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Can a husband and wife be together forever? Do Mormons believe that families will live together in heaven?
Family relationships can last forever—not just for this life.
Just as some of life’s sweetest joys can come through family associations, the loss of a beloved family member can be a source of our deepest sorrows.
Jesus Christ gave power to His disciples to seal families together forever when He said, “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” (Matthew 16:19).
Death does not need to be the end of our relationships with cherished loved ones. The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that the “same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there [in eternity], only it will be coupled with eternal glory” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:2).
Family members who accept the Atonement of Jesus Christ and follow His example can be together forever through sacred ordinances performed in God’s holy temples. These ordinances seal a husband and wife together for all eternity and children to their parents as an eternal family. (See: “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”)
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Joe answered...
Marriage DOES NOT end at "Til death do us part." It IS FOREVER!! After someone is baptized and has recieved their endowments, he/she can go to the temple with their spouse and be sealed together for Time AND ALL ETERNITY!! I honestly cant wait to have that blessing along with my future fraulein (young lady)!! Show more Show less
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Matt answered...
The Lord would not command us to love each other so much during our lives only to tear us apart in the next life. We are one flesh just as the Lord is one with his church. The scriptures say that we are not to be put asunder. Christ gave his apostles special revelations on this subject: Matthew, Chapter 16: Jesus said to his apostles: 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. What else would his apostles bind, and what else could the Savior mean, if not marriages? Christ put no limit on their binding power to bind relationships and covenants. Their power extends into heaven. And he continued by saying: 20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. – because some things are kept sacred until later times when the world is ready to receive them. Temple sealing and eternal marriage are primarily the subject of modern revelation through prophets in our time. In the latter days, according to prophecy, Elijah has returned to join families together. Malachi 4:5-6. We believe that prophets in each age bring new revelation from God. Amos 3:7. This latter day revelation has finally made clear how families are kept together in heaven—something people have wondered about throughout the ages. (Ephesians 5:32, wherein it says that the subject of marriage in Biblical times was “a great mystery”). In our time, the purpose of marriage and family is clear: ordinances are being performed to unite the whole human family throughout all dispensations of time. It is a unique work for the latter days. These modern revelations free human kind from the depressing, and divorce-promoting idea that the family becomes meaningless in the life hereafter. The Lord would not put us in a world so alien to our heavenly home. In heaven, families are the eternal organizational unit in his kingdom. Show more Show less
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Nathaniel Free answered...
While a Protestant, I became deeply troubled with things pertaining to marriage. I wanted to know what would become of our relationships after death, especially with regard to my future wife. I took the matter before my pastor. His response did not put my mind to ease. In short, he replied, "Till death do you part." I could not imagine how a deep and abiding love shared over a lifetime would simply cease at death. It was unbiblical! After all, did not God institute marriage? In the Garden of Eden, Adam declared, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh," (Gen. 2:24). I felt in my heart that marriage was meant to endure forever, for death did not exist for those newlyweds. It continued, even after their Fall: "Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living," (Gen. 3:20). As I continued to learn the principles of eternal marriage, the spirit bore witness to me that it was true. Jesus Christ said, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder," (Matt. 19:6) The Prophet Joseph Smith revealed that the "same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there [in eternity], only it will be coupled with eternal glory” (D&C 130:2). So declared Paul, "Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord." Indeed, "the whole family [is] in heaven," (Eph. 3:14-15). Show more Show less
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Amanda answered...
YES!!! This is one of my favorite parts of the gospel. I believe that my family will live together in heaven. I will know my family as my family members. My husband is my husband for now and for all eternity. My children are my children here on earth and for all eternity. I know that if something happened to one of us that I will see them again. I love this about the church. Before joining, I always had a question about this concept and when taking the discussions from the missionaries this came up. Makes me love the church more and more. Show more Show less
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Mark answered...
This is more than just instinct. We are indeed eternal beings whose origin is before the creation of the earth. And one of the things we come to earth to do is to find a companion, not only for this mortal existence, but for eternity as well. God has provided the place, the Temple of the Lord, and the authority, the power to seal things on earth and in heaven. So that eternal relationships can be established here and enjoyed after this life is done. Do I believe it? I feel certain that these principles are true. The Holy Ghost confirms that to my spirit. Show more Show less
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Daniel answered...
When married by earthly power and the authority of man, our vows are "Until death do you part." We believe that families can be together forever as part of our Heavenly Father's Great Plan of Happiness. His Work and His Glory is to bring to pass the exaltation and eternal life of man. He wants us to be even as He is and to return home to live with Him again. Through the ordinances of his Holy Temples, God's son's and daughter's are able to make covenants. Through the power of His Holy Priesthood, be sealed together for all of time and eternity as Husband and Wife, parents and children. Families were designed and instituted by God with the intent that they be forever. The love we feel in this life does not need to be cut off when we die. Those who have already died are not lost us forever. God has mercifully made a way by which all who would accept these saving ordinances can do so, living or dead. We perform these ordinances for those who have in the past died so that they may have the opportunity of accepting them on the other side if they so choose to do so. Show more Show less
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Dave answered...
Most definitely; all my senses tell me this is true. We all seek love and acceptance. Some people are single and fulfilled; some are married and lonely. Independent of our situation, the ideal remains available to us all. Every time I touch my wife’s skin, each time she holds my hand, I know yet again the importance of eternal marriage. I have learned for myself that the voice of Heavenly Father is carefully clear on this topic. It is our job to have ears to hear. The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. (The Family: A Proclamation to the World.) I have learned for myself that Pres. Harold B. Lee sees right to the heart of the matter: "The greatest work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own home." This is why God asked Elijah to return in 1836. Of all the things on my gratitude list, I am most grateful that the Savior has provided the way for me to be sealed forever to my wife and family. Show more Show less
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Jason answered...
I know that families can be together forever. It is central to Heavenly Father's plan. It just doesn't make sense that God would send us here in families and command us to love and serve them, only to have those relationships end at death. If it were that way, would it follow the same pattern for our relationship with God and Jesus Christ at death? Would those relationships end? No. The love and trust that we build with our families will carry on with us as we pass to the next life. We will live with them forever if we are obedient to the Lord's commandments here in this life. I know that that is true, because I have witnessed and felt the power of God's teachings with my family. They have changed my life, and that of my family's. Show more Show less
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Michael Alan answered...
YES! There is something eternal about the statment, "neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord" (New Testament | 1 Corinthians 11:11). Only through the proper authority can husband and wife be sealed together in the House of the Lord. We lived as families before we came to this earth, we live as families now, and on conditions of righteousness, we can live with our families forever in the eternities. Heaven would not be heaven for me, if it was without my family. Family relationships can last forever—not just for this life. We learn that the "same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there [in eternity], only it will be coupled with eternal glory" (Doctrine and Covenants 130:2). The family unit is eternal and that whatsoever is bound here on earth will be bound in heaven as well on conditions of righteousness. Family members who accept the Atonement of Jesus Christ and follow His example can be together forever through sacred ordinances performed in God’s holy temples. Show more Show less
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