“In My Father’s house are many mansions…” (John 14:2 NKJ).
Have you ever wondered what heaven is like? Since we believers will be there for all eternity, it does seem that we should give some thought to our future home.
Our stay on earth is transient, while our dwelling in eternity is called our long home (Eccl. 12:5). Jesus described that “home” as a mansion. The Greek word used here is mone (mon-ay’), which has a lot of interesting possibilities worth considering.
Out of the economic depression of the 1930s there came the “mansion mentality.” Many of God’s people, having lost all hope of ever prospering in this life, began to dream of one day moving into stately and ornate dwellings.
“Mansion songs” sprang up during this time as a reassurance to the numberless earth-bound vagabonds that their eternal destiny was a place of dazzling white palaces – much like the antebellum “Southern” mansions they saw portrayed in Depression-era movie epics such as “Gone With the Wind.”
We should not discount entirely the hope of a residence that will far exceed in stateliness and beauty anything we have ever lived in on earth. However, mone carries with it a connotation not of stability, but of mobility.
Some lexicographers have defined it as “way-stations on the journey,” or as “stopping places along the road.” Heaven could easily be a place of unfolding vistas, horizons, plateaus, and new sights.
Thus Jesus’ use of the word mansion suggests rest in the midst of continual progressive activity. What He might have been saying was: “In My Father’s house are many way-stations where you will stop in between the continuous unfolding of God’s eternal purpose.”
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Dick Mills was ordained at The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in 1949. He and his wife Betty traveled as evangelists all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, and Australia. Dick and Betty are now home in heaven.
In 1966 Dick and Betty became a part of the then-emerging Charismatic Renewal. Passing through all denominational barriers, Dick has had the opportunity to speak in thousands of churches of varied backgrounds all over the world.
He ministered within several Christian organizations, including the Full Gospel Business Men, Women's Aglow, Inter-church Renewal Catholic Pentecostals, mainline Charismatic groups, CBN and TBN television networks, and many other independent Christian TV stations.
Dick appeared on numerous radio talk shows, written several magazine articles, and spoke at many Bible conferences and universities. He served as an adjunct professor at six Schools of the Bible and Seminaries.
In addition, Dick authored and co-authored several books and tapes. Dick's ministry was characterized by the unique gifts God has blessed him with. His services informed, enlightened, and motivated people to a higher level of commitment to God.