Tag: Matthew 22:30

Family In Eternity

I have heard it many times. A person is dying but they are ready. Why? Because they want to see their spouse, child, mother or father. They are eager to see lost family. This is understandable. Our family are usually the people we are closest to and love the most during life. What do we know about the transition to eternal life and family?

One bit of information comes in Matthew 22. The Sadducees are trying to prove logically that the resurrection does not literally exist. They present a scenario where a woman loses her husband without having children. In Jewish law, the brother is to marry the woman and have children. The law served as a social, safety net as there was no government support for widows. In this scenario, the woman survives the death of seven brothers. Surely, the Sadducees argue, the resurrection would create massive family issues as people marry and re-marry during life.

Jesus answers their argument this way:

At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in Heaven.

Matthew 22:30 (ESV)

Some people seize on the wording to say that Jesus is only saying that there won’t be weddings in Heaven. But that loses the context. He is saying that marriages created in this life are only for this life. Other passages support that marriage is a contract that ends with death. That may make you sad or give you relief. No matter how you feel about it, it is a stated fact. That doesn’t mean you won’t know and love the people you know and love now.

We are left to imagine what Jesus means by “they will be like the angels in Heaven”. The implication is that the angels have a very different arrangement than what we have now. Jesus is also talking about “at the resurrection”, so this is post-Judgment Day information and may or may not apply to the period between your death and Judgment Day when you will be exclusively in Heaven.

Some worry that we won’t even recognize each other or remember our former relationships. Here I present you a mixed bag of evidence. The first is Jesus’ resurrected bodily appearances. Sometimes He is not recognizable. Other times He is readily recognizable. Again, this is a resurrected body (so post-JD for us). He is also the Son of God, so this may not even apply to us. Another weird piece of information comes from the story of the Witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28). In this story, Saul utilizes a woman, who knows occultic arts, to raise the Prophet Samuel from Sheol. It works, and Samuel is readily recognizable (and angry).

Near Death Experiences (NDE), for what they are worth, do include at times family who recognize each other and recognize their relationship.

I expect that not only will we recognize our families, but that we will know everyone else as well. Peter, James and John recognized Moses and Elijah without introduction, to our knowledge. I also expect that there will be closeness and relationship that rivals the best family relationships with everyone else. Because of this, the significance of family will fade without the blessing of those who are our family being lessened.

What about family who rejects Jesus? Jesus is not optional when it comes to receiving eternal life. I expect that we can have our losses. 1 Corinthians 7:14 says:

For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

1 Corinthians 7:14 (ESV)

While I would like to believe that this passage says that we are saved in groups, I don’t believe it says that. It only indicates that our unbelieving family have a special priority and source of the Gospel because of us. Jesus indicates that in many cases a person’s enemies because of the Gospel will come from within their family. This is often seen in conversions from other world religions.

So, would not Heaven be diminished if not ruined by a family member who has rejected salvation? We certainly grieve them while on Earth. It would not surprise me if we would briefly grieve them in Heaven. But I expect that loss and even the memory of it to fade in the midst of the glory and love that will envelope us in Heaven.

Will our grief not be re-opened on Judgment Day? Perhaps, but we have this brief description of being in the New Earth:

The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

Isaiah 65:17b (ESV)

I cannot guarantee that everyone in my family will be saved. In fact, I would bet against some who have passed. I would love to be surprised on this matter. All I can do is to be sure to share the Gospel while I can. I don’t want to feel like I left critical matters of salvation unspoken. The rest is in God’s hands.

Angels and the Afterlife

Let me say one thing before we get to more important matters. We don’t become Angels when we die. Maybe more shocking to you, there is no reference to Angels having wings (those are Cherubim/Seraphim which is something different), no reference to female Angels, nor any reference to baby angels.

These beliefs flow into the void of information about Angels, and are frequently expressed by those who have only a casual acquaintance with the Bible. They have seen a Bible. Never really read it. It is also the product of medieval and Renaissance art.

Angels are a species of their own. There is no detailed description of what they look like, but the lack of description lends to the understanding that they are human-like, maybe even enough to pass for a human. In Acts, Stephen’s face is described as being “like the face of an angel.”, but there is no explanation of what that means. Hebrews suggests that we may “entertain” Angels unaware of their identity. It is implied that they look like humans.

The name angelus means messenger. Being a messenger from God is the main function we see Angels fulfilling. The species may not be called “Angels”, that is the moniker we have placed on them for lack of other terms. People, especially pastors, can be called angelus in the Bible.

One observed ability that Angels seem to have is the ability to be in Heaven or on Earth. I think this is a bigger idea than simply being able to travel. My assumption is that Heaven is a different time-space plane. One would not necessarily have a physical presence in another time-space plane unless you were made for it. In the case of humans, we acquire a heavenly body once we are in Heaven. We might not have one now.

Since Angels are creatures that properly reside in Heaven, they will be a part of our afterlife while we are in Heaven and possibly in the New Earth as well. What will our relationship be like? Other than to say good, it is hard to say the types of interactions we will have with Angels.

Currently, the Bible suggests that they assist us now behind the scenes. The book of Daniel speaks of Angels assigned to whole nations. In the case of Israel it is Michael. Michael might be a type of super-angel, however. In Matthew 18:10, Jesus speaks of the Angels assigned to little children, and suggests that they have favored access to God. In Acts 12:15, a servant girl mistakes Peter (who was supposed to be in prison) with his Angel. Together these passages may suggest that many or all of us have a “guardian Angel”.

In the Bible, Angels demonstrate the ability to break into prisons and blind guards to what is happening, to physically fight or block someone’s way, and to gather God’s people from around the planet. Hebrews describe humans as being “a little lower than the angels”, which I would take to mean that we have similar but inferior abilities for now.

A possible reference to Angels is found in Genesis 6:2:

the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.

Genesis 6:2

Whoever the “sons of God” were, it would seems that this move was displeasing to God as it is at this point that God dials back the length of human life from potentially 900+ years to 120. It may suggest enough similarity to interbreed.

This passage and Jesus’ words in Matthew 22 bring into question the sexual nature of Angels and our own future sexuality. Jesus said,

At the resurrection people will neither marry or be given in marriage; they will be like the Angels in Heaven.

Matthew 22:30

Jesus never says what the Angels are like. We can infer that they do not marry, but this doesn’t say that they or humans after the resurrection will be asexual.

Like humans, Angels had their falling out with Satan. Revelation 12 suggest that around one third fell away, and now we equate them with demons. If fallen Angels are not demons, then we have no means to account for what a demon actually is. These Angels will share the fate of the damned.

God’s plan of salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection definitely benefits humans, its also “redeems” creation so that there is a new Earth with a new nature on it. Does it impact Angels? Colossians 1 might refer to this:

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Jesus), and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on Earth or things in Heaven, by making peace though his blood, shed on the cross.

Colossians 1:19-20

What that means for Angels is not clear. “All things” and “in Heaven” suggest that it means something. Any guess as to what is merely speculative.

From what we are told, we can expect to interact with, worship along side of , and enjoy an eternal relationship with Angels. The possibilities of what that will be like are as intriguing as what it will be like to interact with other humans who no longer are under the influence of sinful nature.

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