Turning tonight, if you have your Bibles, to the 21st chapter of Revelation, Revelation 21, and we want to begin reading at the 1st verse. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. and there was no more seat. And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." And there came unto me one of the seven angels, which had the seven vows, full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. And her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal, and had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the land. And he that talked with me had a golden reed, to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, and hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper, and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third a chalcedony, the fourth an emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth a topaz, the tenth a chrysoperas, the eleventh adjacent the twelfth anamethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Every several gate was of one pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it. For the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nation. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him. And they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever. And he saith unto me, These sayings are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Let's ask the Lord's blessing on his work. Our Father, as we come to these things tonight, we know that we come to things hard to be understood. We pray that by thy grace that the Spirit of God might open our understanding, that we might compare spiritual things with spiritual, that the Spirit of God himself might show us the deep things of God. We realize, Lord, that we are looking here at blessed things that are prepared for thy people in the day yet future. how we do pray that we might not study these things together and then go forth from this place failing to understand the things that are before us. We know, Father, that you have hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes, that there is not a single person here tonight who is unable to understand the simple message of salvation and the glorious love of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray, Lord, that these things might be real to our hearts that we might go from here realizing not only that we've studied about these things, but that we're going to experience them one day, because our names are indeed written in heaven, because we've trusted the Savior and his precious blood as our only hope for eternal life. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. We come tonight to study one of the most controversial subjects in the book of the Revelation among good fundamental Bible scholars. When you begin to talk about men such as A.C. Gableine and Harry Ironside, Dr. Ford Ottman, Henry Alford, William Kelly, William Pettengill, J.N. Darby, John Walvoord, William Newell, Dwight Pentecost, and men of this stature and this reputation, and when you begin to talk about the fact that they are split down the middle on any issue, you can be sure of two things. First of all, you can be sure that it is not a fundamental doctrine. because they are 100% in agreement on all of these. But secondly, you can be sure that somebody has to be wrong, because there is only one right presentation of any truth that is presented here within the pages of the Word of God. There is only one truth, whether we are talking about the Lord Jesus, who is the truth living, or the truth written down here in the pages of the Word of God. Now, all these are good men, and I read all of their arguments and I resolved nothing So tonight you're going to have to be content to hear my views on this particular portion of the revelation. Certainly I don't know that much about many things that are here in the Word of God. But as I've told you so many times, I believe that God has designed these things in such a way that he wants each one of us to be a Bible student. As we noticed when we came to the very beginning of this book, there is a special blessing upon those who read and study and keep the things that are written. here within these pages. When we're talking about these things of prophecy, we're talking about things that are important, at least in the mind of God. Man writes them off as darkness and mystery, and that's because man has an understanding that's darkened because he's alienated from the life of God and he's lost forever until he comes to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Our subject is the New Jerusalem. is the city described for us here in some detail in Revelation chapters 21 and 22. The point in question is this. When do we go to live in the city? Who is going to be living in the New Jerusalem? And where does this thing fit into the plan of God? Basically there are two conflicting views. First of all, one view is that everything after chapter 20 has only eternity in view. This would mean that during the thousand-year reign, during the millennium, the Lord Jesus will live here on this earth and we'll be living here with him. After the kingdom age and the final rebellion of Satan and the destruction of earth, as we were speaking of it here at the close of chapter 20 last week, then we go to live in the condition and in the city that is put before us in Revelation chapters 21 and 22. The other position is that the first 8 verses of this 21st chapter describe the eternal condition. Then verses 9, as we've read them through verse 5 of the 22nd chapter, are a flashback to the thousand-year reign and our dwelling place with the Lord Jesus during that thousand years, as far as the Millennium is concerned. As I say, it would be too complicated to tell you who believes what and why they believe So I'm simply going to give you my position and I'm going to show you the scriptures that brought me to this conclusion with regard to the New Jerusalem. As I mentioned a moment ago, I believe that God intends for each one of us to study these things for ourselves. If he didn't, they wouldn't be here. If they were unimportant, he would have left these things out of the word of God. And even though these are not the fundamentals of the faith, Even though we're not speaking here of doctrine that's going to send somebody to hell forever if they're wrong, we're talking about things that as far as God is concerned we shouldn't be studying. It's our responsibility to know what we believe and to have some scripture to back it up, as far as anything that's written in the Word of God is concerned. Here's what I believe. I believe that just as I have demonstrated to you in past messages that every major Bible teaching has two lines of truth connected with it, one that is earthly and one that is heavenly, one that is manifest and one that is mystery. And I don't believe there is a single exception to this rule that I've ever come across in studying the Word of God. Twice in this chapter we see the New Jerusalem coming down. Notice what we read here in verse 1 of Revelation 21. and I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea." Now, very obviously, that's the eternal state. That's the eternal condition that we're talking about there. Then we read in verse 2, And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. So here is one instance where we see the new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. But then when we come to verse 10, notice what we read. He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. Then he goes on to describe the city. So here we see two occasions, two instances of the new Jerusalem coming down. I'm just enough of a literalist to believe that the New Jerusalem was actually coming down two times, just as the Word of God says it is. I don't believe God would have said it was coming down twice unless it was. And this is the basis for what I'm going to be telling you in the next few moments. As I see it, the order of these things will be as follows. At the end of the 7 years of tribulation, the Lord will open the clouds, as we saw it there in Revelation 19. and he'll come through them riding upon a white horse, and we'll come with him. At that time, as the Prophet Zechariah tells us, his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. We'll be in glorified bodies, we'll be coming literally to this earth, just as the Prophet predicted, to stand upon the Mount of Olives in that day. This is going to cause a great earthquake, as we'll see in a few moments. And it's going to completely rearrange the mountains and the plains of the Promised Land from one end to the other. The Lord is going to ride into the city of Jerusalem with it standing just like it is today, probably, with very few changes. And he's going to sit upon David's throne in a rebuilt temple, to fulfill the prophecy to establish his kingship as King of Kings and Lord of Lords there in Jerusalem. to this heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, is going to come down out of heaven and rest upon these reworked mountains of the Promised Land. The earthly Jerusalem as we know it today will remain with the Millennial Temple predicted by Ezekiel, with the things that are spoken of down through the pages of the Old Testament scripture, with the Jews who have lived through the tribulation period and their children working the land here in this world, but the difference The thing that's going to make the great difference is the fact that this heavenly city, New Jerusalem, is going to come down above the old city and rest upon the mountains. This New Jerusalem, I believe, is going to be the home of the Lord Jesus, it's going to be the home of his bride, the Church, it will be the home of the Old Testament Saints, and it will be the home of an innumerable company of angels. I believe it's from this place on the mountains of the promised land that the Lord Jesus is going to rule. And we and the Old Testament Saints rule with him during the thousand-year reign. The Lord's relationship to the earth and to its people in that day is going to be similar, I believe, to what it was after his resurrection. Do you remember reading how he came and went into the upper room with the door shut to talk to his disciples? on the Emmaus Road, he talked to the women there at the tomb. I believe that our relationship to the people of this earth is going to be very similar to the ministry of angels as we find it here in this age in which we are living, except that we are going to be in our glorified bodies. This is not to say that we'll be angels, because the Bible says we'll be like him, for we shall see him as he is. But I mean that in terms of coming and going on this earth to exercise authority, I think there are several scriptural indications that this is going to be our type of function as we reign with the Lord Jesus in the Millennium. Our home is going to be in the city, on the mountains, with the Lord Jesus Christ. And we'll leave that city whenever necessary to carry out our work among men. The Promised Land with its Millennial Temple and the Holy Oblation that Jeremiah talked about, the Old Jerusalem, is going to be the world's center of worship. all the nations of the world are going to come up to that city, the Bible tells us to worship there. Now, as I say, sitting above this city, on these mountains, I believe, is going to be the New Jerusalem, which has come down from God out of heaven, as we see it there in the 10th verse of Revelation, chapter 21. I believe that this is the descent, this is a flashback to the situation that is going to exist during the millennium. We find this many times here in the book of Revelation. We read in Revelation 20, verse 11, of the final judgment that is going to come, not only on men, but upon this planet in which we live. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. and there was found no place for them. As we studied it last week, this is the judgment of the unsaved dead. This is the final resurrection for those who know not the Lord Jesus Christ. They are going to stand before the great white throne. But I believe there is something important there in that phraseology, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. Two things are signified to me there. When astronauts are sitting in a rocket and they are ascending, and they are looking down, this earth and this heaven seem to flee away as they rise up into outer space. The destination is away from the earth, and it looks like the heaven and the earth are fleeing away as they move out into space. I believe that secondly we are talking here about the destruction of the earth, as Peter describes it, when the heavens being on fire shall be destroyed with a great noise, the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Certainly there's going to be a great fleeing away of the heavens and the earth at that time. But I believe it's at this point that the New Jerusalem with us inside is going to rise off the mountains of the promised land to a safe place in the heavens. The heavens of this world are going to pass away with a great noise, the elements melt with fervent heat. And while this is happening, the unsaved are going to stand before the great white throne, they're going to be judged, they're going to be cast into the lake of fire. And then as we see it there in Revelation 21 and verse 1, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. The Lord is going to speak as he did 6,000 years ago, and a new heaven and a new earth will be created. And then as we see it there in Revelation 21 too, our city, the new Jerusalem, is going to descend for our place of safety to rest upon this newly created heavens and earth and be set down there to remain forever. The things that I've just told you can't be found in any book. But if we had a lot of time, if we had several hours, I'd like to show you just how clearly these conclusions can be drawn from God's book. And just as surely a scientist can form a scientific model from accumulated information, this is a spiritual model that fits the framework of what God has revealed very well. I want to show you some scriptures that I believe substantiate the things that I've just been telling to you. Scriptures that make it almost impossible for it to be any other way. That is, if we're going to take the Bible literally. Now, this is something that is very amazing. When you read the writings of these good men, who stand for the fundamentals of the faith and for the literal interpretation of the Word of God, it seems that they begin to want to spiritualize things when you get to the teaching about the New Jerusalem. But it's unnecessary. There's no need for it. Because we can take this book the way it's written and understand it the way it's written, in child-likeness, and believe it to be the truth. Now, just briefly, I want you to turn with me to some of those key scriptures involved in what we're talking about tonight. First of all, we need to turn to the 14th chapter of John. John, chapter 14, reading the first verse. Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also." We saw there in Revelation 21, the statement, ìThe tabernacle of God is with men.î This is what the Lord Jesus is talking about here. He is talking about the time when we are going to be dwelling with him forever. The time spoken of by the Apostle Paul, when he said, ìWe which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with the dead in Christ.î to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. We're going to be with the Lord Jesus. Many, many scriptures substantiate that. But the Lord Jesus here tells us where we're going to be as far as being with him is concerned. In my Father's house. In my Father's house are many mansions, are many dwelling places. And he says, I go to prepare a place for you, a place for you in the house of the Father that has many dwelling places. Now, nothing fits there but the heavenly Jerusalem. He's preparing a place for us in the city. That's the dwelling place of God. The tabernacle of God is with men, and it's going to be with men in that city. And unless God is going to change dwelling places, that's where we're going to be living. And a prepared place for a prepared people in this city that the Lord Jesus is speaking of right here. Now turn, if you will, to Galatians chapter 4. We find this same city mentioned. I'm sure that the Apostle Paul as he was writing here to the Church at Galatia, had no real idea of what he was talking about. He was writing under the inspiration of God, and he was saying things that fit with many other scriptures that weren't given yet, the ones we've been reading there in Revelation. But when we come here to Galatians 4, he's talking there in verse 22. He says, "...for it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman." But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory? For these are the two covenants, the one from the Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem, which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all." Right now he's talking about many things there that are quite complicated as far as the Abrahamic covenant is concerned, the typology of the flesh and the spirit, the typology of the law and grace. But the important thing that I want you to notice is what he says there in verse 25. This Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem, which now is as the earthly Jerusalem, and is in bondage with her children, as the world is under a curse, and Jerusalem with But he says there is another Jerusalem which is above, which is free, which is the mother of us all. Now, you see, Jerusalem above was something that the Apostle Paul knew about. In this day, at this particular point in history, by revelation in the Spirit of God, he knew that Jerusalem, the New Jerusalem, the Holy City, was there. It was in existence, and it was in heaven above. All right, now let's turn, if you will, to Hebrews 11. We'll learn something more about this city. Hebrews 11, we want to begin reading at the 8th By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out, not knowing whether he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. Notice this, for he looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God." Now, again, only the New Jerusalem fits the model here. Abraham, this Old Testament Saint, was looking for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God. Abraham was looking for the New Jerusalem. Now, this tells us something, doesn't it? It tells us that the Old Testament Saints are going to be living in the city. right along with the bride, the Lamb's wife. Old Testament Saints like Abraham were looking for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. It seems strange indeed that God would tell us that this city has foundations, unless there is something for that foundation to rest upon. I believe that the foundations are going to be resting upon this as well as upon the new heavens and the new earth, as we'll see in a few moments. But notice what we read here in Hebrews 11 and verse 13. He's been talking here about all the men of faith, women of faith, and he says in verse 13, "...these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off." Now, they could see promises off in the future. Just like the Lord Jesus said of Abraham, he rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. God revealed to Abraham that the day of Christ was coming. And by the same token, he revealed to these Old Testament saints who had no Bible, the fact that there were promises out there to be received. But these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. I notice verse 14, "...for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly, wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city." Now, there's the New Jerusalem, prepared for the Old Testament already prepared in that day, and the Lord Jesus went to this same city to prepare a place for you and me. Now, all these things are simply establishing for us something that we discover a little more clearly in Hebrews 12 and verse 22. but ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, and 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, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh For if they escape not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. Whose voice then shook the earth, but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also the heaven." And this word, yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken. As of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire." Here we are told some important things. We see very plainly in verse 22 that we are talking about the heavenly Jerusalem, this holy city that John saw coming down from God out of heaven, the same one. But then we are told the inhabitants that are going to be there. They are listed for us right here. In verse 22 we see there is going to be an innumerable company of angels. In verse 23 we see the Church is going to be there. In that same verse 23 we see the spirits of just men made perfect, the Old Testament Saints. In verse 24 we see the Lord Jesus. But then when we come down to verse 26, we get some more important information. "...whose voice then shook the earth, But now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." That's what Peter was talking about when he said the heavens are going to pass away with a great noise. The elements are going to melt with fervent heat. God is going to shake not only the earth, but the heaven as well, and the reason is there in verse 27. And this word, Yet once more, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made. That those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved or removed as it should be there, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Here he is contrasting our kingdom, our kingdom that is permanent, our kingdom that cannot be shaken, that is going to remain. with the earthly kingdoms of this world that are going to pass away. They are going to pass away just as God predicted that they would. Now, let's go, if you will, to Zechariah chapter 14, next to the last book of the Old Testament. There are so many scriptures involved here, but we're trying to get enough into one message that you can see just what's involved. Zechariah 14, and reading the 1st verse. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle. and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city." There is the tribulation period. Notice verse 3, "...then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east." So this is when the Lord Jesus comes in the air at the end of the tribulation period, he comes and his feet stand upon the Mount of Olives, and he goes forth to fight against those nations. As we've seen, he destroys them with the sword of his mouth, he destroys them with the glory and the brightness of his coming. He sends forth his angels to fight for him here in this battle right at the close of the tribulation period. But then something else important happens when his feet stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives. As we see it there in the 4th verse, the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west. And there shall be a very great valley, and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. Now, here is a complete restructuring of the topography of the Holy Land. And ye shall flee to the valleys of the mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azel. Yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day that the light shall not be clear nor dark, and it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day nor night. But it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea. In summer and in winter shall it be. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth, and that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one." Now, you notice here that there are going to be some very great changes that are going to be taking place in the situation there in the Holy Land when the Lord Jesus comes and stands upon the Mount of Olives. You notice also that the Lord is going to be King, as we see there in the 9th verse, over all the earth. This is when he is coming to set up the kingdom, when there shall be one Lord in his name alone. But notice what we read there in the 8th verse. And it shall be in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea, in summer and in winter shall it be. Now when the Lord's feet cleave the Mount of Olives, there is going to be this great valley made out there, as we see it there in the 4th verse. Cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a great valley. Half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, half of it toward the south. And in this valley is going to flow living waters from Jerusalem to the former sea and to the hinder sea. A river flowing across the land of Jerusalem that's going to be a very important river as far as this country is concerned. Now turn to Ezekiel chapter 47 and we'll read a little bit about it. In fact just a few pages, a little more than a few I guess, but it doesn't seem like many. Ezekiel chapter 47 and the first verse. Afterward he brought me again under the door of the house. I might mention to you that beginning in Ezekiel chapter 40 and coming up through 41, 42, 43, right on down the line here, we have a very extensive description of the millennial temple. The temple that is going to exist right here on this earth where sacrifices are going to be offered, where at least a remnant of the priesthood is going to be restored in memory of the price that the Lord Jesus paid on Calvary's cross. All these things are going to be maintained as symbolism, as representation to the people down through the thousand-year reign of the death of the Lord Jesus died, the price that he paid. So we are talking about something that is taking place with regard to this great temple that is going to exist during the millennium. He says in chapter 47, verse 1, Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house, and behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward. for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from the right side of the house at the south side of the altar. Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate, and by the way that looketh eastward, and behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man that had the lion in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters, the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters, the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through, the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass over, for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over." Now here we see a miraculous river, the one I believe that we just read about there in Zechariah. It's going to begin as a trickle coming out from under the temple, and is going to run out down to the former sea and the hinder sea, and is going to have a fantastic result as we read it here. Look at verse 6. And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down to the desert, and go into the sea. Which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. That's the dead sea, going to be cured by the waters that are coming out here in this miraculous way. Verse 9, And it shall come to pass, that everything that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live. And there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither, for they shall be healed. and everything shall live whether the river come." That's really something. We're talking here not about natural water, but about living water. Living water, I believe, that's going to come not only from under the altar and under the threshold of the house, but from out of the New Jerusalem. Turn, if you will, to Revelation 22. You have to do in this what you have to do in so many other aspects of prophecy. You have to take the facts that are given and accumulate these facts to see if they fit the model of prophecy that God has given. And certainly we're not talking here about a bunch of disjointed truth. We're talking about unity. We're talking about a perfect revelation of things that are going to come to pass. And certainly that life-giving river in Zechariah and that life-giving river in Ezekiel has all the characteristics of this life-giving river here in Revelation 22, verse 1. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the land, and the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits. and yielded her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." Here we are talking about the same kind of healing river, the same kind of living water, this time in the New Jerusalem, coming out from under the throne of God, and I believe flowing on down into the Millennial temple, under the altar, and out the door and down the street into the sea, as pictured there by Zechariah the prophet. Now let's turn for a moment to Micah, chapter I hope this is not too discouraging to those of you who haven't been saved very long and you're not used to turning through the Bible, because I'm having to go awfully fast to cover all these scriptures. But you just find them if you can and keep at it, because pretty soon you'll get to where you can find them with no trouble. Micah 4, and the 1st verse. He says, "...but in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it." Now, let me read that to you again. It shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord. and to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." Well, that's enough. You know that that's talking about the Millennium. It's the most familiar passage in the Bible, probably, in connection with the Millennium. So we're talking about a time, as Micah tells us very clearly, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall go unto it. Now, maybe that doesn't mean anything. Maybe that's symbolical language. But as I'll show you in just a moment, there's no way that it can be. Let's turn back to Zechariah again, next to the last book, the Old Testament, chapter 8 this time, and verse 1. Zechariah 8 and verse 1. Again, the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. Then saith the Lord, I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain. Here is more of this emphasis on the fact that the mountains are going to characterize the city of Jerusalem during the Millennium. Notice verse 4, "...thus saith the Lord of hosts, There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem," talking about the Millennium now, "...and every man with his staff in his hand for every age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof." Thus saith the Lord of hosts, If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the Lord of hosts. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will save my people from the east country, from the west country, and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness." Now there can be no question that we are talking here about the Millennials. We're talking about the fact that in the Millennium there are going to be old men and old women and boys and girls in the streets of Jerusalem, literally, here on this earth, if we can take this thing literally. And certainly that's the only way you can take it, unless you're going to destroy the whole Word of God. Now let's go to Isaiah chapter 2. Isaiah 2, and the first verse. The word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it? That's what we just got through looking at from another prophet just a few moments ago, almost word for word. It shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. The point I'm making here is this. God says in the passage we just noticed about the old men and the little children and the nations flowing into Jerusalem, he says in this passage right here, people coming up to Jerusalem during the millennium, people who don't know the Lord. He will teach us his ways, we will walk in his paths, for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Now, we've been studying about how many millions of people are going to be in the world during the millennium who don't know the Lord. People are going to all be coming up to Jerusalem, according to these prophecies that we've just seen, to worship the Lord every year. But now comes the problem. Turn to Joel, chapter 3. Another one of those little prophets that hides there close to the end of the Old Testament, Joel 3. that the Lord shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem. Now if you will read the context here, this is a passage we have studied many times about the end of the tribulation period. The Lord shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shall shake. But the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. Now here is the millennium, verse 17. So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain. Then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more." Now, if you know the language of the Old Testament, you know that that verse is saying right there that nobody that is lost is going to pass through Jerusalem in that day. Jerusalem shall be holy, and no stranger shall pass through her any more. Now, we'll see that again if you'll turn to Isaiah chapter 60. Here, as I say, this is a sample of many, many verses that we can look at that show that either you've got two contradictions here, just button heads, one against the other. Where on the one hand we have a Jerusalem that's open to the public, where all these unsaved people come who don't know the Lord, worshiping him. And on the other hand, a holy place, a miraculous place, where only the saved can go, contemporaneously pictured during the millennium here on the earth at the same time. And the only thing that will fit that model is to have the old Jerusalem just as it is now, to have the new Jerusalem resting on the tops of the mountains, as I said to you a few moments ago. But here in Isaiah 60, this is important because this is the kind of verse that blows the mind of somebody that takes any other position. Isaiah 60, notice what we read at the 14th Now he's talking to Jerusalem here, to Israel. He says, "...the sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee. And all they that despise thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet. And they shall call thee the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel." Now God says here, the children of those that have oppressed the Jews are going to come, they are going to bow at the soles of the feet at this city of Jerusalem. They are going to say, there is the city of the Lord. There is the Zion of the Holy One of Israel, as they come and bow at the feet of this city. Verse 15, Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many nations. Now there he is calling Jerusalem, in a millennial context, an eternal excellency. Not one that is going to come to an end at the end of a thousand years, but calling it an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. Verse 16, Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings, and thou shalt know that I, the Lord, am thy Savior, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass and for stones iron. I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders, but thou shalt call thy walls salvation, and thy gates praise." Now here is another problem, unless we've got two here. The sun shall be no more thy light by day. Neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee. Now this is the millennial context here. but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory." Now, that's no problem when we read about the New Jerusalem. This is exactly the condition that's going to exist in the New Jerusalem. We just read it there in Revelation chapter 22, 21. But here we see that he's talking here in context of the Millennium. And he says in verse 20, "...thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself, for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light." and the days of thy mourning shall be ended." Now notice this, "...thy people also shall be all righteous." All saved people in this city here, and yet we just got through reading in several places that lost people are going to be traversing the streets of Jerusalem in the Millennium. Now there is no problem if we are talking about the earthly Jerusalem, where the lost people are traversing and coming up to worship in a literal temple. and so forth. And a heavenly Jerusalem resting there on the mountains. Nobody can enter that city except by resurrection or by rapture. It's the only way to get into the city. And you get into that city of resurrection when you get your glorified body, and not before. So we've got this one above, we've got this one below. And there's no problem with any of these scriptures that seem so completely contradictory otherwise. Verse 21, "...thy people also shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land forever." the branch of my planning, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified," and that's it, in that passage. I think you've gotten the point. There are definitely two cities mentioned here. One was saved only, and one that the unsaved nations are going to come into. One that has a temple, one that has no temple, because the Lamb is the temple. One that has light and is growing and facing normal life, just as in this to a very great degree. And another one, as we've just read about it here, where there is no need for the moon or the sun, because the Lamb is the light of it, as we saw there in the book of the Revelation. In the one city, as we saw there in the book of the Revelation, there is no more curse. But the curse is still on the earth, the Jerusalem. There will be people dying there, as we saw it the week before last. So the only hope for a literal interpretation is the model that I've given you tonight. the fact that there are going to be two lines of truth, one heavenly and one earthly, one manifest and one mystery. One time the heavenly city descending to rest on the mountains above the old Jerusalem to remain there for a thousand years, then removing while the earth is destroyed and after the Lord has spoken and created a new heaven and a new earth, coming down to rest on that new heaven and new earth to remain forever. As I say, we'll have to wait until we get to heaven and get there with the Lord to find out if all these things are exactly right or not. But it's something to think about, something the Lord has told us to think about and to study and to consider in the light of all these scriptures. But this is something that reconciles so many things that otherwise just don't fit the picture at all. The important thing tonight for you is whether you are going to be in the city or not. As we saw it there, and what John wrote in the 21st chapter of Revelation, the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it. The gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, for there shall be no night there. And there shall in no wise enter into it. anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." You see, the only way you get to the New Jerusalem, regardless of where it will be when, is by coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ. God says nobody is going to get in that city that is defiled in any way, shape, or form. Now, that doesn't include anybody here tonight. He says nobody is going to get there if they work abomination or if they make a lie. That doesn't include anybody here tonight. But you see the difference is that some of us here tonight have been cleansed by the blood of Christ. All our abomination, all our defilement, all our lies have been put under the blood. And there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. We have the gift of eternal life. We have our sins put away because they have been laid on the Lord Jesus Christ. And we stand in the sight of God perfect, without defilement, without abomination, without lies, just as though we'd never seen. I wonder if that's your condition. It can only become your condition when you're willing to acknowledge your sins and call upon the Lord Jesus to save you, to give you this gift of eternal life. If you do it, you go to the city. If you don't, you go to the lake of fire. Very simple alternatives. very reasonable alternatives in light of the holiness and the justice of God. God offers us the city. By faith we can look for these promises. And he warns us of the wrath to come. He tells us of the tribulation, of the lake of fire, of the great white throne judgment. And he gives us opportunity now to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in simple faith and be saved. Our Father, we do rejoice tonight in the things that we've seen. It's wonderful to contemplate the marvelous things of the New Jerusalem. Lord, we know that no matter how much we think about it or read about it, it is equally true that I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But how we do pray that you will help us by the teaching of thy Spirit, by the revelation of thy Spirit, to enter into the reality of some of these things. To realize that these are not words in a book, but this is truth sent down from heaven. And just as surely as you've declared it, you'll perform it. Just as surely as you've promised, you'll bring it to pass. And Father, we pray that upon the heart of each one tonight might be a burden to know the Lord Jesus and then to desire that others might come to know him. that we might dwell together one day in this city that you've prepared for us. I pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.