Will We Know Each Other in Heaven?

2 Samuel 12:15-23 "...and the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.....neither did he eat bread....And it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died.  And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead:...But when David saw that that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead...Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshiped: then he came to his own house; ...and he did eat....And he said, While the child was yet alive I fasted and wept: for I said, who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me."

1 Thess 2: 17-20 "But we, brethren,being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire...For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory, and joy."

When we think of heaven we realize that heaven will be altogether wonderful.  When we think of heaven there is a longing to be home, and perfection is in the believer’s heart.  But there is a question that bothers some people: will we know one another in heaven?   We begin with evidence from the bible that we will.

Bible Women: Mary: Chosen by God to Give Birth to the Saviour

Mary: Chosen by God to Give Birth to the Saviour

Luke 1, Matthew 1:18-25

We will follow Mary's story in the gospel of Luke, with references back to Matthew, Isaiah and Genesis.  Luke 1:26-27 "in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.. V19 Gabriel had told Zacharias who was to be the father of John the Baptist, that Gabriel has a special position "And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee....." 

Why was it so important that Mary was a virgin? Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."  Her seed, not the seed of fallen man, but the seed of the woman. The Saviour's birth would be very special, of supernatural means. Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Mary was a virgin, and Matthew 1:18 confirms it. "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: when as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."

It is impossible to imagine what that moment was like when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary.  In the simplicity with which the Bible often depicts its most awesome moments, we are told in V28 just that "the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou among women." V29 when Mary saw Gabriel "she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be as Gabriel had told her three things, that she is highly favoured by the Lord, that the Lord is with her, and that she is blessed.  Think about this, if God would send an angel to us, what would he tell us that the Lord thinks of us?   Of all the women in Israel, God chose this humble maiden to be the mother of the Saviour of the World, truly, she must have been a very godly young woman.