In the last three sessions we have considered in succession the three main phases of the resurrection as stated by the apostle Paul (see 1 Cor. 15:23-24).

        1. “Jesus the firstfruits” – the resurrection of Jesus Himself, together with those of the Old Testament saints who were resurrected with Him.

     2. “Those who are Jesus’s at His coming” – all believers who have died during the preceding ages and who will be resurrected at Jesus’s second coming, prior to the establishment of His millennial kingdom.

     3. “The end”–the final resurrection of all the remaining dead at the close of the millennium.

     We shall devote most of this final chapter to considering what the Scripture reveals about the nature of the body with which Christian’s believers will be resurrected.

  In our earlier studies on this subject we have already pointed out that there is direct continuity between the body that dies and is buried and the body that is later resurrected. The basic material of the body that is to be resurrected is the same as that of the body that is buried. That is to say, resurrection is the raising up of the same body that was buried, and not the creation of a completely new body.

  However, once this fact is established, we must also add that, in the case of the Christian’s believer, the body that is resurrected undergoes certain definite and tremendous changes.

  Analogy of Grain

  This whole question is raised and discussed by Paul.

  But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain – perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body (1 Cor. 15:35-38).

  Here Paul uses the analogy of a grain of wheat planted in the ground to illustrate the relationship between the body that is buried and the body that is raised up in resurrection. Out of this analogy there emerge three facts which may be applied to the resurrection of the body.

  1. There is direct continuity between the seed that is planted in the ground and the plant that later grows up out of the ground from that seed. The basic material of the original seed is still contained in the plant that grows up out of it.

  2. The plant that grows up out of the original seed undergoes, in that process, certain definite and    obvi ous changes. The outward form and appearance of the new plant is different from that of the     original seed.

  3. The nature of the original seed determines the nature of the plant that grows up out of it. Each kind of seed can produce only the kind of plant that is appropriate to it. A wheat seed can produce only a stalk of wheat; a barley seed can produce only a stalk of barley.

  Let us now apply these three facts taken from the analogy of a seed to the nature of the body that is to be resurrected.

  1. There is direct continuity between the body that is buried and the body that is resurrected.

  2. The body that is resurrected undergoes, in that process, certain definite and obvious changes. The outward form and appearance of the new, resurrected body are different from those of the original body that was buried.

  3. The nature of the body that is buried determines the nature of the body that is resurrected. There will be a direct logical and causal connection between the condition of the believer in his present earthly  existence and the nature of his resurrected body.

  Paul gives further details about the nature of the changes that the believer’s body will undergo at resurrection.

  All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body (1 Cor. 15:39-44).

  To complete this picture, we should add Paul’s statement in verse 53.

  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

  This analysis given here by Paul of the nature of the changes that the believer’s body will undergo at resurrection may be expressed in the form of a series of statements.

  1. Paul points out that, even among the bodies of creatures with which we are familiar in the present natural order, there are differences of nature and constitution. He mentions the following main classes: men, animals, fishes and birds. This is in line with the conclusions of modern science that there is no discernible difference in the chemical makeup of the blood of different racial groups within the human family, but that there is a difference between the chemical makeup of the blood of human beings and that of other orders of the animal kingdom.

2. Paul points out that, over and above all bodies of the order with which we are familiar here on earth, there is another and higher order of bodies, which he calls the “celestial” or “heavenly” order. Once again, this is in line with recent scientific discoveries. Science has now succeeded in putting men into space. But in order to keep them alive, it has to confine them in a capsule and surround them with the atmosphere and conditions of earth. To be truly at home any distance from the surface of the earth, man must be equipped with a body of an altogether different order from his present one. But for this he must depend upon God; he cannot do it for himself.

3. Paul points out that, among the various heavenly bodies which we can see – that is, the sun, the moon and the stars – there are differences of nature and of brightness. The sun produces its own light; the moon merely reflects the light of the sun. Among the stars there are many different orders of brightness. Paul states that the same will be true of the bodies of believers when they are resurrected from the dead. There will be many different orders of glory among them.

  This is foretold in the prophecy of the resurrection given in Daniel 12:2-3.

  And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,

  Some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.

  Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament,

  And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

  Here Daniel foretells the differences in rewards and in glory among the resurrected saints. Those who have been most faithful and diligent in making known God’s truth to others will shine the most brightly.

  This picture of the saints resurrected with glorious bodies like those of the stars is also the fulfillment of 

God’s promise to Abraham.

  There He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be” (Gen. 15:5).

  Included by God among Abraham’s seed are all those who believe and obey the word of God’s promise just as Abraham did – those who accept by faith in their hearts the divine seed of God’s Word. In fact, it is this incorruptible seed of God’s Word, received by faith in the heart of each believer, that makes possible his resurrection among the righteous.

In the day of the final fulfillment of God’s promise, at the resurrection, all the believers then raised up on the basis of their faith in God’s Word will be like the stars that God showed to Abraham – as numerous, as glorious and as diverse from each other in their glory.

  Five Distinctive Changes  

  In his analysis of the nature of the believer’s resurrection body, Paul closes by listing a series of specific changes that will take place.

1. The present body is corruptible, subject to corruption – to sickness, decay and old age. The new body will be incorruptible – free from all these evils.

2. The present body is mortal – subject to death. The new body will be immortal – incapable of death.

3. The present body is a body of dishonour. 

In Philippians 3:21 it is called “our lowly body.” But a more literal translation of this would be “the body of our humiliation.” Man’s present body is the outcome of his sin and disobedience to God. It is a continual source of humiliation – a continual reminder of the fall and of the resultant physical frailty and insufficiency. No matter how great man’s achievements may be in the realms of art or science, he is continually humbled and brought low by the physical needs and limitations of his body. However, the new resurrection body will be a body of beauty and glory, free from all of man’s present limitations.

4. The present body is committed to the grave in weakness. The act of burial is the final acknowledgement of man’s debt to death; it is the supreme confession of man’s weakness. But the new body will be raised up from the grave by the power of almighty God, and the resurrection will thus be a testimony of God’s omnipotence, swallowing up the power of death and the grave.

5. The present body is a natural body – literally, a “soulish” body. (The Greek word translated natural is psuchikos, directly derived from psuche, the word for “soul.” It is a pity that English does not use the corresponding adjective, soulish.)

  According to God’s original pattern in creation, man was to be a triune being consisting of spirit, soul and body. Of these three elements, man’s spirit was capable of direct communication and fellowship with God and was intended to control the lower elements of man’s nature – the soul and the body. However, as a result of man’s yielding to temptation at the fall, these lower elements of his nature – the soul and the body – gained control. This produced far-reaching changes both in man’s inner personality and in his physical body. His body became “soulish.” Henceforth, its organs and functions were given over to the expression and satisfaction of the lower desires of his soul but were incapable of fully expressing the higher aspirations of his spirit.

  In some sense this “soulish” body is a prison – a place of confinement and restriction for man’s spirit. However, the new resurrection body will be “spiritual.” It will be perfectly adapted to express and fulfil the highest aspirations of man’s spirit. Clothed in this new body, the spirit will once again be the controlling element, and the whole personality of the resurrected believer will function in harmony and perfection under the spirit’s control.

  Paul sums up the differences between the old and the new body by contrasting the body of Adam with that of Jesus and by saying that the resurrected body of the believer will be similar to the Lord’s.

  The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man (1 Cor. 15:47-49).

  That is to say, man’s present body is similar, in its earthly nature, to the body of the first created man, Adam, from whom all other men are descended. But the resurrection body of the believer will be similar to that of Jesus, who, through the new creation, has become the head of a new race in which are included all those redeemed through faith in Him from sin and its consequences.

  Paul gives a similar picture of the believer’s resurrection body.

  For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Jesus, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself (Phil. 3:20-21).

Translated more literally, this last verse states that Jesus is able to transform the body of our humiliation so that it becomes similar in form to the body of His glory.

  In 1 John 3:2 we glimpse a similar picture of the transformation of the believer at the return of Jesus.

  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.

  Even those  professing Christian’s who are alive at Jesus’s return and who therefore will not need to be resurrected will at that time undergo a similar instantaneous and miraculous change in their bodies.

  Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – 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 (1 Cor. 15:51-52).

  Where Paul says, “We shall not all sleep,” he means, “We shall not all die.” Then he goes on to say, “But we shall all be changed.” In other words, all true believers, whether resurrected or raptured alive, will undergo the same instantaneous and miraculous change in their bodies.

  Concerning the nature of Jesus’s own body after His resurrection, the Gospels give us certain interesting indications. It would appear that He was no longer subject to those limitations of time and space with which we are familiar in our present earthly body. He could appear or disappear at will; He could pass through locked doors; He could appear in different forms in different places. He could also ascend to heaven and descend again to earth. In these and in other respects which are perhaps not yet revealed, the body of the redeemed believer after resurrection or rapture will be like that of his Lord.

  So far we have spoken only about the resurrection body of the redeemed believer. What about the unrighteous? those who are not redeemed? those who die in their sins?

The Scripture reveals clearly that these, too, in their own order, will be resurrected for judgement and for punishment. With what kind of bodies will they be clothed at their resurrection?

  To this question no clear answer or even indication is found in the Bible. We must therefore be content to leave it unanswered.

  The Unique Importance of the Resurrection  

  There are three main reasons why the doctrine of the resurrection occupies a special, central place in the Christian’s faith.

  The first reason is that the resurrection is God’s own vindication of Jesus Jesus.

  [Jesus was] declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Rom. 1:4).

  Previously, Jesus had been brought before two human courts – first the religious court of the Jewish council, and then the secular court of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Both these courts had rejected Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God and had condemned Him to death. Furthermore, both these courts had united in seeking to prevent any breaking open of the grave of Jesus. To this end, the Jewish council had provided their special seal, and the Roman governor had provided an armed guard of soldiers.

  However, on the third day God intervened. The seal was broken, the armed guard was paralysed, and Jesus came forth from the tomb. By this act God reversed the decisions of the Jewish council and the Roman governor, and He publicly vindicated the claim of Jesus to be the sinless Son of God.

  The second main reason for the importance of the resurrection is that it is the sure seal upon God’s offer of forgiveness and salvation to every repentant sinner who will put his faith in Jesus.

  [Jesus was] delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification (Rom. 4:25).

  This shows that the sinner’s justification is dependent upon Jesus being raised again from the dead. Had Jesus remained on the cross or in the tomb, God’s promise to the sinner of salvation and eternal life could never have been fulfilled. It is only the risen Jesus, received and confessed by faith, who brings to the sinner pardon, peace, eternal life and victory over sin.

  If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus [or Jesus as Lord] and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom. 10:9).

  Salvation is dependent upon two things: 1) openly confessing Jesus as Lord; 2) believing in the heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Thus, saving faith includes faith in the resurrection. There can be no salvation for those who do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus.

  Logic and intellectual honesty permit no other conclusion. If Jesus is not risen from the dead, then He has no power to pardon or to save the sinner. But if He is risen, as the Scripture states, then this is logical proof of His power to pardon and to save.

  Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them (Heb. 7:25).

  Jesus’s resurrection is an absolute, logical necessity as a basis of God’s offer of salvation.

  And if Jesus is not risen, then our preaching is vain and your faith is also vain (1 Cor. 15:14).

And if Jesus is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! (1 Cor. 15:17).

  The condition of contemporary Jesusendom abundantly confirms these plain statements of Scripture. Those theologians who reject the personal, physical resurrection of Jesus may moralize and theorize as much as they please, but one thing they never come to know in personal experience is the peace and joy of sins forgiven.

  Finally, the third reason for the importance of the resurrection is that it constitutes the culmination of all our hopes as  professing Christian’s and the supreme goal of our life of faith here on earth.

  Paul says that the resurrection is the supreme goal and consummation of all his earthly endeavours. Speaking of the motivating purpose of his life as a Christian’s, he says:

  That I may know Him [Jesus] and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Jesus Jesus has also laid hold of me (Phil. 3:10-12).

  Notice particularly the two phrases “that I may know . . . the power of His resurrection” and “if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Paul did not intend to let anything in this world prevent him from attaining to the consummation of all his beliefs and labors – the resurrection of the dead. In this respect, the attitude of every Christian’s believer should be the same as that of Paul.

  If there is no resurrection, then the Christian’s faith and the Christian’s life are a pathetic deception.

  If in this life only we have hope in Jesus, we are of all men the most pitiable (1 Cor. 15:19).

  On the other hand, if we really believe in the resurrection, our life’s aim and purpose will be like Paul’s: to attain it..