All will be changed:

1 Corinthians 15:51-53

51     Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,

     52     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 will be changed.

     53     For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

     

            The New Testament calls death sleeping. Even Jesus said that of Lazarus. When you go to sleep, you anticipate waking up in the morning. When we die, we can anticipate waking up “in the morning”. There are various beliefs along these lines, but we’re not going to look at them. Paul said at one point that he would rather go on to be with the Lord, but to stay would mean gain for others. What is important is that one day, when Jesus returns our (the believers’) bodies will all be changed into His likeness. If we have died, we will be raised up. If we’re still alive, we’ll also rise to meet Him in the sky. This frail tent will put on immortality. Ponce De Leon was searching for the fountain of youth. People today spend thousands of dollars to prolong life. But we shall live forever.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "The people of the world have sorrow and fear of death. It is not so for you. You are to rejoice in death; for that is your time of triumph. Those of you who await My coming and shall see Me coming shall see My glory in your body. What you have now will no longer be your home. The home that I have for you is glorious and will never wear out. It is not a time of regretting what is to come, but for rejoicing in My coming. For I will come in My power and My glory, and you shall join with Me in My glory. You shall see Me as I am, for you shall be just like Me in My glorious body. You are Mine. I have chosen you for this time, and I have not changed My mind. Await the sound of My trumpet. When you hear the sound of My trumpet, then you will become as I am. Look up, My children for the hour grows near. Do not worry about when it comes, only concern yourself about being ready to meet Me.”

            109. When the last trumpet sounds, I will be changed … whether I am awake or asleep in the grave. I will then be raised up with Him imperishable, having put on immortality.

Our citizenship is in heaven:

Philippians 3:20-21

20     For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

     21     who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

            You’ve probably heard the song that says, “This world is not my home. I’m just a passing through.” Well, it’s not our home. The verse tells us that our citizenship is in Heaven. My citizenship is in the United States of America. I have all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of an American citizen. We have all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of a citizen of Heaven. Right now you are reading a book that tells you about some of your rights and privileges as a citizen. Some of your responsibilities are also mentioned. We should desire to meet our responsibilities as a citizen of Heaven. These verses tell us that this frail (by comparison) body will be transformed into conformity with the body of His glory. Hallelujah! It will be a mansion in comparison to the tent we live in now. But don’t think that we can’t receive benefits of our citizenship for our bodies here on earth. We can and should. We can’t do the best possible for God if we’re handicapped by disease or affliction. I know a lot of Christians believe we can glorify God by the way we handle our suffering (and we can). How much more though can we glorify Him by being healed? What non-believer would want to become a Christian if he/she thought that would mean having to suffer affliction to glorify God? People usually cannot get out and around to minister to others when they have afflictions. They also have to put out money that could be spent to further God’s Kingdom.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Do not think that I have a second-rate body in store for you on that Day. It is a perfect body, just like My Son’s. It is a glorious body and will never wear out. It knows neither disease nor discomfort. It will be yours forever as you walk in Me. I will make sure that it is one that you will be proud of … that you can wear with no regrets or fear of what may happen to it. It is a glorious body, and it will sustain you for all eternity.”

            108. My citizenship is in Heaven from which I eagerly wait for my Savior who will transform my body into conformity with His glorious body by the exertion of that power which He has to subject all things to Himself.

Our Bodies:

            We have a building from God:

2 Corinthians 5:1-4

1     For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

     2     For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,

     3     inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.

     4     For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.

     

            Our bodies are about as sturdy as a tent in a tornado. By comparison, we have a house that God made for us that is eternal. The body people see when they look at us isn’t the real us. We’re on the inside looking out. We are a spirit; we have a soul; and we live in a body. Our body is like the spacesuit that astronauts wear. It’s so we can operate in this physical realm. That doesn’t mean that our bodies are unimportant. They are a temple of the Holy Spirit and we should treat them in the best manner possible. That way we can live a long and productive life glorifying our Creator.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, your eyes have not seen nor has your mind conceived what I have in store for you. I have a special treat for you when you come to meet me on that Day. I will provide for you a special treat to replace that body of yours. It is precious and immortal. It will never wear out like the one you have now. It is to be yours forever. I will hasten it to happen on that Day. It will be a glorious Day, and you will forever rejoice in it. I have set it in motion, and it will come to pass at the proper time. Do not regret the time that you have in your body. It is but a momentary flash in the eternity of Mine. You cannot conceive of what it will be like in your new body. It will be perfect, and it requires you to be perfect also.”

            107. I do not have to fear that if this earthly temporal tent, my body, is torn down that there is nothing more. I know for sure that He has made for me a house eternal in the heavens with which I will clothe myself.