# What does Jesus look like now?



## thistle93 (Jul 12, 2010)

Hi! Is there anything in the Bible that would lead us to know if Jesus kept His Jewish bodily form in Heaven or if He returned to His purely spiritual form before the Incarnation? When I read the Book of Revelation I do not see anything about His human form but rather symbolic visions (ie lamb).

The reason I ask is some people (primarily dispensationalists) I know still refer to Jesus as a Jew. I would say yes was a Jew in while on this earth but I do not believe He is still a Jew. He clearly was not a Jew before the incarnation.

Interested to hear peoples thoughts and more importantly what God's word says in the subject.

Hope this makes sense. Thank you! For His Glory-
Matthew Wilson


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## ClayPot (Jul 12, 2010)

Yes, Jesus does have a glorified physical body in heaven. To deny this is to go against the historic Chalcedonian Creed and Westminster Confession of Faith.

WCF VIII

IV. This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake;[22] which that He might discharge, He was made under the law,[23] and did perfectly fulfil it;[24] endured most grievous torments immediately in His soul,[25] and most painful sufferings in His body;[26] was crucified, and died,[27] was buried, and remained under the power of death, yet saw no corruption.[28] On the third day He arose from the dead,[29] with the same body in which He suffered,[30] *with which also he ascended into heaven, and there sits at the right hand of His Father*,[31] making intercession,[32] and shall return, to judge men and angels, at the end of the world.[33]


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## Herald (Jul 12, 2010)

> Colossians 2:9 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
> 
> Acts 1:11 11 They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."



Jesus will maintain his bodily form forever. Does his bodily form resemble what he looked like during his earthly ministry? Scripture is silent on that, although Luke 24 and Acts 1 seem to indicate a restraining hand was placed over the disciples so they would not recognize Jesus. An interesting part of John's narrative (John 21:1-14) indicates that the disciples may not have recognized Jesus physically, although they knew him by his presence (c.f. 21:12). John 20:14 reveals a similar occurrence with Mary not recognizing who Jesus was. Again, this may have been the restraining hand of the Lord, or it may indicate Jesus' glorified body has a different appearance; not that it isn't human, but perfect. Consider that Moses hid his countenance from all Israel after he left the tent of meeting because he did not want the people to see the glory of the Lord diminishing. One more thing, in Matthew 17:2, the transfiguration narrative, we read these words:



> Matthew 17:2 2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.



So, we see Jesus in human form, albeit in all his glory. 

Perhaps these things do not answer your question directly, but they may shed a bit more light on the subject.


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## thistle93 (Jul 19, 2010)

Hi! I believe that Jesus was resurrected physically and that his body ascended physically. But once in heaven I do not see anywhere in Scripture that it says specifically that Jesus has the same human bodily form as before. In fact from what I read He takes on a much more abstract form. Almost like he can morph into diffrent forms. (hope this does not sound to sci-fi). Examples:

Rev 1:12-18 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. ESV

Rev 5:6-8 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ESV

Is this to just be taken as symbolic or is this actually what John saw? I believe it is symbolic but it is not impossible that it could be what John actually saw. 

Now I do read in Rev 1:7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

So there will be some physical form that Jesus takes when He returns but it never specifically says what that physical form will be. 

1 Cor 15 would support the fact that it is not the physical but the supernatural body that must inherit heaven. Not bound by space and time. 

So can Jesus now not take different forms and do so for eternity or is he bound to just the body he had on earth I would say he can take on what ever form he wants but I hope someone can enlighten me if I am in error. 

So is there anywhere post ascension that it says specifically that God has a human form for eternity? I know that church creeds are important but I want to have some Scriptural basis. 

Thank you!

For His Glory-
matthew


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## Jack K (Jul 19, 2010)

Revelation is not an account of what heaven actually looks like, or what any of its citizens actually look like. If it were, we would have to conclude from Rev. 1 that Jesus literally has a mouth with a sword coming out of it, etc. But keeping in line with the nature of apocalyptic literature, John's Revelation is about what his visions _mean._ They're altogether true, but understood to be symbolic.

The plainest answer to your question is found in the non-symbolic, historical accounts of the gospels and Acts and in the non-symbolic teaching of the epistles. There we see the accounts of the post-resurrection Jesus that Bill pointed out, and the account of the ascension which, in the absence of any plain teaching to refute it, strongly suggests Jesus' post-resurrection body went to heaven in that same form. Jesus made a big point of showing his disciples he had a real body that could eat and still had nail holes.

The epistles tell us it's important we know that one with our own human flesh is already in heaven, as the firstfruits of our own bodily existence in the life to come and as evidence already now that we have a heavenly home and heavenly clout: "But God... raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:4-6). "For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ" (1 Cor. 15:21-23).

The Heidelberg Catechism, in it's wonderful why-it-matters way, summarizes this Bible teaching by explaining that the benefit to us of all this is that: "We have our own flesh in heaven—a guarantee that Christ our head will take us, his members, to himself in heaven."

Jesus does have a human body—in some sense the same body he had on earth (or it would hardly be a _resurrected_ body)—and this is a point that matters. How specifically Jewish that body is does not really matter. He is a human respresentative of all mankind.


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## ClayPot (Jul 19, 2010)

Hi again Matthew,

One brief line of argumentation for why Jesus still has a human nature alongside his divine nature.

Jesus had to become human to be our high priest.

Hebrews 2:17
For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 

Jesus has a permanent priesthood. 

Hebrews 7:23-25
Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 

If Jesus is not human, he cannot continue to offer intercession for us as high priest. 

Additionally, you may consider 1 Timothy 2:5,which speaking in the present tense (at least in English) says:

5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. 

which seems to support the belief that Jesus is still a man.


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## thistle93 (Jul 21, 2010)

I completely agree that Jesus resurrection and accession was physical. It had to be to be effective. 

I am even willing to submit that Jesus could still have his human form today. Explaining why apostles later saw Him. Though it is a spiritual human form and not physical form. 

But could it be that Jesus will cease to be human after the final judgment? Why would He keep his human form for the rest of eternity? The incarnation was for the primary purpose of dying and being resurrected and to return for His church. So once that happens, Mission Accomplished!

For we would all agree that Jesus was Jesus before the incarnation. Even though He was born in Bethlehem He is the eternal God. So would it be proper to say that Jesus is a Jew or Jesus was a Jew? He clearly was not a Jew before the incarnation.

So I see no need for why Christ has to have a human body in Heaven. Christ is our high priest/interceder because of His once and for all atonement. He does not have to keep his human form for that to continue be applied to His elect. 

So the question is why would God continue to live in such subjection? This seems to cause an eternal disunity to the triune God Father-spirit, Spirit-spirit, Son-human/spirit. One would think when God brings the new heaven and the new earth, that things would return to the original state before Christ came in the incarnation. 

I don't know why this is such an issue with me but it really does not seem clear in Scripture. So maybe it is best to not speculate and just say, I don't know but will know in the end. Praise Be To God. Maranatha!


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