Chapter 5 -
Heavenly marriage
On the same
occasion when Joseph Smith received a revelation about polygamy, he also
received a revelation about heavenly marriage – an issue that still is valid,
even though polygamy has vanished.
There are still ceremonies
in the Mormon temples in which "lovers" are married to heavenly,
eternal marriage. In addition, it is believed that these marriages have
positive consequences. Firstly, if a person has gone through this wedding
ceremony, he/she will get descendants and reproduce eternally, and secondly it
will raise the status of the person, even up to God – at least, this is what
the Mormons believe. Joseph Smith has explained this in the following way:
Unless a man and his wife
step into eternal marriage and are married for eternity in this trial period
through the power and authority of the holy priesthood, they will stop
multiplying after their death, in other words, they will not get any children
after resurrection. But those who have been married in this life, through the
power and authority of the holy priesthood, and live without sinning against
the Holy Spirit will continually multiply and get children in celestial
brightness. - D.H.C. 5:391 (Joseph Fielding Smith Senior, Tie
täydellisyyteen, p. 193)
What does the Bible say?
The thought of eternal
marriage which the Mormons teach is certainly a beautiful and lovely one,
especially if spouses love each other (but what if they do not?). The
only problem is that the Bible does not say anything about it. Jesus did not
speak anything about it and neither did the Apostles in their letters. If it
were true, surely it would have been mentioned as was the wedding in the
temple; but as far as we know, the Bible does not teach anything of the sort.
Instead,
Jesus draws the curtains of eternity in quite another way. He shows us
that present-day family circumstances – marriages and children –will no longer
prevail but that people will live like the angels in heaven:
- (Matt 22:29-30) Jesus answered
and said to them, You do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
