| Contributed by: Ann D&C 49:15
15 And again, verily I say
unto you, that whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained
of God unto man.
Gen. 1:28
28 And God blessed them, and
God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and
have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every
living thing that moveth upon the earth.
D&C 131:1-4
1 In the celestial glory
there are three heavens or degrees;
2 And in order to obtain the
highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and
everlasting covenant of marriage];
3 And if he does not, he
cannot obtain it.
4 He may enter into the
other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.
D&C 132:15-17
15 Therefore, if a man marry
him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with
her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of
force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not
bound by any law when they are out of the world.
16 Therefore, when they are
out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in
heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a
far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.
17 For these angels did not
abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly,
without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not
gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.
D&C 132:19
19 And again, verily I say
unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and
everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who
is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it
shall be said unto them-- Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be
after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones,
kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths-- then shall it be
written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed
innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed
innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put
upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out
of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to
their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which
glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
John 14:2
2 In my Father's house are
many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Quotations
Quote 1
"Marriage is perhaps the most vital of all the
decisions and has the most far-reaching effects, for it has to do not only with immediate
happiness, but eternal joys as well. It affects not only the two people involved, but also
their families and particularly their children and their children’s children down
through the many generations" (Spencer W. Kimball, Marriage and Divorce [Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book Co., 1976], p. 10).
Quote 2
President Spencer W. Kimball said:
"This is the theme of
Mormonism today, and we are spreading it through all the world: marriage, family, home,
children, grandchildren and all that is beautiful and glorious. …
"It is natural for a
girl to look toward the boys and for the boys to look toward the girls and to ask for
marriage at the right time—to be married and sealed for eternity.
"That is natural; that
is the way the Lord has done it" (address given to the Young Women General Committee,
28 Apr. 1977, in Church News, 7 May 1977, p. 6).
Quote 3
"Youth should begin today to so order their lives that
they will be found worthy at the proper time to go to the House of the Lord and be
uplifted and sanctified by the temple ceremony" (Harold B. Lee, "Enter a Holy
Temple," Improvement Era, June 1967, p. 144).
Quote 4
"I believe that no worthy young Latter-day Saint man or
woman should spare any reasonable effort to come to a house of the Lord to begin life
together. …
"The blessings and
promises that come from beginning life together, for time and eternity, in a temple of the
Lord, cannot be obtained in any other way and worthy young Latter-day Saint men and women
who so begin life together find that their eternal partnership under the everlasting
covenant becomes the foundation upon which are built peace, happiness, virtue, love, and
all of the other eternal verities of life, here and hereafter" (Heber J. Grant,
"Beginning Life Together," Improvement Era, Apr. 1936, pp. 198-99).
Stories
Story 1
President Spencer W. Kimball told the following true story:
"A few years ago a
young couple who lived in northern Utah came to Salt Lake City for their marriage. They
did not want to bother with a temple marriage, or perhaps they did not feel worthy. At any
rate, they had a civil marriage. After the marriage they got into their automobile and
drove north to their home for a wedding reception. On their way home they had an accident,
and when the wreckage was cleared, there was a dead man and a dead young woman. They had
been married only an hour or two. Their marriage was ended. They thought they loved each
other. They wanted to live together forever, but they did not live the commandments that
would make that possible. So death came in and closed that career. They may have been good
young people; I don’t know. But they will be angels in heaven if they are. They will
not be gods and goddesses and priests and priestesses because they did not fulfill the
commandments and do the things that were required at their hands.
"Sometimes we have
people who say, ‘Oh, someday I will go to the temple. But I am not quite ready yet.
And if I die, somebody can do the work for me in the temple.’ And that should be made
very clear to all of us. The temples are for the living and for the dead only when the
work could not have been done. Do you think that the Lord will be mocked and give to this
young couple who ignored him, give them the blessings? The Lord said, ‘For all
contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead.’ (D&C 132:7)" (in Conference
Report, Japan Area Conference 1975, pp. 61-62).
D&C 132:7
7 And verily I say unto you,
that the conditions of this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations,
oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made
and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as
well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment
through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power
(and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and
there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this
priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the
resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end
when men are dead.
Story 2
Elder LeGrand Richards related the following story:
"This was a girl that
was the daughter of one of the families that I presided over when I was president of a
stake down in California. …
"She started keeping
company with a young man who had been baptized a member of the Church, but he was not
active in the Church. Then he finally got serious and he proposed to her. Do you know what
she said? She said, ‘I will never marry a man who does not honor his priesthood and
his membership in the Church. I am going to be able to point to my children and say,
"You follow your father." ’
"Their courtship ended
right there. He was not willing to pay the price" (How You Can Best Honor Your
Parents, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Provo, 29 Oct. 1963], pp. 4-5).
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