Citizens of the Jerusalem Above!
Passage of the Day:
“His foundation is in the holy mountains. Yahweh loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken about you, city of God. Selah. I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me. Behold, Philistia, Tyre, and also Ethiopia: “This one was born there.” Yes, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one was born in her”; the Most High himself will establish her. Yahweh will count, when he writes up the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah.” (Psalms 87:1-6 WEB)
In the psalm above, even the Gentiles (non-Jews) are registered as being born in Jerusalem. It’s talking about the second birth—being born again through the Holy Spirit.
When we were reborn in Him, we became a new creation, registered by God as citizens of the eternal nation of Israel. We were wild olives that God engrafted into the rich olive tree (Romans 11:17).
This is the Israel born of the Spirit and not born of the flesh. God’s holy nation of royal priests which we have become.
What many don’t realize is that the Mount Zion and Jerusalem on earth is patterned after the true Zion and Jerusalem that is in Heaven.
“For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” (Galatians 4:25-26 WEB)
There is a natural city of Jerusalem here on earth now, and there is an eternal city of Jerusalem in Heaven above. The Jerusalem above is the same one that will descend out of Heaven and land on the new earth in the future.
“I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:1-2 WEB)
As Jesus said, God’s will is for His Kingdom to come, and for earth to be as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10)—a mirror image of perfect peace and glory.
When God chose the site for the first temple to be built, He positioned it to reflect the heavenly reality. It’s a beautiful truth and when you study the Scriptures, you’ll understand that the layout of Heaven is the same as the layout of the Jerusalem on earth.
In my book “A Tour of Heaven and Eternity”, I explain the layout of Heaven and how God has already revealed to us its geographical aspects through His word.
Heaven doesn’t have to remain a mystery to you. Those who take time to read the whole Bible and piece together the layout of Heaven and Jerusalem will understand that the earthly city reflects the heavenly one.
Also, you’ll understand the difference between Paradise, God’s sanctuary on the mountain of God, and the city of New Jerusalem. Check it out: https://www.miltongoh.net/store/p15/a-tour-of-heaven-and-eternity-milton-goh.html
