I would like to investigate a thought about the word ‘dwelling’ as found in 2 Corinthians 5:1-9, this word is also found in John 14. I would like to encourage you to consider, when you are studying something, you need to use more than one scripture to qualify a truth.
Many people think and have been taught that when Jesus is talking in John 14:2-3 that they are going to get a great home of brick and mortar, or a mansion. I believe that in light of the words being used in 2 Corinthians 5:1 (For we know that if the tent which is our earthly home is destroyed (dissolved), we have from God a building, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.) Jesus could be talking about preparing our new resurrected bodies for us to dwell or abide in at the Resurrection or maybe He is talking about an even deeper truth. The thing to remember is that the real you is a spirit and our body on earth is our earth suit or dwelling. Is it not reasonable to consider that we will not need to live in brick and mortar buildings, but we will need to have a new dwelling for our spirits in the everlasting?
In verse 2 of John 14, the word mansion is correctly translated dwelling or abode. In the Amplified Bible, it is translated dwelling place (home). Can we agree that a spirit needs to have a dwelling? I believe that our resurrected body will be a glorious body. It will be magnificent in every way with many facets, much better than the dwelling we have now, I believe that’s why Paul was excited about what was to come. Jesus may have gone to prepare a glorious body for us to dwell in, for an eternity with Him and the Father, Hallelujah! Or there may be a deeper mystery to be revealed?
Let’s read these two accounts in John 14 and also the verses in 2 Corinthians 5;
John 14:1-3, NKJV
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 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.
John 14:1-3, AMP
Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me. In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you. And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.
We need to remember when Jesus said these words in the book of John He had not risen from the dead yet and the disciples did not know that much about the Holy Spirit and what was to come due to Jesus going to the cross. Jesus goes on for the next few chapters disclosing the person of the Holy Spirit. Whereas what Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians is the outpouring of the revelation of the truths taught by Jesus after the resurrection. Stay with me as we investigate what the scriptures have to say.
2 Corinthians 5:1-9, AMP
1 FOR WE know that if the tent which is our earthly home is destroyed (dissolved), we have from God a building, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 Here indeed, in this [present abode, body], we sigh and groan inwardly, because we yearn to be clothed over [we yearn to put on our celestial body like a garment, to be fitted out] with our heavenly dwelling, 3 So that by putting it on we may not be found naked (without a body).
4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan under the burden and sigh deeply (weighed down, depressed, oppressed)--not that we want to put off the body (the clothing of the spirit), but rather that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal (our dying body) may be swallowed up by life [after the resurrection].
5 Now He Who has fashioned us [preparing and making us fit] for this very thing is God, Who also has given us the [Holy] Spirit as a guarantee [of the fulfilment of His promise].
6 So then, we are always full of good and hopeful and confident courage; we know that while we are at home in the body, we are abroad from the home with the Lord [that is promised us]. 7 For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.
8 [Yes] we have confident and hopeful courage and are pleased rather to be away from home out of the body and be at home with the Lord.
9 Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth away from Him] or away from home [and with Him], we are constantly ambitious and strive earnestly to be pleasing to Him.
When we read John 14:2 in context to the whole chapter we will see, it is talking about Jesus’ journey He is about to take with His crucifixion and ascension. We need to remember this is before the establishment of the New Covenant because the promise of the New Covenant did not come into effect until the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So we can conclude that Jesus is speaking to a group of people who only know the Old Testament law. Who also have had the unique opportunity to experience what Jesus has already shared with them up to this point, and we can also conclude that they do not understand anything about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit or the New Birth yet.
John 14:2-4, NKJV
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. 3 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. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
As you read John 14, in verse 2 and 23 you will find the same Greek word used for mansion, but now in verse 23 it is translated abode in the ‘KJV.' We find in John 13:33 Jesus said “As I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’” then in John 13:36 Jesus speaks these words to the disciples, “Jesus answered him, where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.” So the question we need to ask is, where is Jesus going that no one can follow?
I believe if you take everything into context throughout John 14, you will find it all points us toward the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, for the redemption of humanity to be in a relationship with God the Father! So I think the first question we need to ask is, ‘What is the father’s house?’
John 14:2, NKJV
In My Father’s house are many mansions…
Here are two scriptures that help us to find out what the Father’s house is;
1 Peter 4:17, AMP
For the time [has arrived] for judgement to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will [be] the end of those who do not respect or believe or obey the good news (the Gospel) of God?
1 Corinthians 3:16, AMP
Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God’s temple (His sanctuary), and God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]?
I would like to suggest that the Father’s house is the Church of God, and the dwelling places (mansion) is each born again believer. Also as you read verse 2 from John 14, ‘In My Father’s house are many mansions. …I go to prepare a place for you.’ Jesus is saying, in His Father’s house are many mansions. He is not saying I am going to build you a mansion, what He is saying is, ‘I go to prepare a place for you.' This word ‘place’ in the Greek is tópós (5117), and it means – a spot, limited by occupancy; an opportunity. So I would like to say it this way, ‘In the Father's house are many dwelling places and Jesus has gone to the cross to prepare an opportunity for you to have a spot in the Father's house for you to become one of His dwelling places.' Please bear with me as I try to explain it more clearly for you.
Jesus purchased a place for us by His death and resurrection to have the opportunity to become Born Again believers, or we could say to become ‘the dwelling places of God.' Jesus goes on to say, ‘I will come again and receive you to Myself,’ He is telling us that He is coming back for us, we will not be left alone. How do you receive Jesus into your heart? By confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, then Jesus Christ becomes your Lord and Saviour, and by this act, He gives you access to what?
Heaven? Or a relationship with the Father? I would like to suggest a relationship with the Father. Why? Because once I have accepted Jesus as Lord of my life, I believe a relationship with the Father is much more beneficial to me than heaven while I am living on this earth, would you not agree?
‘If I am heaven focused I am no earthly good.’ I believe as we develop a life focused on a relationship with God then we can access the promises of God to live a life of victory and a life pleasing to Him. If we have our life focused on getting to heaven our pray life is more about getting us out of here than making a difference here.
1 John 4:15, AMP
Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he [abides, lives, makes his home] in God.
The next thing Jesus said was this in John 14:3, ‘that where I am, there you may be also.' Have you given any thought to where Jesus is right now? Ephesians 1:20 tells us that Jesus is seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly places. So Jesus is seated at the right hand of God after His resurrection. Then the eye opener is found in Ephesians 2:6 and it declares, “and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Can you see that we are positioned in a place of victory with Christ when we accept Him as Lord and Saviour? Not only has God taken up residence in us, but we are positioned and seated with Christ, and all of heaven's authority is at our disposal.
Let’s have a read of Ephesians 2:4-6 in the Amplified Bible,
Ephesians 2:4-6, AMP
But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, 5 Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation).
6 And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
Now let us look at the next part of John 14 and verse 4, it goes on to say, “And where I go you know, and the way you know.” This is a strange thing to say, even Thomas had issues with this one, and in verse six Thomas was bold enough to ask this question, “How can we know the way?” Jesus’ answer to him was, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Now we know that the only way to the Father’s house is through Christ! Or we could say the only way to be a partaker of the divine nature is through Christ.
With those thoughts in mind let’s have a look at the rest of John 14 to see what else it tells us about revealing this truth of having what no one else has ever had available to them before. ‘A personal relationship with the Father.'
In John 14:7-11 Jesus is revealing the truth about the dwelling of the Father in a person, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father, who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me…” Now we know, Jesus received the Spirit of God at His baptism, and this was the moment that Jesus and the Father were one on earth (Matthew 3:16).
This was not a concept even considered as possible at this point in time (God dwelling in man), so you can understand their confusion with this statement. The mistake we make sometimes is we read these scriptures thinking that the disciples knew what we know now as New Testament born again believers. What Jesus was telling them was very foreign to them, it was a new truth. The other mistake we fall into is reading the scripture in our western mindset.
Now Jesus is about to reveal what the advantages are because He is going to the cross to secure the ability for anyone who chooses to believe to obtain a personal relationship with the Father.
John 14:12-14, NKJV
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
It is because of what Jesus has done and where He has gone that we are told that as new created beings. Beings with God living within us that we will do the works that Jesus did and because He paid the price for our sin and made us righteous we can do greater works than these. We now have an advocate with the Father, glory to Jesus.
In John 14:17 we are told of the next endowment of promise available to us because Jesus has gone to the cross, and the Father has set up residence in our hearts. The promise of the Holy Spirit, we are told in Romans 8:23 that the Holy Spirit was the first fruits offering from Jesus to us. Notice the vernacular found in John chapter fourteen verse seventeen and especially the words ‘He dwells with you and WILL be in you.’
John 14:17, NKJV
The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
Notice what Jesus was saying, ‘He dwells with you.' How was the Spirit of truth dwelling with them? Because Jesus was with them, the Spirit of truth was dwelling with them. And because of the journey Jesus was about to take, that they could not take, there was going to come a time when the ‘Spirit of truth will be in them’.
Here is the clincher for me, this statement by Jesus in verses nineteen and twenty, “19A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”
Now to finish where I started with this thought, the Greek word used in verse two [Mansion] which is only found in one other place in the New Testament. John chapter fourteen verse twenty-three, the Greek word is mon-ay’ (3438 in the Strong’s Concordance) which is correctly translated dwelling places, abode or mansion, a staying i.e. residence. In the New King James version, they translate it as home.
John 14:23, NKJV
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 home with him.
To help highlight what I am trying to say, we could translate this verse with the same word found in verse two and it would read like this, “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 mansion with him.” Wow, that makes it a very interesting statement don’t you think?
Jesus starts John 14 with these words, very profound in my opinion knowing what we know now, “Let not your heart be troubled” and now as He comes to the conclusion we read these words again in verse twenty-seven. Jesus is clarifying what I said earlier, that they would not at this point fully understand what He is sharing. But there will come a time when the Father will send the Holy Spirit, and He will bring to remembrance all the things that Jesus had said to them, and the Holy Spirit will teach them the truth. This is why I say if you will spend time reading and studying God’s Word you can rely on the Holy Spirit to bring to remembrance what you have learnt.
John 14:25-29, NKJV
“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
29 “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.
After considering all the thoughts I have presented to you, what would your conclusion be about the concept of the mansion Jesus went to prepare?
