IN HEAVEN OR IN THE FATHER??

As I began to study John 14 in earnest, the question that I wanted to answer from the very text of scripture was this: “Did the Lord Jesus, in John 14, speak about going to heaven and thus preparing a place for us IN HEAVEN, or did He speak of going to the cross to prepare a place for us IN THE FATHER?”

So here are the questions I asked along with the results of my findings:

1.Which is in the context of the chapter? Heaven or the Father? "Heaven" is mentioned 19 times in John's Gospel but the nearest places to John 14 are 12:28 and 17:1. So it is difficult to maintain that "heaven" is the subject under discussion in John 14! But "the Father" is a major theme in John's Gospel. He is referred to 119 times in all but is found 21 times in John 14 alone! So “the Father” definitely is in the context of this chapter!

2.Where, what, or who is "the Father's house" in which there are many "mansions", "abodes" or "dwellings"? Is this a place in the universe i.e. “heaven” or is it a person? The Greek word translated "mansions" is MONE (Strong's #3438). It is only used one other place in scripture and that is John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (Notice here that the abode of both the Father and the Son is with people who love God and obey His Word.)

MONE is derived from the Greek word MENE (Strong's #3306). This word is used by the Lord Jesus in John 14 and 15 of the "abode" or "dwelling" of divine persons and of believers. In all of these cases the "abode" or "dwelling" is a person or a person’s love! As the Lord Jesus uses the word in these two chapters, He never once uses it with reference to a place!
John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth <3306> in me, he doeth the works.
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide <3306> with you for ever;
John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth <3306> with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present <3306> with you.
John 15:4 Abide <3306> in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide <3306> in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide <3306> in me.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth <3306> in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
John 15:6 If a man abide <3306> not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
John 15:7 If ye abide <3306> in me, and my words abide <3306> in you, ye shall askwhat ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye <3306> in my love.
John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide <3306> in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide <3306> in his love.
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain <3306> in you, and that your joy might be full.

Since the Father dwelt in the Lord Jesus (John 14:10), the Lord Jesus, Himself, was the Father's house! “In my Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you.” There are many mansions/abodes/dwelling places in that house and thus believers abide in Christ. (John 15) Our being “in Christ” is a very oft repeated theme throughout the epistles!

Believers are also the habitation or house of God! Ephesians 2:22; I Tim.3:15
This very radical teaching of the interhabitation of divine persons and the saints was introduced for the very first time by the Lord Jesus, Himself, in John 6:56. It was never mentioned anywhere else or at any time prior to John 6. But the Lord Jesus develops that truth in John 13-17 and then the apostles expanded the revelation of that awesome truth throughout the epistles.

So all the scriptural evidence relative to “mansions", "abodes" or "dwellings” in the context of this portion of John’s Gospel reveals that the Lord Jesus was speaking not about a place but rather of persons!


3.Where was the Lord Jesus "going"? From where would He be "coming again" to receive His disciples unto Himself so that they could be where He was? Was He going to heaven for a long time, or was He going into death for a little time?

In order to answer these questions we need to find out what scriptural facts would be true at his "going" and what scriptural facts would be true at His "coming again".
Notice the following things that the Lord Jesus said would be true when He went away:
-"yet a little while and the world seeth me no more" John 14:18
-"a little while and ye shall not see me" John 16:17
-"ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful" John 16:20
These things were true when the Lord Jesus went to Calvary and died, not when He ascended up into heaven! The world (unbelievers) never saw the Lord Jesus alive again after He died. And His disciples were sorrowful after He died (Luke 24:17). But when the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven the disciples were not sad but rather were filled with great joy! (Luke 24:50-52)

Now notice the things that He said would be true at His "coming again":
-"I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am (I am in the Father) there ye may be also...no man cometh unto the Father but by me." John 14:3,10,6
-"but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also." John 14:19
-"At that day ye shall know that I am in the Father, and ye in me, and I in you. " John 14:20
-"and, again a little while and ye shall see me because I go to the Father." John 16:16
-" Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: but your sorrow shall be turned into joy" John 16:20
-"I will see you again, and your joy no man taketh from you." John 16:22
-"And in that day ye shall ask me nothing...Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, He will give it unto you." John 16:23
All of these things were true after the Lord Jesus returned in resurrection. We do not need to wait for His return from heaven for these things to be true! We are in the Father, we live, we know that the Lord Jesus is in the Father, and we in Him and He in us, we may have fullness of joy, and we can ask the Father anything in His name and He will give it to us.

Here again, there is not one detail that the Lord Jesus said would be true at His “going” which fits with His ascension into heaven! (See Luke 24 and Acts 1) They were all true when He died on the cross!
Nor is there any evidence in scripture that even one of the things that the Lord Jesus said would be true at His “coming again” that must wait until He returns from heaven! They all happened after His resurrection!

By the time I had realized these simple truths from the text in the very words of the Lord Jesus, Himself, I knew that brother Albert McShane was onto something that many other teachers and commentators had missed!

But I still had many more questions which needed answers. So will continue in another post…