We will be looking at different versions of the
bible to see how they compare to having a literal mansion in heaven.
In the KJV John 14:2-3 it 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 unto myself; that where I am, there ye
may be also.
Yes, I to was taught that we get a mansion in heaven. We even joked around by calling it our Condo. When I left religion and started studying truth, I found out that 98% of what I was taught was wrong. Here again the KJV has mistranslated the word "mansions" Many versions of the bible have corrected this. Even the NKJV is trying to correct the mistake by changing the word to "dwellings". Before we look at the NKJV let's review the Greek word here translated as "mansions". The Greek word is "mone." and according to the Strong's Concordance it means
1) a staying, abiding, dwelling, abode
2) to make an (one's) abode
3) metaph. of the God the Holy Spirit indwelling believers
Again other versions have corrected this. There is no need to show it here. It frustrates me that man has taught this. It promotes physical rewards just like the streets of gold in the New Jerusalem. I'll touch more on this a bit later.
Getting back to the mansion. For starters John 14:2-3 is not even talking about heaven! Where it says "In my Father's house are many..." Let me ask you this where is the fathers house? Before we answer that question, Jesus was getting ready to use the Romans to destroy His Fathers House the Old Temple. He was doing this so that the Old Covenant law would stop being practiced and be fulfilled. He became our one time sacrifice for sins and put an end to animal sacrifices that took place in that temple. On the day of Pentecost Gods people became the new temple where the holy spirit would indwell and replace the old temple. In the new covenant God's presence would indwell the new temple, which is inside his believers. That's why were told "that where I am, you may be also." We indwell IN Him. The body of Christ is the father's house, the kingdom, church and New Jerusalem. Now that is a Mansion! Our Mansion is IN Christ that's why in Ephesians 2:5 it says even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)
When we are saved we are seated in heavenly
places with Christ spiritually while we are on this earth. I believe it
gives us the spiritual eyes not only to see Him but to see the heavenly things
now on this earth. And when our physical bodies die our spirit/soul
continues to live in Christ in heaven. Yes in heaven, we will be able to
perceive spiritually things as physical. But if you're looking for some
physical Kingdom you're missing the whole point of being a Christian,
being IN HIM.
The New Jerusalem, Streets of Gold
Were you taught that heaven has streets made of gold? I was to.
That's what happens when we listen to man and not Jesus. The bible does
not say that heaven has streets of gold! Revelation 21:21 is speaking of
the New Jerusalem not heaven! And no! the New Jerusalem is not heaven like
some humans teach.
Revelation 21:21 Says, And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. You can see from this illustration, the thought of heaven having golden streets, is just one example of the confusion of heaven and the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:2 it says, that the holy city, The New Jerusalem is coming down out of heaven. This means it cannot be heaven like some make it out to be. In fact, The New Jerusalem is not a physical place it's spiritual as I will soon show. Also see other studies about The New Jerusalem on our site.
Heaven, God's dwelling (1 Kings 8:50), the place of His throne (Isa. 66:1), and the place where Christ ascended physically after His resurrection (Acts 1:9-11) is no doubt a physical place. However, the New Jerusalem is not a physical place "to which we go." From Revelation 21:2, however, we can see that the New Jerusalem is "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." From verses 9-10, we can see that the bride, the wife of Lamb is the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. I'd like to point out again that this city is "out of heaven," so it is not heaven. Second, I'd like to point out that this city is married to the Lamb, Christ (John 1:29). Such a bride is adorned for her husband (v. 2).
Come on people, The New Jerusalem is the spiritual church.
1. Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband
2. The bride is the wife of the lamb
3. The NJ city is married to God
4. The NJ city is adorned for her husband
Who is the bride of Christ? The first century Church that he married. Since they
were the bride the wife of the lamb doesn't that mean that the New Jerusalem
city is married to God. That the first century church was the bride of Christ,
the New Jerusalem? , If you wonder who we are now that are saved we are sons of
God the offspring of the union between the lamb (Jesus) and the bride (the first
century church). Christians today make up New Jerusalem the spiritual church.
Get physical our of your heads people!
The New Jerusalem was built on 12 foundation It would be the 12 disciples Gospel message of salvation that the church was founded upon. The tree of life is Christ Jesus. The only one who can give life. He is in the city (In His people) When they are saved and his holy spirit abides within them. The water that flows from the tree of life represents the holy spirit. Jesus said out of your bellies shall flow rivers of living water (which was speaking of the holy spirit) He told the woman at the well in John 4:14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Outside of the New Jerusalem where dogs and whore mongers which represented sinners. If the New Jerusalem was heaven there would not be sinners outside the pearly gates. On the other hand, if the New Jerusalem represents Gods bride the church then yes, outside Gods church there would be dogs and whore mongers (sinners)
"Then one of the seven angels who had the
seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke with me, saying,
'Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.' And he carried me
away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city,
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her
brilliance was like a very costly stone, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper
..." (Rev 21:9-11)
The Bride is not heaven. We Christians are the Bride. The Bride is
the Church. We Christians make up the church. Jesus is the church we
are in Him the body of Christ also called the kingdom.
She has a high wall (v. 12) because she must be entered by proper means and is protected from outside attack. She has twelve gates (v. 12), because this is the number of the tribes and the original number of the apostles, through whom one must enter. Those gates are on all four sides, since the Church is to come from the whole earth. The passage even explicitly says that the twelve foundation stones represent the twelve apostles (v. 14)!
Have you found your way in? Do you not
see this?
Now, about the gold streets and many precious stones. I can just hear
Jesus saying "Do you not read the scriptures?"
The first century Christians knew what the following verses meant, why can't we?
This points to us in the New Jerusalem.
"The tongue of the righteous is like choice
silver. (Prov 10:20)
"Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word rightly spoken." (Prov
25:11)
"There is gold, and many jewels, and an abundance of utensils-the lips of
knowledge." (Prov 20:15)
"An earring of gold and an ornament of gold is a wise judge to a listening ear."
(Prov 25:12)
"Who can find an excellent wife? Far better than jewels!" (Prov 31:10)
"His head is like gold, pure gold;
His locks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
"His hands are rods of gold
Set with beryl;
His abdomen is carved ivory
Inlaid with sapphires.
"His legs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like Lebanon
Choice as the cedars." (Song of Songs 5:13-15)
1 Corinthians 3:10-16 (NASB)
10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master
builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be
careful how he builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the
one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the
foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man's
work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed
with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If
any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If
any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved,
yet so as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God
dwells in you?
And to top it off with even more scripture that
God has not forgotten Zion, that her enemies will become a part of her, that she
will put them on "like jewels and bind them on like a bride" thus backing up the
bride as New Jerusalem
"But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me,
And the Lord has forgotten me.'
"Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.
"See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
Your walls are continually before me.
"Your builders hurry;
Your destroyers and devastators
Will depart from you.
"Lift up your eyes and look around;
All of them gather together, they come to you.
As I live," declares the LORD,
"You will surely put on all of [your destroyers and devastators] as jewels and
bind them on as a bride. (Is 49:14-18)
It is evident that the description of the "New Jerusalem" in Revelation is
intended to be a description of the people of God, not of some vision of the
future abode of the saints. Nor is it a new or renewed earth.
For those that cannot see the spiritual New Jerusalem, let me ask you this. What good would it do to have gold and other valuable stuff sitting around in that environment? Is this how we portray Christianity by a vision of eternity that focuses on money gold and precious stones? It misses the whole point of the true righteous qualities of God's people. God's people have become the very jewels of righteousness.
Attention cannot be taken away from the real prize of eternity as portrayed in Revelation: the presence of God is entirely in the midst of his people.