At the Heart of God's Plan

Aloha. Well, this is a big mistake. They always say, do not ever follow children or animal tricks.

Youth did such a good job. The kids did such a good job. Well done. Very, very good. And it is always interesting, isn't it, to sort of look at what they do? I noticed this particular choir, though, was very disciplined. You know, they stood like little soldiers, all of them. Sometimes, you know, you find these little kids, you know, sort of worming. It's like they've got a worm in their pants, you know, there. But I guess Mrs. Delameter, because she's a teacher, she learned how to teach them.

And you parents, I'm sure, have taught them as well to be very well behaved. But they did a wonderful, wonderful job. And we've had just tremendous special music during the course of this feast. And I certainly want to commend Mr. Randy Schmidt for his contribution with that. All of those are in choir and are involved in instrumental type music and so forth.

It's just been a wonderful, wonderful thing. It's amazing what can happen when God's inspiration is at work and amazing what it will be like. In fact, as Mr. Karamidjan was talking about, the glory of God. When God's glory descends upon the entire world, where everybody is impacted, you know, by God's Spirit, there will be a change in attitude, unlike any other time in all of human history that we have ever seen. It's going to be a wonderful, wonderful time. By the way, my wife and I have also our sons with us. We have our youngest son, Jonathan, and also Stephen, and his wife, Melanie, and their children.

And it's been very great to have them here, to spend time with them. We do have a son and his wife and three children. They're back in Phoenix and enjoying the feast there. We talked to them, in fact, this morning. But it's just a wonderful, wonderful thing to come together as the family of God and to spend time with one another. You know, Mr. Kubik yesterday was focusing our attention, you know, on the urgency of the times that we are living in. Again, not necessarily predicting that things are going to wrap up any time immediately soon. But we know that the world is in a very troubled situation.

We, of course, realize also that while there are problems that are going on all over the world, and he mentioned, of course, those that were very personal to him, like those that are going on right now in the Ukraine. But he also mentioned about Jerusalem. He mentioned about Israel and what is going on in the environs of the Middle East, the troubles that are brewing in those parts of the world.

You know, Jerusalem, although holy to three major religious groups, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, it is a city of seemingly endless strife. And it seems like there is no equitable solution of the problems that are going on over there with regard to Israel. And, of course, that whole situation in the Middle East. In my memory, every U.S. president has engaged in a dialogue in some way or another to try to broker a deal, a lasting peace in the Middle East.

And it seems like they come right up to it and then it fails. And, of course, in the sermon we heard yesterday, we see that in the end of the age people are going to start saying, peace, peace. And then the Bible says sudden destruction is going to descend. And I'm sure that probably the issue of the Middle East is going to be the focal point of it. But at the heart of it all, brethren, is Jerusalem. Jerusalem is really at the heart of it all. Since 1918, when there was a declaration, a Balfour Declaration, when Britain declared a need for a Jewish homeland to be established and the subsequent establishment of the state of Israel, when Jews came from all over the world, in 1948 there has been continual contention and conflict and strife over that.

In the Six-Day War, in 1967, Israel, as you may remember or may or may not remember in history, gained control of what is the east part, the eastern part of Jerusalem, where the old city is and Mount Scopus and Hebrew University and, of course, the Temple Mount, the Wailing Wall, and all of those things that are great tourist attractions for anyone who travels to that part of the world.

But, you know, at that time, of course, Israel was frankly attacked at a very inopportune time. But Israel rose to her own defense, of course, realizing that this kind of thing could happen. And they were won handily against the Arabs, the Arab forces that gathered against them. And, of course, those dark clouds are beginning to form again in the world. But when they won the war in 1967, it was the stuff of legend. You know, jokes were made about the ease with which the Israelis defeated, you know, the Arabs, specifically the Egyptians.

You may have heard some of the jokes that were made about it, as often happens when you have people that are defeated, you know, sorely as the Egyptians were in war. You know, I remember them telling stories about how the Egyptians were throwing hang grenades over into the Israeli army camps, and the Israeli soldiers were pulling the pen and throwing them back. And I remember one story about how the Israelis were so good at flying jets, and they were trying to teach the Egyptians how to fly jets.

They just weren't equipped for the modern warfare that they had to engage in. So they designed a fighter jet, the Egyptians did, and all you had to do is climb into the cockpit, and there was a big red button. And then the instructor said to the Egyptian pilots, all you got to do is push the button, it'll take off.

And, you know, some smart Egyptian pilot said, yeah, but what do we do? You'll land it! And the instructor said, well, you don't have to worry about that. The Israelis will take care of that. But, you know, there were jokes like that, you know, people like Jackie Mason on Ed Sullivan was tossing out these jokes in 1967 and 1968, you know, about what had happened and how easily, you know, the Egyptians were defeated.

The only problem is, you know, since that time, brethren, with all of the billions of dollars that the United States has given, you know, to the Egyptians, of course, they have bought, as many of the other Arab nations have as well, sophisticated jet aircraft. And guess who trained them how to fly them? The United States. Know, all of the Egyptian pilots, they come to the United States, they go down to Pensacola, Florida, and they learn how to become crackerjack pilots, like our own pilots, in fact, in the United States. They may not have the, you know, some of the sophisticated war material out that we do. The top of the line, I don't think we sell those to them, to my knowledge, but they are good. And this time, when there is a war, brethren, it's going to be different. They have poured billions of dollars, not only in Egypt, but in other nations that are going to be involved in this conflict. Iran, of course, probably, and Syria. And it seems to indicate that Turkey might actually be also a contributing factor in what happens in the future, so it's going to be a different ballgame at this time. And Israel is going to have a formidable challenge ahead of them. You know, and considering again, though, going back to East Jerusalem and the subject of Jerusalem, brethren, do you know that there is no country or nation upon the face of the earth who supports Israel's claim for Jerusalem, specifically East Jerusalem, as their capital?

In fact, there is no country. I shouldn't say that. There are countries that would support this, but most of the countries of the world do not support even Israel's claim to Jerusalem, East Jerusalem specifically, as their own territory. You know, so it is an interesting thing that we see going on today when it comes down to negotiations. And East Jerusalem, by the way, is in the heart of any kind of negotiations. And of course, like I said, they gained that from the Six-Day War. But Jerusalem is the place to watch. Let's go over to Zechariah chapter 12. You know, we as God's people, brethren, cannot again turn our eyes away from what is happening in the world. We know that, as we're told in Luke chapter 21, that we've got to watch. Not only are we to watch our own spiritual condition, but we have got to watch world events and what is happening. And I think one of the things that Mr. Kubik was trying to convey to us, we'd better get prepared as God's people, not only from the standpoint of being willing and able to face up to the challenges that might come from a physical standpoint, but we had better be ready spiritually speaking. If we want God's protection, if we want Him to be there and watch over us in those times, we have to have that relationship with God. But Zechariah chapter 12 and verse 2 here, it says, Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness. Some translations say a cup of reeling. People staggering over what is happening in Jerusalem. It says, To all the surrounding peoples when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem, and it shall happen, and that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all people. For all people, all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.

And so this is what the prophecy tells us, brethren, that Jerusalem is the focal point. I think we'd be remiss if this Feast of Tabernacles do not talk about this topic of Jerusalem and how important it is, but it's the focal point.

Of course, the east Jerusalem, where the Temple Mount is, is very central to events, in fact, that are within the Bible. The events that took place there are quite incredible and relate to many things. In fact, you read in the Bible, beginning, of course, with the children of Israel, and who knows, it probably goes back to the very beginning. But we know specifically it began in the time of even Zechariah.

You know, there are three things, brethren, if you're going to make history that are involved. Number one, the events, and that is what? That is what? In the world today, we have events that are taking place. Number two is the chronology for the time, and that's the when.

And number three, geography, and that is the where. And Jerusalem is the what? Is the what? And the when and the where? And world conditions are leading to that time where it's going to crescendo right there at that very focal point of all human history. But what does the future brethren hold for Jerusalem? Is it always going to be a city of contention, of strife, of trouble? And another question I think that maybe we need to answer is, is why is Jerusalem such a special place?

We'll say this, that having spent two and a half months in Jerusalem myself, living on Mount Scopus, by the way, there participating in the dig that was conducted by Ambassador College back in 1973, you know, it does have a rather intoxicating flavor about it. All the things that are there in Jerusalem, it is something that draws people. It is a place, a very special place. It has a special feel, a special atmosphere to it. It is, it is indeed a special place. Interestingly, there are many things that happen in Jerusalem.

In fact, the very first illusion that we have in the Bible, and I won't turn to this, but I will mention it to you, the first illusion we have of Jerusalem in the Bible is when Abraham, remember, returned from the slaughter of the kings. And he took the spoil, and remember, he gave a tithe to the king of Salem. And of course, Salem meaning peace. And Jerusalem is the city of peace.

And we know that Melchizedek actually was the one to whom he gave the tithe to. And in the New Testament, we find, of course, that Melchizedek is Jesus Christ. And we've always said that Christ was manifested there, as he probably was manifested at other times, like when he appeared before Abraham. It was the Lord who came to appear before Abraham, before, remember, the angels went on into Sodom. And afterwards, of course, Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed by raining down fire from heaven.

But in the example there, in Genesis chapter 14 verse 18, about how Abraham gave a tithe of all, we have, again, an illusion, a reference to Jerusalem there. But, you know, we, of course, there are many other things that happen, you know, in Jerusalem. I want to go through a list, if you want to write these down for your own reference. Actually, Jerusalem, and specifically the Temple Mount area, is where Abraham went when God told him to take Isaac to sacrifice him. And this is, we believe that, in fact, that is the place right there on the Temple Mount.

I remember in 1973, by the way, we were able to go in to the Dome of the Rock, actually, and we were able to walk around this. I don't think they permit you to do this. Now, some of you may have gone over there, could be more accurate on that. But at that time, we were able to go in this Dome of the Rock, if you've ever seen the Dome of the Rock, it has this big golden dome over it. And then, of course, you have the Alaska Mosque that is in the same general area.

But we were able to go in and actually feel Mount Moriah. And, you know, at the time, of course, we were told that if you felt they had a little hole that you stuck your hand in, you're always afraid somebody's going to grab you and point you through, you know.

But you stick your hand in there and you could feel this print. And they claimed that Mohammed's horse lifted off from there when he ascended to heaven. Of course, that was always very comical to us. But I guess, you know, he spread the word that he had a fly.

Somehow the word got along that he got around that he ascended into heaven on a horse.

And that his horse lifted off from there. I guess it was a turbo horse, you know, rocket-powered.

I don't know what they fed the horse, but I guess you could probably work up enough thrust to lift off. But, of course, I say that facetiously. But Abraham was, this is where, again, he took Isaac to sacrifice him. And I mentioned the Dome of the Rock was up there. Alaska Mosque is there. Also, of course, we know Jesus Christ was sacrificed in Jerusalem, you know, of course, up in the area of Golgotha. And also, the church was raised up in Jerusalem, Acts chapter 2. The church was given the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem. The persecution began in Jerusalem. It was the sight of the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven. Remember the angels were saying, why do you stand here gazing? The same Jesus you saw who lifted up is going to return in like manner. And, you know, it is the sight, in fact, where Christ is going to descend.

And he's going to set his feet upon the Mount of Olives. And it's going to split in two, the Bible says over in chapter 14. I'm not going to go over there. But, you know, these things are there. That really gives us a clue, brethren, that we will know when Jesus Christ returns, because that mountain is going to split in two. And from time to time, you hear this news that comes out. Well, that Jesus Christ, the last one I heard is he was in London. That Christ had come back, but he was in London. You know, that's not so, of course, because if he was in London, he left off, you know, the splitting of the mountain into there. Obviously, we're going to have false prophets. Those false Christs that are going to emerge are going to come around more and more. But I say all of these things, brethren, because Jerusalem is a very special place.

And I've just given a few of the things. And even though God has allowed Israel and Judah to be taken captive, and Jerusalem has been desecrated, it has been destroyed, numerous times, as a matter of fact. And armies have come in there, and peoples have come in there, and the Bible actually prophesied these things. It's going to happen again in the future, even though these things, brethren, have happened. Any nation that came against Jerusalem, you know, God promises, look, you're going to be punished big time. Whether we're talking about Babylon—and again, where is Babylon today? You get blotted out. You get blotted out.

You know, Mr. Greg Thomas was talking about the book of Obadiah. He talked about eat them, ancient eat them. You don't hear anything about eat them today, do you? Well, God blotted them out. As a nation, the peoples may—some of the descendants may live in modern-day Turkey, but eat them is gone. And so, you know, any nation that comes against Jerusalem is going to be punished sorely. You see, even though God may allow Israel and Judah to go through some horrendous things, you know, he does not like the treachery and the cruelty of other people coming against Israel or Jerusalem. Now, let's go over to Judges. The book of Judges over here, Judges chapter 1, is the very first direct mention of Jerusalem. Then Judges chapter 1, in verse 8, over here, it says, Now the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it, and they struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. So this is the first introduction we have, in fact, to Jerusalem. And we see here the children of Judah are setting the city on fire. Interestingly, when they left, it was basically on fire, too.

But somebody else set the fire. And, of course, we remember they were taken on into captivity later on. But down in verse 21, it says, But the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites, who were the inhabitants of Jerusalem. So the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem. It says, To this day. And so this, of course, was a perennial problem with Israel and with Judah. They didn't take care of the business that was there. And so it became a thorn in their side. You know, year after year, they faced these kinds of problems.

And frankly, only, you know, in the case of David, David followed through and did what God told him to do. Saul did not, by the way. Saul did not. One of the things that was so impressive on the part of God is that David did what he was told. And God blessed him as a result of it. Let's go over to Samuel chapter 17, if you would. In Samuel chapter 17, over here, 1 Samuel. 1 Samuel chapter 17, down to verse 54. Just focus on one verse here, because it mentions again about Jerusalem. It says, and David took the head of the Philistine, that was, of course, Goliath, and he brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent. So after this young upstart David, who we don't know how exact how old he was, but we believe he was probably 17 or 18 years of age. Quite a brave individual, but also someone who really believed God. That's one of the problems we have, brethren, is we don't believe God. And consequently, we have trouble because we don't believe God. You know, we fall into those troubles, and then we hopefully wise up. Sometimes it takes that for us. And you see that happens too many times. And I know all of us make mistakes. There's no question about that. We fall down, but hopefully we get back up and we repent if we've made those mistakes, and we try not to make the same mistakes all over again. But notice this. I wanted our young people to see this. And when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, Abner, whose son is this youth? Whose son is this youth?

And Abner said, as your soul lives, O King, I do not know. I don't have a clue as to who he is.

Here, this was a young man. And I'll say this to our young men and women here today. You know, by the way, with the case of Abner, you may remember that Abner was slain by Joab.

And when David found out that Abner was killed, he was just wrath. He was angry at what Joab had done, because he felt that he was cruel to this great man, Abner. And David was the kind of man, by the way. Here was Abner. Didn't know David from Adam. Of course, he would come to know this young 17-year-old, 18-year-old kid, who would ascend to be king over all Israel. But, you know, it oftentimes happens.

And so, young people, you're important to the church. You are the future heroes of the church.

You're the ones that are going to have to take whatever God has for us ahead for the future. And we know that there has to be a new generation that comes on the scene within the church.

And we need you. We need you in the church. You are the future heroes of the church.

And if you can believe God, and I hope that you do, and I know that I've talked to young people today, young adults today, and they are committed and convicted, they have that heart.

Like David had that heart, and God used him in a powerful way, unlike he had ever used any other person in the past. He used David. And David was a measuring stick for all kings after that. You ever thought about that fact, brethren? Wouldn't you like to be a measuring stick?

That God would say, well, look, if you could live the way this person lived, if you could be the kind of king that David was.

On the other hand, you may remember that Jeroboam, later on we find, of course, was the kind of king that misled Israel. And so he became a king that was the measuring stick for all wickedness, all wicked kings. David, on the other hand, was a very righteous king. And God loved him. He was a man after God's own heart. And by the way, I know that we think, when we think about King David, we think, well, you know, David's sin with Bathsheba. Well, brethren, you realize that David was a very righteous man.

I want to digress on this just a little bit. A very righteous man. And we should get on our spiritual high horse and think that we're better than David.

You know, David, unfortunately, God put all his sins down for you and I to read. How'd you like your sins to be put in this book, by the way?

You know, any of us wanting to have our names put in here, the sins that we committed?

David was a very righteous man. In fact, you know, the sages, the, you know, those that study the law said that in Jerusalem, that David was up before everybody else studying the Torah.

And they put him to, they put those that were the experts in the law, he put them to shame.

The kind of man that David was. So, you know, David was a wonderful example in quite a measuring stick, not only for kings or leaders, but for Christians today and how we should live.

And of course, those, that good part that he set a wonderful example for us. Let's go now to 2 Samuel, 2 Samuel over here. Continue again, discussion of Jerusalem here. In 2 Samuel, chapter 17, well, I'm sorry, we've done that. Second Samuel, chapter 5, I should say, I'm sorry, misspoke myself. But chapter 5 over here, just a few verses again to read here.

It says, And then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and spoke, saying, Indeed, we are your bone in your flesh. Also in times past when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in. And the Lord said to you, You shall shepherd my people, Israel, and be ruler over Israel. Therefore, all the elders came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. And David was 30 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for 40 years. In Hebron, he reigned over Judah seven years, and gives again a little more of the information about that. Verse 6, And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites. So God had told them to wipe the Canaanite people out, but here are the Jebusites.

They were lodged in the city of Jerusalem. And the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, You shall not come in here, but the blind and the lame will repel you, thinking, David cannot come in here. Talk about a boastful attitude. And you know, I think God made this easy.

Because he didn't like the boastful attitude. People that sort of, you know, cranked themselves up and put themselves high on a pestle. It says, Nevertheless, David took the strong hold of Zion. So here, again, Jerusalem, a name for it, another name for it, is Zion. That is the city of David, called the city of David as well.

In verse 21, on down here, And they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away. I'm not sure that was the verse I was looking for here. Oh, verse 11 is where I was going. Verse 11. You know, my tongue got over my eye teeth, and I couldn't see what I was saying. But verse 11, Then the Hyrum king of Tyre sent messengers to David and cedar trees and carpenters, and they built David a house.

And the next verse tells us that when David saw the defeat there of the Jebusites and the establishment of the city of Jerusalem in the hands of Israel, he knew then that God was with him.

And in verse 12, it says, And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. So we see again here that Jerusalem is finally here in the hands of Israel. It's amazing again that no nation on the face of the earth, you know, claims that it's Israel's right to have Jerusalem. Or recognizes it as a capital, I should say. There are nations that recognize that the land properly belongs to Israel, but as a capital of this. And how, in fact, the Palestinians could say that Jerusalem is rightfully ours is unbelievable.

And of course, I don't know if you've followed some of the clerics recently, but some of them are saying that no history ever existed that said that Jerusalem belonged to Israel. No history. Of course, there are some of those classes they must go to are a little bit, you know, outdated, changed in some way or another. They've got some bizarre ideas. Of course, these are the same people that don't think the Holocaust ever took place. But, you know, I've seen people, you know, with the numbers on their their wrists where they were numbered in the concentration camps and, you know, Dachau and Treblinka, some of these places they were held, you know, in Germany in World War II time. And they tell the stories again what happened there. It's real. But again, some people live again in their own little bubble. They're all in the world.

And one of the things, of course, that is so sad is they're teaching little kids, you know, to have the violent attitude toward anyone as a Jew. That Jews are monkeys, basically. That they're non-human. And, of course, that kind of mentality did parallel some of the mentality that was in the Nazi movement of World War II.

We're going to see, of course, that in the end of the age, the Arabs are going to join to this. The Muslims are going to join to this concept whenever this beast arises.

Because they're looking for the hope again of blotting the Jews out. So it's going to happen all over again. Hitler had friends, though, in places like, you know, Saudi Arabia and Iran and Egypt and all of that. He was involved with them, and they were fighting for his cause. But, you know, when, of course, David began to occupy Jerusalem, of course, God was with him for 40 years. Remember, he wanted to build this splendid temple. He collected the materials for it, this temple in Jerusalem. But God did not allow him to build this temple because, again, he was a violent man, and so he allowed Solomon to build it. And after David died, we know that Israel, frankly, was at its crescendo. It was at its zenith. And the wealth of Israel was incredible. Gold was like stones. Silver was so plentiful. And, of course, the temple would have been spectacular. It was gold all around it. And so, you know, you have this golden age when you find, in fact, Israel is expanding and expanding and expanding, much larger than that little tiny dot over in the Middle East. But it was also being paid tribute by nations. And people were coming, you know, to Israel from all over the world. In fact, Israel, rather, was a superpower of that time. It was a superpower. There was no one that compared to Israel during that time. And it was, indeed, a golden age in so many, many ways. But, you know, we know, of course, the temple was built during the time of Solomon. Let's go over to 1 Kings chapter 8. 1 Kings chapter 8. So the temple was established in Solomon's time, and it was a glorious time.

You know, in the first message, we were hearing about how the glory of God is going to be upon the earth. There are other scriptures that talk about how that, in fact, is going to be over every household that God is going to allow His presence to descend over every household that exists upon the earth. Imagine what it's going to be like. It's going to be a spectacular time when that occurs. But 1 Kings chapter 8, over here, in verse 16, here, Solomon talking, he says, Since the day I brought my people, Israel, out of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe to build a house that my name may be there, but I chose David to be over my people, Israel.

So God chose no other tribe, and He put Jerusalem there. But the Lord said to me, to my father David, whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for my name, you did well, and that was in your heart. Nevertheless, you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body. And He will build the temple of my name.

And it says, So the Lord has fulfilled his word which he spoke, and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and I have built a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. And there I have made a place for the Ark, in which the covenant of the Lord which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land. You could read, by the way, about what happened here when the temple was dedicated.

Now God chose Israel, and He chose Jerusalem as the place to put His temple in Israel.

Again, where the Ark of the covenant was, and it was kept in the Holy of Holies, after the prayer of Solomon to dedicate that temple, you know, what it was called, the Shekinah, presence of God came on top of that temple mount, and it filled everything. In fact, it drove the priests out. And it was a glorious, glorious time when God's very presence, His Shekinah presence, as it's called, descended to occupy the Holy of Holies, and God was with men.

God was with men in those days. And God blessed Israel in so many, many ways. Like I said, it became a superpower in the world. And after the time of Solomon, we know we have the time of Rehoboam and Jeroboam. And we find, of course, that with Jerusalem, you know, eventually to the north, the Sumerians, the Israel went into captivity to the Assyrians. And it was a little while, and the Bible says in prophecy that Judah followed after his sister and did sin equally, and sometimes even greater. Because, you know, they had idols. They put idols and false idols in the temple right in the holy place, right within the holy place. And God was very displeased with them. Eventually, you know, what happened is that God sent Babylon. He had promised them, you know, if they didn't reform, that he would do this. He said, Babylon, in around 604 BC, is when Babylon began to come in to the environs there. And God, of course, allowed the Babylonians, during the time of Nebuchadnezzar, to destroy, to ransack, and to burn. You know, all that was there on that beautiful temple that Solomon had built. You know, there was a young prophet, by the way, who was there at that time to witness, though, you know, what was happening. And he himself was taken into captivity. And you can read about it in Ezekiel chapter 10 and verse 8. 18, I should say. And he said he saw, of course, in a vision, the Shekinah presence of God lifting up from that. And so, this young prophet, who was there when it was dedicated, by the way, Ezekiel was his name, was also given a vision of when the Shekinah presence departed from there. And we know it left that temple, that God no longer, no dwelt within the Holy of Holies. You know, in the split sermon that Mr. Garnet gave, he talked about, of course, these things of the Shekinah presence, and he talked about how that presence is with us as individuals today. That's how God, you know, His presence is with us even to this day.

Now, Israel, or Judah, went into captivity, and they were gone for 70 years.

And then they came back and they built another temple. Remember Cyrus's decree? And they built this other temple. In fact, it was, it paled to insignificance compared to Solomon's Temple. So much so, the people that were there to see the temple, and all of its grandeur during the time of Solomon, or during the time when Solomon's temple was there, when they saw it, they wept. And so it wasn't as beautiful as Solomon's temple. And we, of course, know that what happened, you know, is that eventually, you know, later on, much later on in history, in around 69 or 70 AD, the Roman legions came down into Jerusalem, and they destroyed the temple there. And even previous to that, there was another time when there was a destruction of the temple during the time of Antiochus Epiphanes in about 168 AD.

When Antiochus came into the temple and burned, you know, basically put a statue of Jupiter Olympus in it, Zeus in it, and he sacrifices, sacrificed pig's blood on the altar. That was in 168 BC. Then again, Herod then afterwards came along and built the temple, refurbished the temple, and later it was destroyed during the time of Romans in about 69 AD.

And, of course, God departed, you know, from that. The Shekinah presence left it, and since that time, that presence has been in the temples of God's saints today. Let's go to Matthew chapter 23. You know, all of this trouble, all of this trouble, are these trials, all the suffering.

And, you know, sitting on the circle of the earth and watching all of this was Jesus Christ, who, of course, was the Word and God the Father, seeing what was happening. And when Jesus Christ came and He dwelt among men, He saw the same things happening.

In Matthew chapter 23 over here, Matthew 23, in verse 37, chapter 23, you know, Christ lambasts the Pharisees and the scribes. It makes you wonder, you know, when will people ever learn? Of course, we're all human. We all make mistakes. I understand that. But we are so bullheaded, aren't we? It's sad. We see that even sometimes in our own history in the Church.

So, one of the problems we have is we just don't get along sometimes. That's sad.

It's always sad when everybody else has all these problems, and I don't have these problems. Of course, we all have that problem, don't we?

But why can't we just simply get along?

But in Matthew chapter 23, in verse 37, you know, here Jesus Christ, of course, had a pretty heavy day here. But in verse 37, it says, "'O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who were sent to her. How often have I wanted to gather your children together? As a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.'" He just weren't willing. And it says, "'See, your house is left to you desolate, and have nothing.

For I say to you, you shall see me no more, till you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" You know, this particular passage here, and really this prophecy here, when he's saying, when you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, is the time when Christ is going to come back. It's the time when the saints, the saints are going to be with Christ. And we're going to have those front row tickets with Christ.

And we are going to take God's way of life out from Jerusalem to the entire world.

And the Bible tells us, brethren, that even though the history of Jerusalem has been a very bloody one, a very violent one, for the most part, the Bible gives us some prophecies that tell us it's going to have a very bright future, a very wonderful future. Let's go over to Jeremiah 9, Jeremiah chapter 9 over here. In Jeremiah 9, you know, one of the things that is so obvious when you read the scriptures, by the way, talking about, again, God's Shikine presence, and whether we are examining the time when God was walking and talking with Adam and Eve in the garden, he wanted to have this relationship with Adam and Eve, with mankind, if you will.

Or when he was with Abraham and others down through history, and he became very close friends. He considered Abraham a friend of his. Our God, brethren, is a very relational God.

He's always wanted to dwell with us. He has always wanted to be with us. Isn't that what a father wants to do? To be with their kids? Any father or mother who has been deprived of the opportunity to spend time with their children? You know, their emotional state. Of course, we're physical, but their emotional state of people, when they can't be with their kids, you know, people become basket cases. Now, we know God is not like that, but it is the drive that he has. And so when he instructed Israel to build the tabernacle, why did he do it? Because he wanted to dwell with mankind. He wanted to be with us. When he built the temple, had the temple built, you know, there in Jerusalem by Solomon, he wanted to dwell with Israel.

And when Jesus Christ came in the flesh and dwelt among us, he he tented among us.

As Mr. Garnet was talking about, he wanted to be with us. He was with his disciples. He was close to them. God wants to be with us, brethren. Is he with you? Is he with me? Are we allowing God into our lives? In the end of the age, the Bible indicates that there will be people who will have Jesus Christ standing outside the door knocking. Christ wants to come in. Are we letting him into our lives? But in Jeremiah 9, Jeremiah 9 over here in verse 11, Jeremiah 9 in verse 11, it says, I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a den of jackals. I will make the cities of Judah desolate without an inhabitant. It says, who is the wise man who may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord has spoken? They may declare it. Why does the land perish and burn up like a wilderness so that no one can pass through? And the Lord said, because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them and have not obeyed my voice, nor walked according to it. But they walk according to the dictates of their own heart. And after the bales, which their fathers taught, this is what they've done. This is how they've lived. And God says that he detests that. He will not bear with that forever. And it says, I will scatter them also among the Gentiles. This is, of course, dual. It's happened before, and it's going to happen again. Whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send a sword after them until I've consumed them.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, consider and call for the morning. It says, women, that they may come and send for a skillful wailing woman, that they may come and let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run with tears and our eyelids gush with water. The voice of wailing is heard from Zion. How we are plundered, we are greatly ashamed, because we have forsaken the land, because we have been cast out of our dwellings. Well, you know, we know that is coming for the United States of America. As sad as it is. And even the people in that little tiny dot over in Israel, they're going to suffer in the future, because they have turned from the law of God.

But again, the future is very bright. While Ezekiel tells us in Ezekiel 10 that the Shekinah presence lifted up and departed, in chapter 40 he talks about a temple being built in Jerusalem.

Now, this is not just any temple. This is the temple which Jesus Christ is going to dwell. And he's going to be there. He's going to be with us and among us. And that time is going to come.

Over in Zechariah 14, in Zechariah 14 over there, we find that there's going to be king on the earth. And that king that's going to be upon the earth is Jesus Christ. He's going to come and he's going to dwell with us. And that temple is going to be right there in Jerusalem. It could be a rather impressive temple. I've seen depictions of it and it is quite incredible. And all the details are outlined in Ezekiel 40 there. God wants his brethren to know that the future is bright.

That God hasn't given up on the peoples of the earth. In fact, he's been fighting for the inhabitants of this earth. And Jesus Christ himself is going to intervene in the nick of time to stop man's bad rush toward his own Bolivian. And God will allow again Jerusalem to flourish in the future. There are prophecies that say that there are going to be children playing in the streets. There are going to be old men and they're going to be safe and they're going to be secure.

There are prophecies that tell us that, in other words, going to go out from Zion. The Gospel is going to go out from Zion. And the way of God is going to fill this entire earth.

But Jerusalem, which has been a city of violence, will finally be a city of peace when the Prince of Peace comes to rule. And hopefully we're going to be right there with him, brethren, taking up our residence. We used to joke about, by the way, how that, you know, when Jesus Christ takes up his residence at, you know, 111 Philadelphia Avenue, there in Jerusalem.

Do you know where you're going to live in the world tomorrow, brethren?

You're going to live right there in Jerusalem and it's going to be a pleasant place. You may live in Wisconsin, where it is bone cold now or chilling cold right now. You may live in Alaska, might be a little colder in some parts of Alaska. And you may think you live in a pretty good place, but this is going to be the best place of all. Imagine, children, the time when you'll be able to go outside and there'll be a bear walk by and you don't have to run about 40 miles an hour to get away from. Imagine, you know, you walk outside and there's a lion laying on your front porch. You know, or any number of scenarios that you could find that would have happened.

So it's going to be a wonderful, wonderful time. In Joel chapter 3 over here, in Joel, there's one particular scripture I wanted to take you to over there. Chapter 3 and verse 16 on down here.

It is verse 16, actually. It says, "...and the Lord the Eternal will roar from Zion." I don't know exactly fully what that means, but, "...and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens will shake, and the Lord will be a shelter for his people, and a strength of the children of Israel. So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy." And so Jerusalem is going to be that holy city. Not very holy today, though, is it?

And the way it is, you know, with the way people live these days.

Jerusalem, far from being a city of peace, is a place where there's a need, you know, to turn the spears into pruning hooks, and to turn the swords into plowshares. It's a place where, in fact, all nations ought to go so that they do not learn war anymore.

Let's go to Revelation chapter 3. I think it would be remiss if we're not reading this particular scripture over here in Revelation chapter 3. In verse 7, talking about, again, Philadelphia here, but on down here in chapter 3—I'm sorry, I'm bad. Still in James. In Revelation 3, on down to verse 7, again, to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, these things says, He is holy. He who is true. So these things are true, he say.

He said, I know your works. I've stepped before you an open door, and no man can shut it. For you have a little strength—and indeed we do today, don't we?

We have a little strength that kept my word and have not denied my name. Hopefully we again have that, you know, reputation. But down in verse 12, notice this, brethren. He who overcomes, I'll make him a pillar in my temple, the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more. I'll write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from my God, and I will write on him my new name.

Well, brethren, I hope that you and I are there, right there. I hope we're there to either to rise or be raised from the dead or to be changed and to ascend to Jesus Christ, and then to be with him for a thousand years and see the time when the new Jerusalem comes down.

You know, after a millennium of time, after, of course, the time of the great white throne judgment, new Jerusalem is going to come down. And I think it really says it all, doesn't it?

When we look in the Bible, it's like it all begins in Jerusalem and it all ends in Jerusalem.

And again, may, brethren, we be there at the end so we can all participate in a new beginning when we embark into a territory where no man is ever gone.

We're going to embark, brethren, on into eternity and go out, you know, whatever God has for us in this universe for the future, you know, and go on forever and ever. So it's going to begin in Jerusalem. It did begin in Jerusalem, but it's going to end in Jerusalem. And hopefully we'll have our part and we'll be there as God's people.