“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be
praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, ismountZion,
on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in
her palaces for a refuge. For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by
together. They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and
hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in
travail. Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind. As we have
heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our
God: God will establish it for ever. Selah. We have thought of thy lovingkindness,
O God, in the midst of thy temple. According to thy name, O God, so is
thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.
Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah
be glad, because of thy judgments. Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers
thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it
to the generation following. For this God is our God for ever and ever:
he will be our guide even unto death.” Psalms
48:1-14
The study on the New Jerusalem is a rebuke
to those who desire to overcome. There is nothing about this study that is an easy
road for anyone who desires to be a total conqueror in their lives. For the New
Jerusalem is a study in contrasts. This Holy City of God reveals the Holy requirements
to enter into it verses our natural earth borne existence. We see the Holiness
of the City of God
but we know that we have obedience to fulfill to come into that same state of Holiness.
There are some who claim completely the verses such as: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he
is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17But then they stop there
without balancing these verses out with the rest of the truth. We do have a
sinless new nature, but we at the same time have a sinful old nature. For the
truth is that we still live in a duality. There is still in us the Old Nature
of fallen Adam to conquer and overcome and for us to completely put off. For
overcoming is done in the heart and in the mind by the Spirit of the Lord
motioning within us. To balance 2 Corinthians 5:17 with truth, one needs to read the following. “That ye put off concerning the former
conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24 Now how can it be that if the Old Man is dead that
there is a continued obedienceneeded in putting that Old Man
off? Just as necessary is the need to obey to put the NewMan
ON! Or if you would look at this verse. “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him,
that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve
sin.” Romans 6:6 Much that is being
taught as truth in this hour is causing one to eliminate the continued need for
putting off the Old Man, that nature which is in contrast to the New Nature.
Anytime an automatic solution to a situation arises, and the answer is an easy
answer, it is most likely the wrong answer. The truth is that for anyone to
enter by the gates into the New Jerusalem, they must be perfected in every area
of their lives, totally in the New Nature, nothing of the Old Nature. They must
have passed from death to life. And all that must be done by the Spirit of the
Lord and our learned obedience WITH NO CARNAL RELIGIOUS WORKS.
The New Jerusalem gives unto us the contrast
needed to cause us to run with patience this race to put the old nature in its rightful
place as being “daily crucified”. Much deception has come into sonship circles
because of the thought that only the New Nature exists now. The old nature is
not in existence. If that be so, then why are we not now living on the earth in
the New Jerusalem? Why has this time of the manifestation of this City of God not come? What would
then prevent God’s promise from being fulfilled in us? If Christ now be
complete in mankind, and that His seed is in every man, then why is the earth still
staggering under the weight of the Mystery of Iniquity? What need have we of
further obedience to our righteous calling?
The fact of this is tantamount to seeing
truth as it is in contrast to that which is old and has passed as “present
truth”. For in this world we can see the Old Jerusalem, with its rocks and
walls, contention from the Muslims and the Christians and the Jews, wars,
political unrest and most of all the sworn alliance by surrounding Nations to
destroy the Old Jerusalem and all of Israel in a mushroom cloud. The
Jews are there still awaiting the promise of God to send the Messiah and
claiming that land as their own. The Christians are there beholding the relics
and evidences of where Jesus once was as well as the Mount of Olives to see
Jesus come back and cleave that Mount in two. The Muslims believe that this
place was holy to Mohammed their prophet and that the city therefore belongs to
them as a holy place. Their belief is that the old Jerusalem is for Islam alone, no one else
need enter. The contentions between all three are akin to strife and war beyond
measure. As well, much contention came from the fact that Israel became a Nation under the auspices of the
United Nations, England and
the United States
in 1948. As a friend of the United States
and England
they have had all the military backing they need to build huge stockpiles of
armaments and munitions which are held in reserve “just in case.” The ousted Palestinian Nation that was in this land in
1948 has warred constantly against Israel,
meting out to Israel the
very same things Israel
once meted out to them. The entire region has been a place of continued
increased contention and strife that has cost the Nations billions of dollars
to support and to prevent an all out holocaust. Terrorism from the region has
spread to every corner of the globe and as a result we now live in the world
with each and every corner being a place of a potential “threat”. Truly the
earth has begun to live in a time where no place is safe wherein to stand.
Bring into this the promise of God for the
New Jerusalem. And oh how much dissemination there exists over this revelation!
For men have gathered as much interpretation into this promise of God as in any
other portion of religious expression. The New Jerusalem, like the Old Jerusalem
has also had its share of contenders! Men have likened this Holy City of God to
the qualifying measure needed THROUGH THEIR RELIGIOUS EFFORT which would grant
them the right to go to heaven. But the New Jerusalem, like the Old Jerusalem,
is to be ON THE EARTH. THIS EARTH. The entire concept of Heaven and the New
Jerusalem is a skewed concept! The New Jerusalem, even though it is held as the
grand prize by man’s ticket to heaven because of religious works, has nothing
to do with religion, or contentions, or political ploys or efforts. Money does
not come into it, neither does the opinion of carnal minds! Nor does the
imaginary bliss of a sweet by and by somewhere in a cloud of Glory! This HolyCity
of God IS the Holiness of the Lord IN HIS PEOPLE – ON THE EARTH. The New Jerusalem
bears the mark and image OF FATHER, not of man’s puny religious enterprise. It bears
the mark of the Government of God, not of man’s government or monetary policies.
The New Jerusalem is a total contradiction to what the Old Jerusalem presently
is! The New Jerusalem is the FULL EXPRESSED VOCABULARY OF GOD IN A PEOPLE JUST
AS GOD WAS THE FULL EXPRESSION OF HIS OWN PERSON IN JESUS HIMSELF! There is no
imaginary concept of Heaven in the New Jerusalem. There is no religious effort
to get there! There is no government of earth that can bring to it a policy or
a law! The New Jerusalem stands completely alone AS THE VERY PERSONAGE OF GOD
MANIFESTED IN AN OVERCOMING COMPANY, EVEN THE COMPANY OF OVERCOMERS WHO COME AS
A 4 SQUARE WALL OF JASPER.
As I said in the beginning of this
discourse, the study on the New Jerusalem is a rebuke. It corrects us because
when we allow the Spirit of the Lord to move in us in hope, we can see that we
simply do not measure up to the Holy qualifications needed to enter this city.
No one does. Except that the Lord do it in us. This is God’s work, not man’s
work. However, we need to learn OBEDIENCE to this rebuke by OBEYING in a verbal
action the footfalls of our faith. For that to happen properly in an Overcomer,
and for that Overcomer to get past the Spirit of burning and hence the end of
trials, one must align themselves with the requirements needed to enter this
City. Remember that this HolyCity of God WILL BE ON
THE EARTH, NOT UP IN THE SKY SOMEWHERE. And when I state that there are
qualifications for entering this City, one must meet these qualifications WITH
NO RELIGIOUS EFFORT WHATSOEVER.
The first place to rebuke yourself is to
JUDGE YOURSELVES TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT YOU BE IN THE FAITH. If we do that, we can
get past the 1st stage of the fiery process and enter in to greater
manifestations of Holiness in our lives. And I can think of no better way to
judge one’s own self before the Lord than to know that what God is going to do
He is going to do IN A NEW ELEMENT on the earth, not in the old element that is
existing now. And the desire of God is for that New Element to work IN YOUR
LIFE in such a manner as to help you walk BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT. In other
words, not one of the promises of God to complete His work in us will be
related to this physical City of the OLD Jerusalem.
It is only in the NEW Jerusalem that the will of God will be completed. There
will be no political, monetary, physical thing happen in the Old Jerusalem
which will ever usher in this hope we have of overcoming victory in every area
of our lives. God is not going to do this work in the OldCity, He is going to do it and
complete it in the New City.
The OldCity has no more life in its rocks and
stone walls than any other place on the earth. It is simply a geographical
location, nothing more. And if you gauge the coming of the Lord upon Israel, or
money systems, or what is happening around the land of Israel then you have
totally missed God and His purpose! If you purport the coming of Christ to
elevate His people into the ethereal state based upon computer chips and words
from the Pope, then you have missed it. The New Jerusalem IS Holy and IS
complete and IS the promise of God to those who would be found In Christ in
total victory. Out from our minds has to go the concept of earth bound news
reports and advances in technology that would somehow indicate that the Lord is
about to return. Judge yourselves in this manner. That there is no sign on the
earth of the coming of the Lord other than your continued growth in your New
Nature and the fact that much of Christendom is following delusion! For the
sign of the coming of the Son of Man to catch us up totally in spirit will be
by our maturing process. As well, it will be by the understanding that much of
those around us are following a deluded understanding of God. That perdition
that sits in the Holy Place
as God saying I Am As God. So in judging yourself in the 1st stage,
ask yourself if you are following any delusions! If you are, then judge that
delusion IN YOURSELF and put it off!
The New Jerusalem is that Holy Standard
to which we will attain, not by our own effort, but by the Lord growing up in
us, or if you will, by the seed of life in you coming to full maturity. This is
that blessed hope for all Nations. The New Jerusalem is depicted in the
scriptures at the start of this writing to be “Zion”,
the Kingdom of His Anointing. It is the place of King Jesus.
The realm of His Church, His Body. To this element I would add that it is the
place where we will Praise and Worship God in the beauty of Holiness. It is the
FINALITY of our walk, the END OF OUR FAITH. We are coming into a CITY. This
City is the place wherein the King reigns, and out from this City His reign
does proceed to envelop all of His creation to bring it all in to this state of
completed Holiness. Each element of the fall will be consumed in the fire of
God’s Holiness.
So then, in breaking down Psalms 48:1-14 I see the following.
“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in
the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.” The dimension of God in the City of God is GREAT. This is where the full
expression of God abides, and this is where the servants of God will see His
face. It is also very interesting that this is seen as a “City” but at the same
time as a “mountain”, even a “mountain
of His Holiness”. The
NATURE OF GOD IS THIS CITY and this CITY IS THE MOUNT OF HOLINESS FOR ALL
CREATION. In other words, the full expression of God is seen as HOLY in this
City and as a MOUNTIAN in its expression of God in His person. Here the realms
of Praise ascend unto Him who has revealed Himself in such a way as to bring
hope for all of creation, removing creation from its negative contrast and into
its new identity as part of this same City.
“Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, ismountZion, on the sides of the north,
the city of the great King.” Now my question to you the
reader is this. If the City of God is the joy of the whole earth, then what
would make you think that it is something to be attained in the future in
Heaven when you die? The City of God IS HERE ON
THE EARTH IN A PEOPLE, EVEN THE CHURCH
OF CHRIST. It is
beautiful for situation because IT IS HOLY IN THE NEW NATURE BORN AFTER THE
SPIRIT. The whole earth is said to have JOY in it. When I look at the newscasts
I don’t see much joy. But this is a JOY to the WHOLE EARTH. Also, this city is
related to the whole earth as MOUNTZION, that place of the
anointed life of God IN A PEOPLE. The New Jerusalem, the City of God, will in time be the
joy of all nations as it becomes THE STANDARD BY WHICH ALL MEN WILL BE
MEASURED. This City becomes the final hope for mankind. It is the final resting
place of every soul. No defilement or unclean thing of the fallen Old Nature
will enter into it. The Old Jerusalem does not even pale in comparison when it
is measured by this New Jerusalem. And in the midst of this City of God IS MOUNTZION. There is a MOUNTIAN
IN THE MIDST OF IT. This is the Mountain
of God’s Holiness! And
that is the Mount that ALL WILL COME TO. Note that this Mount is on “the sides
of the north”. What are the sides of the north? THE PLACE OF CONTINUED
JUDGEMENT. For the Lord does come FROM THE NORTH TO JUDGE. The regal reign of
the Lord will come in judgment of anything that does not fit into the Holy
requirements of this City, for the Blood of Jesus prevails to give each one a
place IN this City, and for that to happen each one must be JUDGED. This is the
City of the Great King, and it is this Great King that judges each one to fit
them INTO their pre-ordained place IN this city. That is how great this King
is! And to amplify His Greatness, the King has ordained THAT THIS CITY BE ON
THE EARTH. This truly is a HIGH PLACE! It is a City that is the standard of
Holiness by which all Nations will enter.
“God is known in her palaces for a refuge.” Not just for the time of our sojourn TO that City but IN that City God becomes a refuge. At this time while the Mystery of Iniquity works in the earth God is our refuge to protect us while we wait for Him to finish His processings in us. But also THEN when the standard of Holiness is met and the Overcomer is dwelling continually in the New Nature in Holiness will God be that same refuge. The refuge of God is that element of separation, that standard of Holiness which is apart from all else that is yet to be judged. Not a self righteous Holiness that comes from religious effort, but the very nature and personage of God. For God by nature IS HOLY. And it is that same HOLINESS that is THE REFUGE FOR THE OVERCOMER. Not everyone who will become fully judged and Holy will be called an “Overcomer” but only those who endured the fires of judgment now while in their bodies of flesh and blood. Those who simply proceeded through each trial that was set before them. Those who obeyed the Lord in this life and came out from all other things to allow the Lord to work His fire into them to separate in them the chaff from the wheat, the flesh from the Spirit. These are the ones who will form that Holy Mountain of Zion. They will be the elements of Living Stone in the walls of Jasper. The others in the nations will also enter in, but not as they who overcame! The “palaces” are the elements of Jesus, the dimension of Jesus BUILT INTO HIS OVERCOMERS. But then, when that building is complete, God, IN the Overcomers, becomes a refuge to the rest of humanity!
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