long as he is living under the government of the Lord. Those who say they are going to live by the Law of the Gospel as contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, and then say they will never live plural marriage unless the US government lets them– they are contradicting themselves. For one thing, in the case of a widow the US government today would be happy for her to marry in plural marriage so she would be less of a welfare problem to them. They do not go after anyone in plural marriage today unless they are forcing women into marriages against their will, especially underage women.
I have a question. My husband was sealed to his exwife. During their marriage she commited adultry and physically and emotionally abused him. We have been married and are getting ready to be sealed. Will she be a part of our eternal family?
Hi Sarah,
The Temple ceremony is only a promise of things to come if we do become like our father-in-heaven. If your husband’s ex repents she may be forgiven and will receive blessings. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t worry about his ex. Focus on your husband and yourself and let the Lord take care of the ex.
Q. for Allen. Are there any examples in church history where a worthy couple having the intent to get married, and one dies before the marriage is solemnized, has completed the marriage (sealing) ceremony by proxy?
Amen!
hello, I’m from India.and baptised in 1994. now I’m a member of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. I’m separated from my wife since 2009. I want to marry a humble and respectable woman.
I am lds and have been sealed in the temple to my husband. I do have questions concerning exhaulatiation and eternal marriage. I do believe that neither will come about without full devotion to our covenants and our becoming like Christ (our individual callings and elections made sure), so my questions may not even matter if my sealing is not made sure in heaven…
But, if there is no beginning to eternity and there is no end, and this earthly life is but a small moment in the eternal scheme of things…even if we are faithful to our eternal companion and our calling and election and sealing are made sure in the next life…doesn’t it seem odd that we would be asked to choose in this life who we want to be sealed to for all eternity. Even if we pick our best friend at the time we marry and we remain friends and companions through life…doesn’t it seem against all that God is to ask us to pick our eternal companion from only a few acquaintances that we are in contact with, that happen to be on earth the same time we are, at a time (usually between 20 and 30 young earthy years of age) when we are still so emotional and spiritually immature in a world where the vail blocks our rememberance of the eternal things we know…?
Or maybe the marriage part itself doesn’t really matter in eternity, but who we become through that marriage relationship as we strive to make our sealings and callings and elections made sure is what really matters in the eternal scheme of things…
Any thoughts or solid doctrine on this?
I have a question, I don’t know how to get this explained or how to put together what exactly is going on in my head but, this guy I like is about to go on his mission and he’s more religious than me so I have a hard time when he talks a lot about this subject. I’m trying to understand but I still dont think it’s fair. He said he wants to date me after his mission but he still wants to go into the celestial room in the temple and pray to see if I am the right woman for him. I honestly don’t feel like that’s really fair, not trying to sound rude but he said that God has a celestial mate for us that’s meant to be with us for all time and eternity, and even tho I make him happier than he’s ever been and same for him to me, I might not be that person and there could be someone else out there that could make him or me happier if I’m not the one. I don’t know how to explain my question i just don’t underatand.
are you saying that the marriage that is given after death will not be enternal if preformed after one dies and the one left living has a marriage to be sealed to each other will not be eturnal
Thank you this explains it much better cuz I want to spend all of eternity with my wonderful husband whose life was cut short. How do you go about having marriage by proxy in a temple? We got married in a wedding chapel only because at the time we didn’t belong to any churches in our area. I plan on still becoming a member SDL church. I was born into catholic family but my parents never had me baptized or put thru any of it why I don’t know truly my mom said she wanted me to make my own decisions about my beliefs. My husband at the time of his death was actively doing bible studies by mail not sure thru who tho I haven’t had time to look thru all of it yet. I have no intention of remarrying or being with any other man he was my soulmate, best friend and only true love! God brought us together more than once in our lives not everyone gets that opportunity.