Nephi demonstrated his absolute and uncompromising loyalty to the Savior of whom he prophesied. His life modeled the pattern of behavior of those who have their calling and election made sure, as revealed by Joseph Smith: “When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure.”15 Nephi did have his calling and election made sure.
As he went on his way toward his own house, perhaps dejected, he pondered the things that the Lord had shown him. Discourses could be written about the importance of pondering and the results that flow therefrom. Great and marvelous are the revelations that come to those who ponder the gospel plan and principles. See examples in commentary at 1 Nephi 11:1. Because of Nephi’s pondering, the Lord declared four important truths to him:
1. He was to be blessed forever because of his unwearying loyalty.
2. All things that he desired for himself would be brought to pass.
3. The Lord formally acknowledged his identity in direct relationship to Nephi’s valiance.
4. Nephi would receive the sealing powers of the priesthood, just as Elijah did, including control over the elements, power to bind and loose on earth and in heaven, and power to seal eternal relationships.
Taken together, these statements indicate that Nephi received a sacred and eternal blessing. Nephi had thoroughly proved himself and had served the Lord at all hazards. By identifying himself as God, the Lord was acknowledging in the presence of divine witnesses (the text says “angels”) a special relationship of mutual love and respect between himself and Nephi. Scriptural parallels to Nephi’s experience, where the Lord called the person by name and identified himself, confirm this to be a moment when the Lord sealed upon Nephi his exaltation. To Alma, the Lord declared: “Blessed art thou, Alma… . Thou art my servant; and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life” (Mosiah 26:15, 20). To Joseph Smith, the Lord said: “I am the Lord thy God, and I gave unto thee, my servant Joseph, an appointment, and restore all things. Ask what ye will, and it shall be given unto you according to my word… . For I am the Lord thy God … ; for verily I seal upon you your exaltation” (D&C 132:40, 49).
The Lord’s self-revelation to Nephi at this time may have reference to the Second Comforter. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught the following: “Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions—Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with the general assembly and Church of the First Born.”16
That Nephi also received the sealing powers of the holy priesthood indicates that he had entered into a state of sanctification. Modern revelation confirms that those who are endowed with power and taught from on high are those who are first sanctified (D&C 43:16; 88:68).
Sealing on Earth and in Heaven
The Lord said to Nephi, “I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Helaman 10:7), which is the same binding power he gave to Peter about fifty years later (Matthew 16:19; 18:18; D&C 128:10) and to Joseph Smith about eighteen hundred and fifty years later. To the latter-day prophet the Lord elaborated, “Whatsoever you seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever you bind on earth, in my name and by my word, saith the Lord, it shall be eternally bound in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you remit on earth shall be remitted eternally in the heavens; … [and] whomsoever you bless I will bless” (D&C 132:46–47).
To seal means to bind, to create a bond—as in the bond of matrimony, or the seal of matrimony. Sealing means binding, validation, and ratification. This is authority and power that far surpasses that of earthly kings, presidents, magistrates, and rulers. With whom can God trust this awesome sealing power, which extends through all the universe and through all eternity? It is granted to those who, like Nephi, obey and serve the Lord with unwearyingness, selflessness, and diligence; to those who are totally committed to building the kingdom of God above all things; to those who covenant and dedicate themselves to promote God’s work and glory.
King Benjamin urged his people to be steadfast and immovable, abounding in good works, “that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his” (Mosiah 5:15). Along with the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Patriarch Hyrum Smith was given “the sealing blessings of my church, even the Holy Spirit of promise, whereby ye are sealed up unto the day of redemption” (D&C 124:124). When Elijah came, as promised by the prophet Malachi, he said to the latter-day prophet, “The keys of this dispensation [sealing power] are committed into your hands” (D&C 110:16).
An example of the use of sealing power is the performance of the ordinance of eternal marriage. When a man marries a wife “by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise,” by someone who is “anointed” or “appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood,” then he and she “inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, … exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever… . Then shall they be gods, because they have all power … and continuation of the lives” (D&C 132:19–20, 22).
The keys of Elijah, the powers of everlasting sealing, go far beyond genealogy and family history. John the Baptist brought back to the earth power, authority, and keys. Peter, James, and John brought back power, authority, and keys. But Elijah brought back the power to seal on earth and in heaven everything done in the kingdom of God for the exaltation of husbands, wives, and families.
It is almost overwhelming for mere mortals to contemplate the grandeur and scope of such far-reaching promises and powers, but for the worthy, prepared, and recommended, the sealing power is employed to bless the lives of the living and the dead in holy temples throughout the world.