New Bodies in Heaven Before Jesus' Return

The concept of new bodies in heaven before Jesus' return is a topic of debate among Christian traditions. According to some interpretations, the resurrected bodies of believers are already in heaven with Christ. This understanding is rooted in biblical passages such as the account of the saints who came out of their graves after Jesus' resurrection ^[1].

The idea that the resurrected bodies are already in heaven is supported by the Catholic tradition, which holds that the saints' bodies will be glorified and taken to heaven. Thomas Aquinas argues that Christ's body ascended into heaven by its own power, and that the glorified bodies of the saints will be moved to heaven ^[5]. In the view of Aquinas, the world will be renewed after the judgment, and the glorified bodies will be adapted to their new environment ^[4].

However, not all Christian traditions agree on the nature and timing of the resurrection. Some Reformed theologians, such as Charles Hodge, emphasize that the resurrection of the body will occur at the last day, and that the current state of the dead is one of waiting in Sheol or Hades ^[3]. According to Hodge, the New Testament writers adopted the Jewish doctrine of the underworld, where the souls of the dead were confined until the final judgment ^[3].

The biblical basis for the concept of new bodies in heaven is found in passages such as 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul discusses the nature of the resurrected body. John Gill's commentary on this passage notes that there are both celestial and terrestrial bodies, and that the glory of the celestial bodies is different from that of the terrestrial bodies ^[8]. Paul's discussion of the resurrection body is seen as a key text for understanding the nature of the new bodies in heaven.

Augustine's writings on the Trinity also touch on the ascension of Christ into heaven, which is seen as a precursor to the glorification of believers. Augustine argues that Christ's ascension into heaven is a demonstration of his divine power, and that it is a promise of the future glorification of believers ^[7].

The Catholic tradition further elaborates on the nature of the glorified bodies, arguing that they will possess certain qualities such as agility ^[2]. Aquinas notes that the glorified bodies will be moved to heaven, and that they will be adapted to their new environment ^[2].

The Reformed tradition, as represented by Calvin, emphasizes the connection between Christ's resurrection and the resurrection of believers. Calvin argues that the resurrection of Christ is a guarantee of the resurrection of believers, and that the two are intimately connected ^[1].

The differing views on the nature and timing of the resurrection reflect fundamental differences in eschatology and the understanding of the afterlife. While some traditions emphasize the current state of the dead as one of waiting, others see the resurrected bodies as already being in heaven with Christ. The biblical passages and patristic writings continue to shape the ongoing discussion and debate among Christian traditions.

The resurrection of Christ and the promise of new bodies in heaven remain a central aspect of Christian doctrine, with various traditions offering distinct interpretations. As the discussion continues, it is clear that the concept of new bodies in heaven before Jesus' return remains a complex and multifaceted topic. The renewal of the world and the glorification of believers are closely tied to the understanding of the resurrected body, and the various traditions continue to grapple with the implications of these doctrines ^{[4, 6]}.

Sources

CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 80: had been offered in expiatory sacrifice been destroyed. We must, therefore, attend to that connection which the Apostle celebrates, that we rise because Christ rose ( 1 Cor. 15:12 ); nothing being less probable than that the flesh in which we bear about the dying of Christ, shall have no share in the resurrection of Christ. This was even manifested by a striking example, when, at the resurrection of Christ, many bodies of the saints came forth from their graves. For it cannot be denied that this was a prelude, or rather earnest, of”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Supplement (Supplementum), Of the Agility of the Bodies of the Blessed, Art. 2: Article: Whether the saints will never use their agility for the purpose of movement? I answer that, It is necessary to suppose that the glorified bodies are moved sometimes, since even Christ's body was moved in His ascension, and likewise the bodies of the saints, which will arise from the earth, will ascend to the empyrean [*The empyrean was the highest of the concentric spheres or heavens, and was identified by Christian writers with the abode of God. Cf. FP, Question [56], Article [3”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 78: cap. v. p. 315. According to many modern interpreters the New Testament writers adopted this Jewish doctrine not only in substance but in its details. (1.) They are represented as teaching that all the people of God who died before the advent of Christ, were confined in Sheol, or the under-world. Sheol or Hades, as stated above, is constantly spoken of “as the gloomy realm of shades, wherein are gathered and detained the souls of all the dead generations.” The soul at death is said to be dismissed “naked into the silent, dark, and dreary ”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Supplement (Supplementum), Of the Quality of the World after the Judgment, Art. 1: Article: Whether the world will be renewed? I answer that, We believe all corporeal things to have been made for man's sake, wherefore all things are stated to be subject to him [*Ps. 8:5, seqq.]. Now they serve man in two ways, first, as sustenance to his bodily life, secondly, as helping him to know God, inasmuch as man sees the invisible things of God by the things that are made (Rm. 1:20). Accordingly glorified man will nowise need creatures to render him the first of these service”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Ascension of Christ, Art. 3: Article: Whether Christ ascended by His own power? I answer that, There is a twofold nature in Christ, to wit, the Divine and the human. Hence His own power can be accepted according to both. Likewise a twofold power can be accepted regarding His human nature: one is natural, flowing from the principles of nature; and it is quite evident that Christ did not ascend into heaven by such power as this. The other is the power of glory, which is in Christ's human nature; and it was according to this that He asce”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 93: Remarks. 1. These passages are not to be understood as predicting great political and moral revolutions. It is possible that some of them might bear that interpretation; but others are evidently intended to be understood in a more literal sense. This is especially the 862 case with 2 Peter iii. 6-13 , in which the Apostle contrasts the destruction of the world by the waters of the deluge with the destruction by fire which is still future. If the fact be established that the Scriptures anywhere clearly predict the destruction of the world ”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — CHAP. 6.--OF CHRIST'S ASCENSION INTO HEAVEN.: 13. We believe that HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, which place of blessedness He has likewise promised unto us, saying, "They shall be as the angels in the heavens,"(7) in that city which is the mother of us all,(8) the Jerusalem eternal in the heavens. But it is wont to give offense to certain parties, either impious Gentiles or heretics, that we should believe in the assumption of an earthly body into heaven. The Gentiles, however, for the most part, set themselves diligently to ply us with the arguments o”
1 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Corinthians 15:37: There are also celestial bodies,.... Or bodies in the heavens, as the sun, moon, and stars: and bodies terrestrial; or bodies on earth, animate and inanimate, men, beasts, trees, minerals, &c. But the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another: though both sorts are bodies, yet their qualities differ, and there is a greater glory in the one than in the other. This is another similitude, serving to help our ideas of this doctrine of the resurrection of the body; that though it is the same in substance, yet different in qualit”

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