Where Does It Say in the Bible That We Will See Our Loved Ones Again That Passed Before Us?
W henever I pass through the historical accounts of the Kings of Judah and State of israel in the Bible, I am ever amazed at that point in Judah's history when the Volume of the Police (or Torah ) had been buried and forgotten in the State (2 Kings 22).
Unfortunately, the situation is non much different in our time. I am equally amazed at the high charge per unit of biblical illiteracy in the American church today. Although the Bible is within reach of every American, it is nearly cached in many homes and churches. Nonetheless, it is considering of biblical illiteracy and a few peripheral factors that nosotros have misunderstandings over many aspects of our faith.
I desire to accept a moment to accost merely ane specific aspect of our faith that is sorely misunderstood. Does the Bible say that we volition know everyone from our quondam lives once we are in heaven? This is of import because it affects our hope for the future. Will I recognize my wife, Bister, as only another sis in Christ, or will I think that she was my wife in my former life? Will I recognize that my sister, Chelsea, is non only my sister in Christ but my sister by claret in my one-time life? Many Christians are wrestling with this because we all wonder if we volition get to genuinely be reunited in heaven with those of our erstwhile lives. Answers vary depending on who yous ask. Misunderstandings over the afterlife are not past-products of biblical illiteracy alone; information technology's as well considering the afterlife is Non beingness preached anymore. In fact, heaven is ignored almost equally much every bit hell in many pulpits.
Misunderstandings over the afterlife are not by-products of biblical illiteracy alone; it's also because the afterlife is Non being preached anymore. In fact, sky is ignored well-nigh every bit much every bit hell in many pulpits.
I firmly believe Scripture teaches that nosotros will be able to recognize those nosotros knew in this life one time in heaven. However, there are besides sincere, born-over again believers in Christ who know the Bible well and would disagree with me, non considering of biblical illiteracy or ignorance, but because they fear robbing God of His celebrity. Therefore, my purpose hither is to lovingly reason from Scripture confronting that notion by articulating three objections from the opposing side and and so answering them from Scripture.
The first objection is that if we knew everyone in sky, we would know our former spouses, which contradicts Jesus in Matthew 22:30 saying that "in the resurrection [we] neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven" (ESV). Therefore, God will accept to permanently remove the distraction of recognizing our former spouses from retentivity. In response to this, let me first acknowledge the truth that our marriage covenants (even the happiest of marriages) are alleged to be absolved upon death elsewhere in Scripture. First Corinthians 7:39 states that a "wife is spring to her husband every bit long every bit he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to exist married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord" (see also Rom. 7:2). However, proverb anything more than this involves inserting an idea into Scripture that is not at that place. Conspicuously, the purpose for marriage covenants will end. In Ephesians 5 marriage is a film of our Lord'due south dearest for His Redeemed. This picture becomes unnecessary one time Christ'southward Bride is with Him in celebrity. Furthermore, procreation will not be necessary either.
None of this indicates a divine memory wipe! I run into no indication in Scripture that Adam will not recognize Eve. I cannot discover where God's Discussion says Abraham will not know who Sarah was. Without sin natures, these relationships are guaranteed to be improved in the Kingdom. I have no incertitude that Jacob, Rachel, and Leah at present accept power from on high to love each other with a pure and holy dear; with marriage obsolete they are no longer burdened with jealousy, bitterness, and resentment. If Adam and Eve could recognize each other prior to the Fall without diminishing God or sinning, I encounter no reason to believe that this is impossible with Paradise restored.
This argue really involves whether the saints retain their personal identities in the afterlife. Consequently, the 2d objection from the opposing side speculates that we should exist so consumed with meeting the Lord Jesus that nosotros are wrong in hoping to recognize anyone from our former lives because it robs God of His glory. My initial reaction to this objection is that Scripture itself indicates that personal identities are retained later on death. Male monarch Saul was able to recognize Samuel by unlawfully consulting the medium at Endor (1 Sam. 28:3-25). King David no longer mourned the loss of his infant son knowing that they would one 24-hour interval be reunited. Later on his child died, David said, "I shall go to him, but he will not return to me" (2 Sam. 12:23). This is especially comforting to me because Bister and I had a miscarriage half dozen years agone. Thankfully, Scripture is chock-full of examples of saints being recognized afterward death. The tiptop of examples would exist that Jesus Himself was recognizable later His resurrection. Consider that Elijah and Moses were recognized at Jesus' transfiguration (Matt. 17). Furthermore, Paul comforted the Thessalonians with the promise of existence "caught upward together with them [those who died earlier u.s.]" at the Rapture (one Thess. 4:17).
Does retaining personal, recognizable identities somehow rob God of His glory? No! First, in our glorified bodies, our power to idolize someone else over God will be incommunicable. Second, consider that for eternity God Himself will memorialize men similar the apostles and the twelve sons of Israel by inscribing their names on the gates and foundations of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:12-14). Too, Jesus clearly declared that many will "come from east and west, [to] recline at the tabular array with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of sky " (Matt. 8:xi, HCSB). Without being robbed of glory, God volition reward faithful saints like the patriarchs and the apostles with the privilege of fellowshipping with the whole host of heaven while they in no way volition commit idolatry against the Lord.
The terminal objection to my position is the thought of a divine retention wipe itself. The opposing side cannot envision God wiping abroad every tear from our optics in heaven (Rev. 21:4) without beginning preventing united states of america from remembering the sins, pains, and sorrows of this life, and since our earthly relationships in this life inevitably involved sin and pain, we shouldn't expect to remember this life, or anyone in information technology, at all . In answering this objection, we would exist more than at risk of robbing God of celebrity if nosotros did not retrieve what He redeemed us from! Jesus Himself retained the markings of crucifixion in His body, after the resurrection (John 20:27)! I believe nosotros will have the ability to know what we were redeemed from in our former lives while having the power to not remember information technology in a style that causes grief. This mirrors how God does not wipe His retention and forget His neat story of redemption, yet He has the power to "call back [our] sins no more" (Heb. 8:12, ESV). Also, Scripture indicates that existence forgotten by losing our personal identities is a penalty that God inflicts on the wicked of hell and not the saints of heaven. Psalm 9:5-6 says, God has "blotted out their names forever and ever . . . the very retentivity of them [the wicked] has perished." Indeed, it seems the only people we won't call back in heaven are those who are in hell. It's quite possible that we will know they are in that location, simply we volition take the power to forget them in righteousness. Notice that in the story of Lazarus, Abraham, and the rich human being, we are not told the name of the rich homo (Luke sixteen:xix-31). Could it be that it's because his name is blotted out?
In closing, my promise with this article is that no one in Christ's church has their joy stolen from them by misunderstanding Scripture. I said in my final article that God is relational, and He created us to exist relational beings. It is much more in harmony with Scripture for the saints to view life subsequently death every bit a blessed reunion where our relationships with God and with each other are perfected, something we tin can all look forward to.
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Source: https://foi.org/2019/07/03/will-we-recognize-our-loved-ones-in-heaven/
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