Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hey podcast listeners, thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word through the most effective media available, like this podcast.

To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day.

Speaker 3

This Bible teaching program on today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

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In Heaven, we won't be someone else. You will be you.

And the relationships, by the way, you have here on earth with Christians will continue in heaven. You'll know other people, they will know you, and you will enjoy perfect fellowship untainted by sin of any kind.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. The Bible says that God is making all things new, and that includes our bodies. Someday in heaven, we'll all receive new and improved bodies built to last for eternity.

So what exactly will those bodies be like? Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress explains how our heavenly forms will be different from our earthly bodies.

But first, let's take a moment to hear some important ministry updates.

Speaker 3

Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Let me start with a question: When you stepped in front of the mirror first thing this morning, was there anything about your face or your body that you wished you could change? Wrinkles? Maybe your receding hairline? Perhaps those extra pounds you've been unable to shed?

Well, in our current series about a place called Heaven, we're going to address another relevant topic in particular: how will we recognize one another in heaven? This is also one of the subjects addressed in my book, titled *Encouragement from a Place Called Heaven*. This exclusive gift book from Pathway to Victory gives you an opportunity to let your mind bathe itself in the cleansing realities of heaven. It’s the perfect choice for a friend or family member who's going through a difficult season right now. So when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, I'll make sure a copy of my book is sent to your home.

And let me remind you about the upcoming Vacation to the Great Frontier. Look, anyone can book a trip to Alaska, but it would be nothing like the one we're planning for you. It's the perfect blend of luxury travel to Alaska combined with family-friendly entertainment. So while there's still space available, stop by our website to book your spot on the Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska. The dates are June 13th through 20th, 2026. All the details are at ptv.org.

All right, it's time to begin the next message in this teaching series on a place called Heaven. Today, I'm answering the question: will we know one another in heaven?

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Growing old is not for the faint of heart. With age come aches, ailments, and sometimes a few extra pounds. The late humorist Irma Bombeck once wrote, "I'm not telling you what I weigh, but when I measure my girth and then step on the scales, I ought to be a 90-foot redwood." Unfortunately, most people don't age gracefully. Along with a few extra pounds come hearing loss, fading eyesight, aches, and creaking joints. You know, getting older reminds me a lot of what Jesus said to Peter in John 21:18. He said, "I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked. You dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and others will dress you and take you where you don't want to go." Anybody identify with that already?

You know, part of growing older also means not always recognizing people. Have you ever had the experience of going to a high school or a college reunion? You look at people, and you don't recognize them. If it wasn't for their name tag, you wouldn't know who they are. Even worse, they don't recognize you. And perhaps worst of all, have you ever stood in the mirror and looked at yourself and wondered, "Who is that person?" This all brings up an interesting question: when we get to heaven, what will our bodies be like? Will we know one another? Will other people know us? Well, that's what we're going to talk about today in our series "A Place Called Heaven." We're answering 10 of the most frequently asked questions about heaven, and today we're going to answer the question, "Will we know one another in heaven?"

Now, to answer that question, we first of all need to understand something about Jesus' promise of a resurrection body in heaven. The Bible is very clear: we're not just going to be some spirit floating around. We are going to have a physical body. God created us originally as body and spirit, and that's why it should be no surprise that in eternity we will always exist in a body as well as be spirit. God's future plan for us includes a physical resurrection. The Bible talks about two resurrections. The resurrection for believers, for Christians, is called the first resurrection. Now get this: the first resurrection doesn't refer to a point in time. Instead, the first resurrection refers to that group of people, believers, who will receive a new body to experience God's blessing.

But there is a second resurrection, and that is the resurrection of all the unsaved. There will be a time in the future when every unbeliever who's ever been born is going to be raised from the dead. Right now, when an unbeliever dies, he goes to Hades, to the temporary place of the unsaved, a place of torment and suffering. Unlike the first resurrection, which occurs in stages over a period of time, the second resurrection, the resurrection of unbelievers, all occurs at one point in history, immediately before the Great White Throne judgment. We find it described in Revelation 20:13-14: "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, everyone according to their deeds." Remember, they rejected the grace of God. They said, "I don't need God's forgiveness; I'll be judged by my works." And so God allows every unbeliever to be judged by his works. As good as his works may be, no unbeliever is good enough to inherit. None of us is. We need the grace of Jesus. Verse 14 says, "And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. Gehenna. This is the second death, the lake of fire." The two resurrections: everyone, believers and unbelievers, will receive a new body for all eternity.

Now that raises an interesting question: how is it possible that people whose bodies have died could have bodies that ever come to life again? How can something that has died ever come to life again? Have you ever thought about that? How is it that the dead are raised? How is a resurrection at all possible? Well, Paul answers that question by using an analogy, and that is of planting and harvesting. Look at 1 Corinthians 15:36-38, where Paul explains how a resurrection happens: "That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or something else; but God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own."

Think of planting and harvesting. What's involved in that? Well, first of all, when you plant a seed, that means the seed actually dies. If you plant a watermelon seed in the ground, that seed dies before it ever comes to life. And that's why Paul says flesh and blood, that is what we have right now, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. It's necessary that we die first, that our bodies be placed in the ground, so to speak, planted so that something better can be harvested later.

That leads to the second part of the process: the reaping of the harvest. Notice something about the relationship between the planting and the harvest. First of all, the harvest is superior to the seed. What is harvested is always superior to the seed. But secondly, the harvest is also similar to the seed. It's superior to the seed, but it's similar to the seed. I mean, you don't plant a watermelon seed and harvest a kumquat, okay? If you plant a watermelon seed, guess what? You get a watermelon. And it's the same way with us. When our bodies die, it's not someone else who is resurrected. We don't get a body that is totally dissimilar to what we were. Our new bodies are going to resemble...

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our, our old bodies.

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We'll talk about that more in just a moment. But if you want a good idea of what your resurrection body is going to be like for eternity, the best place to look is to look at Jesus himself. Jesus is the prototype of our resurrection body. What was Jesus' resurrection body like? First of all, it was superior to his earthly body. But secondly, Jesus' body was also similar to his earthly body. Well, that leads to the question, what will our bodies be like in heaven? Remember, John said, we shall be like him. Colossians 1:18 says that Jesus was the firstborn from the dead. That word firstborn is the Greek word "prototakos." Now you know what that word means, "prototakos." He is the prototype of those who are to be raised from the dead.

You know, if Toyota or General Motors is going to build a new automobile, before they ever fire up the assembly line, the first thing they do is build a prototype of that automobile to make sure it's what they want it to be, to make sure it works. And only after the prototype is built, then every other car comes down that assembly line that perfectly matches the prototype. And that's what our resurrection is going to be like. It is going to be modeled after the prototype, the firstborn, Jesus Christ himself. He is the "prototakos," the prototype of those, all of us who will be raised from the dead.

So knowing that that is true, we can gather several important facts about our new bodies in heaven. First of all, our bodies will be physical. Just as Jesus had a physical body, so will we. Our new bodies will be vastly different than our original bodies. Make no mistake about it. In verses 39 to 41 of First Corinthians 15, Paul said, "All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another flesh of fish." Verses 42 to 44 state, "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body; it is raised an imperishable body. It is sown in dishonor, but 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. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body."

Now notice, the word "body" (soma in Greek) is repeated over and over again. That refers to a physical body. It's Paul's way of saying, "Don't miss this." We are a body, but on earth, in our current state, we are a natural body. But in the new heaven and new earth, we will be spiritual, but we will still be a body. Let me summarize for you, if I can, the differences between our earthly body and our heavenly body for the new heaven and new earth. Jot these down on your outline.

First of all, our earthly bodies decay; our heavenly bodies will endure. Secondly, our earthly bodies are infected with sin; our heavenly bodies will be free of sin. Thirdly, our earthly bodies are weak; our heavenly bodies will be powerful. And finally, our earthly bodies are for the old earth; our heavenly bodies are for the new earth.

Now people have all kinds of questions about what we'll be able to do in our new bodies and what they will be like. The best way to answer those questions is to look at the body of Jesus. For example, we discover number one: we will eat in our new bodies. Can I hear an amen on that? Should we get closer to lunchtime? Yes, we will eat in our new bodies. Remember when Jesus appeared before his disciples? They were just so awestruck at seeing the risen Lord. They wanted to pray and have a Bible study. Jesus said, "Hey, can somebody get me something to eat? I'm hungry. Give me something to eat." We'll be hungry in heaven, and we'll have plenty to eat. Luke 22:29 and 30 says, "Just as my Father has granted me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom."

Secondly, we will wear clothes in heaven. This isn't going to be like Eden where we all walk around in nature's own, like contestants on Survivor. It's not going to be that way on the new earth. We will actually have clothes in heaven. How do I know that? Well, the Bible describes Jesus as being clothed. Revelation 1:13 states, "In his resurrection body, he was clothed in a robe reaching to his feet and girding across his chest was a golden sash." In Revelation 3:5, it promises, "He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments." In Revelation 19, during the second coming of Christ, we the church are pictured as coming with Christ, and we the church will be dressed in fine linens, bright and clean.

Thirdly, we will retain our sexual identities in heaven. There's no transgender in heaven. We will be male and female, just as God created us. You say, how do you know that? Especially when you consider verses like Galatians 3:28 that says, "In Christ there is neither male nor female." Some people point to that verse and say, "Well, there'll be no more gender in heaven." No, that verse is talking about right now, about our equality before God in God's eyes. Right now, God makes no distinction in status before him between male and female. If you are in Christ, you are equal before your heavenly Father. He's not talking about the future. In the future, we will retain the genders by which God created us.

How do I know that? I could point to a lot of evidence. But in Luke 24:16, Jesus is with his disciples on the road to Emmaus. They didn't first recognize him. Look at Luke 24:16: "But their eyes were prevented from recognizing him." You say, well, how does that relate to gender? Well, obviously when they were talking to Jesus, he appeared to be somebody else. He appeared to be just another man. He didn't appear as some otherworldly, sexless alien. They would have had a whole different conversation if that had been the case. But he looked like another man, another human being. And so it will be in our resurrection bodies. We will retain our gender.

Some people want to know, well, what age will we be in heaven? That's mere speculation. Some people say we'll be like Jesus, who was 30 years old when he began his ministry. The Old Testament priests began their service in the temple at age 30. Perhaps age 30 will be our age. Actually, we don't know. But we will be the best version of ourselves we can imagine.

Secondly, our bodies will not only be physical; they will also be perfect. They will be perfect. No more cancer, no more heart attacks, no more strokes, no more high blood pressure. Revelation 21:4 says, "The first things will have passed away." Revelation 22:3 states, "And there shall no longer be any curse." Many of you know Joni Eareckson, my friend, a great woman of God, who at age 17, through a diving accident, became a quadriplegic. Listen to what Joni has to say about the promise of a new body: "Can you imagine the hope this gives someone like me with a spinal cord injury or someone who is cerebral palsied, brain injured, or has multiple sclerosis? Imagine the hope this gives someone who is a manic depressive. No other religion, no other philosophy promises new bodies, hearts, and minds. Only in the Gospel of Christ do hurting people find such incredible hope." Isn't that great? That's the promise we have. Our bodies will be perfect. They'll be physical; they'll be perfect.

Thirdly, our bodies will be personal. What I mean by that is when you are raised from the dead, you don't become somebody else. You are still you. It is you who will be raised from the dead, not somebody else. You know, in 1 John 3:2, John said, "We shall be like him." We will be like Jesus. That doesn't mean we all become little mini-me's of Jesus without any distinction. It means we will inherit the heavenly DNA like Jesus, but we still retain our own identities when we are raised from the dead. It is a renovation; it is a recreation. But we still are us at the core.

How do I know that? Well, in Luke 24:39, when Jesus appeared to his disciples, listen to what he said in his new resurrection body: "See my hands and my feet, that it is I, myself." In your resurrection body, you will be you. You will not be someone else. You know, one of the most personal things that makes us individuals and different from anyone else is our name. Your name makes you who you are. It identifies you as a unique human being. Did you know we're going to keep our names in heaven? We're going to retain our names in heaven. In Matthew 8:11, Jesus said, "I say to you that many will come from the east and west and will recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven."

Now, when Jesus had spoken this, Abraham had been dead for 2,000 years. But he's pointing to a future time thousands of years in the future when everyone will recline at the table. And guess what? After thousands of years, Abraham will be Abraham, Isaac will be Isaac, Jacob will be Jacob, and you will be you.

Now, some people say, "Well, no, wait a minute, Pastor. I remember someplace in the Bible that says God will give us a new name in heaven. What about that?" Well, it's true. In Revelation 2:17, God is going to give a group of extra special saints who are especially faithful a new name. It says, "To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone and a new name written on the stone, which no one knows but he who receives it." But that new name is an additional name. It's not a replacement name; it's an additional name.

For example, think of Jacob in the Old Testament. His name meant supplanter, heel-catcher. But God also gave him an additional name, Israel, which means one who strives with God. Or think about Simon. Simon had a name that meant God is heard. But Jesus said, "I'm gonna give you an additional name, Peter," which means rock. In the same way, for those of us who serve especially faithfully, God is going to give an additional name.

What does all of this mean when we put it together? It means in heaven we won't be someone else. You will be you. And the relationships, by the way, you have here on earth with Christians will continue in heaven. You'll know other people, they will know you, and you will enjoy perfect fellowship untainted by sin of any kind. Ron Rhodes, a theologian, says it this way: "Our eternal reunion with Christian loved ones and friends will be ceaseless, glorious." Keep in mind that we will no longer have sin natures. There will be no fights among loved ones. There won't be any resentment or envy or jealousy. There won't be any one-upmanship or rivalries. There won't be any cross words or misunderstandings or selfishness. Our relationships in heaven will be truly wonderful and utterly satisfying. Now that's something to look forward to in that place called Heaven.

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I want to teach you more about this amazing place called Heaven. Let me encourage you to be listening every day on Pathway to Victory as our study about a Place called Heaven continues. Now, earlier you heard me talk about my book titled *Encouragement from a Place Called Heaven*. Listening to these daily Bible teaching programs is important, but I'm convinced that spending a few minutes of quiet reflection about your future will transform your perspective on the day-to-day struggles you face. My book will help you do that and will draw back the curtain of mystery to give you a qualified peek at the home God has prepared for you.

Ask for a copy of *Encouragement from A Place Called Heaven* when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. As an added resource, I've prepared a fold-out brochure that illustrates what seven World Religions teach about Heaven. This "At a Glance" guide is something you can tuck into your Bible or keep at your desk for clarity. I've given you information that will help you discern what some of your friends and neighbors believe and how various religions differ from the truth about Heaven.

Both my book *Encouragement from A Place Called Heaven* and my brochure *What 7 World Religions Teach About Heaven* are yours when you give a generous gift to support Pathway to Victory. As we close, let me thank you for investing in this worthwhile ministry. Our audience has grown larger than ever thanks to the voluntary gifts from people like you, and God is using your partnership to pierce the darkness with the light of His Word. Here's David to tell you more.

Speaker 1

When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request your very own copy of *Encouragement from A Place Called Heaven*. Simply call us toll free at 867 or visit online@ptv.org, and when your gift is $75 or more, we'll also send you the *A Place Called Heaven* teaching series on CD and DVD. You'll get that along with a copy of the original best-selling book by Dr. Jeffress, *A Place Called Heaven*. To request this very special package of resources on heaven, call 866-999-9297 or visit ptv.org. For a quick and easy way to support Pathway to Victory, text PTV to 78800. If you'd prefer to write, our mailing address is P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, TX 75222.

I'm David J. Mullen wishing you a great weekend. Then join us next time when Dr. Jeffress answers the question, "Will Heaven be the same for everyone?" That's Monday here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.

You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate or you can follow the link in our show notes.

We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Oh, and one last thing before we go. Have you reserved your spot yet for the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska? You've been hearing me and Dr. Jeffress mention it, so what are you waiting for? Just picture yourself on the deck of Holland America's elegant Koningsdam and stepping out on deck to witness nature's grandeur. It's beautiful. These moments in God's creation will deepen your faith in powerful ways. It really will! Experience five-star dining, luxurious staterooms, and visit iconic ports like Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway. We're also bringing along our own Christian entertainment. You'll love it! Seats are filling up, so book your spot today at ptv.org.