A typical Temple contains from six to ten or more Sealing Rooms where marriages and sealings are performed for the living and the dead. Sealings are performed for couples already married, living or dead, to extend their marriage to eternity. On a typical Saturday in Los Angeles anywhere from 60 to 90 marriages and sealings may be performed, mostly for young couples. The Sealing Rooms are elegantly furnished and decorated. The walls are lined with chairs and a beautiful altar is in the center. The Officiator for this ceremony is a Temple Sealer, who is supposed to be an especially spiritual person. The actual ritual or "ordinance" takes approximately two or three minutes to recite. When marriages or sealings for the living are performed they are normally preceded by a discourse or instruction - especially for the wedding couple, stressing the great significance of this ceremony to the eternal destiny and earthly life of the family. The room is often filled with up to 40 friends and family of the wedding couple who must also have Temple Recommends, and who have come to be with them - all of them dressed in white Temple attire.

There were approximately 40 persons at the sealing of my wife and children to myself (the order of the Priesthood is that wife and children are sealed to the father). After the preliminary message, two "witnesses" are seated in a special position of honor and the bride and groom kneel on opposite sides of the elegantly upholstered altar and join right hands in the Patriarchal grip previously described.
THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY
(The Sealer stands at the head to the altar and pronounces the ceremony.)

SEALER Brother _____ (acting as proxy for ____ who is dead), do you take Sister ____ ^maiden name (acting as proxy for ____ who is dead) by the right hand and receive her unto yourself to be your lawful and wedded wife for time and for all eternity, with a covenant and promise that you will observe and keep all the laws, rites and ordinances pertaining to this Holy Order of Matrimony in the new and everlasting Covenant, and this you do in the presence of God, angels and these witnesses of your own free will and choice?

Brother:Yes.

SEALER Sister ____ [maiden name] (acting as proxy for ____ who is dead), do you take Brother _____ (acting as proxy for _____, who is dead) by the right hand and give yourself to him to be his lawful and wedded wife, and for him to be your lawful and wedded husband, for time and for all eternity, with a covenant and promise that you will observe and keep all the laws, rites and ordinances pertaining to this Holy Order of Matrimony in the new and everlasting Covenant: and this you do in the presence of God, angels and these witnesses of your own free will and choice?

SEALER By virtue of the Holy Priesthood and the authority vested in me, I pronounce you ______, and ______, legally and lawfully husband and wife for time and for all eternity, and I seal upon you the blessings of the holy resurrection with power to come forth in the morning of the first resurrection clothed in glory, immortality and eternal lives, and seal upon you the blessings of kingdoms, thrones, principalities, powers, dominions, and exaltations, with all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and say unto you, be fruitful and multiply an replenish the earth, that you may have joy an rejoicing in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. All these blessings, together with all the blessings appertaining unto new and everlasting covenant, and I seal upon you by virtue of the Holy Priesthood, through your faithfulness, in the name of the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.

The parties then kiss each other over the altar which ends the ceremony. No exchange of rings is included in the ceremony, but may be done after the ceremony. The couple is then congratulated by their guests and the Sealer and the party leaves to change to street clothing.

SEALING OF CHILDREN TO PARENTS CEREMONY
Married couples, usually converts, who are being sealed often have minor children. These children are normally sealed to their parents immediately following the Sealing ceremony of the parents to each other. The children may not be present for the parent's sealing, but are brought in, dressed in white, while the parents are still kneeling at the altar. The parents are moved to the ends of the rectangular altar and the children kneel along the sides where the parents were. The parents join hands in the Patriarchal grip and the Children place their right hand in the top of the parents hands, starting with the oldest child. The Officiator then stands behind the father and pronounces the ceremony

SEALER By the authority of the Holy Priesthood, I seal you _____ (acting as proxy for and in behalf of ______), to your father _____ ant to your mother _____, for time and all eternity, as an heir (or heirs) (with all the children) as though you were born in the new and everlasting covenant, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.

Other family sealings are performed in a similar manner on occasion. A member of the wedding couple could be sealed to his or her parents at this time, or have their parents sealed and act as proxy for the appropriate parent.

"Sealing Sessions" are conducted nearly every evening in the Temple in which a group of four couples and an Officiator will perform approximately 200 to 300 proxy sealings in about two hours. These are very business like and efficiently conducted working sessions, which produce over stressed knees and backs among the participants.

CONCLUSION

The Mormon Temple ceremonies have been presented here almost in their entirety and very nearly "word perfect" for the instruction and information of honest investigators looking into the deepest teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Those readers who are offended or disturbed by this objective and truthful presentation of this information are asked to consider this: darkness flees from light, error flees from truth, deceit and deception flee from honesty and integrity. Perhaps you should re-evaluate your commitment to light, truth, honesty and integrity as opposed to blind, mindless obedience to the precepts of men.

The Apostle Paul told the saints in Ephesus, "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord, walk as children of light ...proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame to even speak of those things which are done of them in secret, but all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light" (Eph. 5:8,10-13)

Brethren and Sisters, we invite you to come out of secret works of darkness into the wonderful light of Jesus, the Light of the World and Savior of every soul who will abandon man made churchianity and come to Him for Salvation and Redemption. Praise the Lord, He is faithful to His Word - to SAVE all who will accept His matchless grace by faith in Him.

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