What happens to married couples in heaven?
What happens to married couples in heaven?
The question of what happens to married couples in heaven is one that has been pondered by many people over the centuries. Different religions and denominations have varying perspectives on this theological issue. Let’s explore some of the main beliefs about the marital status of couples in the afterlife.
The biblical perspective
The Bible does not provide definitive answers about the precise nature of relationships in heaven. However, there are some biblical passages that shed light on how marriage may or may not function in the next life.
New bodies and relationships
The New Testament teaches that there will be radical transformations in the resurrection life. Our lowly bodies will be changed into glorified, spiritual bodies that are imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Believers will be like the angels in heaven and not given in marriage (Matthew 22:30).
This suggests that the earthly marital relationship will not continue in heaven in precisely the same form. The institution of marriage is oriented toward procreation and companionship in this life. But in the resurrection, reproduction will not happen, and friendship with God and others will satisfy relational needs.
Unity in Christ
The oneness that a husband and wife experience in marriage is only a hint of the perfect unity that believers will have with God and each other in heaven. Paul teaches that earthly distinctions like gender, race, and social status will be erased because all believers share a common identity in Christ (Galatians 3:28).
Marital unity in heaven will be redefined and expanded to be part of the great fellowship of love that all the redeemed will enjoy with the Lamb of God.
No definitive doctrine
Most churches do not have an official or definitive doctrine on whether marriage continues in heaven. Scripture does not provide absolute clarity on the question.
Thus, churches allow for diverse perspectives on the intimate relationships of heavenly life, emphasizing the supreme joy of perfect fellowship with God and the end of all earthly suffering.
Views within Christian history
Looking at broader Christian history, there are several perspectives on the afterlife of marriage:
Marriage ended
Many of the church fathers, including Augustine, believed that the marital relationship does not continue in the next life. Augustine argued that the purpose of marriage is procreation and formation of family ties in earthly society.
But in heaven, the people of God perfectly love each other and God without the exclusive bonds of earthly marriage.
Marriage continued
Some theologians, such as Emanuel Swedenborg, taught that couples who love each other spiritually can continue their distinctive marital relationship in heaven.
God blesses and eternizes truly loving marriages. Marital intimacy reflects the joyous union between Christ and the church.
Possibility of marriage
Another view is that marriage as an institution does not continue in heaven, but beloved spouses may still experience a general unity and recognition of their earthly marriage. Personal affection and intimacy with a spouse may persist in a transcendent spiritual form.
No marriage
Yet another perspective is that all distinct marriages end upon death. Individuals unmarried on earth will remain single, while widows/widowers will not be reunited with their spouses. Heavenly life involves wholly new modes of fellowship and relationship beyond earthly marital bonds.
Perspectives from other religions
Looking beyond Christianity, the question of marriage in heaven is also important in Judaism and Islam:
Judaism
There is no definitive teaching in Judaism on marriage after death. Traditional Rabbinic opinions differ on whether earthly marital ties continue in paradise. More conservative perspectives tend not to envisage ongoing marital relationships in the world to come, emphasizing one’s relationship to God.
More speculative Jewish thinkers allow for the possibility of some form of matrimonial relationship in the afterlife.
Islam
The Quran and Hadith refer to heavenly maidens awarded to righteous Muslim men in paradise. Some interpret this to mean that only men can have conjugal relations in heaven.
However other Muslim scholars dispute this literal view, arguing that the pleasures of the next life cannot be reduced to earthbound concepts of gender and marriage. Ultimately, Islamic eschatology focuses on heavenly bliss in nearness to Allah more than details of relationships.
Theological reflection
The question about marriage in heaven prompts deeper theological reflection about the nature of selfhood, relationships, and love:
Identity in relationship
Our fundamental identity is found in relationship – relationship with God, self, and others. The marital relationship is one of the most intimate of human relationships on earth. If our core identity is intertwined with our spouses, this may argue for the continuation of marriage in heaven.
Exclusivity vs. inclusivity
Earthly marriage involves a covenant of exclusivity between two people. But heaven is envisioned as a realm of inclusivity in which the people of God are intimately united with the Triune God and all the redeemed. How does the exclusiveness of marriage relate to the inclusive fellowship of heavenly life?
Temporality vs. eternity
Earthly marriage is temporal and oriented toward biological processes like procreation. In resurrection life, bodies and relationships are everlasting. How would an eternal marriage relate to an eternal body and eternal fellowship with all believers? What purpose would an everlasting institution of marriage serve?
Love’s fulfillment
For many married couples, their relationship brings great mutual fulfillment, intimacy, and delight. An afterlife without any recognition of their marriage may seem to nullify an important part of their personhood. Does love require some continuity between earthly marriage and the afterlife?
The richness of the marital relationship seems to require some form of fulfillment in eternity. But the nature of that fulfillment – as continuous with earthly marriage or transformed into a new mode of fellowship – remains theologically elusive.
Conclusion: Mystery remains
What happens to married couples in heaven ultimately remains a mystery. The Bible affirms resurrection life as a state of joyous fellowship with God that transcends earthly institutions like marriage. Theologians over the centuries have speculated about whether there is continuity or discontinuity between earthly marriage and heavenly relationship.
Christians can trust that the unsurpassed glories of communing with the triune God and the beloved community in resurrection existence will far exceed the marital joys of this life. While questions remain about the precise nature of relationships in the world to come, believers can look forward to the certain hope of relishing eternal pleasures at God’s right hand (Psalm 16:11).