Will We Recognize People in Heaven?

Randy I suspect virtually everyone in this room has lost a loved one maybe a spouse will we recognize each other in heaven really yes I mean I think there's every reason to to believe that one of the reasons is if you take that passage in first Thessalonians 4 and look at what it's really saying now Paul says to the people he writes to he called them his joy his crown and he's always talking about how much he rejoices in them and their growth in Christ and he stresses the importance of these friendships and these relationships and and family redeemed family in their relationships and and then he says in in 1st Thessalonians 4 he says in verse 13 brothers we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep or we don't want you to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope not we don't want you to grieve of course you're going to grieve you've lost a loved one but you haven't really lost them because when you've lost something you don't know where it is but if it's a loved one who knows Jesus you know where they are it's just that you're separated from them you haven't lost them but your relationship has been interrupted but it has not been terminated there's a big difference it's like if somebody goes on a trip and they go overseas and they relocate and then at some later time either they come back to where you are or you go to where they are well then when it goes on it talks about we believe that Jesus died and rose again so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him now notice he's not trying to simply encourage them by the fact that Jesus is going to return though of course that's the greatest encouragement he's the source of all happiness ultimately including relational happiness we have with other people but he's encouraging them that they that is these loved ones who are with the Lord will return with him according to the Lord's own word we tell you that we were still alive left of the coming Lord will not proceed those who fall asleep the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a loud command with the voice the Archangel trumpet call of God the dead in Christ will rise first again he's not just talking about Jesus he's talking about the dead in Christ after that we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them this is saying you'll be reunited with these people well and so we will be with the Lord together with the Lord forever therefore encourage each other with these words now it would there would be no grounds whatsoever for encouragement of being reunited with loved ones if you didn't know who they were right and you know George McDonald said do you think we'll be smarter or more stupid once we get to have it I put my money on being smarter and if some people even say yeah but we won't remember the bad things that happened in this life remember those martyrs who remember that they're murdered doesn't get much worse than that heaven is not a place of ignorance it's a place of perspective so we won't remember this we won't remember that are you kidding me when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ we will give an account of our lives for everything we have done in the body including every word Jesus says in Matthew 12 that we have spoken I think our memories of this life are going to actually have to be much better there than they are here in order for us when we go to heaven to give any account of our lives but the beautiful thing will be sin will not hold us hostage sin will be utterly forgiven it doesn't matter it it doesn't mean that it doesn't matter how we live in this world it does matter and that's why second Peter 3 says therefore live lives of holiness and purity in light of the return of Christ in the light of heaven and spinning eternity with this holy righteous God but we'll never be plagued by sin so that passage in Isaiah that says that some people quote say well we won't remember the old things well the old things we won't remember that it's talking about or not we won't remember our friends and our loved ones and the wives we lived here together on this earth serving the Lord together on the contract what it means is in the same context it says God will remember our sins no more that is God will not hold our sins against it's not that God as a memory wipe it's not that God is no longer omniscient it's that he will never hold our sins against us and we will never hold our sins against each other or against ourselves who delivered of sin for ever I will be Randy but Randy without all the bad stuff I'll be the real me and by the way job 19 where you have if you wonder is it really going to be you because some people say I don't know will it really be us or well yeah you're gonna give an account for your life not other people's lives of course it's going to be you but just in case you doubt it and I love this sometimes you read scholars who who say this and I'm sure you know you've seen this John but say that you know there's nowhere in the Old Testament to talk about resurrection well clearly they haven't read Daniel 12 which talks specifically about resurrection they also haven't read job 19 or haven't understood it because job crying out in his suffering job 19 verse 23 says oh that my words were recorded that they were written on a scroll that they were inscribed with iron tool on lead well I got good news for you Joe I'm reading them here I mean that was probably 2500 BC that was the time of Abraham arguably the oldest book in the Bible events older than that of course in Genesis but oldest written book in the Bible so add up you know so we got something like forty five hundred years later we're reading this thing that he wished would be permanent he says I know and all of his suffering says I know that my redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon what the earth not in the end I will join him in heaven where he will be well of course he's in heaven we go there when we die and all of that but he will stand upon the earth and after my skin has been destroyed yet in my flesh I shall see God that's resurrection there's no way how does your skin get destroyed and yet now you're back in your flesh no doesn't work except in resurrection yet in my flesh I will see God and then he says I myself will see him me job this real person going through this real suffering one day I'll be delivered up and I will someday see him with my own eyes because one day I in the resurrection will have a body with my own eyes eye and not another yes it will really be me how my heart yearns within me it will really be us without all the bad parts serving and worshiping our King together in fellowship in joy and happiness forever discovering a new world seeing God's attributes in a brand new or a renewed creation what what a joy that will be do you think you'll ever get bored there no think of the people I mean I can envision you know we were sitting at at these banquets well who's in charge of the seating arrangements I suspect that you know maybe we'll just come in sit down with whoever but God and God's providence will still be an effect and how many times will we sit next to somebody and it will be someone who had a huge impact on our life maybe we didn't even meet him in when we read a book they wrote or maybe we sang a hymn that they they wrote or maybe we you know it was our Sunday school teacher and it was this or it was a great great great great great grandfather that we never met or grandmother and there's we meet these people and then we'll say thank you for what you did and then somebody will say you know that money that you put in the offering back when you well gee you know I and what was the deal and it was sent over to build wells in Africa that saved the life of my child you gave that to Samaritan's Purse and you know what not only did we get fresh water we got the living water of Jesus Christ my family came to faith and it was because you chose not to have that second nice car or that second home or you chose to live at this standard and to give more and I'm not that isn't a criticism of lifestyle choices I'm just saying to be able in that day when we see the fruit of our giving and our investment and our prayers you prayed for me in my country and I came to faith in Christ I don't want to thank you whoa whoa I mean will we ever look back with regret oh gee I wish I wouldn't have parted with that money no we'll say I wish I would have parted with a lot more for the glory of God and for a good of these people and what a joy to meet them in heaven Wow you

Channel: Eternal Perspective Ministries with Randy Alcorn

Views: 28,606

Rating: 4.8936605 out of 5

Keywords: Randy Alcorn, The Cove, Heaven, Loved Ones, 1 Thessalonians, Reunited, God, Christian

Id: VbwqFVBfY_A

Length: 9min 52sec (592 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 08 2016