Ezekiel (Program #25) – The Holy Land and the Holy City

Clearly the subject and central focus of the last section of the book of Ezekiel is the temple, the house of God. Show the house to the house, the Lord tells Ezekiel and that is exactly what he does in the final chapters. Yet, there’s a very profound postscript to Ezekiel’s vision that is found in the final chapters of the book and that is the land upon which the temple sits. In fact the land and the house are the central focus of the entire Old Testament. Recall Jehovah’s words to Joshua following the death of Moses as the children of Israel were encamped at the border of the good land in Canaan, “Moses My servant is dead; now then arise, and cross over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them, to the children of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads I have given to you, as I promised Moses…Be strong and take courage, for you will cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give to them.” (Joshua 1:2-3,6). Well if the temple typifies the church as the fulfillment of the house of God, what then does this land typify?

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Revelation (Program #64) – The New Jerusalem (6)

The final two chapters of the Bible reveal the final destination for both God and man. Not heavenly mansions, but the living, built up city composed of God and His redeemed people. Rev 21:22 says “And I saw no temple in it, for its temple is the Lord God, the Almighty and the Lamb.”  This city of course is the New Jerusalem, the focus and subject of the final pages of the Bible. As such we do well to focus on it ourselves…

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Revelation (Program #61) – The New Jerusalem (3)

Revelation, the final book of the Bible, opens many things to us in its 22 chapters. But the key to unlocking these revelations is to realize that primarily, this is a book of signs and symbols. The final sign, that of a city called New Jerusalem reveals God’s ultimate intention and our ultimate destiny. To see this, however, requires not just our natural understanding. Rev 21:10 says, “And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.” If we can be in spirit as John was, and in a sense, be carried away to a high mountain by the Lord’s mercy, we can see this city as well.

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Revelation (Program #60) – The New Jerusalem (2)

Of all the revelations in the book of Revelation, the most profound is the final one. Seen in chapters 21 and 22,

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and the sea is no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice out of the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them, and they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. ” – Rev 21:1-3

What these verses, in fact, what these chapters reveal, is not heaven with streets of gold and mansions, but rather a spiritual building, a composition of God with His redeemed people that comes out of heaven to the new earth.

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Revelation (Program #59) – The New Jerusalem (1)

“And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God…” – Rev 21:2

Many Christians believe their ultimate destiny is to go to heaven. But this verse, at the end of the Bible in the book of Revelation, shows us that the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven from God. Today is the first of six programs that we are going to have dealing with the New Jerusalem, which is really the ultimate destiny of the believers.

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2 Thessalonians (Program #4) – A Further Word of Encouragement

According to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 there are three definite things that need to take place prior to the Lord’s second coming and the rapture of the church.

First, the apostasy of God’s people must occur. Then the son of perdition, the man of lawlessness, the one we call anti-Christ must raise up and be revealed. And finally, the temple in the Holy City, Jerusalem must be rebuild, because at the certain point before the visible return of Christ, this anti-Christ sits himself in the temple and exalt himself above all that is called God.

There is no single passage in the Bible gives us all the details and specific timing of the end time events. For those we need to go to many different passages in the Bible. One of the most important of which is found in Daniel chapter 9 in the Old Testament and what is known as the 70 weeks of Daniel.

Daniel 9:24 says:”Seventy weeks are apportioned for your people and for your holy city, to close the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make propitiation for iniquity, and to bring in the righteousness of the ages, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the Holy of Holies.”  Well, the 70 weeks unfold in the next few verses and we will do our best to touch them today in a brief way.

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