Return to Class Topical Index

WILL WE KNOW ONE

ANOTHER IN HEAVEN?

1. What is death?

James 2: 26 The body apart from the spirit is dead
Death is not:
1. Non-existence
2. Extinction
Life = union of body and spirit
Death = separation of body and spirit
1. Genesis 25:8 "gave up the ghost"
2. Genesis 35:18 "soul was departing"
3. I Kings 17:22 "soul came in again"
4. Psalm 90:10 "we fly away"
5. Acts 7:59 "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit"

2. Does the spirit survive apart from the body?

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 "to be present" (the moment of death)
Philippians 1:21-24 "is far better" (v. 23)

3. Logic demands recognition. Without it we will:

Spend eternity among total strangers
Have no memory of our life
Not understand punishment
Not appreciate our reward
Find heaven less attractive

4. Scriptural evidence of future recognition.

Paul's joy in heaven.
1. Philippians 4:1 "beloved, longed for"
2. 2 Corinthians 1:14 "ye are ours in the day of Jesus"
3. 1 Thessalonians 2:19 "ye in the presence of Jesus"
4. 2 Corinthians 4:14 "us with you"
Comfort of Scriptures. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, 18
1. Two classes of dead:
  1. Dead in Christ
  2. Dead out of Christ
2. Difference is type of sorrow and hope
Reward and punishment.
1. In our system of justice, a person who is not able to understand the nature of the crime, (mentally ill) is not punished for that crime, no matter how violent the crime was.
2. We will remember in judgment. Matthew 7:22
3. Beheaded saints remembered. Revelation 6:9-10
  NOTE: They: a] were personalities in the spirit realm; b] were aware of their surroundings; c] knew why they were there; d] sought justice for their murder.
A case study: The Rich man and Lazarus - Luke 16
1. Parable or not?
  1. Doesn't matter
  2. Parables never use error to teach truth.
  3. Falsehood to teach truth is an Allegory.
  4. Provides a glimpse after death
2. Key words, "Son, remember" The rich man:
  1. Knew Abraham
  2. Knew Lazarus
  3. Knew he had 5 brothers
  4. Knew their lifestyle
  5. Knew he was in pain
What is the resurrection?
1. 1 Corinthians 15:55
2. "Victory" - How will you know?
Abraham was "gathered to his people." Genesis 25:8
1. Also used of others:
  1. Ishmael Genesis 25:17
  2. Isaac Genesis 32:29
  3. Jacob Genesis 49:29, 33
  4. Moses and Aaron Deuteronomy 32:50
2. Not in reference to the burial plot.
  1. Moses was not buried with his people.
  2. Jacob - still in Egypt
Infant son of David – 2 Samuel 12:23
1. Child will not return to me.
2. "I can go to him."
Men of Nineveh
1. Matthew 12:41
2. "Shall rise in judgment with this generation"
Matthew 22:23-33
1. The question: Whose wife will she be?
2. The answer: You don't know the Bible do you?
3. You do not know God's power.
4. In the resurrection:
  1. They do not marry
  2. They are like the angels
5. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living
  1. Abraham is alive. God is his God.
  2. Isaac and Jacob are alive.
  3. God is still their God.

5. Objections Answered.

We will lose our physical characteristics.
1. Death = separation of body and spirit.
2. Resurrection = union of the two again.
3. We will have a "BODY." I Corinthians 15:35-44
4. Hear Job speak. Job 19:25-27 "in my flesh"
5. I John 3:2 "we will be like him"
  1. Still had scars.
  2. Still had memory.
We will not be married in heaven. Matthew 22:30
1. Do angels know each other?
2. We will be like the angels in heaven
3. We will be there as children of God
4. We will not maintain human relationships
What if my loved ones are not there?
1. Ask: What if they are present and I don't know.
2. The question assumes:
  1. God can't make me happy.
  2. My love is greater than His.
3. The question assumes that we will argue with God's judgment.
4. It assumes that we will ignore their choice to live in sin.