CITY OF PARADISE--PART 3

WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THE DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY JOHN SAW COMING DOWN FROM GOD OUT OF HEAVEN, SO LET US GO TO VERSE 9, OF REVELATION, CHAPTER 21 AND CONTINUE ON, AS WE CONSIDER THE DESCRIPTION OF THIS CITY OF PARADISE.
We are going to move down to verse 9, since we have sufficiently covered the first 8 verses. We want to consider all of what John wrote about this city as we go along. Before I begin reading again let me say this, The little drawing you see up here behind me is just an illustrative drawing of how John no doubt looked upon this city as he saw it coming down from God out of heaven. It has to have certain characteristics and identities that make him see it as a city, looking at it from an external view. He is not inside the city, since he is standing looking at it descend to earth, therefore we understand that he sees it in an external profile. As we read our text earlier, I was reminded of how religionists have looked upon this description through the centuries, always looking at it as a literal city. Only God Himself knows how many times we have heard people say, I am going to walk on streets of gold. Well saints, when we really read it and consider it, you are going to find out that this is a different kind of gold than what you would wear on a watch that has been plated with gold to keep it from tarnishing. This drawing is to illustrate something that we will go back into the book of 1st Kings, in the 6th chapter, to look at, where we read about the temple that King Solomon built. This is a rough drawing of it, just to give you the dimensions of that temple. This one colored part is to distinguish between what was called the oracle and the other parts. It was a room placed in the far end of the structure which was the temple. It was called the oracle. This is a cut away view looking into this room face on, how it would be seen by the high priest as he would enter into it. This is the overall outer dimensions of the temple King Solomon built, as you would read in 1st Kings 6. It was sixty cubits long. That is equivalent to ninety feet. It was twenty cubits wide. That is equivalent to thirty feet. That is one third of its overall length. It is thirty cubits in height, which is one and one half times its width. Then we see that in this room, it measures twenty cubits by twenty cubits by twenty cubits, meaning it is a cube. It is a perfectly square room. That was a type. This is as you would see it looking into that particular room, as you would walk facing into it. We realize that room in the temple King Solomon built was a type of this city John saw coming down from God out of heaven. In all the years of my study, I had never really seen this in 1st Kings. I saw it of course, but I just looked upon it as something irrelevant to any other application in the New Testament, because all those measurements seemed to be just so much arithmetic that had little bearing on any future meaning or subject. When I got to studying for this message, I realized it is all so beautifully portrayed in the overall picture. Let us now go ahead and read some more about this city John saw coming down. Follow me now, as I read. "And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." We have read that same thing in the 19th chapter of Revelation. We know it says in the 19th chapter that the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife hath made herself ready. We know that is referring to the true Church in this hour, a people on the earth that are true Christians, called by the Spirit of God, saved by His grace, purified, sanctified, filled with the Holy Ghost, and made ready for the coming of Jesus the Christ in that event we look upon as the rapture, and the marriage will be taking place in heaven. Right here though, we see that the Lamb's wife is looked at again. We have to realize that His wife has already made herself ready prior to the time of Revelation 19, which actually shows the true Church that He comes for prior to that time, so this has got to be interpreted that this which is seen coming down, which is also called His wife, has got to be one and the self same thing. The main difference is, there is a thousand years of time that have elapsed between what we read in Revelation 19 and what we read in Revelation 21. How could that be? Is there a discrepancy in the word of God? Not at all. Does this mean that Christ has two Brides? Not at all. He is not a polygamist. We are going to find out that what we see in the 19th chapter is the Church in its glorified state, all with immortal bodies, robed in His righteousness, coming back to earth to rule and reign in a Millennium of kingly, earthly rule, and what we see here is a picture of the final anointing of Jehovah God Himself, coming to settle upon the people that were already His wife. It is a picture of the wife, the Lamb's wife, in her eternal state of relationship with God for the eternal age. Let us read further. (This is an external description of the CITY OF PARADISE, John's description as he views it from an external viewpoint.) "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone (Like unto a stone, simply means the light of the city reflected like the light would off of a precious stone.) most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; (As John saw this object descending, the light reflecting off of it had a glitter, a reflection like it was coming off of a jasper stone. He describes it as being clear as crystal. I happen to know this is not an earthly crystal, nor an earthly jasper stone. That description is just to convey an identity, something to help the reader understand that it is something glorious. It is something marvelous to behold. There is nothing in the earth that could be used other than something like a jasper, the way it reflects when light strikes it. The fact that it is clear as crystal lets you and I see that this is not an earthly mineral, not an earthly substance of any kind. It has to be a symbolic likeness just for comparison. Let us go on here.) And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, (so the gates were in the wall) and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel." Now we see then that the wall itself which surrounds the city, gives us an understanding that it is a city that has a wall like in ancient times, especially old Jerusalem. Cities in ancient times, had walls built for fortification. They were for the defense and preservation and safety of the city and its inhabitants. We might ask this, If this is a city for eternity, why have a wall? There are going to be no cannons there. There will be no armies attacking. There is going to be no more earthly wars. Why have a wall? We do not bother to build walls around cities today because modern warfare would blow a hole through them first thing. It would not last as long as it would take to build it. We have to realize, it is not a literal wall like we might imagined it to be: It is symbolic of something that was taken from an old setting and used as a type, since God worked His program through the ages corresponding to the natural example, so it would correspond to old Jerusalem, which was always the Jews delight to build a strong, fortified wall. That is why as we read Nehemiah, we read how he came back to build the defensive portions to the city. What else is this wall symbolizing, if it is not a literal wall built merely for protection? It symbolizes the fact that within the wall itself there were twelve gates representing the twelve tribes of Israel that God's plan of redemption was given to. As this Jewish nation was coming out of bondage in Egypt, God began to set these types in motion. These types being literal examples characterized in observances, ceremonies, festivities and so forth, all pointed forward to something much better, something that would be real to them one day when God has completed His plan of salvation for the human race. The fact that the walls are set up first, and the gates within the walls, is because through the gates you must enter in behind the walls, which even though they are no longer a military defensive, they still have significance, because they are the walls of salvation. God's plan of salvation was established in the nation of Israel, which was composed of twelve tribes. Therefore God, by this means, shows that the plan of salvation was established by types and shadows, as it was give to the Jewish nation while they were under the Law. That is why the walls were established first, to constitute the means of protection of the soul of the redeemed one. It says in Isaiah, In that day thy walls shall be called salvation, thy gates shall be called praise, and all thy children, meaning the inhabitants that dwell within that spiritual city, shall be taught and learned of the Lord. "On the east three gates; on the north three gates; (This was typed as the children of Israel came through the wilderness journey and as they set up the outer court and the tabernacle of badger skins and goat skins. There were so many tribes camped on each side on this square or rectangle complex.) on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, (As we describe the foundations, we realize that a wall is that portion that protrudes upward above ground level. That is the part that must serve as the defense and protection of the inhabitants, as well as those seeking refuge behind it. What is the foundations? That has to be the system, the terrain or substance upon which the wall are built, because a massive wall in ancient time, if it was not built upon a good footing, and the enemy ever found out there were weak points in the footing, rest assured they would dig until they found it. Then they would soon have that wall torn down. The fact that in the twelve foundations the names of the twelve apostles of Jesus are written, has to have some significance, so the question is, What would they have reference to?) and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." That would have reference to the fact that God's Church is built upon the teachings and revelation of the twelve apostles. Does it not say that in Ephesians? We are built upon a holy foundation. Our faith that puts us in God's church, is built upon the teachings and revelations of the apostles and the prophets. It starts with the apostles first, because that means that the Church, which is made up of believers of this age of Grace, according to what the prophets of old spoke and prophesied in their prophecies as types and promises, but it could never be made known until the dispensation came for them to be fulfilled in. Therefore it took the revelation of the apostles, to make us understand what was written in the Old Testament, so that the apostle Paul, who was the apostle sent to the Gentiles, could say we are built upon the teaching and the prophecies of the apostles, going back to the prophecies of the prophets of old. Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. Again, as it says in the epistle of Peter, We are lively stones built upon a holy foundation, Jesus Christ Himself is that chief cornerstone. In fact it says He was the stone disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, precious and elect. Therefore as we see this wall, we are not looking at brick, mortar, and stuff like that. It is a spiritual wall. It speaks of God's salvation that He has provided for the redeemed of the ages. They are all in that city. They are behind this wall, so they are all secure. The wall is not for any military protection whatsoever. "And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city (That means the profile of this which is behind the wall.) lieth foursquare." Naturally we have illustrated it with a profile of roofs and such like, because that is what people relate to, but we know that as John actually saw the inner thing referred to as the city, the city lay foursquare, it was not roof tops he saw. What does foursquare have reference to? That is language that means it is just the same one way as it is the other. Foursquare refers to a measurement that has been squared: it is a cube, and that which is cubed cannot have anything added to nor anything taken away, lest is cease to be a cube. To a lot of people that is just like Dutch to their mind. They say, Oh, I'm not interested in all that stuff. Well, we may think that. I too, at one time, thought like that. However if you ever really purpose to walk with God and understand His word, there are some things you are left completely on the outside of if you say, I'm not interested in that. Sometimes that very thing becomes a key that opens up a lot of other things in the scriptures; so if we shut out one thing, it could mean that we have shut out a whole lot of other things we will never understand, because we refuse to allow God to teach us something we need to know. We would rather take our little briefcase of a mind, with our folders of theology and sit somewhere going through our rituals of worship. I am not interested in that. That is not interesting to me any more. None of that theology concerns me. People who major on theology are not people who are walking with God. People that walk with God are people that hunger and thirst after His righteousness, and they want to grow and progress in His knowledge and grace. As we read on it gets very interesting, "And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs." The measurement of this city and the fact that John speaks of a reed, or a stick, gives this an ancient setting, because in ancient times they used certain things, especially when they were going to measure large areas, and that stick was equivalent to an established system of measurement that they used back then. We are going to find out that as that squared city had a dimensional measurement, so did this room have a dimensional measurement. I used to think it was irrelevant as to what sixty, thirty, and twenty and all of that meant. I thought, It is just a building. Well, it was God that gave the dimensions to Solomon. Just as He told Noah how big to build the boat, the length, the wide, and the height, and it was to have three levels with only one door and one window, so did He give specific instructions on all these other things. This was not a boat of Noah's choice: it was what God told him to build. Noah did not know what all was to go into that boat, but God did. When the day came that Noah was finally told to get in the boat, there was no other person ready to get in it except his own family, even though all the rest had heard that man preach and warn them all the time he was building the boat. They had laughed at him, scorned him, ridiculed him and said, You old fogey, we have never seen rain! But oh when the day came that God told Noah to go inside the boat the whole picture changed. God brought the animal kingdom two by two for Noah to take with him. God knew how many animals would respond to His call, so the boat, or ark was built to accommodate just that number. Animals today, have more sense, and are more receptive to the leading of the Lord than the human race. When those animals were all loaded, that boat was exactly the size for its occupants. This city that lies foursquare and is measured by John, in the spirit, with this reed, is exactly the size of all the redeemed God saw coming to His great plan of salvation. The measurement, as far as the measurement itself, can only have one meaning, and that is this, that the anointing of God is big enough to cover all the redeemed from every Age, for that eternal Age. The fact that it is square, or cubed, signifies that it is complete. Nothing else can be added, and nothing can be taken away. All are there, that are supposed to be there and none of them can ever be taken away: All are secured forever as the wall signifies. This is a building of God Himself. He was the One that did the selecting according to His foreknowledge. It was God Himself, that knew by foreknowledge who would be there, and also all of those who would be damned forever because of rejecting His plan for their redemption. "And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. (So it is a cube, not a rectangle, and the cube signifies perfection.) And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits." An hundred and forty four is 12 squared, and since the measurement of the wall is in reference to the type established by Israel, and she has twelve tribes, it all fits into the picture. When you square twelve, what do you get? 12 times 12 = 144. Is that not correct? Do not forget how the Church got its start. The gospel message was to the Jew first, and because they rejected it in that hour, it was given over to the Gentiles and the Gentiles have been the guardians of it for almost two thousand years, but it will very soon be given back to the Jews. Hallelujah! I am looking forward to that time! Did not the apostle Paul write in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek?" Therefore the gospel was to the Jew first. They knew the Law. They were the ones who were given the lively oracles, spoken of in the Bible, the promises. They had the prophets. They had all the types. That is why Christianity in this age of Grace started with the Jews first. The first converts, the first portion of that redeemed Bride of Christ, started with the Jewish people. Do not just think of how many at Jerusalem were saved, because when Paul left there and went to Asia, who were the first converts? They were always Jews first. We do not limit anything by how many of those Jews there were in those first assemblies that were established, but we do see that in most every city where Paul preached, he went to the synagogue and preached to the Jews first. He always sought out the nucleus of Jews to start with. That was according to the plan of God. We must never forget that God is not going to be surprised at anything, because He saw the completed picture before He ever set anything in motion. "And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass." People have always looked upon this city as a city of literal gold and they do not want their preconception of it to be altered. They will say, Now Bro. Jackson, it says in the Bible that this is a city of pure gold, and you cannot take that away from me. Yes, but it is not gold like you have on your watch or wedding ring. You cannot see through that gold, like the gold that is described here. Well if the jasper is as clear as crystal and you can see through it, and the gold is clear so you can see through it, what kind of city is this? How are you going to make it tangible? How are you going to make it something you can touch? Can you make it something literal? When Jesus went to heaven from the Mount of Olives almost1900 years ago, He had just told His disciples in St. John 14, I go away to prepare a place for you, and if I go away to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also. When Jesus went up in those clouds and was received out of their sight, He did not take a wheelbarrow full of earthly gold with Him. He did not take any earthly minerals with Him. Neither is He up there taking all of that off of another planet in space, putting together a natural city for you to have your eternal abode in. What is He doing? He is a High Priest. That is why we see Him in Revelation, chapters 4, 5, and 6, in the position that He is seen in. He does not have a hammer, a saw, nor anything like that, making us a place to dwell in. We need to realize that all of this is speaking of a spiritual realm where none of these natural things have any significance. It is just characterized in this fashion to help us grasp some of the splendor that is associated with this realm. God used things we are somewhat familiar with to allow us to see just how glorious this realm will be. That is why we titled this subject, "The City of Paradise." In the beginning, as we read about Eden, God used a garden setting. It is referred to in Revelation as paradise, a place of bliss, glory, the presence of God. We just have to realize that this is how God the great Eternal Spirit, relates himself to redeemed man, giving him certain expressions that he, as man, can identify with, so we can begin to realize how marvelous, glorious and wonderful God is, and how He will again identify Himself with His entire family. If He is a Spirit, and we know He is, we also know He does not dwell in an object form. However if He can manifest Himself in object likenesses, taking on similarities, then that is how man in his earthly senses can understand as he looks at an invisible being that does not permanently dwell in some object you can touch. We will finish reading here, and notice that it says the city was pure gold like unto clear glass. Do not bother to argue with me that this is a natural substance of gold. "And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones." Since we know, that in the foundation was the name of each one of the apostles, these stones bring out the spiritual characteristic and likeness of the life of that apostle, related to his revelation as he was used by God in the beginning of the Church, which in reality was the beginning of this Age. If you take the natural stones mentioned here and study them in the earth formation where they are formed, every last one of them are formed under some kind of terrific heat and pressure. The fact that we now begin to realize that this planet earth is not just six thousand years old, but that it is many billions of years in age, helps us understand many things a lot better. Just remember that these different mineral stone likenesses are characteristic of how Jehovah has dealt with the earth through the different centuries of time that have elapsed while the earth has passed through different volcanic and earthquake eruptions, all of which had an effect on the earth as it was taking on a form to eventually be used in the different centuries of time that would follow. Those particular minerals that man uses, and puts them in various stone likenesses, are not something you can cook up in a laboratory by putting a few chemicals together and sticking it in the oven and baking it, and then say, Here, we have a ruby, here we have a pearl. When you begin to study the life of those twelve apostles and the lives they lived, the persecution they suffered, and the pressure they went through, it helps you understand these likenesses we see here. What were they doing, that brought them such persecution? They were preserving the revelation that God had instilled in their mind and life. Every last one of them as far as we know, except for John, died a martyr's death of some sort, torture, persecution and so forth. Why? Because the revelation and the understanding that God had put in every one of them meant more to them than natural life itself. They were dedicated to the task of teaching it and keeping it pure and undefiled, rather than give in to all the religious and political pressures they faced everywhere they went. That is why our faith is not in the pope today: They suffered what they had cast upon them, that our faith could be built upon and anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ who was the ROCK of our salvation, as was taught by the apostles. Even though Roman Catholicism teaches it that way, the pope is not the successor of the apostle Peter. First of all, he teaches things Peter would not have touched with a ten foot pole, so to speak. Peter was a married man, but I challenge you, Try to get the pope to become a married man and see what answer you get. "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street (It mentions one street, and that is all there is, not streets.) of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass." Too often people, in reading this, they literalize every little description that the apostle has written here. They give it an earthly understanding in their mind. They read the gold, they see the gold just as that. They pay no attention to the words that describe that gold, that it was clear, as glass. They see the gold, they see the jasper, they see the sardine stone, they see all the different colors, some green, some purple, some red: They see all of that, but never pay any attention to the words that describe these various things. If you read the entire description, you will not see everything as something literal, something you can touch with your hands. They are describing the spiritual things that make up the heavenly setting here on earth.

When we get to Revelation 22, we are finishing with the description of the city from an external view, so remember what we have seen already, as we come to the description of the inside. Once we enter the gate on the street that leads to the throne of God, we no longer see John describing the outside view; He is inside the city now, and as he looks around, he saw only one street. Where did it lead to? Right straight to the throne of God. Then, right out from under that throne of God proceeded the river of life. It was not the Mississippi River, nor the Ohio River, nor the River of Jordan: This is that spiritual city that speaks of the eternal flow and presence of the spirit of God as He relates Himself in the eternal age to His redeemed family. Let us read about three verses. (22:1) And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (2) In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (3) And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him." You can visualize that we are looking at a setting sort of like a plaza, as John describes the inside of this city. Here, is one huge broad way, and in the midst of it we see the description of a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life. On either side of this river there was the tree of life; and it speaks of this tree of life in its feminine gender. She yielded her twelve manner of fruits every month of the year. We know this, when paradise was on earth in Adam's beginning, as we read back in Genesis 2 and 3, of the garden God planted eastward in the land of Eden, there was only one tree referred to as the tree of life. It was in the singular, as well as in the masculine gender. It typed, and was characteristic of how God was going to fill this planet with human life brought forth by the law of reproduction according to the law of the tree of life. Adam and Eve got off on the wrong foot when Eve was deceived by the devil, through the cunningness of the serpent, therefore they were cut away from that tree. That is how we come to realize that the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil were not trees of plant life, but were spiritual laws by which the world would be repopulated. Therefore when we go to Revelation 2, for a further understanding of the tree of life, we find that Jesus spoke to the Ephesian age, there at the beginning of Christendom, in the first Church Age and said, (Let us read verse 7.) "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." In that sense it is pointing to the new birth, because the new birth is to mankind, life off of the tree of life, the life he should have had if paradise had never been separated from him. Therefore inside this city, you are back in paradise, the garden of God's eternal presence. What does all of this add up to? It adds up to this, The Millennial reign of Christ Jesus is over. The great white throne judgment has been set up, as we read in the last verses of the 20th chapter. The planet earth has now been completely redeemed through the kingly work of Jesus Christ, who is no longer High Priest, He was King of kings and Lord of lords of all the earth throughout the Millennial reign. When He was still in heaven He was High Priest interceding for lost mankind. He was not seen as King during that time. When He leaves that role, He will never be Priest anymore. You will not see Him as a Priest when He is back on earth. When He comes with His wife, (the bride Church) He is coming as King of all kings, to take over all the governments and the reigns of human governmental systems of this earth. He will sit in Jerusalem, from which He will rule and reign over this earth for one thousand years, being as the scripture says, King of kings and Lord of lords. Will there be priests in the Millennium? Yes, but remember this, the priest, the people that are referred to as priests, will be that only for a ceremonial work, not for salvation, but pointing people born in the Millennium back to something that has already been accomplished, something that provided for them the benefits they have received. Jesus does not have to keep on repeating His priestly work on into and through the Millennium: All of that will have already been accomplished. When this city is seen coming down, this is how we relate Paul's teaching in 1st Corinthians 15, where he speaks of Jesus, that He must rule and reign until He has put down all rule, authority, and power. So the Millennium age is for that one purpose, that as Jesus, with His Bride Church, rules and reigns on earth, it is to restore back to earth, to a mortal realm of people left here to repopulate the earth, the divine laws, the divine knowledge and things of God, and there will be no more pollution and perversion then. The knowledge of the Lord and the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters that cover the sea. There will never be any more environmentalists, because there will be a people here that know how to live and keep the environment clean, and use the substance of the earth the way it should be used. Everything will be to please God the Creator, getting the earth ready, so that He can come back and dwell in it with His family, as He did in the beginning when He placed His presence here as a garden, a garden of paradise. In 1st Corinthians 15, Paul speaks of how Jesus will rule and reign until He has restored all authority and power, then shall the kingdom be delivered back up to God the Father, the great Eternal Spirit, that God may be all in all. Therefore we see God coming down to earth in the manifestation of His power and glory and majesty, and it is described in that likeness we have been reading in chapters 21 and 22 of the book of Revelation.

Let us now go back to 1st Kings, the 6th chapter where we will look at some instructions God gave, just in case someone wants to argue with me, that the measurements of the city has got to mean something that is applicable to an earthly purpose. Right here, we get the type, so let us see what we can learn from the type. We will read from the 15th verse, but to give us a background, time wise, we are roughly around 1000 B.C., and King Solomon is a young man. He is the son of David. He has been on the throne of his father for four years. It tells us in the beginning of this 6th chapter that 480 years has just transpired of the children of Israel having come out of Egyptian bondage. We know when we go back and read in Exodus and Deuteronomy and the book of Numbers, all of that is the history of that departure, the wanderings, bringing them to the Jordan, ready to cross over and so forth, as well as the book of Leviticus. We find, that as God took Moses up on Mt. Sinai, and gave him the commandments which were written on two tables of stone, God then spoke to him and gave to him instructions. He gave him statutes, and other basic laws on how this society of Israelite people were to be governed in their social, moral, and spiritual state of condition as they traveled. God then gave to Moses instructions on how to build a tabernacle. The word tabernacle as we would read about it in Exodus chapters 36, 37, 38, and 39 along through there, we are talking about a tent. This tent was made of badger skins and goat skins. What was this tent for? God wanted a place among the people where the box that is called the ark of the covenant could be placed, a box of wood, roughly forty some inches long, twenty some inches wide and twenty some inches deep, a small box. Inside that box was laid the two tables of stone on which the ten commandments was written. This box was overlaid with gold. Then there was a lid made of solid gold, of the same dimensions, that went over this. On each end of this box was two golden winged cherubims. We know, when we read in Exodus, as they left Egypt, there was a pillar of fire by night. In other words they saw a manifestation of God, like a swirling light above them. In the day time it would turn to something like a pillar of smoke. It was a manifestation of God's presence, reminding the children of Israel, I am your Lord, I am with you, to lead you in all the ways wherein I would have you go. This we will call the Shekinah glory in later instances. When the tabernacle was built, then there was a place inside this tent, in the far end, partitioned off from the rest. It was called the holy place, or the holy of holies. When the children of Israel were camped for a period of time and the Lord had not said to move, then the ark of the covenant was placed inside that place. That tabernacle symbolized and typed God among a people, dwelling with them while they are in transit, or traveling. They are moving from time to time, according to His leadership. When that pillar of fire would show itself, (I will illustrate it to the best to my knowledge.) or when that pillar of fire would start swirling, it was ready to move, so that was a sign to the priests and Moses, Notify the people, it is time to break camp. When they were not on the move the tabernacle was set up, and God's presence was in that place we just described to you, where it would make its dwelling until the next point of moving on. This sets a type of God with His Church, in this Age of Grace, because His Church in this period of time, which we believe will cover approximately two thousand years from the crucifixion of Christ, which was the beginning of God's new covenant, which the old typed, so Christ will come again, around about the time the two thousand years are ended, but it will be according to God's method of keeping time. Keep in mind, the Church is not made up of one generation of people out of one particular locality: It is made up of many people, of races, of nations all around the world. As time moves on, God moves from year to year, from century to century, from generation to generation dealing with human souls that will help make up the true Church. Therefore the Church of the living God is constantly looked upon as a mobile thing. How many understand my point? That is why the apostle could refer to it as lively stones. Please pay attention to how I say what I am going to say next. Only in the spiritual house of God do you have a permanently fixed place. That does not mean that as long as you live on this earth God has fixed you permanently in Clark County, in Jeffersonville, Indiana. It simply means that in His Church there is a designated place for you to fit into in His spiritual house. The children of Israel were given the Law, and then God gave the description of the tabernacle and told Moses to build it according to the pattern of the heavenlies, so that natural tabernacle did have within it, in its measurements and total makeup, certain things that were applicable to a spiritual relationship pointing to the plan of God in salvation. They were types and shadows God was using to speak to the people. Sometimes when you communicate with people, you use words to talk to them and communicate to them a meaning or picture of something, and they just simply cannot get it, but if you can just use something illustrative, they can understand your words better. That is why we are going this route with this message. A revelation, is God, by His Spirit, giving you an understanding, but the understanding of it in your mind becomes a picture you can see with your spiritual eyes. That is what makes it so beautiful. You just have to realize that the wilderness tabernacle was the means by how God tabernacled Himself with the people. When they came into the land we now know as the land of Israel, they took that land from the Canaanite tribes that were dwelling there and divided it among the twelve tribes. God spoke in Numbers, while they were back in the wilderness wandering, how it will come to pass after you come into the land wherein I will give you, there you will divide the land among your tribes, and according to inheritance. God also promised them, I will, from one of the tribes, choose a place to put my name. He never said back then, where that place would be. He only gave them a promise that it would come about somewhere in their future. Under the leadership of Joshua, they crossed over the Jordan, and took Jericho first of all. From then on they had conflicts, wars, and all such like over the centuries of three or four hundred years, and they also went through a period of apostasy. The priesthood went into apostate conditions. We read about it in Samuel, under Eli. Then there came a time when God raised up a prophet, when Eli was an old man, by the name of Samuel. God used this prophet Samuel to function in two kinds of offices, because the priesthood was so apostate that they had lost out with God. For that reason, God used Samuel to restore leadership and spirituality to them and bring them out of that long period they went through in the period of the Judges. Then we find King David coming on the scene. God used Samuel to anoint him. As King David came on the scene and was anointed by Samuel, even while Saul was still king, Saul himself disobeyed God and did everything contrary to what God wanted. Therefore God took the kingdom from him and gave it to David and David became the first anointed, appointed king who was to establish a genealogy of seed to be recognized as such. He was of the tribe of Judah; the tribe we have heard much of. King David warred with the Philistines and many other tribes, constantly wrestling to get certain things established. There was a place inside this land of Canaan, a place known as the ancient city of the Jebusites. This city of the Jebusites was a strong hold. In fact it was referred to as Salem back in Genesis and in Psalms 76. It was near this ancient city of the Jebusites that Abraham met Melchizedek, as he was coming back from conquering the Chaldeans and rescuing Lot and his family, and taking back the spoil they had gotten from Sodom and so forth. As Abraham journeyed back towards Hebron taking back all the property these Chaldeans had stolen ,and taking Lot and his household back home, he met Melchizedek in the road. God used the occasion to come on the scene and intercept Abraham in his journey back to Hebron, to set a type of something yet in the far future at that time. When the king of Sodom went out to meet Abraham in this certain valley, (You can read it in Genesis 14.) Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine, and the Bible says he was the priest of the most high God. Verse19, says, "And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: (20) And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand." This is when Abraham paid tithes to Him of all he owned. All of that took place near the spot where this ancient city of the Jebusites stood. The Jebusites were Canaanites, pagan people. They were not believing people concerning the God that Abraham served. However as Abraham was approached by this man referred to as Melchizedek, (Melchizedek is a name that holds two meaning, King Priest of the Most High God.) and Abraham recognized that he was standing in the presence of a greater One than himself. As Abraham was conversing with this man, a man we now know was God Himself in theophany form, Abraham suddenly realized he was being blessed by the most high God and that is when he paid tithes to Him. God Jehovah, manifested Himself in this theophany form, giving Himself a name that characterized and expressed the meaning of what would be fulfilled in Jesus the Christ centuries later, when God, in Jerusalem, near this same spot, would do something for the redemption of mankind. The Jews can assemble in their synagogue and read all the Genesis story, and when they have read it they are still as ignorant as ignorant can be, as far as knowing what it is pointing to. Little do they realize that when their father Abraham was told to come out of the land of the Chaldeans, which was Mesopotamia, and come on down into a land He would show him, and that He would give to him, he was receiving a promise that would be in effect until the end of time, and that they would inherit according to that promise. God said to him, In thee and thy seed after thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. From the call of Abraham, God, at various intervals of time, either intercepts Abraham or Isaac or Jacob, to renew that promise and finally their seed is found down in Egypt as captives, and here, God directs, speaks, leads, works and shows Himself through this people that are the seed of Abraham, various laws and covenants. In all of this, there are types that were pointing to something God was going to do for you and me. Now we have had it for nineteen hundred years and the Gentile church world with all their theological learning have played with it, misinterpreted it, thrown it away, and even denied that God even made such a provision. Today, they have a book they use, a book that is just a book of religion, but they have lost its meaning, simply because they never did see the picture portrayed in it.

Let me go on with this story of the events that came to pass as David took the lead. After four hundred and some years of the struggle of the children of Israel, David was able to conquer that city. It was not David struggling that long, but we are using this four hundred and some years to get to Solomon's hour, because it covers the period of the different men that God used and spoke to in types and shadows. David, in taking this ancient city from the pagan Jebusites, was led by God to do that, because God had a foreordained purpose to be fulfilled in it. God had in mind that the time is approaching, when from one of the tribes of the children of Israel that had established themselves in the land, He would designate a place where He would place His name. Once He does that, then it is at that point that all Israel will be required to pray and worship at that spot. As long as they had the tabernacle of badger skins and goat skins, it was not so stated, but no doubt it was very proper for the Israelites to want to see the tabernacle once in awhile. It was not stated that they had to pray looking toward the tabernacle: they only knew that as a place where God tabernacled with the people and it was special to them. When David took this Jebusite city, and things begin to quiet down, the wars having let up, King David then got the thought that he would number Israel. You can read about this thing, the thing that God said never to do, but David wanted to do it, and did, so he had to suffer the consequences of going against the will and purpose of God. I will not take the time to bring all of that into the message right now, but you can read it in 2nd Samuel, chapter 24. Something from the human feelings in David, after fighting Philistines and all the others, made him so tired and aggravated, he just told his commanding officers, I make a decree that all Israel be counted. His own commanding officers said, You ought not do that my lord: you know how God hates that. David commanded him to go ahead and number all of Israel. It is always a mistake to go contrary to what God makes known to be His will, because no sooner was the census brought in, that tragedy struck. A plague hit the people. As the dying began to appear, David realized what a terrible thing He had done. In this city of the Jebusites, which was called Salem, and was going to be called Jerusalem, king David selected a spot for his palace. All of this was the beginning of a spot being chosen, where God was going to place His name for future centuries of time. David was in the place he had designated to be the place of his palace. As he is so bothered about this terrible thing he has done in numbering the people, finally the Lord sends his prophet to him and said, I give you three choices, so which will it be? 2nd Samuel 24:12 "Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. 13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me. 14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man. 15 So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men." David knew God is a merciful God: That is why he said Let me fall into the hand of a merciful God rather than into the hands of man. As he said that, he looked out and saw an angel standing with a sword drawn. That was the angel that God had sent to carry out the chastening. As David looked out there and saw that angel, where he was standing, he knew it was all already in the hands of a merciful God. You can read it in 1st Chronicles 21, which gives you a greater background. As he said, Let us fall into the hands of a merciful God, then God said to David through the prophet, Prepare to offer a sacrifice. The fact that he saw the angel and the place where he was standing, when you read it from Kings and Chronicles, he saw the angel standing on Mt. Moriah. That was the same place that Abraham, back in Genesis, was instructed by God to take his son, Isaac, and offer him up as a sacrifice. As David looks at that place and sees that angel standing there, David goes to see where the actual spot was. It was Ornan's threshing floor, a man of the Jebusites. He approaches the man and says to him, I want to buy this place to build an altar unto the Lord; to offer sacrifice unto Him, that He might stay the plague. The man offered to give the ground and even the oxen, but David would not take it without paying for it. 24 "And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. 25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight." This transaction was all in the natural, nothing spiritual about it. As David is moving from the circumstance of having numbered Israel, little did David even realize what this set of circumstances was leading to. However as he purchased the ground and offered the sacrifice, the plague of God was stayed. Later, as things calmed down, King David desired, and you read that in Chronicles, how he wanted to build a house for the Lord, but God spoke to King David saying, Because you are a man that has shed much blood, you will not build me the house, but of your loins I will raise up a son who will build me a house. That is where we are right now. This house that was King Solomon's temple, when you read in Chronicles, King Solomon was told by God what the dimensions of this building was to be, what the dimensions of this room was to be, and what this room was to look like as you look at it from an inlay. This is called the oracle. A lot of people do not really know what the word oracle is implying. Take the Webster's dictionary and check it out. It is a place for one to pray, or a place wherein you approach or communicate with deity. That is exactly what the room became in the following centuries. It was not only a room where a high priest went to pray once each year, but it is where the high priest went once each year to communicate with God Jehovah. That room was the most splendid room that probably has ever been built on the face of this earth. That room, in its miniature dimensions of twenty, twenty, and twenty also set a type. That means it was thirty feet each way. It was a complete cube. It is where God came and manifested Himself. The fact that inside that room the walls were of cedar overlaid with gold, with cherubims, palm trees, flowers, knobs all covered with engraved gold had a signifance. The ark of the covenant, that is what it symbolized, sitting on a little altar base that used to be in the tabernacle, was setting there. These huge cherubims which represent the divine presence of angels that exist in the royal realm of where God's habitation is, were ten cubits tall. Their wings were five cubits in length. In the finished state, from one tip to the other, they touched across. Their faces were to look inward. Right there is where that Shekinah glory, that flickering fire, hovered over that ark of the covenant. That is the only light that was in that room. When the high priest went in once each year on the day of atonement, just imagine all that gold. The ceiling, the walls, what a magnificent place that must have been. It all typed and pointed ahead to this eternal city of paradise we are speaking of. When that city comes, and God manifests Himself on earth in the eternal age, you and I will be living in the divine presence of God's manifested glory, and right there is where it was typed. To Be Continued.