When is a Christian soul accepted into heaven? Immediately after death or on judgment day? Are there two different times?
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The Bible is clear in saying that the soul of a believer enjoys heaven immediately upon physical death. For example, Jesus assured the repentant criminal who hung on one of the crosses next to him, "...today you will be with me in paradise." We know that he was referring to the man's soul and that his soul would be in heaven that very day. A few hours later, as Jesus gave his holy life to pay for the sin of the world, he cried out, "Father into your hands I commit my spirit." Immediately, his own soul entered heaven (Luke 23:42-46). Similarly, when the Apostle Paul was imprisoned for his faith in Christ and he thought about death, he expressed faith that as soon as his life would end, he, that is, his soul, would "be with Christ," and this would be "better by far" (Philippians 1:21-24).
The Bible also teaches that on the Last Day or judgment day, when Jesus returns and raises the believer's body from the dead, and both body and soul together will begin to enjoy heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Saying what you have said about the soul is just fine: it may be said to enter the joyful presence of the Lord two times, once without the body (after death) and once with the body (on judgment day).
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Will believers know one another by name in heaven?
While we admit that there is limited Bible information on this, there seems to be ample evidence for us to hold this belief.
In our Savior's account of the rich man and poor Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31, we note that the rich man, in hell, looked up and saw Lazarus with Abraham. There was recognition, even beyond the citizens of heaven. The account of our Lord's transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13) has Peter, James, and John seeing and somehow recognizing Moses and Elijah, although we are not informed how they were enabled to do so.
Other Bible sections may be cited. Among them is Matthew 8:11. "I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." The language of our Lord seems to indicate that we will know and recognize the patriarchs by name. 1 Thessalonians 4:17, giving information pertaining to Christ's second coming, says, "We who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." The comforting assurance established by the context of the passage is that we need not worry about fellow believers who die before (or after) we do. Reunion will happen—and the ability to recognize each other seems to fit well with the point being made.
Finally, there are several Bible references to the "book of life" and our names being recorded there by our gracious Lord God. In Revelation 3:5, for example, we are told, "He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels." While our bodies will be glorified, and we will in some way be changed, our names appear to be unchanged and used for identification. And with regard to our transformed or glorified bodies, they will be patterned after the glorified body of our Lord Jesus following his resurrection (see Philippians 3:21).
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