What will our resurrection body be like?

Many claim to believe in the resurrection of the dead. That’s great, for “if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we’re of all men most miserable” – someone famous said (1 Cor. 15:19).

Do good people go to heaven when they die? Yeshua said “NO ONE has ascended to heaven or come down from heaven except the Son of man” (John 3:13). NO one. Peter confirmed that even righteous King David “did not ascend into the heavens” (Acts 2:34). If King David is not in heaven, then who is? After listing so many men and women of enormous faith, Hebrews 11:13 says ALL, everyone, before us – even Enoch and Elijah – DIED, not having received the promises.

Just enter into the Search bar “Enoch and Elijah” for more details on what really happened to them.

And our destiny is not to sit on fluffy clouds in heaven while we strum on harps forever and ever. Neither is it “the beatific vision”, as in Catholic theology. It’s so much more. So what will our bodies be like when we’re resurrected?

Since you’re not zoomed up to heaven when you die, a resurrection from the dead is necessary if we are ever to live again after we die. And that’s what the Bible teaches. In fact I’ve often wondered, if “good” people go to heaven when they die and are having a beatific vision of God already, what’s the NEED for a resurrection?

The Bible also speaks of those who will be punished with death for their unrepented sins, and they will be part of the “second death” (see Revelation 20:6, 14). To have a 2^nd death, those people would need to have a 2^nd LIFE – the resurrection for those not in the first resurrection, but a later one.

So everything else I will write about in this blog is about the first resurrection only, OK?

Keep reading, it will get clearer.

The First Resurrection is for the righteous. Saying “first resurrection” implies other resurrections, does it not? That’s a different topic for a different time, so let’s keep to this topic of the kind of body we’ll have if we’re in the first resurrection.

WHO will be in the first resurrection? According to Revelation 20:4-6, those who are in the first resurrection will reign with Christ. So they are believers who were baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ – into Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:13) and never partook of the dreaded mark of the Beast on their forehead or on their hands. They are God’s saints!

Revelation 20:4-6

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

No doubt this first resurrection is also the one described in Hebrews 11:35 as “a better resurrection” – in the famous chapter often called “The FAITH Hall of Fame”. It’s the one called “the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:14) and it is “the resurrection from the dead” – Philippians 3:11. Other verses call it the “resurrection of the just” and the “resurrection of life for those who have done good” – John 5:28-29.

So the first resurrection if made up of God’s children being resurrected with new bodies unlike any bodies you’re familiar with.

So OK, that’s great, but what kind of body WILL we have in that first resurrection? Note: what I describe now applies only to those in the first resurrection.

WHEN does it happen: At Christ’s return. There will be 7 trumpet blasts and it’s at the last trump when He returns and receives his resurrected and changed Bride in the clouds.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

1 Corinthians 15:22-25

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.

24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.”

Paul is on a roll. After stating that celestial bodies have differing brilliances – like comparing the sun, moon and stars –he says so it is in the first resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:42-45

“So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.

44 It is sown a NATURAL body; it is raised a SPIRITUAL body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

Did you get that? Those in the first resurrection are brought back to life with a SPIRIT body, not a flesh and blood body.

1 Corinthians 15:50-53

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

Read verse 50 again: “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”. So we must be SPIRIT. This is a very KEY point in understanding our body at the resurrection.

 Yeshua said “that which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit IS spirit” (John 3:6). So we will be spirit beings. “GOD is spirit” – John 4:34.

Angels are also spirit beings so Yeshua says we’ll be like the angels, in as much as they are spirits, or spirit beings, as we shall be (Mark 12:25). We’ll be higher than angels, as they will be our servants and they’re not really considered “sons” of God literally, like we are. (Hebrews 1:13-14).

Another thing: those in the first resurrection to spirit, will shine like the sun! See Daniel 12:3.

Matthew 13:43

“Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

So at the last trump, the dead in Christ rise first with their new spirit, shining, immortal, perfect, powerful bodies that can never die again. Those of us who are still alive, will then be changed to spirit as well. I have 2 sermons on “Life as a Spirit Being” if you care to learn more about what the Bible says about living as a spirit.

But can you imagine all who have died – whether in battle, or car accident or cancer – coming back to life with a brand new, immortal, perfect, healed, powerful Spirit body raised in glory and power? All the wounds and pain and illness and aging – all gone. Just a brand-new powerful spirit immortal body now. Hallelujah. I can’t wait.

The deaf will hear the birds chirping and frogs croaking and the sound of their grandchildren playing. The lame will leap like a deer. The mute will sing God’s praises in perfect tune and harmony. It’s clear from scripture that spirit beings can appear and disappear at will. They can pass through solid walls – and then disappear again, as Yeshua did after his resurrection. They can eat and drink and fly. That’s what our bodies will be like! We’ll never age again. We’ll never die again (Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14).

And - no – we’re not just going to while away our time on a cloud strumming harps. Here’s what God says we’ll be doing:

Revelation 20:6

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

In fact, we’re told once we’re changed to spirit – as angels and God are spirit beings – we shall see God as he is. Here’s one of my favorite scriptures:

1 John 3:2-3

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

Let me remind you: all this pertains to those in the First Resurrection. Those who come up in the 2^nd Resurrection … that’s a different story. Maybe we’ll continue another time. Hint: the “rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years are finished” – Rev. 20:5

But if you remain faithful and true and endure to the end after accepting Yeshua as your Savior and your new life, you will get a brand-new immortal and glorious SPIRIT body when Christ returns. Hallelujah.