We confess in the Apostles' Creed, "I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting." Many ask, "How can a dead body be resurrected? What will the resurrected person be like? What is the so-called purgatory like?" Some, as if believing in reincarnation, wish to be born a little differently in the next life.
In Christian teaching, there is no such thing as a return to this world. Either eternal happiness (salvation) or darkness follows. The Apostle Paul gives a clear answer: "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22).
It may be impossible to describe in detail the appearance of a person who has been resurrected in secular language. Nevertheless, I believe that searching for the image of a "resurrected person" in the Bible holds great significance.
The following passages in the New Testament most clearly explain death and resurrection: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. What is sown perishable will be raised imperishable; what is sown in dishonor will be raised in glory.” (1 Corinthians 15:42-43)
The apostle goes on to describe the state of the dead in more detail: “What is sown a material body will be raised a spiritual body. For if there is a material body, there is also a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:44) The apostle continues, “And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust (the first human), we shall also bear the image of the one who is heavenly.” (1 Corinthians 15:49)
Now we can consider three dimensions of creation: creation from nothing (creatio ex nihilo), ongoing creation (creatio continua), and new creation (creatio nova), as described in Genesis 1-2. Continuous creation refers to the Lord, who created the world from nothing and continually breathes life into it. The new creation refers to the realm of mystery from death to resurrection.
The Apostle Paul contrasts the resurrected (newly created) body, the heavenly mystery that the children of the Lord will attain and enjoy, with the earthly body. He emphasizes that just as there are pitiful bodies, bound by the cycle of birth, aging, and illness, there are also spiritual and glorious bodies that belong to the heavenly mystery. “There are celestial bodies and earthly bodies” (1 Corinthians 15:40).
John, the author of the Book of Revelation, clearly describes the glorious state of the redeemed saints in heaven: “In the city will be the throne of God and of the Lamb… they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:3-4). “When he appears, we too will see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
