I thought it would be good to start a thread discussing "eating in heaven". We know that pure spirits need no food (because there are no physical bodies to sustain). Yet, Scripture is always talking about the "wedding feast", etc.

Here is a vers from Tobit (which I don't think is in the Protestant Bible), which explains a little.

"I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One."

12:16 They were both alarmed; and they fell upon their faces, for they were afraid. 12:17 But he said to them, "Do not be afraid; you will be safe. But praise God for ever. 12:18 For I did not come as a favor on my part, but by the will of our God. Therefore praise him for ever. 12:19 All these days I merely appeared to you and did not eat or drink, but you were seeing a vision."

So, Raphael, wasn't really eating - it was merely a vision.

In Christ.

-- Jake Huether (jake_huether@yahoo.com), January 13, 2003

Answers

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-- Jake Huether (jake_huether@yahoo.com), January 13, 2003.

Since angels are pure spirits, and invisible to human eyes, in order to communicate with humans, they typically appear "in human form". However, that doesn't necessarily mean they take on an actual flesh and blood human body. If that were the case, we would have to resolve some sticky questions, such as "would God create a human body without a soul?", and "what happened to the physical body when the angel was finished with it?" It is much more likely that, as you said, such appearances of angels are actually visions; that is, the human beings are allowed to see the angels in human form "in their minds", rather than with their eyes. And in a vision, an angel "in human form" could appear to do anything that an ordinary human could do - even things which angels, by their nature, cannot normally do.

Recall that when Jesus appeared to the Apostles after His Resurrection, they couldn't believe it was really Him. They could certainly see that it looked like Him - therefore, though the text doesn't specifically say so, the suggestion is that perhaps they thought they were seeing some kind of ghost. The next thing Jesus did was take a piece of fish and eat it in their presence. Then they knew they were looking at the physical Jesus, since spirits do not eat.

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), January 13, 2003.

What's the matter with you, Jake? Cann't eat without thinking about the poor spiritual creatures who stay all the time without chips and coke? They are in heaven - no need of coke and chips from your kitchen!!

-- (wc001@ethan.com), January 13, 2003.

Don't worry, it's just the soul who don't eat! The body will have it's share of beans!

-- (wc001@ethan.com), January 13, 2003.

... which brings up that age-old question ... where in scripture are beans mentioned? Any takers? :-)

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), January 13, 2003.

The body will have its share of beans here, before you put it to sleep. Up there, with no body, no hunger... Paul, beans, mentioned? In Genesis, with all the greenery! Gime a harder question...

-- (wc001@ethan.com), January 13, 2003.

Yeah, somehow! Just don't ask me how...

-- (wc001@ethan.com), January 13, 2003.

Paul asked: "Where in Scripture are beans mentioned?"

2 Samuel 17:28 - "brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, meal, parched grain, beans and lentils", and

Ezekiel 4:9 - "And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt, and put them into a single vessel, and make bread of them. During the number of days that you lie upon your side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it."

-- Christine L. :-) (christine_lehman@hotmail.com), January 13, 2003.

Christine,

Yep! Those are the two I know of :-)

Paul

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), January 14, 2003.

"We know that pure spirits need no food (because there are no physical bodies to sustain)."

I ask two questions:

1] Are angels spirits? Man has a body, soul, and spirit. Are angels just spirits or have a spirit? Where do you get your facts?

2] Could it be they eat because God has given it to them as enjoyment and not for necessity? Why not? We do serve a loving God.

--

"The next thing Jesus did was take a piece of fish and eat it in their presence. Then they knew they were looking at the physical Jesus, since spirits do not eat."

So, Christ could eat in his resurrected body? So, why can't you believe we will eat in Heaven - at the Supper of the Lamb?

God Bless!

-- Tim, the Baptist (tlw97@cox.net), January 14, 2003.

ok Tim, now you've definitely onto something. I was actually thinking about this the other day. It is God's will that our entire being: spirit, soul, and body be completely preserved, that our bodies be glorified. As you mentioned, Christ himself was resurrected and ascended bodily. Our glorified bodies will indeed be physical but not subject to pain or suffering.

What however I still maintain are my thoughts regarding angels. I do not believe that they themselves have a physical body. I believe angels are different from men. Man was ordained to have dominion over the earth, not angels. Am I right in presuming that you believe that angels are glorified(transfigured) men ?

-- Oliver Fischer (spicenut@excite.com), January 14, 2003.

Dear Tim,

Yes, angels are pure spirits. I get my facts the only place they are available - from the infallible teaching of His Church. If you think we will need worldly pleasures like eating to "enjoy ourselves" in the presence of the Beatific Vision, you have a very worldly view of heaven. No-one of course can really imagine what it will be like; but complete unity with God is what human beings are created for, and once they achieve that, there is NOTHING else they could possibly need or want. Yes, Christ could eat in His physically resurrected, unglorified body, because it was exactly the same as it was before His death. That Resurrection was an extension of His earthly life, just as Lazarus continued to eat after Jesus raised him. That cannot be compared to the final resurrection unto life eternal.

Peace! Paul

"The next thing Jesus did was take a piece of fish and eat it in their presence. Then they knew they were looking at the physical Jesus, since spirits do not eat."

So, Christ could eat in his resurrected body? So, why can't you believe we will eat in Heaven - at the Supper of the Lamb?

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), January 15, 2003.

"Guys, take a book of theology before you start to teach others your nonsensical nonsense."

Nonsensical nonsense???

Let me rephrase the question, so that you can answer it more accurately:

If Jesus’ Resurrected Body isn't a physical body, then what exactly was resurrected? What does resurrected mean?

In Christ.

-- Jake Huether (jake_huether@yahoo.com), January 15, 2003.

You mean, Jesus, who had just demonstrated His mastery over death by rising from the dead, would then lose that mastery, and NEED to die like Lazarus did?? Who can tell God what He NEEDS to do?! If Jesus could rise from the dead, He surely could also ascend, body and soul, without dying again. He did not NEED to submit to the physical laws of His creation, as He demonstrated many times. You DO believe Jesus is God, I hope??

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), January 15, 2003.

wc, you've lost me too dude. Christ's body was glorified. This means He was not given another body like changing tyres, Christ's actual body that had been put to death was actually resurrected and glorified. If Christ had to have another body, it would have marked a victory for Satan. Why ? Because it would show that he was able to do something that God could not undo. The hope of all Christians is that one day, our body of humiliation will be conformed to the body of Christ's glory.

If you believe that you'll be given another body, what else ? another soul and spirit ? Please do share with us.

-- Oliver Fischer (spicenut@excite.com), January 15, 2003.

Obviously, we are going to SOMEHOW eat and/or drink SOMETHING in SOME fashion when we get to Heaven.

Otherwise, why did Christ describe it as a place where we would be doing so? i.e., Matthew 26:29: "I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom".

Certainly the wine that we drink with Him in His Father's kingdom won't be the same as the jug of Gallo or Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill that we can pick up at any liquor store, but somehow it will be related to those things -- if not, why would Christ have described it that way?

-- Christine L. :-) (christine_lehman@hotmail.com), January 15, 2003.

Paul,

"Yes, angels are pure spirits. I get my facts the only place they are available - from the infallible teaching of His Church."

This is exactly my point. Why not get your information in the infallible teachings of the Scripture?

--

Thanks for the truth put here Oliver and Christine.

We will still have a body, soul, and spirit in Heaven. It is not a point of will we NEED to eat, but that Christ said WE WILL.

God Bless!

-- Tim, the Baptist (tlw97@cox.net), January 15, 2003.

Dear Tim,

I'm sure you know the answer to that - but here it is AGAIN - because the teachings of scripture are NOT infallible unless infallibly interpreted; and the Church Christ founded is the ONLY infallible interpreter of scripture! What more proof could you need than the thousands of conflicting denominations your tradition has created?

Paul

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), January 15, 2003.