THESE BODIES

I had answered an e-mail from a Dove about the days of Noah and the mystery of how the giants of the earth were sired with the daughters of men. And I had included some information for her about our own bodies, which I may as well share with you, as it, too, relates back to Adam and Eve in the garden, prior to their run-in with the serpent, the consequences of which events pretty much caused Adam so much grief that we do not hear from him for the next 1000-odd years.

When Adam first saw the beautiful female whom God had fashioned from his rib, he exclaimed “she is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh”. This was the bride presented to him. Adam therefore a type of Christ, and Eve a type of the bride of Christ. Adam took of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, to his own destruction, after Eve had been corrupted by it. This typifies Christ, who took upon Himself, our own sins, in order that His bride might be redeemed. Only, this “last Adam”, Christ, was sinless Himself, so that God would see His bride as “the two becoming one flesh”, thus His righteousness is imputed unto us. The first Adam, in taking upon his bride’s sin, brought all of us into sin, from our birth, the second Adam redeeming us.

One of the countless consequences of this fall of Adam and Eve, was that their bodies changed in physical structure. Now, instead of them being “bone and flesh”, they became “bone and flesh and BLOOD”. We know this because the blood of Abel called from the ground to God. Further, we see the beginning of God’s demand that “without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin….” in that He graciously provided the skin of a slain lamb to “cover” them, replacing their feeble attempt to dress in fig leaves. Hey, whatever,,,, when you find yourself naked, grab anything…..understandable. But we are to understand that this covering of our own shame with fig leaves is a type of the insufficiency of our own “works” and that God is not in the least impressed by this.

And so it continued for the next 6000 years, that man struggled with this new body of flesh and bone and blood.

God instituted elaborate atonement sacrifices, so that His righteousness might stand in the face of the sins of man, from His first sacrifice of the lamb as covering. Cain presented a sacrifice of fruit (works) , no blood, whereas Abel in effect said to God,,,,,”here is a perfect lamb, whose blood I offer up to you instead of mine, as you know I deserve it rather than this lamb”……Henceforth, the difference until today between those people who think “works” will impress God, and those who recognize that they need blood to be shed by a “perfect” sacrifice. And we all know that Christ indeed was that perfect sacrifice for us all. Take note though how God provided for the bride of Christ, as shadowed in the garden of Eden with His taking a rib from Adam and fashioning the bride. When Jesus was on the cross, He also was pierced in the side, AFTER HE HAD DIED, just as Adam was pierced in the side after God put him to sleep. Out of the side of Christ poured forth “blood and water”. The blood for the atonement of the bride, (taking her sins upon Himself) and the water for her “washing in the water of the Word”, which provision, scripture says, causes Him to be able to present a spotless bride to Himself, without spot or wrinkle, fully dressed in the white linen of her righteous acts. This is what “redemption” means. Adam and Eve are “redeemed” to their original bodily states, prior to their, well,,,,you know………..

Christ rose from the dead, and presented Himself over the course of the next forty days to His deciples and we are given a vivid description of His new body, which we will someday acquire ourselves, becoming “bone of his bone and flesh of His flesh”, as the bride of Christ must.

But wait, the deciples saw Him and thought He was a “spirit”, so catch this:

Luke 24:37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

WAAA LAAAA ! This new body being sported about by the Bridegroom was “BONE AND FLESH”, He having glaringly left out of the mix “blood”. The blood was gone for he had “shed” the blood for the remission of sins, for His bride, and God, being pleased, gave Him back that “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” body ! We are told to “drink His blood”, so that we may acquire this body also, who trust in Him. By His sacrifice and resurrection, all who follow this Last Adam, Christ, will become one flesh with the Bridegroom Christ, and we will be “changed” so that our bodies will not see corruption and will become immortal.

Bring to mind that Paul said, “for flesh and BLOOD cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven”……and indeed it will not, but flesh and bone will be able to be there, joined to our blessed Bridegroom.

The implications of this are just staggering, when you scan the entire picture from Genesis to Revelation, and there is much, much more for us to ponder in the Word, for He makes right all that went wrong in the garden (which issues we will take up with Adam and Eve when we happen upon them there…..)

And of course this is why we are told to “repent”, admit our sins, unlike Adam and Eve who evaded God with “the serpent did it,,,,,,the woman you gave me did it”. When we repent, we say “I did it”, and “I am fully responsible”, for God will hear this type of confession through Christ our Lord, and will impute to us the righteousness of Christ, which helps to get us through that straight and narrow gate.

Again, how can people refuse such a WONDERFUL invitation !

And get this,,,,,the whole creation is returned to the peace and tranquility, and docility of all creatures, when our Lord decides to bring His glory to men, and REDEEM WHAT WAS LOST.

I shall get back to you when I have worked up something about Sampson, and have returned from a lakeside rest cure.

Your sister, Arlene