Here are two contrasting cultural beliefs for you to consider:
- Sex is the best thing on the planet
- Heaven is full of the best things we can imagine
So if both of these things are true, why does the Bible tell us there won’t be any sex in heaven?
No Sex in Heaven?
In Matthew 22:30, Jesus says, “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”
I’ve expounded elsewhere how God designed sex to happen within marriage only, so we can naturally deduce here, as the original listeners would have automatically, that if there is no marriage in heaven, there is also no sex.
No sex in heaven? Many might ask what the other options are at this point!
One of the reasons this news shocks us is because we view sex and heaven selfishly. Culturally, sex has become a selfish act of consumption. And our view of heaven is typically a place of self-centered utopia. We picture beaches and paradise and all the pleasure for ourselves that we can dream of, often not with much thought about God being around at all. This me-centered paradise is a great match for lots of sex for all of eternity. In fact, several of the main world religions promise this (maybe a clue that those religions were made up by a man? But I digress…)
But thank goodness that’s not what heaven, or sex, is meant to be according to the Bible.
Sex is a one-flesh relationship that bonds a man and a woman together in every way possible. It’s why this one-flesh relationship can only function healthily within marriage. The one-flesh bond includes full acceptance and commitment to all a person is, not simply their body parts (Gen. 2:24, Matt. 19:4-6, 1 Cor. 6:15-16). You are one flesh, at all times, in all ways, which can’t be undone.
This sounds pretty amazing, and deep, and night-and-day different from what our culture calls “sex” today. But there’s more. This sex and this one flesh don’t exist for their own end. They aren’t the destination, they are simply another sign post. A sign post pointing to where?
What Sex Really Points To
After giving a treatise on marriage and sex, Ephesians 5 concludes with the following:
“’For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:31-32).
Heyo! The whole time Paul was talking about husbands and wives and marriage and sex in Ephesians 5, it says here he was actually talking about Jesus and us! Marriage and sex are metaphors for the relationship we have with Jesus.
What is a metaphor? It is a sign post. It points to the real thing. It’s something tangible we can look at in order to understand something else. It’s a symbol we can learn from in order to understand and experience the real thing.
The real thing is the one-flesh relationship Jesus desires to have with each of us. It’s the relationship he has with those who call themselves Christians. It’s a relationship of intimate love and acceptance and support and trust, where Jesus is the groom and we are the bride. Earthly marriage and sex are symbols that can help point us toward the real thing.
This is why there is no sex in heaven. You don’t need sign posts when you’ve arrived at the destination!
It’d be like driving to Disney World and parking the car at the green highway sign with the white text of “DISNEY WORLD” and the white arrow pointing to the off ramp. Imagine parking your car there, taking a selfie with the family, and then driving home, telling everyone you’d been to Disney World!
The destination is always better than the sign post.
Heaven Is Not a Perpetual Fast
Some might disagree! But the reason for the disagreement is because we’ve been worshiping the sign post for far too long and we simply don’t have the full experience of the real thing yet. In talking of the perspective that heaven would be a “perpetual fast” from sex in the minds of some, C.S. Lewis had this to say:
“…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. On receiving the answer no, he might regard absence of chocolates as the chief characteristic of sexuality. In vain would you tell him that the reason why lovers in their carnal raptures don’t bother about chocolates is that they have something better to think of. 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.”
-C.S. Lewis, as quoted in a 1947 Time Magazine article
A boy can’t understand if you try to tell him sex is the highest bodily pleasure, because he is convinced chocolate is and isn’t ready to understand sex. We can’t understand that pure intimacy with God in his direct presence is what makes heaven, Heaven, not that it’s some me-centered place where we eat Bons Bons on the beach, while watching Netflix, and of course, having sex. Nor can we fully grasp that intimacy with God is better than sex, both now and for all eternity. But the truth remains, which we are exhorted to believe and live by.
This is fantastic news. We worship sex on earth, but it’s also our place of deepest longing and brokenness. A single person feels unloved because they don’t have a sexual partner. A married person goes to pornography, an affair, or fantasy, because the sexual partner they do have isn’t satisfying them.
The Answer to Our Longing for Sex
The answer to our longing for sex is not sex! It’s intimacy with Jesus. We get to experience this intimacy on earth. This unconditional love where God adopts us as his sons and daughters and is well-pleased with us and we are fully accepted into his arms because of what Jesus did on the cross for us. But imagine this experience in a fully direct, physical way. Wow! That is heaven.
This gives us reason to not worship sex and it also reminds us we don’t need sex. Whether we experience the sign post or not is somewhat irrelevant. What is relevant is that we take God at his word that the destination will be much better, attuning all of our navigational tools toward that destination, not any metaphor, imitation, or sign post along the way.
Rai & Everyone else, how can we respond to this Judeo-Christian
article from the God Squad about
Marriage & Sex in Heaven
https://www.union-bulletin.com/the-god-squad-are-there-marriages-in-heaven/article_2724717e-be03-11ed-8ef6-d7d1718a9d33.html
Plus, as an Evangelical Protestant Christian myself , I also hope Jesus Returns soon , Very Soon to End All, Evil, Suffering and Injustice in this World once and for All Forever and makes the World a Perfect Utopian Paradise as I described in my blog about my Mother who passed away in 2014 at the age of 63
The blog is ripmrswinters.blogspot.com
Did you ever read the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn ? It’s a Superb Book that describes Heaven and the Coming New Earth, but Randy Alcorn is wrong when he says Sexual Intercourse and Lovemaking will Not Exist in Heaven and the New Earth.
Things are sadly getting worse and worse in America and Worldwide, the sooner Jesus Returns the Better
Hi Jeff
I gave a quick check of the article on the link you shared and from the beginning right where the author called himself RABBI namely …
Rabbi Marc Gellman
I lost interest.
As A BIBLE BELIEVER we should know better, Jeff.
What did Our RABBI Messiah Yeshua Said?
Matthew 23:8 (WEBM) But DONT YOU BE CALLED RABBI,’ for One is your Rabbi, the Messiah, and all of you are brothers.
Now whos RABBI do you believe MORE on? The Rabbis of men OR THE SON OF MAN?
A tree is KNOWN by its fruit. When the Origin is wrong, the whole article is wrong. By wanting to be addressed as Rabbi he fails MISERABLY.
Cased Closed
Rai , In response to your post of
February 23rd , I agree that for us
Christians Heaven & The New Earth, will Not be a giant orgy of Sex , Non-Stop Sex . Just like in this current Earthly Life Sex is one of many things Christians enjoy
However I do believe that
Sexual Intercourse & Lovemaking will be one of many many things that Christians will enjoy in Heaven and the New Earth. Things such as Food, Beverage, Sleep, Our Beloved Pets, other cute animals, Sports, Music, Books, TV, Movies, Video Games, Computers, Joyful Worship of God, Jesus & the Holy Spirit. Friendship & Fellowship with other Christians, have you ever read the book Heaven: by Randy Alcorn, it’s a great book , but his arguments against Christians enjoying Sex in Heaven and the New Earth are weak
There are countless Christians , Socially Awkward, disabled and healthy alike who for various reasons are unable to find and get Sex, Dates, Love,Intimate Relationships, Companionship in this current Earthly Life
They endure crippling debilitating loneliness, Rejection. Romantic Rejection and being unable to get Sex is a very Serious problem for many people . At least in Heaven and the New Earth, all Christians deserve to have and should have a great Sex Life and Love Love Life
I’m an Evangelical Protestant, Not Mormon , LDS.
I’ve read Mormonism teaches
Sexual Intercourse exists in Heaven. I wonder how often the Average Mormon thinks about Sex in Heaven, Sex After Death
Hi Jeff
Simply put—or should I say, to extraordinarily put, OUR FATHER GOD will grant us MORE — (not less) — of what we ask OR imagine, (Ephesians 3:20) as long as it serves His purpose and its for His Children’s Happiness …
NO GOOD THING will He withold from them that walk uprightly. (Psalms 84:11)
So don’t be afraid to make a LIST OF ALL the things you want. GOD can give you MORE than what that mythological elf on a pagan Xmas day, couldn’t.
Because Our GOD is TRUE and Our KING is REAL and FAITHFUL to ALL HIS PROMISES.
As Numbers 23:19 (NET) tells us —
GOD is NOT a man, that He should lie, NOR a human being, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it happen?
Indeed He will, and when He makes His Promises happen for US HIS CHILDREN all creation will rejoice, when they see, the glorious LIBERTY, of The Children of GOD. (Romans 8:19)
And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him,
and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5 (NET)
Just think how joyful and exhilarating our NEW LIFE on GOD’S NEW WORLD would be.
Can you even begin to imagine how happy we’d all be living in a Reality where there will be no more curse?
No more pain or illnesses. No more outcry. No more hunger or thirst, no more famine or scarcity because food and drink would be abundant in GOD’S Kingdom and in Jehovah’s Mountain.
It would be perpetual feasting and endless celebration for everyone, actually. (Isaiah 25:6; 65:13 & Isaiah 49:10 Cp Revelation 7:16-17)
No more divorce or suicide rates because all men and women would be loyal and faithful. Children would not be born for trouble so there’d be no more bullies or stubborn kids at that time but perfectly obedient to their parents and their Heavenly Father.
The prophet Isaiah tells us that when the NEW heavens and the NEW earth comes (Isaiah 65:17 Cp 2 Peter 3:13) …
[Those who are saved] … will not work in vain, or GIVE BIRTH to children that will experience disaster. For the Lord will bless their children and their descendants. (Isaiah 65:23 (NET)
So here alone we can prove BIBLICALLY that when GOD’S New World comes, normal relationship between lovers and partners, continues.
What’s more there would be no more death or old age because everyone would be rejuvenated and eternally youthful, just like GOD’S Angels are.
As the book of Job states—
Job 33:25 (NET)
…then his flesh is restored like a youth’s; he returns to the days of his youthful vigor.
All these are just a fraction of the magnificent future GOD has in store for ALL HIS Children.
Living in such a Utopia would literally be spectacular and mindblowing! And this ISN’T just childish fantasies BUT heavenly Realities!
This is why we should be strong.
This is why we should continue to be faithful and hopeful
Because Hope doesn’t disappoint.
And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. (Romans 5:5)
Grace and Peace to you Jeff and to all our wonderful brethren in pilgrimage,—
The past quakes that rattled the world, particularly in places like Turkey and New Zealand has undoubtedly left a lasting scar to those who have suffered loss of property and loved ones, and we as one, share their grief.
In these last days as it has been foreseen by Our Lord in Scripture, we have witnessed an increasing number of catastrophic events occuring in the world we live in. Such earth-shaking events are indeed, unprecedented and are visible indications of His imminent Return.
But despite the loss that we have suffered, and inspite of the heartbreaks—[our family has just gone through a loss of a relative, who died from a vehicular accident]—there remains HOPE that shines like a star, through this difficult times.
HOPE that gives us courage to walk with head held high.
HOPE that brings a smile to our lips, behind the tears and HOPE that gives us the strength we need, in troublesome times KNOWING that all the ugly events we now see would all become a thing of the PAST, never to be remembered.
And when we say this, we DARE to include EVERY loss and EVERY heartbreak known to man, whether it is through the LOSS of a spouse or a loved one, the LOSS of property or of things they cherish and hold dear.
This is ONE THING that sets us apart from the world of unbelievers whose portion is only in THIS life (Psalms 17:14). After they die, their hope and dreams DIE with them. Because without Christ, they will be raised up only to be judged and suffer the second death, in the lake of fire.
HOWEVER, for those of us who believe, Our HOPE lives on, even in the face of death. Because as the Apostle Paul would say —
If in THIS LIFE ONLY we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (1 Corinthians 15:19 (UKJV)
In context, the life he mentions here is the PRESENT ONE, in a world that is STILL under the curse, a world where we TOGETHER with creation, “groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is to say, the REDEMPTION, of our Body.” (Romans 8:23)
The GOOD NEWS is that our Faith and Hope is NOT just attached to this PRESENT world OR PRESENT Life, marred with pain and heartbreak, with calamities, losses, death and disaster.
Our dream isn’t just to be happy in this world which would one day end, whether in life or in death. A world that we’ll one day leave behind when we rest in peace.
No.
But it extends BEYOND this life to the Next.
BEYOND this world to the Coming One …
Where we shall have ALL OUR WISHES GRANTED and OUR WILDEST AND SWEETEST DREAMS FULFILLED, in A NEW World where hearts aren’t broken and things don’t get stolen.
And that is why GOD sent forth His Son, NOT just to give life to a dying world OR to give hope to the hopeless, BUT to inspire men to dream of greater things … of things that would last, so that they WONT easily yield to depression when their dreams fall apart, in this present world.
For even AFTER they’ve gone to their final rest, they will RISE AGAIN in A World where the BLIND can see, the LAME ones can walk again, the MUTE can speak and sing! The weary heart comforted, the weeping soul can rejoice and the poor ones can be eternally, wealthy. (Isaiah 35:5-6 & 2 Corinthians 8:9)
How much more to those who have NOT experienced having a PERFECT relationship in this IMPERFECT world?
Lest others MISunderstand, we just want to make ONE THING PERFECTLY CLEAR: We are NOT Sex Starved Animals NEITHER are we focusing on SEX alone like having seventy houris in a Muslim Paradise.
No.
Definitely NOT.
We are just stating that GOD is NOT against Sex NOR ANY PERFECT thing that comes from Above that HE HIMSELF, NOT Satan, has created, in the first place.
And this is one of the things that would REMAIN, in the World to Come OR the NEW Heavens and NEW Earth, where people, although no need to pass through marriages (Matthew 22:30), BECAUSE they are COLLECTIVELY betrothed to GOD and the LAMB (Hosea 2:19 & Revelation 19:7), making human marriage unnecessary, CAN still PROCREATE PERFECT and PRODUCE GODLY Seed FOR GOD in A World WITHOUT any curse. (Malachi 2:15 & Isaiah 65:17,23)
For the World to Come would be lacking any BEAUTIFUL and NICE thing (MINUS ALL THE MISERY and the UGLY THINGS, of course), then its NOT A LIFE worth dying for.
But thanks be to GOD as it is written in Scripture—
NO GOOD THING will GOD withold from them that WALK UPRIGHTLY. (Psalms 84:11)
And one of those GOOD THINGS is Sex that GOD has designed between partners to produce GODLY seed OR offspring.
We can be thankful that like the pharisees and scribes, who MISUNDERSTOOD the Scriptures before enough to KILL their own Savior, MOST of the cardinals, priests, preachers and evangelists TODAY have ALSO, in the SAME way, TWISTED the words of the Scripture to their audience, resulting in dissatisfaction AND depression, among most of their members.
But we are here, SENT by GOD, to speak NOT our own words to tickle men’s ears BUT HIS, in order to give hope and comfort to those who are hoping and waiting, for a BETTER AND BRIGHTER WORLD to COME, which is the NEW Heavens AND The NEW Earth, the Home of Righteousness. (2 Peter 3:13)
AMEN and AMEN.
Glory to YAH’s Name and The LAMB forever.
I forgot to add this blog
https://christiansexinheaven.blogspot.com/?m=1
Keith Rose & Noah Filipiak
Yesterday on Saturday February 11, 2023 , I worked very hard to post a very good comment to this article, how long until it is posted ? The comment Rai made of
February 8th , 2023 did make some excellent points , I personally and many others would agree that in America many Sex Crimes and Non-Sex crimes are sadly the Result of Sexual Frustration, and America refuses to listen to Reason and be Reasonable and just Legalize Prostitution Sex Work for All consenting adults and in all 50 States at Reasonable Prices .
Sadly in 2023 America is still a Very Sexually Repressed Immature Puritanical Nation. People are having Less Sex , many have said that America is in a Sex Recession, the pandemic has made things worse
Since Sex & Lovemaking probably does exist in Heaven and the New Earth, and if procreation also exists , what if some people want to just enjoy Sex and Lovemaking in Heaven, and the New Earth but Not Procreation, will God respect their wishes and allow them to have Sex without Procreation ?
Rai & Man_in_the_Shadows
The sad ugly truth is that countless Christians, disabled and healthy alike are often unable to find and get Sex, Love, Relationships and Companionship in this Earthly Life. They endure horrible Loneliness, Isolation, Rejection, Valentine’s Day and
The Holiday Season, Thanksgiving, Christmas are especially painful for them. Rejection, Romantic Rejection is very painful for people. Countless people Not being able to get Sex for various reasons is an
Extremely Serious Painful Problem for Countless people, causing horrible suffering, Mental, Physical and Spiritual Suffering. Especially when they are unable to get Sex for many years or decades upon decades upon decades, often in their Sleep these Sex Starved Christians are tormented by horrible bad dreams and nightmares, they wake up crying , with chest pains. Plus to make things worse, much worse, they live in Very
Puritanical Sexually Repressed Nations like America that stupidly Outlaws Prostitution for Consenting Adults. While Prostitution, Sex Work for Consenting Adults is Perfectly Legal in Most Other Nations of the World in 2023 , but Not America. The “Freedom” in America is a Joke, a Sick Pathetic Joke. Puritan Sexually Repressive America unjustly Forces countless Millions of people into a Miserable Sexless Existence.
All of these things I mentioned are Reasons why Sexual Intercourse & Lovemaking needs to Exist in Heaven and the New Earth
I think the Traditional Mainstream Christian View of
“No Sex in Heaven” is unbiblical and a Lie from the pits of Hell, horribly unjust and unfair to countless people who are unable to have decent Sex Lives , Love Lives in this current Earthly Life
All Human Beings deserve to have a Great Sex Life !!!
In Heaven and the New Earth , no one should ever suffer from
Rejection, Loneliness, Sexual Frustration, being unable to get Sex , too much of that misery sadly exists in this current Earthly Life.
Hi All
Even with The Bible closed and our MINDS AND HEARTS OPEN to what we SEE and OBSERVE in the World Around us, the doctrine that teaches that sex and lovemaking is ONLY part of this life in THIS world, has been one of the BIGGEST FACTORS (among all others) that causes desperation and provokes men and women, from all walks of life AND religion, to commit ALL sorts of sexual crimes HERE ON THIS WORLD, including immorality, adultery AND fornication, BECAUSE they SWALLOWED the LIE that sex is ONLY meant for this world AND THEY WONT HAVE A SECOND CHANCE OF IT, in the AFTERLIFE.
Whether OR not people believe that there is sex and procreation in Heaven OR The Afterlife, doesn’t deny the FACT that humans having their own individual WEAKNESSES still yield to sexual temptations.
HOW MUCH MORE SO, IF THEY ARE CONVINCED that sex and lovemaking is reserved ONLY, in this Life?
But let’s leave the subject of sex and procreation for the meantime. To UNDERSTAND a DEEPER PICTURE of where we’re getting at, IMAGINE IF THE LORD YESHUA/ JESUS told HIS Disciples that MANSIONS and BEAUTIFUL HOUSES are ONLY meant on THIS LIFE IN THIS WORLD NOT in Heaven OR The Afterlife … what do YOU think the Disciples, who ALSO wish a life of COMFORT would do?
May your answer to that open your eyes to understand The REAL issue.
GOD BLESS US ALL.
Hi Keith
We appreciate your efforts. But don’t worry, whether those comments are restored OR not, the MOST important thing is that the SEED has been planted to those who have read
Blessings
This seems to be the predominate view of sex among Christian leaders, in my experience. And I’m a 55 year old man, having been a Christian since I was 18.
What is remarkable to me is, in all its wise-sounding & righteous-sounding reasoning, it makes some critical, fallacious assumptions. Also, it seems to fall into the traditional pitfall that heaven is a perpetual trance of ongoing worship services surrounding God, filled by God, and uninterrupted in its seemingly rapturous celebration. And there is no other activity forever. Really?
First of all, I am not included in the “we” statements about what “we” all have as attitudes and expectations about sex. Secondly, I’ve had sex with wife many times and I still look forward to and love eating chocolate; C.S. Lewis is brilliant, but he’s not necessarily right about everything. Thirdly, like Peter Kreeft, I’ve often wondered if the line of reasoning that says no sex because Jesus said no marriage, is itself born of a culture-twisted outlook on sex. It’s as if it’s a dirty, nasty business that is just barely made permissible by marriage. And then God does away with it after this earth-life so that we can experience his love in a “direct, bodily” way, whatever that means… whereas supposedly my wife’s love toward me in intercourse has nothing to do with God and is not in any way an expression of God toward me.
The world and this life in it is depressing enough, do we have to sterilize heaven-after as a platonic, literal Revelation 4 & 5? Consider this–that perhaps God commanded sexual exchanges between a man and woman to stay within the boundary of monogamous marriage because of sin, pure and simple. Without sin there is no human jealousy, no feelings of owning someone with exclusivity, no fear of abandonment, no shame in nakedness and holy sexual expressions.
And I can imagine so much more than the declining sexual relationship I currently have with my wife. And I’m very confident this intense, painful longing as a male that remains not fully satisfied yet submitted to Christ as “a living sacrifice,” is not a pragmatic hoodwinking by God in his eternal design of me as a male. My deepest core of existing has in it a natural attraction to female with soul-deep yearning for intercourse and union. I’m very convinced by now that this is not purely mammal-biology.
One might say, “Oh just grow up, pal!” But that’s just it: I did. And still am.
Keith Rose, I understand
But in the meantime, I think we should All see this
Christian Blog about Sex and Lovemaking in Heaven
The blog is here http://istheresexinheaven.blogspot.com/?m=1
Like I said, I think the
False View of
“No Sex in Heaven” is Very
Problematic
Keith Rose , Please Respond , how long before the comments are back online, any progress , do you estimate they will be back by
Thanksgiving, Christmas ? It’s very important to me and other people. I apologize if I’m being a pest , Yours Truly , Jeff W
Hi Jeff! Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, I don’t know if or when the comments will be recovered. They were lost during an update to the website, and I’m not sure whether it’s possible to reverse that or not.
Keith