The Resurrection Body
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (NLT)
15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.
What kind of body will we have in heaven?
1 Corinthians 15:35-49 (NLT)
The Resurrection Body
35 But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36 What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38 Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. 39 Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.
40 There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 41 The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.
Examine the scriptures:
1 Corinthians 15:35-49 (NLT)
The Resurrection Body
35 But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?”
36 What a foolish question!
- Don’t spend a lot of time on something you don’t comprehend.
This we know:
- God will change our bodies, making them immortal, living forever; never dying or decaying.
When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting.
We may not understand this completely, but we know it happens.
We don’t plant wheat seeds and wonder what kind of plant will grow. We expect wheat.
- The farmer ends up with something very different than what he started with.
- We can easily believe something we do not completely understand.
38 Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. (using a seed as an example)
Colossians 1:15-17 (NLT)
Christ Is Supreme
15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
A different plant grows from each kind of seed. 39 Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.
Psalm 104:24 (NLT)
O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
- Variety in creation reflects the will of the maker.
40 There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies.
Sun, moon, and stars vs. mountains, oceans,
41 The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
- Variety in creation is a part of God’s design.
- Variety between earthly bodies and heavenly bodies should be understandable.
42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever.
- Our resurrected bodies differ from our earthly bodies.
- Our earthly bodies are buried in the ground.
- Our resurrected body will live forever.
43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory.
- Our earthly bodies are buried in brokenness
- Our resurrected bodies are raised in glory.
They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.
- Our earthly bodies are buried in weakness.
- Our resurrected bodies are raised in strength.
44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
- Our earthly bodies are buried as natural human bodies.
- Our resurrected bodies will be raised as spiritual bodies.
45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven.
48 Earthly people are like the earthly man,
Adam
With a natural body
and heavenly people are like the heavenly man.
Christ
With a Spiritual body
- Our earthly body comes from the dust of the earth while our heavenly body comes from heaven.
49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.
Philippians 3:21 (NLT)
He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
1 John 3:2 (NLT)
Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
- We will be like Christ. (Don’t try to understand this, just believe it.)
