Prayer – Lord, I am weak—but You are strong! I look
forward with joyous expectation and eagerness to the time when the Christians’ mortal
bodies—mine included—will be transformed into immortal bodies like Yours. What
a glorious day that will be! Praise be to our Almighty God—for this miraculous
plan. Cleanse my heart and soul that I would be ready at any moment for the
transformation that You will make. Hallelujah!
Remember the story of the Ugly Duckling?
It was transformed into a beautiful swan.
Will your mortal body be transformed...
into an immortal body like Christ?
Swan at "Swan Lake" Sumter, SC.
For I have told you often before, and I say it again
with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really
enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is
their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this
life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ
lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take
our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his
own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his
control. Philippians 3:18-21 (Underlined for emphasis.)
Meditate on this passage.
How is your relationship with God today? Would He consider
you a friend or an enemy? Are you eagerly waiting for Christ’s return and the
transformation of your mortal body?
Paul is really compassionate and encouraging towards the obedient
and faithful Christians in Philippi. He can see that there are some who are not
following Christ—but their own desires—and others whose focus is on Jesus Christ
and our heavenly home. More instruction is provided on the End Times—transformed
bodies. Paul has also instructed the Christians in Corith about the same thing.
What I am saying,
dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the
Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. But
let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all
be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when
the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died
will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.
For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never
die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our
dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this
Scripture will be fulfilled: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O
death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" For
sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But
thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus
Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work
enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is
ever useless. 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (Underlined for emphasis.)
That “last trumpet” may not be the seventh trumpet
in Revelation (Revelation 10:7 and 11:15), but the Roman Victory trumpet sound
since Paul was teaching Gentiles who would have been familiar with that Roman custom.
Note that in the passage above, victory is used three times, as is the
word transformed. I think it will be a great sign of victory when our
bodies are transformed like that of Jesus. (See additional thoughts on this transformation
in the October 11th Banquet With The King blog post.) Can you
imagine becoming immortal in an instant—in the twinkling of an eye? We will
have resurrection bodies, just like Jesus. He evidently traveled the seven-mile
distance between Emmaus and Jerusalem that would have taken two or three hours
on foot, instantaneously, as He spoke with the people on the road to Emmaus and
then appeared in the Upper Room to the disciples. We don’t actually know the
time frame associated with those appearances, but I’m assuming that both were
at the dinner hour. He broke bread at Emmaus and then disappeared and appeared
with the disciples and asked them for something to eat. Apparently, the two Emmaus
followers rushed back to Jerusalem and showed up there with Jesus’ disciples,
too. At any rate, Jesus did not walk into the room through the door. He just
appeared. Will we be able to be miraculously transported through time and space
also? Nothing is impossible with God. We do know that our bodies will be
changed.
Verses of Salvation ~ Do not love this world nor the
things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of
the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a
craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.
These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is
fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what
pleases God will live forever. 1 John 2:15-17
© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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