About Marriage

[Guest DeborahC]

I have a question that bothers me.

The Church teaches about Celestial Marriage.

But in Matthew, Chapter 22, verses 23 through 30, Jesus says "In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."

So is there a contradiction here?

Can someone explain?

Thanks.

[bytor2112]

There have been some good threads on this topic if you do a search.....here is a link with a pretty good explanantion.

http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Brochures/EternalMarriage.pdf

[Guest DeborahC]

Ok, so.. there is to be no "giving in marriage" or wedding ceremonies in heaven.

But that still doesn't answer the question of the Sadducee about whose wife the woman will be?

I will go do a search - maybe I can find it.

[bytor2112]

From the Ensign:

First, it should be emphasized that this is a hypothetical situation presented to the Lord by the Sadducees, who, as the scripture itself asserts, did not even believe in the resurrection. They were simply doing what both they and the Pharisees so often did—asking the Lord questions simply to bait him, to see if they could catch him contradicting what Moses, the great Lawgiver, had said.

The question itself was based upon the teachings of Moses: “If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.” (Matt. 22:24; see also Deut. 25:5–10.) In the hypothetical case suggested by the Sadducees, in which seven brothers each had been married to a woman in turn, the question was, “In the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven?”

According to Dummelow’s A Commentary on The Holy Bible, “The point raised by the Sadducees was often debated by the Jewish doctors, who decided that a ‘woman who married two husbands in this world is restored to the first in the next.’ ” (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1927, p. 698.) Most Jews at the time believed in a material resurrection, and so the question had some importance to them. (Ibid.)

On the other hand, although the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection, they were more than happy to use it to try to “bring Jesus into contempt and ridicule with the multitude by asking Him a question which they thought He could not answer.” (Ibid., p. 697.)

But Jesus did answer them, and he began with a mild rebuke: “Ye do err,” he said, “not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” Consider the handicap the Sadducees had placed upon themselves. They did not really understand the scriptures—and probably had no wish to do so on this point. They were steeped in false doctrine, and without the gift of the Holy Ghost had no access to the revelatory power of the Spirit. The Savior’s answer, therefore, was not a full doctrinal explanation of the doctrine of eternal marriage. Instead, he quickly defused their argument and then testified of the resurrection using the scriptures that the Sadducees held most sacred.

The Savior effectively dismissed their question on marriage by stating that “in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” In that way, the Savior turned to the more fundamental issue of the Sadducee’s disbelief in resurrection. Of the resurrection, the Savior bore certain testimony:

[Heavenguard]

I asked the same question a while ago. Personally, I don't subscribe to the belief, but I did enjoy the discussion around it: http://www.lds.net/forums/learn-about-mormon-church/12241-marriage.html

[tubaloth]

The Church teaches about Celestial Marriage.

Yes this has been brought up a couple of other times…

I don’t see how anybody CAN NOT believe in Celestial/Eternal marriage.

The logic seems pretty simple.

Gods powers is eternal (beyond this earth)

God’s power is the priesthood

The priesthood is given to man to do Gods work.

Those that are married by the power of the priesthood would be married for eternity, or beyond the grave.

What is strange is if we ask if somebody is baptized does it last beyond the grave? The easy answer is yes! The point if giving baptized is more for getting into Heaven (next life) then anything we do here.

So the same power that people are baptized by(which does go beyond the grave)

Is used to perform a sealing marriage, it then doesn’t last beyond the grave?

Either God’s power doesn’t last beyond this world. Or the priesthood that God gives man is limited in what it can do. (think about it)

But in Matthew, Chapter 22, verses 23 through 30, Jesus says "In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."

Jesus wasn’t teaching about Celestial Marriage, he was teaching about resurrection. Those he was teaching didn’t believe life after death. Once you read this in with that light, things become clearer.

But more search the posts about this (even use that scripture to search by) you well find more then you want to read on it.

[a-train]

The question posed to our LORD was "according to the law of Moses". The answer was likewise. Under the law of Moses, the parties will not be married beyond death. It is only by the higher law that eternal marriage is made possible.

The fact that the question was raised shows that it was believed that couples would stay married beyond the grave and into the next world.

Adam and Eve were married before the fall. How long were they supposed to live in the garden without partaking of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil? If they had obeyed, would they be dead? Would they not still be married?

Also, will Adam and Eve not be raised again from the grave and be restored in all things? If not, are they redeemed from the fall? If Jesus can save their bodies, their spirits, their status as the first parents of this earth, how is it that He cannot save their marriage?

Jesus told the Jews that they don't understand the scriptures. It was their misunderstanding of the law he was pointing out, not their misunderstanding of the resurrection.

-a-train

[Traveler]

I have a question that bothers me.

The Church teaches about Celestial Marriage.

But in Matthew, Chapter 22, verses 23 through 30, Jesus says "In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."

So is there a contradiction here?

Can someone explain?

Thanks.

From time to time there are individuals that focus on a single scripture thinking that the sacred scriptures have come down through time without flaw. We know from the Dead Sea Scriptures that this just simply is not the case. So that you can better understand the sacred and eternal gift if marriage I would point you to Genesis chapter 2. Keep in mind that in the garden of G-d there was no death and both Adam and Eve would live forever. We learn that Adam and Eve were “one flesh”. We could break this down and analyze the ancient Hebrew word ehad – hopefully that is not necessary. The bottom line is that if marriage is for mortals only then Genesis is a lie.

The Traveler

[Maedoc]

Here are some of my thoughts on the issue:

I imagine that if marriage would last for this life only, it would be of no eternal consequence.

Lately, I have been thinking a little bit about Christ's relationship with us as His people. Many times throughout the scriptures we hear that as a people, we are the bride, and Christ is the bridegroom.

“For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name” (Isa. 54:5)

"I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine." (Ezek. 16:8)

To me, just by rights of comparing our relationship with Christ to marriage shows that marriage is important. He entered into a covenant with us as a people that if we will obey, we will become "joint-heirs with Christ...that we may be also glorified together." (Rom. 8:17) This covenant is everlasting. If marriage were not everlasting as well, why would He compare something as powerful as our relationship with Him to something so weak that it will not last beyond this life? In my mind, marriage must be as eternal as our relationship with Christ is to be.

[applepansy]

There are some things that must be done while in the body. Baptism, Marriage/Sealing for instance. That's why we do work for the dead in the temple.

applepansy

[Guest DeborahC]

From time to time there are individuals that focus on a single scripture thinking that the sacred scriptures have come down through time without flaw. We know from the Dead Sea Scriptures that this just simply is not the case. So that you can better understand the sacred and eternal gift if marriage I would point you to Genesis chapter 2. Keep in mind that in the garden of G-d there was no death and both Adam and Eve would live forever. We learn that Adam and Eve were “one flesh”. We could break this down and analyze the ancient Hebrew word ehad – hopefully that is not necessary. The bottom line is that if marriage is for mortals only then Genesis is a lie.

The Traveler

I actually am quite familiar with Hebrew and the word Echad or Ehad means many things, including ONE as in One with God. But to analyze the word, once must analyze all three letters, Aleph, Chet, and Dalet, which could take more space than we have here.

I'm more than aware that the scriptures have come down with flaws, which is why having a Prophet to tell us what they mean is helpful.

None of this talk, however, answers the question posed to Jesus... and my question, which is whose wife will the woman be?

So far, from reading all the threads, the answer appears to be, "We don't know" which is a perfectly acceptable answer. I don't expect we can know all things. I just wondered if anyone had an answer I hadn't heard before. :)

Thanks for your thoughtful replies!

Edited November 19, 2008 by DeborahC

[Hemidakota]

Surprisingly, it was answered.