vektek
John 14:
1Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
I always took this to mean Jesus would be preparing a place for his bride, a new heaven and earth, and he would take us there when he returned, hence verse 3 saying I will come again and take you to myself and this would be after we were resurrected and glorified.
But all meaning of this is skewed for me if we are already in heaven before the resurrection.
Revelation 21:
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
And we know Revelation 21 goes on to talk about what the new heavens and earth will be like, utterly amazing!
But if we've already been dwelling in heaven, why is this amazing description of the new heavens and earth, prepared for us to dwell with the Lord forever, of much meaning? Will this new heavens and earth be better than the heaven we've been dwelling in until then?