This is an archived copy of a post written by Conflict Of Justice (conflictofjustice.com). Used with permission: Conflict Of Justice may not agree with any alterations made.
Skeptics say Matthew 22 proves there is no marriage in heaven. Jesus was asked about the Law of Moses which states that a dead man’s brother must perform the duty of husband to the childless widow: “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. Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” (Matt. 22:25-30)
Temporal Marriage Ends at Death
In the question, the Sadducees assumed that marriage would carry over into the afterlife, which indicates that the Hebrews in Jesus’ time considered marriage eternal. But this led to the dilemma of who would be married to whom in cases of people married to multiple people due to death, divorce, or polygamy. Today, the church solves this by carefully distinguishing between marriage for time and marriage for eternity. We call marriage for time-only temporal marriage. It ends at death.
Notice that in their question the Sadducees never actually said that the seven brothers had married the widow. That is because te Law of Moses did not say a brother must marry the childless widow. It only said he “performs the duty of a husband.” So, in their question the Sadducees only said that the deceased man had “left his wife unto his brother” and that they each “had” her. They never said anyone but the first brother was “married.” This is because the ancient Hebrews did not consider what we today call Levirate marriage the same thing as marriage. It was called yibbum in ancient times, and it did not involve any ceremony or ordinance: “According to Biblical law, there is no need for a marriage ceremony between the widow and the deceased’s brother as they are already bound by divine decree.” It was a civil union, with no signed contract or spiritual bond. So, the obvious answer to the Sadducees’ question was that the brothers no longer needed to perform these duties with the widow in the afterlife as she would be reunited with her original husband.
This answer was already obvious to everyone. But the implicit question was whether it was just for God to cause a women to have relations with seven men yet be married to only one of them in the afterlife. This is very similar to the skeptics today who claim elderly members of the church who remarry after being widowed are committing polygamy. They were essentially saying the Law of Moses forced people to commit adultery.
In his reply, Jesus made it clear that the brothers were never married to the widow and would never become married to the widow: “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage.” They is referring to the seven brothers and the widow, not the original husband. The original husband was married and the other brothers effectively weren’t. Otherwise Jesus would have said “in the resurrection they don’t continue married.” But he didn’t say that. He said the brothers don’t “marry”–as in, something meant to happen later on. Jesus included the widow in that statement as well. “Given to marriage” refers to women. Men marry and women are given to marriage. So, in the resurrection, the brothers will not marry and the widow will not be given to marriage. The relationship between the brothers and the widow–which was never based on any kind of ordinance, vow, or covenant, but merely upon civic duty–will be null and void. It will not somehow transform into true marriage in the resurrection. This was Jesus’ answer.
As The Angels Of God In Heaven
| See also: | Bizarre Rules In D&C 132? |
Jesus Quotes Book Of Enoch – Jesus said the Sadducees “do err” in their question, because their question implicitly contradicted the scriptures. Now, this is something Antimormons and skeptics never talk about but it is very important. Which scripture did they contradict? Where in the Old Testament does it talk about whether angels in heaven marry or not? It doesn’t. It is found in the apocryphal Book of Enoch, which we only have a corrupted, unreliable version of today. Here is the scripture Jesus was referencing: “And though ye were holy, spiritual, living the eternal life, you have defiled yourselves with the blood of women, and have begotten (children) with the blood of flesh, and, as the children of men, have lusted after flesh and blood as those also do who die and perish. Therefore have I given them wives also that they might impregnate them, and beget children by them, that thus nothing might be wanting to them on earth. But you were formerly spiritual, living the eternal life, and immortal for all generations of the world. And therefore I have not appointed wives for you; for as for the spiritual ones of the heaven, in heaven is their dwelling.” (Enoch 15:5-7)
Unfortunately, we only have a corrupted version of the Book of Enoch today, and that makes it easy to get confused. The book talks about “watchers of heaven” who broke the law of God by copulating with the daughters of men. These “watchers” were expected by God to be like “spiritual ones,” angels in heaven, who do not have sexual relationships.
As Angels But Not Literally Angels – It is careful to point out that the “watchers” were not angels themselves. The bible draws a careful distinction between “spiritual or holy ones” and “watchers of heaven.” Two different titles. Daniel 4:23-24 speaks of a “watcher,” but in this case, “the singular verb indicates that ‘a watcher, a holy one’ are two titles for the same being or class of beings.” The “spiritual ones,” or angels, were different people than the “watchers.” The word that gets translated as ‘watcher’ in the Book of Enoch is iyrin or grigori, meaning “watchful or vigilant.” This is not the word Jesus used in Matt 22:30. Jesus used the word angelos, “angels” who do not marry.
Anglelos could be human: “The Hebrew and Greek words in ancient times meant messenger, and depending on the context may refer either to a human messenger or a supernatural messenger. The human messenger could possibly be a prophet or priest.” Enoch clarifies that they were formerly ‘spiritual ones’ in heaven–as in, they used to be angels. Why would we assume that the “watchers” weren’t human after they came to earth? They were formerly spirits in the pre-existence, and then they were born on earth and became humans. The Book of Enoch never says they remained spiritual angels. It doesn’t even call them “watchers” until the tenth chapter, until after they sinned and apostatized. They were angels in the pre-existence, then they were born and received the priesthood calling of “watcher,” and then they broke the sexual standards of God and apostatized.
Genesis 6:1-8 indicates the “watchers” were of the lineage of Seth and Cain. It calls them “the heroes of old, the men of renown.” This proves they were human beings, descended from Adam, and that their “former” life as angels refers to the per-existance.
Sexual Sin Outside Of Marriage – Why was it a sin for the Watchers to take unions with women in earth life? Why wasn’t it considered marriage? The Book of Moses produced by Joseph Smith gives remarkable similarities to the Book of Enoch, and it helps us unravel this question. In the Book of Moses, Enoch describes a secret pact made between Cain and Satan, a deadly conspiracy that propagated to include other people. The Book of Enoch likewise speaks of a “secret oath” made with Satan, whom the book recognizes as the enemy of humanity who fell in pre-mortality. “The one who led astray the sons of God” before earth-life thus later “showed the children of men all the blows of death.” The Book of Enoch tells of Azâzêl and his divulging of secrets and oaths which pours forth “all unrighteousness on earth.” In the Book of Moses, Cain likewise called himself “Mahan, the master of this great secret” and “he gloried in his wickedness.” Lamech later received “that great secret which was administered unto Cain by Satan.” It is remarkable how Joseph Smith’s Book of Moses matches the Book of Enoch, though Joseph Smith could not have had any access to it.
The Watchers oath described in the Book of Enoch is very similar to Cain’s oath with Satan: “Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.’ Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it.”(I,6) Very similar to what we read of Cain in the Book of Moses.
Lamech included his wives in this same oath, though God did everything possible to keep the conspiracy from including women: “And among the daughters of men these things were not spoken, because that Lamech had spoken the secret unto his wives… and men have become carnal, sensual, and devilish.” (5:53,6:49) In the Book of Enoch likewise the oath-takers “have slept with the women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins.” The result of these unsanctioned unions are “the giants of the land” described in both books. A scourge of wickedness swept the land because the “watchers” apostatized and propagated their wickedness through their wives and children. This is why marriage was something achieved through ordinance and covenant. These unsanctioned unions by the Watchers were not considered marriage for a couple reasons:
- True marriage must include God and godly teachings. The introduction of Satanic covenants dooms the children, and children have the right to be born into a righteous household.
- The men took more than one woman as sexual partners. The prophet Jared in the Book of Mormon chastised the men likewise for taking multiple wives contrary to the command of the time. This is the implicit reason Jesus referenced for saying the seven marriages between a widow and the man’s brothers are null in heaven. They were unsanctioned unions spiritually and civily. The law may have required the union so that the widow could be taken care of, but the unions were not spiritual.
The verse Jesus quoted specifically gave the reason why the marriage would not last in heaven: “I have given them wives also that they might impregnate them, and beget children by them, that thus nothing might be wanting to them on earth. But you were formerly spiritual…” They were spiritual but then they engaged in unions that were not spiritual because they were outside the required ordinance and covenant. As for the “watchers” in the Book of Enoch, they did not “have wives appointed” unto them through a spiritual covenant or civil requirement, but committed wickedness. The brothers in Jesus’ question did not have the widow as their wife because a woman can only have one husband, though it was through a civil requirement and not from wickedness. In both scenarios it ended up the same. In the resurrection their relationship would be as angels of the pre-existance and not married.
Marriage Required For Exaltation
Joseph Smith taught that any marriage not sanctioned by a true representative of the Lord is null and void in the resurrection. It is the lack of a true marriage that makes the person as the angels of heaven: “Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory. For these angels did not abide my law…” (D&C 132:16)
Isn’t it interesting that the declaration of early Mormon polygamy cites Matthew 22, the very scripture that skeptics claim disproves the church’s doctrine of marriage? D&C 132 introduced the temporary policy of polygamy, but it also expounded important principles of marriage, and it give us a full context for Matthew 22 and the Book of Enoch. The state of pre-mortal “angel” or “spiritual one” is a lower state of glory, and marriage is an ordinance that pushes us up to a higher state. Going back to the Sadducees’ question of whether a widow is committing adultery by having relations with her dead husband’s brother, the concept of adultery rests on the importance of keeping unions sanctioned by God: “And as ye have asked concerning adultery, verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man receiveth a wife in the new and everlasting covenant, and if she be with another man, and I have not appointed unto her by the holy anointing, she hath committed adultery and shall be destroyed.” (D&C 132:41)
But the Law of Moses dictated that the brothers must take in the widow to take care of her and for the good of the community. So yibbum was not considered a sin. But still, it was not a situation that should be considered marriage, and it did nothing to help a person be exalted in the kingdom of God.
Now we can see what Jesus meant when he said the Sadducees did not know “the power of God.” The power of God is to create unions through priesthood power which are known as “marriage” that last for eternity, which are part of our exaltation in heaven. One who thinks there is contradiction between a civil union and eternal marriage as the Sadducees did, as evident from their question, does not understand that civil unions contain no spiritual bonds while marriages do. It is the same with skeptics today who like to claim there is contradiction in the church’s order of marriage, or who equate the government’s false definition of marriage with church marriage based on the mantra that all relationships are equal. It is a fallacy of equating things that are not equal.
Consider the argument of skeptics at Mormon Research Ministry:
Is Marriage Temporary Pleasure?
“While the gift of sex and procreation is a very important part of this earthly life, Jesus clearly taught that neither of these will play a role in the afterlife. The future joy God has in store for the believer is incredibly more magnificent than the temporary pleasure of sexual fulfillment. In addition, there will be no need to procreate in heaven…. The Mormon leaders are unable to provide any additional support from the Bible as to the importance of an “everlasting principle” and “eternal covenant” known as celestial marriage.”
mrm.org
My first reaction to this argument is sadness that they reduce marriage relationships to mere sexual fulfillment. Secondly, this argument misunderstands scripture and does not recognize the power of God, ironically much like the Sadducees in the scripture in question. The Book of Enoch tells us that sexual intimacy and procreation do not lift us above the state of a pre-mortal angel, and that engaging in this behavior outside of God’s covenant or civic duty mires us in a state of wickedness. Jesus declared yibbum was nothing like divinely appointed marriage because it failed to lift one above the state of a pre-mortal angel. “They neither marry nor are given in marriage.” It is a logical fallacy to say this means marriage itself does not lift one above the state of angel. The power of God allows marriage to result in a love and bond that goes beyond mere sexual fulfillment.
Gender Roles In Heaven? – If sex (aka sexual relations) and procreation aren’t part of the afterlife, then does that means a person’s sex (aka gender) is no longer part of their identity? In other words, are people in heaven sexless and genderless? This is a question that the church’s proclamation on the family addresses head on. Yes, sex (aka gender) is something we retain in the afterlife and it is an eternal identity. To remove this identity from the afterlife and from God leads to all kind of modern confusion that we see in today’s “woke” Christianity. It leads people to disregard their own gender characteristics and roles, because, after all, if God is genderless then we should strive to be like that too. If sex and procreation are something that are incredibly less magnificent than what heaven has in store, then that leads us to think of sex as filthy and evil, equal to pornography and degrading behavior. It leads us to equate all sexual behavior and think of marriage as degrading and evil. This attitude is a major cause of personal and social depravity and wickedness today.
When Contradiction Becomes Confirmation – When I was 14 years old, I came across this New Testament scripture that seemed to indicate there is no eternal marriage. It looked very clear cut; Jesus said there is no marriage in heaven. When I asked my Bishop about it, he didn’t know the answer and urged me to study it for myself. Study I did, and ten years later I came across the answer.
Finding this answer has brought with it other important discoveries, such as the implications of gender roles and civil duties. For me, this answer also answered the question of why Joseph Smith was sealed to multiple women. I had heard church leaders talk about the difference between civil marriage and eternal marriage, but it never occurred to me what it truly meant that civil marriage would end at death, till death do we part. I’m glad that I did not give up looking for an answer, even when the contradiction in scripture appeared so evident. I’m glad that I did not just try to convince myself with an answer that I didn’t know was true. Because this is a very important issue that involves us all right now, as the issue is a human need which we all must control, and the blessing of marriage and family is the greatest joy we can attain in this life and the next.