It is common to hear believers talk about the death of Christians in positive ways. And this is natural since Christians do believe in life after death, and a good life after death does await those who trust in Christ. So we are likely to say about someone who has been suffering physically upon their death that they are now in a better place, free from their misery. Or we say they are better off because they are with the Lord. We will even console ourselves, at least, that the passing of a widow or widower, who had a believing spouse, is in a better place because he or she has been reunited with a wife or husband. I should know, I’ve been using these lines with myself of late having lost both parents (both believers) within the space of a month.
But I have wondered how exactly a soul, that no longer has a body, will recognize another soul. I also sometimes wonder how resurrected bodies will recognize other resurrected bodies. At what vintage do our bodies come back? If an infant dies, is he glorified as an infant? Will that infant grow? If the body of an 80-year old dies, does he come back as a 35-year old? And if you only knew someone when they were 70 plus, and they come back to bodily existence as a young adult, will you actually recognize them in their gloried state? So how much trickier the recognition of other souls, invisible as they are, by other souls, who are also invisible. The mind reels.
In hopes of keeping it real, here is what the Confession of Faith says about “The State of Men After Death†(it means you too, ladies):
The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption: but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies. (32.1)
That would seem to indicate that departed souls will “see†and “recognize†God. But it does raise questions about whether they will “see†the face of Jesus. Beholding is not necessarily seeing. And seeing, as we know it, is impossible without eyes.
Maybe union with Christ is the solution. I know that justification by faith alone won’t resolve this one. My pet doctrine has its limits.
Old Life 
That’s better. No reference to “24” just the “Ghostbusters” logo.
But a point well made even without the latter admission. I also love the catechism answer which speaks of “The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness,and do immediately pass into glory; AND THEIR BODIES, BEING STILL UNITED TO CHRIST do rest in their graves, till the resurrection.”
That’s not a dig OR a thumbs up for the union folk – it’s just glorious doctrine.
Thank you brother.
Matt
LikeLike
Another thing, do we actually see the Father and the Holy Spirit in the New Earth, given that only Christ possesses a corporeal body?
LikeLike
Warren
My take is that the Triune God will be manifest in the visible divine/human form of the Lamb. The Son being the revealer of the Godhead in time will also be such in eternity. This is shown in Rev 21:23 – the New Jerusalem has no need of the sun or moon, because the glory God is its light. The text then states that the “Lamb is its lamp” – the light is mediated through the lamp – who is the Lamb of God.
However the presence of all three will be known – John witnesses a two-seated throne “of God and of the Lamb” and from under it a “pure river of water of life” flowing through the New Jerusalem. The water I take to be the Spirit – (Ezekiel’s temple vision and John 7).The effects of the Spirit’s work are stated – producing fruit for the tree of life, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. But I could be wrong on the above.
Whatever we see, its going to be a good place to be.
Matt
LikeLike
I’ve always taken great comfort in the fact that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and (perhaps most comforting of all) no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those that love him. Call it under-realized, but something about speculation seems theology-of-gloryish, as in living more by sight than faith.
LikeLike
We have descriptions of the intermediate state in parable language (a meal at” Abraham’s bosom”) and figurative language (“came to life and reigned for a thousand years”), but not the kind of talk that will give use what we want.
Losing a parent changes your focus. It did me, when my mother died a couple years ago. FWIW, I wasn’t real comfortable with the minister presiding over the service saying “she’s running and jumping now”. We just don’t have warrant to say that. Paul does tell us that it’s better to be there than here.
I did take some geekish comfort from having read Death, Leviathan and the Martyrs not too long before.
LikeLike