This video discusses the restoration of sealing power, which allows for marriage to continue after death. Malachi, in the closing two verses of the Old Testament, prophesied of the coming of Elijah in the last days. This sealing power was restored by Elijah when he came to the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836. The incredible significance & symbolism of why it happened on that particular day is also reviewed, as well as the many scriptures reinforcing the blessing of eternal marriage. Although many Christians feel in their heart that their marriages won’t end with death, their church teaching of ‘until death do we part’ is based on a highly misunderstood Biblical passage which is also reviewed in this video.
Speaker 1:
So in this video, I want to talk about eternal marriage and sealing of families. It’s this tremendous blessing that we enjoy in the Church. The peace of mind it brings in this life and the hope for the life to come is part of the gospel plan. Many Christians struggle with this because in their mind and their heart, they feel this. They’ll talk about it, but yet it is not the doctrine of their church. Now, let’s watch a brief clip from Elder Holland describing the feelings he has about this.
Elder Holland:
I don’t know how to speak about heaven in the traditional, lovely, paradisiacal beauty that we speak of heaven. I wouldn’t know how to speak of heaven without my wife or my children. It would not be heaven for me. Now, you can say that’s wishful thinking, or you can say that’s just because you love each other and you’ve gotten cozy here on earth and you like each other’s company. It’s a lot more than that. There is something eternal in the statement that neither is the man without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord. That isn’t just good sociology. That is theology. It’s eternal.
Speaker 1:
Okay, so let’s look at some scriptures in the Bible. So first of all, the classic Genesis 2, Adam and Eve, they’re married here in the Garden of Eden. Look at this. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” The question is who married them? Obviously, we know who: God, with His power, and he could not say until death do you part. There was no death, so marriage in the beginning was forever and it was by God’s power.
Speaker 1:
It is interesting to note that we view the term marriage as part of the Abrahamic covenant, and the religions that are considered part of the Abrahamic religions, in a sense, tying back to Abraham, the three strands, you’ve got Islam through Ishmael, and then Judaism and Christianity through Isaac and Jacob. They all have semblances and beliefs through their history. And I’ll go through a little bit of this. Not necessarily Islam, but they do believe in eternal marriage, so marriage in heaven. So kind of fascinating, a little side note of that.
Speaker 1:
But a few more scriptures, some other Bible verses. Matthew 19:6. “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.” Okay, how about Paul in 1 Corinthians 11? “Nevertheless, neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man in the Lord.” You just heard Elder Holland say that. 1 Peter 3:7. “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”
Speaker 1:
Okay, and then the power, by how, is in Matthew 16, verse 19. “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.” We’ll discuss this a little bit more in a second, the restoration of that power.
Speaker 1:
Now, including children. Isaiah 65:23. Understand this is a verse about the millennium, so this is to come. It says, “They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble, for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their offspring with them.” So Malachi talks about this in the last days, Malachi 4. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” That’s how important it was there.
Speaker 1:
Now, Elijah did come in 1836. This was a very special time. Let’s read it in D&C 110 and then talk about the critical nature of this. So after the vision, this is D&C 110, “Another great and glorious vision burst upon us, for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us and said, ‘Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi,’ testifying that he, Elijah, should be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, the children to the fathers. Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands, the keys. And by this, ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near you, even at the doors.”
Speaker 1:
I love this picture too. Think Oliver Cowdery’s there as a second witness. And he left the Church. He apostatized. He came back the last 18 months of his life, but when he was gone, sometimes, those are the most powerful witnesses, I think, because he didn’t deny this experience whatsoever. So a very, very powerful witness.
Speaker 1:
Now, this could really be a separate video on its own. It’s so powerful, the timing of when this happened during Passover in 1836. Now, just to give you a little snippet, and I would suggest, I’m going to link to this, but if you’ll go to the Church’s website and look in this article, The Restoration of Priesthood Keys on Easter 1836: Symbolism of Passover and of Elijah’s Return by John Pratt. It’s fascinating. Very detailed and scientific article.
Speaker 1:
But if you look on the left hand side, you’ll see there the correspondence of the Atonement to the Passover in dates, in the study going back to A.D. 33. And if you look there, at the very bottom, Sunday, April 3rd, 1833, was 16 of Nissan to the Jews. “The Passover event was the first fruits of the harvest presented to the Lord. And the event of the Savior’s life was the Resurrection.”
Speaker 1:
It was the first fruits of the Resurrection come forth, the first real Easter essentially. So look at this here. “The origin of the tradition that Elijah would return at Passover seems to have been lost in antiquity. It has been suggested that Elijah’s return was associated with Passover, the feast commemorating the redemption of Israel, because it would herald the coming of the Messiah, the Redeemer of Israel. Whatever the origin of the associating of Elijah with Passover, the tradition was proved correct when Elijah did return at Passover in 1836.”
Speaker 1:
Now you remember the Jews set a place for Elijah during Passover and that’s part of their tradition, that Elijah would come during Passover. “However, he did not return to the Passover meal when the cup was offered on the evening of Friday, April 1st. Instead, he returned on Easter Sunday, the second day of Passover”, the way that they would measure it, “the day of the presentation of the first fruits of the harvest. The long awaited return of Elijah occurred in the Kirtland Temple on Easter Sunday, 16 Nissan, April 3rd, 1836.”
Speaker 1:
Now, this really will blow your mind, “So how often does Easter Sunday occur on both April 3rd and 16 Nissan as it did in A.D. 33? It happens less than once every century on the average. The year 1836 was the only such occurrence in the 19th century. Interestingly, the accuracy of the calendar alignment between A.D. 33 and 1836 is even more precise than to the very day. To understand this added precision, a new concept called a realignment interval will be defined and applied to the lunar solar calendar.”
Speaker 1:
Now this goes crazy in science and some of these things and they go into it. They have a whole sidebar really going into this realigned intervals. I’m just going to read this bottom thing. I think you’ll get the point. This kind of blows your mind. Says, “To the very day, the Easter of 1836 completed a Jewish calendar realignment interval of 1803 years since the Easter of A.D. 33. This fact has two consequences. First, the Jewish calendar would begin to repeat for several years. Secondly, it means that the Easter of 1836 was calendrically the most similar in history to the Easter of 33 A.D., the resurrection of Christ. And if the earth’s orbit continues unchanged, that Easter should retain this distinction for another 3000 years when a better realignment interval is due.”
Speaker 1:
That blows my mind. That’s fascinating stuff. Just love it. Maybe we should have done a separate video just on that whole tidbit, but just fascinating stuff. Okay, some other interesting tidbits here. This is from the FairMormon.org website about ancient Jewish understandings and early Christian’s beliefs regarding marriage. “The Jews seemed to have believed in eternal marriage from at least second temple times since they posed a question about the woman with seven successive husbands”, we’ll talk about that in a minute, “asking which of them would be her husband in the Resurrection. The concept of eternal marriage is well-attested among Jews in the medieval period and is frequently mentioned in the Zohar which also notes that God has a wife, the Matrona, mother, and is known in the Talmud.”
Speaker 1:
“In the Falasha, which is the Jewish Ethiopian text, 5 Baruch, it has Jeremiah’s scribe, Baruch, being shown various parts of the heavenly Jerusalem, with different gates for different heirs. The text then says, ‘I asked the angel who conducted me and said to him, ‘Who enters through this gate?’ He who guided me answered and said to me, ‘Blessed are those who enter through this gate. Here the husband remains with his wife and the wife remains with her husband.'”
Speaker 1:
Okay, now some interesting tidbits here from … Now, if you remember in the last video I did, talking about a couple of videos on ancient Christianity, the gnostics, or the sect that claim the early secret teachings of Christ when he came for the 40 days after His resurrection. And that secret knowledge that they had many different splinter groups of gnostics, and there’s lots of crazy writings. They were eventually condemned as heretics by the church that remained. But a lot of these findings of the Nag Hammadi texts were found in 1945. the Gospel of Philip, which was dated to the third century, was one of those gnostic texts. And I’m going to share a couple of interesting tidbits from that.
Speaker 1:
First of all, the early Church Father, Irenaeus, said, “Some of the gnostics prepare a bridal chamber for those who are being consecrated, and they claim that what they are affecting is a spiritual marriage after the image of the conjunctions above.” Okay, here’s the Gospel of Philip I mentioned, “There were three buildings in Jerusalem. The one facing west was called the holy. The one facing south was called the holy of holies, and the third facing east was called the holy of the holies, the place where only the high priest entered. The holy of the holies is the bridal chamber. The redemption takes place in the bridal chamber, but the bridal chamber is in that which is superior to it and the others because you will not find anything like it.”
Speaker 1:
And then look at this last point, “The woman is united to her husband in the bridal chamber. Those who have united in the bridal chamber will no longer be separated.” So that’s worth, I think, at least sharing from that gnostic text. So, some interesting symbolism here, correlating threads with the Latter-day Saints that you’ll recognize in different practices. Here’s Roman Catholic marriage. “In Roman Catholicism, the marriage of the bride and groom has traditionally been performed while the couple kneels at an altar holding hands. The ordained priest performs the ordinance while two witnesses view the holy rite, thereby fulfilling the scriptural law of witnesses.”
Speaker 1:
“Eastern Orthodox, the bride and groom at their wedding don the traditional wedding crowns, known as stefana, from the Greek word stephanos, meaning a wreath crown. These are placed upon the head of the bride and groom as a symbol of their role as king and queen before God.” Okay, even the Hindus. Fascinating. They don’t believe in eternal marriage because they believe in reincarnation, but this is fascinating, powerful symbols in here. “The Hindu bride and groom clasp hands as they are married, their hands being tied together. The binding of the hands is a standard symbol for marriage and the unity that should exist between a bride and groom. The act of binding the hands highlights the permanence of the relationship.”
Speaker 1:
Okay, now Christians today, they hang their hat on one passage in the gospels. They say, “This is the proof that marriage doesn’t exist in heaven. So even though I want it very badly, it doesn’t exist because of what Christ, how he answered this question from the Sadducees.” So here it is. Matthew 22: 23-30. “The same day came to him, the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection.” Note that they point that out. The Sadducees which say there is no resurrection and asked him, saying, “Master, Moses said if a man die having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up seed unto his brother.”
Speaker 1:
“Now there were with us seven brethren, and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and having no issue, left his wife unto his brother. Likewise, the second also, and the third unto the seventh. And last of all, the woman died also. Therefore the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all had her. Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You 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.'”
Speaker 1:
Now think about all the scriptures that we just read and the many other things. This doesn’t jive with that. So you have to look at that in whole and say, “There must be some other things that were missing here, understanding.” So there are four quick things I’ll go through. Most members know, the most common way to say is, “Well, the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection.” So to them, obviously then this doesn’t exist. Marriage wouldn’t exist because the Resurrection, they’re not going to be resurrected on there. And interesting, the gospel writers really make a point to point out that these are the Sadducees that don’t believe in the Resurrection asking this question. And right after Christ answers this, He goes into some things about the Resurrection. That was what he wanted to focus on with them.
Speaker 1:
So that’s kind of an interesting point. But it could also simply been stating a straight up fact of how things work without the sealing power. Remember, they were under the Law of Moses, this was the Aaronic priesthood. So without that sealing power, the “they” that they’re referring to in this would just be like exactly like we read in D&C 132. Here it is, D&C 132: 15 and 16. “Therefore, if a man marry his 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 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.”
Speaker 1:
Does that sound familiar? It’s exactly what Christ said, so I do think that that may be a good part of understanding that aspect of this and the way that he addressed it. Now, the third thing could be that the word that he’s using here is a Greek word that talks about the action of getting married. He says nothing about the Greek word that would be used for being married, actually being married there, just not going into marriages, which is something we also have some foundation on of maybe things being done before the Resurrection, and that was the point he was making is that these things will not happen after the Resurrection.
Speaker 1:
Look at this quote from James E. Talmage, the Apostle James E. Talmage in Jesus the Christ. He says, “In the resurrection, there’ll be no marrying or 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.” Remember the great proxy work that we are doing in this last dispensation, and will go through the millennium, so all of this will work out somehow with with those principles and how that works.
Speaker 1:
Okay, one last option to share. This one’s a little bit less well known and a bit esoteric. I think this is really kind of fascinating because it is puzzling that Christ says to them, “You do err not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God.” What is He talking about? So there’s an interesting thought and I’m just going to share this straight from FairMormon.org. I thought this was great, the way they put this. And it was actually using something from the Catholic Bible actually, in the Book of Tobit, which is in the … We look at as the Apocrypha. The Catholics actually have it as part of their Bible. So let’s look at it here.
Speaker 1:
It says, “The source of the story of the Sadducees told by Jesus comes from one of the books of the Apocrypha Tobit, where a woman named Sara was married to seven men, each of whom died on the wedding night. The text also notes that Raphael, the Archangel, was sent to give Sara, the daughter of Raguel, for a wife to Tobias, the son of Tobit, because she belonged to Tobias by right of inheritance. Jesus probably had this account in mind when he told his Sadduceean interrogators, ‘You do err not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God.’ They had neglected to note that she had married an eighth husband and that God had sent an angel to arrange the marriage.”
Speaker 1:
So they didn’t know the rest of the scripture, He’s maybe saying, and the power of God that they had to do it, and this would have been before the Resurrection by the power of God. And so that worked out. But others, they would be angels in heaven if this didn’t happen this way. So anyway, kind of a fascinating a possibility there as well. So now finally, Paul mentions some things about confusing comments about marriage. They were related to temporary and unusual things, often dealing with missionary situations. And I’m just going to link to Fair Mormon. They do a great job addressing some of those questions.
Speaker 1:
But just remember, Paul’s the one that said in 1 Corinthians, “Neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man in the Lord.” He’s the one that talked about the qualities of bishops to look for. One of them was to be married. And then he’s also the one that talked about … warned the latter-day apostasy would include the forbidding of marriage. So very interesting, that was Paul himself.
Speaker 1:
Now I want to conclude with this powerful message from President Kimball, First Presidency message. “The greatest joys of true married life can be continued. The most beautiful relationships of parents and children can be made permanent. The holy association of families can be never-ending if husband and wife have been sealed in the holy bond of eternal matrimony. Their joys and progress will never end, but this will never fall into place of its own accord. The way is well-defined and clear, eternal marriage was known to Adam and others of the prophets, but the knowledge was lost from the earth for many centuries. God has restored the truths and has provided the way. With the restoration of the gospel came also the genuine priesthood, and God has given to his prophet all keys, powers, and authorities held by Adam and Abraham and Moses and the early day apostles.”
Speaker 1:
“God has restored the knowledge of temples and their purposes. On the earth this day are holy structures built to the special work of the Lord, and each is the House of Lord. In these temples, by duly constituted authority, are men who can seal husbands and wives and their children for all eternity. This is a fact, even though it is unknown to many. It is inconceivable that otherwise intelligent, astute, and highly educated people should ignore or willfully disregard this great privilege. The doors can be unlocked, the gap can be bridged, and men can walk safely, securely to never-ending happiness, making their marriages timeless and eternal.”
Speaker 1:
I just love that, and I love the temple. I love the sealing power and the joy that it brings of having that knowledge of eternal marriage that I enjoy in my marriage to my sweet wife. I’m glad I could share these thoughts with you. Take care. Subscribe for more. Thanks.
Resources:
Talks & Articles:
The Restoration of Priesthood Keys on Easter 1836, Symbolism of Passover and of Elijah’s Return by John P. Pratt on churchofjesuschrist.org: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s…
Temples and Eternal Marriage by President Spencer W. Kimball – First Presidency Message on churchofjesuschrist.org: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s…
Fairmormon.org dealing with marriage questions related to comments by Paul: https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Mo…
Inasmuch as Latter-day Saints believe in marriage for eternity, how do we explain Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 22:29-30, David Yarn,Jr BYU in churchofjesuschrist.org: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s…
Fairmormon response to the same Biblical passage: https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Qu…
Fairmormon on Eternal Marriage: https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Mo…
*See all resources from other temple related videos
Latter-day Saints’ Q&A is a video series not produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but by me, an ordinary member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an independent voice, with a passion for studying Church history and defending the faith. In this series, I provide evidences for the restoration, and address tough questions posed by critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offering faithful answers based on accurate research and historical references which will be posted at the end of each video.
Luis says
March 23, 2021 at 11:16 pmAmazing truth!