An urgency exists to perform temple ordinances today during the sixth seal¹ because of competing requirements imposed by the law of earthly ordinances² and the law of resurrection.³

The law of earthly ordinances requires every gospel ordinance⁴ to be performed on earth⁵ by mortal men and women.⁶ Earthly ordinances cannot be performed by disembodied spirits in the spirit world⁷ or by resurrected people in the celestial kingdom.⁸ There are no exceptions to this law,⁹ except little children or unaccountable people do not require baptism.¹⁰ They are automatically saved in the celestial kingdom¹¹ by the grace of Jesus Christ.¹² For all others, the earthly ordinance of baptism is required for the salvation of people in the celestial kingdom.¹³

Similarly, the sealing ordinance makes exaltation possible in the highest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom.¹⁴ This is also an earthly ordinance that every person, including little children and unaccountable people,¹⁵ must receive to be exalted.¹⁶ If the law of earthly ordinances did not exist, there would be no urgency to perform gospel ordinances during the sixth seal. Men and women would have all the proverbial time in the world to perform such labors.¹⁷

Given the constraints imposed by the law of earthly ordinances, mortal proxies in this life¹⁸ must perform vicarious ordinances¹⁹ for the dead who did not receive their gospel ordinances before death.²⁰ The atonement was a vicarious ordinance performed by the Savior.²¹ He vicariously did for all God's other children what they could not do for themselves.²² His atonement was the first and greatest vicarious ordinance²³ ever performed on this earth for all Christ's physical creations.²⁴ Christ's atonement opened the door for deceased people to receive their gospel ordinances vicariously as earthly ordinances before their resurrection–thus reconciling the competing constraints between the law of earthly ordinances and the related law of resurrection.²⁵

The law of resurrection requires people to receive their gospel ordinances before they are resurrected to celestial glory.²⁶ This requirement exists because the glory people receive in the next life is unalterably fixed at the time of their resurrection.²⁷ The resurrection is effectively a final judgment.²⁸ Therefore, exaltation-worthy people must receive the sealing ordinance,²⁹ for themselves or vicariously, before they are resurrected to an exalted state.³⁰ The words of the Savior confirm this when he said that in the resurrection people neither marry, nor are given in marriage.³¹ Through the earthly sealing ordinance, husbands and wives are sealed up to come forth in the morning of the first resurrection clothed with glory, immortality, and eternal lives.³²

Three days after Jesus was crucified, he was the first to be resurrected of all God's spirit creations.³³ After his resurrection, the way was opened for other saints to be resurrected.³⁴ The law of earthly ordinances and the law of resurrection controlled which saints came forth with Christ³⁵ as the first fruits³⁶ of the first resurrection.³⁷ Based on these two laws, the only saints that could be resurrected with Christ were those that were ready for, and worthy of, exaltation in the celestial kingdom.³⁸ In other words, the only people resurrected with Christ were those worthy of exaltation that had also received all their earthly ordinances before they died,³⁹ including the sealing ordinance.⁴⁰ If they resurrected without the sealing ordinance they would have the status of unmarried people in the resurrection and would remain unmarried and without exaltation in their saved condition forever.⁴¹ However, the scriptures clearly state that those resurrected with Christ came forth as exalted Gods.⁴² They were not damned as unmarried angels in heaven throughout eternity.⁴³

Only those worthy of exaltation were resurrected with Christ because the law of resurrection also includes the doctrinal truth that the resurrection proceeds in order⁴⁴ from the kingdom of highest glory to the lowest.⁴⁵ This Order of Resurrection also applies to the three separate degrees of glory within the celestial kingdom.⁴⁶ Thus, exalted people are resurrected first followed by unexalted people within the celestial kingdom based on their obedience to the law of earthly ordinances, among others.⁴⁷