The History and Significance

Excuse me. Can you hear me?

It's about time to start as we go ahead and find our places. Test 1, 2, 3. Can you hear? Can you hear? We have an announcement here of good news. We have refreshments, cookies, after the Bible study tonight in the back of the hall. It will put you to sleep after you wake up here. Wait just a few more seconds here. A few more coming in. Your material is over there where we always sit. That's my wife.

If you would rise, we'll ask God's blessing. Our Father in Heaven, our God and Creator, we come before you, Father, to give you thanks for the blessings you give us. We thank you for the precious gift of life and, most of all, for the precious promise and gift of eternal life in your kingdom and your family. So, Father, we thank you for the great precious promises we have in your word. We thank you for the opportunity to gather here this evening and study your word, the very words of life. We ask your blessing upon the meeting here this evening as we study your word, that you would help each one of us to be able to glean a deeper understanding of your word and be motivated more and more to study your word so you can write it on our inward parts.

Father, we ask you that you would be with those who cry out for your help tonight, whoever they may be all over the world, that you would minister to them through your ministering servants, raise them up, restore them according to your will. So, Father, we commit this study into your hands this evening and ask your blessing upon it in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

So, welcome, everybody, to the Bible study.

My wife, Wanda, and I are happy to be here with you and share this time together.

They put me at the end of the speaking part this year, so I'm...that's good in a way, and I'm pleased about that in one way.

I'm also pleased to know my elder brother here, Fred Keller, Susan Elder.

You know, he has something in common with two apostles, Nathaniel, a man without guile.

And there was Peter, who oftentimes put his foot in his mouth. However, in spite of that, I'm going to introduce him to King James and possibly the Apostle John.

In the near future.

In the Bible study this evening, I'm hoping to motivate you to study more deeply into the Word of God, and hopefully you can glean from it a little more about how to study and put things together. Line upon line, precept upon precept. Here, little, there, little, the Bible is like a beautiful tapestry. Someone compared it earlier in the feast to a jigsaw puzzle, which is also a very valid analogy.

Line upon line, precept upon precept. Here, little, there, little, you put it all together. It forms a beautiful tapestry. It is amazing how the writers of the Bible, of course inspired by God's Holy Spirit, wrote over centuries of time, and yet in such perfect agreement, which shows obviously that there was a superior mind behind all of it. Another word about note-taking. I say this every year. I've said it for about 50 years. And in other settings, I've said it about 60 because I have been teaching in a formal setting for at least 60 years. Note-taking. Most people don't take a note until the minister or the teacher says, turn to page such and such or turn to the scripture, so and so. We have our Bibles. You have the verses there. Of course, to write down the scriptural reference and to pursue it later. But the most important part has to do with what the teacher, the preacher, is saying about the verse. And oftentimes, some of the most valuable information is that which is in between giving verses. So, just a word about that. I still take notes much of the time myself. And it's a valuable way. The more ways that you can get the material into your nervous system, the more apt you are to remember it.

Tonight, we're going to study Zion. Zion appears 173 times. I'll take that back. 153 times in the Old Testament as C-I-O-N and one time as S-I-O-N. So, 154 references to Zion in the Old Testament. I would encourage you, as you want something to study, read every verse in the Old Testament on Zion. I think you'll be amazed at what you find and what you'll learn. Zion appears 7 times in the New Testament.

Zion, in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word literally means parched place, which doesn't tell you much about Zion. How important is Zion to you? How much do you know about Zion? When did Zion begin? When will Zion end? Where did Zion begin? Where is it now? Where will it be in the future? And what was its purpose? And what is its purpose now? We've seen the moving hymn, Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken, Zion City of Our God.

We will read that psalm from which that is taken later in the Bible study this evening. Believe it or not, that psalm is speaking of you. You'll see it clearly when we get there. So in this study tonight, we're going to try to address the questions I just posed and much more as well.

Zion plays one of the principal roles in the millennium, the when, where, what, why, and who of Zion. To me, it is one of the most inspiring, sobering understandings that one could have. God has always desired to dwell with His people. Look at Leviticus, and of course we will be turning to a lot of scriptures this evening. I'm going to be turning with my left hand. You can turn with all the hands you have and see if we can arrive there at the same time. In Leviticus 26, one of the what we call the blessing and cursings chapter, here's what God inspired Moses to write in Leviticus 26 and verse 11. And I will set my tabernacle among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people. God's desire, even from the Garden of Eden to the present time, has been to dwell with, and He has made a step beyond to dwell with, to dwell in. And we'll see that as we go along this evening. We'll now turn to Exodus chapter 15, after Israel came up out of the Red Sea. Having been pursued by Pharaoh's forces from the rear, hemmed in by the mountains on either side, and with the sea in front of them, they were sore, perplexed, and distressed, and crying out to Moses, and Moses cried out to God, and God answered. They crossed the Red Sea on the dark ground, which the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10, that that was their baptism. So in Exodus 15, 1, then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Eternal, and spoke, saying, I will sing unto the Eternal, for he hath triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea, I will build a sea. The Lord my strength and song, and he has become my salvation.

He is my God, and I will prepare him in habitation. See, one of the things that God told Moses and Aaron to tell Pharaoh is, let my people go so that they may go a certain day's journey and offer sacrifice to me. He also apparently revealed to them that they were to build him a sanctuary because he wanted to dwell among them, as we read from Leviticus 26, 11, and 12.

So it says, he is my God, I will prepare him in habitation, my Father's God, and I will exalt him. Now you go to Exodus 25. They have crossed the Red Sea. They have spent three months in the wilderness having murmured against Moses and really against God for ten times. But they come to Mount Sinai where God is going to give him his immutable spiritual law. And in Exodus 25, verse 8, he tells them to build him a sanctuary. And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. And the sanctuary, of course, was to be patterned after that which is in the heavenly. And so they did. There's intricate detail given throughout the book of Exodus on how this sanctuary was to be built.

And then, let's notice verse 18. Exodus 25, 18. And you shall make two carob beams of gold. Now one of those carob beams was Lucifer. As you read in Ezekiel 28, it says, you were one of the anointed carobs that covered.

And until iniquity was found in you, and you, by reason of your own beauty, and iniquity was found in you, and you were corrupted, and so on, he was no longer one of the anointed carobs. And you shall make two carobs of gold, of beaten work, and you shall make them in the two ends of the mercy seat, and make one carob on the one end, the other carob on the other end, even of the mercy seat shall you make the carob beam on the two ends thereof. And the carob beam shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another toward the mercy seat, and toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the carob beams be. And you shall put the mercy seat upon the ark, and in the ark you shall put the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony, that is, the ark of the covenant, the ten commandments that I will give you. And there I will meet with you, I will commune with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two carob beams, which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all the things which I give you in commandment under the children of Israel. And so they spent almost a year with this. You turn to Exodus 40, and you'll see that after a year, they're ready to dedicate this tabernacle that they built, and what happened when they dedicated it. We'll see here that God's presence, His glory, filled the tabernacle, and it was so bright that Moses could not enter in. In Exodus 40, verse 33, He reared up the court, round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set the hanging of the court gate, so Moses finished the work, then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the eternal filled the tabernacle, and Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because a cloud abode thereupon, and the glory, the presence of the eternal, filled the tabernacle. So they built Him a tabernacle that He could dwell among them, and so His presence did fill it when it was dedicated. So they wandered in the wilderness because of disobedience, for forty years, and they finally crossed into the Promised Land, and the tabernacle was pitched at Shiloh. We'll read a verse that says that in a few minutes, or seconds, or whatever it is. The tabernacle was pitched at Shiloh, which was in Ephraim. Ephraim was the leading tribe for a long time. Ephraim, oftentimes, is used generically for the ten tribes to the north. That's an important concept to remember, especially when you're reading Hosea and the minor prophets. I taught minor prophets for years. Sometimes Ephraim represents all ten of the northern tribes, which in Scripture, after the division of the kingdoms, Scripture refers to the northern ten as Israel and to the southern two as Judah. So now we want to go to 2 Chronicles chapter 1 and verse 3. In 2 Chronicles, you have accounts about the tabernacle and the temple in several of the books in the Old Testament. Kings, just as it says, basically gives you the governmental side of the events of ancient Israel. And Chronicles basically gives you the priestly side, the religious side of the events in ancient Israel.

In 1 Chronicles chapter 1 and verse 1, I don't want to spend time with that. We will move on from there. The Ark of the Covenant was taken into captivity by the Philistines. One of the reasons—let me see something here right quick. The Ark of the Covenant was taken into captivity by the Philistines, and we want to look at that in 1 Samuel chapter 4 and verse 10. Because where did God say that he was going to place his presence? He was going to place his presence above the mercy-seek in the Holy of Holies. And when the tabernacle was reared up, he did fill it with his glory.

So in 1 Samuel chapter 4 and verse 10, we'll see here the fascinating story of the Philistines taking the Ark of the Covenant to themselves. Of course, the fame of Israel and all the exploits of what their God had done through centuries—of course, they crossed the Red Sea—let's just say circa.

And I don't need anybody to write and tell me it's not the right date, because I'm saying circa—1420 B.C. And so David and Solomon are on the scene somewhere around 1900 B.C. And the Philistines had heard of the great fame of Israel and their God and the Ark of the Covenant. So they decided that they were going to take the Ark of the Covenant. So look at 1 Samuel chapter 4 and verse 10. And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent, and there was a very great slaughter.

For there fell of Israel 30,000 men, and the Ark of the Covenant, and the Ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophany and Phineas, were slain. And then the news of that came to Eli, who was the high priest. Of course, Hophany and Phineas were his sons. And when Eli really heard the news of the Ark of the Covenant being taken, he fell backward and broke his neck and died.

That's within this chapter. Really quite a fascinating story. And it talks about Phineas' wife was pregnant with child when this happened. And when she heard the news, she was so stricken with the news that she gave birth and died in childbirth. That's all in that chapter 4 there. So many of the things we talk about here this evening, you want to follow up on. You look at verse 21. This is 1st Samuel 4, 21. And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel. You see, the glory, the presence of God, was above that mercy seat on top of the Ark of the Covenant, because the Ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

Her husband was killed and her father-in-law died. He was 98 years old, and he fell backward off of his place. He was sitting, some kind of high chair apparently, and died. David rescued the Ark of the Covenant, and he brought it into the tabernacle he pitched on Mount Zion. And this brings us to the origin of Zion. David took Zion from the Jebusites, one of the Gentile tribes that lived in the area. So now we want to look at 2 Samuel chapter 5. 2 Samuel chapter 5.

Now, this background information is very important with regard to God's presence and where God dwells, and all of that, as we shall see in the symbolism as we go along. So in 2 Samuel chapter 5 and verse 6.

Let's read 4. Let's read into it. David was 30 years old when he began to reign. He reigned 40 years. In Hebron, or Hebron, he reigned over Judah 7 years and 6 months. And in Jerusalem he reigned 33 years over all of Israel and Judah. And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, which spoke unto David, saying, Except you take away the blind and the lame, you shall not come in here, thinking David cannot come in there. Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion. The same is the city of David. So Zion and the city of David are equated.

Remember that. Zion and the city of David are equated. If you were to go to Jerusalem, which my wife and I had the privilege of doing the opportunity, and it was 1988, and you stand on the Temple Mount, and you stand there in front of the Dome of the Rock, and you're looking toward the north, to your right will be the Mount of Olives to the east, and there will be these little tombs. I saw these little white specks over there on the Mount of Olives, and I asked the Arab guide, What are these?

He said, They are Jewish tombstones, because the Jews want to be buried on the Mount of Olives so they can get a head start on the resurrection. I don't think it'll work that way, but that's what he said. The elica to the left is what they call the wall of tears, or the wailing wall, where the Jews come and offer prayers, and they rock back and forth, and they say their prayers and stuff little notes in it.

There's a rope there that separates the men from the women. The women and the children are on the south side of the rope, and the men are on the other side. Then there's an opening that goes under the Temple Mount, and there are all kinds of caves and compartments.

I'll walk back through there. Only the men can go in there. Only the men can go under the Temple Mount. Then if you turn around 180 and face south, you'll see the elica mosque, the smaller mosque, and below that is what would be called the Zion or the City of David. Zion is a geographical location, but it also is highly symbolic of other things, as we shall see.

Especially one thing in particular, which you should already know, but maybe you don't, because you can't read everything. But anyhow, just keep that in mind. You've probably seen pictures of the Temple Mount.

The Zion and the City of David are equated. David took it from the Jebusites. Let's look now at 1 Chronicles 11, verse 5. 1 Samuel has both the Acts of Kings and Priests. Of course, Kings does to some degree. 1 Chronicles 11, verse 5. I get to talking and forget where I said turn to. 1 Chronicles 11, verse 5. 1 Chronicles 11, verse 5. And the inhabitants of Jabbos said to David, You shall not come in here. Nevertheless, as we read from 2 Samuel, David took the castle of Zion, which is the City of David.

And David said, Whosoever smites the Jebusites, first shall be chief and captain. That is, chief and captain of his army. So Joab, the son of Zeruah, went first up and was chief. And that's how Joab came to be the captain of the army of David. Because he was the one that led the charge that took Zion from the Jebusites. Now, God is the one who chose Zion. What we're about to read now, you have to follow the symbolism, the type and the anti-type.

And to me, this is very revealing. We'll go to Psalm 78. In Psalm 78, where did we say that David...not David... where did we say that Israel pitched the tabernacle when they came into the Promised Land? They pitched the tabernacle at Shiloh in Ephraim. Now we come to Psalm 78. Psalm 78...see, there's some great summary chapters in the Bible.

Psalm 78 is a great summary chapter that basically rehearses the history of Israel. Similar to...there are three great sermons in the book of Acts. Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost, Chapter 2. Stephen's great sermon, Acts, Chapter 7. And Paul's great sermon in Acts 13, which you don't hear much about, but it's got a lot of information in it.

So, Psalm 78...and we're going to start here probably in 60 or so. Psalm 78...60... So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men. Now that's a key word, just the tent that he placed among men. Why is that key? Because we'll read later that God does not dwell in buildings made by hands. Then verse 67, Moreover, he refused the tabernacle of Joseph and chose not the tribe of Ephraim.

And sometimes, of course, Joseph and Ephraim are used interchangeably, and this is a parallelism written in poetic form. But chose the tribe of Judah. And what does it say in Hebrews 7 about Jesus Christ? It is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah. What did Paul say in his Acts 13 sermon? It says that I will give you...

In other words, God will give you, that is Jesus, the sure mercies of David. But chose the tribe of Judah, the Mount Zion, which he loved. And he built his sanctuary like high places, like the earth which he has established forever. So what he's building lasts forever. He chose David also, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds. From following the years, great with young, he brought him to feed Jacob his people and Israel his inheritance. Now, I'm going to give little keys as we go along with them, and they're not absolutes in every case.

Basically speaking, when you see Jacob in the Old Testament, it refers more to the physical side of Israel. And then when you see Israel, it is referring more toward the spiritual side. Remember, Jacob's name was changed to Israel, Prince with God. After he wrestled with that being in Genesis. Verse 72, so he fed them according to his integrity of his heart and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

See, I've said multiple things here that if a student of the Bible was really wanting to pursue this, they would write it down, and they would pursue it, and they would see what it really means. What is behind what these words are saying? In Psalm 132, verse 13, in Psalm 132, verse 13, you know, I was sort of got a... I don't know how to describe it, but I watched the hearings of the Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh a couple of weeks ago. Of course, they had another hearing yesterday, but those various constitutional lawyers, including Kavanaugh, you know, they could just quote Section so it's and such of the Constitution, and it says so and so in the case of who versus who and all of that.

And they just knew that Constitution inside out. Of course, you can say that's their profession, and that's what they have to know and all of that. But how dedicated are we to really studying the Bible? In Psalm 132, verse 13, and this is sort of a summary of what I said. What did I say when I began this?

I said that God chose Zion. For the Lord hath chosen Zion. He hath desired it for his habitation. So David built a tabernacle, a dwelling place for God on Mount Zion. He set the Ark of the Covenant in Mount Zion after he took it back from the Philistines.

So let's notice that briefly. 1 Chronicles 13, verse 6.

I don't know. A lot of people may be turned off having a teacher teach them.

A teacher sometimes gets on your case. We don't do that anymore. We don't get on their case.

In 1 Chronicles 13, verse 6.

David went up in all Israel to Bela, that is to Chorjath-Jareem, which belongs to Judah, to bring up the Ark of God, the Lord, that dwells between the caravans, whose name is called on it.

They carried the Ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abenadab, and Uzzah and Heil drove the cart. Of course, this is the story or account of Uzzah touching the Ark, and he died as a result of touching the Ark.

Why did he die? Because he touched the Ark. Because that's where God had placed His presence, and no human that is not authorized can touch it.

So after he died, in Luke, verse 12, David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the Ark of God home to me?

So David brought not the Ark home to himself in the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-Edom, the get-tide.

And the Ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months.

And the Lord blessed the house of Obed-Edom in all that he had.

And so David sought God, he studied about it, and read back in the law, and all the things about moving the Ark.

And I came to understand it was the duty of the Levites to carry the Ark.

So you look in chapter 15, verse 1, And David made him houses in the city of David, prepared a place for the Ark of God, and pitched for it a tent. And David said, None ought to carry the Ark of God but the Levites. For them hath the Lord chosen to carry the Ark of God, and minister unto him forever.

So we begin to see here David moving the Ark of God into the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle that he had pitched. Now look at chapter 16, verse 1. So they brought the Ark of God, set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.

And when David had made an end of offerings, the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the Ark of the Lord, and to record and to thank and praise the eternal God of Israel. So now, there's no record here. It doesn't say that when that was done, that the glory of God, the presence of God, filled that tabernacle that David built. You could assume, and of course, assumption can get you into trouble, but you could assume that that did happen. That is, the glory of God filled David's tabernacle. Now, the next place that the Ark of the Covenant and the presence of God dwelt in was Solomon's temple. So here we go to, I think, 2 Chronicles, chapter 3. 2 Chronicles, I believe it's chapter 3. It might be chapter 1. 2 Chronicles chapter 3, verse 1. Then Solomon began to build the house of the eternal at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah. Now, the Temple Mount, Solomon's Temple, built on Mount Moriah, there's controversy among archaeologists today, and even a person who used to be a part of the worldwide Church of God has written a book and has even a foundation going, saying, well, really, the Temple was below Mount Moriah in Mount Zion. Now, you read some of the commentaries, and some of the commentaries will say, okay, that whole area, those hills from the south of the Temple Mount, including where Solomon's Temple was built on Moriah, that that was the name of one of the hills in Zion. But the Jews and history and so many things indicate that it was on Mount Moriah, what is called the Temple Mount today. But there is controversy, and archaeologists are saying, well, this or that or the other, trying to say it was maybe south of that southern wall. Now, in the 60s, Ambassador College, Mr. Armstrong, made friends with leadership in Israel, and we had students go over for several years in the summer, and to what was called the Jerusalem Dig, and dig on that south wall, a little bit to the west, sort of southwest. But Solomon began to build the house of the eternal at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah, where the eternal appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebeshite. And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year, of his reign. Now we go to chapter 5. It's time to dedicate the Temple, and what happens when this Temple is dedicated.

Then all the work that Solomon made for the house of the eternal was finished, and Solomon brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated, and the silver and the gold and all the instruments put them among the treasures of the house of God. Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Eternal, out of the city of David, which is Zion. But remember, God has chosen Zion.

So that they brought the Ark of the Covenant up out of the city of David, which is Zion, verse 3, wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast, which is the seventh month. So this happened during the Feast of Tabernacles.

All the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the Ark, and they brought up the Ark and the Tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tabernacle. These did the priests and the Levites bring up. And of course, there was a great celebration that took place. Many offerings and so on were offered. Now we look at verse 13. It came even to pass as the trumpeters and singers were as one to make one sound, to be heard in praising and thanking the Eternal. And when they lifted up their voice and the trumpets and the cymbals and the instruments of music, and praised the Eternal, saying, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever, that when the house, that then, when they were doing that, the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Eternal, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud of the glory of the Eternal had filled the house of God. So that glory, that presence that we read about in Exodus 40, when the Tabernacle in the wilderness was dedicated, also filled Solomon's temple. Now, whether or not it filled the David's Tabernacle on Mount Zion, I don't know for sure whether it did or not. The Bible doesn't say for sure. Of course, the Jews had said that they would not go into captivity because that the Tabernacle was at Shiloh, and they thought that the temple would never be destroyed, because that's where God had placed His presence, both in Shiloh and Solomon's temple. But because of disobedience, it was destroyed.

So when Judah went into captivity at the hands of the Babylonians, the temple was destroyed. Burned, rasped to the ground, and the ark disappeared. And of course, you've had all of these theories and stories about where the ark is. You've had raiders of the lost ark, and I think there was a sequel to it, and various archaeologists who have said they know where it is. Some say it's with the Thalasha Jews down in Africa. Remember the queen of Sheba came up to visit Solomon. Some say it was hidden under the temple mount, and so on, but no one has produced the ark of the covenant. So it disappeared, and Jews, of course, thought that that would not happen, because God had placed His presence there. But God does not dwell with sin. And of course, Jesus Christ came, and He reconciled us to the fathers. When we were enemies to God, He died for us so that we could be reconciled to God and viewed as sinless, and then God could beget us with His Holy Spirit. So Jesus Christ today, we have seen somewhat about the origin of Zion in the dwelling place of God up until the time of Christ. Now, we still have some to go before the time of Christ, which we'll get to in just a moment. But Jesus Christ is building His spiritual Zion today. God and Christ are dwelling in each one of us. We are the tabernacle today. So we'll just quote Matthew 16, 18. You know, Jesus was talking to the apostles, and He asked them, Well, who do men say that I am? And these various answers came forth. Some say that you are one of the prophets. But then He said, But who do you say I am? And Peter said, You are Christ, the Son of the Living God. And Jesus said, Well, you've said, Well, Peter, flesh and blood is not revealed to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And then Jesus said, And I will, I say unto you, You are Peter, Petru's little rock, and upon this rock, Peter a big rock, I will be on my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Now we look at Hebrews, chapter 8. Remember the tabernacle among men that I highlighted in Psalm 78? We could say the tabernacle that Moses built, the tabernacle that David built, the temple that Solomon built, and we're going to get to the Restoration Temple in just a minute. But notice what God inspired the Apostle Paul to write in Hebrews 8, in verse 1. Now let me say a little bit about the book of Hebrews. It's a wonderful study, and it's simplified if you understand the basic thrust. What is happening in the book of Hebrews is this. That elements of the New Covenant are being compared with the Old Covenant. There was a priesthood. Instead of Levitico, now it's Melchizedek. There were promises. Instead of physical blessings and promises, it's eternal life. There was a priesthood. Instead of Levitico, it's a priesthood of Melchizedek. Instead of sacrifices of animals, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Instead of a temple, a physical temple, God is now dwelling in each one of us. I read from Leviticus where God said He wanted to dwell with them. I read from Exodus 25. God said, I want to dwell with you above the mercy seat. Let's notice here Hebrews 8.1. Now the things which we have spoken, this is the sum. We have such a high priest who has sat on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle. The true tabernacle is a spiritual tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man, and I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The principal contents of the Ark of the Covenant are being written on our inner parts.

So we can ask ourselves, how am I using God's presence in me? How are you using the knowledge of the truth and the Holy Spirit? Are we quenching the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is an enabler. It guides. It tugs. It can teach you if you let it.

But you have to get in the Scripture and dig. It says it will call things to your remembrance.

So now we want to talk about the Restoration Temple and bring that up to the time of Christ as well.

Maybe I should have left that part to that, but I wanted you to be thinking about that. So we go to Ezra, back in the Old Testament there, somewhere around Esther and Job and Nehemiah.

In Ezra 1, verse 1, Now the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the word of the eternal by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled.

Of course, he's referencing here what is called in Daniel 9 and also in Jeremiah.

In Daniel 9, Daniel is seeking to understand what we call the 70 weeks prophecy, which was initially 70 years determined upon Israel.

Or Judah, I'm sorry, Judah.

The word of the eternal by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled.

The eternal sturdeth the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all the kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

So, a contingent of Jews led by Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest went back to Jerusalem, which today is some called Palestine, to build that restoration temple.

And Haggai is just before Zephaniah, Zephaniah just before Zechariah, Zechariah just before Malachi.

So, in the Minor Prophets, let's look at Haggai. It's not Haggai. Haggai. In Haggai chapter 2, Haggai chapter 2, of course, this is one of the few times that is building the restoration temple that the people of God really responded to the words of the prophets. Cyrus issued his decree in circa 538 BC.

Now, when Haggai and Zechariah come on the scene, some 18 years had passed. We're down to 520 BC.

And so, 18 years, the temple had been in building, and they had made very little progress.

When they first got there, they laid a foundation, kept the Feast of Tabernacles, and things seemed to be going pretty well. And then they met opposition from the Samaritans.

They met opposition from within the Persian Empire. They met opposition even from the Jews themselves, saying it's not time to build the temple.

But finally, they got the word. Look at Haggai 1, verse 13.

Then spoke Haggai the Lord's messenger.

And the Lord's messenger, under the people, saying, I am with you, says the Eternal.

In the Eternal Serdup, the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Sheetel, the governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Joseph, and the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people, they came and did work in the house of the Eternal of Hosts, their God, in the 24th day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius, the king.

In the seventh month, in the 21st day of the month, came the word of the Eternal by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Sheetel, governor of Judah and Joshua, the high priest.

Verse 3. Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory.

That is Solomon's temple.

And how do you see it now? Is it not in your eyes?

In comparison of it, it has nothing. It was a pitiful structure compared to the temple that had been built by Solomon.

But in spite of that, let's read all that verse 3 again.

Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory.

And how do you see it now? Is it not in your eyes? In comparison of it, it has nothing.

Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, as the Eternal be strong, O Joshua.

Verse 5. According to the word that had covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so my spirit remains among you. Fear you not. For thus, as the Eternal of hosts, yet once in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all nations. So that shaking of all nations brings it into our time. Now, when the people heard this, and a lot of the commentaries speculate and say, well, they thought the inn was very near, and the promises that had been made by the prophets were about to take place. And so that's why they really responded. But this is more for the end time. And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come. The desire of all nations shall come. Of course, it's like an irony in that. They want a Messiah. They weren't expecting a suffering Messiah to come, to truly liberate them. The greatest liberation is to be liberated from your sins and from the death penalty. And I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of Hosts. What house is he speaking of, really speaking about the temple that is not made with hands? The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, says the eternal host. In this place will I give peace, says the eternal host. So that Restoration Temple was pointing toward the Spiritual Temple. Those two verses are about that. Now, when it came time to dedicate this temple, and we go back to Ezra 6, when this temple was dedicated, the glory of God did not fill that house. Ezra 6, verse 15. Ezra 6, 15. And this house was finished in the third day of the month, Adar, which was in the sixth year the reign of Darius the king, and the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house, this house of God, with joy and offered at the dedication of this house. And it begins to give the number of all of the animals and all of that.

Verse 19. And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day, the fourteenth day, not the fifteenth day, just like it says in Leviticus. Can we count to 15? One, two, three, four, five. The fourteenth is the passover, the fifteenth is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For the priests and the Levites were purified together, and all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren, the priests, and for themselves. Verse 22. They kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful, and turned their hearts the heart of the king. And so, this house was dedicated to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel. So this house was dedicated. There's no mention. Of course, in Jewish history, you can read this as well. God's glory did not fill this house. There were five elements missing in this Restoration Temple, all of which are fulfilled today in the Spiritual Temple, which we shall now list. The Ark of the Covenant, of course, was missing. Today, as it says in Hebrews 8 and also Hebrews 10, the law of God is written by the Holy Spirit upon our inward parts. In Hebrews 8 and Hebrews 10, the law of God is written on our inward parts by the Holy Spirit.

The sacred fire that burned continually was missing. Today, we're to offer up spiritual sacrifices. In 1 Peter 2, verse 4, one of the main spiritual sacrifices that we offer up would be our prayers.

1 Peter 2, verse 4.

Communication is one of the greatest keys to all relationships. Communication is one of the greatest keys to all relationships, whether it be in marriage among friends or in the spiritual sense.

1 Peter 2, verse 4. To whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious Jesus Christ, you also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Christ. Now look back quickly to Hebrews 13, just a few pages back.

In Hebrews 13, we'll see one of the sacrifices, which I've already mentioned, that God is so well pleased with.

In verse 15, Hebrews 13, 15, By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name, but to do good and to communicate, for yet not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Of course, there are many other ways that you can offer sacrifices. The Urim and the Thummim are no longer present with a priest in the Restoration Temple. Today we have the Word of God.

We have the John 663, which I quote in virtually every sermon, every Bible study, every class. The flesh profits nothing, it is the spirit that quickens, makes a life. The words I speak, they are spirit, and they are life. So the Word of God and the Spirit of God and life are all acquainted.

So we have the Word of God, a more sure word of prophecy to consult. The presence of God, what the Jews call the Shekinah glory, S-H-E-K-I-N-A-H, God's presence, the Holy Spirit, did not fill that temple when it was dedicated. Today, as we have already noted, you are the temple of God. 1 Corinthians 3, 16. You are the temple of God. No, you're not. You are the temple of God, and God dwells in you, not in a building made by hands. Missing in that temple is the spirit of prophecy. Today we have the testimony of God in Christ, the Holy Bible, and the Holy Spirit, God's presence in us. There was only one recorded prophet after this temple was built, about 400 years from Malachi to John the Baptist. So from Malachi to John the Baptist, a 400-year period. But they had the Scriptures. They had the scrolls, at least. This spiritual temple, first of all, the physical temple was built against great odds. Satan, of course, did not want Judah to return from the Babylonian captivity, because he knew what the prophecies said. He didn't want them to return. So we look at Zechariah 3, and Zechariah 3 talks about how, in first verse, Satan is standing there to oppose the building of the Restoration Temple. Zechariah 3, verse 1, And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. You bet Satan is standing there to resist him. He didn't want the Restoration Temple built, and they had delayed 18 years. And they spent five years building it. And as we read from Ezra chapter 6, it was dedicated in 515 B.C. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! Even the Lord that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you is not this a brand plucked out of the fire. And so Satan was there to resist. And even here in this chapter, it talks about the symbolism that is of what is coming. Look at verse 6.

Here now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your fellows that sit before you, for they are men of wonder. For behold, that men of wonder. The actual translation is men of sign or symbolic of what is to come. For behold, I will bring forth my servant the branch. Who is the branch? Jesus Christ. What will my servant the branch do? Look at Zechariah 6, verse 12. And speaking to them, saying, Thou speak'st the eternal post, saying, Behold, the man whose name is the branch. We have read Matthew 16, 18. And he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the eternal, a building not made hands. And he shall build the temple of the eternal. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne. And he shall be a priest. He is our high priest. He's doing great intercessory work for us right now. He shall be a priest upon his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. He's sitting on a throne. That's kingly. And he is a priest. See, church and state are combined in the millennium. It will be a theocracy. It will not be a democracy or any otherocracy. It will be a theocracy, God and Christ and the saints ruling and reigning over the earth. Satan opposes the spiritual temple from the Garden of Eden to the present day. See, Satan was there in a garden to save Eve. Eve is cut off from the tree of life. When Jesus Christ came on the scene, Satan stupidly thought he could destroy the plan of God. Satan inspired the crucifixion of Christ. Satan continues to wage war against spiritual Zion. So it should now be obvious to us that Zion symbolizes the church. Look at Hebrews 12. What did I say about Hebrews? It compares and contrasts elements of the Old Covenant with elements of the New Covenant. The element of the Old Covenant that is contrasted where we're about to read now is Mount Sinai, where Israel received the Ten Commandments. They could not even touch the mountain because God said, I'll come down and I will deliver you the Ten Commandments. In Hebrews 12, we'll start in 19, the last part of this about Mount Sinai. Well, let's read 18. For you are not common to the mount that might be touched, and that burn with fire and are unto blackness and darkness and tempest. Verse 20, for they could not endure that which was commanded. And as much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with the dark. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. Okay, that's the Old Covenant, the comparison, the contrast. But you are come, you are come, unto Mount Zion, under the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, into an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly, and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men, made perfect. Zion, the church, is the apple of God's eye. Of course, God is zealous for Zion. So what should Zion be doing before the millennium begins? You would be turning to Joel chapter 2, Joel chapter 2, and verse 1.

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, so on. Joel chapter 2. In the school year of 8283, 1982-83, not 8283 B.C., but in the school year of 1982-83, Dick Ames and I had what they called the faculty swap in which he came to Big Sandy and taught the classes that I teach. And I went to Pasadena and taught the classes that he teaches. I taught fundamentals of theology, minor prophets, and general epistles. In late December of 1982, Mr.

Armstrong sent out a letter saying that we are calling a churchwide fast on January 1, 1983. Now, we were living almost on Orange Grove Boulevard. There was a vacant lot between us and Orange Grove Boulevard. Now, you know what happens on January 1st? That is Rose Parade and all these thousands of people camp out on Orange Grove Boulevard. So here we are, and we're fasting. He called it fast. And he likened, of course, Zion to the church, and a part of that letter was quoting this verse right here. That is why the toughest fast, because the noise kept us up basically all night.

In Joel 2, verse 1, Blow you the trumpet in Zion. Of course, the trumpet is likened into a voice in Revelation chapter 1, verses 10 through 12. Isaiah 58 says, Lift up your voice like a trumpet, show my people their sins. Blow you the trumpet in Zion. Sound an alarm in my holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord comes, for it is a day nigh at hand. So before that great and terrible day of the Lord, we are to, look at verse 15, Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and those that suck the breasts, let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber and the bride out of his closet.

Of course, the bridegroom is going to knock on the door of the ten virgins at the midnight hour, and five will be ready, and five will not be ready. So one of the things that the Church is to do is to proclaim the Gospel and feed the flock. So the very emblem here of the United Church of God is to proclaim the Gospel, preach the Gospel, and prepare a people for the return of Jesus Christ.

Now let's notice that we are to be born in Zion. We're to be born in Zion. There are many scriptures that I have listed here. I'm running out of time. I should have told you to begin with. We're going an hour and a half. I don't ever quit early. I just stop whenever it is. So look at Psalm 87. One of the...I gave a sermon, many of the sermons I've given in the last year or so, talks about begettle and birth. That we are begotten by the very Spirit of God. And somebody, some people, one person asked me even here about in Romans, what is it, 8, 16 or 17, that says, and we have received the adoption.

The Greek word there is houis, it means literally, sons. Why are we sons of God? Literally. Because God begets us with His very essence. His very essence is in us. We're begotten of His Spirit, and we talk about it all the time. And yet we even have people say, oh, adoption is the right translation. No, you can look in your concordance, you'll see that almost every place that it says adoption in the New Testament, it is wayo-thasia.

And it is sonship. We have received the sonship. We are begotten sons and daughters of God. We are going to be born sons and daughters of God. Let's read, I said Psalm 87, let's read Isaiah 66 first. Isaiah 66. Of course, there are many places. What does it say about Jesus Christ in Revelation 1.5? Revelation 1.5 says that Jesus Christ was first born, first born, pro-Totikos, was first born from the dead.

He is our forerunner. He has gone before us. And we, too, are going to be born from the dead, if we're dead. And if we're not dead, we'll be caught up in the air and meet Christ in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord as it says there in the New Testament?

Look at Isaiah 66. Verse 7. Before she surveilled, she brought forth. Before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child. Now it's interesting, I read the Jewish newspapers. One of them is called, what is it called? Breaking News of Israel, something like that. And it has a section about Bible prophecy. It has a section about Christian Zionism and the regathering of Israel now, and Trump moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

And they say, oh, it's a fulfillment of prophecy. And they talk about the... there's great talk about the temple being built. And they have a red heifer that's pure enough they can use the ashes to sprinkle on the temple mount, to purify it, as it talks about in Numbers 19. And so they say this is the ultimate fulfillment. Of course, that is not the ultimate fulfillment. But if we understand prophecy through the years, we've said that the Jews will probably build a temple or an altar and restore sacrifice. And you know, you read from 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 that one will sit in the temple of God saying that he is God, and he's destroyed by the brightness of the coming of Jesus Christ in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2.

We're talking more about Zion and being born into the family of God. So once again, verse 7 here in Isaiah 66, Before she each revealed, she brought forth, before her pain, she was delivered of a man-child, Who hath heard of such a thing, who hath seen such things?

Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day, or shall a nation be born at once? Oh, yes. A nation be born at once. In 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 9, we are called in holy nation. Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day, Shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? Shall I bring forth, and not cause to bring forth? And shut the womb, says your God. Rejoice you with your Rizalim, and be glad with her. All you that love her, rejoice, for joy with her. I'll let you mourn for her. The church will be in mourning, as it says in Isaiah 61, Before Jesus Christ comes, and those that are alive, even if you're in a place of safety, saying, How long, O Lord? How long? Because all of these cataclysmic events that are taking place. And of course, Jesus Christ comes and delivers Zion, and a nation is born. So let's look at Psalm 87.

Psalm 87. We sing to him, Glorious things of the unspoken Zion, said he of our God. So what is it really saying?

Psalm 87. His foundation is in the holy mountain. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Who chose Zion?

Glorious things are spoken of thee, O City of God.

You know, when this song is sung, sort of like chills go up your spine, the hair on the nape of your neck stands up. I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon, to them that know me, behold, Philistia, Tyre, with Ethiopia. This man was born there. Where was this man born? In Zion.

Okay, where are the saints today that have died?

Well, they're scattered all over the earth. Some were cremated, their ashes scattered or buried.

They're in the U.S. They're in all parts of the earth. Some are probably under the water.

I don't think many are buried on the Mount of Olives, that it will be in that resurrection.

This man was born there. Shall a nation be born in one day?

And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man, of Zion it shall be said, that this man and that man was born in her. Where? In Zion. And the highest himself shall establish her. The eternal shall count when he writes up the people, that this man was born there. Where? Zion.

As well as the singers and the players on the instrument shall be there. All my springs, springs represent living water, living water represent the Holy Spirit. All my springs are in you.

Of course, there's much, much more that can be said about Zion, and I have much, much more here, but we cannot endure anymore. The time hath come. At the GCE, Mr. Cuban and I gave split sermons, as we'll be doing tomorrow. He spoke first and only went thirty-one minutes. So I had an hour or more, and I took every bit of it.

And then in the exit survey, some said it was a split sermon. He went way over time. So we had a meeting today, Mr. Cuban and I, and Mr. Ost, and we worked out the time, but I'm going first tomorrow, so he's at my mercy tomorrow with regard to this. Well, I hope you continue to have a great feast. I hope you have a great evening. You got all day, all morning to meditate, study, offer spiritual sacrifices. We'll see you there. Or then, dismissed. Remember the cookies!

Thank you.

Thank you.