JERUSALEM - SALVATION - PRAISE!

I am amazed when I read the history of the city of Jerusalem, the city God has called His own. Since the sacrifice and salvation offered to each of us through Christ the Messiah, God has also called each of us His own, His dwelling place, through His Spirit.


The story of Jerusalem is glorious, as is our story after salvation. The story of Jerusalem is also desolation and destruction, which is a picture of us in our unsanctified state before salvation.


The enemy of our souls, that serpent of old, the accuser of the brethren will continue to bring to mind our desolate condition of the past; clouding the glorious
condition that is available to each of us now, and a much more glorious eternity that the Father has promised His children. There are quite a few Scriptures here, but each one has ministered to me as I apply it to my past condition while living in rebellion, the promises that are available to me presently, and the future glory that awaits each of us that are His for all of eternity!


Psalm 49:19-22
" For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land f thy destruction, shall even now be to narrow by reason of the inhabitants (so many people the land is not big enough) and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away."


" The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, the place is to strait (small, tight) for me; give place to me that I may dwell. Then thou shalt say in thine heart, who has given me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing (being an exile) to and fro? And who hath brought up these?"


"Behold, I was left alone; these, where have they been? (where did they come from!)
Thus saith the Lord God, behold I WILL lift up Mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up My standard (His banner) to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. :


* The blessings of God will overtake the desolation that we have experienced in our past life of sin and rebellion. As the Scripture foretells, the nations, the Gentiles will see the blessing and favor of God and be drawn to Him through us. God has lifted up His hand to unbelievers (Gentiles) and they shall bring what they have held captive of ours in their arms, back to us. I am not speaking of material blessings at all; I speak of what we were once held captive and in exile for, the unbelief, the sin, the despair and desolation is now removed in Christ Jesus and unbelievers will see our freedom, our new spiritual condition, our favor with God and what once held us in our land of captivity no longer exists in our lives.



We are new creatures in Christ Jesus. We are His banner!


Isaiah 60:18,19
" Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy wall Salvation, and thy gates Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy Glory."



This is the future of earthly Jerusalem in the natural and for His children now. In measure we experience this; in the future this will be totally fulfilled for us, and for Jerusalem.



Jeremiah 31:38-40
" Behold, (pay attention!) the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner. And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill of Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath. And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more forever."


The exactness and purpose of God will never be changed or altered. He has a measuring rod for Jerusalem that will be followed and fulfilled and He has a measuring rod for each of us that will likewise be applied. Psalm 115:3 says, "Our God is in the heavens: He has done whatsoever He has pleased!" It is important that we realize that we have an Advocate in the heavens who represents our affairs here on earth and it is of utmost importance that we check in with Him daily.


As we do~
Jeremiah 33:6-16
" Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. And I will cause the captivity of Judah (and us) and Israel to return and will build them as at first. And I will cleanse them from all of their iniquity, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against Me. "


" And it shall be TO ME a name of joy, a praise and an honor before all nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them; and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it."


"Thus saith the LORD; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye say shall be desolate (do we ever say this about ourselves?) without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant, and without beast, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts; for the LORD is good;; for His mercy endureth forever;"


" and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return-the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of Hosts; again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down."


"In the cities of the mountains, in the cites of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that tellleth them, saith the LORD. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Jacob."


* His all encompassing blessing will actually overtake those who come to Him. Blessings that are both here in peace and satisfaction in His sufficiency in all things pertaining to Godliness, and for all of eternity. There are promises for the future glory of earthly Jerusalem, and they can be applied in a spiritual sense to those that are His now.



The voice of joy in the full revelation of who we are in Him and who He is in us!
The voice of gladness! The voice of the Bridegroom, CHRIST and the voice of the Bride, US!


Behold, that days come, saith the LORD, that He will perform that good thing which He has promised; to gather us unto Himself! Even so, come LORD Jesus.