Bodies of the resurrected dead(3)
1 Corinthians 15:35-50
King James Version (KJV)
35 But some man will say, How are the dead
raised up? and with what body do they come?
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not
quickened, except it die:
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest
not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some
other grain:
38 But God giveth it a body as it hath
pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but
there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes,
and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and
bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the
terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and
another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star
differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; 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
was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is
spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy;
the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that
are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the
earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit
incorruption.
15:36-38 A life-death principle is already
at work in creation: A seed must give itself up to a death process so new life
can emerge in the form of fruit or grain. Like seed, our present physical
bodies potentially contain the resurrection body that shall be.
15:39-41 An infinite variety of bodies adapted to
live in the different environments of land, sea, air, and the heavens already
exists. Is a resurrection body so
incredible then?
15:42-44 The resurrection body will not be subject to death;
it will be beautiful and perfect; it will have unlimited capabilities unknown
to us in this age; it will be adapted for life in the spiritual realm. A spiritual body does not mean an immaterial body
but one adapted to the realities of the Age to Come. The resurrection body will be our very own
bodies changed, for that which is sown is that also which is raised.
15:45-49 In other words, our resurrected bodies will
be like Christ’s. As a quickening spirit the resurrected Christ is the
fountainhead of the new creation, as Adam was of the old creation. Although we cannot know fully the nature of a
spiritual body, Christ’s resurrection body reveals something of what kind of
bodies resurrected believers will have.
During the 40 days of post resurrection appearances. Jesus could pass
for an ordinary man. He still had nail prints and He ate food yet He also could
materialize at will and pass through locked doors (see John 20; Luke 24).
He had complete command over
creation, as evidenced by his dominion over the fish (John 21:6-11)….. to be cont’d
Janet Thomas
Founder/President/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts
