YouTube: https://youtu.be/IroUKON6pK8

Download Audio: https://od.lk/f/MV8zMDEyNzAzMjhf
Download Video: https://od.lk/f/MV8zMDEyNzAwODJf
Download PDF: https://od.lk/f/MV8zMDEyNjk3OTdf

Timothy: I Corinthians 15:35-49
The Resurrection Body

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I respectfully offer my praise and gratitude to You. You are the Almighty God and my Father in Heaven. I rejoice and am grateful to live in Your love and grace. Each passing day in my life is a gift from You, granting me further opportunities to do the good works You have prepared for me on this earth. I thank You, Father, for the good outcome of my annual health check-up. Despite the aging of my physical body and its weaknesses, You have blessed me with good health. I am truly thankful to You. May You continue to grant me good health as I am now until the coming of Christ. I believe that day is not far away. I pray that Christ may strengthen me anew each day, and I ask the Holy Spirit to bestow wisdom upon my spirit, so that I may contemplate the Eternal Living Word of God. I am grateful to Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Father, I would like to present my reflections on 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 as follows:

35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

Verses 35 and 36: I understand that not only did the Corinthians during the time of the Apostle Paul, but also for a long time, the majority of people in the world have found it difficult to believe in the resurrection of the dead, where the physical body, once decayed into dust, can be resurrected. Many people believe in the doctrine of reincarnation in Hinduism and Buddhism. This doctrine teaches that after death, humans will be reborn into another physical body, either human or animal, and this cycle continues until they attain liberation and become nothingness through spiritual cultivation. The doctrine of reincarnation is completely contrary to the Word of God. The Apostle Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, skillfully presents the image of a seed being resurrected into a plant to illustrate to the Corinthians the resurrection of the human physical body.

37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

Verses 37 and 38: I understand that the seeds of each species of plant have a predetermined and distinct physical form determined by God. However, that form is not what it will become. In fact, the physical form of each seed and the form of each plant that grows from that seed are completely different. Therefore, the resurrected body of humans will be completely different from the body that died.

I contemplate the event where, after the resurrection, Christ appeared to His disciples, but in many cases, they did not recognize Him. Like the two disciples on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus, they saw the Lord as an ordinary person. I understand that this is because Jesus did not want them to see the true glory of His resurrected body.

I understand that during the period of the Millennial Kingdom, the citizens of the kingdom who are still in their natural physical bodies will see those who have been transformed or resurrected as ordinary people. But when we interact outside of Earth, such as on planets in the universe or in heaven, our transformed or resurrected bodies will manifest the true glory of each individual.

39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.

Verse 39: I understand that God created all species, each according to its kind, as affirmed in the Book of Genesis, chapter 1. Whether humans, animals, fish, or birds, each species has a physical body of flesh, but the flesh of each species is different. That is why there is no transmigration from one species to another. It is also for this reason that humans should not genetically modify or transplant genes from one species to another.

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

Verses 40 and 41: I understand that, according to the text, the phrase “the celestial bodies” refers to the second heaven, which is the vast expanse of space within the universe. The celestial bodies in the material world are the sun, moon, and stars. Their glory is the brightness and power radiating from them. Each celestial object has a different radiance. “The terrestrial bodies” refer to Earth and all things on it. The glory of each species on Earth is also different and distinct from the glory of objects in the heavens.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

Verses 42-44: I understand that, due to sin, the physical bodies of humans suffer from sickness, aging, and eventually death. Some people also die due to accidents, natural disasters, wars, or at the hands of evildoers. But generally, human death is the consequence of sin, as affirmed in Romans 3:23 and 6:23. Without sin, there would be no death from sickness, aging, accidents, natural disasters, wars, or evildoers. When the physical body of a human dies, it decomposes into dust. This is the result of corruption, degradation, and weakness that the natural body inherited from its parents. However, when resurrected, the natural body becomes a glorious and spiritual body. That body can exist and function in the spiritual realm of heaven or hell, or in the new heaven and earth of the Millennial Kingdom.

I understand that the resurrected body, whether of believers or non-believers, will be resurrected in the glory that God has appointed for each individual and in victorious power over death. For believers, they will live eternally in bliss with God in the Kingdom of Heaven. The glory of each person will vary depending on the righteous deeds they have done in their natural bodies. As for non-believers, they will face the final judgment of God to be judged for their deeds on Earth. With each evil deed being judged, the glory of their resurrected bodies will diminish, losing the glory that God has appointed for them. It is a punishment for their sins. Ultimately, they will be confined to eternal hell in a spiritual body without the rightful glory it should have.

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Verse 45: I understand that the first person created by God from the dust of the earth was Adam, the ancestor of humankind. A body formed from the dust of the earth by God. As soon as God breathed His divine breath into the nostrils of that earthly body, it became flesh, called a human being, and possessed a self, known as the soul. The divine breath of God is the spirit, which is the spirit of a human being, enabling them to perceive and interact with the spiritual realm. Meanwhile, the physical body enables humans to perceive and interact with the physical world. The soul has life and is the essence of each individual, simultaneously residing in the spirit and in the physical body.

I understand that Christ is the Last Adam. He is the Giver of Life. In His divine nature, He is the source of life. Anyone who sincerely repents of their sins and accepts His redemptive death is made anew in Him, meaning they are born again by God, belong to heaven, and belong to God. They are mysteriously united with Christ and receive eternal life from Christ Himself.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

Verses 46 and 47: The natural bodies of humankind are the physical, fleshly bodies that are born from Adam. Adam’s fleshly body came from the earth, so all human fleshly bodies belong to the earth and must return to the dust. The first spiritual body of humankind is the physical body of Christ, who was born of the Virgin Mary. That spiritual body belongs to heaven because it comes from heaven, and death has no power over it. All who believe in the Gospel are united in Christ, and their natural bodies will be born again into spiritual bodies in Christ, just like the spiritual body of Christ.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

Verses 48 and 49: I understand that “belonging to the earth” and “belonging to heaven” in these two verses have both physical and spiritual meanings. Everything that belongs to the earth will pass away. Because the old heaven and the old earth have been tainted by the sins of humankind and some angels, they will all pass away. Everything that belongs to heaven, on the other hand, will remain forever, for it remains holy in God. The physical, fleshly body, which is the natural body of God’s people, comes from the earth and belongs to the earth, so it must pass away. The holy body of God’s people, which comes from heaven, belongs to heaven and will endure forever.

The image of those who belong to the earth is the image of the first Adam. The image of those who belong to heaven is the image of the second Adam, which is the image of Christ that God desires His people to become like (Romans 8:29).

Father, I thank You for the Eternal Living Word of God that has helped Your people understand the resurrection of the dead. I pray that those who do not know You, and who have not received the Gospel, may soon hear the Gospel and believe in it. I ask that You grant that more and more people come to the truth of the Holy Scriptures. For when they know the truth, the truth will set them free from the power of darkness, ignorance, sin, and death. I thank You, Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
06/05/2023