"When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
When we all see Jesus
We will sing and shout the victory"
I can still hear the chords playing, the drums beating, the bass line moving, the hands clapping, and the congregation singing this song about heaven that we used to sing when I was growing up in church. Thinking about heaven and what we will look like in heaven brought me back to this song. The hope then and now was always that one day we are going to be with Jesus. Though that day has not come yet, we know it is drawing closer, and one day heaven will no longer be something we hope for: it will be something we experience. But what happens when we get to heaven and what will we look like there? The Bible does not tell us everything about how we will look, but it gives us enough information that we can put together a pretty good picture of what we will look like in heaven.
What Does the Bible Say about Our Heavenly Bodies?
There are three truths we must acknowledge about our physical bodies. We are born. We will die, and if we are in Christ, we will be resurrected with a new glorious body. Our heavenly bodies will be far different from our earthly bodies. Currently, we live in a body that, even from the moment of conception, has had to deal with the effects of sin. Because of this, our bodies age, we can get sick, and eventually, these earthly bodies will give out in death. However, when we are resurrected and receive our heavenly bodies, they will not be subject to any of those things. Here are some distinguishing characteristics between our earthly and heavenly bodies.
"So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" (1 Cor. 15:42-44).
Notice the qualities of the earthly body. Perishable, dishonor, weakness, natural. These are all things that are tied to this earth and the sinful status of the earth. Compare that to the qualities of our resurrected body, and we see imperishable, glory, power, spiritual. The natural bodies we possess now are not equipped for our eternal dwelling and that is why we need a new body that can last eternally.
Whenever I travel, I make it a point to dress for where I am going. Sometimes I have gone to the Caribbean in winter. It might be cold where I am, but I need to make sure I have clothes that are appropriate for a warm climate or I cannot enjoy that environment. Our bodies now are not suitable for eternity, but one day God will give us all an imperishable body that is suitable for the eternal home he has prepared for us.
Will We Recognize Each Other in Heaven?
It is not unusual when someone passes on from this life for those who remain to say something like “I will see you on the other side” or “I will see you when I get there.” This forces us to consider what we will look like in heaven and whether we will be able to recognize each other. The Bible gives us evidence that we will recognize each other in heaven, even those we may have never met before. There are two places in scripture that can help draw this conclusion.
In Matthew 17, there is the story of the transfiguration of Jesus. In this moment, Peter, James, and John get a glimpse of the majesty and glory of Jesus. The Bible says Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Jesus. The Bible does not say how the others recognized them, but they clearly knew who they were. Neither Peter, James, nor John had ever met Moses or Elijah, and there were no portraits or selfies of them around during those days, yet they knew who they were.
In Luke 16, Jesus tells us the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus was a beggar who lived at the gate of the rich man. Eventually, both men died, and at this time, Lazarus went to a place of comfort in Abraham’s bosom, and the rich man was tormented in Hades. From his place of torment, he recognized Abraham and Lazarus even though he had neither seen nor met Abraham before.
These are small glimpses that give us clues as to what we will look like in heaven. Scripture seems to show that we will recognize each other. Our bodies will be glorified and perfected, but that does not seem to interfere with our ability to recognize each other.
Will Our Personalities Remain the Same in Heaven?
Because God has designed us all uniquely with our own personalities, there is no reason to believe that will change once we reach heaven. If you consider what happens at salvation, the Bible declares all things have been made new (2 Cor. 5:17). Our hearts have been made new, and even still, God does not remove our personality, but works through our personality to engage with those around us. The Bible does not give us any reason to believe this will not continue into eternity. The crucial difference is then we will be in a perfect, sinless state which will elevate our personalities and the way we express them.
What Can We Expect from Our Heavenly Appearance?
When we think about what we will look like in heaven, there are some things that I find genuinely exciting. Here is how it reads in 1 John.
"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 Jn. 3:2).
Being in Christ, this verse should excite you and give you hope. The first part of this is that we are children of God. We belong to him, and as his children, God our Father has taken on an eternal obligation to take care of us. That one thought alone should cause you to rejoice, but there is more.
The next part of this verse gives further insight into what we will look like in heaven. We shall be like Christ. This does not mean we will look like Jesus, nor does it mean we will have the power and authority he has. This means that our eternal bodies will be like his eternal body. Our bodies will be transformed and raised incorruptible. We will never again feel the effects of sin in our bodies for all eternity. But that is not even the best part of the verse.
The best part is that we shall see him as he is. Remember back in Matthew 17, Peter, James, and John caught a glimpse of the glory and majesty of Jesus. We are not told exactly how long that lasted, but it wasn’t that long because their natural bodies could only endure so much. As much as it was glorious to them, it was still a veiled glory. The exciting part about what we will look like in heaven is we will see Jesus as he is. There will no longer be a need for a veil and we will see him in all of his glory. We won’t see Jesus crucified. We will see Jesus glorified. That, my friends, is the best part of this glorified body we will one day receive. We will enjoy God’s presence and the glory of Jesus for all eternity. In these new bodies, Jesus will never be veiled before us again.
The only thing left is to consider John's words after he tells us we shall see him as he is. This is the final thought I will leave you with today.
"All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure" (1 Jn. 3:3).
All I can say is go and do likewise.
Further Reading
Do We Know What We Will Do in Heaven?
What is Heaven Like According to the Bible?
What Will My Spiritual Body Look Like in Heaven?
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