Your Family Can Last Forever

Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to be reunited with our families and ancestors after this life. 

Why do we need families? 

1:17

Families are important to God

Families are the central part of our Heavenly Father’s plan for our happiness. We are born into a family. We aspire to build strong family relationships. Home can be a place where we feel support, safety, and love. God does not want family ties to end when we die. Because of temples, we can be reunited with our families in the next life. 

Until death do you part?

When members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints get married, they understand that marriage is meant to last forever. Marriage ceremonies in temples contain the words “for time and all eternity,” not “until death do you part.” But it’s not the words that make eternal marriage possible—it’s the power of God. 

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God’s power to join together

In the Bible, Jesus gave the Twelve Apostles the sealing power, or sealing “keys.” That power meant that marriage, and many other wonderful blessings, could last forever. The “keys” enable the marriage to be sealed or bound together forever. Nothing can break that seal except unfaithfulness to the promises we make to our spouse or to God. 

When God restored His Church through Joseph Smith, He also returned the sealing power to the earth. When couples are married in a Latter-day Saint temple, the person performing the ceremony has been given permission to use that power. 

Sealing power extends to children

Children born to couples married in temples are automatically “sealed” to their parents. Families who join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints later in life can also go to the temple to be sealed together. 

Ancestors and family history

The blessing of a forever family isn’t just for us today. What about your great-great-great-great-grandmother who was never sealed to her husband and children? Thankfully, God thinks eternal families are so important that He provided a way to make sure everyone can be united with their loved ones forever. 

Latter-day Saints research their ancestors and keep careful records of who has been sealed. When they find people who have not been sealed, they go to the temple and do a stand-in ceremony on behalf of that ancestor. That ancestor can choose to accept the sealing or not. The sealing power is like a chain that links family generations together. Similar to baptism, stand-in ceremonies can also be performed for those who were not baptized during their mortal life.

How do I find my family history?

The Church’s website, FamilySearch.org, currently holds over three billion records and grows daily. You can visit the site to start a deeper search, or you can even participate on a personal level by collecting and recording personal family photos and stories. 

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Common Questions

Below are questions often asked about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Click here to see the full list.