Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/4834

4834 The right, lawful marriage before God....

February 10, 1950: Book 55

Marital togetherness absolutely necessitates God’s blessing otherwise the marriage may well be lawful on earth but not in heaven. Anyone joining together on earth without believing in the Creator and Provider of all things, in the God and Father of eternity, will not be able to claim God’s blessing. He does not acknowledge God, and thus God will not acknowledge a bond either, even though it was legally joined on earth, i.e. all required formalities for a marriage ceremony were complied with. Only when both step before God with the plea to bless their bond, when both acknowledge God as their Lord, to Whom they will be striving in love, can they be assured of His blessing, for God is present where He is desired. He is effectively witness to a marriage which is based on love for one another.... And thus it is quite understandable that only few marriages are able to make the claim to be joined before God, since not even a ceremony in church will replace the fulfilment of God’s required terms. Because a church ceremony can also be performed by people who marry without love for the sake of earthly advantages, which will not ever be blessed by God.

Marriage is a sacred institution which was set up by God for the procreation of the human race as well as for the mutual maturing of souls who are attracted to each other by love. However, marriage should not be seen as a businesslike union which is to be entered into only to indulge in sensuality or to attain earthly advantages. Marriage is not a state which can be arbitrarily finished or changed either. Anyone who is lawfully joined before God, i.e. who had begged for God’s blessing with mutually agreeing will, remains eternally joined before God and can only be detached by death and experience a temporary separation. But for the most part such marriage partners also unite with each other in the spiritual kingdom and jointly strive towards ascent. The unification of spiritually like-minded souls on earth as well as in the beyond is the greatest joy and goal, and anyone having joined together through love will remain joined for all eternity. But there are only few such right, lawful marriages before God.... And for this reason profound happiness and spiritual agreement is rarely to be found on earth, because due to their sensuality people do not attach any importance to it but are content with purely physical sympathy which, however, can never be called deep love and will never last either. Only those who sincerely request God’s blessing will enter into a right, lawful marriage before God, and they will live in harmony of souls until their physical death and also in eternity....

Amen

Translated by Heidi Hanna