WHAT WILL YOU LOOK LIKE IN HEAVEN?
Christians will have resurrected glorified bodies in heaven
that will never die. Free Bible Images.
The moment you die.
At the moment of death, your spiritual soul will leave your physical body on earth and go to be in intermediate present heaven with Jesus. As the apostle Paul clarified, “as long as we live in these [earthly] bodies we are not at home with the Lord … and we would rather be away from theses earthly bodies and be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:1-9 NLT). Your physical body on earth will be resurrected at the second coming of Christ (John 5:28-29; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). At that time, your earthly body will be transformed into a glorified body.
“It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. … Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 54-55 NLT).
Your resurrected body.
Jesus will “transform our lowly bodies, so they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:21 NIV). Jesus’ body was a physically resurrected body. He could walk, talk, and eat (Luke 24:36-43; John 21:1-14). The apostle Paul considered the physical resurrection of Jesus’ body as essential to the Christian faith. Paul wrote, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. … [and] we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:17, 19 NIV). The physical resurrection is essential for the redemption of humans and the earth and their full restoration in the new heaven and new earth. Your resurrected body will be like Jesus’ resurrected body (1 Corinthians 15:20, 48-49; Philippians 3:21; 1 John 3:2). After his resurrection, Jesus encouraged the disciples to touch him (Luke 24:39 NIV). If you are a Christian, your resurrected body will be as physical as you are now. When you live in the new heaven and new earth, you will be eternally physical but your transformed glorified body will no longer subject to sin, death, suffering, and the curse of separation from God in hell. “‘He [Jesus] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He [Jesus] who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’” (Revelation 21:4-5 NIV). Alcorn, Heaven, 110-118; Randy Alcorn, Heaven: Biblical Answers to Common Questions booklet (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2004), 15.; Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2004), 281-290; Hank Hanegraaff, After Life: What You Need to Know About Heaven, the Hereafter & Near-Death Experiences (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing, 2013), 25-27; Kenneth D. Boa and Robert Bowman Jr., Sense and Nonsense about Heaven and Hell (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), chapters 7 and 8.
What will be the age or stage of development of your resurrected body?
When God created Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, he created them in the prime of life with apparent age (Genesis 1:26-31, 2:4-25). In addition, Jesus died and was resurrected at the prime of his physical development. In the new heaven and new earth, “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4 NIV). In heaven, Jesus will give his spiritually thirsty followers “water without cost from the spring of the water of life” (Revelation 21:6 NIV). Based on the above, your resurrected body as a Christian in heaven will most likely be in its optimal stage of development similar to how your body was in your twenties or early thirties. Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2004), 288-290; Hank Hanegraaff, After Life: What You Need to Know About Heaven, the Hereafter & Near-Death Experiences (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing, 2013), 25-27, 46-47.