Looking Forward to the Resurrection of Our Bodies

Jesus is going to return. In this series, we’re looking at the works of Christ: what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will do. One of the things he will do is come back to earth. 

When Jesus returns, he’ll be involved in two major events. They won’t happen at the same time, but they will happen.

It’s important to state here that there are differences among Christians about the order of events in the future. Godly Bible scholars who love the Lord and accept the authority of the Bible differ in their interpretation of it. 

I’m a premillennialist, so my understanding would be different from, say, an amillennialist. The details we disagree on are not essentials of the faith. And since this is a study of the works of Jesus and not a study of the End Times, I’ll limit the discussion here to the essentials of the faith. 

One of those essentials is that, at his return, Jesus will bring about our resurrection. 

Jesus conquered death at his resurrection, so death is no longer the end. Death is simply the end of this body we have here on earth. It isn’t the end of the real you or the real me.

When someone dies, the soul and body separate. You, the real you, are not your body. You’re no more your body than you are the shirt you’re wearing. Your body is just a covering, a house for the real you. When you die, the body dies, but you continue to live. 

This is how Jesus could say, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). It’s also how Jesus could say to Martha, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25b-26a). The body will die. The soul never will. The physical body might die, but the person won’t.

If you’re a believer, when your physical body dies, you’ll be more alive than you’ve ever been! If you’ve had Christian loved ones pass away, while you were crying at their funeral, they were finally experiencing true life! At the funeral of believers, the only mourning we’re doing is for ourselves because we’ll miss them. We can’t mourn for them. They’re just now starting to live.

All these things should make us want to shout for joy! They’re what get us through this life and the reason we can get through the loss of someone dear to us. 

We’ve been talking about believers, and we need to say that for unbelievers also, at death, the body and soul separate, and the soul will live forever. 

Now, let’s turn our focus again to our future resurrection. When Jesus returns, the souls of those who have died, who have been separated from their bodies, will be reunited with their bodies. Graves will be emptied, bodies in the sea will be raised, and even bodies that no longer exist will be reunited with their souls.

Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (John 5:28-29) 

Some people will be raised to eternal life, others to eternal condemnation, but all will be reunited with their bodies. These resurrections won’t necessarily happen at the same time, but the voice of Jesus calling them will be the cause of it. He says they will hear his voice and the dead will rise.

When unbelievers die, their souls immediately pass into a state of eternal punishment. On the day Jesus gives the command, their bodies will be raised and reunited with their souls, and they’ll stand before God in final judgment.

When believers die, our souls immediately enter the presence of God in heaven. On the day Jesus gives the command, the souls of believers who have died will be joined with their bodies. You can read the details of this in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. 

For the believer, your new body will be an eternal, glorified body, the kind of body Jesus has following his resurrection. This is when you’ll finally reach your full potential! The work of Jesus in you won’t be complete until you’ve received your eternal body, one that’s free from the curse of sin. That’s when you’ll finally be perfect! It’s what Paul was talking about here:

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23)

“The redemption of our bodies.” Right now, we groan under the curse, with its evil and sorrow and death. Our bodies age, get sick and die. Death is a fact of this life. My granddad died when I was four years old, and that’s when I first learned about death. I couldn’t fully comprehend at that age just how horrible it was, but I knew I wouldn’t see him again. I missed him so much. But my mom kept saying, “You’ll see him one day.” A couple of years later, I met my granddad’s brother, who looked almost exactly like him. I ran to Mom and said, “Granddaddy’s back!” Mom was right, I really would see him again! She had to explain to me the reality of the situation. But she also said, “I told you that you’d see him again, and you will.” And I will! 

Jesus conquered death, and one day we’ll see our believing loved ones again. Our souls, our true selves, are alive and well. Even in heaven, though, as perfect as it is, we’ll be looking forward to something even better. 

Because one glorious day, Jesus is going to return. When he does, he’ll give us brand new bodies. He’ll give every believer who ever lived a perfect resurrection body like his. Our new bodies will never age, never get sick, and never die. 

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

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