Bible Answer Man: Jesus' Second Coming Will Be Physical, Millions of Christians Will Have New Bodies
"Bible Answer Man" Hank Hanegraaff has said that the Second Coming of Jesus will be physical, with Christ appearing physically to the world.
Hanegraaff, who is president of the Christian Research Institute, responded to a listener's question on his video podcast uploaded to Facebook on Monday, by declaring that people will definitely know when Jesus returns.
"He (Jesus) will put all things to right. Which is to say, the universe that now groans in travail will be liberated from its bondage [and] decay," he said, adding that sin and Satan will be defeated.
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The listener asked whether Jesus will be walking the streets, to which Hanegraaff responded: "Jesus appears physically — of that there is no doubt. The Christian faith is not platonic, it is physical. That is one of the reasons God used physical objects on this Earth to point to spiritual verities."
"The Christian faith is very, very physical," he reiterated, noting that certain traditions make use of bones and altars due to the belief in resurrection.
"Christ was raised physically from the dead. He ascended physically into Heaven, He transcends time and space, and He will return again physically, and we will be resurrected physically," the Bible Answer Man continued, explaining that believers will "welcome in the Master to a restored universe."
Hanegraaff added that people will have resurrected bodies according to the promise of Jesus, with the universe itself going through transformation.
While the CRI president could not say what the new bodies will look like, he said that nature provides some interesting examples. He pointed to the Caterpillar, which goes through the process of metamorphosis, where its old body dissolves in a molecular mixture, before it re-emerges as a butterfly.
"I know that it will be wonderful, because the Bible describes it as glorious," he said of the transformation humans will go through.
When asked whether that means "millions and trillions" of people will be raised, Hanegraaff noted that "yes, that's exactly what it means."
"Atheists start with a materialist presupposition," he pointed out, while Christians say that "the universe is supernatural, and cries out for a supernatural explanation."
Various Christian leaders have offered their understanding on what the Second Coming of Christ will look like, including the late Rev. Billy Graham.
Graham, who died on Feb. 21, had said that Christ's return will be very different from His birth, which took place under "humble and obscure" conditions.
During Jesus' return, He "[...] will come with power and glory to conquer evil and establish His Kingdom of righteousness and justice," Graham said in 2017.
"He won't be born as a baby but will come instead in all of His fullness and majesty. That which was hidden during his first coming will now be revealed — and every person on Earth will see him," the world-famous evangelist added, citing Mark 13:26: "At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory."
As for when Jesus will return, the question remains subject to much debate, though some, such as evangelist Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of Graham, have suggested that the time is nearing.
Lotz, founder of AnGeL Ministries, has said that the string of natural disasters and violence gripping America and many places around the world today could be signs that the earth is going through the "birth pangs" before the return of Christ.
In 2017, she pointed to Matthew 24:7, which speaks of a time when "nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places."
