The following excerpt is taken from Making Today Count for Eternity by Kent Crockett, Multnomah Publishers, 2001, pages 108-109.
Our earthly homes give us a hint about what lies ahead for us in heaven. In the parable of the unjust steward, Jesus compared our temporary houses on earth with eternal dwellings in heaven (Luke 16:1-9). He said, “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9).
What are these eternal dwellings? Will they be heavenly houses similar to here on earth? Well, let’s think about that.
Will they have bedrooms? Since our resurrection bodies will never get tired, we won’t need to sleep. Not even afternoon naps. Let’s not lose sleep worrying about bedrooms.
What about bathrooms? I can’t imagine that this room will ever be needed in heaven. Eliminate this one.
Kitchens? We know the tree of life produces twelve kinds of fruit (Revelation 22:2), so I’m sure the recipes would be endless. But it’s just hard to see myself stir-frying fruit from the tree of life. Heavenly produce needs no seasoning or improvements. Let’s scrap kitchens from the blueprints.
How about a garage? The streets of gold must be used for something. But why would we want to drive when we could just fly wherever we want to go? Cars in heaven? Traffic lights? Speeding tickets? Pollution? Heaven forbid. It’s safe to say we won’t need garages in our eternal dwellings.
Living room or dining room? Jesus said we would recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matthew 8:11). But if this is all we need the house for, couldn’t we just have a picnic table outside? We will have no need for a roof on the house because it won’t rain or hail. The weather will always be perfect for our picnics with the prophets.
What then are these eternal dwellings? Good question. Although Jesus gave us a clue that something much grander exists in heaven, He didn’t reveal all the specifics about eternity. Are they literal structures? I believe so. Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). But as to what we will use them for, we’ll just have to wait and see. Just as earthly homes serve an earthly purpose, our eternal dwellings will serve a heavenly purpose. We won’t comprehend their function until we get there.