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Changing physical form when we go to Heaven

JM123

New Member
When we die, we don't keep our physical bodies obviously, they eventually decompose. I, personally, have grown quite attached to my body. I've lived in it for over 35 years now, and I have grown to appreciate it, respect it, and absolutely love it. Its a big part of..."me" :) I like interacting in human form. The thought of floating/flying around as a translucent spirit per se, makes me sad. I believe in heaven, and have faith its a wonderful place, but I get sad about this.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
I think it's adding the appeal of health and healing, that our bodies get broken and battered, they get sick and wear out, they age and dye. Personally, I would love a "body swap." And that's without knowing the struggles and tribulations when the Bible was written. Even today it's a pretty good sales pitch.
 

dybmh

דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
When we die, we don't keep our physical bodies obviously, they eventually decompose. I, personally, have grown quite attached to my body. I've lived in it for over 35 years now, and I have grown to appreciate it, respect it, and absolutely love it. Its a big part of..."me" :) I like interacting in human form. The thought of floating/flying around as a translucent spirit per se, makes me sad. I believe in heaven, and have faith its a wonderful place, but I get sad about this.
I completely agree with you.
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
.

Cheer up, you could be headed to Hell.

Heaven life in.png


.
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
When we die, we don't keep our physical bodies obviously, they eventually decompose. I, personally, have grown quite attached to my body. I've lived in it for over 35 years now, and I have grown to appreciate it, respect it, and absolutely love it. Its a big part of..."me" :) I like interacting in human form. The thought of floating/flying around as a translucent spirit per se, makes me sad. I believe in heaven, and have faith its a wonderful place, but I get sad about this.
Attachments bring sorrows. Abandon false beliefs of heaven and eternal life by grace of some sky-God. Accept the reality. You would be happier.

"Dehino ’smin yathā dehe, kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā;
tathā dehāntara-prāptir, dhīras tatra na muhyati."
BhagawadGita 2.13

As the embodied (substance) continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, it similarly passes into another form at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.

At one time I had a thick growth of hair on my head, so much so that even combs would break down. I detested them. I am now turning to be nearly bald. All that is a part of life. :)
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
When we die, we don't keep our physical bodies obviously, they eventually decompose. I, personally, have grown quite attached to my body. I've lived in it for over 35 years now, and I have grown to appreciate it, respect it, and absolutely love it. Its a big part of..."me" :) I like interacting in human form. The thought of floating/flying around as a translucent spirit per se, makes me sad. I believe in heaven, and have faith its a wonderful place, but I get sad about this.

What if you don't go to heaven, but stay right here on earth, transformed into a paradise?

God never put humans in heaven...he designed them to live forever on earth. The garden of Eden was a blueprint for the whole earth.....we would all have had a share in spreading its boundaries over the whole planet!
Imagine living forever in your physical body in the most beautiful surroundings.....
happy0064.gif
This is what God purposed originally....it is what he will bring us back to. (Isaiah 55:11; Revelation 21:2-4)

The reason why you don't want to be a spirit is because you were never meant to be one....
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
When we die, we don't keep our physical bodies obviously, they eventually decompose. I, personally, have grown quite attached to my body. I've lived in it for over 35 years now, and I have grown to appreciate it, respect it, and absolutely love it. Its a big part of..."me" :) I like interacting in human form. The thought of floating/flying around as a translucent spirit per se, makes me sad. I believe in heaven, and have faith its a wonderful place, but I get sad about this.

Length of time notwithstanding, I could say the same thing about my car. But I am not so attached where I have a problem parting with it after a few years to experience a new one or simply walk in the world.

My body is not "me." It is a vehicle of my human experience in relative reality.
 

calm

Active Member
When we die, we don't keep our physical bodies obviously, they eventually decompose. I, personally, have grown quite attached to my body. I've lived in it for over 35 years now, and I have grown to appreciate it, respect it, and absolutely love it. Its a big part of..."me" :) I like interacting in human form. The thought of floating/flying around as a translucent spirit per se, makes me sad. I believe in heaven, and have faith its a wonderful place, but I get sad about this.
There is a big misunderstanding. The Heaven is not the paradise and the paradise is not the eternal earth. Paradise is the place where the souls(after the body died) of (good) people will go in and have to stay until of the day of judgement. Paradise is under the earth. (Matthew 12:40) Heaven is a place that is not in this world. You have to imagine it this way. The world is a developed game of a programmer. The programmer is of course not in his game, but he is in his own world. So it is also with the heaven, the heaven is in the world of God(of the programmer)
Not all good people go to heaven. There are 2 groups who get the eternal life. One group will be called the chosen ones (the 144,000 Hebrews), they will lose their bodies and be like angels and reign with God the Father in heaven. The other group is called the righteous, this group consists of all nations. They will reign with God the Son for all eternity on earth.

So if you're not one of the 144,000 chosen Hebrews, you'll keep your body.
 
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Neutral Name

Active Member
When we die, we don't keep our physical bodies obviously, they eventually decompose. I, personally, have grown quite attached to my body. I've lived in it for over 35 years now, and I have grown to appreciate it, respect it, and absolutely love it. Its a big part of..."me" :) I like interacting in human form. The thought of floating/flying around as a translucent spirit per se, makes me sad. I believe in heaven, and have faith its a wonderful place, but I get sad about this.

I am sure that we will have bodies in Heaven. They will be better bodies. They don't have to be as physical to be bodies. There must be something other than translucent spirit bodies or we could not determine one thing from another or one person from another. I can't find any Biblical passages which state this. Maybe someone else, Christian, Jewish or of another religion could tell me.
 

calm

Active Member
What if you don't go to heaven, but stay right here on earth, transformed into a paradise?

God never put humans in heaven...he designed them to live forever on earth. The garden of Eden was a blueprint for the whole earth.....we would all have had a share in spreading its boundaries over the whole planet!
Imagine living forever in your physical body in the most beautiful surroundings.....
happy0064.gif
This is what God purposed originally....it is what he will bring us back to. (Isaiah 55:11; Revelation 21:2-4)

The reason why you don't want to be a spirit is because you were never meant to be one....
"God never put humans in heaven."
Elijah:
2 Kings 2:11
And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Enoch:
Hebrews 11:5
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.
Genesis 5:24
Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
 

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
When we die, we don't keep our physical bodies obviously, they eventually decompose. I, personally, have grown quite attached to my body. I've lived in it for over 35 years now, and I have grown to appreciate it, respect it, and absolutely love it. Its a big part of..."me" :) I like interacting in human form. The thought of floating/flying around as a translucent spirit per se, makes me sad. I believe in heaven, and have faith its a wonderful place, but I get sad about this.
You do believe in the resurrection, don't you? When Jesus was resurrected, He got his body back. I believe that's what it means to be resurrected --- your spirit will be reunited with your physical body. But... your physical body will be made new again, glorified and immortal. It will be in its perfect form. In other words, you will look like the perfect version of yourself -- recognizable to all of your family and friends, but never to die again. Your new body will not be sustained by blood, but by pure spirit. Your spirit will keep your body alive and well forever more.
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
Snake oil. Rub it on your scalp, it will take you to heaven with your beloved body.
A time comes when one is not so enamored of his/her body.
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
"God never put humans in heaven."
Elijah:
2 Kings 2:11
And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Enoch:
Hebrews 11:5
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.
Genesis 5:24
Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

Neither Enoch nor Elijah went to heaven. No human went to heaven before Jesus.

Revelation 1:5 calls Jesus the "firstborn from the dead".

No man has ascended into heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man. (John 3:13)

Did Elijah and Enoch Go to Heaven? — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY
 

calm

Active Member
Neither Enoch nor Elijah went to heaven. No human went to heaven before Jesus.

Revelation 1:5 calls Jesus the "firstborn from the dead".

No man has ascended into heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man. (John 3:13)

Did Elijah and Enoch Go to Heaven? — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY
Elijah and Enoch have gone to heaven. The biblical passages prove it to you, but I have even a better proof.
Elijah and Moses appeared to Jesus and his disciples and they spoke to them. (Matthew 17:3-4)
So they are not " without consciousness " as the Watchtower claims, but are still alive. Not only Elijah and Enoch went to heaven, but also Moses.

And what did Jesus mean in John 3:13?
Behold:
Question: "Does John 3:13 mean that no one went to Heaven before Jesus?"

Answer:
In John 3:13 Jesus says to Nicodemus, “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven–the Son of Man.” This verse is somewhat difficult to interpret and is often misunderstood. It is also frequently used by those who want to find contradictions in the Bible.

We must keep the verse in context. In verses 10-12, especially, we see that Jesus is talking about His authority and the validity of His teaching. Jesus tells Nicodemus that He has been teaching what He knew firsthand: “We speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen” (verse 11). Then, in verse 13 Jesus explains why He is uniquely qualified to teach of the kingdom of God—namely, because He alone came down from heaven and possesses the knowledge to teach people about heaven. Jesus alone has seen the Father, and He alone is qualified to declare God and make Him known (John 1:18).

The gist of John 3:13 is this: “None of your earthly teachers can really teach you about heaven, because none of them have actually been there. However, I have been there. In fact, it is My home. I have come to you from heaven, and I have brought with Me experiential knowledge of that place. My testimony carries weight; I can tell you the truth about salvation.” The NLT brings out the meaning well: “No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.”

In claiming a heavenly abode, Jesus was claiming deity. Nicodemus himself had already admitted that Jesus was extraordinary when he said, “We know you are a teacher who has come from God” (verse 2).

Jesus was not teaching that no one had ever gone to heaven before. Obviously, the Old Testament saints had gone to heaven (or paradise) when they died ( Mark 12:26-27 ), and Enoch and Elijah had been taken there without dying ( Genesis 5:24 ; Hebrews 11:5 ; 2 Kings 2:11 ). Rather, He was teaching that, of all rabbis, He had the best credentials. Jesus has direct contact with heaven; He is an expert on the subject.
Source: Does John 3:13 mean that no one went to Heaven before Jesus?
 
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Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
Elijah and Enoch have gone to heaven. The biblical passages prove it to you, but I have even a better proof.

No human went to heaven before Christ because as Revelation says, Jesus is "the firstborn from the dead".

John the Baptist did not go to heaven because he died before Jesus opened the way. This is why Jesus could say...."Truly I say to you, among those born of women, there has not been raised up anyone greater than John the Baptist, but a lesser person in the Kingdom of the heavens is greater than he is." (Matthew 11:11)

Hebrews 10:19-21..."Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness for the way of entry into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 which he opened up for us as a new and living way through the curtain, that is, his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God."

If you recall, the curtain separating the Holy compartment from the Most Holy, in the temple was rent in two from top to bottom, when Jesus died, signifying that the way to heaven was now open for others to follow, once Jesus had returned to his Father. John 3:13 confirms the truth of that statement. No human went to heaven before Jesus.

Elijah and Moses appeared to Jesus and his disciples and they spoke to them. (Matthew 17:3-4)
So they are not " without consciousness " as the Watchtower claims, but are still alive. Not only Elijah and Enoch went to heaven, but also Moses.

Sorry, but that is not correct. Moses and Elijah were not physically present at the transfiguration. Jesus said it was a “vision”, (Matthew 17:9) and he was fulfilling the promise he made that some of his disciples would not die before they saw Jesus coming in his kingdom. (Matthew 16:28)

“Men, brothers, it is permissible to speak with freeness of speech to you about the family head David, that he died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.......For David did not ascend to the heavens, but he himself says, ‘Jehovah said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand 35 until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.”’ (Acts of the Apostles 2:29-35) If David didn’t go to heaven, then neither did Moses or Elijah, or any other of the ancient prophets. Those taken into the new covenant with Jesus were those who survived after Jesus.

And what did Jesus mean in John 3:13?
Behold:
Question: "Does John 3:13 mean that no one went to Heaven before Jesus?"

Answer:
In John 3:13 Jesus says to Nicodemus, “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven–the Son of Man.” This verse is somewhat difficult to interpret and is often misunderstood. It is also frequently used by those who want to find contradictions in the Bible.

Misunderstood? Or uncomfortably stating something that those in Christendom do not want to acknowledge? It’s not just John 3:13.

The gist of John 3:13 is this: “None of your earthly teachers can really teach you about heaven, because none of them have actually been there. However, I have been there. In fact, it is My home. I have come to you from heaven, and I have brought with Me experiential knowledge of that place. My testimony carries weight; I can tell you the truth about salvation.”

LOL...Who says? That bit of spin is in no way supported by the rest of the Bible.

The NLT brings out the meaning well: “No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.”
Read it in any other translation. That is not what it says.
The Mounce Greek Interlinear says....”
“No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down out of heaven, the Son of Man.”
No tap dancing required.

In claiming a heavenly abode, Jesus was claiming deity. Nicodemus himself had already admitted that Jesus was extraordinary when he said, “We know you are a teacher who has come from God” (verse 2).

Jesus was not claiming deity just because he came from heaven. Angels came from heaven and none of them claimed deity. Nicodemus said that Jesus had come “from God” not that he “was God”.

Jesus was not teaching that no one had ever gone to heaven before. Obviously, the Old Testament saints had gone to heaven (or paradise) when they died ( Mark 12:26-27 ), and Enoch and Elijah had been taken there without dying ( Genesis 5:24 ; Hebrews 11:5 ; 2 Kings 2:11 ). Rather, He was teaching that, of all rabbis, He had the best credentials. Jesus has direct contact with heaven; He is an expert on the subject.
Source: Does John 3:13 mean that no one went to Heaven before Jesus?

Do you realise that even the “saints” did not go straight to heaven when they died?

Paul’s words to the Thessalonians tells us that all would sleep in death until Christ’s return.....

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. . . . . For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13,15-17 ESV)

Those “dead in Christ” would “rise first”.....but not until “the coming of the Lord”.
 

calm

Active Member
No human went to heaven before Christ because as Revelation says, Jesus is "the firstborn from the dead".
Yes, Jesus is the firstborn of the dead. But Enoch, Elijah and the others were not in the realm of the dead but came directly to heaven. It is written about Enoch that he did not die:
Hebrews 11:5
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.

and also Elijah went to heaven alive.:
2 Kings 2:11
And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Sorry, but that is not correct. Moses and Elijah were not physically present at the transfiguration. Jesus said it was a “vision”, (Matthew 17:9) and he was fulfilling the promise he made that some of his disciples would not die before they saw Jesus coming in his kingdom. (Matthew 16:28)
Under " vision " I understand a supernatural appearance. And yes, it was a supernatural appearance , I don't understand what the contradiction is.
And Moses and Elijah, after their ascension to heaven, became spirit beings like angels, and as the angels can be visible to people(Joshua 5:13-15; Mark 16:5) so also the two can be visible.

"If David didn’t go to heaven, then neither did Moses or Elijah, or any other of the ancient prophets. "
I'm sorry, but that statement doesn't make sense.
 
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Muffled

Jesus in me
When we die, we don't keep our physical bodies obviously, they eventually decompose. I, personally, have grown quite attached to my body. I've lived in it for over 35 years now, and I have grown to appreciate it, respect it, and absolutely love it. Its a big part of..."me" :) I like interacting in human form. The thought of floating/flying around as a translucent spirit per se, makes me sad. I believe in heaven, and have faith its a wonderful place, but I get sad about this.

I believe then that you will like eternal life in a new body when Jesus returns. For the time being I believe in having a new mortal life not because I don't enjoy Heaven but simply because this is where the action is.
 
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