4152—"A Building of God," "Eternal in the Heavens," 2 Cor. 5:1
"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." What does this passage mean? Please explain. Read the whole context, beginning with verse 1 of 2 Corinthians 5, closing with verse 9. Note that three conditions are there named: first, "our earthly house" and "this tabernacle" in verse 1; "in this," verse 2; "this tabernacle," verse 4; "at home in the body," verse 6. The second condition is that of death: "dissolved," verse 1; "naked," verse 3; "unclothed," verse 4. The third condition is at home with God: "a building of God," and "a house not made with hands," verse 1; "clothed upon with our house which is from heaven," verse 2; "being clothed," verse 3; "clothed upon" and "swallowed up of life," verse 4; "present with the Lord," verse 8. There may be other expressions which have kindred meaning, but these are clear enough so that we may know what is meant. The apostle is not looking for death, nor anxious for death. This he expresses by the terms "dissolved" and "found naked." He does not want to be in either of these conditions. He is not looking for death at all. Neither would he like to remain in this present state, for in this he groans. He is in sorrow and trouble. He is, however, longing for a third—neither death, nor to remain here, but for the building of God—for the state of life which shall swallow up mortality. He wants "to be present with the Lord." But when will this be? The Scriptures very clearly tell us. Rom. 8:23 tells us for what Paul groaned: "Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." That will be when the saints of God are raised from the dead. When will mortality be swallowed up of life? Let the same apostle tell us that: "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." And again, it is the second coming of Christ and the resurrection to which the apostle looked. Once more: When would he be with the Lord? Listen to the words of comfort in 1 Thess. 4:16, 17: "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." For what, then, did the apostle long?—For Christ's coming, when he expected to be with the Lord, when mortality would be swallowed up of life, when the groaning would be over and the body redeemed from the grave. Hos. 13:14. There are many other passages which teach the same thing. It was to that time that the apostle looked forward: "For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ." 2 Cor. 5:10.