EXHIBIT 3
It is important to begin at the begining, so lets begin with verse one of chapter 5:
1. "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
Is this text talking about a house with living room, bedrooms, bathroom and such? The next couple verses will let us know.
2. "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven." and 4. "for we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life."
Clothed? Unclothed? Mortality swallowed up by life?
This is clearly not talking about houses. Rather, house and tent are metaphores for something else -- that is, our bodies. Let's see what happens when we substitue the word body for house and tent in the texts we just looked at.
1. "For we know that if our earthly (body), this (body), is destroyed, we have a (body) from God, a (body) not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
This is interesting, when our earthy body is destroyed, God has an eternal body waiting for us in heaven. Let's continue:
2. "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our (body) which is from heaven."
3. "If indeed, having been clothed (in a heavenly body), we shall not be found naked (without a body).
So we see that there are three options.
What does it mean to be unclothed, without a
body?
We will find out shortly.
4. "for we who are in this (earthly body) groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed (without a body), but further clothed (with a heavenly body), that mortality (earthly body) may be swallowed up by life (in a heavenly body)."
We know that we are alive, but mortal while clothed in our earthtly bodies, and that we will be alive forever clothed in a heavenly body. So, being unclothed must be the opposite of being alive -- in other words, dead.
So, let's go back to verses 3 and 4 and substitute dead for unclothed.
3. "If indeed, having been (alive) (in a body), we shall not be found (dead) (without a body).
4. "for we who are in this (earthly body) groan, being burdened, not because we want to be (dead) (without a body), but further clothed (with a heavenly body), that mortality (the earthly body) may be swallowed up by life (in a heavenly body)."
Verses 6 and 8 continue the exploration of these metaphores.
6. "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the (earthly) body we are absent from the Lord (in our heavenly bodies)."
8. "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the (earthly) body and to be present (in our heavenly body) with the Lord.
In order absent from our earthly bodies and yet be present with the Lord we cannot be naked -- i.e. dead -- but must be clothed alive in our heavenly body.
So Paul is not saying that when we die we are present with the Lordas a spirit, but rather after we die and are resurrected, we will be with in the Lord in our heavenly, incorruptable bodies.
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