If you’ll notice, most civil marriages contain, among other things, the words "until death do us part," or "married together for the period of your natural lives," or similar wording. While it may be otherwise for some, I am not aware of typical civil marriage ceremonies that include the words "sealed together for time and for all eternity," which words are found in the marriage ceremony performed in the temple.

One of the things that Christ said to Peter as He bestowed upon His apostles the authority to act in His name, as found in Matt. 16:19, is:
"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind in earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
It is the same priesthood power that Christ gave to His apostles by which these marriage sealings are performed today.

Your next question asked if it was not the Christ-like life they have led and the physical ceremony that really counts. By that, I assume you mean it really counts towards being together with Heavenly Father in the eternities. To that I say, if we have lived a Christ-centered life and have kept His commandments, and have endured to the end, we will inherit the Celestial Kingdom. But the very highest degree of that kingdom is where God our Heavenly Father dwells, and it is reserved for those who have been married/sealed in the holy temple by proper authority, by one who holds the sealing power.

Your next questions asked about a situation in which a woman marries a man who then dies by accident or illness a year later. The woman subsequently marries and is with that husband for 50 years and has children and grandchildren. You asked why would she have to be the first man’s wife.

The answer is, she doesn’t have to be, but she may wish to be. We believe that our Heavenly Father is just, merciful, and kind, and would never force anyone to live through the eternities with someone they did not want to live with. I cannot say how it will be done, because I simply don’t know. But I am confident that if she has lived a righteous and faithful life, given the conditions you stated above, the Lord would allow her to be with the husband she desired.

Your next question asked if I had any Biblical references to all of the above. There is nothing that is clear. Typically, the best scriptural reference is from a latter-day scripture entitled "Doctrine and Covenants," and is found in section 132.

Your last question asked, what would a non-Mormon couple who is already married and later converts have to do to have an eternal marriage? The answer is that after they join the church, and have learned all about the temple and the sacred ordinances and covenants performed there, they could receive a recommend from their ecclesiastical leaders to go to the temple with their children, if they have children, and be sealed together for time and all eternity. The blessings are marvelous.

In fact, you may want to ask a couple of our representatives to call on you and explain what we believe regarding your questions. I’ll take care of this if you would like. Let me know by emailing me back with your name and address and I’ll contact them.

Sincerely,

Donny Osmond


See related multimedia presentations