August 6, 2026 | www.gospelofjesuschrist.blog | River Wilde
(The views expressed in this article are my personal interpretations of the Bible, particularly concerning biblical prophecy and the end times. They have come to me through endless study of the scriptures, as well as frequent prayerful searching for TRUTH. They are offered for discussion, study, and personal reflection. I do not claim special revelation, nor do I speak on behalf of any church, denomination, religious organization, or its leaders. Readers are encouraged to study the Scriptures for themselves, seek God’s guidance through prayer, and draw their own conclusions.)
The church’s marketing pitch sounds intriguing, “Families Can be Together in Heaven if they are Sealed in the Temple.”
For families to be together in heaven, do they need to be sealed in a temple? Is this necessary? If they do not have this special religious ritual, are families divided, and are NOT together in heaven? This sounds important to learn more about, because of this “eternal claim”.
Today, let’s investigate through the KJV of the Bible, to see what God’s plan really is specific to families being together in heaven.
One of the most comforting truths in Scripture is that those who belong to Jesus Christ will spend eternity together in the presence of God. The Bible teaches that eternal life is a gift received through faith in Jesus Christ, not through a temple ordinance or a sealing ceremony.
Every person who is born again becomes a child of God and a member of His eternal family. Therefore, when husbands, wives, parents, children, and loved ones each place their faith in Jesus Christ, they will all be together, forever because they belong to Him. This teaching is SIMPLE, yet quite profound.
Jesus promised His followers:
John 14:2–3 (KJV)
“In my Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you… I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
Notice that Jesus did not say He was preparing separate kingdoms or requiring a temple ordinance to unite families. His promise was simple: those who belong to Him will be with Him forever.
The Apostle Paul gave the same assurance when speaking of the resurrection.
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 (KJV)
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven… and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them… and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Believers are gathered together with Christ. If members of a family are all “in Christ,” they will naturally be together because they will all be with the same Savior forever.
The Bible also teaches that becoming part of God’s family comes through the new birth.
John 1:12 (KJV)
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
A person becomes part of God’s eternal family by receiving Jesus Christ through faith—not by participating in a temple ceremony.
Jesus told Nicodemus:
John 3:3 (KJV)
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
This is the only requirement Jesus gave for entering God’s kingdom. He did not add that a person must also receive a family sealing. The new birth is what makes someone a child of God.
The Apostle Paul explained that all believers become one family in Christ.
Galatians 3:26 (KJV)
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Because every believer becomes a child of God, heaven is not made up of isolated individuals but of one redeemed family united under Jesus Christ.
The Bible never teaches that marriages continue as marriages throughout eternity.
Jesus said:
Matthew 22:29–30 (KJV)
“Jesus answered and said unto them, 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.”
Jesus did not diminish the love shared between family members. Rather, He taught that earthly marriage does not continue in the same covenant relationship after the resurrection. Our primary relationship throughout eternity is with Jesus Christ Himself.
This does not mean husbands, wives, parents, and children will fail to recognize or love one another in heaven. Scripture consistently portrays believers as living together in God’s presence, worshiping Him as one redeemed people. The Bible gives every reason to believe we will know one another while emphasizing that our greatest joy will be our perfect relationship with Christ.
The foundation of eternal families, therefore, is not a temple ordinance—it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When each member of a family places his or her faith in Jesus Christ and is born again, they become part of God’s everlasting family. Their hope of being together forever rests entirely upon the finished work of Christ, who said:
John 6:37 (KJV)
“Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
The wonderful promise of the New Testament is not that heaven is reserved for those who have received a particular ceremony, but for all who belong to Jesus Christ.
Every person who is born again is welcomed into God’s eternal family, and every family whose members have trusted Christ will rejoice together forever in His presence. Our confidence is found not in an earthly ordinance, but in the unchanging promise of the Savior, who said, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
Temples – So what is the Purpose?
To further understand the teachings of Jesus Christ, as taught through His gospel, let’s take a deep dive into temples. What is the purpose of a temple relating to God’s plan?
Imagine walking alongside Jesus during His earthly ministry. You hear every sermon He preaches. You witness every miracle He performs. You listen carefully as He teaches His apostles everything, they would need to know to inherit eternal life.
As His ministry comes to a close, you ask yourself several simple questions:
Did He teach secret temple ceremonies?
Did He teach sacred signs and tokens?
Did He teach eternal marriage sealings?
Did Jesus ever teach baptism for the dead?
Did He teach that entrance into heaven depends upon temple ordinances?
If these teachings are essential for salvation and exaltation, surely Jesus would have taught them. Yet when we carefully examine the four Gospels, something remarkable becomes clear.
Jesus never taught any of them.
Instead, He repeatedly pointed people to one thing—Himself. Not a church. And, certainly NOT a temple.
Jesus Taught Salvation Openly.
Jesus never hid the way to eternal life behind secret ceremonies.
When questioned by the high priest before His crucifixion, Jesus declared:
John 18:20, KJV
“Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.”
Think about that statement.
If the Lord had intended His followers to receive secret temple ordinances involving sacred signs, symbolic clothing, or confidential covenants, this would have been the perfect opportunity to explain that His most important teachings had been reserved for a select group, but He did not.
Instead, He said exactly the opposite:
“In secret have I said nothing.”
The gospel was never intended to be hidden. It was proclaimed openly for every person willing to believe.
Jesus Never Taught Baptism for the Dead
Throughout His ministry, Jesus continually invited living people to come unto Him.
He taught:
John 3:7
“Ye must be born again.”
He declared:
John 5:24
“He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life…”
Before ascending into heaven, He commanded:
Mark 16:16
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved…”
Notice that every invitation was directed toward the individual making a personal decision to believe His gospel.
Never once did Jesus instruct His disciples to perform baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors.
Likewise, the writer of Hebrews reminds us:
Hebrews 9:27
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
Jesus also illustrated this truth through the account of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31), where no opportunity is presented for the dead to receive saving ordinances performed by others.
The New Testament consistently emphasizes that each individual must personally respond to Christ during this life.
But, what about this scripture that speaks of baptism for the dead:
1 Corinthians 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?”
In this scripture, Paul was speaking to a fringe Christian group in Corinth who were actually baptizing for the dead, due to their own belief, not through the teachings of Jesus or His apostles.
Paul was not teaching or establishing the practice of baptism for the dead. His purpose was to defend the truth of the resurrection of the dead. Throughout 1 Corinthians 15, Paul argues that if there is no resurrection, then the Christian faith is vain.
As part of that argument, he refers to those who were “baptized for the dead,” saying, “what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?”
Notice that Paul says “they,” not “we,” indicating that he was referring to a practice known to the Corinthians rather than instructing believers to participate in it. His point was simple: if there is no resurrection, then even those who practice baptism for the dead have no basis for what they are doing. Paul used their practice only as an illustration to strengthen his argument that the resurrection is real, not as a doctrine or ordinance for the church.
The Purpose of the Temple, Prior to Jesus Christ Coming to the Earth.
The temple under the Old Covenant served as the center of Israel’s worship. It was the place where animal sacrifices were offered for sin according to the Law of Moses. Once each year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest alone entered the Holy of Holies as the representative of the people. There, he offered the blood of the prescribed sacrifices before God to make atonement for the sins of the nation (Leviticus 16, KJV).
These sacrifices and ceremonies were never intended to be permanent. Instead, they foreshadowed Jesus Christ, the perfect and eternal High Priest, who offered Himself as the final sacrifice for sin. When Christ completed His work on the cross and the veil of the temple was torn in two (Matthew 27:51, KJV), the temple had fulfilled its divine purpose by pointing all people to Him.
The Temple Veil Was Torn
One of the most powerful moments in Scripture occurred immediately after Jesus gave His life upon the cross.
Matthew records:
Matthew 27:50–51
“Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom…”
What does this actually mean?
When God Himself tore that veil of the temple from top to bottom, He demonstrated that access to Him was no longer through an earthly temple.
It was now through Jesus Christ alone.
Christ became the believer’s Temple. There was NO LONGER a need for a temple.
Under the New Covenant, God no longer dwells in temples made with hands. Instead, every person who has been born again through faith in Jesus Christ becomes the temple of God because His Spirit dwells within them.
The apostles taught that believers are now God’s spiritual house, built upon Jesus Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone. As Stephen declared before the council,
“Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands” Acts 7:48, KJV.
“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;” Acts 17:24 KJV
Likewise, Paul taught,
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16, KJV
Because Christ offered one perfect sacrifice for sins forever, the earthly temple and its sacrifices fulfilled their purpose. Today, God dwells in His people, not in buildings made by human hands.
His sacrifice accomplished forever what no earthly ordinance could accomplish.
Jesus Never Taught Temple Endowments
During His ministry Jesus spoke extensively about eternal life. He taught repentance, Faith, Forgiveness, Becoming Born Again, The Holy Ghost, Loving God, Loving our neighbor, and Following Him.
Yet nowhere did He teach that His followers must receive an endowment ceremony in order to inherit eternal life. He never instructed His apostles to administer secret rituals. He never introduced ceremonial clothing. He never taught sacred passwords or signs.
Everything necessary for salvation was preached openly before multitudes.
If such ordinances were essential, it is difficult to understand why they are completely absent from Christ’s teachings.
Christ Is the Only Mediator
Throughout the New Testament, Jesus continually invites believers to come directly to Him, not to a church.
There is no earthly priesthood standing between God and man, as there was prior to the coming of Jesus Christ upon the earth.
No temple ceremony is required before entering God’s presence.
No religious organization possessing exclusive authority to grant eternal life.
The apostles preached the very same message.
Ephesians 2:8–9
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Titus 3:5
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;“
Where Did These Teachings Come From?
The New Testament contains no record of Jesus teaching baptism for the dead, temple endowments, or eternal marriage sealings.
Historically, these ordinances were introduced into the Latter-day Saint movement through Joseph Smith during the early 1840s. Joseph Smith also became a Freemason in 1842, and historians have long noted similarities between portions of the early LDS endowment ceremony and Masonic ritual.
But wait, can’t a prophet of God bring NEW Teachings of the gospel?
The gospel of Jesus Christ is eternal and unchangeable. The apostle Paul warned believers that no person has authority to alter the gospel that Christ delivered—not even an angel from heaven. Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone, and any message that adds to or changes His gospel is to be rejected.
Galatians 1:8–9
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
Paul repeated this warning for emphasis, showing the seriousness of preserving the gospel exactly as it was delivered.
The gospel that Jesus and His apostles taught when they were upon the earth CANNOT be changed or added to.
Paul said that even “We” (the apostles on the earth at the time of Christ) or even an “Angel from heaven” cannot change, add to, or alter the gospel which Jesus Christ and His apostles had taught. This is one of the key scriptures in understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is how you can ensure that you are NOT DECEIVED, as scripture tells us that it is possible for us to be in the end times.
Matthew 24:24 (KJV)
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.“
A parallel passage says:
Mark 13:22 (KJV)
“For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.“
The way to eternal life has never been found in an earthly temple. It has always been found in the One to whom every true temple pointed. Jesus Christ.
My final thought is extremely important to all who read this. You will not find spiritual truth from any man nor church…even from ME. You will find it from God. Trusting in a man or church certainly led me down the road of deception. Scripture has given us warning:
Matthew 24:24 (KJV)
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
I felt like I was a very elect person, and I was certainly deceived by what I believe is a false prophet.
If you have a DESIRE to Know the Truth, and include God in your studies and prayers, I promise that He will lead you to the truth…Just like He did me.
I thank God with all of my heart, for showing me His gospel, as taught by Jesus Christ Himself and His apostles. I was not looking to leave the church, I was simply looking to find the truth about His teachings, and He provided a way for me to desire that truth, and a way to find it. I am so very thankful for His love and concern that He has for me.
I now KNOW that I will be going to heaven. I also NOW know that I will be included in God’s rescue plan of the rapture that we are moments away from. I KNOW… I Know… I KNOW!!!!! And because of this, THERE IS NO GREATER PEACE!
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Thank you for another in depth article expressing biblical truth. The first and only time I was in a Mormon temple I sensed a strong voice in my mind saying, “This is NOT of God!”. I knew then that once I got out I would never set foot in the temple again. It took a while, but I finally reached the point of understanding that I needed Jesus Christ, and Him Alone as my Savior. In that moment I was born again and became a new creation in Christ!
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Thank you for your comment. Many of us had this same reaction. Never before had I felt such a “Pegan Display” of religious events. Most who have left the church make this same claim, but traditions made it such that we were not to challenges something like this. I’ve since learned to ALWAYS trust the Spirit that resides inside of me. God was telling all of us that this is certainly not something from HIM!!!
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Did you ever hear stories circulating around church intended to incite fear, such as; “So and So were out without wearing their garments and they had a car wreck”? I remember those. Yet, one time I was on a drive to visit relatives through a 3-digit heat wave, with no air conditioning. I stopped at a rest area and took the garments off and thought to myself, I don’t believe in the kind of God that needs people to wear special underwear to protect them. Later, I had a nightmare that satan and an army of demons were headed towards our house. In the dream I yelled at my husband that we had to get our garments on… then I awoke rather shaken. But we never did start wearing the garments again.
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I have actually come to a very dramatic conclusion regarding the garments. Again, this is my own opinion. Many, including myself have felt a demonic spirit when we went to the temple for the first time. When satan says in the Endowment ceremony, that if we do not live up to the covenants that we have made, this will be the consequence… “If these people do not walk up to every covenant they make at these altars this day, they will be in my power.” This covenant that a person makes is IMPOSSIBLR to keep : “In the temple, participants covenant to consecrate themselves, their time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed them, or may bless them, to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the building up of the Kingdom of God on the earth.” So, essentially all who attend the temple and make these covenants will partially fail, and the result is that they will all be under satans power. Your experience echo’s this thought. If you had a demonic dream, where a “fallen angel” was telling you to put your garments back on, that truly tells you who wants you to wear these garments. People in the church are so “programed” that it is hard for them to see the truth. And, on reason I feel that they are is because they constantly wear the garment. Again, this is my own thought. Thanks for sharing.
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That makes a lot of sense; very insightful. Back when I went to the temple the endowment ceremony included the throat-slitting motion. I think that has since been removed. After drifting away from the church, I had at least three other demonic dreams and/or experiences before I was saved. God let me know I was like a puppet on the devil’s string; helpless. That is when I realized I needed Jesus Christ to personally save me.
Later, I read a book, Mormonism’s Temple of Doom by William J. Schnoebelen & James R. Spencer, which pointed out the connection of temple practices to Masonic rituals and the that the symbols on the LDS garments were occult symbols.
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I so happy for you. There is such a peace in belonging to Jesus Christ.
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I also felt that being in the temple and receiving my endowments was a bad experience. I knew back then that something was very wrong with this ceremony. As time went on, I grew farther away from going to the temple and I kept trying to make sense of it all. I believe God was trying to tell me something, but I was too thick headed to understand what He was trying to tell me. So, I just drifted away from the LDS church and began my search for the truth. It took me a lot of years before I finally found what God was trying to show me. I thank God our Father and the Lord for having the patience to deal with me and show me the way. Sometimes I think God should have used a 2 x 4 to the back of my head to get me to listen to him. Nothing like rearranging your electrons to understand. : ) Now I know the truth about temples, what they were for and that there is no need for them anymore. I am so happy now knowing the truth that I no longer live in fear.
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Your personal experience helps us all. The mental conditioning that they church does with its members makes it hard to see through the deception. Most all of the members that i knew were awesome people, and were simply caught in the same trap as I had been for so many year. It’s been interesting, now being exposed to truth, how easy it has been for me to see the deceptive teachings of the church. Especially the temple. All of the Pegan, masonic symboles that dawn the salt lake temple have been continually explained away as meaning something else, but for those of us that can remember our first experience in the temple, I was very “Pegan” and Dark, and felt like nothing else that the Mormon experience ever offered. To be in a group of people reenacting how to kill yourself by slitting your own throat, or disemboweling yourself is certainly a LONG way from the teachings of Jesus Christ. I’m grateful for where I am right now, even though it has cost me friendships and other close relationships. I find great strength through great leaders such as Noah, and Job, seeing how they successfully navigated through the hardships of always supporting the requests from God to call people to repentance, and reveal His coming judgments upon the earth. My challenge certainly is not as great as was theirs, and I feel that most of you supporting my blog can relate to your own persecution that comes from standing for truth at some point of your life. I’m so grateful that I have “yoked” up with the Savior, for I have felt Him do more than His fair share, in helping me get the job done. Let us all continue to keep our eye on the “prize” for we don’t have long to wait. I look forward to the day when all of us can gather together and share our journeys through this mortal life with each other. I look forward to being your “housekeeper” in keeping your cloud spotless, and am able to serve those who I love.. God’s speed.
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