Marriage After The Resurrection

One of the most well-known facts about end-times theology is that when people are resurrected they will no longer get married. Marriage is for this life only; it does not apply to the next life. In all my years of study I never heard anyone argue against this point. The view was unanimous.

The reason it is unanimous is because the evidence to support it is pretty clear. This is what Jesus had to say when He was asked about it:

Matthew 22:30: “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”

That statement is pretty direct – in fact, it is so direct that there is universal agreement on this point. There is no marriage after the Resurrection.

I was therefore very surprised to come across someone who argued that there actually was marriage after the resurrection. Since their argument was interesting I thought it would be worth discussing. It is possible that there is more going on in Matthew 22:30 than it seems.

It’s worth noting that in the entire Bible, the subject of marriage in the Resurrection is only addressed on one occasion. The only time it is ever mentioned is when Jesus was approached by the Sadducees, who wanted to trap Him with a clever question. This exchange is present in three of the four gospels; it can be found in Matthew 22:23-33, Mark 12:18-27, and Luke 20:27-38. This is the only time the subject of marriage in the Resurrection is addressed.

It’s also worth noting that the question the Sadducees posed was not a sincere question. Since they did not believe in a resurrection at all, they were trying to trap Jesus by posing a conundrum that could not be answered:

Matthew 22:23: “The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,”

Mark 12:18: “Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,”

Luke 20:27: “Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him,”

As we can see, the Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection. Their question about the resurrection was not sincere; instead it was designed to make Jesus look foolish. They were not looking for an actual answer.

Whenever Jesus was asked an insincere question that was designed to trap Him, He never responded with a simple or unambiguous answer. Instead He gave an answer that was designed to entrap the questioners and bring up even more questions. A good example of this can be seen in the occasion the Pharisees asked Jesus about taxes. Look at how Jesus handled the situation:

Matthew 22:15: “Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.
22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.”

The reason the Pharisees asked Jesus this question was to “entangle him in his talk”. They didn’t actually want an answer; they just wanted to put Jesus in a bad situation. However, instead of falling for it, Jesus turned the situation on its head. Jesus did not say “Yes, it is lawful”, or “No, it is not”. He did not get into a discussion involving tax policy, the limits of imperial power, or the legitimacy of the Roman government. Instead He simply said “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s”. Jesus did not explain what things were Caesar’s, or what things were God’s. Instead He skirted the entire issue and left the Pharisees with a difficult problem. Since the Pharisees didn’t actually want an answer, Jesus didn’t really give them one. Instead He avoided the trap that had been set for Him and used it to ensnare the Pharisees.

Immediately after Jesus confounded the Pharisees, the Sadducees spoke up and asked Him about the resurrection. This is the question that they posed:

Matthew 22:24: “Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
27 And last of all the woman died also.
28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.”

And this is the answer that Jesus gave:

Matthew 22:29: “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

We see that Jesus rebukes them for not believing in the resurrection. He then points out that in the Old Testament, God said “I am the God of Abraham” instead of “I was the God of Abraham”. God acted as if Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still alive – and since they were still alive, there must be a resurrection.

The answer that Jesus gave seems pretty clear-cut. The Sadducees asked whose wife she would be in the Resurrection, and Jesus said that in the Resurrection people do not marry one another. However, there is an important fact that gets overlooked: what resurrection was Jesus talking about?

You see, when people read this passage they commonly assume that the Sadducees were talking about the Rapture. However, that is not the case. The very existence of the Rapture was not revealed until after the death and resurrection of Christ. The apostle Paul was the first person to ever speak of it, and when he revealed it he called it a mystery:

1 Corinthians 15:51: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

In the Bible the term “mystery” has a special meaning; it refers to something new that had never been revealed before. The existence of the Rapture was an entirely new doctrine; it was never hinted at in the Old Testament. The Sadducees had no idea there would be a Rapture. When they asked Jesus about the resurrection they were thinking about something very different.

You see, the Rapture is not the only resurrection from the dead that the Bible speaks about. The Old Testament speaks of another one. We can find it in the book of Daniel:

Daniel 12:2: “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

This verse is clearly talking about a resurrection, but it’s not talking about the Rapture. At the Rapture the only people who will be raised from the dead are the saints of the Church; no wicked people will be raised at that time. There is only one resurrection that includes both the righteous and the wicked, and that is the one that occurs just before the Great White Throne judgment:

Revelation 20:11: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

As you can see, all of the dead (even those in Hell) are raised so that they can stand before the Lord and be judged. If you read Revelation 20, you will see that this judgment happens after the thousand-year reign of Christ. As we can see, some of these people will go on to everlasting life, while others will face everlasting torment in the Lake of Fire. This is the resurrection that Daniel is describing, and this is the resurrection that the Sadducees were asking about. After all, no other resurrection had been revealed yet.

When Jesus said that in the resurrection people will not marry or be given in marriage, He was referring to this resurrection. He was not talking about the Rapture! He also had no intention of giving an in-depth lecture on the different resurrections or their characteristics. After all, the question was not a serious question.

So, we can see that those who are resurrected after the Millennial Kingdom is over will not marry or be given in marriage. But what about those who are resurrected at the Rapture? Is the same thing true for them?

That brings us to a question that Peter once asked Christ:

Matthew 19:27: “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?”

The answer that Jesus gives to this question is recorded in three of the gospels – and each answer is a little different. I think this is important; taken together, the answers paint an interesting picture.

The book of Luke records this answer:

Luke 18:29: “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake,
30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.”

Here Jesus says that those who sacrifice for the kingdom of God will receive more in this present time. It does not say that they will get back what they sacrificed, but that they will receive more than what they gave (although not necessarily the same thing that they gave). However, look at what Jesus says in Mark:

Mark 10:29: “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,
30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”

Here Jesus says that those who sacrifice for the kingdom of God will receive in this life a hundred times what they sacrificed, but it will be accompanied by persecution. If they gave up houses then they will receive houses; if they gave up children then they will receive children.

I think these answers are different because they are addressing different situations. Some people really do sacrifice for God and then receive back what they sacrificed (just look at Job, for example). Others sacrifice and receive back something completely different. Both situations happen to different people.

However, there is a third class of people – those who sacrifice for Christ and never get anything back at all. Those people are discussed in Matthew:

Matthew 19:28: “And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”

Here Jesus says that those who sacrificed for Jesus will, in the Millennial Kingdom, receive a hundredfold return on what they sacrificed. These people are rewarded at that time. Interestingly, Matthew 19:29 says that those who sacrificed a wife will receive “a hundredfold” during the Millennial Kingdom.

Now, no one is suggesting that people are going to receive a hundred wives during the Millennium. However, is it possible that those who sacrifice a wife for the sake of Christ will receive a wife during the Millennium? Will they receive again what they lost?

We do know that children will be born in the Millennium. The Bible speaks of this in the book of Isaiah:

Isaiah 11:6: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”

Isaiah 65:20: “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.”

Now, no one doubts that there will be children born during the Millennium. Many people will survive the Tribulation and will enter the Millennial Kingdom alive, and they will reproduce and have families. However, what about the resurrected saints? Will we have families as well?

It is true that the book of I John tells us that the things of this life are passing away:

I John 2:15: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

However, during the Millennial Kingdom the idea of having families, wives, and children has definitely not passed away, since all of those things will still exist. The question is this: will the resurrected Church partake of those things as well, or are they reserved solely for those who survived the Tribulation?

By now we can see that this question is more complex than it first appeared. It is not good enough to simply say “Well, Jesus said there would be no marriage after the Resurrection, so that is that.” Jesus was not addressing the Rapture; instead He was talking about the resurrection that would occur just before the final Judgment Day. The world He spoke of was not the world of the Millennial Kingdom, but the New Heaven and Earth that would be created after all men are judged. In other words, the only verse in the Bible that prohibits marriage after the Resurrection was actually talking about a completely different situation.

So where does that leave us? The Bible is clear that when a person dies, the marriage bond is broken:

1 Corinthians 7:39: “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.”

The Bible does not support the pagan idea of eternal marriage. You may be married in this life, but when your spouse dies that bond is broken; your marriage comes to an end. You may see your spouse in Heaven, but she will not be your wife. But is that really the end of it?

During the Millennium there will be children, which means there will be marriage. Will the immortal saints be allowed to participate in getting married again and having families, or will we have to stand on the sidelines while we watch the mortals around us have children and raise them?

This is not an idle question. If the saints cannot get married during the Millennium, then that means that they had better get married now or they will miss out on that opportunity for all of eternity. If they do not have children now then they will never have children. If they do not find a wife now then they will never have a wife. There are many wonderful things they will be able to do for all of eternity, but this is their one shot at having a wife and children. It means that if you are engaged to be married and your wife-to-be dies, that you have forever lost your chance to have a family with her. You will see her again in Heaven, but you will never be able to have her, and you will never be able to become one with her. That chance is forever lost. It means that those who give up a wife and children for the sake of Christ are giving up something that they will never get back.

However, if saints can get married during the Millennium then things are very different. In that case, sacrificing marriage in order to better serve Christ is not such a big deal. Yes, you may forgo those things for this life, but you will get them in the next life so it doesn’t really matter. You can fully focus on serving the Lord because you know that there is still plenty of time. You are just delaying, not giving up something for the rest of time. You are just “laying up your treasures in Heaven”, so to speak. It is still a sacrifice, but the sacrifice is not forever.

As you can see, there really is a difference between thinking “This is the only chance I’ll ever get” and “Well, there’s always the Millennium.” The truth really matters, and it does affect the decisions that people make now, in this life.

Some might ask, is it really in the character of God to raise us up from the dead as perfect immortals who are capable of reproducing, and then to forbid us from reproducing? The answer is yes, because that is exactly what God did with the angels. As we know, the angels do not marry and are not given in marriage – but angels are capable of reproducing. This subject is far outside the scope of this paper, but there was a time in the Old Testament when fallen angels lusted after women and had children with them, and produced the race of the Nephilim. The angels of God are capable of having children, but they are forbidden from doing so. They are able to desire women, but God has not given them any women of their own (all angels are men). So there is that to think about. Since God does not allow the immortal angels to marry, He may not allow the immortal saints to marry either.

There are others who say that since the Church is the Bride of Christ, marriage among the saints will no longer be possible after the Marriage of the Lamb has taken place. The problem with this theory is that in the Old Testament God said that Israel was the wife of Jehovah, and thew Jews married each other all the time. So being married to God does not mean you cannot marry another human being.

It is also worth noting that when God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden, He commanded them to have children and fill the Earth. That command was given while Adam and Eve were still sinless immortals – before the Fall. This means that families and children did not come about as a result of sin. We also know that God said that “it is not good for man to be alone”, and He said that before Adam became a sinful creature.

We know that the institution of marriage will continue during the Millennial Kingdom because the mortals on Earth will engage in it. Somebody is going to be having children. The question is, will we be allowed to participate in it as well, or will it be forbidden? After all, it is one thing if after Judgment Day, when God creates an entirely new universe, He then puts an end to marriage for everyone because He has a new plan in mind. That is quite different from a Millennial Kingdom where some human beings are allowed to have families while other human beings are not.

All I know is this: the only verses in the Bible that prohibit it are not talking about the Millennial Kingdom at all, and were given in answer to a question that was not serious and was designed to trap Jesus. Is it wise to take those verses and apply them to a situation that they were not addressing?

That being said, it is entirely possible that marriage really is prohibited for the resurrected saints. There is an awful lot about the resurrection and the Millennium that God hasn’t told us (probably because we’re not living in it yet!) But I think that the verses that people typically use to argue this case aren’t as clear as they seem.