Will we recognize our loved ones in Heaven?

The implication of Scripture is that we will know our loved ones in heaven both before and after resurrection. The disciples were able to recognize the Lord after His death and resurrection, though sometimes they did not recognize Him, as with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The ability to disguise Himself seemed to be a phenomenon of his glorified body (Luke 24). Normally, however, they were able to recognize Him. Scripture teaches us that we will have a glorified body like his (Phil. 3:21f) which suggests that what was true of His body will be true of ours.

Further, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 was written to believers, some of whom had lost a believing loved one. They were concerned about how death would affect those believing loved ones who had died before the Lord returned in person. In Paul’s answer to this he gave revelation that concerned several things: the rapture of living saints and the resurrection of believers who had died, but he also speaks of a reunion not only with the Lord, but with all believers. As a word of comfort this certainly speaks not only of the facts of the rapture and resurrection, but also of a reunion which would mean little if we could not recognize our friends and loved ones.

In addition, the Bible speaks of death and the rapture as being “at home” (see 2 Cor. 5:1-8 and John 14:1f) and this would also imply recognizing love ones.

Also, when Christ was transfigured on the Mt of Transfiguration, the three disciples that were there were able to recognize Elijah and Moses (Mark 9:4-5). How, we are not told, but the fact they were identified suggests we will be able to recognize not only those we have known personally, but saints from all ages.

Finally, the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16 suggests the same thing is true even now for those in heaven.

Bible.org

The Touch of God
by Max Lucado

In Scripture Matthew 8:2 is symbolic of the ultimate outcast: infected by a condition he did not seek, rejected by those he knew, avoided by people he did not know, condemned to a future he could not bear. And in the memory of each outcast must have been the day he was forced to face the truth: life would never be the same.

The banishing of a leper seems harsh, unnecessary. The Ancient East hasn’t been the only culture to isolate their wounded, however. We may not build colonies or cover our mouths in their presence, but we certainly build walls and duck our eyes. And a person needn’t have leprosy to feel quarantined.

The divorced know this feeling. So do the handicapped. The unemployed have felt it, as have the less educated. Some shun unmarried moms. We keep our distance from the depressed and avoid the terminally ill. We have neighborhoods for immigrants, convalescent homes for the elderly, schools for the simple, centers for the addicted, and prisons for the criminals.

The rest simply try to get away from it all. Only God knows how many individuals are living quiet, lonely lives infected by their fear of rejection and their memories of the last time they tried. They choose not to be touched at all rather than risk being hurt again.

Some of you have the master touch of the Physician himself. You use your hands to pray over the sick and minister to the weak. If you aren’t touching them personally, your hands are writing letters, dialing phones, baking pies. You have learned the power of a touch.

But others of us tend to forget. Our hearts are good; it’s just that our memories are bad. We forget how significant one touch can be. We fear saying the wrong thing or using the wrong tone or acting the wrong way. So rather than do it incorrectly, we do nothing at all.

Aren’t we glad Jesus didn’t make the same mistake? If your fear of doing the wrong thing prevents you from doing anything, keep in mind the perspective of the lepers of the world. They aren’t picky. They aren’t finicky. They’re just lonely. They are yearning for a godly touch.

Jesus touched the untouchables of the world. Will you do the same?

Proverbs 4:26, “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.” (NIV)

The more we taste God’s goodness, the more we crave and become excited about God. When we read scripture, commune with God daily, and taste God’s blessings, we see how wonderful God truly is. Once we know of God’s sweetness, we can pray for the courage to boldly share our faith with others.