When people think about heaven, many wonder if their relationships on Earth will be the same in heaven. For instance, people look forward to seeing a parent, grandparent, or sibling. Marriage is another relationship people ponder. Husbands and wives may be especially curious about their relationship in heaven. What will be the same and what will be different? Show Jesus Christ taught that there is no marriage in heaven. This doesn’t imply that men and women who were husband and wife on Earth won’t know each other or have a unique relationship. Yet marriage, as it’s known on Earth, won’t exist. What exactly did Jesus say about marriage in heaven? Will husbands and wives have a lesser or greater relationship in heaven? Will there be sex in heaven? Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions and others. Also see How Old Is Heaven? to learn more. Why is there no marriage in heaven? See belowWhat does the Bible say about marriage in heaven?The Bible clearly teaches that there won’t be marriage in heaven. People will neither remain married once they get to heaven nor get married once they are in heaven. Marriage, according to the Bible, is for this life, not the next one.
Also see What Age Will We Be In Heaven? to learn more. Is there sex in heaven? See belowWhy is there no marriage in heaven?God established marriage for Earth, not heaven. Marriage, in part, enables healthy companionship, as God said that it’s not good for people to be alone (Gen. 2:18-25). It also has practical aspects, foremost of which is child-bearing. Genesis 9:7 reads, “And you, be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and multiply in it” (ESV). Marriages, and the families they created, provided other benefits as well in Bible times. Children could help fish, farm, and do other tasks to help the family. A father and mother that were committed to each other also provided a healthy environment to raise children by teaching and protecting them. Does marriage on Earth point to a greater reality? Theologians have long taught that marriage symbolizes the Trinity. A biblical marriage involved a husband, a wife, and God — three persons in one marriage. Marriage is also used figuratively in the Bible. “Marriage” is used in the Old Testament to describe God’s relationship with people (e.g. Isa. 62:4-5; Jer. 2:2). In the New Testament, the Church is referred to as the bride of Jesus Christ.
Will husbands and wives have a lesser relationship in heaven? No. Just because their relationship won’t be the same as it was on Earth, doesn’t mean it will be worse. Husbands and wives shouldn’t worry about missing one another, as if heaven will have a net-negative effect on their love for each other, or becoming jealous of other relationships they have in heaven. Nothing about a husband and wife’s relationship will be worse in heaven. Will husbands and wives have a better relationship in heaven? Even though a husband and wife on Earth will no longer be married in heaven, their relationship will be stronger and healthier than it was on Earth. Also see Will We See Our Loved Ones In Heaven? to learn more. According to the Bible, the proper context for sex is marriage. A relationship in which a man and woman vow to be committed to each other, despite trials, hardships, and challenges, is the healthiest context in which to experience the vulnerability, connection, and bonding that occurs during physical intimacy. It’s also the best context for one of the potential results of sex, having children. Does heaven not have sex because it’s sinful? There will be no sin in heaven. Is this why there is no sex there? Neither marriage nor sex is the result of humanity’s fall into sin. Sex isn’t an expression of rebellion against God. On the contrary, God designed it to be a part of his plan for Adam and Eve before the serpent tempted them to disobey.
Sex is part of God’s righteous plan for marriage. According to God’s plan, a husband and wife are only to “be united” and “become one flesh” with each other. Adultery is strictly forbidden in the Bible (e.g. Ex. 20:14; Prov. 6:32). Furthermore, it’s in the context of marriage that a man and woman can be unclothed, and therefore unguarded, without shame. C.S. Lewis on the pleasures of heavenIn his book Miracles, C.S. Lewis writes about the lack of sex in heaven. He uses an analogy of a boy who loves to eat chocolate to explain heaven, even without marriage and sex, will be joyful. Lewis begins his explanation by stating that the Bible teaches that there will be no sex in heaven:
By “perpetual fast” — and by “fast” Lewis means abstaining from something — he means that people anticipate being in a constant state of want and unfulfillment because there will be no sex in heaven. But this is the wrong expectation:
Like the small boy who can’t imagine great pleasure without chocolate, people in this world can’t imagine the great pleasures of heaven without sex being involved.
Also see Will There Be Romantic Relationships In Heaven? to learn more. Are husband and wife together in heaven?HAVING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SPOUSES, LOVED ONES IN HEAVEN
A. Yes to both. The reunion will take place, but not as husband and wife. We learn this in Jesus' explanation to the Sadducees: "When people rise from death, there will be no marriage.
Will we be reunited with loved ones in heaven?The reunion of believing loved ones
When Paul writes to believers who grieve the loss of a loved one, he offers them this comfort: “We who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17, emphasis mine).
|