People of Hope?
Over and over again, the Bible calls us to be people of hope… a hope that is centered around the good things to come in the future. [All Emphasis Added] The instructions in 1 Peter 1:13 are to "Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" Hebrews 6:18 and 19 says this “hope set before us” is a “strong comfort” and a sure and stedfast “anchor to the soul”. Romans 12:12 says to persevere in prayer, endure tribulation and rejoice in hope. 1 Peter 3:15 says to be ready always to give “an account concerning the hope that is in you” Colossians 1:27 talks about “Christ in you, the hope of the glory”
Colossians 3:1-2 instructs us to set our minds on things above and seek them… "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth."
Scripture tells us that … “…our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” [Philippians 3:20]
Eagerly wait? Conversations with some Christians over the years has given me the distinct impression that far from eagerly waiting, they are completely oblivious to the great things God has in store for us… that they can not raise their eyes far enough beyond the horizon to envision what God has promised. Either they have never learned, have forgotten, or are so immersed in the paltry few years we have on this go around, that “Heaven” seems more like a distant dream than a soon to be reality. As John Piper so aptly puts it… The problem with the church today is not that there are too many people who are passionately in love with heaven. Name three! The problem is not that professing Christians are retreating from the world, spending half their days reading Scripture and the other half singing about their pleasures in God all the while indifferent to the needs of the world. The problem is that professing Christians are spending ten minutes reading Scripture and then half their day making money and the other half enjoying and repairing what they spend it on…. … Where is the person whose heart is so passionately in love with the promised glory of heaven that he feels like an exile and a sojourner on the earth? Where is the person who has so tasted the beauty of the age to come that the diamonds of the world look like baubles, and the entertainment of the world is empty, and the moral causes of the world are too small because they have no view to eternity? Where is this person? He is not in bondage to TV-watching or eating or sleeping or drinking or partying or fishing or sailing or putzing (aimlessly doing nothing) around. He is a free man in a foreign land. [1]
Certainly, if you don't know very much about, or haven’t given much thought to the "good things" God has in store for you, you certainly will not be able to give anyone else an account of the hope in you..
Glorification
The years we have on this planet are plagued, to a greater or lesser extent, by mishap, tragedy, disease and finally death. Not only have we been rendered more susceptible to disease and an untimely death by improper nourishment, pollution and the presence of chemicals in our very food and water supplies, but there is little doubt that, considering that people used to live a lot longer than we do, over the years our very make up has been adversely affected. The possibility of some form of genetic damage is a strong one.. Even if we manage to eat right and stay relatively healthy, we are susceptible to a myriad of factors well beyond our control. At one end of the spectrum are plagues that have killed millions, at the other end the single drunken driver that jumps the median on the freeway. Even if we manage to escape the more serious misfortunes and reverses that befall too many of our fellow humans, most of us (past the age of 40 anyway) are reminded of our advancing years on a daily basis… gray hair, baldness, wrinkles, hair in the ears, "age" spots, joint pain and stiffness, forgetfulness etc. We wish we had fewer aches and pains, more energy, and flexibility, fewer wrinkles, and did not have to resort to glasses and hearing aids. The list is endless and there is no question that our lives on earth would be far more fulfilling if our bodies stayed youthful, healthy, and energetic. Sadly, not only is old age a time that all too often leads to a diminished sense of identity and personal worth, but as we age even further and gradually decline both physically and mentally, a sense of inevitability, of helplessness, if not hopelessness, grips us all when we confront death, whether it be our own or that of a loved one. [Also See The Answer to Death] Considering that all of the above is not the prettiest of pictures, certainly a sure promise of a new and glorious body that will last forever would be something to turn cartwheels about. So what does the Bible tell us?
The Intermediate State
In 2 Corinthians 5:8, Paul says that to be absent from the body at death is to be present with the Lord. And, in considering his death in Philippians 1:23, he speaks of having a desire to "depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better." Which leads us to conclude that when a believer dies his body remains on earth, but his soul goes to be with Christ in ‘heaven’.
Resurrection Of The Dead
However this is a very temporary situation. Although there are a few that dispute this, the Bible teaches that our actual physical bodies will one day be raised, by Jesus Himself.. "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me, I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." [John 6:39-40]
The phrase resurrection of the dead is used at least thirteen times in the New Testament, sometimes in connection with Christ, but at other times used in regards to humans. Examples of the latter are… But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. [Mat 22:31-32] Now if Christ is preached that he hath been raised from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised [1Corinthians 15:12-13] of the teaching of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. [Hebrews 6:2]
The very term resurrection of the dead means that something that has already died is made alive... If God were starting from scratch, it could not possibly be termed a resurrection. In fact the evidence for a physical resurrection is pretty much irrefutable. 1 Corinthians 15:52 very clearly states that “the dead shall be raised” 1 Corinthians 15:42 further establishes that there is a continuity between our current bodies and our resurrected bodies, saying "it is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body". The same "it" being referred to in both cases. While Romans 8:23 speaks of “…the redemption of our body”. Our bodies will not be discarded but redeemed or recovered and saved.
In the words of Matt Perman “Christianity does not teach the immortality of the soul--the belief that our bodies are like prisons, and thus death is a great blessing to liberate us from these prisons so that we can continue living forever as disembodied spirits. Rather, Christianity teaches the resurrection of the body. As the apostle's creed says, "We believe in the resurrection of the body." Our bodies are not prisons, but are part of who we are. Of course our souls will live forever. But they will live forever in our bodies, not apart from them.” … … “the ultimate hope we are to look forward to is the even more joyful fellowship with Christ once our bodies are raised and reunited with our spirits.” [2]
You may have wondered how God could possibly raise a body that has been dead for decades, if not hundreds of years. Matter never completely disappears or ceases to exist, but simply transforms from one type to another as the particles eventually break down. And, I guess, that God simply has to keep track of one atom or molecule if the original body in order to re-create the whole person.
Timing
And when does this happen? Paul is very clear. He linked the resurrection of the dead to two simultaneous events…. Jesus’ second coming and the last trumpet.. [All Emphasis Added] "But each [will be raised] in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming." [1 Corinthians 15:23 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord." [1 Thessalonians 4:16-17] in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. [1 Corinthians 15:52] A word of explanation is in order here. The “dead in Christ” in the middle quote, refers to their bodies of the dead not the spirits, which are already with Christ. At this momentous time their spirits will be reunited with their bodies, after which those who are alive will be "caught up together with them in the clouds" and we will meet the Lord in the air.
Also See… That Earth Shaking Seventh Trumpet..
It is the Seventh Trumpet in the series that is, in a sense, the most consequential of all the judgments, since at this call significant and apparently rapid changes take place Philippians 3:21 goes even further, summing it up by comparing our resurrected body with that of Jesus when He rose from the grave… who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
This short verse imparts key information.. that Christ still has a body and it has been glorified as ours will be some day.
The Risen Christ
So what do we know about Christ after he was resurrected? For starters
Acts 13:33-37 tells us that Jesus was not allowed to undergo decay, which means that His body had to be resurrected from the grave. Luke 24:1-6 also provides the information that the tomb was empty. Moreover we can be certain He was raised in the same body He had before He died because John 20:25, 27 says His resurrected body that the disciples saw, still had the wounds from the terrible ordeal He had been through.
Additionally Christ actually invited the disciples to touch Him.. and there is more than one account of them doing so.... "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." [Luke 24:39] Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." [John 20:27]
And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. [Matthew 28:9]
Besides which Jesus ate with the disciples after the resurrection They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them. [Luke 24:42-43] not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. [Acts 10:41]
We also know that Jesus was not limited by the laws of physics.. Indeed much of what He did after the resurrection could and would be termed a “miracle’ by us who are. For example He appeared inside a room that apparently had locked doors, and was able to travel into Heaven, So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
The Bodies of Believers
After God had finished creating this earth and every thing in it (including man made in His image), the Bible tells us that “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good”. God was apparently satisfied with His design, with absolutely no indication in Scripture that the body He created was a mere prototype and that He would some day change man into some form of spirit being, In fact as Philippians 3:21 tells us … we are going to be conformed to Christ’s body which means, like Christ, we will be raised physically. However as Paul said in 1Corinthians 15:50 … “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption”.
“Flesh and blood” denotes such bodies as we have here, bodies that are fragile. weak, liable to disease, subject to pain and death and as such would be ill adapted to a world where there shall be no decay and no death. [Barnes] However the good news is that they will be transfigured… 1 Corinthians 15:52 tells us “..the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed”. [Emphasis Added]
Paul does not say we will be a totally new creation, but the old creation will be new and improved. So we have a progression from this body, with it’s many susceptibilities and weaknesses, to the next described in 1 Corinthians 15 as imperishable, spiritual, glorious, immortal etc. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 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. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. [Vs. 42–44] The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven [V. 47] For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. [V. 53]
Although it is uncertain what exactly “glorious” means in this context, when applied to God it seems to suggest a radiance, whether symbolic or otherwise, that surrounds Him. There are two verses that point to a similar outward evidence of a glorified body. Jesus did say, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” [Matthew 13:43], while Daniel stated `And 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' [Daniel 12:3]
The Bible does not go into all that much detail about the new body making it impossible to describe it with absolute certainty. However, based on what it does say, it is possible to make some reasonable assumptions, such as.. the new body will be quite similar to the old body, but will no longer be subject to stress, illness, weakness or fatigue, and being imperishable, it will not age or die. Note the following God has always been able to give human bodies the ability to perform supernatural feats. For example, we read about Christ and Peter walking on water, but do not conclude that they had different, lighter bodies than other humans, or that walking on water is a normal human activity. We read about Philip being moved from his meeting with the Ethiopian eunuch and instantly appearing at Azotus (Acts 8:39 and 40), but do not conclude that humans can normally “pop around” from one place to another. We read about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego staying alive in the burning furnace and know that what they did was not normal for human beings. We realize that there was a miracle, something beyond the ordinary, in these situations. It seems reasonable that the same type of thing will be true for our new bodies. Apparently there will be the way they “usually” respond, and there will also be the power to do more.
That Jesus appeared in a locked room is not a sound basis for concluding that after his resurrection he never used a door. In fact, during the Millennial Kingdom, the exact gate he will use to enter the Temple is specified (Ezek. 46:1–8). The point is that just because Jesus did things after his resurrection that are not normal for humans does not prove that they are “normal” for his body or will be for our bodies.” [3]
The Bodies Of Unbelievers
However Christians are not the only ones who will have their bodies raised. The Bible speaks of more than one resurrection.. Acts 24:15: "There shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." Daniel 12:2: Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. John 5: 28-29: Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and will come out - those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
The difference is that Christians will have their bodies raised to everlasting glory; those who have not accepted God’s offer of salvation, which is forgiveness for sin and eternal life, will have their bodies raised to judgment and destruction. [See Salvation] "And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).
Also See How Many Resurrections Will There Be? However note the Bible teaches clearly that all men, both living and dead, saved and unsaved, must give an account to Christ. All believers who have died will eventually face what is sometimes called the Bema or Judgment Seat of Christ. Unfortunately many Christians, come to the conclusion that since all our sins have been forgiven, our works cannot possibly be considered at the judgment Seat of Christ.. Not true according to I Corinthians 3:9-13, which includes the words … If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Too many Christians tend to sail past 2 Corinthians 5:10, totally oblivious to the last few words… deeds will be recompensed whether good or bad. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
The Bema seat is obviously NOT just a rewards or rah-rah ceremony, but one that also takes bad deeds into account, when believers must give an account of their lives to Christ and some believers will receive additional rewards. [Details] However we, as believers are not the only thing to be transformed.. In the words of Matt Perman..
“Glorification is tied up with the renewal of creation.
Since it is true that our bodies will be raised physically, then the new creation must be physical as well. Often we think of eternal life in heaven as existing in a spiritual realm forever. But that is not the whole truth. Eternity will involve the physical creation as well as the spiritual realm. As we saw earlier, Paul teaches this in Romans 8:20-23, where he says that "creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." Revelation 21:1 says there will be "a new heaven and a new earth." The next verse seems to indicate that in the eternal state there will be a joining of heaven and earth, for it speaks of the city of new Jerusalem coming "down out of heaven" to the earth. It says that God Himself will dwell among His people in the New Jerusalem. Can you imagine what it will be like to live forever with Christ not only having access to heaven, but to a renewed physical universe as well?! This universe is huge--perhaps we will be given the opportunity to explore it to the farthest depths in the new creation. What a glorious thing this will be! The passages which speak of the heavens and earth passing away (2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 21:1) we should understand to mean that their present condition will pass away, not that they will be entirely done away with so that God can start from scratch (this is what we saw in Romans 8:21 "the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption"). Also, the passages which speak of there being a new heavens and new earth (such as Revelation 21:1) indicate that there will be a significant renewal and transformation of creation, but do not seem to require the idea that God will start over from scratch. Again, we saw in Romans 8:21 that God will not start over from scratch: "creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." Just as it is with our resurrection bodies, there will be a wonderful transformation and newness to creation, but there will also be a continuity with the original creation.” [2] Also See Life in the Land of the Promise Made to Abraham The conclusion of this article is from John Piper’s The Fruit of Hope: Love, in which he asks the question…
“… Does Christian Hope Produce Love or Escapism?
Now someone may object and say, "That theology is so future-oriented and so other-worldly that it takes people's minds off the pressing needs of the present and turns them in on themselves and their own private spiritual happiness." In other words, it does not produce love; it produces escapism.
And so we must ask, Is it true that when Christians set their hearts earnestly and intensely on the future prospect of sharing the glory of God, and seeing the risen Lord, and being freed from sin and sickness, and living in joy for all eternity—when Christians set their hearts with deep longing and strong confidence on these things, do they become so heavenly-minded that they are of no earthly use? Do they become self-centered and fall prey to escapism? … the Bible portrays just the opposite. It teaches and shows that a strong confidence in the promises of God and a passionate preference for the joy of heaven over the joy of the world frees a person from worldly self-centeredness, from paralyzing regret and self-pity, from fear and greed and bitterness and despair and laziness and impatience and envy. And in the place of all these sins, hope bears the fruit of love. [1] A perfect Biblical example of the above is found in Hebrews 11:24-26 "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaohs' daughter; choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin; considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward".
EndNotes [1] John Piper. The Fruit of Hope: Love. [http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/sermons/bydate/1986/552_The_Fruit_of_Hope_Love/] [2] Matt Perman. The Great Christian Hope of Glorification [3] The New Body: Looking Good and Feeling Fine. Excerpt from the book “The Christian's Hope: The Anchor of the Soul”.
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Index to Section 9B... 
