"Is marriage eternal?" - Christian Post
Is marriage eternal?
By Levi Berntson, Op-ed contributor
Both the Sabbath and marriage are creation ordinances that we presently enjoy as tremendous blessings from God, but they each point to heavenly realities that we long to see fulfilled in the age to come. The reason we as Christians continue to meet for worship on the Christian Sabbath is because we are still waiting for the consummation of our eternal Sabbath rest in Christ. Much the same, the reason we continue to be married and give in marriage in this world is because we are waiting for the consummation of our eternal marriage to the Lamb. But when the reality is fully revealed, the shadow passes away.
This is why Jesus makes a very important statement about marriage when He was in Jerusalem prior to His betrayal. The Sadducees, a group of elites who denied life after death, questioned Jesus about marriage (Matt. 22:23–33; Mark 12:18–27; Luke 20:27–38). In an attempt to show the absurdity of the resurrection, they asked Jesus what would happen if someone was widowed six times. Would that person have several spouses at once in Heaven? In response, Jesus not only pointed them to the reality of the resurrection, but He also explained that earthly marriage is not eternal: "For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven" (Mark 12:25).
According to Jesus, someone married on earth will not be married to their spouse in Heaven. Instead, their only concern will be the same as that of the angels: to worship and glorify God eternally. In other words, the only marriage with which we will be concerned in Heaven is our spiritual marriage to the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, is marriage eternal? Only the marriage of Christ and His church lasts forever. If we think that earthly marriage is something that endures for all eternity, then we have missed what marriage is all about in the first place. An earthly spouse is a precious gift from God, which we should cherish and care for dearly. But while I think we will still remember our earthly marriages in Heaven, we will not be married in Heaven.
The reality is better than the shadow. When we gather before the throne, we will stand next to our earthly spouse, not in marriage to each other, but as the church married to Christ. In glory, the marriages of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of our glorious marriage to the Lamb.
This article was first published in Tabletalk, the Bible study magazine of Ligonier Ministries.
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