1 Corinthians Lesson 18

I Corinthians

Lesson 18

I Cor. Chapter 15 -- The "Resurrection" Chapter - Part 5

The Resurrection Body

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Hi again! And Welcome Back again. Wow! What a study! What a Chapter! By now you probably thinking that our study of this Chapter will never end. Or perhaps you hope that it does not end because you are enjoying learning what ________ has written to the young Believers in the Church in _________ . They certainly have asked him (Paul) a lot of questions and he has given them (the Church in Corinth) a lot of answers as well as much important doctrinal information. And, of course, we, too, are profiting from his answers to their questions.

And, speaking of questions. Yes, they asked about many things, but I am sure that most of their questions are the same ones that you and I would have also asked. So, with that in mind, let's see what they seem to have asked in this next section of I Corinthians Chapter 15, specifically in verses 35-58. As you read those verses (printed here for you, but, as always, you may use your own Bible or another version if you prefer), see if you can figure out the questions they asked and to which Paul is responding. And. when you discover a question or a topic, write it on the line above the section where it is being answered and discussed. I know you already have done this in lesson #14, the "overview" lesson for this Study, but ignore what you wrote there and see what the questions seem to be now. If you end up with the same thing, fine, no problem. That will just show that you were on the right track then also. So, with that said, read the following verses and see what they were asking Paul in each of the two sections below. Hint: There may be more than one question covered in each section.

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35. But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36. How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39. All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. 42. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43. it is sown in dishonor, 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. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being" ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 50. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

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51. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52. in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

55. "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

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Finished? Great!

And, I guess you are wondering what I thought their questions were and what I wrote on the lines above. Welllllll, for the first section, I wrote:. 1. How are the dead raised?, and 2. what will our resurrection bodies be like? And for the second section, I wrote: 1. When will we get our resurrection bodies? and 2. Will the resurrection body ever die?

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These are indeed verrrrrry important questions and, even today, there are many differing views, ideas, and opinions concerning the Resurrection bodies of Believers (Christians). Therefore, the questions that they asked Paul on this topic and the answers he gives are very important and deserve their and our attention.

So, with that said. Let's look at what Paul said.

First, since this is a reallllly important thing to know, let's find out what the resurrection bodies of Believers (Christians) are going to "be like".

So, your assignment now is to re read all of the verses (35-58), not just the ones in the first section, and as you read these verses, underline or highlight in GREEN (or any color of your choice) any word or phrase that describes a Resurrection body. Also underline or highlight in BLACK any word or phrase that describes the body we now have, the one we are now living in. (Note: don't just limit your marking or underlining of the descriptive phrases to a human body but also consider and mark the descriptions for seeds, plants, etc. since the comments about them are significant and helpful to understanding the Resurrection body.)

<>< <>< <>< <>< Pause while you do this assignment <>< <>< <>< <><

Finished? Wonderful!

And, now that we have finished marking, let's summarize what we have discovered. And, to do that, let's make a list of our findings on a chart, since that is a great way of summarizing things. So, on a separate piece of paper, make a chart like the chart provided below, and on your chart list the facts that you discover about the natural body (whether of a human or of a seed, plant, etc.) in the first column and the facts about the Resurrection body (again of either a human or the 'picture' of a resurrection body depicted by what a seed produces in the second column. Of course seeds and plants do NOT have eternal heavenly resurrection bodies such as are being referred to here but they are given as an illustration or a picture or a 'type'.) As usual, I will begin this chart for you as an example of how to do this.

Well, I am sure your chart is rather lengthy. Mine was. But, believe it or not, we are not finished with our chart yet. We need to add even more information to it. Why? Well, because there are some other verses in the New Testament where more clues are given as to what the Resurrection body might be like and might be able to do.

We are told in 1 John 3:2 that "we shall be like Him (Jesus)". Here (below) is the verse (in its context) that tells us that. As you read this passage, underline or highlight in GREEN the phrase "we shall be like him" and any other information you learn about the resurrection body. Then add that information to your chart in the column describing the Resurrection Body.

1 John 3:1. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Hmmmm. John said that when Jesus appears and we are with Him (in our new Resurrection bodies) that "we shall be like him" and "we shall see him (Jesus) as he is". John also said that "what we will be has not yet been made known." Those are true and very interesting insights worth pondering. You might want to underline or highlight and add those other phrases to your chart also, if you haven't already.

We are going to be like Jesus !!!! WOW!

Well, of course we will NOT be exactly like Jesus in that we are NOT going to be GOD or like God with the specific attributes of God such as omnipotence, omniscience, etc.

But apparently we will be like Him in the sense that we are going to have a body which is in some way or ways like Jesus' resurrection body. So, with that idea in mind, let's now look at some of the descriptions of Jesus and what he could do after He was raised from the dead and see how this is similar in some ways to our earthly bodies and yet, in other ways very different.

Printed below is a passage from the New Testament book of Luke that tells about Jesus AFTER His resurrection -- and you will notice as you read it that there are some things that He did that we can not do now in our earthly bodies and which might be a clue to what we might be able to do in our future resurrection bodies. Also, there are things that Jesus did that we can do now so apparently there will be some things that we do now that we will also able to do in our resurrection bodies. As you find these various descriptions, as before, underline or highlight in GREEN things that reveal information about Jesus' resurrection body and which might, therefore, be clues as to what our resurrection bodies might be like. Then add what you find on the chart in the column describing the resurrection body.

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Luke 24

1. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3. but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6. He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7. `The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" 8. Then they remembered his words. 9. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. 13. Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16. but they were kept from recognizing him. 17. He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. 18. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" 19. "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21. but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23. but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." 25. He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26. Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27. And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. 30. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" 33. They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34. and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35. Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. 36. While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 37. They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39. Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." 40. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42. They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43. and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44. He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." 45. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47. and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48. You are witnesses of these things. 49. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." 50. When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

Here are a couple more passages that add some further insights as to what Jesus was able to do in His resurrection body. They are printed below for you. As you read them, as before, underline or highlight in GREEN what you discover about Jesus' resurrection body and then add that information to your chart IF you think it might be applicable to our resurrection bodies. Remember, there are some things that are specific and unique to Jesus and which will NOT be features that we will have (such as we will not have the scars of the nails/spikes of His crucifixion or the spear scar in His side. etc.)

John 20:19-20

19. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20. After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

John 20:26-29

26. A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27. Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." 28. Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" 29. Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Hmmmmmm. Verrrrrry interesting. And, looking at these latest passages as well as the ones we have already read, you surely have a rather long list of information about resurrection bodies in general and about Jesus' resurrection body also. So, let's look now at our lists and at the Scripture passages we have read and marked as we answer the following questions.

Can our earthly bodies die (perish)?................yes..................no

Can the resurrection body die (perish)?................yes..................no

Will the resurrection body be a natural body? or a spiritual body? (Circle your answer)

Will the resurrection body be weak? or have power? (Circle your answer)

Will the resurrection body be raised in glory?.............yes.............no

Will the resurrection body be like Adam? or like the Lord Jesus Christ? (Circle your answer)

Will the resurrection body be exactly like our bodies today?...........yes...........no

Will the resurrection body be immortal?...............yes..................no

Will the resurrection body be able to appear and disappear?

...............yes..................no.............. probably...................not sure

Will the resurrection body be able to pass through closed locked doors?

...............yes..................no.............. probably...................not sure

Will the resurrection body be able to eat food?

...............yes..................no.............. probably...................not sure

Will the resurrection body be a ghost (i.e. a being with no physical substance but just etherial?)..............yes..................no

Will the resurrection body be an angel?...............yes..................no

How do you know the resurrection body will not be an angel? Answer in the space below:

(hint: remember the 1 John passage)

So, bottom line to your study thus far -- Is there a significant difference between our bodies now and the ones we will have for eternity?................yes..................no

Explain in your own words in the space below what some of the difference or differences are and why.

Hmmmm. Good thinking. And, in case you are wondering, my answers to those questions were .

yes, no, a spiritual body, have power, yes, like the Lord Jesus Christ, no, yes, probably, probably, yes, no, no, because 1 John 3:2 says "we shall be like Him (Jesus)" and angels are not like Jesus but have their own attributes, characteristics, etc. Also we (Believers) are referred to as children of God and angels are usually referred to as sons of God.

And, re. the "bottom line" question, Yes, there is a significant difference. And, your explanation in your own words should have included most or all of the items in your lonnnnnnng list of things you discovered about the Resurrection body and how it is different from the earthly human mortal body we have at the present time. I am sure you adequately and correctly answered that question, too.

Well, all of that is wonderful and exciting, you say. And, I am sure that you, like I, am eagerly looking forward to getting this new and wonderful Resurrection body. But, WHEN will we get these bodies?, you ask. Well, the verses in 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 give us a big hint. And, there are other passages which also give us a clue. One of these is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

So, your assignment now is to read both of these sections (i.e., 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 both of which I will include below for you.) As you read these passages, highlight or underline in GOLD or YELLOW or ORANGE (if you have any of those colors, and if not, use a color you do have that seems 'gloriously appropriate'), all the words or phrases that tell when we will get our resurrection bodies.

I Corinthians 15:51-58

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

13. Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep (die), or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Hmmmm. Verrrrry interesting. These verses tell us that we (believers) will get our resurrection bodies in a ____________ , in the ________________________ , at the ___________ ____________ . And when this happens some will still be _______________ while others will have already ________ . But whether still alive or dead, we will instantly, in a flash, be changed from our mortal bodies to our new and forever resurrection body. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself will come ___________ from _______________ and with a loud _________________ will call us to meet Him in the ___________ .The first to rise in the new bodies will be those who have previously _______________ and then those who are still __________ will also be almost simultaneously (but a split second later) changed and all will meet _________ in the air with our new resurrection bodies.

Where will we go?

Yes, we will go to be with Him, Jesus our Lord, forever in heaven !!!

WOW !! Think of that !!! W O W !!!!

But, the folks in the Church in Corinth (and you) ask, what about the believers who had already died before Jesus comes back to take us with Him to heaven? Where are they now? What are they doing? Are they in some kind of a 'soul sleep'? Or What? Well, let's think about that because it is very important. Perhaps you've had a loved one die who was a believer. Where is he/she?

Well Paul answered that question for them and for us in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8. Let's read that verse and when you find the 'answer', underline or highlight it in gold or yellow or orange or whatever 'gloriously appropriate' color you have been using.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 KJV

6. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7. (For we walk by faith, not by sight.) 8. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Wow. Look at that! What did Paul say? He said that when a person dies, he/she is __________ from the body and __________ with the Lord !

Therefore, the Bible is telling us that when a Believer/Christian dies, his/her spirit immediately goes to heaven while the physical body remains behind and will remain until Jesus comes in the air at the last trumpet. Then the physical body will be changed into the resurrection body and will be re-united with the spirit. So, when a believer dies, his/her spirit goes immediately to be with the Lord in heaven!!!

During the interval between the time of death until this meeting in the air when we get our new resurrection bodies, the spirit of that person is with the Lord and is enjoying the glories of heaven !!! How awesome! So, even though we miss them, they are not 'a moldering in the grave'. They are in heaven, with the Lord Jesus Christ and God the father, and with friends (old and new)! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Yes, they are awaiting their final resurrection body. But they are not waiting to go in heaven. They are there!!!! Their spirit is in heaven! Their body remains behind. But one day, in the future, the old physical body will be changed into the glorious resurrection body and will be reunited with the spirit.

And, a split second later, the body of each of those who are still alive will also be changed into the glorious resurrection body. Then all believers (those who had already died and those who were still alive at His coming) will together as a group ascend to heaven with Jesus to be with Him FOREVER !!!

WOW!

But WHEN does this happen? I Corinthians 15:52 says it will be at ___ ____ _______ .

And I Thessalonians 4:16 says it will be when "...the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud ________, with the voice of the ___________, and with the ___________ call of God. ..."

Hmmmm. So WHEN is that? What and when is the last trumpet? Is this referring to the trumpets in the Book of Revelation? Or is it referring to something else? Good Question. And, let's think about that.

When was I Corinthians written? in about _______________

When was I Thessalonians written? in about _______________

When was Revelation written ? in about ______________

You probably knew when I Corinthians was written since we discussed that in early lessons in this course. So, I assume you said it was written in about 55 AD. But, what about those other 2 dates? Well, you probably do not have that information at your fingertips. So, I'll tell you. Most 'scholars' believe that I Thessalonians was written in about 51 AD and Revelation in about 95 AD.

So with that information, does it seem likely that Paul is referring to the "last trumpet" (of the 7 trumpets) in the book of Revelation?

......................................circle your answer..........................YES..............NO

Correct, it is very likely that Paul is NOT referring to the "last trumpet" (of the 7 trumpets) in the book of Revelation when he speaks of the "last trumpet" because that book had not been written at the time he was telling the Corinthians about this. So, could there be another 'last trumpet' that he and others knew about?

Yes, he might have been referring to the Jewish Feast of the Trumpets trumpets.

The folks in the church at Corinth, even though many or most were gentiles (non Jews), would surely know about the Jewish feasts which were observed throughout the year. And one of the major feasts was the Feast of Trumpets which was observed annually at the time of the beginning of the Jewish civil year.

During the Feast of Trumpets" there was "...a memorial blowing of the trumpets, an holy convocation..." (Leviticus 23:24). And the Last Trumpet that was blown in the long series of Trumpets was a special lonnnnnnng blow. Could this be the Last Trumpet to which Paul was referring???

(In our Bible Study of the Book of Leviticus, we study these Feasts in some detail, so we will not go into them here. But, if you are interested, you might look at that course.)

The Jewish feasts are important because they contain many types and pictures foretelling future events. Is it possible that the Feast of the Trumpets is a type/picture of "the Last Trumpet"? Well, I can't say for sure, but it is something to think about.

And, of course, there might still be another time for "the trumpet of God" -- i.e. any time at all.

So we don't know with certainty WHEN the "Last Trumpet" will be blown. The Last Trumpet is probably NOT the 7th Trumpet in the Book of Revelation. But, it might be the last one blown during the Feast of Trumpets. Or, it could happen at any time.

But, even though we do not know the precise WHEN, the important thing is to know that there WILL be a Last Trumpet! At that Last Trumpet, believers (whether dead or still alive) will receive their new resurrection bodies and will go with Jesus to be with Him FOREVER in heaven.

But, anyone who is not a believer will be left behind!

So, the question we need to ask as we end this lesson is: Are YOU a believer? Specifically, have you repented and confessed your sins to Jesus and asked for His forgiveness? Have you accepted His FREE gift of salvation? Have you asked Him to be Lord of your life? Are you willing to let Him be Lord of your life in every aspect and area of it?

If so, then, you can be assured that when that Last Trumpet sounds, you will be one of those who will "...be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ... and ..will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ...

Are you ready to meet the Lord in the air? If so, rejoice and listen for the shout and the Last Trumpet!

But, if you are not ready, then, for your 'last assignment' in this lesson, I would strongly urge you to consider your eternal destiny and accept God's gift of forgiveness and salvation before it is too late. Where you will spend eternity hangs in the balance! Time is getting shorter by the day and could be shorter than any of us imagine. So, do NOT put this off !

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