As a pastor for over 30 years, I was often asked about the afterlife, in particular, what we will look like in heaven. Will we be recognizable to our loved ones or others? How old will we be and will we stay that age for all eternity? Finally, what will our heavenly bodies look like? In this article I will take a stab at answering those questions. My answers will be drawn from the Bible and with as little conjecture as possible.
The first question is what will we look like in heaven; will we be recognizable? The answer from scripture is unequivocally yes, we will be recognizable. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus met with Moses and Elijah. The three discussed Jesus’ departure and return to heaven (Luke 9:31). Peter recognizes Moses and Elijah (Luke 9:33). A side question would be, “how did Peter know it was Moses and Elijah?” I have no solid answer for that question unless Jesus told them with whom He met and it simply is not recorded in scripture, but that’s only speculation. My conclusion is that Moses and Elijah were indeed recognizable.
A second illustration of the recognizability of departed loved ones is the story of the witch at Endor. At King Saul’s behest, she conjures up the prophet Samuel from the dead (1 Samuel 28:13-25). Saul recognizes Samuel. Samuel tells Saul that he will be with him, Samuel, the next day! Saul and the witch recognize Samuel as he returns from the dead. A question to ask is, “was this the real Samuel or an imposter demon (‘ob spirit in Hebrew)? Based on his message to King Saul, it seems clear that this was indeed the real Samuel and not a demon and that he was recognizable.
Now let’s tackle the issue of age in heaven. How old will we be in heaven? From the illustrations cited above, it seems that we will be the age at which we entered heaven. A side question is, “what about babies or aborted fetuses? Will they stay that age or will they be adults in heaven?” The Bible speaks very little on this. A debated passage that bears on these questions is 2 Samuel 12:23). Following David’s sin with Bathsheba and, despite all David’s prayers and fasting, the baby she conceives winds up dying. In this famous passage, King David declares, “But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” There are two possible interpretations of this passage: David anticipates that he will be reunited with the baby in heaven or he will reunite with his baby in death.
Will we forever be the age we are when we enter heaven? Jesus declared that we would be like angels in that we never die or change in heaven (Luke 20:36).
The last question is, “What will our bodies look like in heaven?” 1 John 3:1, 2 indicates that we will be like Jesus having glorified bodies for all eternity in heaven. Like Jesus’ resurrected body, we will have bodies that never age, never need rest, do not need food, and can pass through solid objects such as locked doors (Revelation 21:4, John 20:26).
In the words of the old praise song, “Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace. I’m going to see my Savior’s face! Heaven is a wonderful place!” Amen and amen!
Irv