Jerusalem, Kingdom of the Heavens

 

As Jesus showed in his prophecy pointing to the conclusion of the system of things,

Jerusalem would be "trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations" were fulfilled. (Luke 21:24) "Jerusalem" represented the Kingdom of God because its

 kings were said to sit on "the throne of the kingship of Jehovah."

( 1 Chronicles 28:4, 5;  Matthew 5:34, 35)

So, the Gentile governments, [represented by wild beasts], would 'trample' on the right of God's Kingdom to direct human affairs and would themselves hold sway under Satan's control.---

Compare Luke 4:5, 6.   

 

 

2 Samuel 7: 12, 13 [Davidic covenant]

 

When your days come to the full, and you must lie down with your forefathers, then I shall certainly raise up your seed after you, which will come out of your inward parts; and I shall indeed firmly establish his kingdom. He is the one that will build a house for my name, and I shall certainly establish the throne of his kingdom firmly to time indefinite. [14] I myself shall become his father, and he himself will become my son.

 

Psalm 89: 3,4

"I have concluded a covenant toward my chosen one;

I have sworn to David my servant,

Even to time indefinite I shall firmly

establish your seed,

And I will build your throne to generation after generation." Selah

 

Also 1 Chronicles 17: 11, 14.

 

And it must occur that when your days have come to the full [for you] to go [to be] with your

forefathers, I shall certainly raise up your seed after you that will come to be one of your sons, and I shall indeed firmly establish his kingship.

And I will cause him to stand in my house and in my kingship to time indefinite, and his throne

will itself become one lasting to time indefinite.

 

Jerusalem represents God Almighty's Kingdom over EARTH with His Son Jesus Christ as King.

But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

Galatians 4:26

 

Spiritual Jerusalem or New Jerusalem is Almighty God's administration over mankind on earth.

[Revelation 21: 2]. Psalm 11:4.

This he caused to abound toward us in all wisdom and good sense. In that he made known

to us the sacred secrets of his will. It is according to his good pleasure which he purposed in

himself for an administration at the full limit of the appointed times namely, to gather all things

together AGAIN in the Christ, the things in the HEAVENS and the things on the EARTH.

Ephesians 1: 8, 9, 10.

 

It has as its King, Jesus Christ, and 144,000 anointed ones from the earth as kings and priests from Spiritual Israel.   Daniel 7: 13, 14; Daniel 2: 44; Revelation 20: 6.

Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule

as kings with him for the thousand years.

 

When Jesus Christ, the Messiah or anointed One was rejected by

the Jews, the NEW covenant fell on a NEW NATION, SPIRITUAL Israel. According to the Holy

Scriptures, the Bible, we read at Matthew 21: 43: This is why I say to you, The Kingdom of God

will be TAKEN from you and be GIVEN to a NATION producing its FRUITS; and at Matthew

23: 38 we read: Look! Your house is abandoned to you. Also, at Acts 15: 14 - 20: Symeon has

related thoroughly how God for the FIRST time turned his attention to the NATIONS to take out of THEM a PEOPLE for his NAME. And with this the words of PROPHETS agree, just as it is WRITTEN, 'After these things I shall RETURN and rebuild the booth of David that is fallen down;

and I shall REBUILD its ruins and erect it again, in order that those who REMAIN of the men may

EARNESTLY seek Jehovah, together with people of ALL the NATIONS, people who are

CALLED by my NAME, says Jehovah, who is doing these things, known from of old.

Please COMPARE Amos 9: 11, 12.

 

Luke 1:32, 33: This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule as king over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be

 no end of his kingdom.

Psalm 110:1-2: The utterance of Jehovah to my Lord is, "Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies as a

stool for your feet. The rod of your strength Jehovah will send out of Zion, [saying] "Go subduing in the midst of your enemies."

Hebrew 10:11-18: Also, every priest takes his station from day to day to render public service and to offer the

same sacrifices often, as these are at no time able to take sins away completely. But this [man] offered one

sacrifice for sins perpetually and sat down at the right hand of God, from then on

 awaiting until his enemies should be placed as a stool for his feet. For it is by one [sacrificial] offering

that he has made those who are being sanctified perfect perpetually. Moreover, the holy spirit also bears

 witness to us, for after it has said: "'This is the covenant that I shall covenant toward them after those days,'

 says Jehovah. 'I will put my laws in their hearts, and in their minds I shall write them,'" [it says afterwards]

 

"And I shall by no means call their sins and their lawless deeds to mind anymore." Now where there is

forgiveness of sins, there is no longer an offering for sin. 

Please see also Jeremiah 31: 33-34.

 

See also Acts 7:52-56.

 

1 Peter 3: 18, 22.

 

Most of us would be familiar with the account of Nicodemus, the Pharisee, and a ruler of the Jews, who came to Jesus, the Christ [anointed One], at night.

Let us continue with the account at John 3:3 which reads:

In answer Jesus said to him, "Most truly I say to you, unless ANYONE is BORN AGAIN, he CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM of God."

After a few other exchanges, Jesus explains at John 3:5, which reads:

Jesus answered: "Most truly I say to you, unless ANYONE is BORN FROM WATER AND SPIRIT, HE CANNOT ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF God.

Earlier John the Baptist observed:

 John said: "I viewed the spirit coming down as a dove out of heaven, and it remained upon him. Even I did not know him, but the very One who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'Whoever it is upon whom you see the spirit coming down and remaining, this is the one that baptizes in holy spirit.' AND I HAVE SEEN IT, AND I HAVE BORNE WITNESS THAT this one is the Son of God."

John 1:32-34.

To more fully understand what Jesus, the Son of God is saying LOOK at John 3: 8.

Let us consider John 3:13.

John 3:13; "No one has ascended into the heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man."

1 Corinthians 15:50; "I tell you this, brethren: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable."

SIGNIFICANCE OF BAPTISM BY WATER AND SPIRIT.

It is evident that Jesus Christ, the One who was SENT by God [John 8: 42], was giving to Nicodemus, and by extension to ALL who SEEK TRUTH, the pre-requisite of those

who would be BORN AGAIN as invisible spirits i.e. that they would be spirit-anointed.

See please Acts 2: 1- 4; Acts 10: 44- 45.

Revelation 20: 6 says: Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection;

over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him for the thousand years.

 

John the Baptist, NOT of the heavens.

 

Matthew 11:11 says:  Truly I say to you people, among those born of women there

has NOT BEEN RAISED UP A PERSON GREATER than John the Baptist; but a

person that is a LESSER one in the kingdom of the HEAVENS is GREATER THAN

HE IS.