We Will Be Changed

A few days ago my granddaughter, Eliana, who is six was sitting at my desk drawing a picture while I did some work. She showed her progress of a picture that she was drawing of me. Then, from the sound of her voiced I detected trouble. She emphatically stated that she had a problem. I inquired as to the nature of the problem. She said in her drawing of me she had discovered that she didn’t have the color silver for my hair. I quickly scanned her colors and replied that she could possibly use brown since that is the color my hair used to be. To which she hesitantly replied, “It did?”

Actually, it wasn’t that long ago when I was a young man. Where did all the years go, and wow, have they flown by! Though I see death all around and even at work in my own body, I am glad to report that I have the assurance of going to be with Jesus when I die. The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians that when we die, we immediately go to be in God’s presence (2 Cor 5:8). But what about these old bodies? Will they be forgotten? No, they will not be forgotten; rather, each of us when our turn comes will be resurrected (2 Cor 15:23).

What’s more, these bodies will be transformed from an earthly body to a heavenly body. Paul says that we will be changed and will be given a transformed body (1 Cor 15:51). The resurrection of the body is part of God’s redemption. It is one of the reasons we bury instead of cremating our bodies because it affirms our belief in the resurrection. Joseph left instructions when the Israelites left Egypt that they were take his bones with them (Gen 50:25). He knew the time would eventually come when God would deliver them, and likewise we know Jesus will raise us up.

Paul tells us that Jesus himself will come down to earth with a loud command accompanied by his holy angels. At that moment all who have died in Christ will arise from their graves. It doesn’t matter where they were buried or what condition their bodies were when they died. They will be raised! Then those who are alive will be caught up to meet the Lord and be with him forever (1 Thess 4:13-19).

We have no fear of death and no reason to worry that these bodies are wearing out. That’s what they do, but we will be getting a brand new—well actually, it will be same one but transformed. It will be like Jesus’ body which was extraordinary as we see in his post resurrection appearances. The apostle John said, we don’t know everything about our transformed bodies, but we do know that they will be like Jesus’ body (1 John 3:2). Our earthly bodies were not made for heaven, rather they were made to wear out. However, we shall inherit a new glorious body, one made for heaven.

Asland Is on the Move

One of my all-time favorite authors is C.S. Lewis. Not that everything he writes I completely understand, but what I do has had an impact on my thinking. When our children were small, we read Lewis’ children’s series The Chronicles of Narnia. It is without a doubt one of the finest series of books ever written for children. Our kids loved it, and my daughter and son-in-law are reading it to their children now.

C. S. Lewis was an atheist for much of his life. However, later he came to know Christ. A major influence in his life was J.R.R. Tolkien who was a fellow professor at Cambridge. Tolkien was a Christian, and he helped initiate the process that eventually brought Lewis to Christ.

From that point, most of his work was a defense of Christianity. His book Mere Christianity is still a big seller today. Lewis had the ability to take complicated subjects and explain them in simple ways. One of the best examples is his series, The Chronicles of Narnia. In these books, Asland, a powerful lion, is the Christ figure. The first book of the series, The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe, focuses on four children who find themselves in the land of Narnia. This land of Narnia has magic that empowers a child’s imagination as they meet animals that talk. But in many ways Narnia is a sad place because an evil witch has cast a spell making it always winter but never Christmas.

The children first hear about Asland from a beaver who says, “They say Asland is on the move, perhaps he has already landed.” Even though the children have no idea who Asland is, their ears perked up. From the moment the beaver had spoken these words, everyone felt quite different as if it had enormous meaning that you remember all your life.

Now you see why I like C.S. Lewis. What an ingenious way to introduce Jesus to children. Jesus, who is all powerful like a lion, came to our earth as a lamb. However, from the moment he landed in that stable in Bethlehem, things have never been the same.

Sharing the Gospel is simply letting people know that Jesus has come to our Narnia. And we, too, live in a place that is sad and always winter in the sense that our dreams hardly ever come true the way we hope they will. It is a broken—hurting world. But to this world Jesus came, and he is on the move. He came to save people from their own devices. He came to set them free from the bondage and captivity of Satan. Look around; see how many people you know who are sad, addicted, without hope. They just need Jesus; he and he alone can save them. Let them know that Asland is on the move, and things will never be the same again.