In heaven, will there be different genders? Is there such a thing as gender in heaven?
Some have questioned whether people will have a gender in heaven due to the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 22:30 that, "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." What does this mean?
First, this teaching is limited to marriage. Marriage will not exist in heaven; it does not speak regarding gender.
Second, the resurrected bodies of believers are "perfected" or new and improved, not new and removed. There is no indication in Scripture that people will lose their gender in heaven. In Luke 16:19-31, Abraham and Lazarus were both recognized and identified as men. The men and women listed in Hebrews 11 were all said to be with the Lord in heaven with no mention of losing gender identity.
Third, when Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus at the Transfiguration, they were clearly identified as men both in description and in the use of male pronouns (Matthew 17:1-13). The same is true when Jesus spoke of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in refuting the Sadducees in Matthew 22.
Fourth, Revelation 21 and 22 emphasize what is changed at the end of time is the curse of sin, not gender. God made man and woman in His image and called them good (Genesis 1:26-27). There will be no need to change this aspect of humanity in the afterlife. Instead, sin and its impact will be removed.
Finally, there is evidence based on the resurrected body of Jesus that gender will remain after this life. When people saw the resurrected Jesus, He was described as male and it was assumed He was still a man. This indicates that it is highly likely believers who are given new resurrected bodies will retain their gender as well, given a new, perfected body free from the sin and limitations of this life.
While many details about our resurrected bodies remain unanswered, Scripture does provide ample support for the view that people in heaven will retain the same gender in the afterlife.
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