Now let's go even further and see what John says about this new body back in his little letter of I John, chapter 3.
I John 3:1-2
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (God-children. We personally like born ones or called out ones, this being those who have chosen to act upon what they've heard and received) of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now (that is in this likeness now on the this earth) are we the sons of God, (John is writing to believers also) and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: (in other words there's a lot of things out there that we don't understand) but we know that when he shall appear, (in other words when we meet Him in the clouds of the air or when He through His Love has made us perfect His divine character will appear through our being) we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
What does that say? We're going to have the same kind of body that He left with from the Mount of Olives with, the same kind of a resurrected, glorified body. The body that His witnesses saw on the Mt. when His garments became whiter than they had been because of God's Love which causes us to become when receptive as He is. Now let's come all the way back to Romans chapter 8, and this backs up what we've just said. At conversion we were redeemed in the soul and spirit, that's all settled. It's the place where all works of God begin and finish as we progressively pass through redemption on into His Salvation. In the realm of the invisible, yes we are redeemed we've already been bought, we already belong to Him, we're already settled in the heavenliest, but only in the realm of the invisible. This old body is still here. We're still putting up against all the things of this life. We're doing out part in the spiritual battle for the saved and the unsaved alike, as the Spirit gives utterance. Where we take every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ both for the saved and unsaved ones. The power of binding and loosing. But at the final salvation when the body the redeemed then of course we're fit for eternity. Now let's begin at verse 18.
Romans 8:18
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
Now of course the Apostle Paul knew what it was to suffer. Probably like no other human being except Christ Himself. Paul suffered, and suffered, and suffered some more all for the sake of this Gospel. But here's what is not openly seen or known of his suffering, most of it was inward as Christ perfected His divine character within His receptive one, Paul. Remember Job and then King David and the prophets they all suffered the cleaning of the fuller's soap and the afflictions of the refiners furnace within their soul and spirit. So Paul could say with a clear conscience, "That it was nothing compared to the glory that's coming." Sadly Paul and Peter both were required to face the physical death by the hands of wicked men before their day. Now verse 19.
Romans 8:19-20
"For the earnest (sincere, down right) expectation of the creature (creation) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature (creation) was made subject to vanity, (moral depravity, worthlessness, inutility) not willingly (in other words, creation didn't cause the fall, but rather Adam did. So when that happened creation fell with him.) but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope," (by virtue of the Redeemer)
We always remember we want you when reading a verse like this, just flash back and realize how soon after the fall did God already announce the remedy of the curse? Well the next verse almost. In Genesis chapter 3 we have the fall, but in Genesis 3:15 we have the promise of the redeemer immediately. And Christ Jesus says from His place in the heavens of this verse, “a body You have prepared for Me” as Paul relates it in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 5 where he quotes Genesis 3:15. Just as soon as Adam fell the curse fell, and God came right back with the promise of a remedy, "The Redeemer!" the seed of the woman that would come. Now that's what Paul is talking about here. Now verse 21.
Romans 8:21a
"Because the creature (creation) itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption (the curse)"
Yes one day the planet is going to be freed of the curse, it's all going to revert back as it was in the Garden of Eden, and all we have to do is just read Isaiah chapter 11. Especially you animal lovers. We're not going to see the animals we've had down here, but there's going to be new ones in that wonderful kingdom. And those animals are going to be just as easy to love as they are here. Now looking at verse 21 again.
Romans 8:21-23
"Because the creature (creation) itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. (under the curse) And not only they, but ourselves also, (even we as believers.) which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit the redemption of our body."
So see we're waiting for the redemption our body. Now for a moment let's go to I Thessalonians chapter 5, and we'll drop down to verse 23.
I Thessalonians 5:23
"And the very God of peace sanctify (or set you apart) you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
In other words does any part of Scripture recognize a human being that is not in all three parts? No. We are never a valid enmity without all three of them together. That's why when a person dies he becomes useless, because the three become interrupted. The two go on up into glory, the soul and spirit go into the presence of the Lord. Where's the body? In the grave, it's useless [it just the husk of the seed], but in resurrection that new body that comes out of the grave is reunited with the soul and spirit, and so once again what are we? A complete entity, we are then a complete person, we'll be body, soul and spirit. But at that time it will be a new glorified body like the Lord Jesus' body of His post resurrection. We've said, that if you want to know what our new body is going to be like then just read about the Lord in those 40 days after His resurrection, up until His ascension.
The Lord looked like everybody else, He didn't look like some weirdo from outer space. He walked with them, He talked with them, He ate fish with them on the shores of Galilee. And as He stood on the Mount of Olives they were standing there conversing with Him, and unbeknown to the eleven, of what was going to happen, He suddenly took off and they watched Him go. Well they didn't watch some ghost, or some spirit, but rather they watched Him go bodily. Now for a moment turn to Colossians chapter 2 and verse 8 and 9.
Colossians 21:8-9
"Beware (be on guard, don't become entangled with the world) lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiment of the world, and not after Christ.(why?) For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."
In other words, when He left, and went into glory, He went in that resurrected body, and the disciples saw Him go. When He returns, the Book of Zechariah says, "and His feet shall stand on that same Mount of Olives." Now ghosts don't have feet, an invisible spirit wouldn't have feet, but He has been up there for now 2000 years or so now, in that resurrected body, and He's going to return bodily. We're going to have a body like Him when He returns, we're going to see him John tells us, "as He is" and that's what we're going to be like. So if you ever wonder, "Am I going to float around in some invisible state?" Heavens no! And on top of that we're all going to recognize each other in our new bodies. Now we don't know how, because we don't think we'll look like we do now, but we're going to know each other, just as spirit knows spirit now and it's going to be a full knowledge, a full understanding that we'll know every believer that's up there by name.
In Ephesians, remember the Holy Spirit, the Pneuma, becomes the earnest which now is the Pneuma Hagion, and we guess we should put it this way - The Pneuma is the giver, and the Hagion is the gift. We like that concept, because we have to keep them sorted out when the Scripture talks about the Holy Spirit. If it's the indwelling person, then it's the Pneuma the giver. If it's talking about something that is the power of the Holy Spirit then it's the Hagion the gift.
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