If I am the second wife sealed to my husband in the Mormon Temple will I have to share the first wife with my husband?

Question

Dear Gramps,

I’m thinking of being sealed to this wonderful priesthood holder in the temple. However, I’m having issues with the fact that I’ll be the ’second’ wife sealed to him. His first wife died of an illness and he was sealed to her. Will I have to share him with her? Will I be second in his life in the eternities? Will his first wife be the matriarch? Will I be left alone while he tends to her? If yes, I will not go through this marriage, I don’t want to be second in his life after death.

Susie

Answer

Dear Susie,

We live in a telestial world–in mortality–bounded by the temporary condition of a one dimensional time frame. It is amazing to me how people tend to project into the eternities, and especially into exaltation, the highest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom, the physical, moral and temporal conditions that prevail in this most wicked telestial kingdom!

The blessings pronounced in the temple on those who are married therein for time and for all eternity are conditional blessings. They are valid only if the participants live according to the marriage covenant that they take upon themselves when they are sealed together. The reward that our Heavenly Father has in store for those who live by those covenants is that they will become kings and queens in the eternities to rule and reign in the House of Israel forever. Those who progress to the point where these blessings are realized, will have perfected themselves. In that realm, although one may preside, perfect equality exists, and it exists in an environment of peace, love, harmony, joy and happiness. There will exist among those perfected people no feelings of jealousy, envy, petulance, hate, revenge or unkindness.

There is no need to be concerned about how you will react to any condition that may exist in exaltation in the celestial kingdom, because if you perfect yourself to the state of being worthy of those greatest blessings that our Father has in store for His obedient children there will be no problems such as you describe.

Gramps