Will we really see our loved ones again? The ones who were saved? What about those who were not? Will we know who they are?

For the believer in Christ, the Bible tells us that we will see our loved ones again in heaven and that we will know who they are. Here are a few examples:

Jesus Himself received a glorified body after His resurrection and was recognized by His followers (John 20:19-20). God tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:42-49 that we too will have a glorified body someday.

The disciples recognized Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-5 despite the fact that these men lived centuries earlier.

In 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul alludes to the fact that we will know others and be known: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (v. 12).

In the Old Testament, several verses describe the early leaders and prophets (Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Josiah) being “gathered to their fathers” and “resting with their fathers” (see Genesis 25:8-9, Deuteronomy 31:16, Judges 2:10, and 2 Kings 22:20). These verses imply knowledge of relatives in heaven.

An example in Scripture regarding the unsaved and recognition of others is found in Luke 16:19-31, the story of the rich man in hell and Lazarus and Abraham in heaven. When the rich man died without Christ, he went to hell and recognized Lazarus in heaven and begged Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his family about hell. In this example, the rich man recognized both Lazarus (whom he knew on earth) and Abraham (whom he didn’t know personally), while Abraham recognized the rich man and Lazarus. We can infer, then, that we will recognize those we knew personally while on earth and those we didn’t know.

Submitted by: Gerry Singleton