And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Likewise there is no need for sun or moon or lamplight because the Father and the Son will be the source of light for the city.
Just as a lamp is unnecessary in the light of the sun, so the sun itself will be unnecessary in the light of God. And so it will be with the marriages of this present world, fleeting as they are and inevitably severed when death do us part. They will be superseded by that which is far more intimate and beautiful — our perfect, everlasting union with God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Why then do we struggle at times with accepting this truth? Why do we fear the perceived loss of emotional and physical intimacy?
In his book, Miracles , C. Lewis addresses this difficulty with one of his typically insightful metaphors:. The letter and spirit of Scripture, and of all Christianity, forbid us to suppose that life in the New Creation will be a sexual life; and this reduces our imagination to the withering alternatives either of bodies which are hardly recognizable as human bodies at all or else of a perpetual fast.
As regards the fast, I think our present outlook might be like that of a small boy who, on being told that the sexual act was the highest bodily pleasure, should immediately ask whether you ate chocolates at the same time.
The boy knows chocolate: he does not know the positive thing that excludes it. We are in the same position. We know the sexual life; we do not know, except in glimpses, the other thing which, in Heaven, will leave no room for it. This side of heaven, we can indeed only catch glimpses of the things God has prepared for us.
We cannot grasp what it will be like to no longer be married or given in marriage, or how that could possibly be better than the relationships we now enjoy. This may seem like a drawback to some people, particularly in this hypersexualized age, but the intimacy between spouses in Heaven will be far greater than any mere physical union. When a great joy comes between spouses it eclipses lesser ones. Here too, the Church Fathers affirm this meaning:.
Married couples should look forward to a relationship that is perfected in Heaven, not set aside. While the juridical aspects of marriage may end at death, the union of hearts and lives will not.
In Christ there surely remains a spiritual connection and covenantal union that stretches from Heaven to earth through prayer, and in Heaven the Lord will surely perfect what He joined on earth, giving spouses unimaginable joy and unity.
Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm. For stern as death is love, relentless as the nether world is devotion; its flames are a blazing fire.
Deep waters cannot quench love, nor floods sweep it away. Were one to offer all he owns to purchase love, he would be roundly mocked Song of Songs Catholic Standard El Pregonero. Latest Paper Classifieds Buy Photos. Friday, Nov 12, Subscribe. Voices See All See All. Classifieds Submit a Classified Advertise. Newsletter Subscribe. Community in Mission. Will Marriages Be Acknowledged in Heaven? Aug 12, Aug 12, Community in Mission. By Msgr. Charles Pope.
The early Church writer Tertullian affirms this view: All the more shall we be bound to our departed spouses because we are destined to a better estate … to a spiritual partnership ….
For marriage now exists on account of our decay, that we may be carried on by succession of our race, and not fail; but then we shall be as the Angels, who need no succession by marriage, and never come to an end Theophylactus, as quoted in the Catena Aurea. In the resurrection, men shall be as the Angels of God, that is, no man there dies, no one is born, no infant is there, no old men For marriages are for the sake of children, children for succession, succession because of death.
Their relationship brings them lasting joy and delight. Part of this is through shared creativity. They express their love by working together to help others. The joy of shared usefulness among couples in heaven filters directly down into the pleasure and delight of love-making. Instead, there are spiritual offspring. Through their ultimate satisfaction, two married partners are more and more closely united in a marriage of goodness and truth.
The marriage of goodness and truth is a marriage of love and wisdom, and love and wisdom are the offspring born of such a marriage. Even in heaven, there will be children looking for families. Anyone who wants a family can have one.
Marriage in heaven is for everyone who wants lasting joy, love, and connection. This kind of love is the ultimate expression of the power of God and the marriage of love and wisdom.
We can begin this eternal process by marrying goodness and truth in ourselves now, whether we marry in this world or not.
This simply means seeking wise love in all we do and taking actions in alignment with that love. To learn about Emanuel Swedenborg, whose nearly thirty years of open communication with the spiritual world informs this content, see this short video or read about his life and work here. HAs anyone on here ever known anyone who has died and come back and seen married couples in heaven?
Good question! I remember one story in which the man having an NDE saw a scene in which a husband in the afterlife was very eagerly waiting for his wife, who was about to cross over, and that there was also a crowd of people in the afterlife gathered there in support of this reunion, very moved by the love between this husband and wife. Also, if a widow or widower has deeply loved their deceased spouse, it is very common to have them report, on their deathbed, that their spouse is coming to greet them, which indicates that the relationship is still active and important.
Emanuel Swedenborg is sometimes described as having had a year NDE. Though he was not near death, he did have daily visions into the afterlife, and was able to describe a tremendous amount about what he saw there. He saw many married couples in heaven, and reported that everyone who wants a soul-mate relationship will be granted that in heaven, even if they had not found a partner on earth.
I am 57 and never married. I am also a Virgin but will not have sex outside marriage. Are you saying if I never get married on earth I can be married in heaven and experience sex? What Bible scriptures support having sexual relations between spouses in heaven? Yes, Stephanie, that is exactly what we believe!
Our work is based on the theological writings of Swedish scientist and Christian mystic, Emanuel Swedenborg , which he learned through direct spiritual experiences and visions, and through his study of and devotion to Bible scripture.
After his spiritual sight was opened, Swedenborg was able to see countless scenes and events in the spiritual world over the next 27 years, to talk with thousands of people in the afterlife, and to write many of the experiences down in his diary and books.
Much of his work is devoted to sharing what he believed was the inner, spiritual meaning of the Bible, and that is what we share here.
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