Will we recognize
and be reunited with our loved ones in heaven?
Yes! In the Old Testament, when a person died, the biblical
writers said he was "gathered to his people" (cf. Gen. 25:8; 35:29; 49:29; Num. 20:24; Judg. 2:10). In 2 Samuel 12, when David's
infant child died, David confidently said, "I shall go to him, but he
shall not return to me" (v. 23). David evidently expected to see the child
again--not just a nameless, faceless soul without an identity, but that very
child.
The
New Testament indicates even more clearly that our identities will remain
unchanged. While sharing the Passover meal with His disciples, Christ said,
"Take this [cup] and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will
not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes" (Luke 22:17-18). Christ was promising that He and
His disciples would drink the fruit of the vine together again--in
heaven. Elsewhere Jesus makes a similar, but even more definite, promise:
"Many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 8:11).
Furthermore,
Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. Even
though they died centuries before, they still maintained a clear identity (Matt. 17:3)--Peter, James, and John evidently
recognized them (v. 4), which implies that we will somehow be able to recognize
people we've never even seen before.
All
the redeemed will maintain their identity forever, but in a perfected form. We
will be able to have fellowship with Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Samuel,
Moses, Joshua, Esther, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, David, Peter,
Barnabas, Paul, or any of the saints we choose. For that to be possible, we must
all retain our individual identities, not turn into some sort of generic
beings.
Describing
the Lord's appearing and the resurrection of the saints who have died, Paul
writes, "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be
with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17).
Paul's
purpose in writing was to comfort some of the Thessalonians who evidently
thought their dying loved ones would miss the return of Christ. He says in
verse 18, "Comfort one another with these words." The comfort comes
from the prospect of reunion. Little comfort this would be if in the reunion we
could not even recognize one another. But Paul's promise that we will all be
"together" forever implies that we shall renew fellowship with all
whom we have known.
We
will be reunited not only with our own families and loved ones, but also with
the people of God from all ages. In heaven we will all be one loving family.
The immense size of the family will not matter in the infinite perfection of
heaven.
There will be ample opportunity for close relationships with everyone,
and our eternity will be spent in just that kind of rich, unending fellowship.
If
you're worried about feeling out of place in heaven, don't. Heaven will seem
more like home than the dearest spot on earth to you. It is uniquely designed
by a tender, loving Savior to be the place where we will live together for all
eternity and enjoy Him forever--in the fullness of our glorified humanity.
Is
it any wonder that the psalmist said, "Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of His saints" (Ps. 116:15)?
Adapted
from John MacArthur, The Glory of Heaven (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1996),
138-41.
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Question: "Will we be
able to see and know our friends and family members in Heaven?"
Answer: Many people say
that the first thing they want to do when they arrive in heaven is see all
their friends and loved ones who have passed on before them. In eternity, there
will be plenty of time to see, know, and spend time with our friends and family
members.
However, that will not be our primary focus in heaven. We will be far
more occupied with worshipping God and enjoying the wonders of heaven. Our
reunions with loved ones are more likely to be filled with recounting the grace
and glory of God in our lives, His wondrous love, and His mighty works. We will
rejoice all the more because we can praise and worship the Lord in the company
of other believers, especially those we loved on earth.
What does the Bible say about whether we will be able to recognize people in
the afterlife?
King Saul recognized Samuel when the witch of Endor summoned Samuel
from the realm of the dead (1
Samuel 28:8-17). When David’s infant son died, David declared, “I will go
to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Samuel
12:23).
David assumed that he would be able to recognize his son in heaven,
despite the fact that he died as a baby. In Luke 16:19-31,
Abraham, Lazarus, and the rich man were all recognizable after death. At the
transfiguration, Moses and Elijah were recognizable (Matthew
17:3-4). In these examples, the Bible does seem to indicate that we will be
recognizable after death.
The Bible declares that when we arrive in heaven, we will “be like him [Jesus];
for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
Just as our earthly bodies were of the first man Adam, so will our resurrection
bodies be just like Christ’s (1
Corinthians 15:47). “And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly
man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. For the perishable
must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality” (1
Corinthians 15:49, 53).
Many people recognized Jesus after His resurrection (John 20:16,
20; 21:12; 1
Corinthians 15:4-7). If Jesus was recognizable in His glorified body, we
also will be recognizable in our glorified bodies. Being able to see our loved
ones is a glorious aspect of heaven, but heaven is far more about God, and far
less about us.
What a pleasure it will be to be reunited with our loved ones
and worship God with them for all eternity.
