Geri, From all my studies, I don’t have an answer to your question. The one scripture that came to mind when I read your post was Matt. 18:3 “and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” —- but the understanding here is that we are all like a child in our trust and faith I know that when saints die, our eternal soul is with Christ as Paul said …Absent from the body, present with the Lord “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:1–8). As their bodies were destroyed, but uneducated guess is they are given their new bodies that are like Christ … 1 John 3:2 “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” :unsure: Derrick, I am sorry for your Mom’s pain — but thankful she knows our Father who abundantly forgives and yes, what a glorious reunion she will have in eternity. As to the grandchildren, I am blessed to have 13 with 9 boys and 4 girls. My oldest granddaughter is 19 and in college (that was almost as hard as sending my oldest daughter to college many years ago0, and then I have one grandchild almost every year going down to our youngest little man who is 4 and a true miracle and testament to the prayers of God’s faithful as he was born at 7 months gestation, but you would never know he was so early and he is healthy as the rest of his six siblings. Most all of them, excluding the four youngest, have all made professions of faith in Christ and I am extremely grateful. They all also know that their Nana prays for them every day and if they have anything they want to pray about or talk about, I am only a text or phone call or in some cases a walk across the yard away. I got to assist in three of the births and gave two of my granddaughters their first bath at the hospital (it helps when you are part of the senior leadership team that runs the facility). They are such a pleasure — it has been a great joy and looking forward to eternity with them all and a few more that did not make it into the world of man but are with the Father. :yes: I have 5 grandkids and 4 great grandchildren! TR TR as grandchildren are totally awesome — how bless to have “double portion” in the great grands! I pray that, as much as I would love it, I will not see great grands because we will fly soon and none of the olders (as we refer to the grandchildren) are even dating …. :prayer-hands: May this indeed be the year of our homecoming! From June through Oct this year seems most likely! Again, thinking that after the Rapture, the Temple will be rebuilt! Three months to be completed before the 70th Shemitah cycles?! And if the Lord will be merciful, we may indeed get a "heads up"! Our sins are constantly before the Lord. Now they are being made ever so apparent to us as well! The Lord shall surely be justified in His judgments! All is in His hands, with no better place to be! TR
