3755 — Marrying in the World to Come
Is there anything in the Scripture prophecies that favors the idea that some, at least, of the redeemed in the earth made new will marry? It seems as if our Lord's answer to the questioning Sadducees would be sufficient upon this point: "And Jesus said unto them, The sons of this world marry, and are given in marriage: but they that are accounted worthy to attain to that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: for neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection." Now there are passages in Isaiah 11, for instance, that would seem to indicate that there will be little children in that age to come. This may be understood in one or two ways: first, that that time concerning the little ones may apply to the holy city, the New Jerusalem. The beginning of the eternal reign will be in the holy city above; but that holy city belongs to this earth, and will, after the cleansing at the end of the thousand years, become the capital of the new earth. But it is just as truly a part of this earth now, and is designed for the capital of the earth now; consequently the reign of God's children will begin there. Of course that will take them as they are when Christ comes, and there will be little children as well as older ones. And these, during the thousand years, will grow up, so that when the new earth state is entered upon they will be adults. Another view is that Isaiah is contrasting the things in this life with the condition of things in the world to come—that if there were asps there, and adders there, and lions there, and beasts of all kinds, yet there would be no cruelty, because there is no sin. The sucking child could play upon the hole of the asp, and the weaned child could put its hand in the cockatrice's den. There would be nothing to harm or destroy there. But as before remarked, there may be these very things in the holy city or on the holy mountain, for it will be seen that the passage refers to this: "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain." And as that is upon which the people of God first enter at the beginning of the thousand years, so will the whole earth be eventually, for "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea."