Mansion over the Hilltop.
Does the Bible really teach that Christians will get a mansion when they die and go to heaven?
A mansion, a beautiful place where we can go, that's all our own, a mansion, like we think of a mansion in this life? The answer is yes and no. First, let us look at where this idea of a mansion in the next life comes from.
The idea of a mansion comes from the words of Jesus in the gospel of John. So if Jesus said it, it must be true, right? But we are reading a translation of what Jesus said in his language written down by John in another language, Greek, and then translated into English. We don't know the language that Jesus spoke. Probably Hebrew, but others say he spoke Aramaic. His words were first written down in Greek by his disciples, who were moved by the Holy Spirit. Let us look at how those words were translated through the years.
John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: This is the King James Version (KJV), of this verse. Modern translations of this verse, such as the English Standard Version (ESV), In my Father's house are many rooms. New American Standard Bible (NASB), In My Father’s house are many rooms; New International Version (NIV), My Father’s house has many rooms; New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995), In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; Latin Vulgate, John 14:2 in domo Patris mei mansiones , was translated by Jerome into Latin from the original language in 390 A.D. and was the only Bible that most Christians had for over 1000 years.
Now let us take a closer look at his words, as they were written down by his disciples. The Greek word μοναι appears twice in the New Testament, both are in John 14. In the KJV, verse 2 is translated as mansion, and verse 23 is translated abode. Why is the word translated as mansion in verse two? We can see why the King James translators would translate it that way, It had been that way in the Latin Bible that all of them read. The real question is, why did Jerome translate it that way? I think we can find the answer to that question in the writings of the Apostle Paul.
2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: Our earthly house that we live in is our fleshly body, our heavenly house will be our glorified body, What would you call our heavenly body that is built by God? Mansion? Compared to this earthly body it will be a mansion.
1 Corintians 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. When we lay down this earthly house we will put on that heavenly house built by God. We will be like Jesus, Philippians 3:21 who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body,
