The thrust of the first few verses of John 14 is an assurance from Christ to His disciples that they would have a place with Him, that He would not abandon them.

Nowhere does the Bible refer to heaven as "My Father's house." However, Jesus called the temple "My Father's house" in John 2:16. "Mansions" translates from a word that means dwelling places. Built around the exterior wall of the temple were many chambers for the priests to use when counseling worshippers privately.

The people hearing Christ were familiar with the temple and therefore would have immediately associated His words in this passage with those chambers. Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a "place" or position of service for them. Where will Christ be when His disciples rejoin Him? He will be on earth, thus fulfilling a prophecy given to the apostles by angels in Acts 1:11. His return also fulfills a multitude of prophecies of the Kingdom of God in the Old and New Testaments.

Beyond assuring the disciples that they would be with Him, Christ also conveyed that He would give them important positions of authority in the coming Kingdom. Revelation 20:6 and Revelation 5:10 confirm that this is every Christian's potential.

We invite you to download or request a copy of our booklet The Gospel of the Kingdom or more information on the theme of the Kingdom of God, which was a central part of Christ's gospel.