In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of patience and endurance in the Christian journey. He urges listeners to avoid the temptation of seeking shortcuts or grasping for blessings before the appointed time. The speaker also highlights the significance of memories and how holding onto past slights can rob individuals of peace and joy. He encourages listeners to let go of expectations of fairness in this world and instead focus on achieving total victory over their own desires and ideals. Additionally, the speaker emphasizes the value of people as the ultimate inheritance and the importance of being stretched and challenged in order to become what God intends for each individual.

We praise and we thank you, Lord, that you have kept your hand on our families. Lord, so many are distraught tonight, like the woman I saw in the first actions there, just standing with her hands on her head, Lord, talking to the police. People with needs, Lord, people with needs all over the place. John Andrus and others, Lord, that are under great pressure, and Georgine, and others, Lord, that have problems. But, Lord, you sit as king of the flood, and you said no plague would come nigh our dwelling, provided we are abiding in the secret place of the Most High. So, Lord, help us to get there and stay there, and not be careless, because we truly are in dangerous times. We look to you, Lord, we're not afraid, but we are cautious and prayerful, and look to you, Lord. We pray you'll bless each family here with protection, with health, with safety, and peace, Lord, so that our many, many problems will be solved and resolved, Lord, in a wonderful way. Only you can do it, Lord, and we just look to you. And, Lord, we do pray tonight, as we continue, that we will be impressed with just what is on your mind. Lord, give us all clear hearts and minds that we may receive that which is from the Holy Spirit tonight, in Jesus' name, Amen. I think we're in Revelation 21 tonight, starting with verse 5. And I don't know if you've ever thought much about this, but this Holy City is our goal. This is the goal. We're not moving toward mansions. We're not moving toward paradise as such. We're moving toward a city. And that kind of hits us funny, but it is the truth. We're moving toward a city. And that city is the glorified church. So, the thing that's important is not where the church is going. It's the church itself. And the important thing about the church itself is not that it's in paradise alone. It's that it is the wife of the Lamb. That's what's important. Because the Lamb never before has had a counterpart. The Word was with the Father. Never before has had a helper suited to Him. This is new on the scene. That the Lamb would be expanded in this way. Of course, from the beginning He was not called the Lamb, but the Word, the Logos, the expression of God. But when God decided to enlarge Him and make a counterpart for Him, He called Him the Lamb. And we relate to Him by eating the Lamb. And so, our goal is we'll have paradise, and we'll be able to go to heaven any time we want to, and live on the earth and on. But that's not what's important. What's important is this city, and the fact that God is in it, and that we are related to the Lamb, the Bride of the Lamb. Come here, I'll show you the Bride, the Lamb's wife. And that is why true discipleship and Christianity is as demanding as it is. If it was a case of our going through the four steps of salvation and ending up in heaven when we died, what demands, you know, what demands are on us other than to try to keep from backsliding and be nice. But when you're talking about anything as exalted as becoming a permanent part of God, and that's exactly what we're talking about, becoming a permanent, integral part of God, then the demands are total. Now, everyone that is saved will not be the Bride of the Lamb as a priesthood. It is the expression of God. We do not compare ourselves with people of the world. We do this, that, and the other, play with and still go to heaven. That's not the issue. The issue is each day is full of challenges, full of demands, full of perplexities, full of crises, full of pain, full of stretching, because we are being made the Bride of the Lamb. And if our goal was heaven, it wouldn't be like that. Our goal is to be made an integral, inseparable part of the Wife of the Lamb. And the Wife of the Lamb is a city so that people living on the earth can visit it. We've been so self-centered, thinking that God's whole goal was to bring the church to heaven. That's not God's goal at all. It's to put a city on the earth that people can see and go up to and learn from God. And that city which they will go to and learn from God is the church. And that's why the demands on us are far surpassing just the basic demands of not being destroyed in the day of the Lord, that is, being safe from wrath. It goes far beyond that. And so, if the call in your heart is to be part of the Wife of the Lamb, then you are going to submit to every stretching, every crisis, every perplexity, every denial of what you want. That's why Jesus said, if you want to be worthy of me, you have to deny yourself, take up your cross, the engine of destruction, and follow me. He's not talking about going to heaven. He's talking about becoming part of the Lamb. Eat my flesh. Drink my blood. Live by me as I live by the Father. Become an integral part of me. And that's what we're dealing with. And that's why today, as the Lord is going through His church, looking for the firstfruits, looking for the choicest of the vine, those who will leave all, leave all, and follow Jesus. And He'll have some that will do just that. And their reward will be to be with Him forever. And they will serve then to be His expression in the earth to save mankind. This is the role of Israel, is to be the wife of the Lamb. That's what Israel is. It's the one called out from the world to belong to God in a peculiar way, a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Now, is there any question about that? Did I raise any question? Is anything not clear? You can see how far removed that is from the common understanding of salvation, that it's to do Romans 10.9 and 10 and then go to heaven when you die. It's far, far removed from that. We're not pursuing salvation. It's like the Apostle Paul. We're pursuing Christ, that we may gain Him and be found in Him and know the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. We're not trying to go to heaven. We're trying to go to Christ. And there's a vast difference there because going to Christ demands, as in the case of Paul, counting everything of this world as garbage, count it as garbage, in order that you may gain Christ. You have to pursue Christ with all your might, all your life. And I guess you have to be called to do that. You just can't say that to people unless there's a calling there. It would sound like the death knell to everything they've ever wanted. But not to the bride. It's music. Yes? And I'm still trying to get out of my mind because I'm getting questions up in my mind. Whatever He pleases. But He will be both with us and in us. That's two different things. And they're both within Christ's prerogative to reveal Himself in us or reveal Himself with us. He cannot reveal Himself apart from us because the unchanging Word says, so shall they ever be with the Lord. Bang! That's the end of God's privacy. That's also the end of your privacy. So we have to submit to being. And that's what marriage is. That's what marriage is supposed to be. Of course, our marriage on the earth is but the faintest flickering shadow of what we're talking about here where she is actually His glory, the very expression of His person. And so the world will come to us to learn of God. But what they're coming to is Christ in us and Christ is the door to God. Every human being that's been created by God has a desire in there somewhere, no matter how buried under sin and corruption, to want God. And the only way you can come to God is through Jesus Christ. And in the world to come, the only way you'll come to Jesus Christ is through His church. That's what the church is being made. The expression of His glory. And it's His delight to do that. Now at any time that He chooses, He can choose to move outside His church, as I said. He can do anything that He wants to. But you want to remember that He is the vine and you don't pick grapes off a vine. Where do you pick them off? Yeah, and who's the branches? We are. And Christ has chosen of His own will to make Himself dependent on us in this way. He's chosen to do that. He doesn't have to. He's God. He can do anything He wants to. But He wanted, evidently, He wanted to get married. He's all alone. And you know, it's wonderful to be able to create anything you want to and move around in this glorious physical realm, but remember what God said? It is not good. It is not good. By that He wasn't saying, men, brace yourself for the conflict because I'm saying I'm not pleased with the fact that you're alone. He's saying, you can't fulfill my purposes in you by yourself. And what I'm giving you is something good. Something good. And that's what the Bible says. He that attains wife finds a good thing and attains favor from the Lord. You see, every girl in Bible school knows that verse. Because that's the way women are made. Of course, in our society everything is so perverted. A woman wants to be a CEO, but she'll never find herself there because she's made to be a helper for another. I don't say this is true of all women. I think women have their individual callings. I think some of them are called to be nuns. I really believe that. They're just called to be married to Christ. That's their calling. That's their vocation. And when they're there, they're happy. And those that try out for it, but are not called to it, don't last. Sooner or later, they both. We're out of here. This is my romantic trip. But those that really are called to be a nun, they're happy. They're called. God just called them out to himself. So I'm not saying that every woman is called to be married. I'm not saying that. But as a general rule, like Paul said, let the younger women marry, bear children, guide the husband. That's ordinary. And anything outside of that is extraordinary. Marry and... As Paul said, it's good if you don't marry, but if you do, you abide in the calling wherein you are called. And so... But our civilization is messed up. In other words, a woman that marries and bears children is something like a broodmare. She really... She could be a CEO or a doctor, a psychiatrist. How wonderful. Except that only a woman can bring forth God's eternal servants into the world. And that's the highest of all callings. So our society, as usual, is shooting itself in the foot. Any other questions? Okay. Now you see mentions of this glorious city back in Isaiah. In Isaiah 65, starting with verse 17. It's not just New Testament. And God is telling the Jews. And remember, it's always first to the Jews. In this holy city, on the twelve gates are the names of Jews. And in the foundation of the wall, there are the names of twelve Jews. And we Gentiles are just in here by God's choice. But it is the new Jerusalem. Yerushalayim. It's not the new Washington, D.C. It's the new Yerushalayim. And it's Jewish from cover to cover. But, that doesn't mean God doesn't love us. He says, I will give those Gentiles that call on my name a position greater than a son or something to that effect. Now, in Isaiah 65, 17. Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. Did you know that was in the Old Testament? New heaven and a new earth. Right back there. The former things will not be remembered. Now, that is a blessing. A great blessing to have God remove from your memory things that are troublesome. That's a tremendous blessing. I say that several times a month. Something will come up, makes me wince. And I say, Lord, remove it from my memory bank. And I believe Him to do that. That's a tremendous blessing. And I think one of the greatest aspects of the outer darkness and the weeping and gnashing of teeth will be the fact that you cannot forget things you want to forget. Like the doctor who's committed many abortions who has to live with those little helpless things just revolving around his head never being able to shut it out of his consciousness. See, what a hell that would be. Let it go for just one minute. Let me think of something pure and beautiful. No, no. That blessing is for the righteous. So this thing where it says the former things will not be remembered nor will they come to mind is a tremendous blessing of God. So you don't want to do things in your life that you don't want to remember because if you don't please God you may find yourself in a place where you can't forget them because this blessing is for the righteous. And what a blessing it is to have the things you know, and that my wife and I often use the expression chewing on a bone which is very apt and our Adamic nature not all of us but many of our Adamic natures are prone to chew on bones. Now what that means is that someone did something that insulted you or you felt was unjust. Okay? So that's a fiery dart. I mean it's a flaming dart that can set your personality on fire. Okay, now if you have the shield of faith the shield of faith extinguishes those fires. It extinguishes them. And when you bring it up it extinguishes that fire and that fiery dart cannot set your personality on fire. But if you are careless and you have any trace in your nature of enjoying being offended now you can enjoy being offended believe me, it's delicious. And it gives you something to think about and a bone to chew on. And I know if you ever see a dog with an old bone they'll chew on that thing long after they get anything out of it. They'll just chew on that old bone. And that's what people do. Instead of getting up the shield of faith they have these things that people have done that they are not willing it has to be all justified and reasoned through before they'll ever let it go. And so they've got all these memories that are completely destructive. They're completely destructive of your peace. You really hold the person who offended you in prison by continually cursing them in your mind and you hold yourself in prison at the same time. And so the thing to do is to get total victory over all of your bones. Now I know people do things that are offensive and that is because you have a vision in your mind of how people ought to behave. That often goes on between husband and wife. They have without realizing it sometimes a picture of how a wife should be, how a husband should be, how a son should be, how a pastor should be, how a teacher and we have that and it's just that we got it from somewhere medialism or whatever but we got this picture in our mind this is the way this type of person should behave. Did you ever have the experience of hearing about a doctor or hearing about someone that you had never seen and when you see them for the first time you're totally shocked because maybe you pictured them as an older person and they were very young or you pictured them of a certain nationality and they were of another nationality or you pictured them as being short and stocky and they were tall and real skinny. Did you ever do that? Some of you look like you never heard of anything like that. I think what you're worrying about what I'm leading up to. Well, what I'm saying is we get preconceived ideas of the way people should behave and that's a tremendous stumbling block. That often happens in marriage because there's a strong sexual attraction there and everything and we get all romantic of course that colors everything and we can't see straight and we don't really understand what the other person is like but we have an ideal picture of what they should be. We have that. And of course this person, whoever it is male or female, young or old is full of imperfections and personality quirks and things that do not match the stereotypes that you're holding in your mind. And really the secret of keeping a marriage together is unless things get into a situation that is unlawful or something but I'm just talking about the normal friction that occurs in a marriage as Paul says you would have trouble but I spare you and it comes because we have a picture in our mind of how that person should behave and when they don't it irritates us. It irritates us. And so we set about to try to change them. And if they don't change then you have the beginning of real marital problems. And this can happen with your children. Maybe you're a very academic person and you want your child to get A in school but if they don't get A in school they're no good. What you're actually fighting is your own ego. But maybe you've got a child who has some ocular very slight ocular impairment which will happen and is not correctable but it makes it kind of painful to read or they may have a doctor there's nothing a doctor at least when we went into it there was nothing doctors could do about it they just sort of live with it. But it made it very unpleasant naturally the child with so much education is based on reading and they'll shun it because we always shun things that are painful that's the pleasure pain principle. We go where we're enjoying things and we tend to shy away from that which is painful. And so here you've got a child here you're academic you want your child to shine and they want to please you and everything and instead of looking at it and seeing what we've got here. We may have a child that's intellectually handicapped they may be 90 or 85 on an IQ meaning that they can function normally except when it comes to intellectual pursuits and then they're really handicapped because they don't think clearly in verbal terms. Or there may be something else maybe we want a real tomboy and it turns out that the child is shy and introverted and really delights in technology and we want him to play football. Well all these kinds of things happen when we don't look and see what the person is like. Yes. He's always ready to pounce on a situation where we're irritated. Oh yes. Oh that happens all the time. And the thing about it is what you have to do what we tend to do is and this is especially true with children is if they don't meet the standard that we're setting in our mind we be and then they may get frustrated and angry and undisciplined or swear at us or something else or swear at the teacher and a good teacher an experienced teacher if the child swears at him is not threatened at all. The first thing they're on to is why did the child do that? What caused that child to act that way? And boy when you get when you get outside of yourself like that you're really making progress. And of course in a marriage that would be with a husband and wife and the husband and wife does something that really ticks you off. And you think why do they do that stupid thing all the time they do that? You know and then you get angry and then they get angry instead of trying to find out you know why they do it or trying to you know watch out here why is it about them that would cause them to never lock the door when they leave or you know whatever you know or peel rubber or whatever they do that bothers you. You know just what is it that and you usually find with human beings that they are not almost always they are not hurting you on purpose. Now there are people who are sadistic who get their kicks from making other people hurt. But I think they are a very small minority. Most of the people that hurt us do not do so deliberately. Very often they do not realize they are doing it. And sometimes if we remind them they are doing it they still keep on doing it because they can't put it together. They think well you've got some kind of a problem because you know what I'm doing is alright you know this kind of thing. And being able to first of all go to the Lord until you get peace. That's number one. If you don't do it you are going to put your foot in your mouth as soon as you open it. Unless you've got the victory keep your little mouth shut because all you are going to do is communicate your irritation. And the person will feel that. And they will become defensive. They will throw up their guard. You want to fight? Okay we will fight. But if you go to the Lord and say well I can't figure this out this seems extremely unjust and it shouldn't be he shouldn't have done it. He should have walked in big boots. He shouldn't have done it. Instead you go to the Lord and say I can't figure this out Lord it's far beyond me all I know is I lost my peace and I want my peace back Lord so I'm going to you now until I get it together with you. I'm going to quit dialoguing with people. I'm going to dialogue with you for a while. And do that instead of trying it. Get the other guy to understand why it is you hurt. God tries people nuts. They can't understand it and they don't want to talk about it. So you go to the Lord and say Lord I think I'll dialogue with you for a while. And when you get peace then you're able to get out of yourself look at the other person and say why are they acting that way? What are they doing? Lord give me insight into this person why are they behaving in this pestiferous fashion that is driving me nuts? And I personally believe that most marriages a great majority can be saved if people will do that instead of just freezing on the stick and thinking we're incompatible this is going to be hell for the rest of my life and work it out with God first. Work it out with God first. I think an awful lot of marriages could be saved because marriages are not made in heaven believe me. They're not made in heaven you may think they are but they're not you may find the perfect one but let me tell you there's only one perfect one. And you know divorce all divorce does is multiply your problems ordinarily now there is a time for divorce I'm not up here crucifying people on some situation that has gotten to the place where it's impossible I'm not talking about that but in most cases it's not an impossible situation it's because we ourselves haven't got God's peace in what we're doing and we just expected too much we expected to come and marry a person with a will like our own who is just as anxious to have his way or her way as we are to have our way and inevitably you're going to have tremendous conflict and that is part of marriage. And it's not made in heaven it's made on earth by people with character character integrity and who are not self-focused if you are self-focused your mate will become a saint on wheels whether it's a man or woman because they will continually have to sue for peace if there's going to be any peace and my thoughts are that ordinarily it's the man who's responsible to hold the thing together and he just better take it on the chin and if he'll do it long enough the odds are that the Lord will reward him and make it possible for his wife to find what she needs to have spiritually but she can't find it if she's continually having to sue for peace so her husband can do his self-focused act, act then so she has to become the head of the house because somebody's got to quit fighting if the fight's going to quit because it takes two to fight it's not much fun fighting when somebody doesn't fight and so if he's not willing to do that he messes himself up and he messes his wife up because she's not temperamentally suited to be the spiritual head of the house he must bear that that's his role is to be the head of the house that's what it means he's stronger not stronger physically he's supposed to be stronger in this realm of self-control and if he'll do that until his wife has a chance to work through whatever emotions and other things that may cause her at times to behave in some way erratically if he will take that God will bless him and he will make it then he will have the joy of seeing his wife be able to grow in the Lord yes what you just described is what the Lord is doing in this church precisely precisely and of course the difference there between most marriages is that the Lord is so far ahead of his bride that he can do all these things ordinarily in a marriage in our country particularly they're within two or three years apart in age and they both need a great deal of help and they're not old enough to help each other like the Lord is able to help us so it might not hurt you know if the man had a good five or ten years on his wife and I'm sure I'm setting myself up for a lot of stones to be thrown at me but there is a point in that in that he has because they say and it's probably true that two a man and a woman at the same age a woman is older by virtue of the fact that she matures earlier and I can I can buy that so if they're so they're so close they're not a good representative of Christ and his bride because Christ is way out there you know and he he deserves his wife's adoration I mean he warrants it by his his tremendous majesty but if you get two kids that get married you know one's twenty three and one's twenty five you don't have this and so how's the guy going to show his wife that he's worthy to be her head I mean it's it's very difficult but that is our American culture is that they marry about the same age because we've got a lot of stuff like you fall in love and you get married and then you fall out of love and get divorced that's the way it goes in which there's all a bunch of hokum so we've got some things in our culture that probably need working on and never shall be but in the meanwhile we have to make do with what is and what is is we got hooked up and in most cases we weren't forced to we did it of our own will and so we've got to just call on the Lord until it works and show a little class show a little lack of self-centeredness and say wait a minute there's another guy out there and I got her into this or I got him into this Lord help me to make this thing work instead of oh look what he did or look what she did you can't go any place like that nothing is going to hang together you have to give you have to be unselfish and if you're self-focused and all you can think about is yourself boy you're poor mate I mean they'll really be a saint if they stick it out I mean they will be a saint on wheels because they're going all the time keeping him happy keeping her happy they'll make a saint out of you Tony something that you said in the old century a long time ago and I try to apply it in my marriages you said that the more spiritual it is if you make your wife be the one to withdraw then she becomes the head of the house yes what did Tony say I didn't hear that he said that when there's a conflict the most spiritual person will work for peace and we see that in Isaac where they were crabbing over his well he says take it I'll dig another dug that one they crabbed over that one take it finally got another well and he called it I think for all but the Lord now has made room for us but you see that's why his name is Isaac you know what it means laughter and you will laugh when you give in see blessed are the peacemakers and the most spiritual person will be the peacemaker the carnal person will be the one that has to have his or her own will the sign of an Adamic personality is having to have your way that's the sign of an Adamic personality having to have your way a spiritual person tends to be meek to be a peacemaker but the Adamic nature feels that's a lot of foolishness you know God helps those who help themselves go out there and show them what you can do run them over don't let them give you ulcers you give them ulcers you know that's the Adamic personality but Christ blessed are the peacemakers they inherit the earth see the meek the teachable the gentle inherit the earth that's why God stresses in these last two chapters of Revelation the Lamb he doesn't stress the Lion of Judah he doesn't stress that she's the Queen of the King the Lamb the meekest of all animals one thing you really want to be afraid of is an angry Lamb you know why? because it's so hard to make them angry and when they get angry boy you know something's up that's why they said hide us from the wrath of the Lamb and we are the wife of the Lamb like Moses he was the meek so God I started all this because I was saying about memories memories are a very important thing and they can be blessed or they can be destructive and if you remember slights that happened years ago and you're still trying to get some marrow out of that bone you're robbing yourself of peace and joy well they didn't do right sure they didn't do right one great lesson we learn is that this world is not just it is not fair and if you expect to be treated fairly you better hold up somewhere and wait till you die and go to heaven maybe they're fair there but they're not fair down here it's not fair and if you're trying to make life fair make your husband fair your wife fair your kids fair your boss fair anybody else fair just enjoy yourself because you are like Sisyphus pushing a rock uphill and it's going to roll back on you because life is not fair so don't chew on those old bones and don't try to get marrow out of them dogs bury bones but then they dig them up dog loves a good old dirty bone but you keep those things buried and forget it and the birds will sing in your heart sure because you've let everybody go let them off the hook and you'll laugh yes? you hold things against people God will hold things against you can't do it you've got to let it go if there are any keys to the Christian life one of them is forgive everybody yep you want your father to forgive you and heal you and bless you forgive everybody yep enemy hungers feed him if he's thirst give him drink because otherwise you're robbing God of his vengeance vengeance is mine belongs to me get your little fingers off it so having a good forgetter now I know it's hard sometimes but you can always do it if you'll pray and the reason for that is because you tap the virtue that's in the body and blood of Christ and what part of that virtue was put in that body and blood when he said father forgive them they know not what they do and that virtue was there for the having and you can pray and lay hold on it and that which you cannot forgive in your Adamic nature you can forgive by the body and blood of Christ there's virtue there to say father they and you'll say well they knew what they were doing but they didn't really know what they were doing and most of the time people that hurt us really don't now some sadistic sick person yes might but your ordinary situation ordinarily people don't get up in the morning thinking how can I mess up her day or his day that is not the way it is what happens is they're just being themselves and it rubs you the wrong way or they got some wrong impression and insulted you or accused you or something it was true and it goes on and on and the only way you can cope with it is to get down until God gives you peace and you'll not have wisdom or know what you're doing until you get that peace with God all you'll do is muddy the waters and make the situation worse I know it's a high calling it's a real mark of Christian maturity to be able to shuck off the pain that's inflicted by other people it's a real mark of maturity but there is power and it is very rewarding and it will bring healthier bones and you'll be a tree of life yes? I just returned from a ministry in St. Louis with Joyce Meyer and she was teaching on the same thing and her whole theme of the 3 day convention was the glory of God and she was dealing with all these personalities and she painted a beautiful picture of how to deal with this she said stay in the glory when people irritate you etc just don't get out of the glory absolutely and she said whatever they do she used many circumstances as an example she said don't be concerned about it just deal with keep staying in that glory just walking in that glory it's very good oh yes no matter what rise or dance that's right that's right that's exactly couldn't be more true than that but it's hard to stay see and that's why we have to pray without ceasing because we're continually being buffeted we're continually being called down from our high place in God and that's why that's what it means to overcome is to keep your place in God and not let someone take your crown and that isn't easy but it's possible through the power of Jesus Christ so it doesn't hurt at times you know if something goes up in your mind you think have I really forgiven that person have I really let it go you know and just say Lord I don't think I've let it go help me to let it go Lord help me to let it go I don't want to do this help me to let it go Lord I've got my own problems I don't want to spend my time stewing about somebody else just let it go Lord and God will bless you wonderfully if you do that now notice he said it will not be remembered to come to mind so a great part of this city he's talking here about the city a great part of it is the blessing of having your heart and mind cleansed from the aches and pains of the past and we can have that to a certain extent today if we're willing to let it go but you know we tend to want to feel justified and get even and that's very destructive of our peace very destructive of our peace you've got to let it go even when you can't understand it you let it go but he says be glad and rejoice forever in what I will recreate for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight see how God see where he's going he's creating this city and we are that city Israel and it's people of joy God wants you to be a joy he wants you to be a tree of life and you can't do that if you're fretting about things that happen to you that were unjust I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more never again will there be an infant who has lived but a few days an old man who does not live out his years he who dies at a hundred will be thought of mere youth he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered a curse now you want to realize that when God speaks in Isaiah and Ezekiel about the holy city the city of God he's talking in terms that they can understand he's not talking in spiritual terms like we would because there was no way to communicate with them what he's saying is it will be a place of delight and the things that trouble you now won't trouble you then but in order for God to do that he has to say it in terms that the Jewish people of those days could understand ok does that make sense to you alright now I want to show you something else here in Isaiah still speaking of this city 60 60 verse 10 through verse 12 yes Colleen because we find in Revelation 21 verse 4 that death has been abolished see but they couldn't say that then because they didn't have sufficient background to understand that so what God is saying will be a place of joy without sorrow without pain without these things which is repeated in a transcendent level a more transcendent in Revelation 21 verse 4 alright now notice this expression referring to the holy city in Isaiah 60 verse 10 foreigners will rebuild your walls and their kings will serve you now we see that in Revelation 21 the kings of the earth bring their glory into it and I want to impress that on your mind that these foreigners and these kings are saved people but they are not part of Israel they are not part of that city until you grasp the fact that there are people who are saved and be living in the new heaven and the new earth who are not part of the church you can't understand the kingdom or the purpose of the city or anything else it just makes no sense you have to realize that there will be nations of people who are not part of the church but who God has saved and of course we see that in Matthew 25 the sheep nations the sheep nations people who did not accept Christ or anything else they just were kind to Christ's brothers his witnesses and on that basis they were brought into as God says the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world see we are a kingdom the church is the kingdom and it has been prepared for the benefit of mankind that really removes a lot of our self centeredness our self focus that's in Matthew 25 well let's finish this a little bit in Matthew 25 their kings will serve you see that's not what it says we are being made a royal priesthood their kings will serve you that's not though in anger I struck you and if God's making you a part of the new Jerusalem he will strike you in anger and this appears in many places it appears in Isaiah chapter 12 for example Isaiah 54 I hid my face from you for a moment in wrath they say well why would God strike me in anger because God has a cause against your your Adamic personality he's not pleased with that at all he's not pleased with your self focus he's not pleased with your worldliness your willingness to quarrel your self seeking and pride and all you think God is not pleased with that so doesn't he love me yeah he loves you he called you to himself while you were in your sins and forgave you but he doesn't intend for you to stay that way so after you he figures you're strong enough and been saved maybe filled in the spirit maybe administered for a while there'll come a time when God strikes you in his anger he's angry against your personality remember what the Lord Jesus said in Revelation 3 as many as I love I rebuke well why does he rebuke us because he's angry with what we're doing why else would he rebuke us he's not going to rebuke us because he's pleased with us you don't rebuke someone when you're pleased with them as many as I love I scold I get after you so there'll come a time if you're going to be part of this wonderful city that God is creating there's going to be such a joy to the whole earth there will come a time in your Christian experience when God takes you to the woodshed now there may be minor times throughout your Christian experience when you're chasing but there will come a major time and there's no need to fear it because God will bring you through it unless you quit you won't understand it you won't know when it's going to be over all you know is that all you thought you ever knew about the Lord has vanished and you wonder if you're ever saved in the first place you may go around saying to people do you know what's happening to me and they don't it's a job experience and you don't expect his comforters to understand him they didn't they thought surely he'd done something wrong and you say but Lord I didn't do anything wrong why am I in this pit well that's part of it isn't it isn't that how Joseph began his career it was in a pit who threw him there his brothers oh Lord and after he got out of there he was tempted and passed that and his reward was to be put in prison that's wonderful the way God makes deliverers and kings and servants well so we don't worry about the Lord if it has to be it has to be and he brings us through it and you don't know how long it's going to be believe me that's part of the problem but believe me you want to enjoy it as much as you can because when you come out your bondages will be broken you'll be a different person you'll know God they say boy it was worth it oh yeah it was worth it it was worth it all right so he said I was angry with him and he has struck Israel hasn't God struck Israel as a nation man what else can he do see but that's what God does on a miniature scale with each one of us the day will come when he reclaims Israel God's gifts and callings are without repentance so Israel can count that Isaiah is going to come to pass your gates will always stand open now why do they stand open why do the gates stand open we're in Isaiah chapter 60 10 verse 11 why do the gates always stand open huh so people can find God and that's the way God wants you you find that in the Old Testament in the table of show bread the bread was always kept on the table even on the march and what God which is ridiculous I mean why you know I have to carry that thing carefully if you don't knock the bread off it was evidently stacked up like this in two columns he wanted the bread he always wants you available when someone has need and if you're chewing on something you're not a tree of life you're not available to people he wants you to take care of yourself because there's people around you who need help and you're going to be no good for them if you need help that's I think has been one of Satan's main main reasons for advocating the rapture is because by keeping people off balance then when they do suffer they have no they weren't prepared for it they were taught they wouldn't suffer that's exactly what he wants because they will not then be available to the people who need them this Y2K he'll always keep something going like that so the Christians will be ego-centered self-focused saving their own life he'll keep them chewing on bones if he can he'll keep them tied up in nuts if he possibly can because they're not available they're not an open gate then the bread isn't on the table so before you can help anybody else you've got to keep yourself right before God so then he can use you when there's a needy person that needs prayer boy Audrey and I have to be careful we had some phone calls today I mean people need help and that's no time for us to say boy honey we better start praying it's time for us to start serving God honey you've got to be ready right then they call help gates are open so that people can come that's the way God wants you make sense we're for others we're being made for others so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations well it tells us right here the reason there are kings but that others also true I was taking that in my mind from the gates of pearl you know the gates of the new Jerusalem are pearl they're not mineral and you know how pearls are made don't you you know but he's telling them here something they can understand in their day so men can bring you the wealth of the nations there are kings led in triumphal procession what he's telling them is Israel you're going to be untaught you're going to be which of course is very important to them they can remember the kingdom of David David had ruled from the Euphrates all the way over to the Mediterranean and Solomon inherited that but that's the only time that Israel had ever really ruled the territories signed to them in Joshua 1 verse 4 was under David and Solomon and so they remember that and of course by the time of Isaiah here they were being battered by the enemy and so God would speak in terms of being triumphant for the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish it will be utterly ruined now obviously we're talking here about saved nations and we see that same principle in Matthew 25 the reason those people there were cast into into Gahanna was because they had not been good to God's brothers see and Rahab is our example of what can happen if you are helpful to the Lord's people so in these days God couldn't speak to them and say to them your gates will be open because people are going to have a spiritual need and come to you see they would not understand that but that you talk about joy and you compare having people come to you because they want to share God's love on the one hand and people coming to you and bringing mineral wealth on the other there is no comparison but see God couldn't speak to them about the joy of sharing God with people he had to speak to them of something that they could think of gold, silver various kinds of precious stones and woods and treasures from Spain and other places that to them was heaven it wouldn't be heaven to you or to me because we're being taught by the Lord that's not where the action is it's with people but God couldn't tell them that there alright now let's look at Matthew 25 and let's try about verse 30 I think the action starts about verse 30 this is very key if you want to understand about the saved nations this is where the saved nations come from when the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him and he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory I used to believe this would happen at the beginning of the thousand year period but if that's true and it could be it presents some difficulties and I've come to favor the interpretation that this occurs at the end of the thousand years and it says it looks like when he comes well when he comes he comes over a thousand year period see the day of the Lord is a thousand years he comes over a thousand year period so I tend to put this at the end of that period do that as you will all the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats I notice the NIV has adopted a position there having to do with the Greek term teutos which is feminine I think in gender but which makes it appear in the King James as though he's separating the nations one from another it's because of the pronoun them in the King James he will separate them and it agrees in gender with nations it agrees in gender yes with nations and not with people but it has to do with a peculiar use of the pronoun I think it's teutos that means them and it can be it can be properly translated nations and after thinking about it a great deal I think the people see they've done the thinking for you and they said we've decided that he means people and I agree with that because it presents too much of a problem in separating nations because if you make a nation a sheep nation and another nation you cast into Gehenna there may be good people in that nation so evidently the true meaning in NIV which has access to the latest you know Dead Sea Scrolls archaeological findings research in the Greek language and everything have decided that they're going to use this special use of the pronoun them autous autous that's it autous a-u-t-o-u-s autous that's right autous and ordinarily it would agree in gender with nation but it does have a special use where you could linguistically correctly apply it to people so here you have all the nations but what are being separated are people it's not the nations that are being separated which solves a big problem in my mind because otherwise you'd have some great unfairness there if you took everybody in a nation because usually in every nation you'll find some of these sheep alright so he's separating the people he puts the sheep on his right hand and his goats on the left so there are some Chinese on his right hand he's separating the people and not the nations which linguistically is sound and I think makes a lot more practical sense alright then the king will say to those people that is on his right come you are blessed by my father now these are not church members I know this is preached sometimes that we should feed the hungry because then we're a sheep this is not talking about the church it's talking about the nations does that make sense to you? it says nations it means nations he's not separating out his Christians here his Christians are with him his Christians are standing with him as he deals with the nations as we'll see in a minute alright then the king will say to those on his right these people come you who are blessed by my father take your inheritance the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world that kingdom is the church we are being prepared we are the seed of Abraham and in his seed all the nations shall be blessed right now the nations are not blessed they're in enormous pain and confusion and destruction aren't they? well the solution is not politics or the UN the solution is Christ and his saints who will govern them and bless them and teach them and help them and that is what we are being created for okay uh why? because I was hungry you gave me something to eat I was thirsty you gave me something to drink I was a stranger and you invited me in I needed clothes and you clothed me I was sick and you looked after me I was in prison and you came to visit me now that's not how we become a Christian we become a Christian by accepting the Lord and then pursuing him laying aside all that we might gain Christ that's how he judges us but he judges the sheep by the way they treated him but when was Christ hungry? when was Christ a stranger? when was Christ naked? when was Christ sick? I don't think Christ got sick did you? when was Christ very sick oh glory the kinglery ply I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine you did for me now where are the brothers in this picture? obviously there's a difference between these people and the brothers right? this is hard for you if you heard a priest that these are Christians here is there any New Testament scripture that says we are brothers of Christ? can you think of one? Romans 8 29 right? and then Hebrews 2 is very strong it says yes and then in Hebrews 2 it says because we're born of God he can call us brothers oh yes it's very scriptural that we are the brothers of Christ we've been destined from the foundation of the world to be his brothers we are his brothers you'll find that in Micah the 5th chapter when the remnant of his brothers return to the children of Israel in Micah 5 oh yes we are the brothers of Jesus Christ that's one of our relationships to him in addition to the wife of the Lamb the sons of God one of the things we are his brothers we are born of God and Hebrews 2 says that makes us legitimate brothers because we're all born of one ok? so where the brothers are see when he says notice when he says these brothers of mine well if somebody said these brothers of mine you'd expect to see them standing there wouldn't you? well they're standing with him it is given to the saints to judge the world 1st Corinthians 6 Psalms 149 we are with him I believe this is the great white throne judgment it fits it sure does they will answer Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison or did not help you ok? alright the least of these my brothers alright but now notice he'll reply I tell you the truth whatever you did not do for one of the least of these you did not do for me again referring to his brothers then they who's they? the goats the goats those that go but but but but you say something to them they say but then they will go away to eternal punishment I don't like that I don't like that NIV because the Greek word there is Gehenna Gehenna it's not it's not Hades it's not hell where the rich man was it's Gehenna or we call it Gehenna but in the Greek tone it's Gehenna and that is the lake of fire as far as I know that is the fire that is the fire that's why I don't believe it's at the beginning of the thousand year period because you would have people being put into the lake of fire oh I thought they were going to show the Greek up there all right that's all right everlasting punishment well no it must be back it must be back up somewhere where he refers to Gehenna because the king there the eternal fire verse 41 prepared for the devil and his angels see that's the lake of fire now if you had that happening at the beginning of the thousand years that would be meaning all these people in the world would be being put into the lake of fire and I don't see anybody being put into the lake of fire at the beginning of the thousand years except the antichrist and the false prophet even antichrist is not put in there he's put in the pit yes death and hell are thrown into the lake of fire right that's the end and hell gave up it's dead and death gave up they're dead and then the spirits see then hell and death themselves not the people in them but themselves they're evidently spirits were cast into the lake of fire all right but people are judged according to their works in revelation 20 and that's what you've got here you've got a judgment according to works you see nothing about accepting Christ you see nothing about the things we associate with the Christian salvation rather you see works works and in revelation 20 when they stand at the great white throne they are judged according to their works that's not the church no no no no no the church is the new Jerusalem the wife of the lamb that's the church the word means called out and it's Israel that is called out see the word church means called out we're dealing with the church now we're dealing with God's elect we're not dealing now with sheik nations or sheik people or goat people we're dealing with God's elect when we are finished brought to perfection by the program of redemption we're entering now we're moving past Pentecost into a further work of redemption which has to do with spiritual warfare as the Lord approaches our personality attacks the devil and in some cases strikes us in the day of atonement to get rid of our self self what a monster that thing is self focus oh man that causes problems you can't believe and many Christians that would never take a drink of a cigarette are self focused and man they can cause more trouble than a mad dog a self focused person is a destructive force in God's creation because they're like a black hole in space they're trying to pull everything into themselves they interpret everything in terms of themselves just like a black hole in space a self focused person is like a black hole in space it's a dead sea God hasn't dealt with his church he dealt with his church about worldliness and about the lust of the flesh and now he's going to deal about self focus and boy the way God gets at that is through suffering you have to be put in prison well God strikes that thing and you say well you can't have your own way well I've always had my own way well you can't have it anymore no more and you can't work the moves and you can't get around me and it won't work so just endure it you break out of it and I'll put you in for a longer term that's what he's after I've been there so I can talk authoritatively on that subject alright now is it cool concerning the saved nations do you see that now all these sheep nations are led into the new earth they're led into the new earth see they're given this is the kingdom and the kingdom is coming down from heaven to be set on a high mountain of the new earth we see that in Zeke Zeke forty verse two the book of Zeke you know Zeke used to be a common name nobody calls their kids Zeke anymore a lot of farmers in New England call Zeke you know their name was Ezekiel Ezekiel Hoops that's a good New English name New England name Ezekiel Hoops I just made it up but Hoops is a name you would find in New England and you would certainly find Ezekiel nobody calls their kids Ezekiel anymore forty verse two that ain't it I say ain't so we won't get too highfalutin no it's actual righteousness the actual righteousness they visit him in prison that's not imputed that's actual you know sure did sure there's a lot of unsaved Adamic people that do all kinds of good and charitable deeds sometimes at great expense and sacrifice to themselves did you know that yes self-sacrificing mothers that give their lives for their family I was reading in the paper not too long ago some guy his sister needed a kidney so he wasn't a Christian he went down there and donated a kidney to his sister that's a righteous act now that many of the evangelical teaching where they took there's an unrighteous no not one took it out of context and applied it to the whole world has really hurt Christian thinking you know there's been some hard examples of that oh you all out there you're all wicked and that's not true there's many unsaved people that are far more righteous than Christians far more righteous less self-seeking less hypocritical less proud less arrogant kindly gentle people that aren't Christians at all look oh yes we get a religious spirit and it blinds us now what are we looking at this is in Ezekiel 40 verse 2 yeah you know we're going to be forced to look in our Bible in Ezekiel 40 verse 2 it says something I can get out my glasses I can see it see the numbers I can see the words but not the numbers in visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain now you see you say well how do you know that's the new Jerusalem because if you go over to the last verse in Ezekiel it has a word that we translate um what do we translate it um Emmanuel how many see the last clause in the book of Ezekiel how many see the last clause there can't you see it Andrew well it's there you'll open up to the last if you don't know where Ezekiel is open up to Daniel and back up one well then look at the last verse in the book Isaiah help him out well we were there but we've gone on from there you didn't even stop there yes I did I stopped I said I see and I said the reason I know is because of the last clause in the book of Ezekiel and what is it the Lord is there which we translate Emmanuel that means the Lord is there and um that is what the holy city is so I maintain uh being a minority of one uh that Ezekiel's temple is describing the inner transformation of the Christian when it gets into guard rooms and altars and then finally gets into the water coming out and going through the water and trees of light and I believe that Ezekiel because scholars wonder where is Ezekiel's temple it can't be a temple in the millennium because there's animal sacrifice and certainly can't be in the new heaven and new earth because there's all this animal sacrifice so where is Ezekiel's temple going to be and I think it's speaking symbolically of the inward nature transformed nature of the Christian and I think furthermore that the first chapter of Ezekiel it talks about the wheels and the wheels and the glory and all this it's talking about the outside appearance of us when we are finally made in the image of Christ because that is the image of Christ and we're called to be in the image of Christ and we think well I'll be kind of like Jesus uh with my sandals and my white sheet and I'll go around and doing good but that's not the image of Christ the image of Christ is in the first chapter of Ezekiel it says this is the image of the Lord well we're being made in the image of the Lord ipso facto your picture is in the first chapter of Ezekiel and that's a stunner I mean if you want something to stretch your faith just read Ezekiel 1 and say I'm being made in that image that's the outer image but the inner image I believe is the temple all this about the wall and all this so many cubits and I went here and there's a cubit here and a cubit there and cherubim here and seraphim there and palm branches there and everything how can that be the inner nature of the Christian well that's just the way God does He confuses you and you have to have the spirit interpret I wouldn't fight with anybody if they said I would never believe that if I lived to be 103 that's alright that's fine but it satisfies me it makes perfect sense particularly when it says the Lord is there and there's only one place the Lord is and that's in Jesus Christ and He's in us and there's no other temple of God the whole city is a temple that's why it says I saw no temple there because the whole city is the temple of God the church the throne of God and the Lamb it's a glorified Israel and the things we read about it are symbolic isn't it wonderful that our destiny is a city it's this wonderful thing that God is making us but that isn't the best part the best part is we will inherit people that's the best part and they'll come wanting the spirit of God wanting healing wanting all these things and I'll tell you from working with children in the grades for so many years and then working with people as a pastor there's no inheritance worth a plug nickel that's where the action is people God's stone is a fire I'll trade my whole backyard full of diamonds for one of your people no matter who they are shall we stand so get ready to be stretched and struck perplexed confused bewildered challenged because God is making you something that someday is going to mean something think how unique you are think how unique you are are you very unique? are your fingerprints different from everyone else? there's other things that they study about now I don't know whether it's your eyeballs or something that is different from everybody else and your iris is different from everybody else and your what they read inside what they're reading now the DNA is different from everybody else you're unique do you know what that means? that means when you are filled with Christ there's a new creation that's never been before because it's Christ and the uniqueness that is you God will batter you from pillar to post but he'll never destroy what you are uniquely he will only enhance your uniqueness and he already sees millions of people that your what you bring will be just what they need so in destroying your individuality he is enhancing your uniqueness your identity so don't quit father you are wonderful beyond the word to describe you are so wise it's no wonder Paul kept breaking out into hymns of praise to the all wise God how marvelous father what a plan and all that the wicked do is increase bring bring your elect to their destined end and we know Lord that all this has been created for us we know that it's a place that's created for us that's already been created paths of righteousness to walk in pleasantly happy so totally fulfilled so totally understanding now they know as they're known now it all makes sense and it's so perfect and it couldn't be improved on and we know the devil comes, finds that destiny of ours knows what's in there and tries to get us to take a shortcut just as he did Jesus now Lord steer us away from these traps we don't want any shortcuts we don't want to get the things we want at the wrong time it's a case of timing Jesus help us to be disciplined in you that we do not yield to the desire to grasp what you have for us before the time help us to bear patiently put joy before us so we can bear our cross patiently put joy before us Lord so we don't faint and help us Lord to do like the saints of old to just with patience endure the cross endure what's set before us it's so short it's so short so brief a period and we have all eternity to experience what is wrought in such a few years now Lord help us to see beyond the end of our nose and to come patiently before the Lord knowing that the inheritance is beyond description joy unspeakable filled with glory help us Lord to be that kingdom prepared for the righteous from the beginning of the world now keep us safe again I pray for our families where there is our problems and stress I pray Lord for a solution I pray for strength that we may cast on you our burdens and not carry them around Lord help us to do that Jesus