Brand New Arms

I was at a planning meeting for the memorial service of a friend.  I was emotionally exhausted, trying to stick to business so as to avoid crying yet again and at the same time, wanting to give my all to make the memorial a lovely event.  The minister is talking about the service and gives us the short, short version of his message of hope.

Hope.

That is what I need right now.

The pastor reminds us that Jesus is coming again.  When He does, we will get new bodies.  We will not just be spiritual beings but we will be physical beings, too.

I searched for the scripture that proved this.  I found an article by Matt Perman** to be helpful.

“There are many Scriptural reasons for believing that we will be raised with the same body that died. First, Christ was raised in the same body He had before He died. We know this because the tomb was empty (Luke 24:1-6) and because His resurrected body retained scars from the crucifixion (John 20:2527). Since Christ’s resurrection is the pattern that our resurrection will follow (Philippians 3:20-211 Cor. 15:49), then we will also be raised with the same body.

Second, this is also evident from the very meaning of the term “resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:13, etc.). The phrase means: that which is dead (namely, our body) is made alive. If the same body that died is not the body that was raised, Paul could not call it the “resurrection of the dead.” It would not be a resurrection at all.”

This means that someday, maybe next year or maybe one thousand years from now, I will be able to hug my friend again.  I will have arms and so will he.  I will be able to see his eyes and he will see mine.  And God bless it, there will be no more crying!

I tried to explain this to my five and a half-year old.

“Did you know that one day Jesus will come back to Earth?”

“Really?! “  Her face says it’s Christmas again.

“When HE comes back, we will all get new bodies, even the people who are in heaven.”

Her eyebrows go down and she looks at me seriously. “Is that real? Is Jesus really going to come here?”

Yes, it’s real.  We don’t know if we will still be alive or in heaven by then, but one day Jesus is coming back to Earth.

“ I will be so excited to see Him!  I will run and jump into His arms because He is stronger and bigger than anyone!”

“He would like that!”

And I will hug all those that I have lost.  And they will hug me back with their brand new, perfect arms.

That is hope.

Happy Easter.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He 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.  –  Revelation 21:3 & 4.

 

If you need more hope this Easter, check out https://www.the-throw-down.com/i-got-that/.

 

**http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/do-we-receive-the-same-body-we-had-on-earth-at-the-resurrection

 

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