A Tour Through John, Lesson 26

<p>For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ <a href="https://www.douglasjacoby.com/tour-john-lesson-26/" target="_blank"><strong>website.</strong></a></p><p>14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believein God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going. </p><ul><li>They believe in God, but soon it will be more difficult to keep their faith in Jesus.<ul><li>Things will become hard; once Jesus is arrested, they may feel hopeless.</li><li><i>Note</i>: The sentence could be translated, "... <i>keep </i>having faith in me, too."</li><li>For more about the Messiah bringing peace, see: Isaiah 9:6-7; 52:7; 57:19: Ezekiel 37:26; Haggai 2:9; Acts 10:36: Romans 14:17.</li></ul></li><li>The Lord comforts them with a promise that he will one day take them to their heavenly home (vv.2-4).<ul><li>Or does he? "House" (see 2:16-19 and 2:21-22) seems to refer to a reality on this earth. Jesus will not leave them as orphans (v.18), but will come soon. Thus a perfectly legitimate way of reading the passage is in reference to the promised Holy Spirit (Pentecost onwards).</li><li>Whether we understand John 14 as referring to heaven or not, when Jesus returns he will takes us to be with him.<ul><li>We will rise from the dead (5:25).</li><li>No one goes to heaven before the second coming. See 3:13. For now, we wait.</li><li>This means that the Protestant doctrine that those who die proceed immediately to heaven or hell is not right.</li><li>For more on this, please see my book <i>Heaven & Hell.</i> For a short study of the intermediate state of the dead and the nature of eternal punishment, try <i>What Happens After We Die?</i></li></ul></li></ul></li></ul><p>5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How ca