One of the most common questions about eternity is whether marriage continues after this life. Many people believe the Bible teaches that there is no marriage in heaven, often citing a single passage from the New Testament. In this study, we examine that passage carefully—reading it in context—and then compare it with the broader witness of scripture to understand what the Bible and other sacred writings actually teach about marriage in heaven.
The Commonly Quoted Passage About Marriage in Heaven
We begin with Matthew 22, where Jesus is questioned about marriage and the resurrection. Understanding who asks the question is essential to understanding the answer.
Who Was Asking the Question?
The Sadducees approached Jesus with this question. Unlike the Pharisees, the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection at all. Their question was not sincere—it was an attempt to trap Jesus by using a hypothetical scenario rooted in the law of Moses.
They described a woman who, according to levirate marriage law, married seven brothers in succession after each one died childless. They then asked: in the resurrection, whose wife would she be?
How Scriptures Can Be Misunderstood
Jesus immediately corrected them, saying, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” This response is crucial. Jesus made it clear that their misunderstanding came from a lack of scriptural knowledge and a failure to understand God’s power.
This tells us two important things:
- The answer to their question already existed in the scriptures.
- The Sadducees were misreading or ignoring those scriptures.
What Jesus Actually Said About Marriage and the Resurrection
Jesus explained that “in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”
This statement does not say that marriages do not exist in heaven. Rather, it teaches that marriage does not begin at the resurrection. The resurrection is not the time when people are paired or assigned spouses.
Where Marriage Really Happens
Marriage must take place during mortal life. Scripture teaches that what is properly sealed on earth by God’s authority is recognized in heaven. Marriage is established here, not after the resurrection.
Jesus then reaffirmed the reality of resurrection by declaring that God is “the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” emphasizing that God is the God of the living, not the dead.
The crowd was astonished because Jesus spoke with divine authority, exposing the Sadducees’ flawed assumptions.
God’s Works Are Eternal
Ecclesiastes teaches that whatever God does is everlasting—nothing can be added to it or taken from it. This principle aligns with Jesus’ teaching that divine ordinances performed with God’s authority have eternal effect.
The Power to Bind on Earth and in Heaven
In Matthew 16, Jesus gave Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven, granting him authority to bind on earth and have those actions recognized in heaven. This sealing power is foundational to understanding eternal marriage.
Binding authority is not automatic—it must be given by God. Without that authority, ordinances do not carry eternal validity.
The Importance of Marriage in the Lord
Paul taught that neither man nor woman is complete without the other in the Lord. Marriage is not merely social—it is divinely designed.
Other scriptures reaffirm that prophets throughout history were given sealing authority, enabling eternal covenants to be established among God’s people.
Why Authority Matters
Most civil marriages include vows that end at death, acknowledging that the marriage does not extend beyond mortal life. However, when marriage is sealed by priesthood authority—the same authority given to Peter—it can endure beyond death.
This is the purpose of sealing power: to allow families and marriages to continue eternally.
The New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage
Doctrine and Covenants teaches that to obtain the highest degree of God’s kingdom, a person must enter into the new and everlasting covenant of marriage.
This covenant is not merely symbolic. When a marriage is performed by God’s word, sealed by authorized priesthood power, and ratified by the Holy Spirit of Promise, it carries eternal consequences.
Promises of Eternal Marriage
Scripture promises that those who remain faithful to this covenant will inherit exaltation, eternal glory, and a continuation of family relationships forever.
These blessings are only possible when marriage is performed according to God’s law and by those holding the proper authority.
Relationships Continue After This Life
Doctrine and Covenants further teaches that the same social relationships we enjoy here will exist in the next life, but they will be coupled with eternal glory.
Marriage and family are not temporary conveniences—they are central to God’s eternal plan.
The Role of Temples and Sealing Ordinances
Prophecies concerning Elijah foretold a future work in which families would be sealed together to prevent the earth from being wasted at Christ’s return.
This sealing work takes place in temples, where husbands and wives—and families—are bound together for time and eternity.
The continued spread of temples across the earth is a profound blessing, making eternal marriage available to people throughout the world.
Conclusion
The Bible does not teach that marriage ends forever at death. Instead, it teaches that eternal marriage requires divine authority and must be established during mortal life.
When scriptures are read carefully and in harmony with one another, they reveal a consistent message: marriage, when sealed by God’s authority, is meant to last beyond this life and into eternity.
Those who seek to understand marriage in heaven are invited to study the scriptures deeply and consider how God’s eternal plan places marriage and family at its very center.
