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Shining Like The Stars Forever
Will Our Bodies
Shine in Heaven?
BY RANDY
ALCORN
Some people have asked me if our resurrected bodies will shine.
They cite two passages:
- “The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father”
(Matthew 13:43) and
- “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the
expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars
forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3, NASB).
On the one hand, Jesus didn’t
have a halo after His resurrection, and there’s no reason to believe we will
either.
Christ’s body appeared so earthly and normal that the disciples
on the road to Emmaus didn’t notice He was the resurrected Lord (Luke 24:13-24).
However, at this point He was not yet glorified.
During
Christ’s transfiguration, His clothing “became
as bright as a flash of lightning” (Luke 9:29).
Since this portrays Christ as
King, it makes sense to think He will literally shine in His kingdom on the New
Earth. John says of the city, “the Lamb
is its lamp” (Revelation 22:23).
As noted earlier, John saw Christ in the present Heaven as a
powerful shining being, not someone who would blend into a crowd (Revelation 1:12-18).
Moses and Elijah, who joined
Christ on the mountain, “appeared in
glorious splendor” (Luke 9:31).
After Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on the
mountain, Moses’ face shone (Exodus 34:29-30).
Many believe these
descriptors are figures of speech. Yet in some cases (including Moses’) it was
clearly literal.
Since God Himself is consistently portrayed as existing in
brilliant light, it shouldn’t surprise us to think that in His presence we too
will partake of His brightness.
I believe that as resurrected beings, we will indeed bear this
physical evidence of being God’s image bearers and living in God’s presence.
To be glorified appears to mean that, among other things, we may
literally shine.
If this seems hard to
imagine, think of a person with drab, grayish, malnourished skin, and then
imagine the same person as vibrant and healthy. Couldn’t you say the person
shines?
Have you heard it said of someone “she’s radiant?”
I’ve met people so full of Jesus that they seem to have a
physical brightness.
If God Himself is bright, then it seems appropriate that we, His
image-bearers, will reflect His brightness.
Now, moving beyond that weak
analogy of our present condition, imagine people in the very presence of God,
who are so righteous, so beautiful, so devoid of sin and darkness, so permeated
by the very righteousness of God, that they have a literal physical radiance.
That’s not so hard to imagine, is it?
Shining speaks of glory, the
outward display of greatness and majesty. Glory is a word
associated with rulers. Kings had glory.
We understandably hesitate to attribute glory to ourselves, but
God doesn’t hesitate to ascribe glory to us.
As God’s children we should bear His
likeness. It’s He, not we, who declares that we are royalty — kings and queens
who will reign with Christ.
A. B.
Caneday reminds us, “God is the original;
we are the organic image, the living copy. We do not rightly speak of God as
King by projecting onto him regal imagery because we think it is fitting for
God. Rather, bowing before God who has dominion is proper, for man as king over
creation, is the image of kingship; God, the true king, is the reality that
casts the image of the earthly king.”
Hence, our glory as lesser kings and queens will serve to
magnify His greater glory as the King of kings.
We won’t absorb and keep the glory given us, but we will reflect
it and emanate it toward its proper object: Christ Himself. This is evident in
the fact that God’s worshiping children will “lay their crowns before the throne” (Revelation 4:10).
What prepares us to
participate in God’s glory? Our current sufferings (Romans 8:17-18; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an
eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Provided we draw our strength from Christ, the greater our
troubles now, the greater our glory then.
For
more on the eternal life that awaits us, see Randy’s book Heaven. You can also browse additional books and resources on
Heaven available from EPM.
Randy
Alcorn (@randyalcorn)
is the author of over fifty books and the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries.
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