HEAVEN OUR HOME (PART 3)

“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 unto my; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3).

I Go to Prepare a Place.

A survey of brethren would reveal that many have an answer for what Jesus is doing while he is away. They believe the Lord is still preparing eternal homes for us in heaven and when he finishes he will return. They see him building spiritual homes in heaven and maybe even working with spiritual tools such as a hammer, nails, and a saw. Now, it is true Jesus was a carpenter by trade while on earth (Mark 6:3). It is also true that faithful folks like Abraham desired a city “…whose builder and maker is God” (Heb.11:10). But it is not true the bible supports the theory that Jesus is away building spiritual homes. The Lord is not working on our eternal homes at all. The mansions/homes for saints to dwell in were already in existence as was scripturally proven in part one of this article. Even the Hebrew writer affirms this as he spoke of the ones who had died in faith like Abraham, “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared (already/past tense) for them a city” (11:16). Jesus did not go to heaven to prepare eternal homes but went to the cross to do so. The homes/dwelling places were already prepared but no one was worthy to inhabit them because of their sin (Rom.3:23; 6:23; Rev.20:14). So, the Lord prepared us places in heaven by purifying us from sin by his sacrifice and through his gospel so we may enter that holy domain (2Cor.5:21; Rom.1:16-17; 1Pet.1:3-4,18-23). Again, the way of the cross was the way in which Jesus prepared eternal homes for us in heaven. Our Lord had to horrendously suffer and die that we may obtain entrance into the Father’s house (1Cor.15:1-4; Heb.12:2-3). Without Jesus going to the cross for us there was no way to one day inhabit the homes that God has prepared (2Cor.5:14-15; Eph.2:1-13; Heb.2:9-15). “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6).

Richard Stephens III