Our daughter died from a brain tumor 14 years ago at the age of seven. We know she is with Jesus now. She woke up three days before she died, lifted up her hands, and said, “King, come and get me!” She was paralyzed from the waist down and it bothered her a great deal that she could not move her legs. I have been struggling with this this week. If we were to get a glimpse of her in Heaven now (before she receives her new body at the Rapture) what would we see? Would she look like herself (or maybe an older version of herself?) Would we recognize her and would we see that she has the use of her legs back?
Soon after she died, I kept asking our pastor, is she really gone? Is she OK? Is she scared to go on to Heaven without us? He said, she would never be afraid of Jesus and His angels, and that she was already running the streets of gold. Would we see her as herself?
Those who’ve gone to be with Jesus are currently in spirit form and would not be visible to us (2 cor. 5:6-8). But the brain tumor that caused your daughter’s death was a physical affliction and was buried with her body when her spirit went to heaven. No trace of it remains with her today. At time of the rapture she’ll be given a new physical body that will function perfectly and never again be subject to any kind of ailment. The Bible doesn’t offer physical descriptions of our resurrection bodies except to say that we’ll be like Jesus (1 John 3:2). Paul wrote that our earthly bodies compare to our resurrection bodies the way a seed compares to the plant that grows from it. It will be recognizable to us because of what it was, but ever so much more glorious in its perfected state. (1 Cor. 15:35-44)
Your pastor is correct about one thing. Your daughter has never known even the faintest trace of fear or uncertainty since the moment her spirit left her body and was carried to the arms of the Lord.