You Can Know You Have Eternal Life
#691
Man's Search for Inner Peace (105)
The Christian and the New Jerusalem (3)
by Jim Mettenbrink
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Jerusalem is a very old town. The
Old Testament reveals its existence in antiquity, even before
Abraham.
The founder was Jebus, the great-great
grandson of Noah, at least four generations before Abraham was
born (Genesis 10:16). Jebus was later identified
as Jerusalem, thus informing us more of its antiquity (Joshua
15:8; 18:28).
During the time of Abraham, not
only did Jebusites live there but, Melchizedek the priest of
God to whom Abraham gave a tithe was the king and priest of Salem
(Genesis 14:18-20). The Psalmist poetically revealed
Salem (aka Zion) as Gods dwelling on earth
In
Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. In Salem
also is His tabernacle, And His dwelling place in Zion (Ps 76:1, 2).
Jerusalem is prophetically referred
to as Zion as the town of Jesus triumphal entry (Zechariah
9:9; cf 1 Kings 8:1; 2 Kings 19:21, 31; Zech 8:3). The
prophet Micah uses Jerusalem, Zion and the house of God (temple)
as the same location (Micah 4:2). Jerusalem is appears
to be a combination of Jebus and Salem Jeru-salem.
Most significantly Jerusalem was
the location of Gods temple during the last 1000 years
of the Old Covenant. The city and the temple were destroyed
in AD70. But what is the oft referred to New
Jerusalem? Does it refer to the 21st century
city in Israel?
Often in Bible class the answer
to that question is the New Jerusalem is heaven. But is
it? The New Jerusalem is noted two times in the New Testament
only in Revelation (Revelation 3:12; 21:2). The
New Jerusalem is called a city. The faithful Christian
will be a pillar in Gods temple (3:12). God
and the Lamb (Jesus) are its temple (21:22). But
what and where is this New Jerusalem?
Jesus continues His revelation
via the apostle John ...the holy city, New Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband....Come, I will show you the bride, the
Lambs wife (21:2, 9). So the
New Jerusalem is Jesus (lamb) bride. The context (Revelation
21) shows the bride is Jesus church But there
shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an
abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lambs
Book of Life (Revelation 21:27).
The New Jerusalem consists of the
faithful Christians and those faithful who lived during the Old
Testament period, (before the New Testament established by
Jesus on Pentecost [beginning in Acts 2]).
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