Questions and Answers

Q: Shall we know each other in heaven? A: This is a question of far more than merely curious interest to all thoughtful persons; and, to those who have dear ones already beyond the door of death, and who anticipate the time when they, too, must divest themselves of the robe of flesh and enter the realm of the dead. It is no wonder that hearts hunger for assurances thereon, and reason searches to supply them. The unspeakable thrilling expectation of a glad reunion with loved ones on golden shores; the prospect of seeing, and knowing all of the illustrious characters of the ages and of sitting at the feet of Peter and Paul and the Lord; and, the glorious privilege of endless association with the dear departed dead in their immortal state, no longer weary and sad and worn and sick, but arrayed in that imperishable splendor which shall ever characterize the good, the pure and the blessed, excites the heart as no other matter does. Is this hope a vain one? No! On this theme the Scriptures abound with evidence of the clearest and most convincing character. Limitations of space will allow consideration of but little of it, but enough for us to know that the doctrine of Future Recognition is eminently true and that on it we may rely. Job 19:25-27. Job positively affirmed that he (as Job) would see God; he would see God with his own eyes; he would see God in the flesh (following the changes which bodies will experience in the resurrection). Thus, the ancient patriarch, by inspiration, asserted the resurrection of the body, the preservation of the personality, and identity of the resurrected person. Revelation 6:9-10. These were, (a) personalities in the death state; (b) they had a consciousness of their surroundings; (c) they knew why they were there; (d) they had been murdered; (e) they were aware of the fact that their murderers had not yet been punished. 2 Samuel 12:23. David, stricken with grief, and with the body of his dead child yet unburied, said, “Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” This statement of the grieving monarch is significant only if when he should “go to” the child he would be conscious of being in his child’s presence. Luke 16:19-31. The case of the Rich Man and Lazarus, whether a parable or not, lifts the curtain of the future and enables us, for the moment, to view the scenes of the yet-to-be. The characters were all conscious; all aware of their surroundings, all possessed of a memory of the world which they had but lately left. In the words of Abraham to the Rich Man, “Son, remember,” there is an inference for all for which we contend. Of course, the Scriptures teach we shall know each other in heaven! The doctrine of future recognition is grounded in hope, it is sustained by faith, and love longs for, and patiently waits, for its realization.