Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 131. It is a very short section that is most famous for its verses on marriage and the Celestial kingdom. It also talks about the fact that everything is matter even spirit is matter we just can't see it because it requires more fine tuned senses than we have.
But the part that I like the most is the part about Celestial marriage. This section teaches us that within the Celestial Kingdom, and we can infer in the other 2 kingdoms as well, there are 3 levels within the kingdom itself. According to this section in order to obtain the highest level where we presume Heavenly Father resides, we have to be married in the temple by proper authority. In other words, we have to be married in order to obtain the highest level of the Celestial Kingdom and the only way we are married in the next life is if we are married in the temple as that is the only place on earth that marries for time and eternity, not just until death do us part.
I remember when I was a missionary my mission president wanted us to ask people a certain question on our door approaches. He wanted us to ask them if they believed they would be with their loved ones in the life to come. I was amazed that 99% of the people I asked responded that they did in fact expect to be with their families in the next life. When I would ask them how though, none could give me an answer. The most common response I got was, I don't know, God is just too good, there is no way He would separate me from my family, He wouldn't let that happen. It is interesting how people have an innate yearning towards the Gospel and the truth even though they don't know it. It is also amazing to me how many people not in the church don't listen to their own wedding ceremonies. It clearly states in every single marriage ceremony I have ever attended, "till death do you part" and yet despite all this, they expect to be with their spouse after this life. But they don't see anything in-congruent with that. Go figure.
However, the Lord is very, very clear, especially in this chapter. In order to be saved in the Celestial Kingdom and become like He is, we have to be married. And the only way we will still be married in the next life is if we have been married in the temple and have lived up to those temple covenants. I used to wonder why people could not be saved singly without their spouses but then I realized that it is because in order to create spirit children, which we will inevitably do as Gods, we will need a male and a female. Too often I think people give God a bad rap. He doesn't say don't do this and do this to be mean. He is trying to teach us what His life is like and what we need to do to live a life like His.
I have often mused what the two other levels of the Celestial Kingdom must be like. I have no idea of course but I often like to think on it and what type of people inhabit them. I mentioned that even though it is not stated thus we can infer that the other 2 Kingdoms have 3 levels also. I say this because if you think about it and think about the descriptions of those that inherit each type of kingdom, they are not all the same and even those that inhabit those kingdoms would not all be comfortable together. For example, those that inhabit the Telestial, or lowest, Kingdom are described as murders, liars, thieves and whoremongers. Do you really think that a thief is going to be comfortable with murderer or a liar with a whoremonger? I personally don't and I think God loves all His children enough to try and give them a place they can go where they will be happy and where they will feel comfortable. Again this is all just my opinion.
I'm personally glad I will be with my family in the next life and I want to dance for joy every time I think about being able to still be married to my wife in the next life since I can't imagine my life without her even for a minute. She is by far the BEST thing that has ever happened to me and I look forward to spending eternity by her side and progressing with her. I hope you also look forward to spending all of eternity with your spouse or future spouse if there are any single folks reading this. I thank Heavenly Father almost daily for my wife and for my family and I hope you do the same. Until tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment