Book 4 of Musings Our Appearance in the Spirit Realm

Each person has two appearances.

One appearance is in the physical realm. The other appearance is in the spirit realm. The appearance in the spirit realm is the real person.

Have you ever thought about the fact that our true person is invisible to us and to the world? It is a fact. All that can be seen is our house, our animal body.

Of course, people can tell a lot about our invisible person by how we act and what we say.

It appears, from the account of the witch of Endor raising Samuel, the rich man and Lazarus, and Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration, that we are a person who can be seen in the spirit realm. Thus we are two persons simultaneously. There is the person who can be seen in this world, and then there is the person who can be seen in the spirit realm, and who still will be seen after we die physically.

I have thought a lot about how our getting saved, and then our progress in Christ, affect our man that can be seen in the spirit realm. Can the people and angels in the spirit realm notice any difference in our spiritual man when we receive Christ and as we grow in Christ?

When we receive Christ and grow in Christ, the people on earth can see a difference in our behavior but not in our appearance. It is my opinion, however, that in the spirit realm we change in appearance as well as in behavior.

Perhaps the Christian who persists in sin appears in the spirit realm as being clothed with a filthy garment.

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you." (Joshua 3:3-4)

We know we can wash away our sins in the blood of the Lamb. We Christians commence our discipleship with a clean robe. Then we must keep our robe clean by listening to the Holy Spirit. When we points out a sin to us we are to confess it as sin, denounce it as evil, and turn away from it diligently. The Lord will forgive us and help us do this. This is how we keep our robe clean in the blood of the Lamb.

I believe the people and angels in the spirit realm can notice the difference in our appearance when we walk close to the Lord. I believe they can see the purity and the righteousness that have been created in us by the Lord Jesus.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints. (Revelation 19:7-8)

Notice also:

Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. (Rev 6:11)

While we are living on the earth people cannot see what we really are like, except, as I mentioned before, what is revealed in our words and our actions. I don't think this is true in the spirit realm, however. I believe we look like what we actually are.

If I am correct in this, the moment we receive Christ our appearance changes in the spirit realm. Also, according to Paul, we are hidden in Christ who is at the right hand of God. Such a change in our circumstances certainly must be apparent in the spirit realm.

The Lord Jesus told us we are to live by eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Our physical man, the one that can be seen on the earth, does not eat the flesh of the Lamb or drink His blood. It is our invisible man who is eating the flesh and drinking the blood. I think it is likely that taking into ourselves the Divine Life in this manner causes us to actually become larger and radiant in the spirit realm.

The remainder of deceased mankind, those who are not hidden with Christ in God, are wandering about in the spirit realm, waiting for the Day of Resurrection. No change is taking place in them as far as I know. On the other hand, who can tell what change is occurring in their lives?

My point in this article is to call to the attention of Christians that their true person and life are invisible to those of us who are living on the earth. But what they are is apparent in the spirit world, the true and eternal world. This thought should inspire us to press into the Lord Jesus so our invisible person is beginning to look like the Lord. Every mentally and socially healthy person cares about what he or she looks like to others!

When we die and our spiritual personality leaves our physical form and enters the spirit realm, we will look like what we actually have become through the Lord Jesus. I think sometimes Christians live a careless life, trusting that through "grace" everything will "come out in the wash," so to speak. Every individual will be walking on a street of gold, looking like everyone else.

Not so! Your progress in Christ, or lack of it, will be evident to the inhabitants of the eternal world. You will look like what you have become during your life on the earth.

Daniel said some people will be raised to shame and everlasting contempt. This means their appearance will be shameful and contemptible.

We have been taught that if we "accept Christ" we will appear as a glorious ruler of the nations. We ought to know better than this. Would the Lord Jesus go to so much trouble and take the time to labor over us, helping us to grow spiritually, if it is not going to make any difference? This is nonsensical, and you may have noticed that there is no nonsense about the Lord Jesus!

What we are cannot be seen now on the earth. But I think it can be seen in the spirit world, and that the angels take note of it.

One thing is certain: in the Day of Resurrection, what we have become through the Lord Jesus Christ will be seen clearly by everyone.

With this in mind, we should give careful thought to how diligently we are applying ourselves to our discipleship today. How do you feel about this?

One aspect of growing in eternal life in our invisible spirit-man has to do with our physical death. Do you remember that the Lord Jesus promised us that whoever lived and believed in Him would never die? He was speaking, I think, of our invisible spirit-man. Of course, if we have really served the Lord during this life, in the Day of Resurrection we will receive immortality in the body.

But if we apply "whoever lives and believes in me shall never die" to our spiritual personality, then we are saying whoever has grown to maturity in Christ does not have to fear physical death. When this corruptible house has ceased to breathe, the spiritual man, who already, while in the present world, is having fellowship with God and Christ, and is known to the angels of God, will walk away from the dead physical body and continue in the new world and new life that already are familiar to him. He will never die, in this sense.

Compare this to the death of the churchgoer who has lived in the sinful nature, who is not at home in the new world and new life. He has left the only existence he has ever known, the life of eating, sleeping, playing, working, and reproducing. He is an intelligent animal. However, his spiritual nature is impoverished. His spirit may be saved, but how does he appear in the real, invisible world?

Something to think about, wouldn't you say?

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. (Romans 8:19)