1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
Luke 24: 3-7
but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”
John 5:24-29
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.
Realizing the Body and the Spirit
The spirit has many unique abilities that the body does not. For example, spirits can travel through the air and pass through locked doors, survive for years without food, and do not freeze to death.
There are three main types of spirits:
- The “formless spirit” level – This is a spirit that lacks flesh and bones. It is a regular spirit that cannot be touched and is still in the process of forming. This type of spirit appears like a cloud, a shadow, or fog.
- The “forming spirit” level – This is a spirit that has been developed to a certain degree, resembling a human being.
- The “completed spirit” level – These are spirits that have been resurrected and perfected. They have flesh and bones and can be touched. Jesus’ spirit was a living spirit (Luke 24:36-43).
Similarly, if our bodies take action in alignment with God, our spirits, as completed spirits, will be formed in the image of love and ascend to the highest level of Heaven. Only through perfect resurrection can the spirit’s form be fully completed. At the spiritual level, one can touch spirits that have been perfected.
Jesus came to this world to save our spirits by teaching us about God’s spirit, the eternal spiritual world, Heaven, and the human spirit. Only the spirit will enter the corresponding Heaven. It is difficult to perceive one’s own spirit. Many people associate “spirit” with the physical body. Therefore, we must continue to learn about the spirit.
Knowing the Bible
Based on biblical translations, it may seem as though Jesus’ physical body was resurrected. However, this is difficult to determine because the expressions used in that time period and the differences in translation can lead to misunderstandings. Another reason people assume Jesus’ resurrection was physical is their misunderstanding of passages such as Luke 24:36-43.
One must learn from someone who has true knowledge. If you distort the Bible and claim that Jesus’ physical body was resurrected, you will mistakenly wait for His physical return to Earth. However, Hebrews 9:27 states that the physical body is destined to die only once. If Jesus’ body had come back to life, does that mean His physical body ascended to Heaven? No. Even Mary and His disciples did not recognize Jesus after He resurrected (John 20:11-15; Luke 24:13-16; John 21:1-4). For 2,000 years, Jesus’ physical body has never appeared again, and no one has seen Him in the flesh.
When Thomas touched Jesus, he only felt the scars from the nails because Jesus was a completed spirit. If it had been His physical body, the wounds would not have healed so quickly. We must understand and study the Bible correctly so that we can receive true salvation. We must not be like those in the old time period who failed to recognize the Messiah.
The Last Supper
During the Last Supper, while eating with His disciples, Jesus said, “I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:26-29). This statement contains the message that Jesus would die on the cross, His physical body would be finished, and He would not live again in the flesh. He declared that only His spirit would continue to live and ascend to Heaven, where He would drink anew.
Reading the Bible
Even if you read the Bible a thousand times, you will not understand it unless you read carefully. You must analyze it word by word, sentence by sentence, and view it as a whole—discerning whether it speaks of the spirit or the body. A different perception will lead to misunderstanding.
No one, except the one sent by God, can interpret the sealed Word. God fulfills His Will in each time period by allowing the one He sends to interpret it. Therefore, listen to the words of the one sent by God and perceive correctly.
It is crucial to correctly understand Jesus’ resurrection in order to properly comprehend His return to Earth. If we believe Jesus’ resurrection was physical, we will continue to wait for His physical body to return. Living as a counterpart to the Almighty Trinity means being “born again” and experiencing rapture.
God is a God of laws. When events outside the realm of natural laws are recorded in history, people often do not believe them because they seem impossible. If there is something you cannot believe, you should pray to God, seek the correct interpretation, and have faith.
Elijah and John the Baptist
The Old Testament promised that the prophet Elijah would be sent before the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5-6). After the disciples saw Elijah’s spirit on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus taught them that John the Baptist was the Elijah who was to come (Matthew 17:10-13).
John the Baptist lived in a different time period from Elijah, and his physical appearance was different. However, God sent John the Baptist with the same heart, mindset, power, and mission as Elijah. John the Baptist was given the mission to preach and testify, while Elijah’s spirit came to help him (Luke 1:11-17).
The same principle applied at the time of Jesus. The Old Testament prophecies ultimately referred to Jesus. God’s coming was the coming of His spirit (Isaiah 11:1), and Jesus was the visible reality of that presence. Jesus came and fulfilled everything in accordance with God’s spirit, just as prophesied.
For the current time period, God will act in a similar way. When the appointed time comes, God carries out His history and fulfills what must be done. However, since this is a different time period, He will absolutely use methods appropriate to this new era.
God allows only those who follow His new history to enter the ideal world and participate in the prophesied thousand-year wedding banquet. If a person takes action together with the Almighty God, even if challenges arise, God will resolve them.
