Dr. Van Impe was referring to the fact that those who have died in Christ do not have physical bodies in Heaven at this time.

There is only one glorified physical body in Heaven presently, the Lord Jesus Christ who “…became the firstfruits of them that slept” [I Corinthians 15:20]. Verses 23 and 24 of I Corinthians 15 gives the order of the resurrection to glorified bodies: “…Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.” Christ received the first glorified body, the church age believers will receive our glorified bodies at the Rapture [I Thessalonians 4:13-18], and then the Old Testament saints at the end of the Tribulation before  Christ’s Millennial reign.

There are two Old Testament Saints that were taken to heaven without seeing physical death – Enoch who “…walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” [Genesis 5:24] and Elijah who “…went up by a whirlwind into heaven” [II Kings 2:11]. Since Christ is the first to receive a glorified body, these men would have their physical earthly bodies.