Bible Question:

Are men and women married in heaven? What does this mean? Are a husband and wife not eternally married? Why should we even bother getting married then?

Bible Answer:

Marriage is God’s idea and not the idea of some man or woman. At the beginning of creation God formed a woman, Eve, out of a man called Adam.

So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place. And the LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. And the man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. (NASB) Genesis 2:21-25

Someone has recently said that God called her the “womb-man” or woman. It is a nice thought, but it is not true. It is an error since it assumes God spoke in English. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. The Hebrew name for the man is ADAM. It means “human.” The word is never used to refer to several people and never for females. The Hebrew word for the woman is ISSA. It is not derived from ADAM. It means female. Later the Hebrew words IS and ISSA were used to refer to a man and his wife. By the way, the Hebrew word for womb is BETEN.

First Marriage

The first marriage did not occur because they loved each other. God made both of them and then told them to populate the world. They were both created naked. They were strangers to each other from the start. There was no courtship or engagement. There was no time to get to know each other. Adam and Eve married immediately after she was created. This is a great lesson for us once again that love is a decision on the part of two human beings. It is not something one feels. It is a decision.

Many couples want to live together without getting married. God calls homosexuality and lesbianism sin. If a male and a female want to have sex, then God wants them to get married first. Here are two passages. One talks about a virgin and the other about an engaged woman.

And if a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, and lies with her, he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife. (NASB ) Exodus 22:16

But if in the field the man finds the girl who is engaged, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lies with her shall die. (NASB ) Deut. 22:25

Sex with a virgin required marriage if the father permitted it. Forced sex with an engaged woman resulted in death. Marriage is God’s idea. Listen to Jesus’ words in Matthew.

FOR THIS CAUSE A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND SHALL CLEAVE TO HIS WIFE; AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’? Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” (NASB ) Matt. 19:5-6

We have seen that God requires a couple to marry. Malachi 2:14 tells us that marriage is a commitment. Sex alone does not make marriage. It requires commitment.

Marriage In Heaven

But when we get to heaven, there is no need to populate heaven with children. Heaven is populated by those who believe in Jesus. Only those who believe in Jesus go to heaven. Those that go to heaven live there forever. There is no death or suffering. There is no marriage in heaven either according to Jesus. The following verse is a reply from Jesus to a question asked by some Sadducees.

“In the resurrection therefore whose wife of the seven shall she be? For they all had her.” But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven . . .” (NASB ) Matt. 22:28-30

Jesus’ answer is that there is no marriage in heaven. So why do we get married while we are living on this earth? He commanded it! To do otherwise is to live in sin.

Conclusion:

Many couples have a deep love for each other. This is a gift from God. We do not want to be separated in heaven. The thought of not being married in heaven seems foreign and cold to us. Scripture indicates that not only will we know our loved ones in heaven (2 Samuel 12:23), assuming they were Christian, but we will find that God will capture their hearts and minds as well as ours.

. . . and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away . . . And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall no longer be any night; and they shall not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever. (NASB ) Rev. 21:4; 22:3-5

We can thank God for our spouse on this earth and together, along with others, worship God in heaven.