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“WhenWeAllGettotheNewCreation”AdjustingOurVocabularyaboutLifeafterDeath

BryanElliffWhenIfirststartedonmyjourneyasabeliever,Ihadamisconceptionaboutlifeafterdeath.IthoughtthatmysoulwouldleavemybodyandgotolivewithJesusinheavenforever.Youmaybethinking:“That’samisconception?That’swhatIbelieve!”Well,therearecertainlyelementsofwhatIthoughtthataretrue.Itistrue,forexample,thatwegotobewithJesusimmediatelyafterdying.ThisismentionedonafewoccasionsintheNewTestament,butwithverylittleexplanation.Whileitisacomfortingandwonderfulreality,wesimplydon’tknowmuchaboutit.Theproblemcomeswhenwethinkthatthisdisembodiedlifeinheavenissomehowourultimateandeternalhope.Manyofusgrewupsinginghymnsthatreinforcethisidea.Noticehowtheauthorof“I’llFlyAway”imaginesthathisbodyislikeaprisonthathissoulwillsomedayflyawayfromtoliveinaneternal,spiritual“land”awayfromearth.Whentheshadowsofthislifehavegone,I'llflyaway;Likeabirdfromprisonbarshasflown,I'llflyaway(I'llflyaway)Justafewmorewearydaysandthen,I'llflyaway;Toalandwherejoyshallneverend,I'llflyaway(I'llflyaway)Forwhateverreason,manyChristianshavedevelopedtheideathat“flying”awayfromthisworldandfromthebodyissomehowtheideal,thatitwillusherusintoaneternalexistence.Scripture,however,makesitveryclearthatthisjustisn’ttrue.Whatisthebiblicalvision,then?TheNewtestamentwritersconfrontuswithsomethingevenmoreexciting!It’swhattheycalltheresurrection—thatis,

therealitythatwhenJesusreturns,believerswillbebroughtbacktolifeintheirbodies.Mostpeoplerecognize1Corinthians15asachapteraboutJesus’resurrection,butmanyfailtorealizethatitismostlyaboutourresurrection.ListeninasPaulexplainsamysteryin1Corinthians15:50-53:

“NowIsaythis,brethren,thatfleshandbloodcannotinheritthekingdomofGod;nordoestheperishableinherittheimperishable.”

Wenodourheadsatthispoint.Weknowthatitwouldn’tworkforustoenterGod’sfuturekingdomwithourdecayingbodies.We,andthehymn-writersofthelastcentury,havealwaysagreedwiththispoint.That’swhyjustoursoulsgotoheaven,right?Notatall.ForPaul,thesolutionisnottogetridofourbodies,buttotransformthem.

“Behold,Itellyouamystery;wewillnotallsleep[remaindead],butwewillallbechanged,inamoment,inthetwinklingofaneye,atthelasttrumpet;forthetrumpetwillsound,andthedeadwillberaisedimperishable,andwewillbechanged.”

WewillnotinheritGod’sfuturekingdomasimmaterialsouls.Rather,Godwillraiseusandtransformus,insideandout.Afterall,everypartofGod’screationisgood,thenon-physicalandthephysical.Fallen,yes,butworthyofbeingredeemed.That’swhyPaul’shopewasnot“tobeunclothed,buttobeclothed”(2Cor5:4).TheBibleteachesthatonedaywewillrisetoliveinaremadeworld—a“newheavensandanewearth”asPetercallsit(2Peter3:13)—aphysicalexistencethatisnewlyanimatedbyGod’sownspirit.Thisisawonderfulhopeanditoughttobereflectedinthewaywetalk.Somehow,thoughnotentirelyincorrect,phraseslike“whenwegettoheaven”havebecomethefocusofourspeech.“Goingtoheaven”hasbecomethewaywetalkaboutthebeliever’sultimatereward.Butthere’ssomuchmore!Instead,let’susephrasesthatcelebratetheresurrection—thingslike“whenwegettothenewcreation,”or“I’mnotafraidofdeathbecauseonedayIwillberaised.”Thisisn’tjustamatterofsemantics;itrevealsourmindset.Let’sallowourheartsandmouthsbefilledwithanticipationaswewaitforGodtotransformusandtheworldwelivein.

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