Shall We Know One Another In Heaven?

Introduction

Jesus said, For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. You can find these words recorded in the book of Matthew and chapter 22 at verse 30. This is a second set of Jews that had come to Jesus. The record tells me that they had come to him that they might trap him, ensnare him. Luke’s account tells us that they sent men who pretended to be righteous. And these Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection, they didn’t believe in angels, and they didn’t believe in spirits, according to the book of Acts in chapter 23 at verse 8. And so they come to Jesus. And listen, this helps us to understand that people could be religious and not righteous.

With this hypothetical question. And Jesus answers them by saying that you err or you are mistaken, one translation says, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. Verse 29.

Because he uses what Mark’s translation says, the burning bush passage, where God had revealed to Moses, when Moses asked, when God instructed him to go to Pharaoh and to tell Pharaoh to let my people go, Moses said, Well, who shall I say sent me? And God says, tell him I am that I am. And Jesus identifies with that because he is a part of the Godhead. The Bible tells me in the book of Colossians 2 9, in him dwelleth the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Jesus said himself in John 8, verse 29, except you believe that I am, you die in your sins. And so they did not understand. Jesus told them that they are mistaken. They err in not knowing the scriptures. But there is something else for us to grasp in this, because it tells us something about heaven.

It tells us that those who attain to the resurrection, they are going to be like angels of God in heaven. And again, if you look at Luke’s account, Luke’s account tells me that they will be equal to the angels and or sons of God. And neither can they die anymore. Now I know that thought raises a lot of questions itself. And there are indeed a lot of things that we may not have answers to until we finally get there. Moses wrote in the book of Deuteronomy 29, but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children that we might do the works of the law. And so what we know about heaven, the inhabitants of heaven, and our own participation in that eternal realm is obtained from the revelation of God, which is what, of course, we’re going to use.

This has been our theme. Questions about God and about faith. And so tonight we’re going to raise this question, and we’re going to use the revelation of God to answer this question. Shall we know one another in heaven? I want to pause and I want to acknowledge my gratitude to God. The psalmist tells me in the 100th Psalm that when we come before God, we should come with two things. We should come with praise, and we should come with thanksgiving. And I praise the God of heaven because he is worthy to be praised. Because he is the Lord of hosts, because he is the creator, because he is exalted above heaven and all that is created, because he is majestic, because he’s the faithful God. And I praise him because of what he has done, what he continues to do, and for all of his great and exceeding precious promises, we give thanks.

Because we know that he is a God that can be trusted. He blesses us with everything that we need. And I am grateful for that. And I take that to mean that if God has blessed us with everything we need, then we don’t need anything else. We need to just rely and trust in God. And I thank God that He has put us in this special relationship by sending His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross. And that God raised him from the dead. And by doing so, he has given us the promise and the hope of everlasting life. And then put us in this special relationship. That was a part of this eternal purpose of God. Ephesians 3 6, that both Jews and Gentiles would be added together in the one body by the blood of Jesus Christ, according to the promises that God had made to Abraham a long time ago.

And we are recipients of God’s mercy and his grace. And I’m grateful, brethren, to be with you. I’m grateful for the saints here at Bumby for your kind and warm invitation for me to come and to worship and work with you in this special effort. It was in September of 2009 when I was here before. And I’ve come and seen many of my brethren who were here then, and I’ve met some who’ve come since. And I tell you what, it’s been so delightful to be together with you. I appreciate the comments, words of encouragement that you’ve offered me, and I want to continue to encourage you. Our brethren who’ve come from other places, I want you to know how much of an encouragement you are to us.

We thank you for supporting our effort in proclaiming the gospel. If you’re here and you’re visiting us from the community, we want you to know that you’re our honored guest. We’re just a people of God. We’re trying to do Bible things in Bible ways. And with this theme that we have, questions about God and about faith, they’re helping us to grow more closely to our God in the faith that is the faith that has been once delivered, so that our faith will be the kind of faith that pleases God. So that when the Lord does return, that we will be ready. So, I also want to thank my dear sister Cork. I thank you so much, my dear sister. Your heart is open wide. I thank you for sharing.

1. What Will Man Be Like in Heaven?

But as with others that we have had opportunity to spend some time with, I thank you for the special time we had to just sit and get to know one another yet even better. I thank all of you for being here. What I’d like to do this evening is I want to begin with a question. I know you don’t answer a question with a question, but Jesus oftentimes did that. Questions would be addressed to him by his critics, and oftentimes he would respond, Well, what you read. Well, how readest thou? The question that I want to begin with is, okay. If we’re going to raise the question, what shall we know one another in heaven? I want to raise the question first of all, what will man be like in heaven?

And I want to answer that question by going in our and our Bibles together in the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 15. And I’ve already mentioned, and I’m sure you know, that the chapter and verse division were not in the original manuscripts. But because I say chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians, many Bible students know we’re talking about the resurrection. Because in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the Apostle Paul, he gives the greatest defense for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You see, because there were some people at Corinth that denied that death was followed by a resurrection. And so the Apostle Paul begins his argument by talking about the fact of the resurrection, which is the basis of our salvation, our faith, as well as our hope. Listen to what the apostle Paul declares to us as the heart of the gospel.

Paul says, moreover, brethren, I declare to you, verse 1, the gospel which I preach to you, which also you receive, and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preach to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all, that which I received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. And Paul goes on to base his argument about the fact that he was a witness. There were other witnesses who were alive who could testify to the fact that Christ had been risen from the dead. And he goes on to say that if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is vain, your faith in vain.

And of course, if Christ is not raised, then we are the most pitiable. Because Jesus Christ is the basis of our hope. But I want you to fast forward, and we’re going to come back in the text. I want you to fast forward as I answer this question what’s man going to be like in heaven? I want you to look at chapter 15. I want you to notice verse 50. The record says, 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. I want you to underline the word all, every last one of us. I think that’s consistent with John in chapter 5, verse 28.

When Jesus was upon this earth, Jesus says, the hour is coming when all who are in the glands will hear his voice and come forth. Those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. Let me tell you the reason why I say that. Because a lot of people don’t know what happens when you die. And there’s a lot of false doctrine out there in the world. You know, there’s some Western religions that would suggest to us the concept of the doctrine of reincarnation. That you die and you may come back as something else. Well, let me tell you what. The Bible plainly tells us it is appointed under man once to die and then comes a judgment.

And so what that means is our souls are not recyclable. No, our souls are created in the very image of God. And God Himself is eternal. And what that tells me and you, that tells us that we are eternal beings as well. That tells me that when we die, we don’t cease to exist. But that’s the doctrine that some people would suggest to us. That when you die, you’re annihilated. You cease to exist. We talked about some of those people earlier during the week. Some of these people who have their own Bible, the New World’s Translation Bible, and they deny the deity of Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, they don’t believe a man has a soul. There are these people who want to do away with hell.

But I’m going to tell you what, folks, when we die, we’re going to go to the place where all deported spirits go. And that is a place called Hades or the Hadean realm. No, we don’t cease to exist. There’s a doctrine called purgatory. There are those who believe that when you die, there are those upon this earth who can do penance or can do some things that might purge you to a better place. Let me tell you what, folks, if we die outside of Jesus Christ, we’re going to be lost forever. There’s going to be no second chances. There are some tenants of premillennialism that would suggest a second chance. The doctrine of the rapture, for instance. And I’m going to get to that a little bit later.

But let me tell you what, that doctrine is also false. It’s basically a misunderstanding of the spiritual nature of the kingdom. But a lot of people don’t know what happens when you die. A lot of people think that everybody’s going to go to heaven. And that’s not true either. What we need to understand very simply is flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God, and a change is going to take place. So that helps us to understand somewhat about what man’s going to be like. Because there is a difference between the body as adapted to its residence here upon this earth and as adapted to its residence in heaven. Did you notice I say it here upon this earth? God never intended for us to live on the moon.

God never intended for us to live anywhere but on this earth where he put us in hopes that we might search for him and find him because he is not very far from us, because in him we live and move and have our being. We talked about people who don’t even know why they’re here. Revelation 4 11 tells us that God, in six literal 24 hour days, created this cosmos, this universe, and he put us here so that we might glorify him. Revelation 4.11. The flesh and blood is not going to enter the kingdom of heaven. There’s going to be a state in which there is no more exposure to the corruption of life as we know it here upon this earth. Sicknesses and diseases. And eventually death.

2. Concerning Those Who Have Fallen Asleep

There’s nothing pleasure about death. I want you to look at a passage with me in the book of 1 Thessalonians. We’re going to come back, if you would, Mark, 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I want you to turn to the book of 1 Thessalonians. In chapter 4, the apostle Paul, Timothy was left behind, if you remember. Paul comes to Thessalonica in the book of Acts in chapter 17. Timothy is left behind. And so Timothy is Timothy is addressing some questions, and Paul is answering the question that had been addressed to him. So when we look in our Bibles in the book of 1 Thessalonians, I want you to know, look at chapter 4 and look at verse 9. But concerning, he says, brotherly love. And so he addresses that down to verse 12.

And then he says in verse 13, but concerning those who have fallen asleep. Now that’s what we’re going to read here. And then if you look at chapter 5, we got a chapter break, but this is all a part of this context. He says, now, concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, what’s going to happen at the judgment? But I want you to go back to chapter 4, and I want you to look at verse 13. Because there were some at Thessalonica who thought that when their loved ones died, the second coming of Christ was imminent, that their loved ones were going to be left out. And that’s why Paul is writing to clear up some of these questions. And let me tell you what, folks, what we’ve said throughout our series of lessons.

When we have questions, God has the answers for us. So look at 1 Thessalonians in chapter 4 and look at verse 13. Paul says, I don’t want you to be ignorant, brethren. Now there’s two commas there. And I’ve already mentioned that punctuation was not an original manuscript. I understand that. But I got two commas, and I need to pause. Paul is not saying, I don’t want you to be ignorant, brethren. He’s saying, I want you to be informed. The truth of the matter is, folks, when we don’t read and pay attention to context and understand who’s talking and who’s talking to who, let me tell you what, folks, we are uninformed. And Paul says, I don’t want you to be ignorant, brethren. I don’t want you to be uninformed, brethren.

I want you to know some things. I want you to understand some things. And what are those, Paul? Concerning those who have fallen asleep. Now we know the word sleep is used figuratively of somebody who has died, right? So he goes on to say, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. And don’t we see that in the world? We see people in the world when their loved ones died, they think that that’s it. That is it. But that’s not it. Because they have no hope. You know why? Because they’ve died dead in their sins and trespasses. Because they have died without hope and without God. And that’s the state of an individual who’s not a Christian. They don’t have a relationship with God. So how can they expect to have a relationship with God in eternity?

But the faithful Christian. Listen. Listen to what Paul says about their loved ones. Paul goes on to say in the very next verse, for if we believe, and here again is the testimony to the gospel that we read in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. He says, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. Did you get that? This is the heart of the gospel. And what is that? Jesus died. According to the scriptures. He was buried. He was raised again according to the scriptures. And if God raised up Jesus, you know what he says? He’s going to raise us up too. Do you believe that? And that’s along the way of the salvation that God offers us.

Romans 10, verse 9. If you believe the Lord Jesus, that God is raised him from the dead, you’ll be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. If you believe that Jesus died, and he was raised, and when he was raised, the Bible says he was declared to be the Son of God with power by his resurrection from the dead. Romans chapter 1, verse 4. If you believe that, that Jesus Christ is a Son of God, and that God raised him from the dead, let me tell you what, folks, you are on your way to understanding what God expects of you. For this we say in verse 15. To you, by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

So what he is saying is basically the living, neither the dead are going to miss out. If you are a child of God, you are not going to miss out. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout. And with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain and shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord, and therefore comfort one another with these words. And it’s unfortunate we got a captibreak, but this is all connected because the judgment is before us. Remember I mentioned that word rapture. The word rapture is not a Bible word.

But the concept, certainly is. You know what the word rapture means defined? The word rapture means the thought or the feeling of being carried away to another place. I believe that’s exactly what he’s saying here. That when that trumpet sounds, let me tell you what. Everybody who has ever lived will hear the voice of the Son of God. John chapter 5, verse 28. And I tell you what, if you’ve lived your life and you have not listened to God, there’s going to come a day when you will. Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess. And so we ought to see the benefit of bowing down to Him now and listen to Him now. And so what He is telling us is that there is going to be a state in which we will not be exposed to some of the corruption, our vow bodies, so to speak.

3. With What Body Do They Come?

Because they’re going to be changed. I want you to go back to the book of 1 Corinthians, if you will, in chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Now remember, the apostle Paul is answering those who doubt it, those who say there is no resurrection. And so you know what they do? They say, okay, Paul, if in fact there is a resurrection, you tell me what kind of bodies they’re going to have. Look at what he says. Verse 35. He said, but someone will say, Well, how are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? And then Paul goes on to call them foolish. You know why he calls them foolish? Because there ought to be some things that they ought to be able to basically understand.

There ought to be some things that we ought to be able to understand. Do you remember in January the 28th, 1986? Do you remember the space shuttle challenger disaster when all of those bodies were blown up? And people wonder, well, what about those bodies? Served 20 years in the Navy. I have been on burial details. Burial details on land and burial details at sea. We’ve committed bodies to the dust, both on land and at sea. Those caskets were prepared in such a way that they would not float. And even when the body was cremated, after a brief service, those ashes were committed to the sea. And people ask things like, well, what about the what about people who die at sea? What about the people who are eaten by fish?

What about people whose bodies are destroyed? You know what Paul’s answer is? Cannot the God who created this cosmos put those bodies back together? Yes. Look at the different, look at the different species that God himself has created. Look at Paul’s argument. Paul says, 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. All flesh, he says, is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another fish, and another of birds. Let me tell you what, folks, we need to remember that we are not only flesh and blood, and flesh and blood will not enter the kingdom of heaven, but we are also spiritual beings.

And look at what he says. Look at verse 42. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption. But 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 so the natural body, it is raised the spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And look at verse 49. And as we have borne the image of the man of the dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man. And he goes on to tell us flesh and blood is not going to enter into the kingdom of heaven. And so what that tells me is that the Bible teaches us that a renewal of habitation in the heavenly city demands a renewal of the condition to be able to participate in it.

Because God is going to fashion our body as it pleases him. The natural body is going to give way to the spiritual body, and the mortal body is going to give way to the immortal. Now, we don’t know the exact details of this transformation into heaven. But what we are told in the Bible, I think, is enough to encourage us to want to be among those who are going to be changed to dwell with God in eternity. Because if we are without God and without hope in this life, let me tell you what, folks, we are going to be without God and without hope in the next life. And don’t forget, when we die, we don’t cease to exist. The point of the matter is, every last one of us are headed somewhere.

4. Don’t Ever Give Up, There Is Something Ahead

The concept of eternity may be difficult for us to understand, to comprehend. But I tell you what, folks, we need to start thinking about it. Because we are eternal beings. We’re going somewhere when we die. Yeah, the body goes back to the dust, and the spirit’s going to return to God who gave it. And we’re going to have to answer to God. And so the naked spirit is going to be provided with that which is going to make our redemption complete. Turn with me, if you will, in Paul’s second epistle to the Corinthians. He said some things about himself and the other apostles about some of the struggles we have in this life. And I think what Paul is also helping us to understand is the kind of perspective that we need to have when we face difficulties in this life.

The kind of perspective we ought to have, for instance, when we face diseases, when we face sicknesses, when we face death. In essence, what the Apostle Paul says, whatever you do, whatever you go through, don’t you ever, ever give up, because there is something ahead. Let me blow let me let me just begin at verse 16, because Paul talks about some of the things that he went through. And Paul says that he’s an optimist. But verse 16, he says, because he will never give up, he said, we don’t lose heart, even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us, a far more exceeding than eternal way to glory.

Why we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Ignore that you have to break. For we know that if our earthly house, this tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made but hands, eternal in the heavens. You get the figurative language. For in this we groan, earnestly desire to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven. If indeed having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed that mortality might be swallowed up by life.

Now he who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith and not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. And therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to him. For we must all, there is that word again, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are all well known to God, and I also trust or well known in your consciences.

We know we’re going to be clothed with immortality, but we don’t know. We can’t comprehend all of that. I think when the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, he wrote some things that perhaps could help us to understand. Remember, Paul himself said, I’d rather go and be it with the Lord. But I understand the benefit of being here right now. Trying to teach other people, trying to help other people, trying to persuade people that they need to have a view towards eternity. And he wrote to the Philippians in chapter 3 at verse 20. He said, For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body according to the working by which he is able to subdue all things to himself.

And I believe that. I believe that God can do that. That God can take these bodies that we have. And whatever they go through or whatever they’ve been through. And God can change them all. Just like he brought this cosmos into existence. And I liken some of the diseases and I liken some of the sicknesses, and I like some of the likeness, some of the pains and aches that we have. The Ecclesiastes chapter 12. The declining years of life.

The pitcher shattered at the well as death.

When you look at the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon had it all.

Solomon said, I had everything, but I hated life. And you know what one truth he understood? He understood that living this life, regardless of what you have, if you don’t have God in your life, your life is vanity, it’s empty.

But we are sure that the redeemed are going to shine forth as the sun. Can you comprehend that? We are going to be like him, John said. Can you comprehend that? We’re going to be his angels. Can you comprehend that?

5. Shall We Know One Another? The Question of Identity

And I know just like people have so-called pictures of Jesus that think they know what Jesus looks like. They think they know what angels look like. These angelic beings. And I know they’re those who are exalted angels, the cherubim and the seraphim, and they had wings and they flew. I don’t know, maybe some people think they’re going to have wings when they get there. But he said we’re going to be like angels. We’re going to be equal to the angels. And so shall we know one another in heaven? That’s our question, right?

Let me say this, and this is a statement. That there is not a single verse that I can find in the scriptures that will specifically state that we will know one another in heaven. But I believe, and I want to help us to understand, by logically building the case, by simply pointing out, I believe that the whole issue boils down to one basic idea, and that is the question of identity. Let me illustrate it like this. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.

And sometimes when an individual is getting ready to obey the gospel, we tell them, let me tell you what. Before we bury you with Christ, let me tell you what’s going to happen. You’re going to go down in this water, but when you come up, you’re going to be a baby. You’re going to be brand spanking new. You’re going to have a new life. Your sins are going to be washed away. You’re going to have a new Savior. You’re going to have a new hope. You’re going to have a new direction. You’re going to have a new destiny. Because now you are the adopted child of God. Isn’t that what we say? But if you go look in the mirror, you’re going to be the same person.

Your name’s going to be the same. You’re given name by your parents, but I tell you something else. God’s going to give you a name. And you’re going to live by that name. You’re going to be a Christian. You’re going to belong to Jesus. You’re going to be a disciple. You’re going to be a learner. You’re going to be a child of God. You’re going to be a brother or sister in Christ to your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. You’re going to be a priest because you’re going to offer worship unto God. And God uses those terms like he uses the word church to help us to understand our relationship to him and our relationship to one another. You’re going to be a saint because you’re sanctified.

You’re set apart. But your names don’t still be the same. You see? It’s identity. And so why should it be soon that a change in exhortation to a higher mode of existence erases a person’s identity or their personality? I mean, for instance, when you look in the book of Jude 9, only one chapter, look in the book of Luke in chapter 1. Two of the heavenly hosts, of all of the host of angels, do you remember that only two of them were identified? Given names? One of them, Gabriel, the other one, Michael. Let me ask you. If we know who Michael is, and if we know who Gabriel is, doesn’t that suggest to us that there is identity? In the book of Matthew in chapter 17, remember when Jesus was transfigured.

Remember, Moses was there. Elijah was there. I don’t think that they were there just because Matthew said that. They were there because they were there. They appeared with the Lord of glory. And Peter, when he saw them, he said, Shall we make three tabernacles? He couldn’t comprehend what was before him. But I think the message, of course, is clear.

Elijah disappeared. And then God spoke like he spoke when his son was baptized by John. He said, This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. God was testified that Jesus is his final spokesman. But Moses was his spokesman before. Elijah was his spokesman before. And God wants us to listen to Jesus. When you look in your Bibles in the book of Matthew in chapter 8 at verse 11, I think we can understand very clearly how the Bible talks about those who are God’s servants. Remember the book of Matthew in chapter 8 at verse 11? Mention is made of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the glorified state. And Jesus says, of those whose fate will lead them to embrace the gospel, that they shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

And again, in Matthew chapter 22 at verse 32, where we begin, remember? Mark, Luke, Matthew, the burning bush passage. Jesus identifies himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You know what the implication is? Even though they died long time ago, they’re still alive. And apparently the patriarchs have not lost their identity. They’re still Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, even though in another state of being. In Acts in chapter 3 at verse 13, Peter argued that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers have glorified his son Jesus. Have they lost their identity? No, they haven’t. Of course, you look in John in chapter 5 at verse 28. The Bible says, the hour is coming when all who are in the grave will hear his voice and come forth.

They who have done good to the resurrection of life and they who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. Doesn’t that remind you of John in chapter 11 when Lazarus was raised from the dead? Jesus waited four days. He waited until he was dead. Martha comes. Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Mary says the same, did not I tell you that your brother’s going to live again? I know, Lord, he’s going to live in the resurrection. Jesus says, I am the resurrection of the life. Though a man die, yet shall he live. And whosoever believeth in that, do you believe that? Do you believe in life after death? And I’m not just talking about life. I’m talking about life with God.

I’m talking about eternal life. Where God is. So when Jesus comes to the tomb, Jesus commanded them to roll away the stone. Well, Lord, he’d been dead for days. By this time he stinks. Did not I say to you that your brother’s going to live? And so they rolled away the stone. And what did Jesus say? Lazarus come forth. Lazarus was dead, wasn’t he?

If Jesus would have said, dead people come forth, let me tell you what, everybody would ever lived would have come out of the grave. Which is what’s going to happen one day. And then there’s another Lazarus in the book of Luke in chapter 16. Remember? The rich man and Lazarus. Angels came and took Lazarus. The rich man died and he was buried. And that helps us to understand what happens when you die. You go to a place where all people die. The Hedean world. Let me simply point out that the King James Version is basically a mistranslation. It’s not hell. It’s Hades. It’s the Hadean world. It’s synonymous with what Jesus says that today you’ll be with me in paradise. Remember to the thief on the cross?

That’s where Lazarus went. And then there’s a place called Tartarus. And that’s explained. That when we die, we go to that place. There’s a separation. There’s a great gulf. You can’t go from one to the other. What that implies is that our faiths are sealed when we die. And what loses before us is a judgment. But the point that I want to make is the fact that. Wasn’t that a conversation between a rich man? We don’t even know what his name was, but wasn’t that a conversation with the rich man? And Abraham. And wasn’t a rich man concerned about his brothers. Doesn’t that imply to us that there is consciousness after we die? Then that helps us understand we don’t just cease to exist. Of course, the book of Acts in chapter 24.

You can remember, Paul taught that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. Who is going to be raised? Why, it’s those who are buried. The just and the unjust. Or if you are alive when the Lord returns, they’re still who they are. Their identity has not been lost. And how are we going to receive our reward? The apostle Paul talks in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. We may spend our time teaching people. They may learn the truth, and then they may fall away. But let me tell you what, that’s a loss as far as your time and efforts are concerned. But I tell you what, you’ll still be saved. And the greatest case, of course, that might help us to understand all of this.

Remember David, after he lost his son to the clutches of death, facing the reality and the justice of God’s judgment upon him for his sin and accepting the accepting the death of his son. Remember what David says? David says, I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. Now I realize that David did not say specifically that he would know him then. But what rational purpose could they have been in saying what he did? Is David speaking only of his body and his body going into the grave? I don’t think so. I think it all boils down to identity. Any other pastors? Remember Philippians chapter 2. Holding fast the word of life that I might rejoice in the day of Christ. That I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.

What is our hope or joy or crown and of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ? And of course, in the book of Luke, in chapter 15, at chapter 15 at verse 10. Paul knew that even while in the flesh there would be many who would be lost. But Luke in chapter 15. Remember, the Lord tells us that there is rejoicing in heaven among the angels when one sinner repents. And then finally again in the book of 1 Thessalonians in chapter 4. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord? Let me say this as I close this lesson.

6. I Know There Are Objections

I know there are objections. And I’m going to attempt to answer some of these objections. Number one, there are those who would say, Well, I simply don’t see or I don’t understand how we could know one another in heaven. And of course, there are many things we cannot understand, especially in a discussion like this. But because of our inability to understand the how of something does not detract from the reality of it. I can’t understand how we’re not going to die anymore. Can you comprehend that? Can you comprehend the new bodies that we’re going to have? I tell you what, I sure look forward to it. I look forward to a body that doesn’t ache. I look forward to a body that doesn’t get sick. I look forward to a body that there’s going to be no pain and no more sorrow, no tears.

Can you imagine? Can you fathom that? I don’t understand it. But the Bible tells me no sorrow there, no tears in heaven. Nothing wicked is going to enter there. Can you comprehend that? Especially living in the world we live now. If we recognize each other in heaven, then we tend to stay in our cliques. Well, one must first prove that there are clicks in heaven.

I know people are separated in this world today by race, by language. But I’m going to tell you what, folks, that’s not going to happen in heaven. And I’m going to tell you something else about this black lives matter movement. And I’ll say again, all lives matter. The lives of innocent babies matter. Suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Their lives matter. The lives of older people who have been deserted by their families, their lives matter. And we can use euphemisms, if you will. Euthanasia, but I gotta tell you what, folks, it’s not mercy killing, it’s murder, just like killing babies. God says you take care of your parents.

There is a sense in which all of us are related to one another when you talk about the brotherhood of man because we’re all created from one blood.

But besides, those who hang around in clicks, they may not be there themselves.

What about the knowledge that someone you love is not there? And I tell you what, I encounter this all the time. And I know it’s difficult to answer, but I think just careful reflection can simply prove it need not be. For example, is it true that we’re going to accept God’s judgment as true and righteous? Yes. Because God is a just God. God is not a respecter persons. Can we enjoy the fellowship of those who are in this assembly right now? I mean, you may know of people that have not obeyed the gospel. But what about in this assembly right now? Cannot we enjoy singing praises to God, worshiping God, concentrating, talking about things that are precious to us. Can’t we enjoy that right now without thinking about what’s outside those doors?

Can we do that? Yes, we can.

Nothing evil. And boy, when God gives me that new body. I tell you, it’s going to be equipped so much that obviously I won’t be able to comprehend or even think about things that are evil or things that would disappoint me or things that would bring me sorrow. And if I make my decision to reject the Lord because I know somebody else did not make the decision to accept the Lord, don’t you realize that there are two souls at least that are in jeopardy? My loved one in me. What I’m saying, folks, is that we are individually accountable to God. And we are going to have to answer to God, not for our relatives or our loved ones. I got to answer to God for me.

And you got to answer to God for you. And since we have a new body, we’re not going to be able to recognize one another, somebody said. Yes, there is to be a change. I know that is the body of mortality gives way to immortality. And this change, however, is a change of state, not necessarily a change in identity. I think confusing a change of state with a change of identity is to argue too much. I mean, that a spiritual body is going to be given doesn’t mean that we are going to be without means of recognition. I think the common conception seems to be that it’s going to be some kind of ghostless something. But this concept has no support whatsoever in the scriptures. And to argue that the spiritual body is going to be without features which others could recognize is just demanding too much.

And then here’s another one. Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And the objection goes like this. Well, it hasn’t been revealed what we’re going to be. Well, I know that. I know that. And that’s the wonder of it all. And people who say things like this, they sometimes say things like, really doesn’t matter to me. As long as I’m there. As long as I get there. That’s really what’s important. Well, I would admit getting there is important. But isn’t that kind of a narrow view? I mean, what about people you love? They say it don’t make a difference.

But let me tell you what makes a difference to. It makes a difference to a mother who has borne a child for months and loses that child in birth. It makes a difference when parents, their children perceive them in death because it’s not supposed to be like that. It makes a difference to a woman or a man who has lived with a maid for many, many years. And that one goes on and they die. And the life that they live motivates them to keep living the way they live so that they can be together someday.

It makes a difference because we ought to care about other people. Not only do I want to go to heaven, I want everybody else to go to heaven. And sometimes in departing from brethren, I sometimes say, Well, I’ll see you later. Not goodbye. If I never see you on this earth ever again, I will look for you there. Because you’re my brother, you’re my sister. We’re part of God’s family. And God wants his family to be together one day. And we will. And I believe that. I don’t believe that our identity is going to be taken away from us. How can we receive our rewards? I know God knows all things, but who’s going to get what rewards? Yeah, getting to heaven is one thing, but God has so much in store for us.

Conclusion

The Bible tells me he that wins souls is wise. You know why? Because they have an eternal view in mind. They know what life’s about. You choose a mate that’s going to help you get to heaven. You have children, you teach them the most important thing, the most valuable thing they have is their soul. And you help them to live in such a way that even if death comes, they’ll be ready. That’s just an introduction to our lives because we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. We don’t. But God does. So the lesson’s yours. I thank you for your attention. Shall we know one another in heaven? I think we have enough evidence to cause our minds to not only wander, oh, but to look forward to that city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

One in which he wants all of his children to be there. Our citizenship is not on this earth, it’s in heaven. But we ought to live like heaven citizens. If you’re never obeyed the gospel, you can change citizenships. You can become a citizen of heaven by obedience to the Lord, faith, repentance, baptism. We stand ready to assist you. Would you come? We’re together. We stand and sing.