Will there be groupings of spiritual families since God ordained the family unit and marriage?
Here on earth we talk about two types of families. There is your biological family including those you grew up with, your mother who gave you birth, sisters and brothers, and your father. But then there is also your spiritual family, your church family.
All believers in Jesus our saints and part of God’s family. This is why we call each other “brothers and sisters in the Lord.” So what will it be like in heaven? It appears that we will not only know our biological families (if they are believers in Jesus) but also our spiritual families.
There’s a great possibility that you will know everyone in heaven that you know on earth. This extends from your biological family to your spiritual family to those you witnessed to that accepted the gospel to your friends and even acquaintances.
I don’t think you will be stuck in one group. I think you’ll simply know all of the people you knew and all of your circles of influence here on earth. I have pointed out evidence for this in another answer.
But how close and intimate will these groups and relationships be? Jesus addresses the issue of divorce when the Sadducees try to catch him between a rock and a hard place. But he answers (with experiential knowledge of heaven) that they will neither marry nor be given in marriage, like the angels (Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:35).
Jesus’ answer refers to the situation of multiple marriages on earth. It suggests that the woman who was married to seven different men will not be married to any of them. As a side note, we learn that the Angels do not marry. This is interesting because of their sin in Genesis 6.
It may not be that the family unit will be the same in heaven. But I have to imagine after the strong bond that is formed in marriage (Genesis 2:23-24) and the intimacy husband and wife share on this earth that they will be quite familiar and close in heaven as well. I believe the same goes for the family unit.
When Jesus teaches on divorce, he talks about the hardness of human hearts as the reason God permitted Moses to issue a certificate of divorce (Matthew 19:8). If a spouse divorces and marries another person while the first spouse is still alive, Jesus considers this committing adultery (Matthew 5:31-32; 19:9).
Jesus taught that only the grounds of infidelity are biblical reason for divorce (Matthew 5:31-32). These are very stringent rules for marriage and divorce. The intimate connection husband and wife share is unmatched in any other human to human relationship on earth.
It is so intimate that the Bible speaks of a married couple as not two people but, “one flesh” (Matthew 19:6). I cannot see how such a relationship made here on earth will not at least be acknowledged in heaven.
It doesn’t appear that marriage will be in heaven as it is here on earth. It doesn’t seem that there will be any procreation at all. But at the same time there may be close and intimate relationships based on the strong bonds created on this earth.
