That question raises one about the cerebral cortex inside the skull of the Man, Jesus Christ. When He ascended to the Father the two "men" in white told the lookers on that the "same Jesus" would return in like manner.
In Luke 24:39 Jesus invites the Apostles to "handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." Then he ate food with them.
His flesh was of a different kind than before, since he could pass through walls; but He confirms in the verse that He is not a spirit.
He has retained, in a glorified form, the flesh that He took from the Theotokos. And the implication I draw from that is that matter matters. God does not despise his creation. In fact, He shows us that it is being redeemed from its bondage to corruption.
I am not disputing the scriptures cited as to the natural and spiritual mind. I am saying that a complete rejection of the physical is not Christianity. And I am not saying that Dr E does reject it. I'm not sure about that.
Her post just prompted my thought about the Incarnation and what are the implications.
Sorry to break into a perfectly good argument, but what is REALLY interesting about this passage is in comparison with John 20:15, when Jesus met Mary Magdalene on her way back from discovering Him gone from the tomb:
Joh 20:15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
Joh 20:16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
Joh 20:17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Joh 20:18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
(e-Sword: KJV)
Yet a bare paragraph (and eight days) later, He says to Thomas:
Joh 20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
Yet this episode with Thomas is certainly before the ascension of Act1:19... So what does one do with that? Were there two ascents? Had He ascended to the Father privately, some time before the "Thomas encounter," and that one being the effective one?
If so, He has already "come back" physically at least once, and can/does come and go as He pleases, which outright defies the idea that there must be only one return.
As He went once privately to the Father, returned, and then went publicly, so He might likewise return privately for His bride, before the publicly witnessed grand return.
Just sayin'...