November 25, 2023

Will we recognize our friends and loved ones in heaven?

 Key Scripture: And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ “But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” (2 Samuel 12:22-23)

Fact: Believers in Jesus Christ will recognize and be reunited with friends and loved ones.

Will you and I as believers recognize and be reunited with our friends and loved ones in heaven? 

The “Key Scripture” above gives me much hope that we will see those who have passed from this life once again. 

King David’s young child was sick, and David prayed and fasted, but the child passed away. David’s servants were amazed to see how David quickly went from weeping and fasting to worshiping.

This sudden change from weeping and fasting to worshiping shows that a sense of peace had come over David.

David prayed for the child’s healing, but when this didn’t happen David remained confident in the Lord’s ability to reunite himself and his child once again in heaven. David had said, “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”

God created all things, and He has the ability to reunite us with our friends and loved ones in heaven. 

I read an article a few days ago published by National Geographic. Now I do not recommend National Geographic to anyone because of their unbiblical world view, but this article was partially truthful and gives us a hint on how God will resurrect our mortal bodies. 

In this article they made a partial true statement “Matter makes up all visible objects in the universe, and it can be neither created nor destroyed. (The Conservation of Matter During Physical and Chemical Changes)  

First, they are wrong on one point. Matter can be created, but only by God! 

They are right though when they say matter cannot be destroyed. Matter never dissolves into nothingness, it only changes form. 

As a person’s body decomposes the molecules and atoms never dissolve into nothingness. 

So the molecules and atoms of those who lived thousands of years ago are still with us today, and God knows how to bring them together to form the glorified body that Jesus now has, and we will have. 

Look at what 1 Corinthians 15:35-57 says about the resurrection of the body:

“But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain – perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. . . The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. . . The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. 

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So, when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written; “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In this passage it says, “as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.”

The heavenly Man is a reference to Jesus Christ in His glorified body, and we shall bear His image. In other words, we will have a glorified body like His.

And guess what? The disciples recognized Jesus in His glorified body, and they even ate with Him after His resurrection. So, this tells me when we receive our glorified bodies in the resurrection, we will recognize others and be recognized. 

One point I do want to add is that if you were to pass away today as a believer, you would be in the presence of the Lord. In some kind of spiritual body yet awaiting a glorified body that all believers will receive at the Rapture (the Second Coming of Jesus Christ).

Greg Mason