Calling the Peoples to Jerusalem (No. 238)

Many of us are familiar with the tribes of the children of Israel. It is common understanding of people of the Netherlands that the Dutch people are known as the descendants of the tribe of Zebulun and the Friesian people as the children of Issachar. This has been researched by a number of scholars and the proofs are too involved to be dealt with here. We will not go into the other identification of Issachar with the tribes of Finland nor will we discuss the structure of the Juti or Jutes, who invaded England with the Anglo-Saxons and Danes. This will be explained in the later works on the history and movements of the tribes.

We are concerned here with the biblical commission of the children of Zebulun and of Issachar. In fact, we know their commissions, not only as a people but also their commission as the Church of God and as the children of God individually, as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (NIV)

This is our commission to make all nations disciples of Jesus Christ by teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded us. So we are required to know everything that Jesus Christ has commanded us. That is encompassed in what we understand as the Law and the fulfilment of the Law, from which not one jot or one tittle will pass away, until all has been fulfilled.

John 10:34-36 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’? ³⁵If he called them ‘gods’ to whom the word of God came – and the Scripture cannot be broken – ³⁶what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, “I am God’s Son? (NIV)

Matthew 5:17-18 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. ¹⁸For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (KJV)

There are certain prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled, or only partially, waiting for their complete fulfilment. This is also valid for some of the birthrights allotted to some groups of people that still have not been fulfilled. As the Scripture cannot be broken, these birthrights still have to be claimed, and that should be faced properly. The birthright promises are given to the tribes as part of Israel in Genesis 48ff. Joseph was blessed in his two sons with the birthright in Genesis 48:1ff but in Genesis 49 the tribes were all given blessings. Most of these blessing were not instituted in the time of the kingdom of Israel or of Judah. Only some were fulfilled. For example, the promise given to Judah was fulfilled in Christ (Gen. 49:10) but the final gathering of the people has not yet occurred and the kingdom is yet to be given to Shiloh.

The tribes of Levi and Simeon were scattered throughout Israel because they were cruel. Zebulun was initially promised the right to dwell in the haven of the sea and to border on Sidon. Thus, he would be a great sea port and people are of the view that the later fulfilment is now. But more is yet to come. Issachar was a strong ass couching down between two burdens and rest prevented him from further extending his birthright.

Also, the promise was given to Dan that he shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel and that has not yet been fulfilled. That is examined in other papers dealing with the Millennium and the Restoration under Messiah.

There is also another promise with the birthrights of the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar. The application of this birthright and the fulfilment of this will have a profound effect on the daily life within the Church and beyond into the millennial system. Thus, we see the birthright promises apply as an ongoing thing over thousands of years and into the reign of Messiah at his return as King.

Issachar and Zebulun are two of the tribes of the House of Jacob. They went into captivity because of their disobedience to God and His Law, and became two of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. By this captivity they have never had the opportunity to fully execute their birthright. Therefore, the execution of this birthright has yet to be fulfilled and much of it will take place in the future.

In the past much research has been done about the whereabouts of the Lost Tribes. It is now generally admitted by scholars in Judaic history and the movement of nations that Ephraim and Manasseh became the Anglo-Saxon peoples. This view has been held commonly among the English-speaking people for centuries. An aspect that is less known is that the descendants of Zebulun and Issachar constitute the people that make up the Lowlands in northwest Europe. Issachar makes up the several Friesian countries along the coastline of the North Sea.

The birthright of Zebulun and Issachar is a very important commission for them. We can also see from history that Issachar had an important responsibility.

1Chronicles 12:32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel had to do; (KJV)

In Numbers 2 we can read the arrangement of the tribal camps around the tabernacle and the sequence in setting up camping and setting out for new camps. This is what we understand as an order of march. The first tribe to set out was Judah. Salvation (Yehoshua) is from Judah. Therefore Judah has to set out first. God the Father gives absolute priority to Jesus Christ, to Yehoshua, to the salvation of atonement with mankind. Judah will be converted before the establishment of the Kingdom in Israel as part of the promises made to it. No tribe will glory against Judah.

Issachar was third in the order of march and formed one of the three tribes on the eastern flank of the tribes around the tabernacle. They obviously had the understanding of the times to know what Israel had to do. Thus, they must have been given some responsibility or had some people there who performed the astronomical calculations in regards to the calendar and the seasons.

We might understand this as being the next phase after salvation. After the atonement set up by Christ, the people must be given knowledge and understanding of the things that God instituted in obedience to the proper times that God has ordained.

It is a responsibility of each person to determine and to keep the weekly, monthly and yearly Sabbaths. This responsibility passed with the oracles of God to the Church wherever it might be at any given time. However, the determinations of the calendar obviously rested with Issachar at the time of the temple period before the captivity of the ten tribes.

We will examine how these matters affect the calling in the last days. There are a number of duties incumbent on these two tribes which are of great interest. There are a number of movements and restorations that have to take place over time up to the return of Messiah and afterwards in the second great exodus. This is mentioned in Isaiah 66:20-22.

The worship of God and the keeping of the Feasts of God and Holy Days have to be done according to the set sequence of God’s calendar. In this calendar, the New Moons are most important for the fixing of the yearly Sabbaths. In the worship of God there is no place for an incorrect calendar. The Holy Days of the annual Sabbaths are to be kept on the proper days or God will be worshipped and served in vain.

As the ancient calendar was kept and followed in Israel being among the tribes, so, too, will the same calendar be restored in the latter days. The false calendar of the Hillel system will be swept away and remembered no more.

The calendar was determined by New Moons and those New Moons were treated and kept as Sabbaths. The calendar determined the sacrifices and the services and it was not simply left to the Levites to determine.

For the fixing of the beginning of the year, God spoke to Moses and Aaron, two Levites.

Exodus 12:1-2 And the LORD spake to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ²“This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

This was the fixing of the month Nisan (Abib) as the first month of the year, contrary to the Egyptian and Babylonian New Year in the autumn. The Exodus was in the springtime and is the renewal of life by atonement, on the way to the Promised Land.

It is unreasonable to have a low opinion of the astronomical knowledge of the ancient people of 3,000 years ago. At the time of the Exodus the Egyptians had a very accurate method for the calculation of the courses of the celestial objects as for example the appearance of Sirius to within a few minutes. Only in the last fifty years has Western civilisation been able to improve on the Egyptian astronomers, mainly because of telescopes, advanced mathematics and computers.

Moses had been raised and educated at the Egyptian court. His education, being part of the royal household, would have included astronomy. God’s direction to him and Aaron as to what day had to be the first day as the beginning of God’s calendar from the lunar cycles would have been clear. The rest of the days of the year would have also been clear to Moses. This knowledge was clearly transferred to the elders of Israel and we see from Chronicles that it was extant in Issachar at the time of David, as Scripture cannot be broken.

In the calendar calculations, the most important days that will be astronomically fixed are the New Moons because from them all the annual Feasts of the one true God are proclaimed throughout the year.

Matthew 11:13For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. (KJV)

The law and the prophets all were until John. The Jews were in the seat of Moses. Since John, this authority has been taken from Levi and Judah and transferred to Israel, the Church of God. The proclamation of the calendar has also been transferred to the Church of God, as Israel.

This responsibility will be consolidated in the last days to enable the calling of the nations to Jerusalem. This responsibility will be seen to rest with both Issachar and Zebulun who have to execute their allotted birthright.

In the year 70 CE, the Temple was destroyed. Therefore, it has not been possible since that time to proclaim a New Moon from the Temple. However, the right of the proclamation had already been transferred to the Church by Jesus Christ.

There has been a transfer of authority to the Church in Matthew 11:13. Jacob and Israel are the two witnesses of God (see the paper The Witnesses (including the Two Witnesses) (No. 135)).

Isaiah 44:1-5 Yet now hear, O Jacob My servant [the physical people of the twelve tribes]; and Israel, whom I have chosen [the Church of the elect and sealed from the twelve tribes]:” ²Thus saith the LORD That made thee, and formed thee from the womb, Which will help thee; “Fear not, O Jacob, My servant; and thou, Jesurun [the Righteous One, the ideal Israel], whom I have chosen. ³For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground [the physical tribes will be blessed by growth caused by rain in due time]: I will pour My spirit upon thy seed [the Church], and My blessing upon thine offspring: ⁴And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses [physical and spiritual growth]. ⁵One shall say, ‘I am the LORD’S [the Church]; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob [the physical people of the twelve tribes with the breach healed]; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel [everybody else outside the twelve tribes, who will be added to the Church]. (KJV; notations in [brackets] added)

Here we can see that everybody who believes will be added to the Church, to Israel, and therefore become seed of Abraham.

As mentioned the Law and the Prophets went unto John. This commission has been allotted to the witness Jacob, the physical nation of the twelve tribes. They failed in fulfilling their commission. Afterwards, Jesus Christ established the Church with the testimony and the word of God found in the commandments, statutes and judgments. These were transferred to Israel, the body of Jesus Christ and Church of God. In Israel [the Church] the elect, the sealed are present, and have the knowledge of the times. Thus, Israel was never at any time without knowledge of what the children of Israel have to do.

Revelation 7:4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. (KJV)

Revelation 7:7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. (KJV)

Issachar is mentioned immediately following Levi who has always been responsible for the Temple service and, therefore, for the Feasts. There will be a new priesthood of which Levi will only be part. We might decide again at this time that Issachar will again have the knowledge of the times, and they will make this knowledge again available to the nation and priesthood.

Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Fathers’ name written in their foreheads.

Revelation 14:4-5 ... These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. ⁵And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The Jews and Levites were only given an exclusive responsibility for the calendar when the tribe of Judah was in Israel prior to the dispersion in 70 CE. We know that the calendar was correct at the temple period and it was nothing like the later Hillel calendar kept by the Jews of today from the new system adopted in 358 CE.

Any calendar based on a Jewish tradition or calculation is against Scripture, and the keeping of the Hillel calendar with or without postponements is breaking the Law and therefore sin.

As we have seen Scripture states that Issachar had the knowledge of the times in the kingdom under David. History has proven that the children of Issachar, who live in Friesland, were excellent (amateur) astronomers and had the knowledge of the celestial times as can be seen in the planetary of Eise Eisinga in Franeker. Two hundred years ago this was one of the biggest achievements ever made in astronomy. Even today a visit to this planetary will make people wonder about Eise Eisinga.

The promise to Zebulun and Issachar

The promise made to Zebulun and Issachar is of great interest. It has not been fulfilled and is to involve the whole world.

Deuteronomy 33:18-19About Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and you, Issachar, in your tents. ¹⁹They will summon peoples to the mountain and there offer sacrifices of righteousness; they will feast on the abundance of the seas, on the treasures hidden in the sand. (NIV)

Zebulun and Issachar shall summon the peoples to the mountain – not Judah, not the Anglo-Saxon peoples, neither the French, nor the Germans. It will be done by Zebulun and Issachar, nobody else. And they will summon or call the peoples to the mountain. What peoples, what mountain, and what calling are meant? What is the timing? This is an awesome promise and an awesome destiny.

Isaiah 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh [all the peoples!] come to worship before me saith the Lord. (KJV)

All flesh is all the peoples and the righteous sacrifices will be the prayers. The mountain is before the face of the Lord. And the Lord God will comfort.

Isaiah 66:13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. (KJV)

The peoples will be comforted in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the most important city of the world – especially from a political and religious viewpoint. There is no city in the world which has had so many wars fought over it in history – no city which shed so much blood – no city so much praised; the city that is called the umbilicus of the world.

Everybody who has been to Jerusalem gets a very special feeling, a longing that makes one want to return again and again. We should also have this longing during the Feast; of going up to Jerusalem, just as the psalmist says.

Psalms 122:1-9 I was glad when they said unto me, “let us go into the house of the LORD.” ²Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. ³Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: ⁴Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of THE LORD, Unto the testimony of Israel, To give thanks unto the name of the LORD. ⁵For there are set thrones of judgment, The thrones of the house of David. ⁶Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: They shall prosper that love thee. ⁷Peace be within thy walls, And prosperity within thy palaces. ⁸For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, “Peace be within thee.” ⁹Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good. (KJV)

The Feast of Tabernacles that we celebrate is a forerunner, a precursor of the millennial system. It shows that we will all go up to Jerusalem, the City of God, the capital of the Promised Land. We belong to peoples on the move and to the Churches on the move, as Abraham was on the move. Abraham dwelt in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob and looked forward to the city with foundations, whose builder and maker is God. We look forward to the same city, our city – the city that will belong to God and to the elect, the people of God. The Jew says every year: “Beshana Haba Biyerushalayim” – “Next year in Jerusalem”. Jerusalem is the capital for the Jews, but Jerusalem is also our city as the household of David.

Like the Jews and the Israelites, we, the Gentiles and all the peoples on the earth will have Jerusalem as the capital and Zion as the holy mountain from which proceeds the Law. As Abraham dwelt in tabernacles, we are in the tabernacles, and we long for Jerusalem. We will all meet again in Jerusalem.

But how is it possible to long for such a blood drenched city? What will the city be like? When are we going there? What does it look like? What will be there? Who will be there? When will we meet there?

Let us take a look at how Jerusalem is now and how it will be when Messiah returns to Jerusalem. It will not be like the Jerusalem from Revelation that is coming down from God. It is different.

Jerusalem now

Jerusalem has been built on hills or mountains. Like Rome, it is built on seven hills. In Jerusalem the most important mountain is the Temple Mount. Both Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are called Mount Zion. In the beginning the name Zion was given only to the south-eastern spur.

The Temple Mount is at this moment a very hot item, especially for Jews and Moslems, because on this mount are two of the holiest shrines of Islam, the Al Aksah and the Omar Mosque. The last one, with its dome of gold, is the emblem of Jerusalem. Almost all pictures, especially the ones from the Mount of Olives, show this golden dome.

The Temple Mount is not a very high mountain. It is in fact a rather low one. It is much lower than the surrounding mountains. Therefore, you can see Jerusalem only when you have passed the surrounding mountains, which are much higher.

Today, Jerusalem is close to the fault of the great Asian/African Rift Valley, and whose sides are building up gigantic tectonic tensions. In this fault is a valley with the river Jordan flowing into the Dead Sea, more than 366 metres (1,200 feet) below the normal sea level. Imagine!

Jerusalem in the future

Jerusalem is still hidden from the world with mountains surrounding it. You have to be very close and to have passed these mountains before you can see Jerusalem. All of this will change. The tectonic forces in the rift will soon be set free in an earthquake greater than the world has ever seen, or will see again.

Revelation 16:18-20 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. ¹⁹And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of wine of the fierceness of His wrath. ²⁰And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. (KJV)

This will happen when Jesus Christ, Yehoshua HaMashiach, returns. In that time there will be the great earthquake. This has been prophesied in the Old Testament, and it is important for the fulfilment of another prophecy.

Isaiah 40:3-4The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. ⁴Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; (KJV)

Every mountain will be made low by this great earthquake. And that will make the Temple Mount as the highest one, so that it can be seen from a great distance. All of the surrounding mountains have then been leveled. The whole world will see Jerusalem, the Temple Mount and God’s Banner.

Isaiah 2:2-3 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. ³And 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 of 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”. (KJV)

This being exalted above the hills is not only for the Temple Mount. It is also for His people, for His Church, the Church of God. Remember this, for we are the Temple on the Temple Mount.

Zechariah 14:9-11 And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day there shall be one Lord and His name one. ¹⁰All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: And it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the kings winepresses. ¹¹And men shall dwell in it; and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. (KJV)

Geba is 10 kilometres (6 miles) to the north of the Temple Mount and Rimmon is 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the south. The geological structure is of the Karst type, and was hollowed out in the past, and this can easily be leveled by this great earthquake.

However, there are mountains that will not be leveled by the great earthquake. These are the signs of the divers nations that will not bow to worship the great Eternal God. Here will be the commission for God’s people, the Church of God. They will be used by God to level the other mountains and to direct worship in the other nations.

We have already seen that Zebulun and Issachar will call the people to the mountain, to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Thus Judah is returned first in order of march. Zebulun and Issachar come next and then Reuben Simeon and Gad in the south and finally the western and northern groups in their order as part of the tribes of the restoration.

This is our calling, as the church in the power of the spirit, to level the mountains.

Mark 11:22-23 And Jesus answering saith unto them, “Have faith in God. ²³For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, ‘Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatever he saith. (KJV)

Isaiah 41:15-16 “Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shall make the hills as chaff. ¹⁶Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. (KJV)

Yes, we will rejoice in the Lord, after threshing the mountains. It will be our job, our commission and, with Messiah, we will beat them small. We will be God’s instrument for doing this. This is for both the physical and the spiritual mountains. Today, it might look absolutely impossible to us. How can we make a mountain level? It can be done.

With the power of the Holy Spirit in abundance, we can thresh the nations completely and give the chaff to the wind and the harvest to God. Spiritual mountains do not have to be a problem for the Church. We should not be afraid but grow in the power of the Holy Spirit.

How do we thresh physical mountains? One could say: I am only 165 centimetres (5 feet 5 inches) and I am growing old! A mountain is so big. I feel like Calimero! God has made provisions for this even in nature, so that we can thresh mountains! Jesus said this and it is recorded in Mark as we have seen.

There once lived a great scientist, never completely understood by those around him. He made numerous inventions, and his name is well known. He is Nikola Tesla. He invented the alternating current machines and much more. He developed the Niagara electricity works. One of the matters he experimented with was the effect of resonance.

An example of this is the singer or violinist with a wine glass. If the right note is touched, the glass starts to vibrate or sing, even until it shatters. Imagine also a heavyweight man on a swing and a small boy pushing at the right moment, again and again in the same direction. Eventually the heavyweight will swing further and faster, until there is an accident.

Nikola Tesla found the resonance of the earth to be 8, 14 and 20 Hertz, the number of oscillations per second. He was busy in developing a machine to create the oscillation for the earth and to get it in resonance. The idea was that the tensions in the earth crust could be prevented from build-up. They could be released before an earthquake would cause any damage.

Mr Tesla studied these possibilities a century ago, allegedly creating earthquakes on demand. Perhaps he was using 50% of his brain capacity, compared to our average of a meagre 5%. What will be our power with the help of the Holy Spirit if the Holy Spirit, the power of God, lives in us? What will be our capacity compared to Mr Tesla, 30, 60 or 100 fold; or 3,000, 6,000 or 10,000% or even more?

At the coming of Messiah, all mountains have to be leveled, except for one. That mountain is the Temple Mount where Jerusalem stands. We will participate in that process.

This is God’s purpose.

Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. (KJV)

And a nation, a people that lives on a mountain also cannot be hid.

Isaiah 11:10 And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and His rest shall be glorious. (KJV)

The ensign is important. We all gather to our specific ensign. The Frisian people have a special way of fixing the flag on the church steeples that is not seen anywhere else in the Netherlands, or in the world. The flag is put on a very long pole as a banner, an ensign for the people. It is really remarkable to see it. On top of the mountain is the Temple, and on top of the Temple straight upwards is the banner. And God’s banner, God’s ensign, will be a remarkable one.

Isaiah 4:3-6 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: ⁴When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgement, and by the spirit of burning. ⁵And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence [=Chuppa the marriage canopy]. ⁶And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime for the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. (KJV)

It is the same setting as in the time of the Exodus, with the pillar of the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. The Feast of Tabernacles looks forward to the Millennium at the end of the forty Jubilees in the wilderness waiting for the Messiah. The Feast of the Passover is a remembrance of the Exodus and the first forty years in the wilderness. We will all walk in the light of the Lord at the end of the period.

So, when we look now at the future Jerusalem, we see a city rising high in a plain, within its centre the Temple Mount, and rising from that mount into the heaven the ensign of God, His banner, a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night. This will be a sign over the whole world.

We have also seen the importance of the Temple Mount for Jerusalem. There is another mountain quite close to Jerusalem, also of extreme importance for the future in connection with all the nations.

The Mount of Olives

Zechariah 14:4 And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east [the encampment place for Judah, Zebulun and Issachar], and the midst of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove to the north and half of it toward the south. (KJV)

We know now that it is not that difficult to level a mountain provided that we have the right tools available and faith and the Holy Spirit. So the Mount of Olives will cleave just with a snap. Why should the Mount of Olives cleave? It is to give way for water, for lots of living waters.

Zechariah 14:8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of it toward the eastern sea, and half of it to the western sea; in summer and winter and in winter shall it be. (KJV)

Waters from Jerusalem! How is that possible? What is the source of this water? Is there a well in Jerusalem?

Ezekiel 47:1 Afterwards he brought me again unto the door of the house [that is the Temple]; 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 under the right side of the house, at the south side of this altar. (KJV)

This water is living water, and very special.

Ezekiel 47:9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing 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 every thing shall live whither the river cometh. (KJV)

And it is not only for what is in the waters, but also for what is touched by the waters.

Ezekiel 47:12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his bounty, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.” (KJV)

Isaiah 41:19-20 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine and the box tree together: ²⁰That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it. (KJV)

Yes, the deserts are crying, screaming for water. A great deal of water is needed in the wilderness and there will be water galore in the wilderness. God will plant the myrtle there – a typical water plant that needs water, water and more water, or else the myrtle will wither. This is the proof that the water there is bountiful. Then the desert will blossom and there will be bounty, so much that all the people can live in peace.

The requirement for water is often the cause of war – in particular, with the waters of the Jordan. Water is also the sign of the Holy Spirit. If man receives the living waters of the Holy Spirit in mass, that man will grow and blossom and bear fruit so that everybody has to admit that God’s hand is doing this.

Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. (KJV)

Joel 3:18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim. (KJV)

This water flows from God’s Temple and, therefore, has a tremendous impact, everywhere it flows.

Isaiah 35:1-2The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. ²It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God. (KJV)

Isaiah 33:20 Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken. (NIV)

Isaiah 33:24 And the inhabitant shall not say, “I am sick:” the People that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity. (KJV)

Who are the inhabitants of this city and who are those people?

Isaiah 33:14-16The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? ¹⁵He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; ¹⁶he shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. (KJV)

Joel 2:28-29 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: ²⁹And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My spirit. (KJV)

And the strangers will come to Jerusalem, as they come to Jerusalem today, but not as tourists.

Isaiah 14:1-2 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the House of Jacob. ²And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. (KJV)

Isaiah 56:6-8 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My covenant; ⁷Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer: their burnt offerings end their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar; for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.” ⁸The Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, “Yet will I gather others to him, besides those that are gathered unto him.” (KJV)

A large multitude of people will come to Jerusalem. Many people will live in the city. This cannot happen just by the twinkle of an eye. Much planning and preparation will be needed to accomplish this. The rebuilding of the city and the world has to be organised. There may be scarcity as the whole world is lying in ruins. Everything is damaged. To rebuild all these things, large sums of money and resources are needed.

Will this world, because of this, be a poor man’s world?

Zechariah 14:14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. (KJV)

All the churches of today, all the religious organisations that despise us are all working for our benefit in the near future. All the riches that they are amassing are for our benefit at Jerusalem. They don’t know it, but we do!

Isaiah 23:17-18 And it shall come to pass in after the seventy years, that the Lord will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth. ¹⁸And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord; it shall be not treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing. (KJV)

Micah 4:11-13 Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, “Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.” ¹²But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they His counsel: for He shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. ¹³Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. (KJV)

How and what will they eat sufficiently?

Isaiah 25:6 And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. (KJV)

All this requires organisation. How will these people from all over the whole world come to Jerusalem? How will all the food and other daily provisions and needs for these crowds be transported and distributed? It will not simply drop from the heavens. How is Jerusalem reconstructed and rebuilt?

Isaiah 60:9-11 Surely the isles shall wait for Me, and the ships of Tarshish first to bring thy sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because He has glorified thee. ¹⁰And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister upon thee: for in My wrath I smote thee, but in My favour have I had mercy on thee. ¹¹Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. (KJV)

The NIV says: “so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations.”

It will be an enormous multitude. Is that the future of Jerusalem – a city crowded with the nations? Don’t they have to go out over the whole world again, everybody to his own place? Will the people return with the cycle of the Jubilee or the Sabbath year? Will there be a real sabbatical again? There is more to do than just feasting in Jerusalem!

Ezekiel 36:33-38 Thus saith the Lord God; ‘In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.³⁴And the desolate land will be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. ³⁵And they shall say, ‘This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced and are inhabited.’ ³⁶Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that which was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.’ ³⁷Thus saith the Lord God; ‘I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.’

Flavius Josephus tells us more about the multitude.

So these high priests, upon the coming of their feast which is called the Passover, when they slay there sacrifices, from the ninth hour to the eleventh, but so that a company not less than ten belong to every sacrifice, (for it is not lawful for them to feast singly by themselves,) and many of us are twenty in company, found the number of sacrifices was two hundred and fifty-six thousand five hundred; which, upon the allowance of no more than ten that feast together, amounts to two millions seven hundred thousand and two hundred persons that were pure and holy. (Josephus Wars, Bk. VI, Ch. 9:3, trans. Whiston)

Isaiah 54:1-3 “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,” saith the Lord. ²Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; ³For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. (KJV)

These crowds cannot all live in Jerusalem, they need more space.

Isaiah 49:18-20 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee [that is, Zion]. “As I live,” saith the Lord, “thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride does. ¹⁹For thy waste and desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. ²⁰For the children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, ‘The place is to strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.’ (KJV)

We as the Church of God know about the cycles of the calendar and the Sabbath year and the Jubilee year. In these specific years, it will be very busy in Jerusalem because of all the people going up to Jerusalem and returning to their countries. But every year the nations are required to send their delegates to Jerusalem for the Feast (Zech. 14:16-19). The nations that do not do so will have no rain in due season.

Psalms 24:3-6 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place? ⁴He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, Nor sworn deceitfully. ⁵He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. ⁶This is the generation of them that seek Him that seek Thy face, O Jacob. (KJV)

What makes people happy? When are they full of joy and gladness? When they seek God!

Psalms 15:1-2 Lord, who will abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? ²He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, And speaketh the truth in his heart. (KJV)

Isaiah 51:3 ³For the Lord shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of the melody. (KJV)

Isaiah 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. (KJV)

Think about melody and singing. All these people have to be taught. Who will be the teachers? They are in the Temple of God.

Revelation 3:4, 12 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy. ¹²Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the Temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him My new name. (KJV)

So the teachers will be known by special names:

1. Family name of God

2. Name of the city

3. Personal name

For example: John, brother of Yehoshua, Elohim, son of God, from Jerusalem Temple University, coordinating teacher for Singapore.

However, all the teachers will have a master teacher.

Psalms 145:10-12 All Thy works praise Thee, O Lord; And Thy saints shall bless Thee. ¹¹They shall speak of the glory of Thy Kingdom And talk of Thy power; ¹²To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom. (KJV)

And the people will see their teachers. There will be no help needed from tapes or papers.

Isaiah 30:19-21 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: He will be gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee. ²⁰And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: ²¹ And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it,” when ye turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left. (KJV)

Isaiah 52:7-9 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings [gospel], that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith to Zion, “Thy God reigneth!” ⁸Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. ⁹Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem. (KJV)

When there is singing in joy, what will the people sing?

Revelation 15:3-4 And they sing the Song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. ⁴Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before Thee, for Thy judgments are manifest.” (KJV)

There will be many other new songs.

Psalms 96:1 Sing unto the Lord a new song: (KJV)

And these old and new songs will be used as instruments, as tools for teaching, for education. This is the most effective way.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

And the songs are of more value to God than a sacrifice.

Psalms 69:30-31 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. ³¹This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that has horns and hoofs. (KJV)

So, what about us? What do we have to do?

Psalms 100:1-2 A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. ²Serve the Lord with gladness: Come before His presence with singing. (KJV)

We gather for God’s presence. We do this also with singing. But we are in temporary dwellings. We are people on the move. We are on the move to Jerusalem, the capital city of the Promised Land. And on our way we also must sing.

Psalms 98:1-9 Sing unto the Lord a new song; For He hath done marvellous things: ²His right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten Him the victory. The Lord hath made known His salvation [=Yehoshua] His righteousness hath He openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. ³He hath remembered His mercy and His truth toward the house of Israel: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation [=Yehoshua] of our God. ⁴Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. ⁵Sing unto the Lord, with the harp; With the harp, and the voice of a psalm. ⁶With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King. ⁷Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. ⁸Let the floods clap their hands: Let the hills be joyful together ⁹Before the Lord; For He cometh to judge the earth: With righteousness shall He judge the world, and the people with equity. (KJV)

We look to the future Jerusalem, after the devastation that is coming over the whole earth. The nations will be called to Zion and Jerusalem. The reconstructed Jerusalem will be a city with the Temple Mount, and with Zion, towering above the surrounding plains. From this Temple, living waters will flow, to drench the world with waters and the Holy Spirit, so that nothing and nobody will be thirsty anymore.

People will go up to Jerusalem and bring their wealth. The Law will go out from Zion and all the nations will begin proper education. This Jerusalem will be the Song of Songs, and all the people will sing of Jerusalem to the glory of the Eternal God.

We, as the elect, will have to do our duty according to our calling, and we have to teach the world. We will all be used by God according to His purpose. We are now and will become part of this beautiful Jerusalem, as part of the Temple.

This is a wonderful destiny to be part of this beautiful Jerusalem, and part of the wonderful Temple. Be prepared to take the crown that is ready for you.

Revelation 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. (KJV)

Repentance

We now come to the part of the message that is difficult.

It is an appeal to repentance. An appeal to return to the foundation on which Jesus Christ has been laid as the corner stone and we are to be added as living stones of the Temple of God.

We are all guilty for putting our desires before the Word of God. Each of us faces a longing to conform to certain behaviour, a certain tradition, a certain pattern, that seems to make things easier for us. The motives involved often come from our own hearts. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. We are fooling ourselves by the feelings of our hearts. Thinking that we are doing the right things, we are closing the road for many to salvation.

Often by listening to the feelings of our hearts we lose the vision of love that emanates from the law, and the commandments, statutes and judgments. We have to put on the love of God, and keep all the commandments out of love.

We have to summon the peoples to the mountain. We can do that only in our own language. We will call the Friesians to the mountain in the Friesian language and the Dutch in the Dutch language and so with all other nations and languages.

Therefore we have to address peoples in their own language and proclaim Jesus Christ. That is, in Friesland and the Netherlands Jezus Christus, in French Jésus Christ, in Greek Ièsous Chreistos, in Hebrew Yehoshua HaMashiach.

Paul has written: “Jew with the Jews and Greek with the Greeks”. Thus if they in the Netherlands only proclaimed Yehoshua, then the overwhelming majority of the Dutch people could not be reached, as we would be speaking a different unknown language. We cannot reach the people with Hebrew, as they wouldn’t understand us. The Bible is clear enough.

1Corinthians 14:21 In the law it is written, “With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear Me, saith the Lord.” (KJV)

We must be all things to all men in the right sense: a Jew among the Jews and Friesian among the Friesians and Dutch unto the Dutchmen. We also have to repent from every sin within us and from traditions that are hemming us in; to repent of being without love and consideration in our judgments; of enforcing our own views on other people and not being a servant; of forgetting Agape love; and, of accepting almost anything instead of standing as a rock in the breakers. In being afraid to offend some people, we often offend other people.

Often one hears the text: “Salvation is from the Jews.” That is true. Salvation, redemption, the Christ, the Messiah, Jesus, Yehoshua, is from the Jews. He was the redemptive sacrifice for all of mankind – not only for the Jews, neither the other tribes of Israel – but for the whole creation.

We do know that the ten tribes went into captivity and exile first because of their disobedience, and they got a bill of divorcement. Judah also went into captivity and exile and never returned.

The northern kingdom is now a divorced woman and a widow, and redeemed to marry again. Judah also became a widow and redeemed to marry again. Both are in the same position. Both will be Jacob again, becoming one, with the breach healed. They, the children of Jacob, and the Gentiles can all be grafted onto the good olive tree. The olive tree of Israel is God’s Church.

Jacob and Israel are the witnesses of God.

Isaiah 44:1-8 “But now listen, O Jacob, my servant [the twelve tribes], Israel, whom I have chosen [the Church]. ²This is what the LORD says -- he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun [the righteous one, the ideal Israel], whom I have chosen. ³For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. ⁴They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams. ⁵One will say, ‘I belong to the LORD [Israel, the Church]; another will call himself by the name of Jacob [the physical nation of the twelve tribes]; still another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’S, [the converted Gentile],’ and will take the name of Israel [added to the Church]. ⁶This is what the LORD says -- Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. ⁷Who is then like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come -- yes, let him foretell what will come. ⁸Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one. (NIV)

We all are like Jonah. We all want to flee and run away from the Lord. That is futile and not allowed. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Here we will look at an aspect of the sign of Jonah.

Jonah 3:4-5 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” ⁵So the people of Nineveh believed God.

Matthew 12:39 But He answered and said unto them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

Matthew 12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: (KJV)

Nineveh was allotted forty days for repentance, and Nineveh repented. Judah was allotted prophetically a day for a year and got forty years for repentance, and Judah did not repent. Forty years after these words of Jesus Christ, Jerusalem and the Second Temple were overthrown by the Romans.

We as the Church of God also have to repent from our iniquities. How much time is allotted for this? In Revelation, Jesus Christ says: “Surely I come quickly.” How much time do we have for repentance? As a Church we have to be on the right track. We do not have the same time as Judah got of forty years. Perhaps we have forty days as Nineveh or forty weeks, or even forty months. We don’t know how long. Only that the time is very short. It could, however, be some years into the future. We must act as though it is today.

So let us all repent and return to the worship of the one true God in the proper way, on the right days throughout the year, practicing the love of God, so that nobody will have a chance to take our crowns.

That we can still say:

BESHANA HABA BIYERUSHALAYIM
Next year in Jerusalem

I will say then:
SHALOM CHAVERIM LEHITRAOTH
Peace, friends, good bye.
Oant sjens!

PO Box 369, WODEN ACT 2606, AUSTRALIA