For a God who took a week to create the entire universe, He sure is taking His sweet time with these mansions, don’t you think?
“It’s been 2000+ years LORD! What gives?”
Well, maybe Jesus forgot how to be a carpenter or maybe that’s not what He meant.
My money’s on the latter.
It’s important that when you study your Bible, you bring your brain along.
A wise man once said, the Holy Spirit is not a replacement for common sense.
So let’s think about this logically for a second, shall we?
Now a mansion is technically a house, right?
So when was the last time you heard of a house with houses?
What about a mansion in a house?
The reverse would make more sense seeing a mansion is bigger than the typical house, right?
Also, a mansion seems pretty permanent for a people who will not live there forever, don’t you think?
You see, the Bible earths (not heavens) the believer’s eternal home which means heaven is only temporary accommodation.
According to the Bible, the new earth is the believer's eternal home. (see 2 Peter 3:13)
Physical beings need a physical world and heaven being a spiritual realm, it cannot be considered a permanent residence for believers, who the Bible says will receive new resurrected bodies at Jesus' second coming immediately rendering heaven uninhabitable.
By the same token and simple logic, heaven being a spiritual realm cannot accommodate physical mansions.
Now there’s one rule in Bible interpretation that's important to keep in mind when you study your Bible and that is:
'You cannot establish a doctrine based on a single verse.'
In other words, if how you interpret a verse or a portion of Scripture is not supported anywhere else in the Bible, your interpretation is wrong.
It has no legs to stand on and therefore it cannot stand.
The bible says by the word of two or three witnesses, every word shall be established. (see 1 Corinthians 13:1; Matthew 18:16)
Jesus says no one can bear witness of themselves. (see John 5:31)
In light of this, considering there is no other portion of Scripture that supports the doctrine of mansions in heaven, this can’t be what Jesus meant which means we are clearly misinterpreting His words which then begs the question, what did Jesus really mean?
Well let's have a look at this portion of Scripture, shall we?
Now John 14:2-3 says:
“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
Now two quick things to note.
1) The phrase 'My Father’s house' is only found two times in the New Testament.
The other place it is used is John 2:16 which says:
“And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!””
In this case, Jesus is speaking to those who were selling in the temple which He calls My Father’s house.
So 'My Father’s house' is not a reference to heaven but to the temple.
I believe it would be unreasonable to think He's referring to the temple on one occasion and to heaven on the other...not to mention the fact that Jews called the temple 'God’s house' so it would make sense that Jesus would call it, 'My Father’s house' seeing He always referred to God as His Father.
2) Only a few translations use the word ‘mansions’. Other translations use rooms or dwelling places or resting places.
Now the Greek word translated as 'mansions' is 'monai', which means a dwelling place.
It is only used in one other place in the Bible which is a few verses later in John 14:23 which says:
“Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling place with him.”
The same Greek word used for 'mansions' in verse 2 is the same used for 'dwelling place' in verse 23.
Putting one plus one together, we can see that the theme here is not heaven, but the temple.
So Jesus is not talking about mansions in heaven, but the dwelling places (rooms or chambers) of the temple.
You see, the temple was basically a house with multiple rooms. So Jesus is using the physical temple and it's rooms to communicate a spiritual truth.
Now the physical temple, like many other things in the Old Testament, was a type and shadow of Christ.
This is why Jesus often referred to His body as a temple.
For example, In John 2:19 He says:
“Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
Verse 21 of the same chapter goes on to explain that He was referring to the temple of His body.
So the physical temple was a foreshadow of Jesus.
In Hebrews 10:20 the Bible tells us that the veil of the temple that was torn from top to bottom was a picture His flesh.
So in essence when Jesus says He is going to prepare a place for them in 'My Father’s house', a reference to the temple, He is actually referring to Himself.
He is the true substance the temple represents.
Now if you look at the context of Jesus’ words, He was just about to go to the cross.
So Jesus was basically saying He was heading to the cross to prepare a place in Himself (His body/His temple) for His disciples and come back (not from heaven at His second coming but from the dead at His resurrection) and receive them not to heaven (the Bible does not say that) but to Himself that where He is they may be also.
And true to His word, the Bible says believers are in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17) and we are seated with Him in heavenly places (see Ephesians 2:6) which means, where He is right now, we are there also, in the spirit.
Prophet Isaiah prophesying of Jesus says He shall be a Sanctuary to those who trust in Him. (see Isaiah 8:14)
Jesus is the New and Only Temple.
The Only way to access God the Father today.
Just like they went to a physical temple to do so before the cross, now because of His redemptive work, He is the Only way to do so.
Physical temples have been rendered obsolete as far as ushering us into the presence of God.
Jesus is that bridge now. He is our intermediary. (see 1 Timothy 2:5)
Mansions are nice and all, but the truth is, they pale in comparison to the glory that awaits you in heaven as a child of God.
God bless you.
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