1 Corinthians 15:49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

It all boils down to the question of to whom you belong. Most people have questions about what will happen when and after they die, which is natural enough. We tend to have a fascination with death-bed utterances, and some of them are quite interesting, including those of famous atheists. In just the past few decades the study of Near-Death Experiences has become quite a thing, but that still doesn’t touch on the subject here, of resurrection. Paul, like Jesus before him, used the illustration of a seed, that must be planted and “die” before it becomes what it was created to be, growing into a plant and bearing fruit. The only real example we have is that of Jesus, because all the other people recorded in the Bible who came back to life after dying eventually died again; their resurrection was temporary. Jesus, however, is eternally alive, as He demonstrated to Paul on the road to Damascus and to John on the island of Patmos. That’s why we need to focus on Him if we want to know what our own resurrection will be like, just as Paul says here.

I have frankly never been that interested in resurrection as such. I know I will spend eternity with my Lord, and whatever form that takes is OK with me! My wife had an NDE 50 years ago last month, and the experience erased all her fears of death. Her description certainly gives something to look forward to! Even that, however, is not the same as resurrection. The whole subject of “zombies” is a false resurrection, and I think the devil cooked up the idea to discredit the idea of resurrection. We can have total confidence that our resurrection will be nothing like that! I personally have complete assurance that I will see and know brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone on ahead, including my own parents, but that completely pales in comparison to the assurance that I will see and know my Lord, even as John was given a vision of Him on Patmos. Knowing that I am in Him now by faith and that I will be in Him in totality for eternity makes the question of what form I will be in rather insignificant to me. I know His plans are perfect, and that’s enough for me.

Father, thank You for the assurance that You have given me. It’s a huge blessing, and seems downright mysterious to many of the people I talk to. Help me speak Your truth in love at all times, so that as many as will may open their heart to receive the faith that You have given me, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!