Bible on Eternal Marriage
I was doing some studies about eternal marriage and I wanted to compile some great bible scriptures which support this doctrine. Of coarse, even the Bible teaches that the Bible itself is not the "gold standard" when it comes to truth. The Bible teaches to "ask God" in prayer: "ask and ye will recieve, knock and it shall be opened up to you" When it comes to making important decisions, the same scripture study, pondering, prayer and fasting that you can do to know God's will, works in any situation. The Book of Mormon says "By the power of the Holy Ghost ye can know the truth of all things" Obviously, any true doctrine shouldnt contradict the Bible. I'll try and keep it pithy.
(Gen 2:18) "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. "
The word help used in the verse in hebrew is "ezer" which is the transliterated root for the latin word Ebenezer which is a name of Christ meaning "Divine Enabler." The only other person or place "ezer," translated help, is used in the Bible is with reference to Christ. I think that speaks volumes about our wives' special role in our lives. Pop culture has ruined this truth and turned what should mean "divine enabler, who corresponds to and compliments him" into the word "helpmeet" with it's negative conotation akin to doormat.
Matthew Henry states: "The woman was not made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him; but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved."
(Gen. 2: 24) "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."
Christ commanded that we be perfect (Matt. 5: 48) "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Many other scriptures connect the idea of being perfect with that of being one. This suggests that although Christ is the only path to salvation, that Christ has given us our wives, families, and his church to help in the process to unify and perfect us.
(John 17:22)That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;
(Eph 4:11) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
This scripture clearly teaches that "the act of marriage" is not sin but that man and woman are commanded to do so by God as well as to "multiply and replenish the earth." The "act of marriage" becomes a symbolic gesture that reminds us of the sacred vows, covenants and promises we made to our wife on our wedding day. This is like how when a believer partakes of the bread and water in rememberance of Jesus Christ he is reminded of the promises and covenants he made the day he accepted Christ through baptism and being born again (baptism of fire). In this way "the act of marriage" or becoming "one flesh" is the sacrament of the marriage covenant. In this light, the believer understands how important it is to practice strict chastity before marriage as well as complete fidelity within marriage. While some Christians teach that "the act of marriage" is sin, while others swing the pendulum way too far the other way and believe that sex is a way to commune with God. The truth is that a husband and wife legally and lawfully married to one another can privately and intimately experience both physical, emotional, and spiritual blessings through righteous obedience to this principle.
(Matt 16:19) "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."
Priesthood authority was given to Peter that whatever ordinance or performance he did on earth would be in force in heaven. Therefore, if he baptized someone on earth, that contractual or covenant agreement would be in force in heaven. Also, if he married someone, that covenant agreement would also be in force in heaven. The keys of the kingdom is God's authority given to man to act in his name. Adam gave it to Abel and then to Seth. Noah gave it to Shem whose descendent was Abraham. Abraham left Ur to and recieved the priestood from Melchisedec (High Priest of Selem). Abraham gave the birthright to Isaac and then Jacob. Then due to sins of the older brothers the authority was divided between Judah and Joseph and then given to Ephriam (causing much jeolosy and eventual division of Isreal). Moses left Egypt and recieved this authority by Jethro (High Priest of Midian). Then a lesser priesthood was given to the Levites and to the Sons of Aaron because of disobedience. Zacharias gave this priesthood to his son John the Baptist who left the apostate jewish order to teach in the wilderness but who said that he had the authortiy to baptise with water, but Jesus would have power to baptise with fire and with the spirit. Jesus restored the higher priesthood and Jesus is called a High Priest after the order of Melchisedec.
[Righteous Genitiles are the tribe of Ephriam who was an adopted son or tribe of Isreal. Just as Joseph was sold into Egypt and proved the salvation of the other brothers, so to will Joseph prove the salvation of the other 10 tribes of Isreal in the last days in preparation of the second coming of Jesus Christ. This is the marvelous work and a wonder to which Isaiah speaks].
This authority was given to Peter and all the Apostles but was lost when all the Apostles were martyred. (Matt 17) Moses and Elijah appeared as transfigured beings to restore the keys of their dispensation to Peter James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. But the Great Apostasy or falling away did soon occur as Amos foresaw (Amos 8:11) "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it." Now there have been periods of unbelief like in the Days of Abraham and Moses but not a time in human history when the authority of God could not be found anywhere on the earth. Abraham and Moses had to leave home to find it, but find it they did. Such was the extent of the spiritual famine during the Dark Ages.
(Mark 12:24) "Ye 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."
The Pharisees came tempting Jesus proposing the scenerio of what would happen if a woman married a man who died without her bearing a child and then according to Jewish law she was given to brother 1-7 and they all died. In the ressurection whose would she be. God chastized them for "[denying] the power of God" Yes, angels aren't given in marriage or married in heaven. But that doesnt mean that as men they weren't already married on earth which still has effect in heaven. This is the power of God. See, she was married to the first husband for time and eternity and married to the other brothers for time only "until death do us part."
(Matt. 19:6) “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
(Matt. 6: 20) "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal"
Our relationships are among the few things we can take with us into the next life. Family relationships being the most precious.
(Eph 5:25) "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it"
(1Cor 11:11) "Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord."
(1Cor7) Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
I understand how this is interpreted by other churches. I do not fully understand everything that Paul is saying "by permission" or "by counsel" and not "of commandment" I think Paul thought it better that he was single because of the dangerous travel that he did and the imprisionment and persecution that he expected would soon come.
(Titus 1) For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince.
Titus is instructed to travel and establish the church by ordaining married men to offices in the Melchisedec Priesthood just as the Apostles did in the Book of Acts. This priesthood authority to govern the home and the church is later refered to by Paul to Timothy when he says (1 Tim. 4: 14) Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. So, the passing on of this authority is done by prayer and revelation and by blessing or conferring by the laying on of the hands. So, the Catholic's priority on having an unbroken line of authority is an important doctrine. Unlike John Wesley who founded the Methodists Chuch and whose brother Charles commented on his ordaining clergy, "How easily are bishops made, By man or woman’s whim: Wesley his hands on Coke hath laid, But who laid hands on him?" This sheds some light on the process involved with the 11 Apostles met together after the betrail and death of Judas to fill the vacancy in the governing quorem of the 12 Apostles and the “lot fell” upon Matthias. I don't think there was any dice rolling involved.
Joseph Smith revealed that we are to focus on genealogy and family history so that we can research our family and perform these ordainances in the Temple on their behalf. Thus creating an unbroken chain of family relationships. Remember angels can't do this work. It is work to be done by man on earth. Now really, this work is really time consuming. Why would we be doing it unless it was inspired. This is how the thief next to Christ could be with him in paridise.
(Obadiah 1:17,21) But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.
(Mal 1:4) 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.
(1Cor 15:29) Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith in the Kirkland Temple and restored the keys and knowledge about work for our kindred dead on 3 April 1836. The Jews are still waiting and leave an empty seat for him at their passover feast.
I know that the "Mormon" church isn't seen as a Christian mainstream. But God has revealed to me throught the power of his spirit through scripture study, pondering, fasting and prayer that families can be eternal the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is his kingdom on earth and the only fully true church on the earth today. But don't take my word for it. "Trust not in the arm of flesh" Find out for yourself.
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