What of Jerusalem - C. R. Oliver (smart books to read txt) 📗

Sinai, when he gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. Mount Sinai, by the way, is called "Mount Hagar" by the Arabs--and in my illustration, Abraham's slave-wife Hagar represents Jerusalem, the mother-city of the Jews, the center of that system of trying to please God by trying to obey the Commandments; and the Jews, who try to follow that system, are her slave children. 26 But our mother-city is the heavenly Jerusalem, and she is not a slave to Jewish laws. 

27 That is what Isaiah meant when he prophesied, 'Now you can rejoice, O childless woman; you can shout with joy though you never before had a child. For I am going to give you many children--more children than the slave-wife has.' 

28 You and I, dear brothers, are the children that God promised, just as Isaac was. 29 And so we who are born of the Holy Spirit are persecuted now by those who want us to keep the Jewish laws, just as Isaac, the child of promise was persecuted by Ishmael, the slave-wife's son. 

30 But the Scriptures say that God told Abraham to send away the slave-wife and her son, for the slave-wife's son could not inherit Abraham's home and lands along with the free woman's son. 31 Dear brothers, we are not slave children, obligated to the Jewish laws, but children of the free woman, acceptable to God because of our faith. 
TLB

 

In these modern times, the state of Israel desires greatly to declare Jerusalem as theirs and rightly it should be, but God will soon use it to draw the nations to judgment and once again its significance will be forever changed. 

Even though the Messianic movement has done a monumental job of acquainting Christians with Jewish traditions, holidays, feasts, offerings and the Torah--Paul's assessments stand in opposition to the re-establishment of adherences often demanded. Jerusalem still rejects the One they brandished with palm leaves and still stands short of its end time destiny. 

Paul (who I believe wrote Hebrews) does not stop in his love for the city, though. He wept and wished himself anathema if it would mean the whole of Israel would embrace his Jesus. Their rejection of the Messiah came after a long heritage of God dealing with them directly and indirectly. So, what is the lesson to be learned? God has dealt with the Gentiles for thousands of years and spoken through His Spirit to all the nations, so the lesson to be learned is simple-do not reject Him as did the Jews. Listen to His voice. Be drawn, not to the ancient treasures of a dissolute township, but the forthcoming New Jerusalem.

 

Hebrews 12:18-25
18 You have not had to stand face to face with terror, flaming fire, gloom, darkness, and a terrible storm as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai when God gave them His laws. 19 For there was an awesome trumpet blast and a voice with a message so terrible that the people begged God to stop speaking. 20 They staggered back under God's command that if even an animal touched the mountain it must die. 21 Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he shook with terrible fear. 

22 But you have come right up into Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the gathering of countless happy angels; 23 and to the church, composed of all those registered in heaven; and to God who is Judge of all; and to the spirits of the redeemed in heaven, already made perfect; 24 and to Jesus himself, who has brought us his wonderful new agreement; and to the sprinkled blood, which graciously forgives instead of crying out for vengeance as the blood of Abel did. 

25 So see to it that you obey Him who is speaking to you. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, how terrible our danger if we refuse to listen to God who speaks to us from heaven!

 

It is to this New Jerusalem from which our prospects of glory emanate-not the earthly one! 

To the over comers in the early church at Philadelphia came this word.

 

Revelation 3:12
As for the one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; he will be secure and will go out no more; and I will write my God's Name on him, and he will be a citizen in the city of my God--the New Jerusalem, coming down from heaven from my God; and he will have my new Name inscribed upon him.

This promise is most cogent for us in the Twenty-first Century. We are being called to conquer on a scale that is mind boggling. Across our foreheads must be a mark, like Ezekiel's Scribe gives. Our citizenship is not in the world system, but in the Jerusalem not made with man's hands. Our new names tell our character and calling! Our longing is for THIS Jerusalem made with His hands. 

But, what of the national Jerusalem that stands today? What is its end time role? The answer is not withheld from us.

 

Revelation 11:4-13
4 These two prophets* are the two olive trees, and two candlesticks standing before the God of all the earth. 5 Anyone trying to harm them will be killed by bursts of fire shooting from their mouths. 6 They have power to shut the skies so that no rain will fall during the three and a half years they prophesy, and to turn rivers and oceans to blood, and to send every kind of plague upon the earth as often as they wish. 

7 When they complete the three and a half years of their solemn testimony, the tyrant who comes out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them and conquer and kill them; 8 and for three and a half days their bodies will be exposed in the streets of Jerusalem (the city fittingly described as "Sodom" or "Egypt")--the very place where their Lord was crucified. No one will be allowed to bury them, and people from many nations will crowd around to gaze at them. 10 And there will be a worldwide holiday- people everywhere will rejoice and give presents to each other and throw parties to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them so much! 

11 But after three and a half days, the spirit of life from God will enter them, and they will stand up! And great fear will fall on everyone. 12 Then a loud voice will shout from heaven, "Come up!" And they will rise to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watch. 

13 The same hour there will be a terrible earthquake that levels a tenth of the city, leaving 7,000 dead. Then everyone left will, in their terror, give glory to the God of heaven. 
TLB

 

*For many years, I have considered the two prophets to be symbolic of Holiness and Righteousness. I have seen them as companions to all who hold high the Name and Ways of Jesus. When the evil one rises to strike them down, they will be preserved and raised from the dead. Perhaps my thoughts are but conjecture and far too simplistic. The drama of this Jerusalem event is horrific and demands attention. BUT it is still not our city. This city is being prepared and cleansed for the advent of a far greater New Jerusalem, adorned as the Bride.

 

Revelation 14:1-8
14:1 Then I saw a Lamb standing on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and with him were 144,000 who had his Name and his Father's Name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roaring of a great waterfall or the rolling of mighty thunder. It was the singing of a choir accompanied by harps. 

3 This tremendous choir--144,000 strong-sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four Living Beings and the twenty-four Elders; and no one could sing this song except those 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 For they are spiritually undefiled, pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been purchased from among the men on the earth as a consecrated offering to God and the Lamb. 5 No falsehood can be charged against them; they are blameless. 

6 And I saw another angel flying through the heavens, carrying the everlasting Good News to preach to those on earth--to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 

7 'Fear God,' he shouted, 'and extol his greatness. For the time has come when he will sit as Judge. Worship him who made the heaven and the earth, the sea and all its sources.' 8 Then another angel followed him through the skies, saying, 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen-that great city--because she seduced the nations of the world and made them share the wine of her intense impurity and sin.'
TLB

 

The Reformers believed the Babylon portrayed here was the Vatican of the Roman Catholic Church. For now, let us leave speculation, eschatological meanderings and traditional beliefs and accept the fact that something new has come down to earth and earth is rattled because of it.

Things happening as a result of this action:
1. Wrath of God on those who worship the Creature
2. The martyr's rewards
3. The reaping begins with Jesus accompanied by an angel
4. Babylon falls

The New Jerusalem is our destination and our participation and home is with it.

Revelation 19:6-9
7 'Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him; for the time has come for the wedding banquet of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself.

8 She is permitted to wear the cleanest and whitest and finest of linens.' (Fine linen represents the good deeds done by the people of God.) 

9 And the angel dictated this sentence to me: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.' And he added, 'God himself has stated this.' 
TLB

 

Now, this Jerusalem is much better than the old one. He, who had been exiled from the old one, was seeing the New one-what wonder and grace!

 

Revelation 21:1-22
1 Then I saw a new earth (with no oceans!) and a new sky, for the present earth and sky had disappeared. 2 And I, John, saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. It was a glorious sight, beautiful as a bride at her wedding. 

3 I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, 'Look, the home of God is now among men, and he will live with them and they will be his people; yes, God himself will be among them. 

4 He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.' 

5 And the one sitting on the throne said, 'See, I am making all things new!' And then he said to me, 'Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true: 6 It is finished! I am the A and the Z-the Beginning and the End. I will give to the thirsty the springs of the Water of Life-as a gift! 7 Everyone who conquers will inherit all these blessings, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But cowards who turn back from following me, and those who are unfaithful to me, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those conversing with demons, and idol worshipers and all liars--their doom is in the Lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the Second Death.' 

9 Then one of the seven angels who had emptied the flasks containing the seven last plagues came and said