I've heard Christians claim that at the Second Coming Christ will return with a physical human body, what is the Bible basis for this belief? It is clear that he has a physical flesh body once: > And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us > > John 1:14 I'm interested in an answer from any mainstream Christian belief that believes Christ will have a physical body at the Second Coming.

I understand the blood and flesh are symbolic, to some, but still, the same spiritual implications are there, I presume. Life is in the blood/it is sacred, do not consume it, Jesus' blood is a gazillion times more so, definitely drink it? Is it a contradiction?

My question is not that which was asked previously Where should the church gather ? which was a question about h*ow should persons gather* in a locality and w*hat arrangement should be made* for that. My question is different. I live in England and I recently travelled elsewhere and was invited to attend a meeting where someone spoke from a platform and prayed and some verses were sung from a screen above us. But also my host invited me home and there we read through a book of the bible together, chapter by chapter alternately ; we sang a psalm and we knelt and prayed. I realised that what we had done in the home had been more spiritual, more edifying and more charitable than the formal meeting in a large building. If one, out of desire 'not to forsake the assembling together' meets in a formal setting and submits to an exterior form of worship which is not altogether satisfactory, then one may not feel that that gathering is a true representation of the 'church', that is to say the body of Christ and the house of God. Is it the case that one may experience a closer representation of that which Christ builds ('I will build my church') in one's own home ? And is that what Paul alludes to when he writes of 'the church which is in their house' Romans 16:3-5 and 'the church in thy house' Philemon 1:2 ? This is no technical point or mere inquisitive inquiry. For those of us who believe we are seeing the end times and the appalling effects of an arising opposition to the gospel which 'uprises' (*apostasis*) and elbows out that which is truly of Christ in order to take over the 'temple' and sit within it 'as God' and 'being worshipped', 2 Thessalonians 2:4 - to us who see that happening, the reality of the church being 'in our house' is something that needs to be seriously thought about. Is it the case that when Jesus Christ says 'where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst', Matthew 18:20, that what is done *in the home* may more closely align with his words than what one is doing publicly, for the sake of corporate conformity ? My question is asked of those who are trinitarian and protestant. >Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet **the church that is in their house.** [Romans 16:3-5 KJV] >... unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to **the church in thy house**: [Philemon 1:2 KJV]

It is claimed that Jesus, Father, Holy Spirit are equals and each is God in their own right. But God (the father) gives orders to the other two and they DO HIS WILL. Nevertheless, Christianity seems to emphasise Jesus as the Key "person" in the "Godhead" in view of the roles he has. IS GOD THE FATHER RETIRED? WHAT IS HIS ROLE IN THE GENERAL SCHEME of things?

According to the stolen body hypothesis, the body of Jesus was stolen from the tomb. Alternatively, Christians believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Besides these hypotheses, are there other ideas about what happened to the body of Jesus after the crucifixion? Do many people (scholars) support these views?

When a Protestant congregation meets together and claim to eat the Bread and drink the Wine of the Body and Blood of Christ Jesus, how does the Eastern Orthodox Church view and understand such eating and drinking of Protestants? When Protestants do so and claim to participate in "Communion," what does the EOC believe is really taking place? What does it mean and signify to the EOC? Is it valid "Eucharist/Holy Communion" when Protestants do so? Is it a sham? Is it something in-between?

Revelation 3:14-22 (ESV): > 14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. > > 15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 **So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth**. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 **Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent**. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 **The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne**. 22 **He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches**.’” You cannot spit out of your mouth something that is not inside your body in the first place. But if Jesus will spit lukewarm believers out of His mouth, it follows that those lukewarm believers were part of Jesus's body in the first place. And if someone was part of Jesus's body in the first place, it follows that they were saved: > 12 **For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ**. 13 **For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body**—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13 ESV) > 27 **Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it**. (1 Corinthians 12:27 ESV) Similar ideas are expressed by John 15: > “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 **Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes**, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. **As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me**. 5 **I am the vine; you are the branches**. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 **If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned**. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:1-11 ESV) ______ ### The argument in deductive form **P1**: Jesus will spit lukewarm individuals out of his mouth (from Revelation 3:16) **P2**: If Jesus spits something out of his mouth, that something must have been part of Jesus's body in the first place (from common sense) **C1**: Lukewarm individuals were part of Jesus's body in the first place (from P1 & P2) **P3**: A person is saved if and only if they are part of Jesus's body (from 1 Corinthians 12, John 15:1-11) **C2**: Lukewarm individuals were saved (from C1 & P3) **P4**: If Jesus spits a lukewarm individual out of his mouth, they are no longer part of Jesus's body (from common sense) **C3**: Lukewarm individuals will no longer be part of Jesus's body (from P1 & P4) **C4**: Lukewarm individuals will no longer be saved (from C3 & P3) **C5**: Lukewarm individuals will lose their salvation (from C2 & C4) **P5**: If salvation can be lost, then Eternal Security is false (from the definition of eternal security ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_security)) and the law of excluded middle ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_excluded_middle))) **C6**: Eternal Security is false (from C5 & P5) ____ **Question** How do those who believe that salvation cannot be lost rebut the deductive argument above? ____ **Related BHSE questions** - [Is Revelation 3:16 a warning about the possibility of losing one's salvation?](https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/q/76215/38524) - [What does Jesus mean by "hot", "cold" and "lukewarm" in Revelation 3:16?](https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/q/76203/38524) - [Are John 15:1-11 and Revelation 3:14-22 referring to the same group of people?](https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/q/76198/38524)

Bottom line up front: Is it possible Jesus had His glorified body in the Old Testament? I understand that in places such as John 1 "the word became flesh" and that it is clear about when Jesus started having a human body. I also understand that God doesn't tell us everything. Deut 29:29. The following is a line of thinking I can't get out of my head: 1. God is timeless. Meaning He is from everlasting to everlasting. Psalm 90:2. He is outside of our time line and not restricted to the present day. 2. Jesus is God. Refer back to John 1:1. 3. Due to the above points, it is possible for Jesus to have a body prior to the incarnation. Thanks for reading this and I look forward to hearing from you.

I have a question, following on from the previous question in which is quoted : >The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth. Doctrines of the Gospel, Student Manual, Chapter 16 ** Throughout Evangelical Christendom, although many differ in doctrine, such as Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Strict Baptist, Reformed, Congregationalist, Free Presbyterian, Free Church, Church of Scotland, Church of England, Independent FIEC, Exclusive Brethren and Open Brethren (and any others of whom I may not be cognisant) I am not aware that any of these would state that they considered themselves to be . . . . >the only true and living church on the face of the earth. Despite differences in doctrine, there is willingness to accept others as believers, as Christians, as members of the Body of Christ ; and there is willingness to receive others, both individually and corporately (although with a degree of grief at the unhappy state of division) in fellowship. But if one truly assumes that one belongs to a body which, in and of itself, is . . . >the only true and living church on the face of the earth . . . . then does that mean that those, who hold themselves to be so, reject any others who identify themselves as 'Christian' ? Do LDS persons, therefore, disallow all who are not within their own denominated congregation to identify themselves as 'Christian' ? ----------------------------------------------- ** Please Note : these particular links are not working very well and may not function as expected.

In [1 Corinthians 12:4-11](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+cor+12%3A4-11&version=ESV) we find the following gifts: - utterance of wisdom - utterance of knowledge - faith - gifts of healing - working of miracles - prophecy - the ability to distinguish between spirits - various kinds of tongues - interpretation of tongues Then, in [verses 27-31](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+cor+12%3A27-31&version=ESV) of the same chapter we find another list of gifts: - apostles - prophets - teachers - miracles - gifts of healing - helping - administrating - various kinds of tongues - interpretation of tongues [Romans 12:3-8](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A3-8&version=ESV) also contains a list of spiritual gifts: - prophecy - service - teaching - exhortation - contribution / generosity - leadership - acts of mercy [Ephesians 4:11-12](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4%3A11-12&version=ESV) lists the following gifts/offices: - apostles - prophets - evangelists - shepherds - teachers **Question**: what is an overview of Christian beliefs regarding which of the gifts listed above are still available to the body of Christ and which of the gifts listed above have ceased? _________ Related question: https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/80396/50422

After researching "Excommunication", I discovered this publication regarding the Catholic Church :

The Catholic Church cannot, nor does it wish to, oppose any obstacle to the internal relations of the soul with God; it even implores God to give the grace of repentance to the excommunicated. The rites of the church, nevertheless, are the providential and regular channel through which divine grace is conveyed to Christians; exclusion from such rites, especially from the sacraments, entails the privation of this grace, to whose sources the excommunicated person no longer has access.

In the papal bull "Exsurge Domine" (May 16, 1520), Pope Leo X condemned Luther's twenty-third proposition according to which "excommunications are merely external punishments, nor do they deprive a man of the common spiritual prayers of the Church". Pope Pius VI in "Auctorem Fidei" (August 28, 1794) condemned the notion which maintained that the effect of excommunication is only exterior because of its own nature it excludes only from exterior communion with the Church, as if, said the pope, excommunication were not a spiritual penalty binding in heaven and affecting souls.

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excommunication_(Catholic_Church)] * The term "binding" in relation to people reminded me of Hebrews 13:3. **Hebrews 13:3**

Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2013:3&version=KJV] * The phrase "as being yourselves also **in the body**" made me rethink what Excommunication entails for prisoners. * If people are not excommunicated from the Catholic Church, then does their status remain "in the body"? **If a prisoner has been excommunicated, Then do Catholics feel the need to observe Hebrews 13:3?** * Does excommunication block Prisoners from prison ministry?

I've researched about this topic online and I could only find one Christian website so far that affirms this belief. https://www.bible.ca/d-Jesus-body-now.htm Does anybody else know if a particular Christian denomination believes this way too? Personally, it makes sense, logically, that Jesus doesn't have a physical body because human bodies freeze in space without a suit. Colossians 1:15 also explicitly states that the Son is the image of the **invisible** God.

An argument to be the Universal Church (made by any organisation) might be the argument of continuity and antiquity, that an organisation can trace its existence back to antiquity such that it can trace a continuous presence in the world back to the time of the Apostles. Laying that argument aside, does the present day Church of Rome have any claim or argument to make that it can be genuinely called 'The Body of Christ'?

Is there any place in the Bible where Jesus Himself claims that all believers are members of His Body? Or is it something that we only know from His apostles? I mean we can infer this thought from such words of Jesus like "I am the vine and you are the branches" or "if the grain of wheat dies, it will bring a of of fruit, however, Jesus also spoke about His body at the last supper, so He might have said something about His believers being members of His Body even prior to His crucifixion.