This lesson was taught on the Sabbath of October 10, 2026, at Israel Church of the Firstborn in Indianapolis. Every Sabbath the class stands and faces holy, beautiful Jerusalem, the city of the great King, and newcomers often ask why. Brother Obadiah answers that question by following Jerusalem through the Bible: the mountain in the land of Moriah where Abraham bound Isaac, the stronghold of Zion that David took from the Jebusites, the threshing floor David bought to stay the plague, the temple Solomon built there, the city Jesus said would be trodden down of the Gentiles, and the city he will return to rule. Modern Christianity teaches that you die and go to heaven, he says, but even the opening prayer asks for the kingdom to come down to the earth, and the Lord said he would dwell in Jerusalem forever. The title comes from Psalm 48:2. Every passage is read in the King James Version.
Watch the full lesson on YouTube.
The morning reading was Psalm 15:1-5, Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? The Sabbath script was Leviticus 23:1-3, the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, and Saint Luke 4:14-16, where Jesus, as his custom was, went into the synagogue on the sabbath day and stood up for to read.
"To be Christlike is to do the things that Christ did. If Christ is going to be your Lord and your Savior, then you got to follow the things exactly the way that the Lord did."
"We going to talk about Jerusalem in a good way. A lot of people fail to realize that even in the opening prayer, you are praying for the kingdom to come down to the earth. And the kingdom is going to be here, and he is going to rule in Jerusalem."
"The reason why we are facing Jerusalem is because the Lord said that his eyes and his ears are going to be on Jerusalem forever. If you look at Jerusalem right now, there ain't no peace in the city at all. But when Jesus come back, he going to set it in order."
1.The LORD Hath Chosen Zion
He starts with David, who would not rest until he found out where the Lord would dwell, in Psalm 132.
Psalm 132:1-5 KJV1LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions:
2How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;
3Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;
4I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids,
5Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.
"Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions. Once David became king, he had to deal with a whole lot of afflictions. One thing you got to understand about being at the top is it can be a little bit lonely."
"I ain't gonna give no sleep to my eyes until I find out where you going to dwell, Lord. Where are you going to dwell forever? At this time there was no temple built. They built all of that in his son's day."
Psalm 132:10-12 KJV10For thy servant David’s sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.
11The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
12If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.
"Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne. We know that Jesus came through the lineage of David. That's why they call Jesus the Lion of the tribe of Judah. And in Revelation 22 he is called the root and the offspring of David."
"The only stipulation for our children to sit upon the throne for evermore was that they keep his covenant. And we still ain't got it all the way right in this room today. So what is our lifeline to get back to God? We come together on the Sabbath day."
Psalm 132:13-18 KJV13For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
14This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.
15I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
17There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.
18His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.
"Zion is also another name for Jerusalem. This is my rest for ever. Here will I dwell. Nowhere in this Bible did the Lord say, I'm going to take you to the third heaven. He said, I'm going to dwell in Jerusalem."
"If you go to anybody that's saying they are reading the word of God, go to them with respect, whether they right or whether they wrong."
"I will also clothe her priests with salvation. He going to even bring the Levitical priesthood back."
"There will I make the horn of David to bud. Who going to be ruling after Jesus? It's going to be David. David is going to be the second ruler in the kingdom after Jesus."
2.Beautiful for Situation, the Joy of the Whole Earth
"The only thing that we see about our land now is pictures. We see that the land is in turmoil. But at this time, it's going to be beautiful."
Psalm 48:1-3 KJV1Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
2Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
3God is known in her palaces for a refuge.
"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. Not in the third heaven. He going to bring this city down to the earth."
"The mountain of his holiness. Mountain means government. So he going to set up his government right in Jerusalem."
"Beautiful for situation. It ain't going to be nothing like the days of Solomon when the Lord is there, because the city is going to be built by immortals."
"The city of the great King. This is where we get the title of the lesson."
Psalm 48:4-8 KJV4For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.
5They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.
6Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.
7Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.
8As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.
"God will establish it for ever. It ain't going to be no Washington, D.C. This going to be the real kingdom, established forever, and he is talking about none other than Jerusalem."
Psalm 48:9-14 KJV9We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.
10According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.
11Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments.
12Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.
13Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.
14For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.
"Walk about Zion, and go round about her. We going to be walking around the city."
"This God is our God for ever and ever. I don't know where a lot of other people are going, but I know we going right here with the Lord. If you want your steps to be guided, you got to go to the God of Israel."
Psalm 50:1-6 KJV1The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.
3Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
4He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.
5Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
6And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.
"Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty. They got some beautiful cities in this world, but it ain't going to be nothing that's going to be compared to this one."
"The heavens shall declare his righteousness. It ain't what you see up in the sky right now. When he come back to judge the earth, we going to show you how the sky is going to look."
3.Set in the Midst of the Nations
To give the city's physical location, he reads one verse in Ezekiel 5.
Ezekiel 5:5 KJV5Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.
"When you read in Isaiah the 40th chapter, it is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth. That means he sits in the center of the world."
He adds Ezekiel 38, the last battle, when Gog and Magog come up against a land of unwalled villages.
Ezekiel 38:11-12 KJV11And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
"We know this is talking about the children of Israel, the people gathered out of the nations."
"That dwell in the midst of the land. That's Jerusalem. That's what Mediterranean means, the middle sea, the middle of the earth. God set Jerusalem right in the middle of the earth, and this is where the Lord is going to dwell."
4.Get Thee Into the Land of Moriah
"You go back to the beginning and you start. You can't go wrong when you go to the beginning. That way you can walk it all the way down, and you call everything in order."
Genesis 22:1-2 KJV1And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
"God don't tempt you with evil. But God always tempts you to do something good. So the tempting in this case was to do something good."
"Take thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah. Remember where the land of Moriah is, because we going to see this a little bit later. This was going to be the future site of the Lord."
Genesis 22:3-8 KJV3And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
"Even when his son was young, he knew what the lamb and the burnt offerings were. The burnt offerings represent your vows that you make to the Lord, and they also represent Jesus. But what he don't know is he's getting ready to be the sacrifice."
"God will provide himself a lamb."
Genesis 22:9-12 KJV9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
"And Abraham built an altar there. In the temple site you had the altar, and then you had the temple, and the altar was before the temple."
"Now I know that thou fearest God. The Father killed his only son. And Abraham was getting ready to kill his only son that he loved. You going to do what I'm going to do to my son later, but I'm going to stop you from doing it."
"Just remember that place where he was getting ready to sacrifice Isaac. That's going to be the future altar."
5.As for the Jebusites, the Inhabitants of Jerusalem
Next he shows who held Jerusalem before Israel, in Deuteronomy 7, as the Lord prepared Israel to go in and take the land.
Deuteronomy 7:1-4 KJV1When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
2And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
3Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
4For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
"Seven nations greater and mightier than thou. Y'all ain't nothing compared to these guys. God centers everything around seven."
"When the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee. You ain't going to do it yourself. I'mma fight the battle for you."
"It wasn't because they were other nations. It was spiritual. Don't marry these people, because they going to turn you away from following God. Not their color. Look at Boaz with Ruth, and Esther. For they will turn away thy son from following me."
Deuteronomy 7:5-6 KJV5But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.
6For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
"This is what separated Israel from the rest of the nations, their holiness. We came out to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
"The same way that we going to read that the Lord chose Jerusalem, he chose us to be a special people unto him. And it was not because of our righteousness. It was the promises that he made to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob."
Joshua 15:63 KJV63As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.
"The reason they couldn't drive them out is because Israel started serving other gods, so the Lord started to weaken them. The Jebusites were going to be thorns in Israel's side, even during the time of David."
6.David Took the Strong Hold of Zion
2 Samuel 5:1-5 KJV1Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.
2Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.
3So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.
4David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
5In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.
"After the death of Saul, David asked the Lord what city to go to, and the Lord told him Hebron, one of the cities of the Levites. That's why David ruled seven years in Hebron."
"Even when Saul was king, it was you that led Israel out and brought Israel in. The Lord puts the honor on who he puts the honor on."
"And they anointed David king over Israel."
2 Samuel 5:6-10 KJV6And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.
7Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.
8And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.
9So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.
10And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.
"Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither. They just did not know who they was playing with. They did not know that David thought like God."
"Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David."
"And the LORD God of hosts was with him."
7.The Ark of God, Called by the Name of the LORD of Hosts
"The ark of the covenant represented the Lord. After Saul died, the ark was bouncing around to different people."
2 Samuel 6:1-5 KJV1Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
2And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.
3And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.
4And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.
5And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.
"Whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims. They put the two cherubims to where they faced one another, always looking at the Lord."
2 Samuel 6:6-11 KJV6And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.
7And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.
8And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perez-uzzah to this day.
9And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?
10So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
11And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obed-edom, and all his household.
"All he did was touch it. But nobody could deal with the ark of the covenant but the Levites, and the high priest in particular."
"And the LORD blessed Obed-edom, and all his household. You don't have the ark of the covenant in your house. But what if you got the laws, statutes and commandments in your house? What if you ain't got no cursed thing in your home? He going to bless it."
"Be aware of bringing cursed things into your house that you do not know what they represent."
2 Samuel 6:12-13 KJV12And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness.
13And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.
"When they had gone six paces, they stopped and made sacrifice. That's how dedicated they were to not being killed by the Lord."
8.I Will Establish the Throne of His Kingdom for Ever
Everything in Psalm 132, he says, is in Second Samuel 7.
2 Samuel 7:1-3 KJV1And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;
2That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
3And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.
"David used to fighting all the time, but the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies. I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. David was feeling a little bad about that."
2 Samuel 7:4-7 KJV4And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
5Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?
6Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
7In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?
"I have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. And the Lord would have been cool still going like that. He didn't need nothing else."
2 Samuel 7:10-13 KJV10Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,
11And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.
12And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
13He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
"I will appoint a place for my people Israel. They wasn't going to find it themselves."
"All the kings that sat on the throne of Judah came from the lineage of David."
"I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. He made it singular right here. This is talking about none other than Jesus."
2 Samuel 7:14-17 KJV14I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
15But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
16And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
17According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
"I will be his father, and he shall be my son. We know who that's talking about."
"Even when Jesus was in the flesh, he could have committed sin. But the Father already knew that Jesus wasn't going to commit no sin at all. But my mercy shall not depart away from him."
"This is speaking all the way down to the thousand year millennium period."
9.The Threshing Floor of Araunah the Jebusite
"Israel kept doing wrong in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord couldn't let them off the hook no more. When they numbered the people, every man was supposed to give a ransom for his soul, but they didn't do it. So the quickest way to get to Israel was through their pockets."
2 Samuel 24:1-4 KJV1And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
2For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.
3And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?
4Notwithstanding the king’s word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.
"He was mad at Israel. He had already dealt with David. When David took Uriah's wife, the sword didn't depart from his house. That's why David said in Psalm 132, remember David and all his afflictions."
2 Samuel 24:8-10 KJV8So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
10And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
"They came to Jerusalem. Notice where he is at, because this is going to make big significance."
2 Samuel 24:11-14 KJV11For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,
12Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.
13So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.
14And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.
"Whenever you know you in a great strait, say, Lord, let me fall into your hands, and don't let me fall into the hands of man."
2 Samuel 24:15-17 KJV15So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men.
16And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.
17And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.
"It is enough: stay now thine hand. Remember that place, the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite. This threshing floor was the exact same place where Isaac was getting ready to be killed by Abraham."
"These sheep, what have they done? A whole lot. They started worshipping the sun, the moon and the stars. But David was being merciful at this time."
2 Samuel 24:18-21 KJV18And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
19And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.
20And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.
21And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
2 Samuel 24:22-25 KJV22And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.
23All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.
24And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
"Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. You want your offerings to be accepted by God, so it had to come from you."
"He was at the threshing floor of Araunah, making sacrifices. And that's going to be the place of the altar."
10.The Palace Is Not for Man, but for the LORD God
Before he died, David prepared everything for the house his son would build, in First Chronicles 29.
1 Chronicles 29:1-5 KJV1Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the LORD God.
2Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.
3Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,
4Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal:
5The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD?
"Solomon was going to be a representation of what Jesus' kingdom is going to be in the future. It's going to be a kingdom of peace."
"Look at all this stuff that David gave. He didn't keep none of it. He donated all of it to build the house of the Lord. Don't get yourself caught up in riches."
"Three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir. A talent is about 77 pounds."
1 Chronicles 29:9-13 KJV9Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
10Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
11Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.
12Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
13Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
"With perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD. You can give money. You can also give your behavior. But the thing that you got to have is a perfect heart with the Lord."
"Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty. That prayer we say all the time, the first person that said it was David."
"Thine is the kingdom. When Jesus bring this kingdom to the earth, he is going to be the head government, and it's going to come from Jerusalem."
"In thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. When you feeling weak, say, Lord, you give strength unto all. Give strength unto me right now."
1 Chronicles 29:14-19 KJV14But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
15For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.
16O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.
17I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.
18O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:
19And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.
"David is talking like a child to the Lord right now. Who am I, and what is my people?"
"Give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart. How often are we praying for other people? Not only when they sick or hurt. There was nothing wrong with Solomon at this time, but David prayed for him."
1 Chronicles 29:20-22 KJV20And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. And all the congregation blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the LORD, and the king.
21And they sacrificed sacrifices unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings unto the LORD, on the morrow after that day, even a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel:
22And did eat and drink before the LORD on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto the LORD to be the chief governor, and Zadok to be priest.
11.Solomon Began to Build the House of the LORD in Mount Moriah
2 Chronicles 3:1-4 KJV1Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
2And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
3Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.
4And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.
"Mount Moriah. That's the same Moriah we read in Genesis 22 when he was getting ready to sacrifice Isaac. Mount Moriah is the temple site, or the temple mount."
"In the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite."
"And the porch that was in the front of the house. In the New Testament they talk about Solomon's porch. Now you reading about where Solomon's porch is."
2 Chronicles 3:5-7 KJV5And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.
6And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim.
7He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls.
"He overlaid it with pure gold. This temple was nothing to play with. It was beautiful. And he graved cherubims on the walls."
2 Chronicles 3:8-10 KJV8And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.
9And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
10And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold.
2 Chronicles 3:14 KJV14And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.
"Blue, purple, crimson and fine linen. Those were the colors the children of Israel chose."
12.But I Have Chosen Jerusalem
2 Chronicles 6:1-6 KJV1Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
2But I have built an house of habitation for thee, and a place for thy dwelling for ever.
3And the king turned his face, and blessed the whole congregation of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood.
4And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who hath with his hands fulfilled that which he spake with his mouth to my father David, saying,
5Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build an house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel:
6But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.
"The Lord said he would dwell in the thick darkness. He was cool with that. But Solomon built an house of habitation for him, and he did it on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem."
"Israel wanted a king like the other nations. But now the Lord is going to tell you straight. But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there, and have chosen David to be over my people Israel. He chose him in the beginning, and he is going to choose him to be ruler again once Jesus' kingdom is on the earth."
2 Chronicles 6:7-11 KJV7Now it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
8But the LORD said to David my father, Forasmuch as it was in thine heart to build an house for my name, thou didst well in that it was in thine heart:
9Notwithstanding thou shalt not build the house; but thy son which shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for my name.
10The LORD therefore hath performed his word that he hath spoken: for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and am set on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
11And in it have I put the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, that he made with the children of Israel.
"David could not build the house because he had blood on his hands."
"Those same two tables of stone were still in that ark, over four hundred years later."
2 Chronicles 6:12-16 KJV12And he stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands:
13For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven,
14And said, O LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts:
15Thou which hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him; and spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.
16Now therefore, O LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; yet so that thy children take heed to their way to walk in my law, as thou hast walked before me.
"He stood before the altar of the LORD. That altar is in the same place as the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite."
"How do you know there ain't no other God? Because there is no other God that keeps a covenant. Whatever God tells you, he is going to stand on that forever."
"There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel, yet so that thy children take heed to their way to walk in my law. That was the only way we was going to stay on the throne."
2 Chronicles 6:17-21 KJV17Now then, O LORD God of Israel, let thy word be verified, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant David.
18But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!
19Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee:
20That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place.
21Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.
"But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? And the answer is yes."
"That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night. That's the reason why we pray toward that place. This is why we stand and face Jerusalem. You can pray anywhere, but you have a better shot when you are facing Jerusalem, facing the east."
2 Chronicles 6:22-25 KJV22If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house;
23Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.
24And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house;
25Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers.
"If you walking right with the Lord and you turn and face Jerusalem when you pray toward this place, when God hears it, he going to forgive you."
"If thy people be put to the worse before the enemy. That means you going to be in your enemy's land. And if you mess up, the only thing you got to do is repent."
2 Chronicles 6:26-31 KJV26When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them;
27Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance.
28If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be:
29Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house:
30Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; ( for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:)
31That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
"When thou dost afflict them. When you sin against the Lord, you going to get punished for it. He ain't going to let you off the hook."
"Whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be. He knew that Israel was going to be scattered."
"Even though the Lord is dwelling in the third heaven, his eyes are always open on this city."
Here he paused at a map of the ancient city of David to show the threshing floor of Araunah at the top, which he identified as the location of David's altar and where Isaac was bound, the rock that later became the place of the holy of holies of Solomon's temple, the city of David on Zion, the Kidron Valley, and David's palace. Mount Moriah, he said, is the temple site, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock stand today. Solomon's temple was later destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, Israel went into captivity for seventy years, and the second temple was built in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. That was the temple in the days of Jesus.
13.Jerusalem Shall Be Trodden Down of the Gentiles
St. Luke 21:5-11 KJV5And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
6As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
7And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
8And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
9But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
10Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
"When they built the temple in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, some of the people cried when they saw how poor it looked. In Herod's day they added to the temple again and made it more pretty. And they were showing all of this to Jesus."
"Just some forty years after Jesus said this, Jerusalem was destroyed."
"Many shall come in my name. You got a lot of people coming in the name of Christ, but they are not the real people of God. Go ye not therefore after them."
St. Luke 21:20-24 KJV20And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
21Then let them which are in Judæa flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
22For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
24And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
"These be the days of vengeance. Why? Because of what your people were doing in the land."
"Led away captive into all nations. We not talking about no indentured servants. Whatever nation you going to, you going to be a captive in it."
"Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. The Gentiles got to be running Jerusalem when the Lord comes back. As a matter of fact, the Gentiles are going to be running the entire world."
14.His Feet Shall Stand Upon the Mount of Olives
"When Jesus comes back, he going to settle the controversy of Zion. And he going to take the kingdom by war."
Zechariah 14:1-5 KJV1Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and 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.
5And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: 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.
"I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle. We can't get along, so we got to settle it."
"And the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. Lord, please let me get in that army with you. It ain't going to be no rapture. The Lord is going to come back with an army of saints and an army of angels."
Zechariah 14:6-9 KJV6And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
7But 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.
8And 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.
9And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
"Not day, nor night. That's why we say we don't know what day or what hour the Lord is going to come, because you ain't going to be able to tell the day."
"Living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half toward the former sea, the Mediterranean, and half toward the hinder sea, the Salt Sea."
"And the LORD shall be king over all the earth. When people say we going to heaven, where are we reading this from? The kingdom is going to be on the earth."
Zechariah 14:21 KJV21Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.
"There shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts. That's spiritually speaking."
15.The LORD Also Shall Roar Out of Zion
Then Joel 3, where the heavens declare his glory.
Joel 3:14-17 KJV14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
15The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
16The LORD also 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.
17So 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.
"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. That's how many people are going to be there."
"The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The same way God put out the sun, moon and stars in the days when he brought Israel out of Egypt, he going to do it again once he comes back."
"The LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel."
"My holy mountain means my holy government. And there shall no strangers pass through her any more. We ain't talking about the stranger by the color of their skin. Everybody wants a piece of Jerusalem, and it ain't going to be like that no more."
Joel 3:18-21 KJV18And 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.
19Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.
"For the LORD dwelleth in Zion. While you up in heaven, you going to be saying hello, hello, hello, because ain't nobody going to be up there. The party is going to be right here on the earth."
16.The Law Shall Go Forth of Zion
One of Elder David's daily exhortations that week was Micah 4, which Brother Obadiah added to the lesson.
Micah 4:1-4 KJV1But 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.
2And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and 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.
3And 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: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
4But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.
"Ain't going to be nobody prejudiced no more. Ain't nobody going to hate people because of the color of their skin. Everybody is going to be on one accord."
"He will teach us of his ways. You going to be taught directly by the teacher."
"The law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Once again, Jerusalem, the city of the great King. This is where we going to be."
"He going to get a word from Jerusalem and pass judgment all the way across the world right from his throne."
"They shall beat their swords into plowshares. We going to go back to farming, living off the land, where every man is going to love one another, no matter how rich or how poor."
Micah 4:5-7 KJV5For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.
6In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;
7And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.
"All people will walk every one in the name of his god. People are still going to speak Russian, still going to speak Chinese. That's why we speak all the different languages from when we got scattered. Whatever they call Jesus in their language, that's what it's going to be."
"I will gather her that is driven out. He's talking about his wife. He's talking about Israel."
"It's going to be all peace and love once we get back home."
17.The King of Israel, Even the LORD, Is in the Midst of Thee
Zephaniah 3:14-17 KJV14Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
15The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
16In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
17The 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.
"Once we go back home, the Lord is going to take all these things that we have done against him, and it ain't going to matter no more."
"Thou shalt not see evil any more. And not just Israel, but all people. I don't like to leave nobody out, because those that are truly trying to learn the Lord, God is going to be with them too."
"He will joy over thee with singing. Can you imagine Jesus singing to us? One day it's going to happen."
Zephaniah 3:18-20 KJV18I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
19Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
20At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.
"I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. They looked at us as mockeries in other countries. All of that is going to be gone."
"When I turn back your captivity before your eyes. He's going to do it right before your eyes."
18.The Glory of the God of Israel Came From the Way of the East
"The only third temple I read in the Bible is this one. I do believe they are going to build an altar on the temple mount. I don't know about no temple. The book don't support that."
Ezekiel 43:1-5 KJV1Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:
2And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
3And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.
4And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
5So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.
"The gate that looketh toward the east. Jesus is going to come by way of the east gate."
"Whose prospect is toward the east. Prospect means the front of the house. The east is the forefront."
Ezekiel 43:6-9 KJV6And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
7And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.
8In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger.
9Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.
"The place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever."
Ezekiel 43:10-12 KJV10Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
11And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.
12This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.
"The goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof. If you come in through the north gate, you going to go out through the south gate. You not going to go back out the same way you came in."
"This is the law of the house."
He then noted from Ezekiel 44 that the east gate shall be shut, because the Lord God of Israel has entered in by it, and only the prince shall sit in it.
Ezekiel 44:5-9 KJV5And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.
6And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,
7In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.
8And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.
9Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.
"If you come in from another nation, you better hear what the Lord is saying. No stranger uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary."
Ezekiel 44:10-14 KJV10And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity.
11Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.
12Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity.
13And they shall not come near unto me, to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.
14But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.
"You going to have Jesus and immortal beings on the earth, and you still going to have human beings on the earth."
"That's what it is to be a preacher for real. You bear your iniquity, and you also bear the iniquity of the people."
Ezekiel 44:15 KJV15But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD:
"Everything that David ordained, the sons of Zadok as priests, they going to pick up their exact same positions when the Lord comes back. That's why we read about Zadok earlier."
Ezekiel 44:23-24 KJV23And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
24And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.
"And they shall hallow my sabbaths."
19.Waters Issued Out From Under the Threshold of the House
Back to the living waters of Zechariah 14, in Ezekiel 47.
Ezekiel 47:1-5 KJV1Afterward 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 under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
2Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
3And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.
4Again 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.
5Afterward 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.
"Waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward, for the forefront of the house stood toward the east."
Ezekiel 47:6-8 KJV6And 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.
7Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.
8Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
"The waters shall be healed. God is going to clean all of the waters once he comes back."
Ezekiel 47:9-12 KJV9And 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.
10And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
11But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
12And 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 months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.
"Every thing shall live whither the river cometh. Everything is going to live in the water."
"Whose leaf shall not fade. And the leaf thereof for medicine. You still going to have people, so you can go up and grab a leaf off of a tree."
Then, he said, let's find where the stranger is going to be.
Ezekiel 47:22-23 KJV22And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
23And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD.
"When the land is divided by lot, you going to have some Gentiles in the land with you. In what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance. That's infallible proof that the Lord is going to come back and save his people."
Revelation 22:1-2 KJV1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2In 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.
"Revelation 22 is talking about the Father's kingdom, but these two verses speak of the past, of what we just read in Ezekiel 47. I used to teach this chapter wrong."
"What color is the water now? When he comes back, it's going to be clear as crystal."
Closing Word
He closed with the other exhortation Elder David put in that week, Psalm 116.
Psalm 116:1-2 KJV1I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
2Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
Psalm 116:13-19 KJV13I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
14I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.
15Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
16O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
17I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.
18I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,
19In the courts of the LORD’s house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.
"Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. I take that literally. I'm calling on the name of Jesus until I die."
"Pay your vows to the Lord now, in the presence of the people you love, so they can see the change while they alive."
"In the courts of the LORD's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD. And I hope you got some understanding in Jesus name."
Brother Obadiah's lesson was that Jerusalem is the place God chose, and he chose it long ago. It is the mountain in the land of Moriah where Abraham offered Isaac, the threshing floor David bought to stay the plague, and the place Solomon built the house where the Lord's eyes would be open day and night, which is why the class faces Jerusalem when it prays. Israel lost the city through disobedience, and it is trodden down of the Gentiles until their times are fulfilled. But the Lord promised David a throne for ever. Jesus will stand on the Mount of Olives with all his saints, roar out of Zion, and reign over all the earth from Jerusalem. The law will go forth from Zion, the nations will learn war no more, living waters will heal the land, and the stranger who joins himself to Israel will have an inheritance there. So pray for Jerusalem, keep the Sabbath, and pay your vows now.
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This lesson was taught at our Sabbath service at Israel Church of the Firstborn in Indianapolis, IN. Join us every Saturday at 12PM, or watch the Sabbath live online.