[Here is the full text of the QUESTION from the reader:]
Yeshua said in John 14:2, In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. Could the expression “mansions” refer to other religions?
Here is Arnold’s ANSWER:
In John 14:2, the Messiah was addressing His disciples, letting them know that He would soon be leaving them to go back to where He came from. He came from heaven and therefore was now going to return to heaven. He promised that while in heaven, He would be building “mansions” for them. Once these mansions are ready, He would come back to fetch them to where He was then going. This is a special promise of the Messiah to believers that someday He will come for them to take them into heaven. This would apply to those who have accepted Him as the Messiah, and it would be totally inapplicable for any other religion.
The term “mansion” is not a good rendering of the Greek word since it has a meaning in English that doesn’t convey the meaning in Greek. The word simply applies to dwelling places within a larger area. These places will be private chambers for the individual believers.
So, if you are a believer in that you believe that the Messiah died for your sins, was buried, and was resurrected from the dead, and if you trust the gospel message as fact alone plus nothing else, then you are born again, and you will someday have one of these special places of your own in heaven.
For additional information, we recommend Yeshua- The Life of the Messiah from a Messianic Jewish Perspective, published by Ariel Ministries.
