Is This The Body…

Elijah raised a boy from the dead and he was recognizable (1 Kings 17:17-23). Elisha raised a boy from the dead and he also was recognizable (2 Kings 4:18-37). A man being buried in Elisha’s tomb was brought back to life when the corpse touched the bones of Elisha, and he was recognizable when he came back to life(2 Kings 13:20–21).

In the New Testament, Jesus raised a boy of a widow and he was known (Luke 7:11–17). A daughter to Jairus, a leader in the synagogue was raised by Jesus and she was known (Luke 8:49–56). The most memorable raising of the dead was Lazarus. Jesus raised him and everyone knew and recognized him (John 11:38-44).

When Jesus died, Saints were raised from the tombs. The Bible doesn’t tell us whether these ‘Saints’ were recognized. They did however appear to many in the city (Matthew 27:50-54). This is a good verse to cling to if you are wanting that new body. Certainly the raised would not run around Jerusalem like zombies or skeletons.

After Jesus departure, Tabitha was raised from the dead by Peter (Acts 9:36-42). After her life as returned to her, everyone knew her as before. A man named Eutychus, dies when he fell from a perch. Paul raised him from his death and everyone knew who he was (Acts 20:7–12).

All the people mentioned thus far that was raised from the dead had died or been killed recently and with the exception of the poor fellow that feel out of a window, the bodies were not marred or physically damaged. None had been dead for an extensive period of time. Scripture indicates that only Lazarus may have been dead long enough to start smelling. That can happen long before the body becomes severely decomposed or unrecognizable. But in all cases, the Bible seems to indicate that with the exception of fixing whatever ailed them, there was no visual physical change to the individuals.

However, the most famous resurrection was that of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:8-10; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:36-39; John 20:13-16). And of course, the promise of our life after death comes from Jesus Christ himself. Jesus is the first born of the dead (Revelation 1:5). But Jesus was brutally beaten and tortured prior to His crucifixion. He was hit (Luke 22:64, Matthew 26:67-68, John 18:22), whipped (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1), had some of His beard torn from His face (Isaiah 50:6) and a crown of thorns placed onto his head (Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:17, John 19:2 and John 19:5). On the cross He had holes punched into his hands and feet (Mark 15:24, John 20:25). Finally, after His death, a soldier punctured his side with a spear (John 19:34). The trial(s) that Jesus had undertaken and the brutality shown to Him is apparent, for when a solder at the cross came to break His legs (something done to hasten death) he didn’t break Jesus’ legs like the other 2 that were crucified (they hadn’t received the harsh punishment that Christ had).

Clearly, with multiple whip lacerations, swollen face, patches of hair missing and blood everywhere, Jesus would likely be hard to recognize. In fact, 2 of His disciples, not of the 11 though, didn’t recognize Him (Luke 24:13-16). Mary, it is unclear which one, didn’t recognize Him (John 20:14-18), Several of His disciples didn’t recognize Him while they were fishing (John 21:4).

Did they have difficulty recognizing Him because He was still blood covered and swollen? Was it simply that they didn’t believe that He was alive and didn’t expect to see Him again? It would be more than perceivable that Jesus didn’t stay blood covered the whole 40 days that He stayed on earth after His resurrection. He may have retained the other traits that He had at His death though. He certainly still had holes in His hands and feet as well as a gash in His side (John 20:27) when He invites Thomas to inspect Him. Whether or not Jesus still had swollen features and a patchy beard isn’t clear.

It is clear that His body, though physical, isn’t the same physical body He had before His death. Jesus was able to appear in the midst of the disciples while they were behind locked doors. Twice! (John 20:19, John 20:26). Jesus knew this would come as a surprise to those in attendance, as people just didn’t appear in locked rooms out of nowhere, so He always stated, “"Peace be with you!"

Eventually, Jesus appeared to more than 500 people after His resurrection. What did He look like? Was the scars, swelling, hair and other features back to normal? The Bible simply doesn’t say. It may well have been that He look just as He did prior to the torture and beatings He took so that everyone that ever knew Him would recognize Him; Or maybe, everyone had come to associate the new look with the old Jesus and He still had all the punctures, jabs, pokes, etc.

Again it is apparent that he had a new, glorified body even if it hadn’t been clearly stated and specified up until the first part of Acts. Whoever, He was sportin’ His new glorified body. Whether it looked the same or not, it certainly wasn’t the same. Despite being able to do things like walk around and eat (Luke 24:30–32, Luke 24:36–43, Mark 16:14) Certainly eating and drinking will happen in heaven (Mark 14:25, Revelation 19:9, Revelation 22:1–3).

Our current bodies are marred with problems resulting from the fall of man back in the Garden of Eden as told in Genesis (Genesis 3:1-24). The pronounced judgment from God caused/causes all of creation to groan (Romans 8:22). Our bodies, made perfect to last forever, are failing under the curse. The pain, from diseases and age, are felt.

I mentioned earlier that Jesus was the first born of the dead (Revelation 1:5). But through His resurrection, all those that accept Him as our Lord and Savior have a promise of the same type of body (1 John 3:2, Philippians 3:21, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 1 Corinthians 15:52-53).

So are we going to get a new looking model body as our glorified body? Scripture doesn’t say. It does say that he old ways are going to done (2 Corinthians 5:17) and that pain will be no more (Revelation 21:4). Whether you experience in heaven this new found joy in something resembling you present body or something else, remains to be seen.

If your concerned about it, you ought to be making changes now just in case. If you’re certainly wanting to do cart wheels and jumping over creeks, you might want to get into shape in case God doesn’t give you the body you hope for. However, I would like to point out that your probably missing something, or rather, the point. God tells us not worry about the here and now (Matthew 6:25, Luke 12:22-23) but to worry about an eternal life in heaven (Titus 3:7, Matthew 6:20-21, Colossians 1:26-28). These passages, nor any others tell us exactly how we are going to look in heaven, but be comforted by this message from our Lord, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9, Isaiah 64:4).

Our eternal bodies may not look any different to the eye but they will be bodies without pain. They will be bodies that be able to embrace the full measure of God’s grace and joy. They may not be equal to each other but they will not be instruments of discrimination, shame or uselessness.

When God created Adam and Eve, their bodies would have been perfect from a DNA perspective, though they were not spiritual bodies. If Adam was here now, you may not be able to pick him out of a crowd. You might even confuse him with me (thus the cover picture of me with a ‘fig’ leave) despite how perfect I look. But I have several flaws (it’s true) as a result of the fall. I personally feel that God made me this way now, and I added some bling with bumps, cuts, bruises accented by fried chicken and copious amounts of Mountain Dew, but if God likes me this way, I can do (or dew) eternity this way.

OK. I’ve joked around a little in this article. Despite what we think we know about our lives now, we don't really know that much especially in regards to heaven (John 3:12).  It isn’t important what we look like here nor worry about taking this look into eternity. The important thing is to get into eternity with God. Here’s why. Despite the Bible not saying it this way, the unsaved are going to get new bodies also. Their bodies also will be imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:42). Unfortunately for a different purpose though. The saved will have their imperishable body for eternity in glory, while the unsaved will their imperishable bodies for eternity in hell (1 Corinthians 15:42, 2 Thessalonians 1:9).

The Bible refers to the saved those saved as raised to new life. It also refers to those that are unsaved as the second death (Revelation 20:14, Matthew 25:41). Their perfect bodies will show no decay but will for eternity keep regenerating and never break down, exhaust or die (Revelation 14:11, Revelation 20:10, 2 Thessalonians 1:9). The body in hell, that is the unsaved person, will be fully cogent and aware of what’s going on (Matthew 13:42). And to make matters worse, their mind will likely also be perfect so that they remember all that they did in life; the good, the bad and the missed opportunities to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior, as God just went through their entire life, with the books that were opened (Revelation 20:12).