Jan 15 2009
Who You Know
The question is; Will we be able to recognize each other in Heaven? Overwhelmingly, it seems that the consensus answers, “Yes.” But is it correct to assume that preponderance of opinion equates to the truth of Scripture? I believe that we will know one another in Heaven, but I must admit that I am hard pressed to make the case from Biblical chapter and verse. There are many innuendos, and we can certainly make well founded extrapolations, but I find nowhere that the Bible says, “You will know each person in Heaven as though they were here with you on earth.”
As I read the passages that are commonly used to make the case in favor of Heavenly recognition, I question the validity of the presumptions made. The phrases, “rested with his fathers,” or, “gathered to his people,” don’t actually say that the one resting, (or being gathered), recognizes the souls he is now among as being the same ones that he knew on earth, or that they are known in the same, familiar, way. It seems to be open to interpretation and it could be that they merely ended up in the same place. If one considers their earthly ability to recognize others, they might conclude that we will not know anybody when we arrive in Heaven, any more than we knew anyone on earth when we were first born here. We had to learn to recognize people here, even our own parents; couldn‘t it be the same way there?
Even in the telling of the rich man and Lazarus, (in themselves), the case can not be proven that the one in heaven recognizes anyone. It is apparent that the rich man recognized Lazarus and Abraham, but it does not say that Lazarus recognized the rich man. Is it possible that, as a condition of eternal torment, those in Hell are allowed to recognize others while those in Heaven are spared this pain? Is it possible that In Heaven we learn to recognize one another as we exist there, but not necessarily as we knew them here? If the story ended with only the rich man and Lazarus it might be so, but what about Abraham?
Abraham is unmistakably one of the Biblical patriarchs, but he was still only a mortal man. In Heaven, Abraham was able to recognize that both, Lazarus and the rich man existed in the same identities as they held on earth. Abraham knew that the one had received good things in life and the other bad things. So here we have a regular run-of-the-mill human, now in Heaven, who recognized others in Heaven as they had been on earth, and also remembered their earthly lives. I believe this to be a most telling evidence that we will know one another in Heaven. This is not to say, however, that we will automatically know everyone in Heaven.
I suppose that it’s possible that we will know everyone by some form of divine ability, but to be honest, I doubt that I’d know Paul if I bumped into him in a phone booth, unless I had been introduced. I wonder if perhaps we might know those whom we knew; learn to know those who went before us, and, (since we have the programs in hand at that point), know all who would follow. I really can’t say. I do think that a case can be made that since God gave us the ability to know each other here, there is no reason to think that we will have fewer abilities in Heaven.
This is similar to the question of whether or not there will be pets in Heaven; God populated this world with animals, why would He exclude them in Heaven? When God created the earth He made it a perfect place. Man messed it up by his prideful disobedience prompting God to curse the ground, but before that, it was very good. I believe that the new Heaven and earth will be as perfect as this one started out being. Really, how could God make anything substandard, how could God‘s perfection be anything less than absolute perfection? Before you throw the fallibility of man into the mix, keep in mind that we were made with the ability to execute decisions perfectly; we just made poor choices. It’s a little like a well made watch. If the watch doesn’t keep time, you can’t blame the watchmaker because you chose to neglect to wind it up. Besides, in Heaven we will all have been changed so that the failings of mortal man will not be an issue.
Another interesting jumping-off point for the case in favor of Heavenly recognition is found in Revelation 21:12. Speaking of the new Jerusalem, the city’s gates are described as having the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written over them. This would seem to indicate that someone up there has the ability to sort out the tribe of Dan from the tribe of Judah. I believe that this ability is not one which will be the exclusive providence of God.
Whenever we find the Saints returning to earth after their departure, it seems apparent that they maintain their identities and are recognizable. When king Saul had the witch at Endor summon up Samuel, God allowed Samuel to return, and be recognized as Samuel. On the Mount of Transfiguration when Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah, they seemed to chat it up as though they all knew one another well enough. It seems as though it pleases God that we should each have our own, unique, identities in this life and I can find no proof to indicate that we should have fewer attributes in Heaven. If God finds it pleasing here, how much more should He be pleased with it there? If recognition serves God’s desires for us on this earth, I can imagine no reason why it should not be at least as useful in Heaven.
Some commentators will, at this point, challenge the reader to find anything in the Bible that says we will not recognize each other, and hold that out as some sort of conclusion that the opposite case must be true; that we will. I don’t buy it. For me, that kind of logic is as useless as , “Since the Bible doesn’t say there are no aliens, there must be.” OK, maybe yes, maybe no; it isn’t important for us to know that in order to live the life God has allowed us to have. I do not believe in aliens, but I will not use the Bible as the proof of that belief simply because it doesn’t mention them. I think that we need to look at the spirit of the Word and not only the letter.
God has bestowed upon us a marvelous existence, (which we messed up from the get-go), and there is nothing in the spirit of the Word of God to indicate that we will have an existence in Heaven which is any less glorious than the one we now have; to the contrary, every revealed picture of Heaven in the Bible is one of surpassing glory, of unimaginable beauty and peace. I can only imagine the wonders that are stored up for us, but even so, I do not allow these imaginings to dominate today’s life. It is my walk with Christ that I find keeps me busy.
I know that tomorrow will take care of itself. It is as much as I can do, (usually more), to just do the things I know need to be done, not do the things that I know I should avoid, and do my all to stand fast in the faith of our Lord Christ Jesus. I take great comfort from Luke 7:29, “For I say unto you, Among those who are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” KJV. I find comfort in knowing that even if we were to climb to the heights of fame, wealth, glory and prominence in this life; still, to be least in the kingdom of Heaven will be to exceed even that!
To wonder about the things of Heaven is fine and I would not rebuke anyone for dreaming, after all, is it not God who allows the dreams? I have no doubt that Heaven will be so far above our wildest expectations that to consume one’s self with the nature of our existence there is futile. It is more than enough to know that the lowest soul in Heaven will be greater than anything we can hope of imagining in this life. Will you recognize your relatives in Heaven? Do you want to? If so; sure, why not? If not; OK, whatever turns your crank. The truth is that we can not understand the relationships in heaven from an earthly mindset, when we get there we will have been changed and we will love everyone as brothers and sisters. You will not be who you are now, and your relatives will not be who they were when you knew them.
While this is a fine topic for a sunny afternoon daydream, it is most certainly a secondary issue and no more. It is far more important that we deal rightly with one another in the here and now. We need to live the life of Christ in us before the world so that they might see and wonder at what they have been missing. We need to help when we can, pray at all times and esteem others better than ourselves. We need to run the good race and finish, having reached the goal, that we did it…
All for the Glory of Christ