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.
50 What I am saying, dear
brothers and
sisters, is that
our physical
bodies cannot
inherit the
Kingdom of God.
These dying
bodies cannot
inherit what
will last
forever.
51 But let me reveal to you a
wonderful
secret. We will
not all die, but
we will all be
transformed!
52 It
will happen in a
moment, in the
blink of an eye,
when the last
trumpet is
blown. For when
the trumpet
sounds, those
who have died
will be raised
to live forever.
And we who are
living will also
be transformed.
53
For our dying
bodies must be
transformed into
bodies that will
never die; our
mortal bodies
must be
transformed into
immortal bodies.
54 Then, when our dying
bodies have been
transformed into
bodies that will
never die, this
Scripture will
be
fulfilled:“Death
is swallowed up
in victory.
55 O death, where is your
victory?O death,
where is your
sting?”
56 For sin is the sting that
results in
death, and the
law gives sin
its power.
57 But
thank God! He
gives us victory
over sin and
death through
our Lord Jesus
Christ.
58 So, my dear brothers and
sisters, be
strong and
immovable.
Always work
enthusiastically
for the Lord,
for you know
that nothing you
do for the Lord
is ever useless.
Now if that
doesn’t get your
heart pumping,
nothing will.
Every child of
God can rejoice
in these verses
and eagerly
anticipate a new
perfect body
like our Lord’s.
Death may take
our body to the
grave, but death
has no victory
or sting over
us. The Lord
said through the
prophet Hosea,
“I
will ransom them
from the power
of the grave; I
will redeem them
from death: O
death, I will be
thy plagues; O
grave, I will be
thy destruction:
repentance shall
be hid from mine
eyes.”
(Hosea 13:14)
There is not a
person among us
who is not
familiar with
some kind of
physical
weakness in our
earthly bodies.
The hospitals
and nursing
homes are filled
with those whose
bodies are in
chronic
condition,
perhaps dying.
Sin has wreaked
havoc on these
mortal bodies,
and will
continue to do
so until Jesus
brings it all to
an end.
Many of my loved
ones, and yours,
have succumbed
to the
disintegration
of their bodies
to the point of
death, but that
will be no more.
So far, I am a
fairly healthy
65 year old.
Some arthritis
is starting to
set in, and I
tire much easier
than when I was
younger, but
that is just a
natural process
of aging. In my
new body there
will be no aches
and pains and I
will not tire
out. All of us
will be
perfectly
healthy and
capable of doing
things that
would not be
possible in
these earthly
bodies.
Paul explains
the necessity of
our dying in
order that our
new body can be
provided for us,
as a seed that
goes into the
ground and comes
up as a
glorified
product of its
own kind. He
also states, if
you notice, that
some will not
die, but will be
transformed
(verse 51). He
is referring to
the Rapture.
Just think of
any vegetable,
flower, shrub or
tree you choose
and look at what
comes from a
small seed that
is buried in the
ground. The
finished product
is nothing like
the seed that
was buried. To
the contrary, it
is a totally
different
product of what
it started out
being. It is
much more
beautiful, much
more productive
in its final
state. So will
be our new
bodies.
Why will Jesus
give us new
bodies? These
earthly bodies
cannot exist
anywhere but on
earth. For us to
traverse the
universes to our
final
destination in
the Father’s
house, we must
have a body that
is capable of
that feat. Our
earthly bodies
are laden down
with sin, so He
gives us a new
body that is
without sin. We
are made holy
and pure not
just in spirit,
but also in our
new heavenly
bodies. A fish
cannot exist on
land, and humans
cannot exist
away from the
earth in
heavenly spaces,
but with a
heavenly body,
we can.
The New
Jerusalem will
be our home with
the Lord Jesus
Christ. The new
earth will be
our field of
service as will
the entire
universe. We
will traverse
the heavens in
our glorified
bodies,
performing
whatever work
our Lord assigns
us. We won’t
need telescopes,
spaceships and
space suits to
behold the glory
of God’s
creation. We
will reign with
God on high in
whatever
position he
gives us.
Instead of a
broken down body
that dies with
age, we will be
eternal in a
heavenly body
that will never
know the aging
process. There
will be no aches
and pains. There
will be no
broken hearts.
There will be no
sinful thoughts
and deeds. All
will be perfect,
because Jesus
has transformed
us in body, soul
and spirit to be
in the family of
the one and only
true God. We
will not be
gods, of course,
but we will have
His cloak of
righteousness
forever upon us.
We will live in
peace and
harmony with all
that is around
us and actually
walk with God,
as Adam and Eve
before the fall.
However, unlike
Adam and Eve, we
will not be
confined to
earth or have to
worry about
being tempted by
Satan or his
forces. They
will have
already been put
away for good.
We may enter a
room without
opening the door
if we choose. We
may eat if we
choose. We will
know our loved
ones, and know
all who live
among us in the
Heavenly
kingdom.
It is my opinion
that God will
erase from our
minds those we
loved on earth
who did not come
to Him through
His Son Jesus,
and are not with
us in Heaven.
Unbelievers call
this our
day-dreaming of
“pie in the
sky,” but the
Word of God,
which cannot
lie, confirms
this will be
more real than
anything we know
now. Look up,
for it may not
be long now,
until He calls
us home.
Grant Phillips
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