For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Philippians 3:20-21 (NKJV)
I know, you have seen this text before, but there are gems to still be found in the words above so let’s look at them one more time. Since we have looked at the fact that our citizenship is in heaven and as such we look with great anticipation for the coming of our Lord and Savior, when we will caught up to meet Him in the air in the “Rapture;” let’s move on to the next thought.
Paul then tells us of something dramatic that is going to happen to every believer at the rapture. He wrote, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that Christ will transform our “lowly body.” Paul wrote about the transformation that will take place in 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 (NKJV),
“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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
When I was young, I never thought of my body as “lowly” or as the KJV has it, “vile.” Really, I didn’t give it much thought at all. But now I am not young and my body is wearing out and my aches and pains have developed even more aches and pains, but thanks be to God, all of that is going to change when Jesus calls me to my forever home. This body of mine (and yours too) will be transformed and likened to “His glorious body” exactly as He wants it to be. He has the power to do so. I cannot imagine what that will be like but I have the promise of God that it will be so.
With such a powerful promise what shall we do in the meantime? Paul tells us what to do.
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body (that’s the one you have now), that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”
Romans 6:12-13 (KJV)
If we don’t do as Paul instructs us in Romans we won’t get to Philippians. Amen? Yes, amen and amen.
