When we are raptured and given a resurrected body, will that body be earthly or celestial? I searched your blog under 'heavenly,' and see that the church will rule and reign in heaven with Jesus so it doesn't sound like we will be on earth nor need an earthly body? Or, is heaven a physical location that needs physical resurrected bodies? As you see, my old non-rightly dividing the word still causes confusion.
Okay, let me deal first with the issue of what type of body we will all (i.e., saved people today in the body of Christ) get at the rapture...earthly or celestial? What we will see is that when Paul talks about "earthly" and "celestial", he is not focusing on our bodies in particular, he is dealing with the reality that those types of bodies do exist right now in creation...(I'll explain more later on). And because these different types of bodies do exist right now in creation, it is proof that there are differences in bodies.
Paul is not, and does not use those two terms to describe our resurrected bodies (he will use another term to describe them), he is simply showing that differences do exist right now when it comes to bodies in heaven and earth. When Paul uses the term "earthly", it refers to all bodies on the earth, not just human, but animals as well. And when he refers to "celestial" he is not dealing with our resurrected bodies, but those of the angels, etc., in context. So let's check out what I just said…
First of all, let me explain what our Apostle Paul is doing when he brings up the issue of "earthly" and "celestial" bodies. He begins talking about these different types of bodies that exist in creation in order to educate the saints at Corinth (and us too) about the fact that our ‘resurrection’ bodies will also be different than our current vile, natural bodies that we have today.
1 Corinthians 15:35-41
But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
Here in this part of the chapter, our Apostle is dealing with the objection that some who doubt the physical, bodily resurrection of mankind would have. He says that they would say: "How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they comes?" The doubter would protest the truth of the physical, bodily resurrection by saying that once a person is dead, their "natural" human body begins to decay. So surely they could not come back in that same body could they?
But Paul cuts this objection off “at the pass” by going to something as simple as nature to show the process already exist. In verse 36, he calls the doubter a "fool" (a fool is one who does not consider God's ways). God has already shown humanity, through the germination process of planting seeds (something all mankind can see) that resurrection, and that of a new body, is nothing to marvel at or be astonished at! When one puts a seed in the ground, it dies!
1 Corinthians 15:36
Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
Our Lord Jesus Christ says something very similar during his earthly ministry to the nation of Israel as well...
John 12:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
So both Paul, as well as our Lord, makes it clear that the concept of life after death is not only plausible, but very true and reasonable, as evidenced in nature!
Paul goes on to say that the "body" of that seed that is "sown" in the ground in nature, is not the same body that is produced when it sprouts up out of the ground again...
1 Corinthians 15:37
And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
Furthermore, he tells us that that it is God who decided what the new body that is produced would look like, and that in fact, it will have a new body!
1 Corinthians 15:38
But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
Paul goes on to now use another example from nature. By the way, all this using natural things to show spiritual truths is how God teaches man...
Romans 1:19-22
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
....and this is why Paul said "Thou fool" in the previous verses.
Anyway, Paul shows from nature that although there all different types of creatures on this earth, they do not all have the same type of flesh.
1 Corinthians 15:39
All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
And the point of bringing this up is to show that there are different types of bodies in this universe—not just on the earth, but also in the heavenly paces.
1 Corinthians 15:40
here are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
Some there are bodies made for the heavens (celestial, i.e., angels, seraphim, and cherubim), and bodies made for this earth (terrestrial, or terra firma, i.e., humanity, animals, etc.). He also gives proof that the "glory" associated with these different bodies differs as well. And he shows it with the example of the sun, moon, and stars.
1 Corinthians 15:41
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
Now Paul says all this, and I went over all this, in order to use it to show that the exact same thing is true when it comes to the resurrection of the dead!
1 Corinthians 15:42-49
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Notice that in verse 42, Paul says "so also?" In other words, if you can see and understand what he is saying in the previous 7 verses, than you can also understand the resurrection! The dead body goes down "corrupted," but it comes up "uncorrupted." It goes down "dishonourable," it comes up "honorable, or glorified." It goes down "weak" but it comes up "powerful/with strength." It goes down "natural," that is the human flesh we were born with, and it comes up "spiritual," that is, with the new flesh that God gives us.
Notice something more; in verse 44, Paul makes it clear that there is only two types of human bodies: "natural" and "spiritual." He goes on to also describe each of them in verses 47-49, as "earthy" and "heavenly." The natural/earthy is what we are born with and have until death/rapture, and the spiritual/heavenly is the one that we get at the resurrection/rapture. Every member of the church, the body of Christ will receive their "spiritual" bodies at the rapture!
So to your original question...
You wrote: When we are raptured and given a resurrected body, will that body be earthly or celestial? It will neither be "earthly," nor "celestial" per se, it will be what our Apostle calls spiritual and heavenly. One term describes the type of body it is (spiritual), and the other describes the location that our bodies are from heaven—just like our earthy ones are from the earth.
2 Corinthians 5:1-2
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
Hopefully this helps!
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