In his series about Heaven, Pastor Daniel Brown asks, in the world to come, will we be who we were?

There are two kinds of death—spiritual and natural. Death is not a state of oblivion or non-existence; it is, rather, a separation from the life that was meant to be. Spiritual death cuts people off from relationship with God in the spirit realm, and our physical death will cut us off from relationship with the people we love here on earth. Death is the state we are in after we have been cut off from the life we would have had, and from the people who love us.

Physical objects can exist in different states on earth. Most of us learned years ago in Science class that physical matter can exist in three states—solid, liquid and gas—without altering its fundamental organic composition. H₂O is a good example. It can be steam, water, or ice. Water freezes to become ice; it boils to become steam. Steam will not quench thirst, water will not reduce swelling and ice cannot help remove wallpaper. Each physical state has its own qualities, but each of them is H₂O. When we die physically, we merely change states. Our metamorphosis takes us from one form to another, from one dimension to another. Though we change states, we remain essentially who we are.

Our reborn spirit already exists in us in the same manner that it will exist after our bodies die. Even now our spirit inhabits the dimension to which we will be fully translated upon death. Though we are not that cognizant of our spirit in the present earthly life, and though our spirit will have a new body in Heaven, it is fundamentally as it will be after death. We will simply be more conscious of it in Heaven. As we learned earlier, our soul is comprised of our thoughts, emotions, will-power and consciousness. Our awareness of the world around us, as well as of our inner selves, comes from our soul. The good news is that our personalities will be “refined” like gold from base ore, but who we are before we die is who we will be after we die. So, our souls/spirits remain intact and essentially the same.

This is why birth is such an excellent analogy for death. As surely as a newborn baby dies from the womb-world into this world, so will our passing from life on earth be a rebirth into another. Jesus said, “You must be born again.” (John 3:3) Babies do not cease to exist when they pass down the birth canal, but they no longer live in the womb. Until we grasp this basic truth—that death is changed existence—we will stumble over what the Bible tells us about life after death. Our conscious existence will be extended, not exterminated. Our state will be transformed, and we will shift dimensions, but we will not lose our identity:

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.1 Corinthians 15:51-53

In our life after death, we will not become new (different) people. We will be ourselves, with the same fundamental qualities of personhood that we have now—minus any wrongs, distortions, wounding or bondage. God calls Himself “I AM” (Exodus 3:14) If this quality of being and remaining the same is so central to God’s identity, then it makes sense that His children, made in His image, will also always be who they are. When the offspring of “I AM THAT I AM” transition from the earthly plane to the heavenly dimension, their identities are not going to be “I AM DIFFERENT THAN I WAS.”

Image: Tom Barrett

We are like expensive antique bureaus finely detailed and handcrafted by a famous wood worker many years ago. Since our creation, though, we have been gouged by many things; we have been spilled upon, burnt by hot wax, water-stained and repainted in garish colors. Our hinges are loose, the drawers do not slide like they used to, and one of our edges has been stripped of its molding. When such antique pieces get restored and refinished, they are not fundamentally altered; rather, they are renewed to what they have always been despite the wear and tear.

The human soul/spirit is not immortal in the sense that it is not subject to death. Neither does the human soul/spirit exist as an eternal entity on its own. Only God, who has neither beginning nor end, is truly immortal and eternal. (1 Timothy 6:15-16) He is never subject to death, change or dependence on anything outside of Himself. The human soul/spirit does not have an eternal nature of its own. He grants us eternal life, but we always depend on Him for our life in eternity, which is why Paul exclaims:

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:17

We will retain our original God-given personality and character when we rise from the dead. Everyone will live after death—either experiencing eternal death (separation from God and His life) in Hell, or eternal life in Heaven. We will all rise again, and though different eternities await us depending on how we respond to Jesus Christ, we will exist forever—either with God or without Him.

PR

Originally from www.coastlands.org. Used with permission of the author.

Further Reading:

Daniel Brown, “Will I Have A Body In Heaven?”

Daniel Brown, “How Old Will I Be In Heaven?”

Daniel Brown, “Heaven: Will I Recognize My Loved Ones?“

Pasquale Vozza is an Italian born evangelist and pastor. He served as president and secretary of the Italian Christian Church of Northern Europe and pastored the North Miami Christian Church for nearly thirty-five years. Vozza studied theology in Rome and at the College of the International Bible Training Institute in London. From Saving Bodies to Saving Souls chronicles his journey as a missionary and shepherd of God’s people. Much of this book describes the signs and wonders that accompanied his ministry as evidence of the ongoing miraculous work of the Holy Spirit in the contemporary Church.

The early chapters detail Vozza’s growing up years. He was born and raised in the industrial southern Italian city of Taranto, Apulia during the WWII years. The efforts of Italy’s Prime Minister, Benito Mussolini, to increase the Italian population, which included a benefit of 3 thousand lire per child, incentivized his parents to keep having kids (eight in all). Raised nominally Roman Catholic, Vozza learned the Catechism at school. However, he recalls how little he was taught about the Bible: “I did not hear the word ‘Bible’ until I was twenty-one years old” (p. 5). He became preoccupied with a nighttime routine of smoking, drinking, and gambling. Through the persistent prayers and encouragement of his mother, who was worshipping at an evangelical house church “underground” (non-Catholic congregations were forbidden), Vozza underwent a conversion experience. He resolved to win the souls of his wayward friends and found work selling Christian devotional literature door to door. He spent a year term in the military, where he earned a reputation as the “Protestant guy with the Bible” (p. 45). Stationed in Rome, each Sunday, Vozza attended the services of the only Protestant church in the city, the headquarter building of the Assemblies of God in Italy, founded by the Pentecostal pioneer, Roberto Bracco.

The final chapters describe Vozza’s move to the US and ministry in Florida. After seven years overseeing the CCNA sister organization, the Italian Christian Church of Northern Europe, he, his wife, and three daughters joined his wife’s family in Miami. There he accepted the call by the CCNA Southern District to pastor the North Miami Christian Church. The church quickly blossomed, aspiring to a multi-ethnic outreach with Sunday school offered in Italian, French-Creole, and Spanish and a dynamic ministry among the Jewish people.

Vozza’s life story, of one sold out to godly service and the building of God’s kingdom, will resonate with Christians from all traditions. From Saving Bodies to Saving Souls offers a portrait of hope for the inquiring mind that will appeal to non-Christians looking in on the meaning of the life of faith from the outside. This book will be of interest to laypersons and ministers as well as historians of Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity.

Reviewed by Paul Palma

Shameful Bodies is written as an exploration of the embedded assumptions that cause us to judge individuals whose bodies do not fit the cultural norms of society. Lelwica examines the influence of religion and dominant culture on our views of what’s healthy and beautiful and the consequences of our efforts to change the way we look and feel. Lelwica’s objective is to encourage us to live at peace with ourselves and others, and she shows us how religion can help us re-evaluate our bodies in ways that reflect grace rather than judgement.

The book is divided into two parts. In part one, Lelwica analyses the way society, namely marketing departments and the entrepreneurial health industry, promote the ‘better body’ ideal and instil fear and loathing toward less than ideal bodies. Lelwica also explores how Christianity has been used to promote the better body, and by implication, promotes shame in individuals who do not or cannot measure up to this unrealistic standard. In response, Lelwica offers alternative ways to view the human body, relying both on Scripture and Buddhist thought. On the one hand, there is the “religion-as-controlling” paradigm that instils aversion to non-ideal bodies; on the other hand, there is the “religion-as-transformative” paradigm that encourages us to think and feel differently about ourselves and others, by living in and learning from our bodies.

Part Two examines the issues of disability, weight, chronic pain and illness, and aging and how individuals carry shame and shame others who live in these states of being. Lelwica shows how religion can be used to promote peace with our bodies. Her framework for re-thinking how we view “non-standard” bodies is based on principles of biodiversity, vulnerability, impermanence, and interdependence, all of which, Lelwica claims “the better body story supresses or denies” (p. 47). These principles develop out of feminist studies and Buddhist teaching. Buddhism’s emphasis on interconnectedness and mindfulness can help us transform our thinking from non-critical ego-centric assumptions to fair-minded, rational thought on the value of who we are as we are. Lelwica also touches on biblical concepts, such as imago dei, the incarnation, and prophetic critique as a way forward for understanding how we can be who we are without succumbing to powerful social structures.

This isn’t a self-help book; it’s an academic critique of a social and cultural phenomenon. If readers are looking for how-to steps to transform their thinking, they may come away disappointed. Rather, what this book does is open readers’ minds to the way things are and how they could be. It’s up to readers to challenge themselves to think and judge differently going forward. Now that the wool has been pulled off our eyes, will we see ourselves and others with more grace, compassion, and acceptance, and distance ourselves from the structures that imprison us with cruel judgement of less able, overweight, diseased, and aging bodies?

Reviewed by Michelle Vondey

Publisher’s page: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/shameful-bodies-9781472594945/

Preview: https://books.google.com/books?id=0hVpDQAAQBAJ

Anthony Esolen, “Over Our Dead Bodies: Men Who Are Willing to Lay Down Their Lives Are Truly Indispensable,” Touchstone (June 2006, Vol 19, No. 5).

Someplace, Pennsylvania

Anthony Esolen’s article is rich and lyrical. It describes an all-American small town and the slate quarry that was once the economic heart of the community. Some might see the abandoned quarry as an ugly scar on the land. Others see it as a place to test and re-create themselves.

Even with modern equipment and techniques, quarries are risky, difficult places to work. Yet they produce products of great beauty, durability and value. The slate wrestled from the earth serves as superior roofing, tables or flooring. The product is worth the price.

The intended purpose of the quarry is in the past, but it continues to serve as a place where beauty, durability and value are created. Young men use the place as a swimming hole and graffiti wall. They test themselves against the very real risk of falling among the jagged rock, miles and hours from any reasonable help or rescue.

There are two main reasons for their somewhat reckless behavior. The first; the innate male urge to demonstrate their abilities and capabilities. The second; to leave enduring evidence of their passing through a place.

Risk And Reward

Sooner or later, men want to prove or demonstrate their skills and powers. They might try to perform for a large crowd. They may be satisfied if only they themselves know. Regardless of the audience, they want an authentic encounter with their limits. The reward of knowing exceeds the hazard of doing.

The problem is that we have taught ourselves to play it safe. Climbing out of the boat is an insane act. Challenging the might of Pharaoh with a single stick is suicidal at best.

We cannot advance God’s Kingdom from a place of safety and security. At the risk of becoming martyrs we do things that will bring others to Christ. Whether facing a spear in Ecuador, or the unsaved man in the next cubicle, are you willing to put yourself at risk for God’s Kingdom?

Long Term Significance

Every man wants significance. We want to matter, in a weighty way, if only for an hour in our lives. The scars or missing limbs become our badge(s) of honor. “I was there, and I did what needed to be done.”