THE PREPARED PLACE

John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions:.. go to prepare a place for you”

It’s important we clean ourselves from all forms of the ‘theology and traditions of men’ and follow “the ‘Spirit of truth’ for He is the greatest teacher of ALL THINGS (See John 14:16 – 26).

Then shall we be free indeed, to serve our Father in spirit and in truth. For that is what God the Father is looking for- (John4: 23-24)

We have seen that the rooms are in the “Father’s house” and not in “heaven” above. Nowhere in the Bible is heaven referred to as the “Father’s house.” The Father’s house is built in heaven but it is not in heaven. Please note again that heaven as a location was never mentioned in John 14 to have Mansions, but the “Father’s house” was.

So what is the preparation?

John 14:3: “I go to prepare a place for you…” This is one of the phrases of Jesus so greatly misunderstand. This has been taken to mean a heavenly place up in the sky that Jesus was supposedly going to prepare for us to occupy some day when we vacate the earth. But the truth of the matter is: Jesus had no such plan in mind.

The place He intends to prepare is not located in ‘heaven’ up above in the sky but actually you.

So far, we have been able to see that the “Father’s house” is the Church and that the “many mansions” are the “many members of the body of Christ”.

What now did Jesus mean by “I go and prepare a place for you”?

Let us first consider the meaning of the word ‘prepare’. The Greek word is ‘hetoimazo’, which means ‘to prepare, provide, make ready’.

Now, what was Jesus going to prepare or make ready and for whom?

Notice this fact, that this “preparation” has nothing to do with anything external .i.e. what is outside of man. The word used here is hetoimazo, unlike kataskeuazo which means to prepare thoroughly (properly by external equipment).

The word “hetoimazo” refers to internal fitness; by implication, it means to construct, create, build, (Eph.2:20–22) make, ordain (John 15:16) prepare.

The English word ‘FIT’ (vt) means to make suitable; to qualify; to adapt; to adjust; to fashion to the appropriate size. The noun ‘FITNESS’ means the state of being fit; sound bodily health.

The question then follows; what went wrong in heaven or the Father’s house, that Jesus had to go and make ready; adjust; adapt to, fashion to appropriate size? etc. Please let us meditate.

WHY THE PREPARATION?

Evidently, the purpose of the preparation is REDEMPTION. And to speak of redemption means something has gone wrong with a property or that it is under enslavement to an authority and needs be reclaimed.

In just the same way, we find the issue of preparation in connection with Moses when he sang the song of redemption in Exodus 15:2:

“… The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation; He is my God, and I will PREPARE HIM AN HABITATION; my Father and I will exalt Him”.

Here is the case of establishing the Church in the wilderness as a priest and prophet of God for God to inhabit.

This is plain enough, that this song is as a result of the redemption of the children of Israel from Egypt.

Now, Scripture makes it clear, that redemption involves the following:

(1) God; Redemption is completely of God (Exodus 3:7, 8; John 3:16)

(2) A man; God uses (or it involves using) a person (Moses-Exodus 2:2; Jesus-John 3:16, 17)

(3) Blood (Exodus 12:13, 23, 27. 1 Peter 1:18)

(4) The power of God (Exodus 6:6, 13:14; Romans 8:2).

The habitation therefore, that Moses was to prepare for God was nothing more than His role as a priest in preparing the children of Israel as a peculiar people for God from amongst men in the world, in this case from Egypt. That is the Church in the wilderness.

So, we see that the statement: “I go to prepare a place for you” by Jesus speaks of the redemption of

man from the power of sin.

Jesus was merely telling them I will be going to the cross and then come to your spirit man and by the spirit to make you ready for God to inhabit again as His Temple.

Man had to be redeemed from sin because:

“..you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey? You can be slaves of sin and die or you can be obedient slaves of God and be acceptable to Him (Romans 6:16) CEV.

Yet man was supposed to be the dwelling place of God.2 Cor.6: 16

“And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people”

So then the falling man needs redemption.

As touching the promised made to Abraham that through him all nations of the Earth shall be blessed, (Gen.12:7; 17:4-6) Paul declared:

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being a made curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree”

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

. “And now that we are Christ’s, we are true descendants of Abraham, and all of God’s promises to Him belong to us” (Gal. 3:29)

“For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the Patriarchs and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy…” (Rom.15:8 RSV).

Therefore the promises of the Gospel is “To open” (our) eyes that we thus receive. A PLACE and PORTION and those (the many member body of Christ) who are consecrated and purified by faith…” that is in Christ (Acts 26:18 AMP).

Therefore, the ‘place’ and the ‘portion’ in the above passages are directly connected to the covenant of promise by God to Abraham which Christ came to confirm, and which must be realized on the Earth.

This is what Paul meant when he said: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who had blessed us with all spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

Luke 15:11-32, Is an interesting story about the prodigal son that asked for his portion, as an heir..12 …,

” Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living”

This is what it means to have a place or portion in the father’s house

So the essence of the Gospel is “to open our eyes and turn us from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that we may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me (Christ)” (Acts 26:18)

NIV

The Gospel is meant for you to locate your inherit in the fathers house the Church, just like each tribe of Israel had their portion or a place in Canaan through Moses ministry executed by Joshua.

Knowing this that we being joint heirs with Christ, we are also sitting together with him in the heaven realms.

The place of power and dominion (Eph.2:6).

So you see, it is not our going up to a location called heaven that will guarantee us the blessings or our portion in the covenant of Abraham, but our union with Christ right here on earth.

Again, we see that this is what He came to establish.

It must be noted as well that the “portion” includes the gifts of the Spirit which the Holy Spirit distributes to each and every one of us as He wills (1 Cor 12:7-11; Eph.4:11).

So, we can see that mankind was in enslavement to sin through Adam. Because of his fall, he was not qualified to abide in the “Father’s House” forever. So, the ultimate purpose of the preparation is that mankind may be liberated and re-admitted back into the Father’s house (see Ps. 90:1–3). Hence the record says that we have been

“…translated from the power of darkness (a realm of authority) into the kingdom (a place) of His dear Son” Col. 1:13.

Notice the difference, Power detains reluctant captives, whereas a kingdom cherishes willing subjects.

This re-admission (the preparation) was accomplished through Jesus’ death by which means He destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil; and delivered them who through fear of death (sin factor) were all their lifetime subject to bondage (slavery) Hebrews 2:14–15 KJV.

So “The Holy Spirit gives up life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death” Romans 8:2 CEV.

Therefore the preparation implied in John 14 is nothing more than Jesus’ crucifixion, death, resurrection and glorification.

And by the release of the Holy Spirit, He established a kingdom of holy people freed from the power of sin (Acts 26:18) in fulfillment of the model prayer.

“…Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven” Matthew 6:10

Christ came to terminate “the kingdom of darkness” (Colossians 1:13) that was dominating the earth. Through His sacrifice on the cross, He redeemed us from the powers of darkness and translated (moved) us, into His own kingdom.

This translation is not going to happen when we die or when He comes again a supposed second time. Rather, even now, we are

“receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved” Hebrews 12:8.

By implication, God’s life is being imparted in us to be manifested on the earth to the degree that it cannot be moved by the power of sin or otherwise.

So, there is an increase of His Kingdom both in principle and in people to the point that at the end, the word to those called out will be;

“…come ye blessed of my Father, INHERIT THE KINGDOM PREPARED for you from the foundation of the world” Math.25:34.

The preparation is simply Christ sacrifice that we might be brought back to the fathers house as sons to inherit our inheritance as sons of the Father.

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Next is “come again…”

To be continued…