Jesus often used earthly things to teach us about heavenly things. He said, if I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:12). Comparing earthly things with heavenly things gives us a concept of what lies ahead of us.
He compared earthly money with “true riches” in heaven. (Luke 16:11)
He compared a perishable wreath (which
was a crown awarded to winners of Olympic-type events) with an imperishable
wreath—which is an eternal crown in heaven (1 Cor 9:25).
He compared earthly jobs with heavenly
assignments (Matt. 25:21, 23)
He compared earthly houses with eternal
dwellings (Luke 16:9)
Are these eternal dwellings like houses on earth? Let's think about that. They won’t have BEDROOMS because we will never get tired and will never sleep for all eternity. Life in heaven will be very different than life on earth.
They won’t have
BATHROOMS. I can’t imagine this room will ever be needed in heaven.
They won’t have ROOFS
because the weather will be perfect—no rain, hail, or snow.
KITCHENS? We know the tree of life produces twelve kinds of fruit (Rev. 22:2), but I don’t think we’ll be cooking or cleaning dishes.
What about a GARAGE? Cars in heaven?
Traffic lights? Speeding tickets? We won't need garages in our eternal
dwellings.
What exactly are these eternal dwellings? Good question. Just as earthly homes serve an earthly purpose, our eternal dwellings will serve a heavenly purpose. Everything in heaven is far more advanced over what we see on earth, so we won’t understand their purpose until we get there.
Are they literal structures? Yes. Jesus said, “If it were not so, I would have told you.” Normally when Jesus emphasized a truth He would say, “Truly I say to you…” Here He turns it around and says, "If it were not true (i.e., if they were not there) I would have told you they don't exist.” They are called ETERNAL dwellings because they will last for all eternity.
Jesus adds on more thing: “For I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). He tells them WHY He’s leaving them. He was going to PREPARE a place for them AFTER He left earth. When you are saved, your name is written in heaven (Luke 10:20), but how you live after being saved will determine your rewards in heaven (see Bible study below). Your eternal “place” is currently under construction! For more about heaven, read Making Today Count for Eternity.
BIBLE STUDY: Rewards in Heaven
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