The Glorified Body
1 Corinthians 15:35-50
This lesson will deal with the subject of the glorified body. This is the body that a saved person from the church age will receive when they are resurrected at the Rapture of the church. It is also the body that a saved person who is still alive at the Rapture of the church will receive.
In 1 Corinthians 15:35-50 Paul is talking about the resurrection body. Now we must make a distinction here because only a church age saint is promised a Glorified Body. Therefore people resurrected from other time periods will have a resurrected body but it is not exactly like our Glorified Body. There is not a whole lot in the word of God specifically about the Glorified Body but will can learn a few things from this passage and others dealing with the resurrected body of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some things that we see concerning the resurrected body from our passage :
1) It will be different from the body that we have now (Verse 37)
- The word of God gives the illustration that when you plant something it doesn’t look at all like the seed that you planted when it grows. Therefore since the body we have now goes back to dust then the new body we get in the resurrection will be different from the one we have now.
2) The body comes from God (Verse 38)
- Note that God give s the body as it pleases him.
3) It is Incorruptible, Glorious, Powerful, and Spiritual (Verses 42-44)
- These are all wonderful things concerning the new body that we are going to get. Now even though the passage says that it is a spiritual body that does not mean it is a spirit. It is a flesh and bone body as we will see later in this lesson when we are study the resurrected body of the Lord Jesus Christ.
4) It will be in the image of the Heavenly (Verse 49)
- This brings us to some important verses concerning the Glorified Body being like Jesus Christ. Let us look at these verses. (Romans 8:29 ; Philippians 3:20,21 ; 1 John 3:1-3)
In Romans 8:29 the word of God says that saved born again people from the church age are predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Now this is not teaching predestination in regards to Salvation. It is referring to being conformed to his image.
In Philippians 3:20,21 the word of God says that the Lord Jesus Christ will one day change our vile body into a glorious body and that it will be fashioned like unto his glorious body.
In 1 John 3:2 the word of God says that “we shall be like him”.
Therefore we see plainly that even though we may not have every detail about the glorified body that one of the main things is that it is going to be like the Lord Jesus Christ. So if our Glorified Body is going to be like the body that Jesus Christ had after his resurrection then we can see some characteristics of the Glorified Body by looking at the body Jesus had after his resurrection from the dead.
Some characteristic of the resurrected body of the Lord Jesus Christ :
To see these characteristics we are looking at the passages in the gospels that deal with the Jesus Christ showing himself to his disciples after his resurrection. (Luke 24:13-45 ; John 20:19-23)
1) Once he revealed himself they knew him as Jesus (Luke 24:31)
- Jesus was able to hide himself from the disciples if he wished but when he chose to reveal himself they knew it was him.
2) He was not a spirit he had flesh and bones (Luke 24: 36-39)
- We will not be like disembodied spirits as many believe but we will have a body that is flesh and bone. But it is important to remember that it will not be like the flesh we have now.
- It is interesting that he said flesh and bone. Instead of flesh and blood. Remember that according to I Corinthians 15:50 flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of God. This matches what Adam said in Genesis 2:23. He said that Eve was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. Before they sinned Adam and Eve most likely did not have blood and most likely our Glorified Body will not have Blood.
3) This body could be touched (Luke 24:39)
- Jesus told them to handle him to prove it was him. This Glorified Body will be able to be handled remember it is not a spirit.
4) It is able to eat (Luke 24:42-43)
- Jesus ate broiled fish and a piece of honeycomb. You will not have to eat because this body is incorruptible but you can if you want to. That will be wonderful to be able to eat whatever you want without getting sick or getting fat.
5) This body is unlimited it what it can do (John 20:19)
- Notice that Jesus entered the room without going through the door. He also vanished out of sight after making himself known to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. This body will be a powerful body unlike the one we have right now. It will be able to do things that only science fiction can think of right now. I can’t wait for my Glorified Body.
The Glorified Body : Handout
1 Corinthians 15:35-50
1) List some of the things we see in the above passage concerning the resurrection body.
2) Give Scriptures for our resurrection body being like Jesus Christ.
3) What are some of the Characteristics of the resurrected body of the Lord Jesus Christ.