Fix Your Eyes On Eternity: A 12-Day Devotional On Heaven And The New EarthSample

When asked if we would recognize friends in Heaven, George MacDonald responded, “Shall we be greater fools in Paradise than we are here?”

Yet many people wonder whether we’ll know each other in Heaven. What lies behind that question is the false assumption that in Heaven we’ll be disembodied spirits who lose our identities and memories. How does someone recognize a spirit?

However, this assumption is unbiblical. Christ’s disciples recognized Him countless times after His resurrection. They recognized Him as He cooked breakfast for them (John 21:1-14). They recognized Him when He appeared to Thomas (John 20:24-29). They recognized Him when He appeared to five hundred people at once (1 Corinthians 15:6).

But what about Mary at the garden tomb or the two men on the road to Emmaus? They didn’t recognize Jesus. But distressed, teary-eyed Mary, knowing Jesus was dead, and not making eye contact with a stranger, naturally assumed He was the gardener. But as soon as Jesus said her name, she recognized Him (John 20:16).

Some commentators emphasize that the disciples on the Emmaus road didn’t recognize Jesus. But notice what the text says: “they were kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:15-16, emphasis added). God miraculously intervened to keep them from knowing it was Jesus—otherwise they would have!

Another indication that we’ll recognize people in Heaven is Christ’s transfiguration. Christ’s disciples recognized Moses and Elijah, even though the disciples couldn’t have known what the two men looked like (Luke 9:29-33). This may suggest that personality will emanate through a person’s body, so we’ll instantly recognize people we know of but haven’t previously met. If we can recognize those we’ve never seen, how much more will we recognize our family and friends?

Scripture gives no indication of a memory wipe causing us not to recognize family and friends. Paul anticipated being with the Thessalonians in Heaven, and it never occurred to him he wouldn’t know them. In fact, if we wouldn’t know our loved ones, the “comfort” of an afterlife reunion, taught in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, would be no comfort at all. J. C. Ryle said of this passage, “There would be no point in these words of consolation if they did not imply the mutual recognition of saints.” 

The continuity of our resurrection minds and bodies argues that we’ll have no trouble recognizing each other—in fact, we’ll have much less trouble. In Heaven we probably won’t fail to recognize an acquaintance, or forget people’s names.