There are many ancient events and prophecies about the future of God’s people concerning Jerusalem throughout the bible. Being able to discern how God uses the word Jerusalem in His prophecies is more important than today’s religious world realizes!
All of the prophets wrote similitudes and visions about the end of our present-day system and the final salvation of God’s people. If this was not the case, the bible would amount to nothing more than history lessons. Hosea 12:10 explains that God has spoken to us through the prophets.
Revelation 10:7 takes us a step further. Here God makes a very profound statement that tells us His mystery or sacred secret was declared to His servants the prophets. The original Greek word that has been replaced by the English word mystery, was musterion. Greek words are usually much more complex and deeper than English words. The following definition of musterion should give us all a desire to discern the real meanings of the prophet’s seemingly ancient stories.
Musterion: The plan of God which is hidden from the world and kept secret to ordinary eyes, awaiting fulfillment or revelation at the appointed time, for those whom it is intended. A musterion is something quite unintelligible to the uninitiated but made crystal clear to the initiated by only, divine revelation.
So, what exactly is this plan that God has hidden in the prophets? As Acts 3:19-21 reveals; within the prophet’s words is the information of every event that will bring in the restitution of all things during the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. Therefore, since this hidden plan will actually restore all the things God originally had in mind for mankind, the mystery contained in the prophets is God’s plan of salvation.
This fact should make all people who know they need God in their life stop and think. After all, what could be more important than knowing exactly how The Almighty God is going to save His people from destruction and provide the opportunity for everlasting life? (Psalms 37:9-11,22,29)
There is not any religious system on earth that has understanding of the fact that every detail describing mankind’s future salvation can be found in the prophet’s stories about the ancient world. Most men’s religions would no doubt respond to this with; “We’re not really concerned about a hidden plan, we’re already saved.” (Even though Matthew 10:22 & 24:13 make a completely opposite statement) Then there are other religions whose wise and intellectual leaders contend they know everything and have complete truth, therefore nothing could be hidden from them. At Matthew 11:25 Jesus himself confirms that things have definitely been hidden from these highly esteemed leaders.
At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank you Father, LORD of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have given them to babes.”
This is why the altars of men cannot understand anything about the similitudes and visions of the prophets. (Isaiah 17:7-14) Their talking heads are much more concerned with their own agendas… making money, promoting their idolized organizations, and achieving personal glory within them. (Isaiah 48:4-8) (1st Timothy 6:9,10) (Hosea 8:4-6 & 13:2)
If God’s hidden mystery will never be heard from the podiums of men, where does the bible say it will be revealed? The 40th chapter of Isaiah tells us where, and also how God feels about all the nations that many churches continually admonish their listeners to put trust and faith in. (Isaiah 40:3,17)
We might ask why God hid such life-giving information in the bible’s prophets. Evidently our perfect minded God prefers to give life opportunity to people who have heart-felt love for Him. Most people are totally occupied with the traditions of this world and their everyday lives. But if a person truly has deep feelings for our Creator, he or she will no doubt become a seeker of the word! (Matthew 7:7,8)
The people who now seek the word are not necessarily members of any institutionalized worship. They could be anyone, anywhere! At Isaiah 66:2 God speaks about these same “babes” as Jesus did at Matthew 11:25.
“To this one then, I shall look, to the one poor and contrite in spirit, and trembling at My word.”
Although all people will eventually have the opportunity to participate in God’s currently hidden plan of salvation, these are the ones who will initially recognize the events that will cause it to become! They will know all about the real Jerusalem.
This brings us to the title of this precept, Jerusalem… the key element of God’s salvation plan for His people!
We should now understand that this plan is hidden in the prophets. We should also understand why it has been hidden from the vast majority of people and revealed to an extremely small amount of people. We can read the confirmation of this fact at Matthew 7:13,14,22,23.
The prophets continually state that God will provide salvation for His people when He brings them into Jerusalem. There, He will be in their midst through His Holy Spirit, from His position on Mount Zion. The fact is, He uses the ancient places of Jerusalem and Mount Zion symbolically to represent His future creation of Holy cities. God’s promise of establishing these cities of Jerusalem in different locations around the world and His command to tell the people about these future habitations of peace is documented at Zechariah 1:17.
“Cry yet, saying, thus saith The LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad and The LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.”
Currently these places are a likeness to the ancient town of Jebus. David came into Jebus, ran the Jebusites off and built the original city of praise. That city was of course, today’s Jerusalem. This is exactly why the esoteric prophecy of Isaiah 29 makes the statement; “Woe to Ariel, the town where David encamped.”
The six meanings of Ariel actually reveal the connection of the devastated area of Jebus becoming Jerusalem, and the highly cryptic prophecy of Ariel.
- A synonym for Jerusalem
- The scene of a holocaust
- The lion of God
- A place of a gathering of food
- The altar hearth of God
- The heart of God
The devastations that will cause holocaustic conditions in the areas where God will create Jerusalem, are prophesied throughout all the prophets. The altar hearth of God will provide all people with real truth, led by the lion of God. Not only will true spiritual food be in abundance, but as Isaiah 60:5 points out, good food for the belly, will also be plentiful for all the people. All of these things will certainly make for a wonderful life… however nothing compares to what the prophecy at Zephaniah 3:17 is describing.
“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”
This hidden plan of salvation, this ignored creation of Jerusalem… is a longing in the heart of our God. How can we deny it?
As we can see, the six meanings of Ariel fit perfectly with the hidden plan of salvation. If you read the last part of Isaiah 29, verses 18-24, it explains the future learning God’s redeemed people will experience in the devastated areas of Ariel. As they learn real truth from the true altar hearth of God, the cities of praise, Jerusalem will be created. Isaiah 65:18 will then become a reality!
“Be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.”
Unknown to the money scheming religions of today’s world, this is not the original ancient city of Jerusalem. This is the Jerusalem of prophecy, the real hope and future of all people who have a genuine desire to serve God the way God Himself has planned.
So, will we listen to the teachings of men, or seek the word of God? The bible very distinctly teaches that in the last days the word will not be heard from the altars of men. The Word will come in a very discreet manner… from a Wilderness setting, completely unattached to any of men’s religions. (Read Isaiah 40:1-5) Its precepts will scripturally explain the most important thing to all of mankind… The Reality of How God Will Provide Salvation!!
In the midst of this world’s established false teachings, the revealing of God’s real meaning of Jerusalem will be distinctly different to the point of sounding like Roars of Thunder!!!! (2nd Samuel 22:14-16)