Heaven (Part 25) - Language, Marriage, Sex, and Hugs in Heaven

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Heaven (Part 25) - Language, Marriage, Sex, and Hugs in Heaven 40. What language will we speak in heaven? (Sette) A. Heaven (specifically the new earth) will be a restoration and a glorification of the original creation (see Section IX - The nature of the new earth). B. In the original creation mankind spoke one language which remained that way for about 1,700 years until the tower a Babel (Gen 11:1, 7-9). i. There could be an argument made for all people speaking the same language in heaven since it will be a restoration of the original creation. ii. If that was the case, that language would likely be the language that Adam and Eve spoke which was probably Hebrew or a language similar to it. C. On the other hand, there will be people in heaven which were redeemed out of every language group (tongue) (Rev 5:9). D. On the new earth there will still be nations (Rev 21:24), which means that there will still likely be different languages spoken. E. If the redeemed retain their own languages, they will apparently know a universal language in heaven because they all sing a new song together (Rev 5:9). i. Since we are to sing with the understanding (1Co 14:15), that means that they must know and understand the language of the song. ii. This great multitude from all nations and languages (tongues) all cried out to God together "with a loud voice" (Rev 7:9-10). a. "A loud voice" (not voices) implies that they spoke in unison. b. This indicates that they were all using the same language. iii. This language that John heard all the redeemed speak could be Greek since that is the language in which he recorded it in Revelation. iv. The language could also be Hebrew since John, being a Jew, would have known Hebrew and could have translated it into Greek when he wrote it. F. The universal language would not necessarily have to be learned but could just be granted to us by God since Adam and Eve didn't have to learn the language they spoke. G. Sharing a common language would make us all be able to fellowship with each other, and retaining our own languages would allow us to maintain our personal identities. 41. Will we be married in heaven? (Austin) Will there be sex in heaven? How about hugs? (Don) A. Will we be married in heaven? i. No, we will not be married in heaven. ii. Jesus taught that in the heavenly world people neither marry nor are given in marriage (Luk 20:34-35). iii. We will be as the angels of God which do not marry (Mat 22:30). iv. The fallen angels who left their first estate, took on human flesh, and took them wives before the flood were sent to hell for it (Gen 6:2 c/w Job 1:6 & Job 2:1 & Job 38:7 c/w Jud 1:6-7). a. Estate n. - 1. a. State or condition in general, whether material or moral, bodily or mental. In ME. occas.: Constitution, nature. arch.; now almost exclusively in Biblical phrases. b. Habitation n. - 1. The action of dwelling in or inhabiting as a place of residence; occupancy by inhabitants. c. The holy angels therefore do not marry in heaven, and therefore neither will we. v. Not only will we not get married after we get to heaven, we will not be married to our present spouse or any past or future one either (Luk 20:29-35). a. If your spouse is your brother or sister in Christ, then you will continue to be brethren (Son 4:10) and friends (Son 5:16) in heaven. (i) Our spouses on earth could likely remain our best friends in heaven. (ii) In heaven, we will get along perfectly with our earthly spouse without conflict. (iii) But you will not continue the unique marriage relationship there. b. We will instead be the bride of Christ and will be married to Him (Eph 5:25-32; Rev 19:7-9; Rev 21:9). B. Will there be sex in heaven? i. No, there will not be sex in heaven. ii. Marriage is the only state in which sex can be engaged in lawfully (Heb 13:4). a. Therefore, if there is no marriage in heaven, there will be no sex in heaven. b. Some people will wonder how it could be heaven without sex since sex is one of the most enjoyable things in life. c. C.S. Lewis had a good explanation for this. d. "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 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, Miracles, pp. 159-160) iii. Will we have a desire for sex in heaven? a. Randy Alcorn had a good answer to this question. b. "If we won't have sex in Heaven and if in Heaven there's no frustration of desire, then it appears we won't desire sex. This isn't because we won't have physical desires, of course — we'll desire food and water. But what we will desire — and always enjoy — is the relational intimacy that was the best part of sex. We may discover, as we look back, that sex prefigured what it means to be lost in intimacy with Christ. Once we're married to him, we'll be at the destination that marital sex pointed to as a signpost." (Randy Alcorn, Heaven, pp. 352-353) C. Will there be hugs in heaven? Earthly hugs can be a big deal down here; familialy, churchly, or husbandly/wifely. But will there be hugs in heaven, or won't we care? (Don) i. Yes, it appears that there will be hugs in heaven. ii. The Bible term for hugging is “embracing.” iii. Embrace v. – 1. trans. To clasp in the arms, usually as a sign of fondness or friendship. iv. Hugging/embracing is a natural human practice. It is commonly practiced by: a. family members, both righteous and wicked (Gen 29:13; Gen 33:4; Gen 48:10). b. parents and their children (2Ki 4:16). c. husband and wife (Son 2:6). d. Christian brethren (Act 20:1; Act 20:37). v. Adam clave to his wife in the original creation before sin entered into the world (Gen 2:24). a. Cleave v. – 1. To stick fast or adhere, as by a glutinous surface, to (on, upon, in). 3. In wider sense: to cling or hold fast to; to attach oneself (by grasping, etc.) to (on, upon, in). b. Adam (as all husbands should) clave (hugged, held onto) to his wife both in a literal and figurative sense. c. The new earth and heavens will be a restoration and glorification of the original earth and heavens (see Section IX - The nature of the new earth). d. Given that people were hugging each other in the original creation, and that hugging is a part of human nature, it is reasonable to conclude that we will hug each other in heaven.