What happen to our bodies?

DaveH · 12-30-2005, 08:55 AM

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Evidently, all of us who are still alive as well as those who already died in Christ will meet the Lord in our bodies. That opens a whole host of questions.

What about those whose bodies were totally destroyed? They will have new bodies presumably?

What about those who have severe birth defects and/or handicaps? I guess they will have new, better, perfect bodies?

What about those of us still alive and are in pretty good shape? Still get a perfect body?

What is the need of our human bodies in Heaven -- or do they somehow "disappear"?

Any scripture to shed some light on this?

The Rev · 12-30-2005, 09:27 AM

Dave, I don't know of a scripture that deals directly with this. However I feel that at that time God will makethis happen. I am sure we will be like Adam from the dust of the earth, then again, is the Bible speaking methphorically? Are we going to be in spirit form take on our heavenly bodies. I have tought of this many times, some things I don't try to reason, because I know that God's way are not mans ways.

Tazman · 12-30-2005, 09:27 AM

Excellent question DaveH and one I have often pondered.

If we do get a new perfect body, will we all be adults?

What age would we be?

I would say that scripture does cover having a body when taken up, but what about once we arrive?

I have a feeling we will all be very happy no matter what the answers are on this.

MOTOWNHONKEY · 12-30-2005, 09:52 AM

I hope he drops about 25 lbs. off of my new body. And if he don't mind I woulkd like to have a full head of hair again.

The Rev · 12-30-2005, 10:07 AM

Hair? What is that?

Rebel Hog · 12-30-2005, 11:27 AM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: The Rev

Hair? What is that?

Rebel Hog · 12-30-2005, 11:32 AM

It doesn't matter what is done with us after we move out of our earthly bodies or how our earthly tent is destroyed. We know, that God will raise us from the dead (2 Corinthians 5:1).
Though there are no specific instructions as to how the dead are to be disposed, cremation in Bible is documented as an exceptional method in unusual circumstances.
In 1 Samuel 31:12, the valiant men of Jabesh-Gilead burned the corpses of Saul and his three sons, so that the Philistines couldn't defile their bodies.
Even though we don't find anything mentioned in the New Testament about cremation, the scriptures do not prohibit against it. Though the Church fathers traditionally preferred burial as the right custom it doesn't matter if a Christian gets cremated. What matters is that God will resurrect his body one day (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).
Whether one is buried or is left, to be eaten by animals or birds, the body eventually decays. The Bible tells us in Revelation 20:13 that the sea will give up the dead within her [even though we know that many underwater species love to eat flesh].
So whether we are buried or we are cremated, we know that one day we will have a resurrected and glorified body that will never die. This is because our God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living (Mark 12:27).
If cremation in any way, would have effected our resurrection and salvation, we KNOW, that God would have told us.