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Author: Stephen Weller
797 words, 4 minutes read time

No Marriage in Heaven

Scripture: Mark 12:24; Luke 20:34-36

We ended the previous lesson with a question being asked of Jesus by the Sadducees about which of the seven brothers the woman would be married to in heaven. In this lesson we will learn that marriage between people does not exist in heaven.

^{Mk 12:24} Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? ^{Lk 20:34} The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, ³⁵ but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, ³⁶ for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

In his answer, Jesus points out two errors the Sadducees were making: first, they did not know the Scriptures well enough to understand the reality of the resurrection, and second, they did not understand the power of God that was capable of creating a much more wonderful world than anyone can now imagine.

In our present age, people marry and are given in marriage, but those who become believers and are considered worthy to experience the resurrection from the dead and enter heaven will neither marry nor be given in marriage. The reason Jesus gives is rather puzzling because he says, “for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” Let us look at the parts of his response to see if we can gain an understanding of what he is saying.

“They cannot die anymore” is explained from 1 Corinthians 15:54 – 55 ESV: ⁵⁴ “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵ O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’” By this statement Jesus is making a point that our immortality of this life is replaced in the resurrection with that which in imperishable in that it will last forever.

“They are equal to angels” implies that those who go to heaven become like angels in that they are immortal. Angels were all created in the beginning by God when he created the heavens and the earth. We don’t know exactly when they were created in the creation timing of things, but it seems to be sometime before the earth was created. One thing we can be certain of is that the angels were created before the seventh day of creation because in Genesis 2:1 (ESV) we read, “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.” By this statement, Jesus is strengthening his point that in heaven we are immortal.

“They are sons of God” is described in Romans 8:23 ESV: “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” As sons of God we are equated to angels in that they are also referred to as sons of God. This is seen in Job 38:7 (ESV) when the Lord answered Job and asked him where he was “when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” In Job 1:6 (ESV) we find another occurrence of the phrase “sons of God”: “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.” By this statement, Jesus is continuing to strengthen his point that we partakers of the divine nature and will exits forever.

Once we die physically and are raised from the dead, when through the resurrection “the perishable puts on the on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality” we are described as “sons of the resurrection.” At that point marriage is not needed for the purpose of producing offspring from which people are chosen by God for the kingdom of heaven, so it is not found in heaven. Since death occurred or will occur for everyone born on earth, marriage was required to continue human existence.

Conclusion

Since there is no death in heaven, marriage will not be required to maintain its population. As a result, Jesus says of those coming to heaven that they will “neither marry nor are given in marriage.” Having taken care of the error of believing there was marriage in heaven, Jesus will next show the Sadducees that there is a resurrection of the dead.