TEMPLES R US

Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit 

who comes from God and dwells inside of you?

1 Corinthians 6:19 Voice

One of the first construction jobs my husband worked on with his friend was a pole barn. They were hired to replace the rotting boards that were running horizontal on two sides of the four pole building. Scott asked his friend if they should rig some sort of support before removing the first side. To save time and money, Craig was sure it was safe to proceed. They soon found out how much load bearing those rickety boards were. Scott said the barn started falling in slow motion then lickety-split it was down.  As Craig would recollect, “Yeah, the best laid plans almost killed us.”

The barn collapse might have been avoided if the existing poles had been buried deeper and more poles to boot. Did the original barn builder not have construction knowledge or confidently winged it? He would’ve done well to heed Proverbs 2:1-5; 9:1 Voice. “My son, if you accept what I am telling you and store my counsel and directives deep within you, if you listen for Lady Wisdom, tune your ears to her, and engage your mind to understand what she is telling you, if you cry out to her for insight and beg for understanding, if you sift through the clamor of everything around you to seek her like some precious prize, to search for her like buried treasure; you will have discovered the knowledge of the one True God.” 

“Lady Wisdom has built her house; she has supported it with seven pillars.”

Obviously these scriptures could apply for a material building, but aren’t they really referring to building your ‘house’ as in your body? If we can see the spiritual truth in these passages, why do we lose our spiritual vision when we talk of an actual building for us in Heaven? I heard a nationally known preacher talk about his mansion having lots of rooms filled with antiques. Not sure why he needed so many rooms if everyone had their own ‘mansion’.  As for his desire to have antiques, well, you lost me there.

What propagated the idea that we would have a mansion in heaven? I blame the King James Bible for misconstruing Jesus’ words in John 14:2.  Of course the hymn, “Mansion over the Hilltop” did nothing to arrest its widespread belief.  

The word interpreted as mansion is the Latin word, Mansiones, and the Greek word mone. Even though both, mansiones (And the Greek mone) look similar to the English mansion, their meaning is that of staying, tarrying, abiding, dwelling and not a physical building. 

Although mone is translated as a ‘mansion’ in the 2nd verse it is not in verse 23. It wouldn’t make sense that The Father and Jesus would make a ‘mansion’ within us.

Anyone who loves Me will listen to My voice and obey. The Father will love him, and We will draw close to him and make a dwelling place within him. 

The One New Man Bible proposes that “Dwelling Places in John 14:2 is not speaking of buildings, but of a place for each of us to fit into the heavenly organization, operation. Y’shua says He is making a ministry for each  of us in the heavenly plan, an assignment for each one. We will not have houses in heaven that resemble our earthly homes, ...” “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places...” 

In 2 Peter 1:13, 14, Peter is speaking of the place that is his soul’s habitation. “...as long as I am in this dwelling, (body)...”since I know that the removal of my dwelling...” 

Paul seems to be of the same mindset as Jesus and Peter concerning our bodies being a house. “For we know that if our earthly house we live in of this tent would be destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house (resurrected bodies) in the heavens not made my human hands. (GOD ‘made’ Adam’s body for Adam’s spirit to reside while on his earthly mission.) For indeed we sigh in this our dwelling, longing to put on, (How would you put on a house?) for ourselves, the one from heaven, (Again, our resurrected body.) then indeed, if we have been clothed we will not be found naked. (Without the covering of our heavenly tabernacle.) For indeed we, who are in the tent, sigh, being oppressed, becasue of which we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed, (Put on.) so that our mortal being would be swallowed up by life.” 2 Corinthians 5:1-4 One New Man

Then somehow LORD God makes all our individual dwellings to dwell IN Christ.

“For in the same way that one body has so many different parts, each with different functions;  we, too—the many—are different parts that form one body in the Anointed One. Each one of us is joined with one another, and we become together what we could not be alone.” Romans 12:4-5

“We know that our body—the tent we live in here on earth—will be destroyed. But when that happens, God will have a house for us. It will not be a house made by human hands; instead, it will be a home in heaven that will last forever.” 

1 Corinthians 5:1 NCV

“Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves [not Christ]. Do you not yourselves realize and know [thoroughly by an ever-increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial and rejected?”

2 Corinthians 13:5-19 MSG

“My Father’s home is designed to accommodate all of you. If there were not room for everyone, I would have told you that. I am going to make arrangements for your arrival.” John 14:2 The Voice