- Heavenly and Earthly bodies: (15:40-41)
The creation of men, animals, birds, reptiles, fishes, heavenly bodies and earthly bodies is beyond human understanding. One cannot stop praising God gazing at the beauty and splendour of the creator. An expression of praise and thanks giving flow from mankind for such variety of creation. The sun, moon and stars have different bodies. The angels have different bodies.
The different bodies or structures in the universe (sun, moon, stars) are created with its own glory and is made to suit to its own particular environment and needs. Our present earthly bodies are adapted for the environment of time and earth but our resurrection bodies will be adapted for the environment of eternity and heaven. Our resurrection body will be a heavenly (celestial) body, suited for life in heaven, not only life on this earth.
Comparison between natural body ad resurrected body (15:42-44):
| Natural body | Resurrected body |
| Sown in perishable | Raised in imperishable |
| Sown in dishonour | Raised in glory. |
| Sown in weakness | Raised in power |
| Sown in natural body and mortal body | Raised in spiritual body and immortal. |
When a Christian dies, his body may decay and get rotten. But there is a substance preserved by a secret influence proceeding from Christ as a head.
Hence they are said to be dead in Christ, who by rotting refineth them.” (Trapp). The resurrected body is suited to a spiritual environment. Jesus in His resurrection body was able to move quickly from place to place, and even walk through locked doors, at the same time He was also able to eat food, and His disciples were able to touch Him and feel Him (Lk. 24:33-43; Jn. 20:19-29). Finally, the lost will be given bodies suited to their environment in hell. They will suffer forever in darkness and pain (Matt.25:41; 2 Thess.1:7-10; Rev 20:11-15).
“There is nothing more uncomely, unlovely, and loathsome than a dead body, but it will not be so when it shall be raised again, then it shall be a beautiful, comely body.
“The righteous are put into their graves all weary and worn; but as such they will not rise. They go there with the furrowed brow, the hollowed cheek, the wrinkled skin; they shall wake up in beauty and glory.” (Spurgeon)
3-examples where glimpses of body’s glory are seen in: When Moses came down from Sinai, at the time of Christ’s transfiguration and Stephen’s countenance at the time of stoning.
The 2-Adams: (15:45-49)
| sn | The first Adam | The last Adam (Jesus Christ) |
| 1 | Became a living being | Became a life giving spirit. |
| 2 | He was of the earth, made of dust. | He was from heaven and is the Lord of heaven. |
| 3 | The natural came first. | The Spiritual man came after natural man. |
| 4 | We are born in the image of the man of dust. | We shall bear the image of heavenly Man. |
| 5 | The first perfect man gave us one kind of body | The second perfect heavenly Man gives us another kind of body which is a glorified one with eternal life. |
| 6 | We are earthly. | We can be made heavenly after accepting Him as the Saviour. |
| 7 | Because we are of the dust, we will die in our bodies. Our bodies will decay and decompose. | Because we are saved in Christ, although we die in our bodies, we will resurrect one day with the glorified bodies. |