We believe the Bible is the Word of God, His sacred revelation to ancient prophets and apostles.
Hi Víctor. Thanks for your interesting question. Temple worship has existed for millennia. The goal has always been to help human beings metaphorically enter God's presence. There are notable similarities between the temple worship of the ancient Jews, the "temple worship" of early Christians (sacred ceremonies not necessarily realized in temples) and the temple practices of modern Mormons. However, it would be a mistake to suppose that all temple ceremonies have been identical.
God revealed each temple ceremony according to the needs of His children at the time. The ancient Jews, the first Christians, and modern Mormons all existed in very different cultural milieus. The temple ceremonies of these peoples, though all divine in origin, were clearly designed by our Heavenly Father to best accommodate the cultures and sensibilities of the worshipers. Consequently, I don't believe that the sealing ceremony existed in exactly the same form anciently as it does in modern times.
However, clearly ancient prophets and apostles had the authority to bind in heaven what was bound on earth (Matthew 16:16-19). We also know that God gave Eve to Adam, which to me implies they were sealed (Moses 4:18). According to the scholar Hugh Nibley, this idea is supported by the Apocalypse of Adam and the Gospel of Philip, ancient extra-biblical texts. I suspect other sealings were performed anciently as well.
Furthermore, Origen, one of Christianity's early church fathers, acknowledged that some early Christians believed in a form of eternal marriage (Origen, De Principiis 2:11:2, in ANF 4:297), so apparently sealing existed in some form among at least some of the early Christians as well.
God revealed each temple ceremony according to the needs of His children at the time. The ancient Jews, the first Christians, and modern Mormons all existed in very different cultural milieus. The temple ceremonies of these peoples, though all divine in origin, were clearly designed by our Heavenly Father to best accommodate the cultures and sensibilities of the worshipers. Consequently, I don't believe that the sealing ceremony existed in exactly the same form anciently as it does in modern times.
However, clearly ancient prophets and apostles had the authority to bind in heaven what was bound on earth (Matthew 16:16-19). We also know that God gave Eve to Adam, which to me implies they were sealed (Moses 4:18). According to the scholar Hugh Nibley, this idea is supported by the Apocalypse of Adam and the Gospel of Philip, ancient extra-biblical texts. I suspect other sealings were performed anciently as well.
Furthermore, Origen, one of Christianity's early church fathers, acknowledged that some early Christians believed in a form of eternal marriage (Origen, De Principiis 2:11:2, in ANF 4:297), so apparently sealing existed in some form among at least some of the early Christians as well.
I hope this answer helps.