HEAVEN (The Greater Reality): “Will We Know One Another There?”
On the 1st anniversary of the death of Matthew Warren (Rick & Kay Warren’s 27 year old son who took his life) I offer this wonderfully encouraging (at least to me :)) truth from the Bible.
Eric Clapton asked the honest question in his beautiful song, “Tears in Heaven”: “Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven?” Most people tend to believe we will.
I’ve heard numerous stories from credible resources about those on their deathbeds reaching for, talking with, and “seeing” loved ones who’ve preceded them in death and are now in heaven. Are these stories true? Obviously, because of the death of my own, Jordan Blake Watts, I desperately want this to be true. But this i know….
For the truth we’ve got to go to the source for truth: God’s Word. And, although none of us reading this have been to heaven, the Bible implies to us a resounding, “Yes! It’s true!”
Note Jesus’ story, in Luke 16:19-31, of “the rich man & Lazarus.” (This “Lazarus” is a beggar, not the “Lazarus” Jesus raised from the dead in John 11.) In this story that Jesus told (if anyone is an authority on heaven, it’s Jesus), both the “rich man” and “Lazarus” maintain their distinct identities after their deaths. Furthermore, in Matthew 17, when Moses & Elijah spoke with Jesus, both of the Old Testament prophets (long dead) maintained their distinct identities. Finally, in Revelation 6:9-11, John saw “souls” in heaven, but they weren’t unidentifiable. They were distinct in their identity: they were the souls of those “who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.”
When I get to heaven, I’m going to see Jesus. And I’m going to see Jordan. 🙂
Thank you, Jesus Christ, for making the wonder of heaven possible for all who place their faith in you.
nw
Not a doubt from the evidence in the Word that we will know everyone in Heaven, even though we had not met. You notice that Lazarus, Mary and Martha’s brother, went to heaven as did Paul, more than once and yet neither wrote a book about it. Paul simply said it was indescribable. My thoughts, and I will be talking about the movie/book Heaven Is For Real in my Sunday School class of 5th and 6th graders, about that is that Paul thought we needed the tools to live HERE as Jesus would rather than know all about Heaven and what it was going to be like. He knew if he talked more about Heaven that the meat would not be put on most peoples plate and they would just waste too much time thinking and dreaming of heaven. Basically, what I am saying is that sometimes we focus on heaven and forget about living in the here and now. I am not saying that about your article, I am saying that about the book Heaven Is For Real and others. Instead of focusing on his trip to heaven we need to be praising God and glorifying God for the healing and bringing his son back instead of focusing on heaven. Again just my opinion, that and 5 dollars will get you a coffee at Starbucks. 🙂