Are we going to be with our current spouses in heaven?

[Audrey]

What is your interpretation of heaven? Or your interpretation of what the Bible says on the matter? Do we all cavort happily with our spouses, or there is no marriage in heaven? If we are married multiple times, who are we going to be with in heaven? Or is it all one big, happy family?

 

For those of you who have seen the movie Titanic, does Rose end up in heaven with Leonardo DiCaprio or her husband (who possibly loved her more than she did)?

 

Or is heaven just an amazingly sophisticated virtual reality?

 

 

No. I will be with my spouse in a suburb in a bungalow with a garage in front, 3 shrubs of nondescript nature and a postage stamp lawn that looks exactly like every other bungalow with a big garage in front, 3 shrubs of nondescript nature and a postage stamp lawn.

 

Because, in this lifetime, I have done a really good job of assuring that, if there is such a thing, I will be in hell. :D

[LostSurprise]

I voted other. I believe we will have bodies. I do not believe that our earthly relationships will be preserved, exactly. I do believe that we will all be content with this scenario, even if it is very hard to grasp in my mortal state.

 

This. Sort of.

 

If human beings can live in harmony and communion with God and each other, we have to have a connection with each other much like we do with our family and spouse. It isn't that I don't think my family will be there, it's just that I don't think that our connection will be as unique as it is here. And because of that we will not seek each other out in the way we would here.

 

Most people find that a little too weird.

 

I also don't think we'll be sitting around either, but that's another thread.

[MamaSheep]

Another Mormon coming out of the woodwork here (although I'm not sure I was in the woodwork to begin with, but whatever)...lol...

 

I will say that I understand Jesus's comments to the Saducees rather differently. (Also, for those of you who may be trying to look this up, I find this conversation in my King James Version in Matthew 22:23-33. I am not certain which version the person who posted previously was using. ETA: On further research, I think the prev. poster meant Mark 12)

 

23 ¶ The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,

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.

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.

33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.

 

I find it interesting that the question was asked by the Saducees, who didn't believe there was such a thing as resurrection in the first place, and who were trying to entrap Jesus into saying something they could use against him. Regardless, I think it helps to look at each part of Jesus' response.

 

1) He says the Saducees do not properly understand the scripture or the power of God. The scripture they have quoted says that (under the law of Moses) a man should marry his brother's widow in order to raise up children for his deceased brother. The children of this second marriage are considered to be the children of the first husband, and the second husband is standing in for his deceased brother in "begetting" them.

 

2) He says that in the resurrection there will be neither marrying nor giving in marriage, but they will be as the angels in heaven. Both "marry" and "give in marriage" are action verbs that refer to entering into a new marital union. Jesus is saying that no new marriages will take place at the time in question.

 

3) He reminds them that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. To me, this does not mean that once people die they leave God's jurisdiction and are beyond the reach of God's laws or of Gods power. Rather, what it means to me is that those who we consider "dead" (whose spirits have left their bodies for a time, but who look forward to their reunification in the resurrection) are looked at no differently by God than those we consider to be "alive". They are all "alive" to God.

 

So to me, what Jesus is saying here is that the first marriage is still intact, since God considers the living and the dead as all the same, and as "living"--death does not put the man outside God's jurisdiction or sever the marital bond created by God. The Saducees do not understand the power of God, because they do not understand that a marriage entered into and bound by the power of God is still binding beyond death in the same way it is binding for the living, because God is the God of the living--including the living who for a time are without bodies. They do not understand the scripture because if they did they would understand that the second (through seventh) brother(s) is standing as an authorized proxy for his brother in his brother's marriage in order to raise up children for his brother. And since none of those concerned will be able to marry or be given in marriage in the resurrection, none of the others will be able to enter into a new marriage with the wife. Thus, she is the wife of the first husband, to whom she was joined by the power of God, which transcends death, and not the rest of them who, in accordance with the law given to Moses, were standing in for the first brother.

 

There are some other passages in the Bible that I think are also relevant to the question of the duration of marriage.

 

The first marriage, in Genesis 2, when God joins Adam and Eve as husband and wife (and "one flesh"--a single entity), occurs BEFORE the Fall, while Adam and Eve are still immortal beings and could not die. Their marriage was clearly intended to be of infinite duration. If marriage were intended as an institution only for mortal persons, and only for the duration of their mortal existence, ending at death, it would make more sense to me for God to have married Adam and Eve after the Fall, when Adam and Eve were mortal and could experience the death that was "intended" to end their marriage. I think the timing of this first marriage is important.

 

Also, I agree with Ecclesiastes 3:14, which says, "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it..."

 

Whatever God does lasts forever, and nothing and nobody other than God can change that.

 

And Jesus taught that husband and wife are joined by God. ["Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (Matt. 19:6) ] He also said that under the law of Moses divorce was permitted when people did not obey God and live up to their marital covenants, but that is not the purpose or original intent of marriage, it's only allowed because some people sin and don't live up to the original intent.

 

If husband and wife are joined by God, and whatever God does is forever, then the bond formed by God between husband and wife is forever.

 

I also believe that God has chosen to delegate this binding power to man, and honor the bonds formed by His authorized delegates. "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

 

So I believe that any marriage entered into by the power of God, with the assistance of someone properly authorized by God to bind and loose on Earth and have those actions ratified and enforced in heaven, lasts beyond this life and will still be in force in heaven. On the other hand, if the marriage is not bound by God, but entered into under man's power and authority only, then the marriage ends at death, because man's authority does not last beyond death.

 

Regarding bodies, I believe that one of the reasons Jesus retained the prints of the nails and the spear wound following His resurrection, and showed them to His disciples, was to show that the body we are resurrected with is the same one we had when we died. But I believe also that the glory of His resurrected body shows that our bodies will also be purified and glorified and will be changed to a perfected, immortal state.

Edited November 10, 2010 by MamaSheep

[Sahamamama]

I believe we will have some kind of bodies, we will know and have relationships with our loved ones in heaven, but there will be no such thing as marriage the way we understand it here, and somehow we will be happy with the arrangement.

 

:iagree:Thanks, Paige, for putting it so succinctly. :D

[justamouse]

 

Because, in this lifetime, I have done a really good job of assuring that, if there is such a thing, I will be in hell. :D

:lol::lol:

[Whereneverever]

I don't believe in marriage in Heaven as we know it on Earth. I do think we'll have physical bodies, though, so that's not why.

[HRAAB]

I believe marriage serves a purpose here on earth. For me, firstly, marriage is a way for spouses to help each attain heaven (keep each other from veering off the path); secondly, to provide a secure, safe, loving place for children to learn and grow. In heaven, there won't be a need for marriage. Do I want to be with my dh in heaven? Absolutely. But once there, will I feel the same way? Probably not. However, I believe marriage is more than just a physical bond; there is a spiritual bond also. That bond will not be broken due to death, but how that bond will be realized in heaven, I don't know.

[katemary63]

I believe we will have some kind of bodies, we will know and have relationships with our loved ones in heaven, but there will be no such thing as marriage the way we understand it here, and somehow we will be happy with the arrangement.

 

:iagree: This is my understanding. Although it makes my earthy nature sad, I know for a fact that this will be fine with us upon arrival. I would never question the Creator on how he set up heaven and why. What ever it is is ultimately fine with me, even if it's not how I think I would have designed it. (To live in mutually loving adoration with my DH as husband and wife for all eternity.)

[Melissa in Australia]

none of the above. when I die, I will decompose in the ground, so will my husband.

[DianeW88]

Another Mormon coming out of the woodwork here (although I'm not sure I was in the woodwork to begin with, but whatever)...lol...

 

I will say that I understand Jesus's comments to the Saducees rather differently. (Also, for those of you who may be trying to look this up, I find this conversation in my King James Version in Matthew 22:23-33. I am not certain which version the person who posted previously was using. ETA: On further research, I think the prev. poster meant Mark 12)

 

23 ¶ The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,

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.

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.

33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.

 

I find it interesting that the question was asked by the Saducees, who didn't believe there was such a thing as resurrection in the first place, and who were trying to entrap Jesus into saying something they could use against him. Regardless, I think it helps to look at each part of Jesus' response.

 

1) He says the Saducees do not properly understand the scripture or the power of God. The scripture they have quoted says that (under the law of Moses) a man should marry his brother's widow in order to raise up children for his deceased brother. The children of this second marriage are considered to be the children of the first husband, and the second husband is standing in for his deceased brother in "begetting" them.

 

2) He says that in the resurrection there will be neither marrying nor giving in marriage, but they will be as the angels in heaven. Both "marry" and "give in marriage" are action verbs that refer to entering into a new marital union. Jesus is saying that no new marriages will take place at the time in question.

 

3) He reminds them that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. To me, this does not mean that once people die they leave God's jurisdiction and are beyond the reach of God's laws or of Gods power. Rather, what it means to me is that those who we consider "dead" (whose spirits have left their bodies for a time, but who look forward to their reunification in the resurrection) are looked at no differently by God than those we consider to be "alive". They are all "alive" to God.

 

So to me, what Jesus is saying here is that the first marriage is still intact, since God considers the living and the dead as all the same, and as "living"--death does not put the man outside God's jurisdiction or sever the marital bond created by God. The Saducees do not understand the power of God, because they do not understand that a marriage entered into and bound by the power of God is still binding beyond death in the same way it is binding for the living, because God is the God of the living--including the living who for a time are without bodies. They do not understand the scripture because if they did they would understand that the second (through seventh) brother(s) is standing as an authorized proxy for his brother in his brother's marriage in order to raise up children for his brother. And since none of those concerned will be able to marry or be given in marriage in the resurrection, none of the others will be able to enter into a new marriage with the wife. Thus, she is the wife of the first husband, to whom she was joined by the power of God, which transcends death, and not the rest of them who, in accordance with the law given to Moses, were standing in for the first brother.

 

There are some other passages in the Bible that I think are also relevant to the question of the duration of marriage.

 

The first marriage, in Genesis 2, when God joins Adam and Eve as husband and wife (and "one flesh"--a single entity), occurs BEFORE the Fall, while Adam and Eve are still immortal beings and could not die. Their marriage was clearly intended to be of infinite duration. If marriage were intended as an institution only for mortal persons, and only for the duration of their mortal existence, ending at death, it would make more sense to me for God to have married Adam and Eve after the Fall, when Adam and Eve were mortal and could experience the death that was "intended" to end their marriage. I think the timing of this first marriage is important.

 

Also, I agree with Ecclesiastes 3:14, which says, "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it..."

 

Whatever God does lasts forever, and nothing and nobody other than God can change that.

 

And Jesus taught that husband and wife are joined by God. ["Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (Matt. 19:6) ] He also said that under the law of Moses divorce was permitted when people did not obey God and live up to their marital covenants, but that is not the purpose or original intent of marriage, it's only allowed because some people sin and don't live up to the original intent.

 

If husband and wife are joined by God, and whatever God does is forever, then the bond formed by God between husband and wife is forever.

 

I also believe that God has chosen to delegate this binding power to man, and honor the bonds formed by His authorized delegates. "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

 

So I believe that any marriage entered into by the power of God, with the assistance of someone properly authorized by God to bind and loose on Earth and have those actions ratified and enforced in heaven, lasts beyond this life and will still be in force in heaven. On the other hand, if the marriage is not bound by God, but entered into under man's power and authority only, then the marriage ends at death, because man's authority does not last beyond death.

 

Regarding bodies, I believe that one of the reasons Jesus retained the prints of the nails and the spear wound following His resurrection, and showed them to His disciples, was to show that the body we are resurrected with is the same one we had when we died. But I believe also that the glory of His resurrected body shows that our bodies will also be purified and glorified and will be changed to a perfected, immortal state.

 

Thank you, Amy, for articulating the LDS position so well. I did not have enough brain cells firing to even attempt this today. :lol:

[MamaSheep]

Thank you, Amy, for articulating the LDS position so well. I did not have enough brain cells firing to even attempt this today. :lol:

 

Lol...thanks. It helped me procrastinate emptying the dishwasher. Yes, I know I could make my kids do it, but frankly I'm tired of their company today.

[8circles]

Other. Not only don't I know, I don't care. I suspect that whatever heaven is like I'll be focused on things other than my spouse. It's one of those theological points I've never really seen the point in.

[Laurie4b]

While this appears to say that we won't have a marital relationship anymore, I think we need to remember that it's not like you will have less love you have now, but that you'll have more. Here on earth, perhaps there is a limit to those we can be deeply intimate with--but not in heaven. Our earthly sexual union with our spouse is a picture of an even better, deeper union. So however good it is here now for people with good marriages, it will be even better in heaven. I do think we'll know our spouses and our kids and those we've loved on earth--but we'll have an eternity to love others as well.

 

Matthew 12:18-25

 

18 Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying,

19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife and leaves no child, his brother should marry the wife and raise up children to his brother.

20 “There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no children.

21 “The second one married her, and died leaving behind no children; and the third likewise;

22 and so all seven left no children. Last of all the woman died also.

23 “In the resurrection, when they rise again, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”

24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?

25 “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

Edited November 11, 2010 by Laurie4b

[amyrjoy]

Other. Not only don't I know, I don't care. I suspect that whatever heaven is like I'll be focused on things other than my spouse. It's one of those theological points I've never really seen the point in.

 

Interesting....I think when it comes down to it, this is my point of view. In heaven, it just won't be the focus and we will not be of mind to dwell on it.

[gaillardia]

Also LDS, to me this scripture that is being quoted means that only the first man will be with the woman; that his brothers, acting on his behalf to tend to his wife after his death, will have no claim on her after their death but that they will be as angels to God.

I like to remember that when the scriptures were translated many plain and precious truths were omitted.

And :iagree:with Mama Sheep and DianeW88, and my other lds friends.;)