Your New Body The Resurrected, One I am often asked the question; What will our Resurrected body be like?MY standard answer is, Just like Jesus’ resurrected body is according to 1Jn.3:2

 

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”KJV

 

Philippians 3:20-21

“ For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savoir, the Lord Jesus Christ:”KJV

 

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself”.

 

We know from Luke 24:39 that Jesus' resurrected body was flesh and bones. We also know that He Ascended into heaven in this body. We know from Luke 24:39 and John 20:19-20 that His disciples recognized Him.

 

Truly there are some things that are hard for us to understand. I am not sure if I can see this clearly from God’s perspective but He does offer glimpses of our future bodies throughout scripture.

 

 

In Luke 24:30-39, Jesus had physically died and was resurrected. He assured His disciples He was not a spirit as He showed them the marks of the crucifixion and invited them to touch and handle Him. He also ate with them. He was Not a spirit but He now had a Spiritual body He appeared later to a group of women that recognized Him and they were allowed to touch Him. He had a physical recognizable body but it was Special. 1 Cor. 15 tells us of those special traits. In vs’s 42&52 it is Incorruptible. In vs.43 it is Glorified and Powerful in vs 53 it is Immortal

 

Here is what I think based not on just one scripture but God ’s Word as a whole

- When we die, we (our spirits) are immediately with God in heaven Eccl.12:7; II Cor. 5:8.

- At the second coming of Christ we will receive new, glorified bodies 1 Cor 15:51-54)

- Our hope of resurrection is in Jesus 2 Cor. 4:14)

 

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While there will be significant differences between the new body and the old body, there will also be striking similarities. Christ said he was flesh and bone. This is important. Flesh and bone are physical substances with physical properties. Jesus is not a spirit being without a physical body. Nevertheless, as head of all of God’s created order who has been given “all authority” (Matt. 28:18), Christ can surely do what angels can do and more. He is not limited to the laws of physics and gravity as we understand them. After the resurrection he appeared inside locked rooms (John 20:19 and 26), instantaneously moved from one place to another (Luke 24:31), and traveled through the heavens (Acts 1:9; Heb. 4:14). The fact that he could do these things still does not mean that his body was not flesh and bone or was not “physical.” Rather it means that Christ could use his authority to do things that would ordinarily be placed in the category of a “miracle.”

 

Since the Bible does not state all the capabilities of the new body, its capabilities cannot be described with absolute certainty. However, based on what is written, it is possible to make some reasonable assumptions. It has already been shown that his body was physical. However, since He could perform supernatural feats, it is reasonable to conclude thatHe has supernatural abilities. This in no way contradicts anything recorded in the Bible. God has always been able to give human bodies the ability to perform supernatural feats. For example, we read about Christ and Peter walking on water, but do not conclude that they had different, lighter bodies than other humans, or that walking on water is a normal human activity. We read about Philip being moved from his meeting with the Ethiopian eunuch and instantly appearing at Azotus (Acts 8:39 and 40), but do not conclude that humans can normally “pop around” from one place to another. We read about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego staying alive in the burning furnace and know that what they did was not normal for human beings. We realize that there was a miracle, something beyond the ordinary, in these situations. It seems reasonable that the same type of thing will be true for our new bodies. Apparently there will be the way they “usually” respond, and there will also be the power to do more. That Jesus appeared in a locked room is not a sound basis for concluding that after his resurrection he never used a door. In fact, during the Millennial Kingdom, the exact gate he will use to enter the Temple is specified (Ezek. 46:1–8). The point is that just because Jesus did things after his resurrection that are not normal for humans does not prove that they were “normal” for his Glorified body or will be for ours either.

 

Many prophecies in the Old Testament describe activities in the future Kingdom that are considered normal activities in this life. The prophecies of the future involve farming, fishing (from the bank of the river, not on top of the water), building (with walls, gates, and doors, something seemingly unnecessary if people never actually use them), and other “regular” jobs. People will eat and drink and even sweat in the heat (Ezek. 44:18). There are also indications in Scripture that general obedience to physical laws will continue thru the Millennial Kingdom into the Everlasting Kingdom. The New Jerusalem in the Everlasting Kingdom will have walls and gates, even though every person will have a new body. Scripture indicates that people will walk on streets of gold, not float over them.

 

Another reason to believe our new bodies will be quite similar to the ones we have now is the prophecies of healing for those of us who are not whole now. For example, Isaiah 35:6 promises that in the Kingdom the lame will leap like a deer—a promise that fullness of motion and ability will be restored to those who are crippled now. There is no promise stating, “The lame will fly like a bird.” Prophecies state that “the blind will see,” which implies that eyes will be useful just as they are today; “the deaf will hear,” which implies both the existence of ears and that they will be useful in the future; “the mind of the rash will know and understand” (Isa. 32:4), which implies that people who now have mental problems will be able to think clearly and normally; and “the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear” (Isa. 32:4), which implies that anyone who has a speech defect will be able to speak normally.

 

The picture painted by the prophets is a return to normalcy. It is a return to the wonderful, capable physical bodies that God originally created for mankind before the ravages of sin and Satan took their toll. The Bible does specifically promise that flesh and bone bodies will be totally whole and very energetic. The new body will be quite similar to the old body, but with some measure of supernatural ability. People will be immortal, healthy, and strong. After God made Adam and Eve on the sixth day, He saw that what He had made was “very good.” God was pleased with the way He had made man. He did not make Adam as a “flesh and bone prototype” just to test His design. No verse of Scripture indicates that God is dissatisfied with His design to the end that in the future He wants to eliminate flesh and bone and make men into spirit beings.

 

Christians often ask if in our new bodies we will remember this life. The answer to that question is yes, we will. Jesus was still Jesus after he was resurrected and, in his new body, he had full awareness of his earlier life. Since believer’s bodies will be made like Christ’s new body, believers will also have an awareness of this life. There are many things about both the Millennial Kingdom and the Everlasting Kingdom that indicate we will remember our earlier life. The Millennial Kingdom will have land divisions, the Temple, and other physical features and characteristics that will make no sense if the reasons for them are not known. The foundation of the walls of the New Jerusalem will be labeled with the names of the Twelve Apostles, and the gates will be named after the twelve tribes of Israel (Rev. 21:12–14). All of this would be senseless if no one remembered the Apostles or the tribes of Israel. Furthermore, the Bible says that at the Judgment people will receive what they are due. If people have no awareness of the previous life, rewards would seem to be arbitrarily given. Also, there are verses such as 1 John 2:28 which state that some will feel shame at Christ’s coming. No one feels shame unless he can remember what he has done. 1 Corinthians 13:12 states that in the future people will “know fully.” This would also seem unfeasible if people cannot remember their former life.

 

The primary reason for confusion about whether or not people will remember this life is Isaiah 65:17, which says that in the Millennial Kingdom the “former things will not be remembered, neither will they come to mind.” The second phrase in the verse explains the first. It is not as if people cannot remember the past. It is clear that Christ did, and it is even clear that at the beginning of both the Millennial Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom there will be some painful memories and tears (Isa. 25:8; Rev. 21:4). However, in the joy and abundance of the Kingdom, the painful past will not come to mind. Anyone who has had a painful experience in his past but has been emotionally healed and is enjoying a wonderful life knows what it means to “forget” the past and not have it come to mind. Isaiah is not referring to actual mental capacity, but to the relation that the person has with past painful memories.

 

Imagine the joy of having a new and glorious body, alive with energy and youthful vigor. Imagine having that wonderful body and living in a world where people are loving, and where there is peace, safety, and abundant quantities of great food. The God who cannot lie promises this wonderful life to all believers, and it is available to anyone who will come to God through  His Son Jesus The Christ.

 

Final thought:

Our future resurrected bodies will be spiritual bodies that are in fact physical, the same bodies we have now, only they will be glorified. If that is not true, there is no

resurrection. If there is No resurrection there is no Salvation. I Cor.15:17 your new body will be recognizable and touchable. (Luke 24:39). The Holy Spirit will be the life of the new flesh Not blood as stated in(Leviticus17:14) (Rom. 8:11) This is why Paul makes this statement in

Co_15:50  "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."

 Researched and Compiled By Rev. George Pryor . M. Th..Pastor Emeritus

revgap@gmail.com1Updated6/8/24