Does Jesus have a physical body in heaven?

This is the title of an article by the Got Questions web ministry.^[1] Their article promotes what I call “Christological Physicalism,” which they define as being “the physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus’ crucified body in heaven.” Below is their article and my interspersed comments. Following that, other comments from scholars and objections from Christological Physicalists will be reviewed.

Before we begin though, I have three preliminary observations that I think addresses some core reasoning:

1. Christological Physicalism ultimately derives from the Council of Chalcedon of 451 CE, the fourth synod of what is now called the Seven Ecumenical Councils. Like the other councils of its time, emphasis was placed on refuting heresies.
   
   
2. The second is that this Christology was developed and codified (at the Council of Chalcedon) prior to the Scientific Revolution. Thus, it was not concerned with its conclusions harmonizing with astronomy or the laws of physics. They were also not divinely inspired to be in harmony with it. However, since they were dealing with the laws of physics as related to Jesus now, all believers in Christological Physicalism would do well to reappraise their traditional views that have grown hoary with age. Faith is intrinsic to Christianity, but it must be measured and not applied too liberally. Applying it to areas where the modern laws of physics reign may be an abuse of faith. All Christians should take that to heart, especially as applied to Christological Physicalism. We should not be requiring faith in the Hypostatic Union if it violates the laws of physics, and we should not be requiring faith in the Council of Chalcedon of 451—that it produced correct and binding results if these violate the laws of physics. Violating the laws of physics is not to be taken lightly as this will result in a direct refutation and falsification. Applied personally, the laws of physics, as we know, cannot be ignored or argued with. As we are all too familiar, ignoring them or not readily accounting for them leads to difficulties ranging from petty annoyances to injury and even death. The laws of physics are not to be trifled with and will always win.

3. Lastly, there is a strange interpretation of 2 John 1:7 that serves as a justification of Christological Physicalism that needs to be addressed. This states: “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, people who do not confess Jesus as Christ coming in the flesh.” (NET Bible) Christological Physicalism reads this verse in the future tense, that Jesus is coming physically. But even if it does mean that, it would not necessarily follow that he is physical now. As the NET Bible states in its footnote:

   This is the same confession as in 1 John 4:2 except the perfect participle used there is replaced by a present participle (ἐρχόμενον, erchomenon) here. It is not clear why the author changed from a perfect participle in 1 John 4:2 to a present participle here. The perfect participle suggests a reference to the incarnation (past). The present participle could suggest a reference to the (future) second advent, but based on the similarity to 1 John 4:2 it is probably best to take it as referring to the incarnation.

   Another scholar, writing in a volume of the esteemed Hermeneia Commentary, states about 2 John 1:7 that “According to many interpreters, the content of this sentence agrees with 1 John 4:2” and “This would mean that the opponents in 1 John deny the earthly incarnation of Christ. They represent a docetic christology, saying that Jesus, as the Christ, did not assume an earthly and material form of existence but only appeared to live on earth.”^[2]
   
   Then for 1 John 4:2, he commented that “It does not refer to the future but to an event in the past whose effects continue even to the present time. There can be no doubt that the author is thinking at this point of the incarnation of Jesus Christ, which occurred ‘in the flesh’—in other words, the entry of the Son of God into the sphere of the tangible and mutable.”
   
   He adds: “In such usage the author of 1 John is on the same plane as the fourth evangelist, who can use [sarx (flesh)] as a concept in opposition to [pneuma (spirit)]” and “before everything else it is acknowledged that the Logos has become flesh (1:14), a central affirmation of Johannine theology.”^[3]
   
   The second century Christian leader Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle John, summarized Johannine theology using 1 John 4:2 in his letter to the Philippians, in 7:1, writing: “‘For everyone who does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is an antichrist’; [1 John 4:3] and whosoever does not confess the testimony of the cross is of the Devil: and whosoever perverts the oracles of the Lord for his own lusts, and says that there is neither resurrection nor judgment—this man is the first-born of Satan.”
   
   Following him, his disciple Irenaeus quoted 2 John 1:7 and 1 John 4:2 in the same light, complementing each other, connecting both to John 1:14:

   These are they against whom the Lord has cautioned us beforehand; and His disciple, in his Epistle already mentioned, commands us to avoid them, when he says: “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” [2 John 1:7] Take heed to them, that you lose not what you have wrought. And again does he say in the Epistle: “Many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God; and every spirit which separates Jesus Christ is not of God, but is of antichrist.” [1 John 5:7] These words agree with what was said in the Gospel, that “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” [John 1:14]^[4]

   Thus, for the Johannine epistles to be internally consistent, as Polycarp and Irenaeus understood, 2 John 1:7 is referring to Jesus’ first appearance. Significantly, this understanding is also seen in the NRSV-Updated Edition: “Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist!” Notice the translation to the past. The New Oxford Annotated Bible NSRV has this footnote explaining: “The secessionists who do not abide in the teaching of Christ by denying that the human Jesus is the Christ have shattered that fellowship.” (italics added) Additionally, scholar David Bently Heart translated it as: “For many deceivers have gone forth into the cosmos, those who do not confess that Jesus the Anointed has come in flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.” (italics added) He explains in a footnote that “This may mean that an antichrist is specifically someone who teaches a ‘docetic’ view of Christ.”^[5] Thus, the proper interpretation is denying that Jesus came as a human contra docetism, not coming as a physical man, and should not be used to support Christological Physicalism.

With these three points established, we can now commence considering their article—which fortunately does not employ 2 John 1:7—with my comments in bold. I have also underlined important words:

Does Jesus have a physical body in heaven?

The physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus is foundational to Christian doctrine and our hope of heaven. [But physical human bodies cannot live outside of earth’s atmosphere.] Because Jesus rose from the dead with a physical body, every Christian has the guarantee of his own bodily resurrection (John 5:21, 28; Romans 8:23). [That does not follow, and those cited scriptures do not say that. Resurrection is certainly not dependent on Jesus rising with a physical body, and we can be very thankful of that.] Now Jesus is in heaven [which is outside of our “zip code” and thus not outer space], where He is pictured as sitting in a place of authority, at the right hand of God (1 Peter 3:22). But is Jesus’ body in heaven the same as His body on earth?

The Bible is clear that Jesus’ body was resurrected. The tomb was empty. [It does not follow that the empty tomb means that Jesus’ body was resurrected.] He was recognizable to those who knew Him. [This is contradicted by their own explanation in this same paragraph below.] Jesus showed Himself to all His disciples after His resurrection, and more than five hundred people were eyewitnesses to His earthly, post-resurrection presence (1 Corinthians 15:4–6). In Luke 24:16, on the road to Emmaus, two of Jesus’ disciples “were kept from recognizing [Jesus].” [This contradicts what was said above in the same paragraph.] However, later, “their eyes were opened and they recognized Him” (verse 31). It’s not that Jesus was unrecognizable; it’s that, for a time, the disciples were supernaturally restrained from recognizing Him. [So, he was recognizable but unrecognizable because God made him so. I’ve read that solution before, but I don’t think we want to go there as it could open the proverbial Pandora’s Box, as in, what else did God block people’s eyes from seeing about Jesus? That sounds like a dangerous path. It especially sounds odd considering that God announced Jesus’ identification from heaven twice as seen in Matthew 3:17, 17:5; Mark 1:11, 9:7; Luke 3:22, 9:35 (see also John 12:28). Also, 2 Thessalonians 2:11 tells us that God only lets his enemies be deceived. Surely, Mary and Jesus’ other loyal disciples are not God’s enemies. It seems preposterous then that God would want to block their vision about Jesus’ identity. But it gets worse: Why would God want to block people’s eyes from the truth about Jesus? That would make him dishonest. The most honest reading of the narrative is that his stigmata were simply not available. Jesus wanted to reveal himself another way. Why insert his stigmata into a narrative where they are absent? This is also true of John 20:14 with Mary and John 21:4 with his disciples. This last passage is significant because even though his disciples saw him in the locked room, now when they see him again, they do not recognize him, and this time his stigmata are absent. To say that God blocked Mary’s eyes and blocked the disciples’ eyes again is a very dishonest thing to attribute to God. This, I believe, is a very significant error, a fatal flaw, that all Christological Physicalists are forced to make.]

Later in the same chapter of Luke, Christ makes it plain to His disciples that He does have a physical body; He is not a disembodied spirit: “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39). [He appeared suddenly in the inaccessible room without opening the door and entering. This indicates he was materializing from a spirit form as done previously in Genesis 18:1-8. In any case, this possibility cannot be denied and can even be seen as the one most likely intended.] After spending forty days with His disciples, Jesus ascended bodily into heaven (Acts 1:9). [Embarrassingly, Acts 1:9 does not say that. Rather, it says he ascended into the sky where a cloud obscured him from view.] Jesus is still human, and He has a human body in heaven right now. [This appears to be based on a glaring misreading of Acts 1:9 due to extremely poor reading comprehension.] His body is different, however; earthly human flesh is perishable, but heavenly bodies are imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:50). Jesus has a physical body, with a difference. His resurrected body is designed with eternity in view. [This is not a physical body then. This article opened by stating that “the physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus is foundational to Christian doctrine,” but now it says his body has a significant “difference.” Thus, it unknowingly presents an inescapable contradiction of astronomical magnitude.]

First Corinthians 15:35–49 describes what the body of the believer will be like in heaven. Our heavenly bodies will differ from our earthly ones in type of flesh [Thus not a fleshly body. It is physically impossible to have it both ways (to be flesh in outer space)—that is extremely ludicrous.], in splendor, in power, and in longevity. The apostle Paul also states that the believer’s body will be an image of Christ’s body (verse 49). Paul discusses this subject again in 2 Corinthians, where he compares earthly bodies to tents and heavenly bodies to heavenly dwellings (2 Corinthians 5:1–2). Paul says that, once the earthly tents come off, Christians will not be left “naked”—that is, without a body to live in (2 Corinthians 5:3). When the new body is “put on,” we will go from mortality to immortality (2 Corinthians 5:4). [Yes, it is a new body. This point contradicts the previous point.]

So, we know that the Christian will have a heavenly body like Jesus’ “glorious body” (Philippians 3:21). At His incarnation Jesus took on human flesh, and at His resurrection His body was glorified—although He retained the scars (John 20:27). [Not in all of the resurrection appearances, they were only included in Luke 24:36-40 and John 20:19-29 to the exclusion of the significant thorn wounds.] He will forever be the God-Man, sacrificed for us. Christ, the Creator of the universe, will forever stoop to our level, and He will be known to us in heaven in a tangible form that we can see, hear, and touch (Revelation 21:3–4; 22:4). [But that’s in heaven, not in outer space. That’s a significant distinction the author(s) of this article failed to make. Fleshly bodies dwell in our “zip code.” If they go outside of our atmosphere, they are in outer space, but still in our “zip code.” If they are heavenly bodies, then they dwell in heaven outside of our “zip code.” This concept is extremely easy to grasp.]
(End of article.)

Thus, their article is riddled with contradictions—refuting itself—and is thus an exercise in absurdity. It is also applying faith far too liberally. The result is acute cognitive dissonance. Stated succinctly, it is a form of spiritual abuse and manipulation.

This conclusion is highlighted in this summary:

Question: Was Jesus’ crucified body resurrected with the wounds?
Answer: Yes: “Christ makes it plain to His disciples that He does have a physical body; He is not a disembodied spirit: ‘See my hands and my feet.’”

Question: Is Jesus in heaven?
Answer: Yes: “Jesus ascended bodily into heaven.”

Question: Would that be outer space?
Answer: No: “Jesus has a physical body, with a difference. His resurrected body is designed with eternity in view.”

Conclusion: This is a justification or rationalization of a set of contradictions: having something exist in a place where it cannot exist. It is therefore textbook cognitive dissonance.^[6] Denying this conclusion is delusional and irrational.

But there is more: Christological Physicalism also exhibits an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD symptoms include (1) unnecessary ordering, arranging and (2) hoarding of unneeded items. Retaining Jesus’ sacrificed body is hoarding, and arranging for him to still have it is unnecessary ordering. Thus, Christological Physicalism enforces institutionalizing the mental health disorders of OCD and cognitive dissonance.

As one authority said about OCD: “OCD is unlikely to get better on its own, but treatment and support is available to help you manage your symptoms and have a better quality of life.”^[7]

Only spiritually abusive mind-control cults institutionalize these mental health disorders on their followers.^[8] It doesn’t matter if the mind-control cult leaders are from the Council of Chalcedon in 451 (thus controlling your thoughts from the grave) or from your local church. The effects are the same. If your beliefs about Jesus’ body are in violation of the laws of physics in some way and require convoluted and circuitous reasoning to resolve, then you are in a mind-control cult. This is dangerous as it leads to delusion, deception and dishonesty in your discourse, which is diabolically deplorable.

To be continued…

Footnotes:
^[1] www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-physical-body.html
^[2] Georg Strecker. The Johannine Letters: A Commentary on 1. 2. and 3 John. 1996, p. 233
^[3] Pages 134-135.
^[4] Against Heresies, Book 3, 16:8.
^[5] The New Testament, A Translation. 2^nd edition, 2023.
^[6] Symptoms of cognitive dissonance include justification or rationalization of conflicting behavior.
^[7] “Symptoms – Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)” www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd
^[8] To the Christological Physicalists reading: Don’t be concerned about me being in a cult, as I’m not the one flagrantly rejecting the proven laws of physics (along with the flat earth crowd) by believing in Christological Physicalism. I strive to be very aware, objective, and independently-minded, as ones who know me can attest.