The Bible was written that way because there was no one else during the Dispensation of Jesus, but time marches on and then along came Muhammad and then along came the Bab and then Baha'u'llah... The Dispensation of Jesus is over. That is my belief but you are free to believe whatever you want to believe.
Strange, but we were not told to expect anyone else after Jesus......not Muhammad, not the Bab and not Baha'u'llah...they are your prophets, not mine....and nothing whatever to do with Jesus.
The Bible does no such thing. Because of your distorted interpretation of the Bible you believe you will live forever on earth in a new Garden of Eden...
Funny thing but most Christians believe they are going to heaven, so something must be wrong with your interpretation of the Bible. The many mansions are in heaven, not on earth. Every Christian knows that.
What does the term "mansion" mean in John 14:2?
LOL....and the Bible confirms that "many" claiming Jesus as their "Lord" will also be rejected on the day of judgment. (Matthew 7:21-23) You see God designed humans to live on earth...and he designed the earth for humans to take care of....it was their assignment. They were to "fill the earth and subdue it". There is no mention of any other place for humans to live...nor was there any natural cause of death. Adam was not given a soul, but "became" one when God started him breathing.
The ancient Jews had no prospect of going to heaven, they believed in the resurrection to life here on earth under God's kingdom. It wasn't until Christ came that his disciples were offered the opportunity of becoming "kings and priests" in what was revealed to be a heavenly Kingdom. (Revelation 20:6) All of the first Christians were of that group....all entertained a resurrection to heaven, but the pre-Christian servants of God had no such hope. They were not taken into the "new covenant" inaugurated by Jesus on the night before his death.
Hebrews 11:13 speaks of all those faithful ones who lived before Moses led the Jews out of slavery in Egypt....before Israel took possession of the Promised Land. He mentions Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah. He speaks of Isaac and Jacob as well as Moses...none of whom made it into the Promised Land.
He said....
"In faith all of these died, although they did not receive the fulfillment of the promises; but they saw them from a distance and welcomed them and publicly declared that they were strangers and temporary residents in the land."
Job was also a pre-Christian servant of God, but he had no notions about going to heaven either. He believed in the resurrection
Job 14:13-15...At the height of his suffering he prayed....
"O that in the Grave you would conceal me,
That you would hide me until your anger passes by,
That you would set a time limit for me and remember me!
14 If a man dies, can he live again?
I will wait all the days of my compulsory service
Until my relief comes.
15 You will call, and I will answer you.
You will long for the work of your hands."
John 14:2 says in the King James Version,
"In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." In the NASB it says,
"In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you." The word for "mansion" is μονή,
monay. It means a dwelling, an abode.
So where are the "mansions" or more correctly, "dwelling places"? They are in heaven, but not all of Christ's disciples will go there....these places are reserved for "the chosen ones"....those who have a "heavenly calling" (Hebrews 3:1) This means that the "abodes" are reserved for a certain body of humans who were chosen to assist Jesus Christ in the administration of his Kingdom....a heavenly government with earthly subjects.
It is Jesus himself who tells us....Revelation 21:2-4....
"I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”
This is the promise....Christ and his "bride" will bring their rulership to the earth....over "mankind". He will rule over God's people on earth with all the things that caused pain suffering and death, removed forever.
God will then guide mankind back into reconciliation by means of the Kingdom, restoring his relationship with humans like Adam originally had with with his Father before his eviction. What God starts, he finishes. (Isaiah 55:11)
Jesus is not telling us that heaven has compartments or that we will have little places in which to live. In the ancient culture, a father's house was where the extended family lived. Rooms were often added on as the family grew through birth and marriage. What Jesus was doing was using the present day illustration of a loving, tight, family community. So, Christ is saying that He is preparing a place for us in heaven where we will dwell with God in close communion with Him and that there is room in heaven for all whom God calls to salvation.
It was never God's intention to take any humans to heaven.....in fact God had to anoint them with holy spirit to override their natural inclination to stay right here on earth with their loved ones.
Please note that some commentators have alluded to the "mansions" as our future resurrected bodies that we will possess at the resurrection and accompanying our entrance into heaven. This seems possible, but the context of the verses does not necessitate that opinion.
"Some commentators"? Really? Where do you get the idea that all humans are going to heaven? That was never God's purpose. Where in Genesis will I find any mention of humans going to heaven?
I am sure you can cherry pick some verses from the Old Testament and slap them together to try to make a case for your Garden of Eden on earth you are so looking forward to but please quote me anything Jesus said about bodies rising from graves or living on earth forever in a new Garden or Eden.
No need to cherry pick.....its quoted above in Revelation 21:2-4.
And if you want a reference to the resurrection its in John 5:28-29....
"Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment."
Like Lazarus, (John 11:11-14) Jesus calls the dead from their graves because they are all still in them....they haven't gone anywhere. Since their graves are here on earth, this is where they come back to....where God put them in the first place.
No point in continuing with this Trailblazer....you believe whatever you wish and we will all see at the end of the day what God will do.......its not up to you or I.....God will do what he has purposed.
