Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas

NT Framework - Resurrection Body Explained

• Jeremy Thomas • Season 6 • Episode 171

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Jeremy traces how the New Testament describes the resurrection body as the transformed continuation of our present bodies, using the risen Jesus as our model. Eyewitness detail from John shows a body seen, heard, touched, eating, and imperishable, inspiring hope and obedience in us.

More information about Beyond the Walls, including additional resources can be found at www.beyondthewalls-ministry.com 

This series included graphics to illustrate what is being taught, if you would like to watch the teachings you can do so on Rumble (https://rumble.com/user/SpokaneBibleChurch) or on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtV_KhFVZ_waBcnuywiRKIyEcDkiujRqP).

Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner. 

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and our series on the New Testament framework. Today, a smaller, bite-sized piece from the larger lesson. We hope you enjoy it.

SPEAKER_01:

The resurrection body is the transformation of the present physical body into another physical body that is similar to your current body, but also different from your current body. Okay? So it's a transformation. That's the key word. And of course, we look at Christ. This is the first first of all, he's the first resurrected from the dead, right? And we have more information about his resurrection than anybody else's, obviously. Because he's the only one that was raised. So his resurrection body, it was the body that was in the tomb that was wrapped, and then had the face cloth, right? And when they went to the tomb, it wasn't there. The body wasn't there. And nobody had stolen the body. So what they discovered was that the body had actually transformed into his resurrection body. So somehow, you know, obviously by God's power, this is possible to occur. And in fact, it will happen to all bodies. Every person who's ever lived or ever will live will ultimately be resurrected. So that's what the resurrection body is. It's a transformation of our present body into a new body. Now, this body, let's go to 1 John 1. This is a reference to Christ's resurrection body. 1 John chapter 1 is described as like eternal in nature in this passage, but it can be heard, it can be seen, it can be touched. He says, What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at, and touched with our hands, concerning or related to the word of life, and the life was manifested, we have seen, and we testify, and we proclaim to you this eternal life. It was with the Father, it was manifested to us, we saw it, we heard it, we proclaim it to you. So there's a grounds for fellowship with one another. So that's interesting. Of course, John 20, 27. John 20, 27. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, right? Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the synoptic gospels, meaning they've seen through the same eyes, but John is more theological. It's not a synoptic. It gives theological evaluation of the significance of the things that happen in the synoptics. John 20, 27. After eight days, verse 26, the disciples were again inside Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, Peace be with you. Very interesting moment. Then he said to Thomas, Reach here with your finger and see my hands, and reach here your hands and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but be believing. See, it could be seen. Obviously, his voice could be heard as he spoke to Thomas, and his body could be touched. The resurrection body could be touched. It can eat and drink. We're in John. So look over at chapter 21, verse 12. 21, verse 12. So this is interesting. Let's just read it. Jesus said to them, verse 12, come and have breakfast. This is a you know the story of put the net on the other side. No, that story. None of the disciples ventured to question him, Who are you? Knowing that it was the Lord, showing you can recognize a person in the resurrection body. You're gonna know one another. I'm gonna know you, you're gonna know me, sorry. But, you know, we're gonna recognize one another. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. Presumably he ate. Other passages say he did eat. I've got several listed here. Some of them state explicitly, though it does not state it explicitly here, it's just inferred. Um, but it can eat and it can drink. He says, you know, I'll show you, you know, and we saw some of that in Luke 24. Um, but this so this is an interesting idea. Now, I've already talked about angels a little bit and how they're spirit beings, but when they come into this world, we see them eating and drinking in Genesis 19. And here's Jesus, and he's eating and drinking in a resurrection body. So, in that sense, angels, however they materialize, it was very similar to what Jesus was in the resurrection body. Am I saying angels had a resurrection body on that experience? No, I don't know. I'm just saying that the experience of eating and drinking was shared between angels and the resurrected Christ. So that's an interesting idea. Now, um, it can take up space and it weighs something. John 20, 27. Obviously, it takes up space. If if Jesus says to Thomas, reach here, you know, with your finger and see my hands, reach here, your hand, put it in my side. It's obviously taking up space. Presumably it weighs something because you can't press on something that doesn't weigh anything. So presumably it weighs something. But you know, we really don't know much about this body. We know some things. Well, we don't definitely don't know all things. We don't know the biology, the chemistry, and the physics of the resurrection body, because nobody's ever been able to experiment on one. We've never been able to take one to the lab and dissect it, which would require that the body actually be perishable and not imperishable. So it's not possible that you could even do an experiment on the body. Now you could do experiments that don't kill the body, you know, don't inflict harm to it, whatever that would mean, because you can't you can't do that to that body. But um no one has ever done this. Uh we just know that they are imperishable. We also know that they have flesh, um, but it's a different type of flesh. Again, it's not like a vascularized tissue like with blood, like we have. So you say, well, yeah, but what is I don't know. All I know is it's wonderful. Whatever it is, it's wonderful. It's not subject to scarring, right? We're not gonna have scars, we're not gonna injure ourselves in the resurrection. Uh presumably we're not gonna trip over, you know, a stump and hurt ourselves or injure ourselves. Uh whatever it is, it's a it's a remarkable body because it is imperishable, it's immortal, right? And so I wish I could tell you so much more about it, but we'll just have to wait and see, right? We'll just have to wait and see.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas. If you would like to see the visuals that went along with today's sermon, you can find those on Rumble and on YouTube under Spokane Bible Church. That is where Jeremy is the pastor and teacher. We hope you found today's lesson productive and useful in growing closer to God and walking more obediently with Him. If you found this podcast to be useful and helpful, then please consider rating us in your favorite podcast app. And until next time, we hope you have a blessed and wonderful day.