My Dad is a fairly
simple fellow. He
firmly believes in
reading the Bible
and believing it for
what it says. Yet a
pet peeve he harps
upon is this idea
that heaven is full
of shiny pretentious
mansions. I’ve
always sort of
chuckled, wondering
why the idea of
mansions in heaven
offended him so
much. He says,
“Well, it’s going to
be perfect there. No
harsh weather,
extreme heat or
cold. Why would we
need a “shelter,” a
great big old
mansion for every
single person in
heaven?”
We picture Jesus (a
carpenter when here
on earth) up there
hammering, sawing,
measuring, and
taking great
pleasure in building
a house with all our
preferences in mind,
anticipating our
delight. We forget
that before Jesus
was a carpenter, He
was the Creator God.
Still is.
Just out of the blue
this morning, the
Lord turned my mind
to a familiar verse
I've heard all my
life and prompted me
to “just think about
it for a minute.” So
I did, and Sha-Zam!
The Scripture was 2
Corinthians 5:1-4:
“For
we know that if our
earthly house of
this tabernacle were
dissolved, we
have a building of
God, a house not
made with
hands, eternal
in the heavens For
in this we groan,
earnestly
desiring to be
clothed upon with
our house which is
from heaven:
If so be that being
clothed we shall not
be found
naked. For we
that are in this
tabernacle do groan,
being
burdened: not
for that we would be
unclothed, but
clothed upon,
that morality might
be swallowed up in
life.”
Now, our friend
Pastor Mike Hoggard
says, “Take a
principle or word
and chase it down
throughout the
Scriptures if you
want to understand
it. The Bible is its
own best and most
exhaustive
commentary and
dictionary.”
So I compared 2
Corinthians 5:1-4
to
John 14:2,
the verse which no
doubt inspired the
famous song: “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.”
In both passages the
word
house
is οἰκία-
pronounced
oy-kee'-ah, and
means
residence or abode. (Strongs G3624).
In John 14:2 the
word mansions
is μονή-pronounced
mon-ay', and means
residence or abode.
(Strongs G3438).
The word “house” is
used 2026 times in
the King James
Bible, 206 times in
the New Testament,
and 10 times in
John!
The word “mansion”
appears only ONE
time in the whole
Bible: in John 14:2,
and the
meaning is the same
as that in 2
Corinthians 5.
A tabernacle is a
tent, or
temporary
residence.
Could it be that the
“house not made with
hands, eternal in
the heavens,” the
much-anticipated
upgrade from what we
are “clothed upon
with” here, to the
“mansion” we shall
be “clothed upon
with” in heaven, is
not referring to our
own personal
“palace” up there?
I understand the
commonly accepted
explanation of this
passage comes about
by parallel with the
known marital
customs of the
ancient time and
culture of Jesus’
day, wherein the
bridegroom returned
to His father’s land
or house, and built
an addition or
dwelling for His
bride, and when it
was complete he
would go fetch her.
But think
about it! What is it
that we groan for?
Is it not that
moment in time, in a
twinkling of an eye,
when we shed this
corrupt earthly body
and are clothed upon
with the new
incorruptible one!
Like turtles carry
their “abode” with
them everywhere they
go, perhaps this
“abode” or “house”
or “mansion” spoken
of is the new,
perfect deluxe model
body
we will inhabit!
Maybe that's what
Jesus has been up
there working on and
preparing for us all
these years!
A tent is to a
mansion, as an
earthly body is to a
glorified heavenly
body. There's really
no comparison! Ha!
Who needs a
castle?
Well, whether
mansion means
mansion in the
plain sense of the
word, or in the
sense of a
house-abode-upgraded
body with which we
will be “clothed
upon,” glory
hallelujah, I say
bring it on! Either
way it is going to
be incomprehensibly
awesome!
Servehiminthewaiting.com