Sunday, October 8, 2017

Which "me" will I be?

As Roscoe's 4th birthday arrived last week, I was reminded of a question that crossed my mind several times over the last few years. In the afterlife, which me will I be?

Roscoe died when he was 9.5 months old, but I don't think the Roscoe we'll find in heaven will be a little baby (with a healed heart and lungs). However, I don't know how much he'll have grown. Will Roscoe be a kid, a young adult, or will he look me straight in the eyes man-to-man?

My grandmother passed away when she was 87 years old. My tendency is to think that I'll see my grandmother in heaven still in her grandmother form (with healed bones and energized muscles). She lived a life as a single girl, then a young married woman, then a mom, then a grandmother. At the resurrection, which one of those people will she be?

If I die as a grandfather or great-grandfather, my grandchildren will expect to see an 80 year old Shaun in heaven, but I'd hope to be my 30 year old self.


What I'm asking is mainly a question around the imperishable body we'll receive at the resurrection. When we refer to a post-resurrection body, my tendency is to think of one of two things:

  1. A human body, but with a glowing aura and feathery wings. In other words, a Hollywood angelic version of ourselves.
  2. A formless glowing, hovering fog that's the visual representation of a spirit with no body.
It's not likely that either of these are what the bible refers to when discussing our new body. The two extended passages that discuss it are 1 Corinthians 15:42-57 and 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. The only details they give about this new body are that it will be different, heavenly, and eternal.

The transformation from old body to new body will occur at or before the resurrection, because we'll all have new bodies at the resurrection:
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 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
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Those who've already passed on have lost their current earthly bodies (decay), so they either already have their heavenly body or they're currently body-less until the resurrection. The wording in the verse above implies the latter, but then how could Moses and Elijah speak with Jesus (Luke 9:28-31) without bodies?

The bible says the following, perhaps referring our post-resurrection bodies being like Jesus':
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like him, because we will see Him just as He is.
1 John 3:2
After Jesus was raised his body was physical enough to be touched and eat fish, but non-physical enough to walk through walls and vanish from sight (Luke 24:31,36-43; John 20:19-29). On the road to Emmaus, disciples were actively prevented from recognizing post-resurrection Jesus (Luke 24:15-16) but at other times disciples just didn't recognize him right away (John 20:14-16; 21:4-7), so there was at least some visual similarities. In what way will our post-resurrection bodies resemble our current selves?


The point I'm slowly arriving at is that I don't know. I'm not sure what factor age or visual identification plays in our resurrected transformation. I don't know how I'll recognize Roscoe, but I know I will recognize him and that he'll remember me (Luke 16:19-31).
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which do choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better ...
Philippians 1:21-23