Virtual Temple Tour Part IV: Eternal Family

The great and important ceremony to be preformed after the washing, anointing, and main Endowment is sealing. Men and women must be sealed together as husband and wife, forming a family unit that is meant to last through time and eternity. When Jesus Christ was challenged about divorce, he responded in Mark 10:9, talking about the creation of man and woman, "what therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." In the temple is displayed the Matthew 16:19 declaration to Peter when he was given the Keys of the Kingdom, "and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven," but under the authority of the Latter-day Saint Priesthood. As stated before, this sealing power is believed given to the Prophet Joseph Smith by visitation of angels, under the direction of Jesus Christ. In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith it was revealed, echoing 1 Tim 4:3, "And again, verily I say unto you, that whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God unto man. Wherefore, it is lawful that he should have one wife, and they twain shall be one flesh, and all this that the earth might answer the end of its creation; And that it might be filled with the measure of man, according to his creation before the world was made." (Doctrine and Covenants 49:15-17). Marriage was at first considered a temporal condition blessed by God to continue human life. Later, the importance of the bond between husband and wife was revealed to be far more important than a short lifetime.

Kirtland Temple pulpit, where
angles stood to restore
Priesthood Keys

Marriage is a necessary part of what is known as "Exaltation" in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ doctrine. A teaching Joseph Smith is recorded in Doc. And Cov. 131:1-4, about the eternal nature of the marriage covenant, "In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; And if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase." Soon after this teaching, Joseph Smith pondered how Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and Solomon were allowed to have so many wives and concubines. In the controversial revelation of Doc. and Cov. 132, he was answered that the women were given them by commandment; with any additional marriages not approved or commanded by God to be considered adultery. As for at least the first marriage vs. 15-16 reads:

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.

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.

Because of events in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, marriages to more than one spouse is now discontinued. It is still required that a man and a woman marry in the temple to have an eternal family for Exaltation.

As a holy and eternal ceremony, the sealing of marriages must be done inside temples. Small rooms are set apart for men and women to be made husband and wife, binding them together as a family unit. Not only that, but children both natural and adopted can be sealed to parents. It is a fundamental belief that we are all spiritual Sons and Daughters (in the sense of relatedness and not necessarily moral equivalence) of Heavenly Parents. The temple sealing is the reestablishment of that relationship while it also creates new and more glorious asperations.

During the ceremony, a man and woman will face each other while an officiator blesses the union. They will be given advice, as the Holy Spirit dictates, on how to sustain the marriage. When finished, the man and woman are considered a couple with the hope they will remain so for eternity as blessed by the Holy Spirit. Similarly, a whole family might be joined in such a sealing if the children were born before the parents were married in the temple. Otherwise, any children born after the marriage sealing are considered under the Covenant. It is in this way that a chain or link can be formed between past and the future Saints.

Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple
Sealing Room

A popular feature of sealing rooms are two mirrors facing each other. They represent how we existed before coming to mortality and will exist after this life. It also represents those who came before us and those who will come after; in a never ending chain reaching from eternity to eternity. 

Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple
reflecting mirror

Former LDS President Wilford Woodruff (Deseret News: Semi-Weekly, December 21, 1869, 2) explained:

The principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ have power and efficacy after death; they will bring together men and their wives and children in the family organization and will re-unite them worlds without end. … Unto the Latter-day Saints the sealing ordinances have been revealed, and they will have effect after death, and, as I have said, will re-unite men and women eternally in the family organization. Herein is why these principles are a part of our religion, and by them husbands and wives, parents and children will be re-united until the links in the chain are re-united back to Father Adam. We could not obtain a fullness of celestial glory without this sealing ordinance.

Although some have said, rather irreverently, that “Mormons” believe they will some day have their own planet, such has never been taught. It is true that Doc. and Cov. 132:20 boldly declares those who are married in the New and Everlasting Covenant by those given authority and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise shall, “be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them." Regardless of the implied potential, at the least what is known as Exaltation will contain family continuation and expansion beyond mortality. Something like this is hinted at in Romans 8:15-18, where it says:

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Marriage is a mystery (see Ephesians 5:31-33) of deep importance. Such glory is not for those who are power hungry and wicked as they cannot abide the Celestial laws. Our Father in Heaven will still remain the Supreme Being and we His children, with Jesus as our Savior. Sealing represents the most sublime, delicate, expansive, and controversial LDS doctrines.

Wedding couple at Salt Lake Temple

The question might be presented: what happens to those who don't have the chance to get married in the Temple? Will they be punished for something beyond their control? The answer to this is the same as any saving ordinance of the gospel. All will be given a chance in this life or the next as circumstance allows. Those who have done the work for themselves have the opportunity to do it by proxy for those who couldn’t in mortality. That is is the reason to attend the temple more than once. Former LDS President Howard W. Hunter (Ensign, Feb. 1995, 5) exclaimed:

What a glorious thing it is for us to have the privilege of going to the temple for our own blessings. Then after going to the temple for our own blessings, what a glorious privilege to do the work for those who have gone on before us. This aspect of temple work is an unselfish work. Yet whenever we do temple work for other people, there is a blessing that comes back to us. Thus it should be no surprise to us that the Lord does desire that his people be a temple-motivated people.

Nothing represents proxy work in an LDS temple more than baptism for the dead. Because full water baptism is considered theologically essential, those who in life are not given the chance must have a way to receive the ordinance. Proxy baptism of the living on behalf of the dead is considered the solution to that problem. The idea for this practice comes from 1 Corinthians verse 29 were Paul writes, “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?” in support of his argument that the Resurrection is an essential part of the Christian faith. Many have argued against the statement to be interpreted as an actual practice, but most scholars maintain it meant what it said. Even among those who agree it was an early Christian practice, they disagree about who did it, on behalf of who, and how it was done. The early Christian apologist Tertullian in his On The Resurrection of the Flesh (ANF, Vol. 3, 43) recognizes the importance of Paul’s use of proxy baptism as an argument for a future resurrection when he writes, “Now it is certain that they adopted this (practice) with such a presumption as made them suppose that the vicarious baptism (in question) would be beneficial to the flesh of another in anticipation of the resurrection; for unless it were a bodily resurrection, there would be no pledge secured by this process of a corporeal baptism.” He would later reject this interpretation, preferring instead to consider it meaning the baptism of the spiritual dead in hopes of their own physical resurrection. Another early Christian writing that started out as popular, The Shepard of Hermes, implies (ANF Vol. 2, book 3, 9:16) the proxy baptism practice. After talking about how the seal of baptism makes the spiritually dead become alive, he is amazed to see in vision forty stones who didn’t have the seal arise from the dead along with those who did. In explanation the text states, “these apostles and teachers who preached the name of the Son of God, after falling asleep in the power and faith of the Son of God, preached it not only to those who were asleep, but themselves also gave them the seal of the preaching. Accordingly they descended with them into the water, and again ascended. (But these descended alive and rose up again alive; whereas they who had previously fallen asleep descended dead, but rose up again alive.)” Proxy baptism for the dead was rejected as an official Christian practice and then promptly forgotten.

The Prophet Joseph Smith in 1840 revealed the practice of baptism for the dead during a funeral when he saw a grieving women who had lost a non-baptized son to death. He reassured those in attendance that they could baptize on behalf of those who had passed on to the next life, citing the passage of Paul’s Corinthian letter. He then received a revelation that it would only be accepted in temples, “for this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot be acceptable to me, only in the days of your poverty, wherein ye are not able to build a house unto me,” (Doc. And Cov. 124:30), after some baptized relatives by proxy in the Mississippi and other bodies of water.

A large basin of water with twelve oxen sculpted underneath serves as the place for the proxy baptisms in every temple since the one in Nauvoo, Illinois. The oxen represent the Twelve Tribes of Israel considered the Covenant people. Gentiles will be, by baptism, grafted into this Abrahamic family with the associated promises.

Idaho Falls, ID Temple baptismal room

Rome Italy Temple baptismal room

This and other proxy work is the purpose behind the huge and sometimes controversial genealogical collection by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Former LDS President George Albert Smith on September 23, 1945 prayed in the Idaho Falls Temple dedicatory prayer:

We thank Thee, O God, for sending Elijah, the ancient prophet, to whom was "committed the keys of power of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers, that the whole earth may not be smitten with a curse." We thank Thee that he was sent to Thy servant Joseph Smith, to confer the keys of authority of the work for the dead, and to reveal that the plan of salvation embraces the whole of the human family; that the gospel is universal in scope, and that Thou art no respector of persons, having provided for the preaching of the gospel of salvation to both the living and the dead. We are most grateful unto Thee that salvation is provided for all who desire to be saved in Thy kingdom. May it be pleasing to Thy people to search out the genealogy of their forebears that they may become saviors on Mt. Zion by officiating in Thy temples for their kindred dead. We pray also that the spirit of Elijah may rest mightily upon all peoples everywhere that they may be moved upon to gather and make available the genealogy of their ancestors; and that Thy faithful children may utilize Thy holy temples in which to perform on behalf of the dead all ordinances pertaining to their eternal exaltation.

To be clear, no graves are dug and dead bodies removed to preform the baptism. The ordinances for the dead are done in name only by the living. Each person, in this life or the next, can reject the ordinance. It is similar to paperwork that must be signed by the recipient. If not agreed upon then it is not considered official. The records of proxy on behalf of the dead are not counted along with the living members of the Latter-day Saint faith. It is an act of charity done as a gift to past generations.

What is the message of LDS temple attendance? Returning to the temple can give many answers to the question. The two most important lessons are that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior and that life exists after death. Indeed, life is eternal with no beginning and no end thanks to Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. We can proclaim with Paul, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinth. 15:19). The temple represents here on Earth the hope of Exaltation and Eternal Life in Heaven. Only by keeping the Covenants made in the temple, enduring to the end of mortality with faith, will this be possible.