There is so much to cover in this section. Here are two things that we know will be true concerning our heavenly bodies.

Our heavenly body will be basically the same as our natural body except that it will be glorified. I’m sure you know that when Jesus was resurrected He looked the same—except that He was glorified. He did things that He didn’t do in His earthly body. He walked through solid walls; He appeared and disappeared; and when He ascended to heaven He just flew up!

But concerning why we will be the same person as we are now, except glorified, I don’t really have a good answer, except that God designed it that way. He planned that our genetic code will be transferred from our old dead body into our new resurrected body—like a dead seed that is planted grows into a living plant. Hence our DNA will be identical except greatly regenerated and empowered. But don’t ask me how!

Our New body will be like Jesus’ resurrected body. We have already mentioned that we will be able to do the same supernatural things that Jesus did; we will be glorified just as he was after His resurrection. As for the biblical teaching on this, I think it would be best to look at a few verses and to comment briefly.

Romans 8:29

 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

Here it tells us that we believers were predestined (or chosen in advance) to be conformed to His image—not just to His appearance but in every aspect of Him, including His glorification. And this term, “firstborn among many brethren” is critical. It means that we were to follow after Him as our leader and example. Hence, we were called and designed to be in every way like Him, even in His glory.

1Corinthians 15:44-49

It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.  45 So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

Here we have described for us two prototypes: the natural body of Adam, and the heavenly body of Christ. And it has been designed for every believer to have both kinds of bodies: an earthly (natural) body, and then a heavenly (spiritual) body. And this has been made possible for us by God. When we believed in Him, the blood of Christ paid for our sins and delivered us from eternal death to entrance into heaven by the miraculous resurrection to glory—having a new glorified body.

Philippians 3:21

Who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

Here is how our glorification is accomplished: By His power! It is the same power that He uses to subject everything to Himself.

1 John 3:2 1

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

Here, it seems, is the occurrence of our change. We will be instantly glorified when we see Him, that is, when He comes for us in the clouds (1 Thess. 4:16). We (the dead first and then the living) will be taken up into the air to meet Him. And then, as soon as we see Him we will be instantly glorified like He is—because in that moment “we will see Him just as He is.” In that moment God will cause us to see all of His holiness and it will be infused into us. A wonderful moment! Suddenly, our faces will shine like the sun in glory and strength just like His (see Revelation 1:16).