The Redemption of Our Bodies
"For the trumpet will sound...and we shall be changed."
I turned 65 a couple of years ago. They say age is only a number, but when you get older, age is also aches and pains. Age is something you actually feel. When you get old, you just hurt.
I’m on television pretty frequently, and to be very honest, television is not a good place to turn old. I started doing television when I was 40 years old. When I go back and look at myself on television in those days, compared to now, it’s a little painful. One of the big problems about television is the camera technology keeps improving. The older I get, the better the cameras get. Back then, the cameras were low-definition and the pictures were a little fuzzy and you couldn’t see every imperfection and wrinkle.
That’s not the case today. They show everything. It’s not always flattering.
But how we look is not something we will worry about when Jesus comes back. Not just because we won’t struggle with vanity or pride in heaven, but because we will actually have new bodies.
The Twinkling of an Eye
When we are raptured, we’ll be changed in the twinkling of an eye. In a moment, we will become like Jesus and we will get our new bodies. Paul writes about this in 1 Corinthians:
“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.”—1 Corinthians 15:50-52
If you are alive when the Rapture happens, your body will transform immediately. The dead in Christ will rise first, then those of us who are alive and remain will be “caught up” in the air. We will be changed, and one of those changes is that we will be given new bodies. The Bible says those bodies will be “incorruptible.” They won’t age. They won’t break down. There is no such thing as time in heaven, but our bodies will be the same for a trillion years.
In Romans, Paul describes this as the “redemption” of our bodies. Adam and Eve were created with perfect bodies in the Garden of Eden. If they had not sinned, their bodies would not have aged one minute. They would never have gotten sick or experienced pain. But because they sinned, human bodies ever since then have been frail. We have been corrupted. We get sick. We are weak. Eventually we die. This is part of our world’s “birth pangs” that will continue to get worse before Jesus returns.
If you pay attention to the news at all, you now that the entire earth right now is announcing the return of Jesus as these pains are felt planet-wide. Everything the Bible says about what will happen at the end is happening now. And in the middle of a pandemic that continues to hurt and sicken our human bodies, it’s exciting to know that, soon, God will release us from our old bodies. He will set us free from everything we are dealing with right now.
“For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”—Romans 8:22-23
At the Rapture, our sick, old or frail bodies will instantly be changed. Jesus died to redeem us, and when He comes again, you’ll get a redeemed body. Your body will literally be perfect in every way.
Supernatural and Physical
Your redeemed body won’t just be spiritual. You will receive a literal, physical body. In Luke 24, after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to travelers on the Road to Emmaus. He then appeared in person among His disciples. He made clear to them that He was not a spirit. He ate fish and honeycomb (Luke 24:42). He showed them His hands and feet. He said, “Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39).
He then disappeared, which shows us that our new, heavenly bodies will have physical characteristics but will also be supernatural. We will be able to interact within multiple dimensions. That is fascinating to me. It is a blessing that so many of us long for. Whatever you are dealing with physically, understand it is only temporary. God has given you a temporary vessel to serve Him, but when Jesus returns, you will get the body of a lifetime.
Our new bodies will be incorruptible. We won’t need makeup or beauty products. We won’t get tired or feel weak. We won’t get injured. We won’t get sick. We will be perfectly healthy and equipped to worship the Lamb for ever and ever with perfect voices.
What a glorious eternity that will be!
I love the timing of this post, and for me it is quite personal. My husband is having very major surgery on his spine, tomorrow, October 14 and 15, both days, two surgeons, recovery time unknown. “Be anxious for nothing“ the Bible says. As Christians, we are not afraid of death, for the very reasons that Jimmy Evans spoke of (new bodies!). And he only really started that conversation, as we could probably talk about that subject, no fear of death, from many different angles, forever. This belief affects so many other aspects of our lives. We get sick. We are weak. And eventually we die, Pastor Jimmy said. Queen Esther put it another way, “And if I perish, I perish.” But until then, we pray. Because we believe in miracles. Thank you for your prayers, and thank you for this post.
I, too, turned 65 a couple of years ago. I have had 4 titanium implants and am a cancer survivor. In addition to all that, I have fibromyalgia and a detached muscle in my thigh, so walking is difficult. As the song says, “My life on earth will fade, but still I will declare Your name!” I look forward to each new day with expectation, eagerly awaiting His return and occupying until He comes. Thank you, Pastor Jimmy, for your wisdom and knowledge.