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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
While the Bible doesn't describe in detail the glorified bodies we will receive in heaven, we know that they will be like that of Jesus' resurrected body. Our human bodies are described in 1 Corint...
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Teresa Wiltz
Supporter
2 Corinthians 5:1-10 New International Version (NIV) Awaiting the New Body 5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. We must all pray when reading the Word of God so that He will provide us with wisdom and understanding...May you all read and understand with the discernment of Jesus Christ so to spread the truth according to His Gospel...peace, joy and love in Jesus...Blessings~
Bruce Lyon
Supporter
How does the Bible describe the glorified bodies we will possess in Heaven? The bible - scripture - does not mention anything about the glorified bodies we will supposedly possess in heaven... We will be like Jesus is now when we are resurrected and indeed have glorified bodies like he has now as a glorified man seated at the right hand of his God and his Father and ours. However, he is coming back to this earth and when he does those who are dead in him will rise up to meet him in the clouds and those who are alive will be changed in a twinkling of an eye and also join those already risen to meet the lord Jesus in the clouds and then we will proceed with him to Mount Sinai and there received from Jesus our positions in the Theocratic Government of God which he will establish when he goes with us from Sinai through the wilderness and cross the Jordan river and then on up to Jerusalem to fight with him against the armies that will have gathered to destroy Israel. After their defeat Jesus will take his place on the throne of David at Jerusalem and rule of the nation of Israel as their Messiah and rule over the nations as King of Kings and Lord of lords. We are not going to be in heaven, but co-inheriting and co-ruling with him over all the nations of the world that survive and live over into the coming new age. Notice: Revelation 5:6-10: And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven angels of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, you are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for you ware slain, and have redeemed US to God by your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and havet made us unto our God kings and priests: and WE SHALL REIGN ON THE EARTH. Oooops, we are not going to be in heaven as glorified immortal men/woman when we are resurrected to be with the lord wherever he goes. We are going to be with him at Jerusalem as co-rulers in the Theocratic Government he will set up at his return. Notice Jesus said: Matthew 5:5: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. If you say you go to heaven when you die or when you are resurrected you are making Jesus out to be a lier. Notice further: We don't go to heaven our God and our Father is going to come down and join us on this earth in the ages to come. Revelation 21:1-4: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth - a new order of things: for the first heaven and the- first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, COMING DOWN [TO THIS EARTH] from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. So much for the traditions of men that say our reward is in heaven. No, it is on this earth which we are going to co-inherit with Jesus and rule over with him for the ages up ages to come and our God and our Father is going to come down to this earth and dwell among His people. Notice that King David understood this clearly: Psalm 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are Yehovah's: but the earth has He given to the children of men.
James Munro
Supporter
While it is usual to say that we will be like Christ's resurrected body in the eternal state have we any Scripture for this? We shall be like Him, our bodies will be made like His glorious body but His resurrected body was not a glorious body. It was flesh and bone, His wounds on His hands, feet and side were 'sanitized' and there were no wound marks on His face or head. He was not recognized by His friends and He was mistaken for a gardener by one who knew Him well. He looked like an ordinary Man, although He could do things which He could not do in His previous body of flesh and blood. Hebrews 1 says, "Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person" Christ now shows the brightness of His Father's glory - perhaps something like what He was like at His transfiguration. If Christ has the marks of Calvary in His body now, then we will have the scars and wounds that sin has caused during our lifetime for we are to be like Him. Christ has gone, as a forerunner, through the veil and we know that the High Priest on the Day of Atonement entered through that veil - and one qualification was that the priest had to have no blemish on his body. Two objections could be raised for this view. Firstly, doesn't Zechariah the prophet say that they shall look on Him whom they pierced? If I wounded you I would be taken to court. The judge could say to me, 'Look at the man you wounded'. But the wounds have healed, they are not there but I still can look at the man I wounded. Secondly, what about Revelation 5? "In heaven a Lamb stood as it had been slain." Surely this is pictorial? Tears in Heaven? Death in heaven? A dead Lamb standing? If we look at the description of the Lord in Revelation 1 we have a completely different view - "His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire, His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters." Does that help to answer the original question? Not really, but we shall have bodies so different to these earthly bodies that they will be unrecognizable. 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that, at death, we sow the body into the earth and a body is raised at the resurrection. "Thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain... God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body... there are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another." The amazing truth is that we learn a lesson from nature. We plant a brown, wizened bulb into the ground and what comes out of the earth bears no resemblance to that bulb. A beautiful flower! See the form! See the colours! Look at the size! Smell the fragrance! Touch it, wonderful textures! So it shall be in the eternal state - we, who have put our heart's confidence in Christ, will have suitable bodies to inhabit the new city. "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him and they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads." I have been struck by the expression - 'His servants shall serve Him.' There will be work to be done (Revelation 21 hints at that) and we shall have the honour of serving Him, by His grace and for His glory and this we will do in our new glorified bodies.
Myron Robertson
Supporter
The bible only gives very vague hints as to the nature of the glorified body, most of which are prophecy, therefore given in symbolism (Num 12:6-9, thus cannot be literal descriptions of what the body is like. That is not to say they cannot give us some clue as to the nature of this body. The most important of these prophecies is Eze 44. Here we see the matter prophesied in the form of the priests' clothing. This same symbolism is seen in the garments of the Levitical priesthood. This passage is simply a deeper explanation of these symbols. In Eze 44:17, 18 we see that when they enter the inner portions of the temple and serve in God's direct presence they are to wear the linen clothing (spiritual nature). Rev 17:5 tells us the linen of the garment is the righteousness of the saints. We only surmise this is a spiritual nature from Jn 4:24 which says God is spirit; therefore the assumption is that only spirit can enter the place where God is. We must always be careful when making assumptions, but I believe we can agree with those who make this assumption. Ezekiel 44:19 says that when the priests leave the inner courts and go out to the outer court where the people are they must remove their linen garments and put on the other garments. By comparing this chapter with historical sources to find that the primary garments of the priests were made of wool (animal hair). Hair, which is dead cells, is often used in scripture to symbolize the mortal nature of our bodies, so these clothes are usually called the mortal nature. Yet because this is part of our glorified body it is not a mortal nature, but a body that appears in every external way as the mortal body does. Yet when he described his post resurrection body Jesus said he was flesh and bone (symbolism of spirit -- Heb 4:12), not flesh and blood, so there is some substantial difference that is apparently not visible externally. This is the form we most often see for the angels when they appear in scripture. While there are exceptions, most often those interacting with them cannot tell at first that they are speaking with angels instead of men. Something they do later is responsible for that revelation. Think of Abram's three visitors, the angel Jacob fought, the angel that announced Samson's conception, the angels (and Jesus) at his tomb AFTER his resurrection, and the angels at Jesus ascension. Some have speculated that instead of blood these glorified bodies have light running through their veins. I understand the reasoning for this speculation but don't know that it is valid for anyone to make such an assumption. In the visions of the throne of God and many others where spiritual being appear we find them described as having the appearance of molten bronze. In other words, they have a glow of fire within that shines through their skin in much the same way molten metal glows. We see this same glow in Moses face after he spent 80 days in God's presence on the mountain. As a result he had to wear a veil in the presence of the people who feared the presence of God shining out of him. He removed that veil when he entered the tabernacle into the presence of God and placed it over his face when he went out to the people. This is a direct correlation to the priests leaving the spiritual realm in the tabernacles age temple in Eze 44 to enter the outer courts and serve among the people. The woolen garments are what make them look like the rest of the people, and hides the spiritual nature from obvious view. It may shine through at times such as with Moses, the ascension in the fire of sacrifice of the angel that announced Samson, the ability of the three Hebrews to walk with Jesus in the fiery furnace, Jesus at his transfiguration, and any other example I may not have mentioned, but at most times we do not have that nature in this life, and they do not reveal it to us.
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