We Shall Not All Sleep, But We Shall All Be Changed :: By Randy Nettles

The English word ‘rapture’ is derived from the Latin word ‘rapio,’ which means “to carry away,” or “to catch up.” Although the word ‘rapture’ is not found in the Bible, it is based on biblical scripture. Jesus never fully explained the Rapture to his disciples before his crucifixion, although he hinted at it a few times (Matthew 24:36-44; Luke 17:26-36; John 14:1-4). The Rapture was a mystery until God revealed it to Paul many years after Jesus’ death.

The timing of Paul’s revelation is unknown. Perhaps it was when Paul went into Arabia (Galatians 1:17) after his Damascus experience and conversion, or later when he returned to Damascus. Some have suggested that this revelation occurred when Paul was caught up to heaven, as described in 2 Corinthians. “It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 12:1).

The details of the Rapture, regarding the resurrection and transformation of all the dead believers in Jesus Christ (since the Church was formed on Shavuot/Pentecost in 33 AD), as well as the “catching up” and translation of living saints, were first given by Paul to the Church in Thessalonica in about A.D. 51.

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep [dead], that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For 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. For 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: Then 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” [1 Thessalonians 4:13-17].

The Greek word for “caught up” is ‘harpazō’ and means “to seize, or carry off by force” or “to snatch away.”

About 5 years later, in 56 BC, Paul reinforced the concept of the Rapture to the Church of Corinth. “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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 shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).

Another famous scripture regarding the Rapture was given by Jesus himself and recorded by the disciple John many decades later. “Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3). This ‘house’ or ‘place’ is called the New Jerusalem and is described in Revelation 21:10-27 (IMO).

At the moment of the Rapture, all living believers in Jesus as Lord and Savior, as well as all deceased Christians since the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in AD 33, will receive new spiritual bodies that are made for heaven and eternity. We will retain our souls, which have been cleansed of sin, and our spirits will be in perfect alignment with God, the Holy Spirit.

Here are a couple of Old Testament prophecies that hinted at the mystery of the Rapture, which is to come before the seven-year Tribulation (the Day of the Lord): “Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past. For behold, the LORD comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain” (Isaiah 26:20-21).

“Before the decree is issued, or the day passes like chaff, before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you! Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zephaniah 2:2-3).

The unbridled bliss we will experience when we are together with Jesus and all of our saved relatives and friends will be unimaginable. It will be the ultimate family reunion of the ages. We will experience perfect love and happiness. Never again will we experience the negative emotions of fear, hate, envy, greed, sorrow, uncertainty, lust, selfishness, and pride. “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore; for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

The will of the Father shall become the will of all humans and angels in heaven. We will never again experience the sorrow of sin in our lives. Our sin nature, inherited from Adam, will no longer be with us, for we will be made holy and righteous after Christ.

Our mortal bodies will be transformed into immortal bodies suited for eternity in the new heavens and earth. “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality, then shall it be brought to pass the saying, that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54).

We will have a spiritual body like Jesus’ resurrected body. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. For everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:1-3).)

The “spiritual body” will be a glorious body similar to Jesus’. “So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption. 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. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man, Adam, became a living being. The last Adam [Jesus] became a life-giving spirit… And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 49).

“For our citizenship is in heaven; from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall transform our lowly body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself” (Philippians 3:20-21). Our bodies will not be as glorious as Jesus’, for He is God, but they will be similar.

What does Jesus’ glorious body look like? In the book of Revelation, John had a vision of Jesus Christ in His glory:

“Then I turned to see the voice [a loud voice, as of a trumpet] that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands [theophany of the Holy Spirit], and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man [Jesus Christ], clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength” (Revelation 1:12-16).

Even before Jesus’ resurrection, he had supernatural abilities, such as walking on water, turning water into wine, feeding the multitude with little food, slipping through a murderous crowd unnoticed, raising people from the dead, casting out demonic spirits from possessed people, and, of course, his many healings. After the resurrection, Jesus entered through a locked door where the disciples were hiding in a room and stood in their midst, according to John 20:19-20. Jesus’ ascension into heaven, forty days after his resurrection, was another supernatural event, as recorded in Acts 1:9-11.

In our spiritual bodies, we will have greatly enhanced abilities and senses compared to our current carbon-based earthly ones. What an upgrade it will be! “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary: and they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

Our knowledge will greatly increase as we will be able to use 100% of our brains. “For we now know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Corinthians 13:9-12).

All transformed believers in Jesus will become children of God and will be co-heirs with Christ throughout the Millennium and Eternity. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:16-18).

“But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

“In Ephesians 1:3–14, the apostle Paul explains that the spiritual riches granted to believers are the work of the Trinity: God the Father chooses or elects us (verses 4–5, 11); God the Son redeems us (verses 6–7, 13); and God the Spirit seals or secures us: “In him you also . . . were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13–14, ESV). In these last two verses, Paul emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in safeguarding the believer’s eternal security.

When Paul refers to “our inheritance” in Ephesians 1:14, he is talking about the complete experience of salvation that God has promised to His children, but that they have not yet received in full. The apostle Peter also speaks of our complete inheritance as something not yet fully apprehended but something we are still looking forward to:

“Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see” (1 Peter 1:3–5, NLT). This experience of laying hold of our complete inheritance as children of God culminates in heaven with our redemption upon Christ’s return (see Colossians 3:4).

According to Ephesians 1:14, the Holy Spirit acts as a guarantee of our full and final inheritance. In the original Greek, the word translated as “guarantee” here refers to a “down payment” or “deposit.” The moment we were purchased with Christ’s blood, God’s Spirit made a partial payment or first installment toward our inheritance, with the balance to be paid in full later. The presence of the Holy Spirit fills and empowers believers to live holy lives (see Ephesians 3:16), but also provides them with a small foretaste of the whole banquet of eternal blessings yet to come. In the end, God will finish His work in us and bring us into possession of all His blessings and glory (see Romans 8:18; Philippians 1:6; 3:21; 2 Corinthians 3:18).” ^{1}

Oh, the rapture of the Rapture! Does this sound like an event you want to miss? If you miss the Rapture train, you will have to face the train wreck known as Daniel’s 70th week, otherwise known as the seven-year Tribulation. It would be a shame to miss it because of not making a decision for Christ. Even if the Rapture doesn’t happen relatively soon (although I believe it is very near) or if you miss it, no one knows when he or she might pass from this life into the next one.

The next life will be for eternity… do you want to spend it in Heaven (the New Earth and New Jerusalem) or Hell (the Lake of Fire)?  Choose Jesus and live forever as a royal ‘child’ of the Most High God. Make your decision today, for we are not guaranteed tomorrow. “But God said unto him, you fool, this night your soul shall be required of you; then whose shall those things be, which you have provided for yourself” (Luke 12:20).

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified…  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:28-30, 38-39).

THE TRANSLATION OF OUR EARTHLY BODIES

I have always thought that during the rapture/resurrection/translation, God would remake us using our own DNA, no matter how small a residue was left of our remains on the earth or in the sea. To my surprise, after reading some of the classic Christian articles on the Rapture Ready website, I learned that the great evangelist and theologian John Wesley agreed with me (or rather, I agreed with him).

John Wesley was an 18th-century Anglican clergyman, evangelist, and the co-founder of Methodism. Wesley was one of the main figures in the first Great Awakening in England and the American colonies. John Wesley began his itinerant (open-air) preaching in 1739. It is estimated that in his lifetime, Wesley rode 250,000 miles on horseback, preached 40,000 sermons, and published, edited, or abridged nearly 400 publications. Basically a postmillennialist, John Wesley believed the Great Awakening would continue indefinitely until Christ’s return to set up His Kingdom, so he really didn’t believe in the pre-Tribulation Rapture per se. He did, however, believe in the resurrection and translation of the dead in Christ.

One of the articles John Wesley wrote concerned the resurrection of the dead. The one I will submit to you is entitled The Resurrection of the Dead: 1 Corinthians 15:35 (Sermon 137). In this article, Wesley, as a postmillennialist, only mentions the resurrected “dead in Christ.” He doesn’t mention the “living believers” who will also be ‘changed’ at this time, per 1 Corinthians 15:51. “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” Whether dead or alive, an earthly, corruptible body cannot inherit the heavenly kingdom of God. “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption” (1 Corinthians 15:50). Only a body that has undergone a change from earthly to spiritual can enter heaven.

As we get closer to the Rapture, this article is more relevant than ever before. And as the world grows darker under the evil Spirit of Antichrist, Wesley’s words, inspired by the word of God and the Holy Spirit, shed light on the truth (of the resurrection of the dead in Christ) and give us hope to endure.

I cannot write as eloquently as the great preacher and apologist John Wesley wrote, so I will not attempt to emulate his work. I will just let him speak to you in his own words. To get the most out of this message, I would suggest you take your time and meditate on his words (sorry for the length). Here is an excerpt from this article, written 294 years ago.

THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:35

“But some man will say, how are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?” (1 Cor. 15:35). The apostle (Paul), having, in the beginning of this chapter, firmly settled the truth of our Savior’s resurrection, adds, “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you, that there is no resurrection of the dead?” It cannot now any longer seem impossible to you that God should raise the dead, since you have so plain an example of it in our Lord, who was dead and is alive; and the same power which raised Christ must also be able to quicken our mortal bodies.

But some men will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? How can these things be?” How is it possible that these bodies should be raised again and joined to their several souls, which many thousands of years ago were either buried in the earth, or swallowed up in the sea, or devoured by fire? — which have moldered into the finest dust, – that dust scattered over the face of the earth, dispersed as far as the heavens are wide; — nay, which has undergone ten thousand changes, has fattened the earth, become the food of other creatures, and these again the food of other men?

How is it possible that all these little parts, which made up the body of Abraham, should be again ranged together, and, unmixed with the dust of other bodies, be all placed in the same order and posture that they were before, so as to make up the very self-same body which his soul at his death forsook?

The plain notion of a resurrection requires that the self-same body that died should rise again. Nothing can be said to be raised again but that very body that died. If God gives to our souls at the last day a new body, this cannot be called the resurrection of our body, because that word plainly implies the fresh production of what was before.

The mention which the Scripture makes of the places where the dead shall rise further shows that the same body which died shall rise. Thus, we read in Daniel: “Those that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). And we may likewise observe that the very phrase of sleep and awake implies that when we rise again from the dead, our bodies will be as much the same as they are when we awake from sleep.

Thus, again, our Lord affirms (John 5:28-29), “The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation.” 

Now, if the same body does not rise again, what need is there of opening the graves at the end of the world? The graves can give up no bodies but those which were laid in them. If we were not to rise with the very same bodies that died, then they might rest forever. To this, we need only add that of St. Paul: “The Lord shall change this vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.” Now, this vile body can be no other than that with which we are now clothed, which must be restored to life again.

God can distinguish and keep unmixed from all other bodies the particular dust into which our several bodies are dissolved and can gather it together and join it again, how far so ever dispersed asunder. God is infinite both in knowledge and power. He knows the number of the stars and calls them all by their names; he can tell the number of the sands on the sea-shore: And is it at all incredible that He should distinctly know the several particles of dust into which the bodies of men are moldered, and plainly discern to whom they belong, and the various changes they have undergone?

Why should it be thought strange that He, who at the first formed us, whose eyes saw our substance yet being imperfect, from whom we were not hid when we were made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth, should know every part of our bodies, and every particle of dust whereof we were composed?

The artist knows every part of the watch which he frames; and if it should fall in pieces, and the various parts of it lie in the greatest disorder and confusion, yet he can soon gather them together and as easily distinguish one from another, as if every one had its particular mark. He knows the use of each and can readily give it its proper place, and put them all exactly in the same figure and order they were before. And can we think that the Almighty Builder of the world, whose workmanship we are, does not know where we are made, or is not acquainted with the several parts of which this earthly tabernacle is composed?

All these lay in one vast heap at the creation till he separated them one from another and framed them into those distinct bodies whereof this beautiful world consists. And why may not the same Power collect the ruins of our corrupted bodies and restore them to their former condition? All the parts into which men’s bodies are dissolved, however they seem to us carelessly scattered over the face of the earth, are yet carefully laid up by God’s wise disposal till the day of the restoration of all things. They are preserved in the waters and fires, in the birds and beasts, till the last trumpet shall summon them to their former habitation.

God can form this dust, so gathered together, into the same body it was before. And that it is possible, all must own who believe that God made Adam out of the dust of the earth. Therefore, the bodies of men being dust after death, it is no other than it was before; and the same power that at the first made it of dust, may as easily re-make it when it is turned into dust again. Nay, it is no more wonderful than the forming of a human body in the womb, which is a thing we have daily experience of; and is doubtless as strange an instance of divine power as the resurrection of it can possibly be.

And were it not so common a thing, we should be as hardly brought to think it possible that such a beautiful fabric as the body of man is, with nerves and bones, flesh and veins, blood, and the several other parts whereof it consists, should be formed as we know it is; as now we are, that hereafter it should be rebuilt when it has been crumbled into dust. Had we only heard of the wonderful production of the bodies of men, we should have been as ready to ask, “How are men made, and with what bodies are they born?” as now, when we hear of the resurrection, “How are the dead raised up, and with what bodies do they come?”

When God has raised this body, he can enliven it with the same soul that inhabited it before. And we cannot pretend to say it is impossible to be done, for it has been done already. Our Savior himself was dead, rose again, and appeared alive to his disciples and others, who had lived with him many years, and were then fully convinced that he was the same person they had seen die upon the cross.

The change which shall be made in our bodies at the resurrection, according to the Scripture account, will consist chiefly in these four things: — 1. That our bodies shall be raised immortal and incorruptible. 2. That they shall be raised in glory. 3. That they shall be raised in power. 4. That they shall be raised spiritual bodies.

1. 1. The body that we shall have at the resurrection shall be immortal and incorruptible:“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” Now, these words, immortal and incorruptible, not only signify that ~we shall die no more (for in that sense the damned are immortal and incorruptible),” but that we shall be perfectly free from all the bodily evils which sin brought into the world; that our bodies shall not be subject to sickness, or pain, or any other inconveniences we are daily exposed to. This is what the Scripture calls “the redemption of our bodies,” — the freeing them from all their maladies.

Were we to receive them again, subject to all the frailties and miseries which we are forced to wrestle with, I much doubt whether a wise man, were he left to his choice, would willingly take his again; — whether he would not choose to let his still lie rotting in the grave, rather than to be again chained to such a cumbersome clod of earth.

Such a resurrection would be, as a wise Heathen calls it, “a resurrection to another sheep.” It would look more like a redemption to death again than a resurrection to life. The best thing we can say of this house of earth is that it is a ruinous building and will not be long before it tumbles into dust; that it is not our home, — we look for another “house, eternal in the heavens;” that we shall not always be confined here, but that in a little time we shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, from this burden of flesh, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. What frail things these bodies of ours are!

How soon are they disordered! To what a troop of diseases, pains, and other infirmities are they constantly subject! And how does the least distemper disturb our minds, and make life itself a burden! Of how many parts do our bodies consist! And if one of these is disordered, the whole man suffers. If but one of these slender threads, whereof our flesh is made up, be stretched beyond its due proportion, or fretted by any sharp humor, or broken, what torment does it create!

Nay, when our bodies are at the best, what pains do we take to answer their necessities, to provide for their sustenance, to preserve them in health, and to keep them tenable, in some tolerable fitness for our souls’ use! And what time we can spare from our labor is taken up in rest and in refreshing our jaded bodies, and in fitting them for work again.

How are we forced, even naturally, into the confines of death; even to cease to be; — at least to pass so many hours without any useful or reasonable thoughts, merely to keep them in repair! But our hope and comfort are that we shall shortly be delivered from this burden of flesh: When “God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.”

Oh, when shall we arrive at that happy hand where no complaints were ever heard, where we shall all enjoy uninterrupted health both of body and mind, and never more be exposed to any of those inconveniences that disturb our present pilgrimage? When we shall have once passed from death unto life, we shall be eased of all the troublesome care of our bodies, which now takes up so much of our time and thoughts.

We shall be set, now undergo to support our lives. Yon robes of light, with which we shall be clothed at the resurrection of the just will not stand in need of those careful provisions which it is so troublesome to us here either to procure or to be without. But then, as our Lord tells us, those who shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world “neither marry nor are given in marriage, neither can they die any more, but they are equal to the angels.” Their bodies are neither subject to disease, nor want that daily sustenance which these mortal bodies cannot be without. “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but God will destroy both it and them.”

This is that perfect happiness which all good men shall enjoy in the other world, — a mind free from all trouble and guilt, in a body free from all pains and diseases. Thus, our mortal bodies shall be raised immortal. They shall not only be always preserved from death (for so these might be, if God pleased), but the nature of them shall be wholly changed, so that they shall not retain the same seeds of mortality; they cannot die any more.

1. 2. Our bodies shall be raised in glory. “Then shall the righteous shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43).A resemblance of this we have in the luster of Moses’ face, when he had conversed with God on the mount. His face shone so bright that the children of Israel were afraid to come near him till he threw a veil over it. And that extraordinary majesty of Stephen’s face seemed to be an earnest of his glory. “All that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). How then, if it shone so gloriously even on earth, will it shine in the other world, when his, and the bodies of all the saints, are made like unto Christ’s glorious body!

How glorious the body of Christ is, we may guess from his transfiguration. St. Peter, when he saw this, when our Lord’s face shone as the sun, and his raiment became shining and white as snow, was so transported with joy and admiration, that he knew not what he said. When our Savior discovered but a little of that glory which he now possesses, and which in due time he will impart to his followers, yet that little of it made the place seem a paradise; and the disciples thought that they could wish for nothing better than always to live in such pure light, and enjoy so beautiful a sight. “It is good for us to be here: Let us make three tabernacles;” — here let us fix our abode for ever.

And if they thought it so happy only to be present with such heavenly bodies, and to behold them with their eyes, how much happier must it be to dwell in such glorious mansions and to be themselves clothed with so much brightness!

This excellency of our heavenly bodies will probably arise, in great measure, from the happiness of our souls. The unspeakable joy that we then shall feel will break through our bodies and shine forth in our countenances; as the joy of the soul, even in this life, has some influence upon the countenance by rendering it more open and cheerful: So Solomon tells us, “A man’s wisdom makes his face to shine.” Virtue, as it refines a man’s heart, so it makes his very looks more cheerful and lively.

(Author’s note: see Shine On! :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready ).

1. 3. Our bodies shall be raised in power. This expresses the sprightliness of our heavenly bodies, the nimbleness of their motion, by which they shall be obedient and able instruments of the soul. In this state, our bodies are no better than clogs and fetters, which confine and restrain the freedom of the soul. The corruptible body presses down the soul, and the earthly tabernacle weighs down the mind. Our dull, sluggish, inactive bodies are often unable, or backward, to obey the commands of the soul. But in the other life, “they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.” Or, as another expresses it, “they shall run to and fro like sparks among the stubble.”

The speed of their motion shall be like that of devouring fire in stubble; and the height of it, above the towering of an eagle; for they shall meet the Lord in the air when he comes to judgment, and mount up with him into the highest heaven. This earthly body is slow and heavy in all its motions, listless and soon tired with action. But our heavenly bodies shall be as fire; as active and as nimble as our thoughts are.

1. 4. Our bodies shall be raised spiritual bodies. Our spirits are now forced to serve our bodies and to attend their leisure, and do greatly depend upon them for most of their actions. But our bodies shall then wholly serve our spirits, and minister to them, and depend upon them. So that, as by “a natural body,” we understand one fitted for this lower, sensible world for this earthly state; so “a spiritual body” is one that is suited to a spiritual state, to an invisible world, to the life of angels.And, indeed, this is the principal difference between a mortal and a glorified body.

This flesh is the most dangerous enemy we have: We therefore deny and renounce it in our baptism. It constantly tempts us to evil. Every sense is a snare to us. All its lusts and appetites are inordinate. It is ungovernable and often rebels against reason. The law in our members wars against the law of our mind. When the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak; so that the best of men are forced to keep it under and use it hardly, lest it should betray them into folly and misery.

And how does it hinder us in all our devotions! How soon does it jade our minds when employed on holy things! How easily, by its enchanting pleasures, does it divert them from those noble exercises! But when we have obtained the resurrection unto life, our bodies will be spiritualized, purified, and refined from their earthly grossness; then they will be fit instruments for the soul in all its divine and heavenly employment; we shall not be weary of singing praises to God through infinite ages.

Thus, after what little we have been able to conceive of it, it sufficiently appears that a glorified body is infinitely more excellent and desirable than this vile body. The only thing that remains is to draw some inferences from the whole. And, first, from what has been said, we may learn the best way of preparing ourselves to live in those heavenly bodies, which is by cleansing ourselves more and more from all earthly affections, and weaning ourselves from this body and all the pleasures that are peculiar to it.

We should begin in this life to loosen the knot between our souls and this mortal flesh; to refine our affections and raise them from things below to things above; to take ‘off our thoughts, and disengage them from present and sensible things, and accustom ourselves to think of, and converse with, things future and invisible; that so our souls, when they leave this earthly body, may be prepared for a spiritual one, as having beforehand tasted spiritual delights, and being in some degree acquainted with the things which we then shall meet with.

A soul wholly taken up with this earthly body is not fit for the glorious mansions above. A sensual mind is so wedded to bodily pleasures that it cannot enjoy itself without them, and it is not able to relish any other, though infinitely to be preferred before them. Nay, such as follow the inclinations of their fleshly appetites, are so far unfit for heavenly joys that they would esteem it the greatest unhappiness to be clothed with a spiritual body. It would be like clothing a beggar in the robes of a king. Such glorious bodies would be uneasy to them; they would not know what to do in them; they would be glad to retire and put on their rags again.

But when we are washed from the guilt of our sins, and cleansed from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, then we shall long to be dissolved, and to be with our exalted Savior; we shall be always ready to take wing for the other world, where we shall at last have a body suited to our spiritual appetites.

From hence we may see how to account for the different degrees of glory in the heavenly world. For although all the children of God shall have glorious bodies, yet the glory of them all shall not be equal. “As one star differs from another star in glory, so also is the resurrection of the dead.” They shall all shine as stars; but those who, by a constant diligence in well-doing, have attained to a higher measure of purity than others, shall shine more bright than others. They shall appear as more glorious stars.

It is certain that the most heavenly bodies will be given to the most heavenly souls; so that this is no little encouragement to us to make the greatest progress we possibly can in the knowledge and love of God, since the more we are weaned from the things of the earth now, the more glorious will our bodies be at the resurrection.

Let this consideration engage us patiently to bear whatever troubles we may be exercised with in the present life. The time of our eternal redemption draws nigh. Let us hold out a little longer, and all tears shall be wiped from our eyes, and we shall never sigh nor sorrow any more. And how soon shall we forget all we endured in this earthly tabernacle, when once we are clothed with that house which is from above!

We are now but on our journey towards home, and so must expect to struggle with many difficulties; but it will not be long till we come to our journey’s end, and that will make amends for all. We shall then be in a quiet and safe harbor, out of the reach of all storms and dangers. We shall then be at home in our Father’s house, no longer exposed to the inconveniences which, so long as we abide abroad in these tents, we are subject to. And let us not forfeit all this happiness for want of a little more patience. Only let us hold out to the end, and we shall receive an abundant recompense for all the trouble amid uneasiness of our passage, which shall be endless rest and peace.

Let this especially fortify us against the fear of death: It is now disarmed and can do us no hurt. It divides us, indeed, from this body awhile; but it is only that we may receive it again more glorious. As God, therefore, said once to Jacob, “Fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will go down with thee, and will surely bring thee up again;” so may I say to all who are born of God, “Fear not to go down into the grave; lay down your heads in the dust; for God will certainly bring you up again, and that in a much more glorious manner.” Only “be ye steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord;” and then let death prevail over, and pull down, this house of clay; since God hath undertaken to rear it up again, infinitely more beautiful, strong, and useful.”

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Randy Nettles

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Endnotes: {1} How is the Holy Spirit the guarantee of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:14)? | GotQuestions.org

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