Reunion at the Second Coming of Christ As we stand beside the graves of our loved ones who precede us in death all sorts of questions come into mind. Inevitably we begin wondering if we will ever see them again; and if we do, what will it be like? Will we recognize each other? As Christians we are afforded the only hope that can be found while standing at a graveside—the hope that one day we will be reunited in Heaven. While it is only specifically addressed in one place in the Bible, the writers throughout operate on the assumption that it is understood. Will We See Them Again? God told the patriarch Abraham, “And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age” (Gen. 15:15). At first reading it is easy to understand the idea of “going to your fathers” as simply being buried in the family grave plot. However, when we come to Moses we see that there must be something different in view. In Numbers 27:13 God also tells Moses that he would be “gathered unto thy people”; yet as Deuteronomy closes we find that he died in the land of Moab, and was buried by God in an unknown location (Deut. 34:5-6). Being gathered to his people, then, must refer to the destiny of his immortal soul. We find that Jesus speaks of the faithful being blessed to join Him and the patriarchs of old. “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 8:11). What a marvelous thought! You and I have the hope of being able to sit down with those great men of faith, whose faith we follow. If we pass from this realm before our Lord’s return, then we too will be gathered to our people, to God’s people, and wait with Lazarus and the thief on the cross for that glorious reunion. Will We Know One Another? In the resurrection we will have a different body (1 Cor. 15:37-38). Since that body is different, will we recognize one another? In Matthew 17:1ff, Jesus appears before His three closest disciples in His glorified state. Along with Him appear Moses and Elijah. Peter, upon seeing this knew that it was Moses and Elijah to whom Jesus was speaking. He recognized these men whom he had never seen before! Again, in Luke 16 we find the story of the rich man and Lazarus. When the rich man looked across that great fixed gulf, he saw Lazarus and recognized who he was (vv. 22-23). We see then that somehow we will know one another, both those that we have known here, and those whom we have never had the privilege of meeting. Are We Ready For That Day? In 1 Thessalonians 4:13ff we learn that our brethren there were growing concerned that those who had passed away would miss out on Christ’s glorious return. So, Paul addresses their concerns: “But 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. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (1 Thess. 4:13-14). On that last great day, all of those who have gone on before will likewise go before us into the skies. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds” (v. 17). Then those who are still on this terrestrial globe will follow them and together we will all meet the Lord, and one another, in the air. What about the Others? It is interesting to note that nowhere does scripture say that there will be no tears in Heaven. Instead it ways that, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 21:4). Since we will know each other, and know everybody, chances are good that we will arrive on that blessed shore and looking around realize who is not there. Tears will be shed, but our God will be there to comfort us and the comfort that He gives will suffice for an eternity!
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 08:58:30 +0000
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