Our New Bodies
We already know that we will have bodies and sensory organs that can perceive and experience the beauty the Father has prepared for us:
“However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’—the things God has prepared for those who love him.”
– 1 Corinthians 2:9
We have already postulated that our senses will perceive unimaginable sensations – colors unknown on earth, sounds and languages unheard on earth, taste flavors not tasted on earth. And we suspect that we will feel sensations currently unknown. For example, we know that certain animals have acute senses – they see farther, hear better, and can move their bodies faster than man. We see no reason why we could not possess those abilities.
Maybe while reclining in our homes, we will be able to see much farther into space than our unaided eye can now see. Maybe our ears will be able to truly “hear what the spirit says” (Revelation 3:22) in a way impossible in our current state. We believe that as we progress toward the Father, we will achieve true spiritual vision – the ability to see spiritual persons. We know “No one has every seen God.” (John 1:18) But when we are no longer flesh and blood, and attain spirit bodies, we expect that we will!
Also, when Jesus appeared to his apostles and disciples after his resurrection, he did not have the same body. It was similar to the one he had before his death, but we know it was a little different because when he appeared to his apostles, they were not sure it was Jesus until they interacted with him.
“Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.”
– John 21:12
And we can assume that these bodies will consume some sort of food and drink. We recall that angels consumed the food and drink of their human hosts:
“The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. ‘My lords,’ he said, ‘please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.’ ‘No,’ they answered, ‘we will spend the night in the square.’ But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.”
– Genesis 19:1-3
So it is no surprise that Jesus, in his newly resurrected body, also ate the food of men:
“Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’”
– John 21:13-15
But because the new bodies are different, we wonder if they will have an additional energy system that sustains these bodies. Notice this:
“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
– Revelation 2:7
We know the tree of life has qualities different from our trees on earth. We are told there was one such tree in the Garden of Eden in the beginning of our creation, and that as long as one was able to partake of that tree, they will continue to live forever. (Genesis 3:22) This supports Paul’s words that the bodies we will be given would not deteriorate – they would be incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:53) because we would continually feed of the tree of life. With that added energy supply, we suspect that our bodies will be able to do phenomenal things. Perhaps this is what Isaiah meant when he said “then will the lame leap like a deer.” (Isaiah 35:6)
