OF MANSIONS AND STRUCTURES
How about this?
1 “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the owner of an estate who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work. 3 “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. 4 So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. 5 At noon and again around three o’clock he did the same thing. 6 At five o’clock that evening he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’ 7 “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’
“The owner of the estate told them, ‘Then go on out and join the others in my vineyard.’ 8 “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. 9 When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. 10 When those hired earlier came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. 11 When they received their pay, they protested, 12 ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’ 13 “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? 14 Take it and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. 15 Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be angry because I am kind?’ 16 “And so it is, that many who are first now will be last then; and those who are last now will be first then.” (Matthew 20:1- 16 NLT)
The Lord Jesus pointed out to us in the scriptures that
2 There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. (John 14:2-3 New Living Translation - NLT)
It is not unusual for someone to have a dream while asleep. In the bible, there are several ‘dreamers’ such as Joseph son of Jacob (Genesis 37:1-10), the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt (Genesis 40:1-23), the Pharaoh (Genesis 41:1-32), king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Daniel 2:1-45, Daniel 4:4-33), the wise men (Matthew 2:12), Joseph who is Jesus’ earthly parent (Matthew 2:13-15).
Along with dreams, some have visions. There are examples in the bible that includes Daniel (Daniel chapters 7 & 8) and Paul (Acts 18:9-11).
Along with dreams and visions, some have fallen into trances. Biblical examples include Peter (Acts 11:1-18) and Paul (Acts 22:17-18 and Acts 23:11).
6 And the LORD said to them, “Now listen to me! Even with prophets, I the LORD communicate by visions and dreams. (Numbers 12:6 NLT).
Other than biblical examples, there have been instances of individuals in the contemporary who have had dreams and visions as well as those who have fallen into trances. Here is a case in point.
A preacher went to bed one night. Lo and behold - call it a dream, a vision, or a trance - he found himself in the heavenly kingdom. In no time, it dawned on him that he was on a street of a place similar in appearance and description to the following bible account:
9 Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 So he took me in spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 11 It was filled with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious gem, crystal clear like jasper. ......... 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. 19 The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve gems: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were made of pearls - each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. ......... 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. (Revelation 21:9-11,18-21,23 NLT)
Some insight into the magnitude of the splendour, wonder and glamour of the heavenly kingdom can be found under QUITE A HANDFUL, ISN’T IT?! Here is a relevant excerpt from the teaching:
Elijah was going to be taken away by “charioteers” (angels) riding on “a chariot of fire” (a golden chariot). The phrase “chariot of fire” describes the intensity of the brightness the chariot. The chariot was made out of an extremely high quality gold – the type of which can only be found in heaven. The untarnished purity of the gold yielded a very bright and brilliant appearance. The glitter it radiated was so dazzling it created the impression of “a chariot of fire” on the mind of Elisha. The glitter of the chariot literarily blazed the sky. The “charioteers” (angels) are spirit beings who cannot be seen with the naked eye. It takes the grace of God for the veil to be pulled aside for the physical eyes to see what takes place in the realm of the spirit. The spirit realm is not a common place for human beings.
The preacher saw several buildings on the streets that made up this spellbinding city. He was deeply awed. He’d heard about it. He’d read about it. Now he was beholding it – while standing in it too!
“Beautiful, isn’t it? Quite a sight. Nothing like what you are used to on earth,” came a voice. The voice belonged to an angel of the Most High God. His duty was similar to that of the angel mentioned in Revelation 21:9-10. No, he was not about to start unleashing plagues; rather, he was a divine tour guide of some sort.
“Yes, amazing place this is. Seeing is believing. This place is ....is ..... (sigh) indescribable. I see lots of beautiful buildings here. So breathtaking,” replied the human.
“Of course, what do you think? Did the Lord Jesus not mention that “In my Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you?” (John 14:2 New King James Version - NKJV) Come, let me show you around.”
The angelic tour guide strolled the streets with the ‘visitor’. Out of the mouth of the mortal came remarks such as “Wow!”, “Oh my goodness!”, “Ah, that is gorgeous! It really is,” “Now, now, isn’t that something? That is so beautiful!” Deep down in him, he sensed that only the grace of God was keeping him standing on his feet. Under normal human circumstance, he would have fainted by now. Such is the extreme height of bewilderment that the glamour of the heavenly buildings created on the mortal beholder.
As they walked, the angel chatted with him about the mansions. The tour guide’s words proved to be quite insightful.
“By the way, can you remember this particular lady .......?”, the angel asked as he began to explain the identity of the woman in question, “You know the lady I’m talking about, don’t you?”
“Yes, I know her,” replied the flesh and blood, “She’s is a member of my congregation. I barely know her really. She is one of those folks who just get tucked somewhere hidden among the pack. She’s certainly not on my A-list. I mean, she’s not one of the members I see frequently. You hardly know she’s around. I don’t see her doing anything. Oh yeah, I have a recollection of her. So what about her?”
“You see that mansion over there?”, asked the heavenly being as he drew attention to an alluring mansion they were just passing by.
“Yes?”
“It’s hers!” announced the divine messenger.
“It’s ......... (Gasp) what?!” exclaimed the man.
“It’s hers,” reiterated the celestial creature.
“It’s ........ (Gasp) what?!”
“Yes, it’s hers!” the angel reasserted.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“No, I’m not kidding you.”
“But..., but...,”
“Why would I want to kid you?”
“She......, I mean,...... how.....,” stuttered the man as he interrupted himself with a sigh.
As the excursion continued, the man continually wondered what his own mansion looked like.
“The beauty of that mansion is indescribable. If hers is that fabulous, you can imagine what mine looks like. Mine’s got to be totally out of the galaxy. I can’t wait to see it,” thought the man.
The heavenly guide continued commenting on the different buildings they see along the way. After a while he said:
“You see that over there?”
“Yes,” replied the human, “it looks nice. It’s an incomplete structure, isn’t it?”
“Yes.....”
“It looks like it’s still at a foundation stage.”
“Yes, it is at a foundation stage.”
“Still got some work to be done on it.”
“Yes. Guess what?”
“What?”
“That’s yours.”
“(Gasp) That’s whose?!”
“Yours,” replied the angel in a mild yet assertive way.
“That’s mine?!”
“Yes.”
“That incomplete structure is mine?!”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“This can’t be? How can this be? Do you know who I am?” Pause “I am a renowned and celebrated preacher. I’ve been to places. Doing amazing things for God. I’ve been in the ministry for years. How could you tell me now that that structure - ...... can’t even call it mansion -.... is mine? There’s got to be a mistake.”
“There is no mistake.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, I am sure. Up here, we call it the way it is.”
“But how could she have a such a magnificent mansion while I have this incomplete structure? Isn’t it odd for an ordinary member of a congregation to have such a fabulous mansion while I am being credited with that structure?”
“Odd? What is so odd about what you’ve seen so far? Who can flaw the wisdom and judgment of the Most High God? “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:4) Has the LORD not declared “My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT) To you, she is not well known. Not from the viewpoint of He that sits on the great white throne. “For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV) Whether or not you or anyone is aware of it, her activities have continually brought glory to the Most High God. To you, she’s just another face in the crowd. That does not in anyway give you an indication of her status before God, does it?”
“Well....... I just don’t see how ........ I mean .......... (sigh)”
“Just another face in the crowd. Not renowned or celebrated. That doesn’t tell you the whole story about anybody. It doesn’t give you the whole picture about anyone’s life or activity in the vineyard of the LORD. You wouldn’t know if – like David - she is one of the believers the Most High God can count on to do His will in total obedience no matter what, would you? While some consider David as a man of war (2 Samuel 17:8) and a bloodthirsty man (2 Samuel 16:8), he all along did not fail to establish a reputation before God as a man who endeared himself to His heart. From His perspective, you wouldn’t know whose life and ministry the Spirit of the LORD has been able to produce such great power that achieve wonderful results in His kingdom, would you? You wouldn’t know who among the just-another-face-in-the-crowd create great upheaval in the spirit realm when they get on their knees to pray, would you? After all, “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16) Remember, Elijah did not appear on king Ahab and queen Jezebel’s good book (1 Kings 19:1-3). That notwithstanding, “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured. The grass turned green, and the crops began to grow again”? (James 5:17-18 NLT) You wouldn’t know who among the not-so-reckoned-with have established a rapport with the Most High God that is bringing forth abiding fruits in His kingdom, would you? “You will know them by their fruits,” (Matthew 7:16) remember? You wouldn’t know how many souls have been saved, healed or delivered as a result of her spiritual activities, would you? Though relatively unknown by your human standards, you wouldn’t know how many souls the LORD has used her relatively unknown ministry to effectively reach out to, would you? Regardless of the way you quantify efforts in the work of the ministry, you wouldn’t know how the LORD rate the quality of her relatively uncelebrated efforts, would you? You wouldn’t know how many prominent individuals owe the LORD gratitude for the way He’s been using her spiritual firepower to sustain & support them in the work of the ministry, would you? No, you wouldn’t. They don’t tattoo it on their forehead, do they? They don’t carry placards either. After all, “there are secret things that belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our descendants forever, so that we may obey these words of the law” (Deuteronomy 29:29 NLT) .............
Quite a humbling experience, I must admit.
2 ............ Do you remember what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I alone am left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 4 And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “You are not the only one left. I have seven thousand others who have never bowed down to Baal!” 5 It is the same today, for not all the Jews have turned away from God. A few are being saved as a result of God’s kindness in choosing them. 6 And if they are saved by God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s wonderful kindness would not be what it really is - free and undeserved. (Romans 11:2-6 NLT)
Talking about indication of one’s status before God. Remember what is stated in the scripture in Luke 16:15 (New King James Version)? And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
34 Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God doesn’t show partiality. 35 In every nation He accepts those who fear him and do what is right. (Acts 10:34-35 NLT)
Also, check out this incident recorded in 1 Samuel 16:3,6-13 NLT.
3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.” ......... 6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the LORD’s anointed!” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a person’s thoughts and intentions.” 8 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “This is not the one the LORD has chosen.” 9 Next Jesse summoned Shammah, but Samuel said, “Neither is this the one the LORD has chosen.” 10 In the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.” 11 Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep.” “Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” 12 So Jesse sent for him. He was ruddy and handsome, with pleasant eyes. And the LORD said, “This is the one; anoint him.” 13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the olive oil he had brought and poured it on David’s head. ..........
Furthermore,
19 As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy human wisdom and discard their most brilliant ideas.” 20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made them all look foolish and has shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never find him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save all who believe. 22 God’s way seems foolish to the Jews because they want a sign from heaven to prove it is true. And it is foolish to the Greeks because they believe only what agrees with their own wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. 24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the mighty power of God and the wonderful wisdom of God. 25 This “foolish” plan of God is far wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is far stronger than the greatest of human strength. 26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, 29 so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God. 30 God alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself. He is the one who made us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and he gave himself to purchase our freedom. 31 As the Scriptures say, “The person who wishes to boast should boast only of what the Lord has done.” (1 Corinthians 1:19-31 NLT)
23 This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man gloat in his wisdom, or the mighty man in his might, or the rich man in his riches. 24 Let them boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who is just and righteous, whose love is unfailing, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken! (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NLT)
10 Then he instructed me, “Do not seal up the prophetic words you have written, for the time is near. 11 Let the one who is doing wrong continue to do wrong; the one who is vile, continue to be vile; the one who is good, continue to do good; and the one who is holy, continue in holiness.” 12 “See, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me, to repay all according to their deeds. ........ 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.” (Revelation 22:10-12,16 NLT).
I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16 NKJV).
20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all (Revelation 22:20-21 NLT).
God bless.
Yours
Adekunle Majek’
H I A F E M
Of impact, quality & excellence
That’s the Spirit!
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