The typical marriage vow ends with the familiar phrase: "until death do us part." This wording suggests that marriage ends with the close of mortality. In Matthew 22:30, Christ teaches:
"At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven."
Jesus said this in response to a legal question from the Pharisees regarding the Law of Moses, particularly about marriage and inheritance if a husband died without leaving an heir. As I see it, Christ was specifically addressing Jewish law as set by Moses.
But marriage, at its deepest level, is more than a legal contract—it is a covenant between two individuals and God.
Marriage Through an Eternal Lens
Looking at marriage through the eyes of eternity, we find in Genesis 2:24:
“And they shall be one flesh.”
This profound statement points to a divine union, a covenant that symbolizes something far greater than earthly companionship—an enduring connection with God’s plan for His children.
If marriage is a covenant, then it needs to be sealed by someone who holds priesthood keys—the authority to act in God's name. Christ promised this sacred sealing power to His disciples in Matthew 16:19:
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
The Power to Bind and Loose
Interestingly, the words bind and loose in Hebrew during the first century A.D. carried specific rabbinical meanings:
-
To bind: to forbid or declare unlawful
-
To loose: to permit or declare lawful
Applied to marriage, binding a covenant on earth through proper priesthood authority makes it lawful—and thus binding—in heaven. In contrast, sin, when bound on earth (declared unlawful), remains bound unless repented of.
This understanding helps settle the seeming tension between Matthew 22:30 (where marriage seems temporary) and the concept of eternal marriage. Both teachings are correct when properly understood in context. Christ answered the Pharisees regarding earthly law, but His Gospel also revealed the higher law: the eternal nature of covenants made by His authority.
Marriage Under the Law of Moses and Christ’s Restoration
The Law of Moses provided ways to protect widows and ensure the continuation of covenant families. Marriage covenants needed to be preserved because they were made with God and were sealed by priesthood authority—both anciently and now through the Restoration of Christ's Church.
Eternal Marriage in Modern Teachings
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides clear teachings about eternal marriage:
📖 Doctrine and Covenants 132:19
“If a man marry a wife by my word... and by the new and everlasting covenant... it shall be of full force when they are out of the world.”
📜 The Family: A Proclamation to the World
“Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God... and family relationships can be perpetuated beyond the grave.”
🧠Teachings of Modern Prophets
“The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.”
President Russell M. Nelson said:
“The earth was created and temples built so that families could be sealed together for time and for all eternity.”
Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught:
“The most important single thing that any Latter-day Saint ever does in this world is to marry the right person in the right place by the right authority.”
💠Summary
When viewed solely through the lens of earthly tradition, marriage appears to end at death. However, through the authority of Jesus Christ and the restoration of priesthood keys, we understand that marriage—when entered into properly—can endure beyond the grave.
Through sacred covenants made in holy temples, families and marriages can be bound for time and all eternity, fulfilling God’s divine plan for His children.
No comments:
Post a Comment