Bodies in Heaven

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Cor 5:1 ESV)

I've pondered this before and I will probably ponder it again. When we get to heaven, before the resurrection of the dead, are we going to have bodies? I've heard preachers say different things and most of the Reformed say that we will be in an intermediate state. That is probably because they quote the Westminster Catechism (32:1). But verse 3 clearly says that we will not be found naked. The NLT goes even further by saying, “For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.” The clear implication of the verse is that we will have some kind of body in heaven. The NLT clearly conveys this idea but it is not what the Greek says.

If this were the only verse in the Bible that helps understand this, it would be puzzling because it isn't crystal clear. However, I can look at one other passage in the Bible that doesn’t speak directly to this but provides information. This comes from the transfiguration (Matt 17:2-4, Mark 9:2-5). On the mount, Jesus talks with Moses and Elijah. They both appear in bodily form without any mention of being transfigured like Jesus. OK, Elijah didn't die so sure, he could have a body. Moses died and it says God buried him (Deut 34:6). Yet the disciples were able to identify both. They appeared to be people. They weren't spirits and they had some kind of body.

My conclusion is that in heaven before we are united with our resurrected body, we will have some kind of body. What it is and what it can do is beyond me, but we will be recognized and recognize others.

Thank you, Lord, that this body will not be the one I live in forever.

God of this World

 

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Cor 4:4)

I've read this verse and even memorized it but never stopped to ponder how Satan could blind unbelievers. Some translations insert Satan into the text because it is universally believed he is the god of the world. How many unbelievers are there? Billions. We acknowledge that Satan is a created being and then deduce that he can't be omnipresent or omnipotent. So how does he blind billions of people? Possibly, it is his will being carried out by his minions. That means there must be billions of demons. Yet most theologians say that demon activity is far and few between because they don't see it in the world at the level anywhere near the level of what was shown during New Testament times especially in the Gospels.

Back to pondering, if Satan has blinded all these unbelievers, then there is satanic activity far greater than we imagine. But the good news follows, and that is that God has given us light to see his glory in Jesus. There is hope and the knowledge that no matter how powerful Satan is, God is more powerful.

Thank you, Lord, letting me see the light of Jesus in the Gospels.