Secrets from Beyond The Grave

Chapter 4 What Do the Dead Know?

When the sun is rising, we seldom think of the sunset. After all, we have the entire day to look forward to. Yet the day soon passes like a morning fog melting in the heat of day. Thus it is with life. During our twenties, age thirty seems old. Then forty arrives, and fifty is viewed as over the hill. Yet after fifty, nothing seems old! For the living, the idea of dying may seem irrelevant at the moment. However, the thought of death brings a chill to the mind of every human. We all plan for the future and make every attempt to stretch the length of our days like a rubber band, until suddenly, like the snap of broken rubber, life ceases, and we lie limp in the place where our journey ended. Because death is a future and unknown experience, the thought of dying often breeds more questions than answers. Christians often wonder, "Can we remember earthly events in heaven?" Or they ponder, "Will my loved ones know me in the same manner as I knew them in this life?" There is also the question of remembering those who did not make heaven their eternal destiny. Will believers remember the unrighteous they knew on Earth once the believer is home with Christ, or will their earthly association with us be erased from our memories once we arrive at the heavenly city? In this chapter we hope to answer many of the questions believers have related to heaven. Before we explore what we will know in heaven, let's discover what heaven knew about Earth. We have a physical body on Earth but will enjoy a spirit body in heaven. Christ was in heaven in a spirit body, but He took on a physical body on Earth. What Did Jesus Know on Earth? We know from Scripture that Christ was fully aware of who He was and what His assignment was even at age twelve (Luke 2:49). However, by clothing Himself with human flesh and human nature, it was necessary for Him to be taught and to grow as any normal young man, as indicated in Luke 2:40: And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. --Luke 2:40 Theologians and Bible students understand that Christ was the Word made flesh (John 1:14) and that He preexisted with the Father prior to His incarnation (John 8:58). How much of the future did Christ foreknow, or what was He taught as He grew into a man? When did He understand His full destiny, and were there certain things hidden from Him that were not made known? These are complicated and detailed questions and cannot be answered in one chapter. However, we can determine that Christ understood what was already revealed about Him in the prophecies. He would be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14) in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2), and He would live in Galilee (Isa. 9:1-2). Christ would ask His audience, "Have you not read . . ." speaking of the Scriptures (Matt. 12:5). Christ also had insight from information that was revealed by the Holy Spirit, as we can see in the example of His being baptized in water, when God's voice from heaven said, "This is My beloved Son" (Matt. 3:17). He also gained important information about His death from two Old Testament prophets, Elijah and Moses, on the Mount of Transfiguration.