Part Eighteen:  Nature Provides an Amazing Illustration of Our Future Resurrection through an Easily Recognized Analogy

There are two remarkable biological phenomena in nature that can be viewed as symbolic analogies illustrating God’s promise to His people of a future rebirth into transformed resurrected bodies. In last week’s blog, I emphasized spiritual rebirth. This week we’ll look specifically at the resurrection.

 Nature’s symbolic illustration of our future resurrection into transformed, eternal, physical bodies is even more incredible than its symbolic illustration of spiritual rebirth. I’m speaking of the remarkable phenomenon of metamorphosis, which is the process of insects and amphibians physically changing from immature stages to adult forms.

The classic example of metamorphosis—and the one most people are familiar with—is a caterpillar changing into a butterfly. The butterfly begins life as an egg, which soon “hatches” into a caterpillar (the larva stage). Following this, the caterpillar becomes surrounded with a chrysalis or cocoon (the pupa stage). Finally, within the chrysalis, the caterpillar changes into an adult butterfly. But something that seems almost magical occurs during the pupa stage. Within the protection of the chrysalis, all the organ systems of the larva dissolve into a jelly-like soup of fragmented cells and tissues—what would appear like entering a state of decay. However, these cells and tissues reassemble into an entirely different looking organism. Eventually, from a worm-like creature, restricted to sluggishly crawling along plant stems and leaves, emerges a beautiful, graceful, free-flying butterfly.

This is a wonderful picture of what will happen when our bodies, decaying in the grave, emerge as glorified resurrected bodies created for eternal life in Heaven. Metaphorically speaking, God’s people are transformed from an ugly worm into a beautiful butterfly!

What an extraordinary future Jesus’ followers can eagerly look forward to. As the Apostle Paul observed, we who love and follow God earnestly desire to “be clothed with our heavenly dwelling [resurrected bodies], so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by [eternal] life.” When this happens, Paul adds elsewhere, we will “bear the likeness of the man [Jesus] from heaven.” In other words, Jesus will “transform our lowly [earthly] bodies so that they will be like His glorious [heavenly] body.” (2 Cor. 5:4; 1 Cor. 15:49; Phil. 3:21, respectively.) What a breathtaking and exciting “metamorphosis” this will be. I can hardly wait!  ©

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