"The Blissful Father's House"That the Father House (v. John 14) is a special place may be clear from the fact that it is the Father of the Lord we are talking about. Many christians will not enter the millennial kingdom, as their righteousness does not surpass that of the Pharisees and that is one of the conditions "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Mat. 5. 20). But we can be sure of a place in the House of 'My' Father! Now, one bible expositor, H.L. Heijkoop, was so enamoured by that, that he claimed that the Father House is an uncreated place. A handful of people still believe in this idea and even fewer make it a point of tradition, so much so that if you deny it, you are accused of philosophizing (cf. Col. 2. 8).
The opponents, vainly, attempted to explain that God is all-sufficient having no need (necessity), or want (of desire), or shortcoming and that everything has a beginning in time and space. But they counter that God 'lives, or dwells in eternity' (Is. 57. 15), not realizing that it means that God transcends time and space.
Of course Heijkoop's idea is a theologico-philosophical thought that came up in himself. He was allowed to think for himself and to interpret Scripture. But the handful of followers has become so fearful that nobody, hardly, dares even think anymore. Notice that the verse in Colossians that calls philosophy empty deceit, refers to the traditions of 'people', meaning people without the Lord Jesus, such as the ancient philosophers as Aristotle and Plato and particularly the gnostics (their teaching is also called the 'so-called science, or knowledge'). Who says we must be like parrots only repeating Scripture! We must, necessarily so, also interpret.
To reject anything a priori that does not fit your own thinking and to call it 'philosophy', as if all philosophy and thinking is heathen, is ignorant and negates the fact that we can also learn from creation. David philosophized and theologized when he observed the stars and afterwards he wrote Psalm 19.
Their leaders have made the publications of deceased elders their tradition, so much so that nothing new is being published. Many protestants do that with their older writings, raising them to the status of Scripture and not allowing any deviation or addition (even if it clearly is in the bible, sic!). To me this smells of worship of the dead. And that while the Lord holds out for us that somebody that has been discipled in the kingdom, produces things new and old from his treasures.
However, Ephesians 4. 10 states that Christ has ascended 'above the highest heavens' (also physically!). What else can this be but the Father's House, just like the New (Heavenly) Jerusalem is to be distinguished from any heaven! But that it is an uncreated place is a contradiction in terms, as every place has to do with time and space. Only of Christ it can be said that He lives (spiritually) in the bosom of the Father (John 1). Our physical bodies need time and space, also in eternity. Also in John 14 Christ says that he is going 'to prepare a place' in the (already created) Father House. Obviously then it cannot be uncreated. For how could something that needs preparation exist from all eternity? Outside of God nothing can exist and before He created anything, He did not need a house; but we do.
The idea that the Father's House is an eternal place would mean that besides God there always has existed something. But this is a theological fallacy. For how can anything exist apart from God Who is the Creator of all things!? One would have to conclude then that God and the Father's House are one and the same thing. One might as well conclude then that we are to be taken up into the divinity, which is even a blasphemous idea. This thereofore is an idolatrous reasoning, foreign to the theological verity that God is One.
christology | bible | prophecy | apologetics | theology | science | various