There has been a lot of electronic paper spent discussing this
issue. I felt I would throw in my two cents worth.
That we will receive a glorified physical body after the resurrection
is plainly written in Scripture. I base this, first, on the example
of Jesus (Romans 6:5: "For if we have become united with {Him} in the
likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also {in the likeness}
of His resurrection" NAS) - from Luke 24:37-43:
" But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were
seeing a spirit. And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and
why do doubts arise in your hearts? "See My hands and My feet, that
it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh
and bones as you see that I have." [And when He had said this, He
showed them His hands and His feet.] And while they still could not
believe {it} for joy and were marveling, He said to them, "Have you
anything here to eat?" And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish;
and He took it and ate {it} before them. (NAS)"
The disciples could not believe in the physical resurrection of the
Lord, hence Jesus proved He had a true, physical body by appealling
to their senses. I personally believe Jesus ate the fish, not
because He was hungry or needed to eat, but so that the bones of the
fish would remain after He left to assure the disciples (it's a
wonder the bones aren't in some urn somewhere as a relic).
Nevertheless, Jesus let the disciples know without a doubt that He
had a physical body.
Secondly, Jesus Himself testifies to the physical resurrection in
the upper room: Matt 26:29 - "But I say to you, I will not drink of
this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new
with you in My Father's kingdom." (NAS) The implication is strong
that we will drink (a physical act) with the Lord in Heaven.
Finally, Jesus had to tell (literally) Mary "do not touch Me" in John
20: 17, yet in Matt 28:9 "And behold, Jesus met them and greeted
them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.
(NAS)". A spirit has no body, hence could not be touched. That the
disciples could touch Him implies He had a real, physical body, just
like we shall have.
In addition, our new bodies will be incorruptible and quite different
from what we currently have (although the outward appearance will be
the same). This is evident from the episodes about Jesus after the
resurrection (but before the ascension):
John 20:19-20 "When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first
{day} of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples
were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and
said to them, "Peace {be} with you." And when He had said this, He
showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples therefore
rejoiced when they saw the Lord. (NAS)" - Here, Jesus could be seen
and recognized yet could walk through a locked door
Luke 24:30-31: And it came about that when He had reclined {at the
table} with them, He took the bread and blessed {it,} and breaking
{it,} He {began} giving {it} to them. And their eyes were opened and
they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. (NAS) - Here,
too, Jesus performs a physical act, signifying His having a physical
body, the disciples recognized Jesus' new body, yet that new body had
the ability to disappear.
I guess the summary is that God's Physics is not necessarily our
physics - He created our physical world yet is not bound to it. Or,
rather, His Physics is superior to our physics - He fully understands
the physical universe, its limits and capabilities. He knows how to
create atomic structures that can be invisible at will and can pass
through other physical objects (knowledge of higher dimensions?).
Anyway, we will have a physical body after the resurrection; a new,
incorruptible and perfect body and I, for one, can hardly wait!
William M. Frix
Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering
Box 3021
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
Phone: (501) 524-7466
FAX: (501) 524-9548
EMAIL: wfrix@engr.jbu.edu