What Happens Then?

Where did we come up with this idea?

The American secular picture of the “afterlife” after we die seems to be that we go to Heaven, sit on clouds, strum harps, and stare at God.  Where does that come from? In my early years, even I subscribed to that and thought it sounded ridiculously boring.

The only time I’ve seen that before was in Looney Tunes cartoons. I forget which character it was who got blown up at the end of one cartoon and winds up in Heaven, where it was so cloudy you couldn’t see a thing and he was strumming a harp while wearing fake angel wings. So, where did I even get that idea?

This should not be Theology 101

I suppose it’s the secular picture of what the “afterlife” looks like without the Bible.

What does happen when we die as followers of Jesus? Are we spirits floating around in Heaven? Well, no, and for proof, I’ll point you to the end of Luke.

Remember in Chapter 24 when Jesus appeared to the Apostles? They thought He was a “ghost” or “spirit” of some kind too. After all, they’d just seen Him die and be buried in a tomb. It’s a logical assumption for most people.

But the Lord wasn’t a spirit you could reach through. He had a physical body that was touchable. Chapter 24, verse 38 picks up the conversation.

“Why are you troubled?” He asked them. “And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at My hands and My feet that it is I, Myself! Touch Me and see because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as I have.” Having said this, He showed them His hands and feet, where the holes from the nails were clearly visible.

He took it a step further, asking them if they had anything to eat. Verse 42 says, “So they gave Him a piece of broiled fish and He ate it in their presence.” The study notes of my HCSB Apologetics Bible says Jesus stressed that His body was physical and the same body that was placed in the tomb.

Well, He’s Jesus, so that’s His prerogative, right? A legitimate point because He is God and can do anything. But what did the Bible say about our resurrection bodies? Looks like there are some changes coming!

Philippians 3:20-21 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it, we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

Look at the first part of verse 21: who (Jesus) will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body.

No more aches and pains. No more bad back, sore knees – or is that just me? – sicknesses, sin, or death. No more weaknesses. No wear and tear over time. None of that. It will be gone. Our new bodies will be eternal and sinless. They have to be in the presence of God.

The answers to his question are there in the Word

Now, am I promising that we’ll be able to suddenly appear and disappear like He did? I can’t guarantee that, but why not? After all, it says He will transform our bodies to be like His.

You’ll even look like you do. After all, they recognized Him when He suddenly appeared in their midst. Your friends and relatives that are already there will recognize you too, and you will know them.

Got Questions says it best: “Our resurrected, glorified bodies will be more like what God originally intended, rather than what we now abide in. Gone will be the infirmity and weakness of our sinful flesh; in their place will be eternal health and perpetual vitality. We will be glorified with Christ, and that glory will extend to the bodies we will inhabit.”

I hope that excites you, especially if you’re suffering from physical ailments. Jesus will change your body and take away the physical pain and difficulty we all suffer from in this life. That is such Good News!

For a much better description of the topic, give a watch to this video from John MacArthur.