Chapter 13c - The Plan of Salvation

Eternal Families and the Highest Ordinances

Temple Ordinances, Eternal Marriage, and Families Forever

Can families really be together forever?

Is marriage merely "until death do you part?"

Or does God intend husbands, wives, parents, and children to remain united throughout eternity?

Few teachings of Joseph Smith have brought more hope—or more controversy—than the doctrine of eternal families.

Many Christians believe they will be with their loved ones after death.

Yet many churches also teach there is no marriage after the resurrection.

Can both ideas be true?

What did Jesus actually teach?

What did the apostles teach?

And what role do temples and sacred ordinances play in God's eternal plan?

In this chapter, we will examine some of the highest ordinances restored through Joseph Smith and the doctrine that perhaps means more to Latter-day Saints than any other:

Families can be together forever.

Part 1 - Endowed With Power From On High

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus gave His apostles an interesting instruction.

Luke 24:49

"Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."

The phrase "endued with power from on high" has long intrigued Bible students.

Joseph Smith taught that God restored a sacred temple ordinance called the Endowment.

The purpose of this ordinance is to prepare God's children to return to His presence.

Years before the first temple ordinances were administered, the Lord declared:

Doctrine and Covenants 95:8

"I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high."

For Joseph Smith, temples were not simply meetinghouses.

They were houses of God.

Places where heaven and earth meet.

Places where sacred covenants are made.

Places where God reveals eternal truths.

Part 2 - The Ancient Ordinance of Anointing

Another temple ordinance restored through Joseph Smith was anointing.

This ordinance has deep roots in biblical history.

When Aaron and his sons were set apart to serve God, Moses was commanded:

Exodus 28:41

"Thou shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them."

Later, the Lord instructed:

Exodus 30:30

"Thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them."

Anointing represented holiness.

Dedication.

Consecration to God's service.

The practice continued into New Testament times.

Paul wrote:

2 Corinthians 1:21

"He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God."

The Apostle John likewise taught:

1 John 2:27

"The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you."

Joseph Smith taught that these ancient patterns were part of the restoration of all things.

Part 3 - It Is Not Good That Man Should Be Alone

As we turn to eternal marriage, we begin at the very beginning.

The Garden of Eden.

Before sin entered the world.

Before death entered the world.

God made a profound statement.

Genesis 2:18

"It is not good that the man should be alone."

Notice what God did not say.

He did not say:

"It is acceptable."

He did not say:

"It is sufficient."

He said:

"It is not good."

Then God created Eve.

And He established the first marriage.

Genesis 2:24

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."

Marriage was not man's invention.

Marriage was God's.

And from the beginning, it was central to His plan.

Part 4 - The Question of the Sadducees

One of the most misunderstood passages in the New Testament involves a question asked by the Sadducees.

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection.

Attempting to trap Jesus, they presented a hypothetical situation involving a woman who had been married to seven brothers.

Then they asked:

Luke 20:33

"In the resurrection therefore whose wife of them is she?"

Jesus answered:

Luke 20:35

"They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world... neither marry, nor are given in marriage."

Many Christian churches point to this verse and conclude:

"There is no marriage after the resurrection."

But Joseph Smith taught that Christ was saying something different.

Notice carefully.

Jesus did not say:

"There never was an eternal marriage."

He said:

"Neither marry, nor are given in marriage."

In other words, after the resurrection, new marriages are not performed.

The time to receive God's ordinances is before the resurrection.

Not after.

Part 5 - The Power to Bind on Earth and in Heaven

To understand Joseph Smith's teaching, we must examine another statement made by Christ.

Speaking to Peter, Jesus declared:

Matthew 16:19

"Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven."

Think about those words.

Bound on earth.

Bound in heaven.

Whatever authority Christ gave Peter was not limited to mortality.

It extended into eternity.

Jesus repeated the same principle later.

Matthew 18:18

"Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven."

Joseph Smith taught that this authority includes sacred ordinances and covenants performed by divine authority.

Among those ordinances is eternal marriage.

Part 6 - Neither the Man Without the Woman

The Apostle Paul taught something remarkable.

1 Corinthians 11:11

"Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord."

Notice the phrase:

"In the Lord."

Paul did not present man and woman as eternally separate.

He presented them as eternally connected.

Later he wrote:

Ephesians 5:31

"They two shall be one flesh."

Then he added:

Ephesians 5:32

"This is a great mystery."

Joseph Smith taught that one of those great mysteries is God's eternal design for families.

Part 7 - Heirs Together of the Grace of Life

Peter also taught concerning husbands and wives.

1 Peter 3:7

"Being heirs together of the grace of life."

Heirs together.

Not temporary companions.

Not merely earthly partners.

But heirs together.

Joint participants in God's promises.

Joseph Smith taught that through the sealing ordinance, husbands and wives become eternal companions and heirs together of God's blessings.

This teaching provides a beautiful answer to one of humanity's deepest desires:

Can love endure beyond the grave?

Joseph Smith's answer was yes.

Part 8

Sealed for Time and All Eternity

The word "seal" appears throughout scripture.

Paul wrote:

2 Corinthians 1:22

"Who hath also sealed us."

In the days of Nehemiah, God's covenant people entered into sacred agreements and were sealed unto them.

Joseph Smith taught that this same principle applies to eternal marriage.

A husband and wife can be sealed together.

Parents and children can be sealed together.

Families can be bound together through priesthood authority.

Not merely for mortality.

But for eternity.

This doctrine became one of the defining teachings of the Restoration.

Part 9

Why Eternal Marriage Matters

Why is this doctrine so important?

Because the very purpose of God's plan is not merely individual salvation.

It is eternal families.

Consider again God's words in Eden:

Genesis 2:18

"It is not good that the man should be alone."

Then consider Peter's words:

1 Peter 3:7

"Heirs together of the grace of life."

And finally Christ's promise:

Matthew 16:19

"Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven."

Taken together, Joseph Smith taught that these scriptures point toward a divine pattern.

A pattern in which family relationships continue beyond death.

A pattern in which marriage is not merely earthly.

But eternal.

Part 10

A Prophet's Reward

The prophet Amos declared:

Amos 3:7

"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

Jesus taught:

Matthew 10:41

"He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward."

Joseph Smith claimed that God restored truths lost through centuries of apostasy.

Among those truths was eternal marriage.

Whether one accepts that claim or not, few can deny the impact this doctrine has had.

It offers hope to grieving parents.

Hope to husbands and wives.

Hope to children.

Hope that death is not the end.

Hope that family relationships can continue forever.

Conclusion

The Plan of Salvation is far greater than simply surviving death.

It is a plan designed to bring God's children back into His presence.

In mortality we receive a body.

We exercise faith.

We repent.

We receive ordinances.

We make covenants.

And through sacred temple ordinances, we prepare for eternal life.

Joseph Smith taught that God's greatest blessings are not intended to be temporary.

They are intended to last forever.

Including our families.

The promise of the Restoration is not merely that we can live again.

It is that through Jesus Christ, families can be together forever.

Looking Ahead

Now that we have completed the Plan of Salvation—Pre-Mortal Life, Mortal Life, and Post-Mortal Life—we are ready to explore the ultimate purpose of God's plan.

What does it mean to inherit all that the Father has?

What does it mean to become perfect?

What did Joseph Smith mean by exaltation?

Those questions will lead us into one of the most profound doctrines of the Restoration.

Chapter 16a

Exaltation

The Mysteries of the Kingdom of God

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