Will You Be Married in Heaven?

Will you be married in heaven? Will there be any weddings?

Jesus addressed this question when some critics tried to trap Him. They were a group of scholars from the Jewish sect of the Sadducees. These were the elite liberals of their day, scholars who did not believe in heaven, the afterlife, angels, or the immortality of the soul.

During the last week of our Lord’s natural life, when He was debating different groups in the temple, the Sadducees challenged Him with a hypothetical puzzle:

“Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: ‘Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.’” (Mark 12:18–23)

From the beginning of the passage, Mark clues us into the fact this group was asking a deceptive question, for they didn’t actually believe there would ever be a moment when the dead are raised. Secure in their disbelief, they reached back into the Old Testament and found a Mosaic law regulating the maintenance of heirs in the families of Israel. In Deuteronomy 25, Moses wrote that if a young married man died without an heir, his brother was to marry the widow and produce an heir so his brother’s inheritance could continue.

The Sadducees used this to craft a ridiculous question, which they didn’t think the great Rabbi of Galilee could answer. But Jesus never faced an unsolvable question, for in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).

Let’s see how Jesus answered the Sadducees. Right out of the gate, He turned the tables on them, saying, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?” (Mark 12:24).

In other words, these Sadducees were underestimating God. They didn’t grasp the wonders of His Word or the extent of His power. In a certain sense, we’re apt to do the same. Our questions about marriage and sex in heaven are normal and natural ones. But we should also remember that no matter how greatly we love God and how keenly we think of heaven, we are still underestimating Him and His future plans for us.

Keep that in mind as you hear what Jesus said next: “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Mark 12:25).

Did Jesus really just say that?

Oh no! No marriage? I’m going to be single in heaven? No mention of sex? That’s pretty disappointing . . .

Oh no! No marriage?

Now you’re doing what the Sadducees were doing—underestimating the Lord. We will be like the angels in that we will never die, the eternal population of eternity will be established, and procreation—one of the purposes of sex—will be unneeded. But don’t assume you’ll feel like an everlasting celibate, a single soul without love or pleasure. And don’t undervalue God’s ability to abundantly fulfill the promise of Psalm 16:11: “At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Jesus was not telling us we will have poorer relationships and less pleasure in heaven—but more! Our lives will advance to a new stage. In Revelation 21:4–5 the Lord said, “The old order of things has passed away. . . . I am making everything new!” (NIV) There will be a higher, holier, and happier order to the way life happens.

Let’s not create artificial disappointments in our mind by underestimating the power of God and His Word and His eternal plan! There may be some mysteries I can’t explain right now, but I can tell you God’s ultimate explanations will be marvelous!

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For more on this topic, see chapter 27 from Dr. Jeremiah’s book, The Promise of Heaven: 31 Reasons to Get Excited About Your Eternal Home