“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” (John 14:2).
This expression, “a place for you,” is an exciting and substantial promise made by our Lord Jesus which is often overlooked by Christians. The Greek word for “place” (topos) carries with it the idea of location, like a contour map where one can find himself in three-dimensional space. In the context of the passage, Christ teaches that as surely as we can find our way to our own house, our heavenly home is equally real and accessible through trust in Him as Savior. “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). What a deep comfort for every believer, if he or she would only view heaven as a concrete reality, like salvation itself.
This Greek word for “place” means not only a spot or location, but also was used in Jesus’ day to mean “an opportunity.” Think of it! The Creator God is actively preparing an eternal opportunity designed for each believer. This will be an opportunity of service in a real job: “and His servants shall serve Him” (Revelation 22:3).
Just as God created the earth and the Garden of Eden as Adam and Eve’s “place” (Genesis 2:8,9), so He is preparing an eternal “place” for every Christian: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: . . . and I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:1,2).
Always, when the eternal abode of the saints is mentioned in the Bible, it is in terms of words showing three-dimensional reality, not the cloudy analogies which many use to depict heaven. It is a real place—ours for eternity. DRM
