A) INTRODUCTION.

B) APPEARANCES.

C) CHRIST’S RESURRECTED FORM.

 

 

A) INTRODUCTION

 

 

Probably the best way to answer this question is to look to our Lord and see if people recognized Him after He had been raised.  Or in other words, how many Heavenly beings were recognized after they had been to Heaven, thus establishing the fact that we can or cannot recognize them after they die or go to Heaven.

 

 

B) APPEARANCES

 

 

According to John 20:14, in the first appearance of our Lord after being resurrected, we find that Mary did not recognize Him.  However, when we get to verse 16, our Lord calls out her name and she then knows Who He is.  Therefore, sight was of no help here.

 

However, by the time we come to John 20:19-20, we find that the disciples seem to know Who He is.  Also, according to Matthew 17:1-4, Peter recognized not only our Lord being “transfigured,” but also Moses and Elijah.  One has to wonder how in this world could Peter have recognized those two Old Testament Bible stalwarts?  I believe I will answer that question later on.

 

By contrast, it appears that most people did not recognize our risen Lord by sight.  Consider the two men walking on the road to Emmaus as depicted in Luke 24:16, where it specifically states that:  “But their eyes were holden that they should not know Him.”  This does bring up the question as to whether they would have recognized Him, but our Lord wanted to teach them something before revealing Himself to them.

 

The two things that stand out in all of these encounters, is that our Lord, as with Moses and Elijah, was recognized by His Words, i.e. “Jesus saith unto her, Mary.  She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.”  John 20:16.  Or He was recognized by His actions:  “[30] And it came to pass, as He sat at meat with them, He took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. [31] And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him,” Luke 24:30-31.

 

Therefore, my conclusion is that we will recognized each other by our actions (character), and our Lord will not keep our eyes from beholding our loved ones (see Luke 24:31 again).

 

 

C) CHRIST’S RESURRECTED FORM

 

 

It stands to reason for me, that since Christ carried with Him the sings of His crucifixion after being raised from the dead, in other words, “Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing,” John 20:27, that our Lord’s mangled face from the “crown of thorns,” John 19:2,  and the beatings in His face (John 18:22), my have distinguished Him as being unrecognizable from His usual appearance.

 

This may also explain why the two on the road to “Emmaus” (Luke 24:13) did not recognize Him until “He took bread, and blessed,” Luke 24:30, in a manner which only our Lord had done many times before with them.  Thus, opening their minds to Who it was they were conversing with.

 

Just a thought, you decide.  Thus, this may be how we recognize our loved ones since they will be in new, unrecognizable bodies (1Co. 15:52), that we have never seen before.  But we will recognize them when they speak words in a manner only they espostulate.   Or move in a manner that is very telling.

 

By contrast, we have this text:  “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.”  Philippians 3:21.  Apparently, Christ’s body is “glorified,” yet retains the marks of crucifixion.  You explain it.

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