“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” (Philippians 3:20–21, KJV)
When my daughter was little, there was a television show titled, “The Incredible Hulk.” This show absolutely terrified my young daughter. The reason was that in the show a man named Dr. David Banner, due to an accident that altered his cells, would turn into a green fierce muscle-bound being when he became angered. He experienced a situational, and temporary transformation from a normal human being into something superhuman. You can imagine how this might have affected a young preschool aged girl. Of course, when I heard of this, I sometimes would go around the house flexing my muscles pretending to be the Incredible Hulk. Don’t worry, this did not permanently traumatize her.
Every believer is destined to go through a bodily transformation. No, it will not be into a green monster like the Incredible Hulk. Moreover, it will not be a temporary transformation either. Paul indicated that a day will come when the Lord Jesus Christ will transform “our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.” A time is coming when our mortal bodies will be transformed into a glorious body like the Lord’s resurrected body. This is to happen at the coming of the Lord and our being gathered to Him (2 Thess 2).
I am experiencing it very well. As we grow older, our physical bodies are wasting away. Try as we may, while we may be able to slow the process through healthy living habits, we cannot turn the body-clock backwards. Inevitably we all will experience the toils of life. We will lose some of the youthful vigor. We will endure chronic ailments.
Yet there is a time to come when this will all change. The resurrected body that we shall receive will have none of the weaknesses. Never again will believers suffer with illnesses, weaknesses, pains, or sufferings. It will be a glorious time and a time without end.
So, if you are suffering or struggling with bodily ailments today, do not lose heart. We must deal with these today with a view on eternity. Paul wrote, that enduring our present struggles in the body have a glorious purpose. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (2 Corinthians 4:17, KJV)
Renewing the Heart 