Heavenly Bodies

[Justin Mangonel]

Heavenly Bodies​

By​

Justin Mangonel​

We have a lot to look forward to in the New Heavens and New Earth and our Father which is in heaven wants us to be aware of our future blessings in order to give us hope. In this present creation, which is passing away, many suffer from various physical issues such as illness, old age, and dissatisfaction with how they look. I wish to share with you some insights into what is in store for us. I am going to talk about what will take place after the resurrection and we receive our glorified bodies. I believe that God is revealing more and more about such topics because we are nearing the day when we will stand on the shores of a new creation.

To begin with, there is not much written about this topic and many people do not know anything about what their glorified bodies will be like. Paul states,

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

1 Corinthians 15:50-53​

From these verses we learn that we shall all be changed. Changed in to what is the question. While we are corruptible in this present creation, meaning we die and decay, we will be incorruptible in the next. Paul is speaking of immortality in relation to our new bodies and also when He speaks of the Kingdom of God he speaks of the New Heavens and New Earth.

It is my belief that when God makes all things new that He intends to also make our bodies new. This is the reason that God changes our present bodies into glorified bodies during the resurrection. For if God made all things new and our bodies were not changed we would be out of place in His new creation. Moreover, our bodies need to be changed to be made immortal for we cannot live in a perfect place forever without being perfect ourselves. Just as we have bodies to interact with this present creation we also must have bodies, albeit perfect ones, to interact with the next creation. This fact is one of the strongest arguments for the New Heavens and New Earth being very similar to this present creation.

In the new creation of God, i.e. the New Heavens and New Earth, God re-creates everything that was corrupted by sin and makes all things new. Notice, I did not say “remake” for this present creations is totally destroyed by fire and is completely done away with. It is worth noting that God does not create a new creation that is markedly different from our present creation but rather recreates a new one very similar to it. Why does He do this? It is because God had an original plan for mankind that was never fulfilled. Once God makes a plan He always fulfills it no matter how long it takes. Therefore, even though Adam chose to sin He Fathered a second Adam that chose to not sin. Even though the first creation was damaged by sin God is going to make a new creation that is not. Even though present day Jerusalem has been the scene of unspeakable violence God is going to fashion a New Jerusalem that will be filled with peace. Whatever God purposed originally will in fact be fulfilled eventually through His great power and wisdom.

I believe that our resurrected bodies will be the bodies that we would have had if Adam never fell and Gods creation remained perfect. Adam and Eve were perfect and immortal and most likely beautiful to behold beyond anything we can imagine. Had they not sinned and continued to obey Gods commandment all their decedents would have been immortal and beautiful too. (This is why mankind is so preoccupied with beauty for something deep inside us instinctively remembers what we were.) Therefore, if God is going to restore those who know salvation back into the perfection that was lost He will also bring our physical bodies back into a similar perfection. For all of us who know God that is a very good thing to look forward too. Imagine how you would feel if you looked and felt better than the most physically fit man or the most beautiful woman in the world. That is part of what awaits those who love God and are called according to His purposes in the world to come.

Also, there is a misconception that we will all somehow be eunuchs in Gods new creation. I do not believe that this is the case because God commanded Adam and Eve to go forth and multiply in this creation before sin entered into it. Therefore in the new creation I believe that this commandment will still be in effect and God will desire for His people to bring forth children to His glory. It makes no sense to me that the very central theme of this creation would be radically different in the next since everything else is reset to what God originally intended.

This brings up the obvious question of whether or not there will be relationships between men and women in the New Heavens and New Earth. Personally I say yes and I believe that men and women will still procreate and bring forth children throughout eternity. It is just that the institution of marrying and given in marriage will no longer apply and that God, through His Holy Spirit, will lead and guide men and women differently in this regard. Though the natural bonds that men and women have formed in this life will still be present, the way in which they conduct themselves in these unions will also be made new and reset to what God originally planned. What this is we do not know but my sense is that it has something to do with and is foreshadowed in the New Testament by love feasts.

If you think about it, God probably intended mankind to not only populate this present Earth but also the other worlds throughout this solar system and indeed the Universe. Today we know through scientific observation that other planets exist in other solar systems far beyond our own. Perhaps there are galaxies beyond our Milky Way system that hold such planetary systems too. Though it boggles the mind perhaps God’s original plan was for mankind to spread across the entire universe and for God to be worshiped and loved by a people as numerous as the stars of heaven.

We have witnessed, in only a few hundred years, the rise of technology capable of exploring our own solar system. Mankind’s fascination with the stars most likely has its roots in God’s desire for mankind to be fruitful and multiply to a degree we cannot imagine. If this is indeed the case it is not impossible that God still wishes for mankind to fulfill this destiny in the New Heavens that He will create. If the Universe (or as God refers to it “The Heavens”) is indeed infinite would it not suit an infinite God to have an infinite number of souls populate it and worship Him?

Though what I say is theory and conjecture it is not totally outside of the realm of possibility or the scriptures. It is good to expand our horizons to consider just how big and how grand God’s ultimate plan for mankind may be. It is encouraging to know that what God has prepared for them that love Him is truly beyond our ability to fully comprehend. Just glimpsing what God is planning to do is wonderful and can give us hope for the future.

Some of us are suffering greatly and when we look at natural circumstance on this Earth we can become depressed. However, God wishes for you to unbend yourselves and look up for your redemption is certainly near. If your body is not well or you are not satisfied with it know that God will change it into a body that will function perfectly and be more beautiful, in a godly and holy way, than any found on Earth today. If you have struggled to have children know that when God glorifies your body it will function perfectly and you will bring forth abundantly in His holy mountain. If you suffer from debilitating illness that you cannot seem to overcome know that God, only a short time from now, will restore you to perfect health and you will feel better than you ever thought possible.

Finally, whatever God has in store for us it will be wonderful and fulfill the deepest desires and longings of our hearts. No one who passes away knowing Jesus and His Father will be disappointed. No one that has lost loved ones in Jesus Christ will miss them forever. No child that has died will be separated from their believing parents for long. Truly, God is about to make all things new and we shall eternally rejoice in His goodness and mercy.

 

[Pelaides]

If everyone in heaven is immortal,why would we need to procreate?

 

[Rex]

Ponder this my friend.
Genesis 22:17
Hebrews 11:12

Just how many do you suppose that is?
Do you suppose that number has been reached in the # of living souls that have lived today and threw all the generations?

 

[Justin Mangonel]

i think it is a really big number...I think it may just be saying too numerous to count.

I think that each person has a unique ability to show forth a part of God and also to have a special relationship with Him. So, I think God believes the more people their are to show His glory thourgh and to love Him the better it is.

 

[Hezekiah]

Just suppose:

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom. So says the scriptures.

A spirit cannot be seen. A spirit is likened to the wind. So says the scriptures.
Evil spirits could be inside swine. In fact, many evil spirits can be inside one body. Evil spirits are invisible to the human optics.

The New Jerusalem is a spiritual city. It is so large that were it material, it would crush everything from Jerusalem to Egypt.

Just suppose:

Suppose the saved are to be resurrected as invisible spirit beings capable of moving as fast as the wind. Suppose these spirit beings are able to take on bodies in order to interact with flesh and blood human beings.

Just suppose it is the design of God that those saints involved in the first resurrection and those saints changed into spirit beings at the Second Advent are to become kings, priests, and judges over all those who died without knowing Christ or God the Father who are to be resurrected as human beings again and dwell upon the earth. Just suppose it is the purpose of those saints predestinated from before the foundation of the earth to teach God's ways to all these resurrected humans and those new born during Christ's reign.

 

[Helen]

:) Very interesting opening post.
I don't buy it all, but it was a good read. Much can only be guess work, no one can know for sure.

Maybe this has been covered elsewhere, but, what do you think the New Earth will be like?
And who do you think will be there? Do you see " everyone" being there on the New Earth , and the angelic's and the inhabitance of heaven remain as it is now?

People always talk about 'going to heaven' when they die..and we all know what they mean. But because the resurrection of "every man in his own order " has not happened yet, I don't believe anyone is " there"...except Jesus Himself.
I believe my parents etc are in a paradise place.
I have often wondered about the New earth thing..
What's your best guess...I think that is all it can be. I have never heard anyone have a real revelation about it.

Blessings...

 

[Justin Mangonel]

Hi Grace,

This is my take on the New Heavens and New Earth. I think that it will be a totally new creation except that we, who are born again, inhabit it. I believe it will be close to what the world would have been had Adam and Eve never sinned. I think God will pretty much go back to the original plan He had for us before the Fall. Our bodies will be immortal but will pretty much look like they would have looked had we been born perfect. I also think that the world to come will be seperate and distinct from heaven but wel may have free access to it. Once the angels have fulfilled their mission God may turn to them and do something Sara like. Perhaps they will become fruitful in some way.

The most interesting thing...perhaps...is that because of the Holy Spirit...we are experiencing a foretaste of that place now. So...whatever happens through the Holy Spirit...is going to be common place there.

Blessings,

Justin

 

[Helen]

Thanks Justin...I like that! :)
I can even go as far as saying I 'witness to that' in my spirit.
Not too sure about the angels procreating though...we will have to just 'wait and see' :)

Bless you...

 

[Butch5]

Hi Grace,

This is my take on the New Heavens and New Earth. I think that it will be a totally new creation except that we, who are born again, inhabit it. I believe it will be close to what the world would have been had Adam and Eve never sinned. I think God will pretty much go back to the original plan He had for us before the Fall. Our bodies will be immortal but will pretty much look like they would have looked had we been born perfect. I also think that the world to come will be seperate and distinct from heaven but wel may have free access to it. Once the angels have fulfilled their mission God may turn to them and do something Sara like. Perhaps they will become fruitful in some way.

The most interesting thing...perhaps...is that because of the Holy Spirit...we are experiencing a foretaste of that place now. So...whatever happens through the Holy Spirit...is going to be common place there.

Blessings,

Justin

It's a restored earth, not a new one. It's new in the sense of remodeled.

 

[Justin Mangonel]

I must firmly disagree with you Butch. The very atomos (smallest thing that the greek languaged had a word for) are burned up. No, there is nothing left.

2 Peter 3:10

 

[Helen]

I must firmly disagree with you Butch. The very atomos (smallest thing that the greek languaged had a word for) are burned up. No, there is nothing left.

2 Peter 3:10

Agree x 3

 

[Butch5]

I must firmly disagree with you Butch. The very atomos (smallest thing that the greek languaged had a word for) are burned up. No, there is nothing left.

2 Peter 3:10

I must firmly disagree with you Butch. The very atomos (smallest thing that the greek languaged had a word for) are burned up. No, there is nothing left.

2 Peter 3:10

A closer look at the issue reveals that Peter and Isaiah both speak of the earth being restored.

[sup]20[/sup] And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: [sup]21[/sup] Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (Act 3:1 KJV)
Notice Peter the restitution of all things. He speaks of the Prophets.
[sup]17[/sup] For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. (Isa 65:17 KJV)
The Hebrew word translated create also means to form or to fashion.
Also take notice to what God said in the Revelation
[sup]KJV [/sup]Revelation 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Rev 21:5 KJV)
Notice He said, I makes all things new, not I make all new things. He’s taking the things and making them new.
Another thing to consider from the verse you posted about the earth being burned up is that fire is used in the Scriptures for purging. God is going to use fire to purge the earth.
God has promised this earth to Jesus as His inheritance, why would He promise it to Jesus and then burn it up?
[sup]7[/sup] I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
[sup]8[/sup] Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. (Psa 2:7-8 KJV)
Also Paul says that the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God, that the resurrection. Paul said the creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption. Why would he say that if it was just going to be burned up?

 

[Justin Mangonel]

A principle of hermeneutics is that vague scripture does not trump clear scriptures. In other words these scriptures which are open to interpretation do not countermand the clear scripture in Peter. The restitution of all things could mean, in my theological view, taking mankind back to his pre-fallen state.

I honestly do not understand why people obstinately hold on to the hope that new means refurbished. It does not. New means new. A new car is not a renewed car, or a restituted car, or a restored car but a care that is new -- meaning never been used before.

 

[Butch5]

A principle of hermeneutics is that vague scripture does not trump clear scriptures. In other words these scriptures which are open to interpretation do not countermand the clear scripture in Peter. The restitution of all things could mean, in my theological view, taking mankind back to his pre-fallen state.

I honestly do not understand why people obstinately hold on to the hope that new means refurbished. It does not. New means new. A new car is not a renewed car, or a restituted car, or a restored car but a care that is new -- meaning never been used before.

You have the Scriptures. The ones I posted are not ambiguous, the are just as clear as the passage from Peter. As a matter of fact the passage from Paul is crystal clear. Just because Jewish culture several thousand years ago didn't use the word new in exactly the way you use the word new doesn't change what the Scriptures say. Here's the meaning of the word that Peter chose to use.

605 ἀποκaτάστaσις apokatastasis {ap-ok-at-as'-tas-is}
Meaning: 1) restoration 1a) of a true theocracy 1b) of the perfect state before the fall

Since the word new can mean restored, but a completely new and different earth cannot mean restored you’ve got a problem. Peter made both statements that leaves you with two options, either Peter contradicted himself or by new he meant restored.

 

[Justin Mangonel]

Hi Butch,

2 Peter 3:10,

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."

So are you honest trying to say to me that this scripture does mean destroyed? That pass away, melt with a fervent heat, and burned up somehow means restored?

This is as plain as it gets and it is only because you come at these scriptures with a mindset that the Earth has to be renewed that you shoe horn them to fit your theology.

I don't care either way and so to me this scripture clearly states that this creation is going to be destroyed down to the very elements. It is also going to rolled up like a scroll. It is also going to pass away.

You know, I am not a Greek scholar and so every time someone starts to pull out the Greek to prove their point I feel I have won the argument. If it cannot be proved with English then, for most people, it can't be proved at all.