Our New Eternal Body
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
Revelation 21:4
How do you think we will feel in heaven? Do you think you will ever be bored in heaven? Do you imagine what kind of eternal body you will have? Will we miss our fleshly bodies when living in heaven? These are a few of the questions that I have been asked concerning our new eternal bodies. Therefore I searched the scriptures to find out what I could learn about our new eternal bodies.
I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, (1 Corinthians 15:50). Our perishing flesh and bone bodies will not inherit the kingdom. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.(1 Corinthians 15:53) Our eternal bodies will change from our old bodies by replacing the perishable with the imperishable, and the mortal with the immortal. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) The last trumpet is the end of time and we will be raised to meet the Lord in the air with our new glorified bodies.
The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, 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. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44) Our new bodies will be imperishable, glorified, and spiritual. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:21-22) Our new bodies will be glorified as Jesus’ new body. A spiritual body craves things of the Spirit just like our earthly bodies crave things of the earth.
Satan and his demons will not exist in heaven, and our flesh will no longer have a sinful nature. So our new bodies, including our minds, will never have a sinful thought because sin doesn’t exist in heaven. However, as it is written: What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) If God has revealed by the Spirit what we cannot conceive, then let’s look at the Spirit. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-26) In this life we can experience the fruit continuously because the Spirit is always in us, but we cannot experience the fruit in its infinite power because we live in the sinful flesh. But when we are in heaven in our spiritual bodies, we will experience the fruit directly from God, infinite love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12) “I will know fully, even as I am fully known,” implies that everything we don’t know about God we will know when we are in heaven with the Father and Son. Our minds will not be limited as they are now, but we will have the capability to know things we cannot now comprehend.
Summarizing, we will have an imperishable physical body that has eternal life, and our minds will have the love, peace and joy of our Lord. We will have perfect love for the Father, the Son, the Spirit, and for everyone in heaven. We will never be bored because the Father, Son, and Spirit are never bored. Life will be fulfilling to the infinite, all the time.
Today take time to be eternally minded and to meditate on your eternal life. Thinking about our eternal life can relax us and helps us to cope with the temporary stresses in this life. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)
Let’s Pray: Lord, guide me to see everything through a spiritually and eternally oriented mind. Help me to know that my home is with you in heaven and that this earth is just a temporary dwelling. Replace this temporary earthly life in my mind with the heavenly eternal life. Help me to be closer to you through the heavenly Spirit than I am to my earthly surroundings. In Jesus name, Amen