Sermon Central
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Will We Know And Recognize Our Loved Ones In Heaven?
Contributed by William D. Brown on Apr 2, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: It really would be a sad situation if we didn’t know our friends and loved ones in Heaven, all of us have loved ones that have passed and gone on to be with the Lord, and those of us that are saved are looking forward to be
Listen as I read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then 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. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
To understand what these verses are telling us and them, we need to understand that the believers there in Thessalonica were concerned that their loved ones that had died since Paul had been away might be hopelessly dead and gone because the Lord didn’t return in their life time.
Paul had been telling the Church at Thessalonica about the rapture of the Church and then he left for a time to go about his missionary travels, Silas and Timothy brought the concerns to Paul from the Thessalonians to do with their departed loved ones, and Paul sent them this letter to comfort them. Now it wouldn’t be very comforting to the Thessalonians or to you and I, if we thought that we’d never see our loved ones again.
Paul is saying: ’No, it’s not the end, for when Christ comes the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we that are alive and remain will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.’
What comfort would that truth be if these words didn’t mean that these troubled believers would not see & recognize their loved ones who had died in Christ? How would they know if they were OK if they are unrecognizable at the rapture of the True Church?
These words wouldn’t make any scène at all if we’d never see them again. The comfort of reunion makes no scents without mutual recognition!
Yes we will know and recognize our loved ones in heaven.
