Spiritual Bodies?

Q

In the realm of existence after death, do believers and non-believers ever experience a reality as a disembodied spirit? The rich man, who died, was now in torment and had lips that he wished Lazarus, who died, would touch with a drop of water using his fingers. So it seems as though both had some form of a body.

A

Based on a number of Biblical instances it seems reasonable to conclude that spiritual beings are able to see one another, so they must exist in some kind of recognizable form. The example of Lazarus and the rich man is a good one.

Sometimes the eyes of living people have been “opened” allowing them glimpses into the spiritual realm. For example, Elisha asked the Lord to open his servant’s eyes and let him see an army of angelic warriors (2 Kings 6:17). The Shepherds in Bethlehem saw an angelic choir on the night the Lord was born (Luke 2:8-14). And the disciples saw Moses and Elijah with Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-3). Therefore it’s not that spiritual beings have no form, it’s just that normally we cannot see them.