The Life Elysian. Translated into Simplified “Modern English”. Chapter Four. The Resurrection and its Body.

Let me begin this explanation by expressing my gratitude for the thoughtful way my previous message was received by its reviewers. I was advocating for a cause that has often suffered the most from the mistakes of its supporters and the dishonesty of those who falsely claim to follow it. Thoughtless seekers of curiosity and profit have disrespected the sacredness of the afterlife, ignoring decency and sensitivity. They have arrogantly assumed the right to tear away the veil between life and death, turning the spirit world into nothing more than a parlour trick for entertainment. Such desecrations rightfully deserve the criticism they receive from the press, which should always serve as a strong defender of reason, law, and order.

Naturally, I expected that the title of my book would attract a wave of negative criticism, as has historically been directed at this subject. However, I was both surprised and reassured to find that reviewers were open to listening and fairly considering ideas that fall outside conventional thinking—so long as they are presented with logical consistency.

That being said, I would not claim that my work went completely unchallenged. To say I faced no opposition would not be true. In fact, a complete lack of criticism would have been unfortunate, as honest debate is necessary. However, I appreciate that the objections raised were expressed in a fair and measured way. It is to these main points of criticism that I now wish to briefly respond.

Some of my friends, both among reviewers and my correspondents, have objected to what they call my materialistic descriptions of life and surroundings in Paradise. More than one has urged me to consider Paul's words about the general resurrection:

"The Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

Their main argument is based on the idea that Heaven is "in the air" or "in the clouds," which, they claim, makes buildings, trees, and other material objects impossible.

To this, I respond frankly by saying that my statements were not made as a Biblical commentator or a dogmatic theologian, but rather from personal observation and experience. I was never a Bible scholar, and I have always regarded "orthodoxy" as a word that changes meaning depending on who is using it. As I have stated more than once, I have deliberately avoided engaging in theological debate.

As far as I can understand the plain meaning of words, Paul's statement does not say that Heaven is in the air or the clouds. Instead, he says that "the Lord will descend from Heaven" into the air to meet His saints. If that is the case, this passage does not give any clear idea of what Paul thought Heaven was like. Furthermore, even if I am mistaken from a theological standpoint, Paul’s inspiration in this passage does not seem infallible, since he writes, “we that are alive and remain” as if he expected the second coming to happen in his own lifetime.

Of course, my interpretation may be completely wrong according to orthodox teaching, so I will not insist on it any further.

I knew throughout my message that I was not expressing it in the usual way, but at the same time, I was not entirely unscriptural. Without getting into further debate, let me respond to the charge that my view of the afterlife is too materialistic by presenting a scriptural description of the Heavenly Jerusalem. I believe this passage alone is enough to address the objection:

"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’

"And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God,

"Having the glory of God. Its radiance was like a very precious jewel, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal."

"It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel."

"There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west."

"The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."

"The angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its walls."

"The city was laid out as a square; its length was as great as its width. He measured the city with the rod—twelve thousand furlongs; its length, width, and height were equal."

"He also measured its wall—one hundred and forty-four cubits by human measurement, which the angel was using."

"The wall was built of jasper, and the city itself was pure gold, as clear as glass."

“The foundations of the city's wall were decorated with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper, the second was sapphire, the third was chalcedony, and the fourth was emerald.

“The fifth was sardonyx, the sixth was sardius, the seventh was chrysolite, the eighth was beryl, the ninth was topaz, the tenth was chrysoprase, the eleventh was jacinth, and the twelfth was amethyst.

“The twelve gates were made of twelve pearls, each gate made from a single pearl. The streets of the city were pure gold, clear as transparent glass.

“I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

“The city had no need for the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and the Lamb was its lamp.

“The nations of those who are saved will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory and honour into it.

“The gates will never be shut during the day, and there will be no night there.

“The glory and honour of the nations will be brought into it.

“Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor anyone who does anything shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”

Additionally, according to scripture, the heavenly Jerusalem is not the only city in the home of the redeemed. If Christ's words are to be taken as an authority, then in the parable of the ten minas, as recorded by Luke, He rewards faithful service by granting rulership over five or even ten cities. If this is so, then the number of cities in Heaven must be vast to make such a generous reward possible!

That should be enough to address the orthodox objection.

While addressing criticisms, I would like to respond to one that is not directed at me personally, but at the entire subject of communication between the living and the spirit world. This criticism comes from a scientist whose studies give him the right to be heard. He states:

“The biggest challenge to accepting the spiritualist idea is that the messages we receive tend to portray the other world—where, apparently, matter is not perceived, and space and time do not exist—as just a copy or a simplified version of this world.

I have never seen a message where the communicator honestly says, ‘Of course, you must understand that the form I have here is not the same as the one I had in your world.’ Or ‘The concept of form here is completely different from what it is in your world; I cannot explain it to you, so there is no point in trying to describe it.’ Unfortunately, neither the spirits nor their mediums communicate in this way. They all either say, or allow people to assume, that the human form remains the same in both worlds.”(From Mrs. Piper and the Society for Psychical Research by M. Sage, London: R. Brimley Johnson, 1903, pp. 17-34.)

This argument, which may seem compelling at first, is actually no more valid than the objections raised by my religious critics. It is based on incorrect assumptions and arises from a misunderstanding of the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds. I am not surprised by this, since scientific knowledge on earth—even in its most advanced form—is still at a very early stage compared to the understanding available to similar researchers in the spirit realm.

In a recently published book, New Conceptions in Science by Carl Snyder, the author reviews past scientific discoveries and then considers what the future may hold. He states:

“Beyond everything the eye can see, the ear can hear, the hands can touch, outside of taste or smell, beyond all our natural senses, there lies an unseen, unfelt universe, whose edges we are only just beginning to explore.” (pp. 42-43)

Scientists who have left their physical bodies have entered this unseen world with all their previous abilities strengthened and enhanced. Many of them are willing, even eager, to return and work with their earthly colleagues to help achieve new, unimaginable discoveries.

"Then why don’t they come?" a hundred voices demand. "Let them return, prove their identities, and then we will believe."

I will tell you why they do not come, why communication between our worlds has been so unsatisfactory, and why those with the power to amaze the world have not yet done so.

It is for the same reason that Archimedes and the scholars of Alexandria did not achieve the scientific advances of today—they lacked the necessary tools.

If the scientific spirits, who have advanced into the realm beyond physical sight and sound, were given the right instruments to transmit their knowledge, the question of communication would quickly be resolved, and humanity would benefit greatly from the connection. Even with the limited and often unreliable means currently available, significant progress has been made, and many barriers of scepticism have been removed. But once humanity fully recognizes the potential of this growing connection, a new and more enlightened era will dawn, freeing people from long-standing ignorance and mental confinement.

I know that communication as it stands today is far from perfect, but part of the problem is the mistaken belief that we in the unseen world should be flawless. This idea is not only incorrect but also unfair, and the sooner it is acknowledged, the better.

Surely the time has come for both sides to work together, to recognize the challenges that exist, and to make a deliberate effort to improve communication by providing the best possible conditions for it.

With patience, open-mindedness, and the understanding that wisdom and intelligence are not limited to the physical world, a scientifically reliable means of communication could be developed—one that would bring immense benefits to life on earth.

Death does not cancel the law of cause and effect; rather, evolution continues beyond death, guiding the soul upward toward the divine. There is no sudden break, no abrupt transition, no sharp dividing line—the soul simply experiences freedom from certain physical limitations and begins to ascend. It does not lose anything of real value; instead, it gains new abilities that enhance, rather than replace, what it already had. This means the soul is not diminished but expanded, having taken another step forward in its journey of growth.

Many of the obstacles and frustrations that once hindered progress are now removed, and every energy is heightened for the pursuit of the magnificent future ahead.

No, the old law of development remains intact—it simply operates with even greater precision and fairness in the higher realms of existence. Just as the nature of the caterpillar determines what kind of butterfly it will become, so too does the soul’s past shape its future. There is no miraculous transformation at death, just as no scientist can turn one species into another. What comes next is always the result of what came before. Death’s only function is to remove the physical body and set the soul free—it changes nothing else. Once across the border into the afterlife, the soul instinctively draws to itself a spiritual body that matches its true inner nature. This new form reflects the soul’s character, bearing a divine judgment upon its purity or imperfection. There is no appeal against this judgment, and the only reaction is often one of surprised wonder—amazement that so many mitigating factors have been considered with mercy.

But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have?”

Since the first announcement of the resurrection as a natural event, no question has remained as consistently important as this. It is the very foundation of religion, for if Christ has not risen, then all preaching is pointless, and faith is meaningless. Yet despite this essential truth, nowhere has theology so completely failed to grasp the true spiritual meaning of an event or doctrine as in this case. Bound to earthly ideas in all its interpretations, religious authorities have stumbled blindly into a tangle of contradictions from which there seems to be no escape. They have lost sight of the glorious completion of Christ’s work, lost in the confusion they themselves have created. As a result, the people they claim to guide are left spiritually starved, receiving empty words instead of real nourishment.

It would be tragic for humanity if God had not foreseen this situation. But He did foresee it.

Did not Christ predict this in His parable of the wicked tenants? And is not the very mission I am now involved in a fulfillment of that prophecy?

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

Several of my correspondents have asked me for insights on the resurrection and the spiritual body. Here, I can only outline the direction in which this topic will be explored later, as a full discussion would require an entire book. Since I have already admitted that I am not an expert in biblical debate—where any discussion of this must begin—I am content to leave a deeper analysis to those more qualified. Instead, I will stay focused on recounting my personal experiences.

First, the resurrection is a completely natural and ongoing event, not a miraculous occurrence that will happen at some future time. I make this claim based on the scriptural authority of Christ (John 5:24-27):

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned but has already passed from death to life.

Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming—and is now here—when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.

And He has given Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man."

In this passage, Christ does not describe resurrection as a future event but rather as something happening immediately and continuously, based on a specific condition. He further reinforces this idea in John 8:51:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death."

Jesus confirms this again to Martha in John 11:23-26:

"Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.'

Martha said to Him, 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.'

Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, even though he dies, will live.

And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?'"

I will add nothing further to these passages but let them speak for themselves about Christ’s clear teaching on the timing of the resurrection.

The only possible debate here is about what Christ meant by the word "death." In similar situations, He often chose to use the word "sleep" instead—"She is not dead but sleeping." "Our friend Lazarus sleeps."

Now, let’s move on to the second question: "With what body do they come?"

I have already described Paul's idea of being "unclothed to be clothed upon" based on my own experience, and this perfectly summarizes what people call death. "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom" beyond the symbolic Jordan, so the physical body is left behind, and the spiritual body is put on as one transitions from the lower to the higher realm. "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body."

Let me repeat what I said earlier: during this transition, the soul keeps all its abilities and faculties, except those tied to the physical body, which must be discarded. Then, as the soul takes on its spiritual body, it also gains new and equivalent abilities. So, it is not diminished but actually enhanced in its new form.

How much greater the soul becomes depends entirely on how closely it resembles Christ, who is the sole standard by which all are measured. The resurrection body of Jesus serves as the model and example for what our own will be like.

This body after death deserves careful attention because it holds many important lessons for us. A lot has changed between the moment Jesus died on the cross and when He reappeared at Joseph’s tomb. He no longer says, "Of Myself I can do nothing," but instead declares, "All power is given to Me in Heaven and on earth."

He is the same person, proving His identity through undeniable signs, but His body is not the same. The physical form He had during His ministry is completely gone. "It was sown in weakness; it is raised in power." But what kind of power! This is not just a new body—it is a whole series of bodies, never appearing the same way twice, moving like a mystery between the visible and invisible worlds.

Mary, who knew Him so well, mistook Him for the gardener until He spoke her name. Later, "He appeared in another form" to two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus, and they did not recognize Him until He broke bread—then He vanished from their sight. He stood in the midst of His followers even though the doors were locked. Thomas, who doubted, was invited to touch Him and feel the wounds, as the Lord appeared again in yet another form. He was not a ghost but a real, spiritual body—He built a fire by the shore while waiting for the disciples’ boat and ate breakfast with them. Finally, He ascended into the sky and disappeared into the clouds.

Am I saying anything that contradicts scripture? Where? As far as my knowledge and reasoning allow, I have simply described the clear teachings and events surrounding the resurrection of the Son of God.

Beyond my own experience, this fully confirms the truth of what I have said. "The works that I do, ye shall do also," was Christ’s promise to His disciples and all who would follow after them.

From the other side of the grave, He called His friends to follow Him, and this ongoing proof that death is not the end is absolutely necessary. It is how we show the world that those who belong to Christ have eternal life, and death has no power over them.

So, the claim I make—that the tomb is open and that there is constant communication between the Church on earth and the Church in Heaven—is simply a declaration of our shared Christian inheritance.

The gospel we proclaim is not of death, but of LIFE—eternal life!