Answer
Jesus said, “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30). This statement clearly answers the question of whether there will be marriage in heaven. The answer is “no.”
The Sadducees had approached Jesus with a hypothetical situation: suppose a woman had been married multiple times (seven times, in fact). “At the resurrection,” they posed, “whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her? (Matthew 22:28). It was a “gotcha” question, because the Sadducees did not even believe in the resurrection (verse 23). Jesus rebuked them for their lack of knowledge of the Scriptures and their discounting of the power of God (verse 29). And He plainly said there will be no marriage in heaven (verse 30). In that regard, people in heaven will be like the angels, who likewise do not marry.
The fact that there will no marriage in heaven does not mean that a husband and wife will no longer know each other in heaven. It also does not mean that a husband and wife could not still have a close relationship in heaven. What it does seem to indicate, though, is that a husband and wife will no longer be married in heaven. Marriage is an earthly bond, and it is broken by physical death (see Romans 7:2 and 1 Timothy 5:14).
Most likely, there will be no marriage in heaven simply because there will be no need for it. For one thing, marriage on earth is a representation of Christ’s relationship to the church (Ephesians 5:25–33; 2 Corinthians 11:2). In heaven, the representation will become reality (Revelation 19:6–8; 21:2). The image will no longer be needed as the shadow gives way to the substance (cp. Colossians 2:17).
Undoubtedly, marriage is not intended to be only an image; it has significant and practical purpose on earth. God established marriage in the garden of Eden before the entrance of sin. So, marriage is part of God’s good design for humanity on earth. After He made the man, “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him’” (Genesis 2:18). The solution to the man being alone was the creation of the woman, and, specifically in this instance, the bond of marriage between Adam and Eve.
Marriage is the foundational building block of society. Within marriage God commanded procreation and the filling of the earth with human beings (Genesis 1:28). The man and woman together were needed to image God (Genesis 1:27) and fulfill His mandate (Genesis 1:28). In heaven, however, there will be no need for procreation. Heaven will be filled by those redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; the command to “be fruitful and multiply” will be lifted, and no babies will be born in heaven. The need for procreation will end in heaven, and the need for marriage will end at the same time.
But marriage is not solely about procreation. When God made the woman, “The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called “woman,” for she was taken out of man.’ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:23–24). Marriage is a unique partnership of two distinct, and yet like, humans. The woman was the perfect complement to the man to fulfill a God-given design (Genesis 2:18). Before sin entered the world, “Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame” (Genesis 2:25). Taking all this together, we see that marriage is designed for union, intimacy, and fruitfulness. In heaven, there will be no shame. And we will be in perfect union with God and with others (John 17:21–24; 1 Corinthians 13:12; Revelation 22:3–5). The intimacy many currently experience in marriage will be complete in a far greater way.
Marriage is a good gift, albeit a temporal one. It is the biblical norm and God’s plan for the majority of people. On earth, marriage brings an opportunity for deep companionship and expression of self-sacrificial love, which are instructive about God’s relationship with His people. It provides for practical needs like procreation. In a fallen world, a loving marriage can be a place of refuge and strength. A marriage with God at the center can be a place of edification as well as a multiplier for effective kingdom work. But, in heaven, marriage will not be needed. In many ways, the single among us can serve to remind us of this heavenly reality. Marriage has a good earthly purpose, and it should be defended and cherished. But marriage is not intended for eternity; therefore, marriage will not continue into heaven.
Some worry that they will miss the intimacy, companionship, and pleasures of marriage in heaven. But that is to misunderstand the fullness of the Lord. We will be fully satisfied in heaven. Whatever we know as the best, most intense joys in this world, the joys of the next world will be greater still. In this world, we enjoy the sun, but the heavenly city “does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (Revelation 21:23; cf. Isaiah 60:19). Just as the glory of God is infinitely greater than the physical sun, relationships in heaven will be infinitely more fulfilling than marriage in this world.
John Piper put it this way: “The pleasures of this world are foretastes and pointers to the inconceivably superior pleasures of the age to come. . . . Marriage ends because all its pleasures are preludes and pointers to something so much better that the human heart cannot imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9). . . . With every taste or every dream, remember: this is only foretaste—only prelude” (“Matrimony No More,” 10/9/17, www.desiringgod.org, accessed 10/30/24).
