There are a few passages that give us examples of people who had passed away that were recognized.

• King Saul recognized Samuel when the witch of Endor summoned Samuel from the realm of the dead (1 Samuel 28:8-17)

• When King David’s infant son died, he believed he would be able to recognize him in heaven. (2 Samuel 12:23)

• The rich man recognized Abraham from his vantage point in Hades looking into Abraham’s Bosom. (Luke 16:19-31). 

• Peter knew who the O.T. prophets were when they appeared at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:3-4)

We know that after Jesus was resurrected from the dead, people knew Him. He had multiple appearances, meeting with over 500 people at one time. We also know that we have been created in His image and likeness. We could conclude that our resurrected bodies will be recognized and loved just as His was.

We do not have definitive information about how we were interact with our family members and friends who arrived in heaven before us. We know that all believers will go to heaven and we know that the Lord will be there. We know that we will be worshiping Him! We know that He knows us and we will know Him and our focused attention will be on Him as the centerpiece of heaven. The rest remains yet to be seen.