Jerusalem, The City Of God - Part Three

Isaiah 62:1,2 says, "For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory."

At the beginning of Isaiah 62, we learned of Isaiah proclaiming he will not be silent until Jerusalem's righteousness goes forth throughout the world resulting in the Kings of the earth seeing her glory! What exactly is Isaiah saying? He is proclaiming that he will CONTINUALLY be a witness for Jehovah God proclaiming Jerusalem as the City of God. Isaiah believes this is a fulltime "calling" from God. Psalm 122:6 confirms this by saying "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."

Additionally, Isaiah 60:1-4 says, "Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around and see; they all gather together, they come to you." The Glory of God will shine as a light over Jerusalem and the Gentiles and the Kings of the world will be drawn to this light and will come to Jerusalem. Also, the darkness that covered the earth will be gone covered over by the brightness of God's Glory. Bless His Holy Name!

When will this take place? Most prophetic scholars believe God's Glory and Righteousness will shine forth during the One Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem. Please also notice that the wealth of the Gentiles will be brought to Jerusalem as mentioned in Isaiah 60:5,9,11. 

What A Mighty God We Serve!

What A Mighty God We Serve!

Angels Bow Before Him

Heaven And Earth Adore Him

What A Mighty God We Serve!

Yes, Jerusalem was the City of God in the past; is the City of God now and will be the City of God in the future and for all Eternity! Hallelujah!

Blessed New Year,

Frank

     

Immanuel - "God With Us"

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child and bear a Son and they shall call His name Immanuel" which is translated "God with us." {Matthew 1:23} Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign; behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call His name Immanuel." {Isaiah 7:14}

In a few days, Christians throughout the world will attend Christmas Eve services and then on Christmas day gather with their families and friends to exchange gifts. These gatherings are to worship Jehovah God and thank Him for sending His Son Jesus Christ to earth bringing salvation to all people. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Jesus is the most important gift from God in all of history. Bless His Holy Name!

Please take note in the announcement of Jesus's Birth in Matthew 1:23 that Jesus will be called Immanuel meaning "God With Us." Possibly, this is one aspect of Jesus coming to earth that might not be appreciated or totally understood. What does "God With Us" really mean?

We need to start by understanding how Jesus comes to live with us. When a person either Jew or Gentile receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, part of the Triune God - The Holy Spirit - comes to live within them. Yes, this means God is with us every moment of every day! What A Mighty God We Serve!

How does having The Holy Spirit living within us affect our daily lives? Just before Jesus ascended into Heaven He told the Disciples you will not be alone for I leave with you a Counselor, The Holy Spirit. As a result, when we spend time with God as His modern-day disciples, The Holy Spirit will guide and direct us in the ways of our God so that we can honor Him and please Him each and every day. Hallelujah!

Possibly, you have read this Christmas Message and realized it is now time to receive Jesus Christ as Your Lord and Savior. Please pray this prayer with me:

Jesus, I Know I Am A Sinner

Please Forgive Me Of All My Sins

I Proclaim Jesus As Lord And God Raised Him From The Dead

Please Come Live Within My Heart

Thank You For Saving My Soul And Granting Me Eternal Life

Please Help Me To Honor You Each Day

A Most Blessed Christmas,

Frank     

Jerusalem, The City Of God - Part Two

Last week, we announced the start of a new series of messages about Jerusalem from the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem coming down from Heaven. Possibly, you were surprised and confused by the mention of the Garden of Eden in connection with Jerusalem. Is there a connection? Maybe the location of Jerusalem could also have been the center of the Garden of Eden.

It appears that no one except Lord God Almighty knows the exact location of the Garden of Eden other than it was in the Middle East. Genesis 2:8,10,11,13,14 says, "The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden and there He put the man whom He had formed . . . Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which encompasses the whole land of Havilah . . . The name of the second river is Dihon; it is the one which encompasses the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris . . . the fourth river is the Euphrates."

Please notice there were four rivers in the Garden of Eden. The Pishon flowed through Havilah which is current day Egypt. The Gishon river flowed through Cush that is current day Ethiopia. The other two rivers flowing are the Tigris and the Euphrates located north of Jerusalem in current day Syria and Iraq.

Is it possible these four rivers formed the boundaries of the Garden of Eden with the current location of Jerusalem directly in the center? Ethiopia would be the southern boundary; the Mediterranean Sea the western boundary; the Tigris River the northern boundary and the Euphrates River the eastern boundary.

Also, when we look at the land God gave to the Israelites through Abraham, we find it is possibly the same size as the Garden of Eden. Genesis 15:18 says, "To your descendants I have given this land, from the River of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates." Going a step further, we also find the dimensions of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21, with current Jerusalem at the center, is possibly the same size as the Garden of Eden and the land God gave to His people.

Is it possible the Garden of Eden; the land God gave to Israel and the New Jerusalem are all the same size?

Our God Works In Mysterious Ways! Bless His Holy Name!

Frank

The study of this possible land connection was completed by Tom Hess who is the founder and leader of The House Of Prayer For All Nations In Jerusalem.      

Jerusalem - The City Of God

This week we are starting a new series focusing on Jerusalem from the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem coming down from Heaven. This new study will include the Earthly Jerusalem and the Heavenly Jerusalem and how they were divided at the Fall of Man but will be united forever when Jesus returns to earth.

Is this study important? It has been said that all earthly events revolve around Jerusalem as the most significant city on earth. This week's message will give you an overview about Jerusalem to emphasize this importance. Please notice the title calls Jerusalem, The City Of God, as illustrated below:

"Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house . . . But I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there." (2Chronicles 6:5-6)

"For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it." (Psalm 132:13-14)

"The Lord loves the Gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O City of God!" (Psalm 87:2-3)

How important is Jerusalem to Jehovah God? Extremely important! Psalm 122:6-7 says, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces." Please notice this is a directive from God not a mere suggestion. Also, Isaiah 62:6-7 says, "I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, who shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of The Lord, do not keep silent and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth."

Our Lord God desires for His people to pray day and night for the physical protection of Jerusalem causing God to respond by allowing Him no rest. Jerusalem is important and special to our Lord God Almighty! It has been the capital of Israel for over 3,000 years and is mentioned in the Word of God 811 times. 

Most important, all who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will spend eternity in the New Jerusalem! 

HALLELUJAH . . . HALLELUJAH . . . HALLELUJAH

May The Lord Surround You With His Peace,

Frank    

 

Giving Thanks Continually

 "Oh come, let us sing to The Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with Psalms. For The Lord is the great God." Psalm 95:1-3

"Make a joyful shout to The Lord, all you lands! Serve The Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that The Lord He is God; it is He who made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise." Psalm 100:1-4

Last Thursday we dedicated a day for giving thanks to our Lord God for all the blessings in our lives. However, in our last message we recommended that everyday should be a Thanksgiving Day for all people. When we study these two Psalms, we notice three main themes:

We Should Worship Our Lord Everyday

We Should Come Into His Presence Everyday

We Should Offer Thanksgiving To Our Lord Everyday

Jehovah God desires for His People to worship Him on a daily basis not just on holidays and Sunday mornings. When we spend time before Him each day, it would please Him if we would start with worship. The two Psalms clearly encourage us in this regard. Also, Ephesians 5:19 says we would honor our Lord by "Speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to The Lord." Hallelujah!

Please also notice that the Psalms promote coming into God's presence. We just finished studying how blessed we are to be living under The New Covenant. Hebrews 10:19-22 says, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith." We are encouraged to enter into God's presence anytime and anywhere through the shed blood of Jesus. Bless His Holy Name!

In conclusion, in addition to worshipping God in His Presence, we should come before Him with Thanksgiving. James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."

Thank The Lord for everything good in your life because it comes from Him and do it throughout the day in every situation! Our Lord God will be pleased!

Happy Thanksgiving This Day And Every Day,

Frank