EDEN AND JUDGEMENT JOINED - PART 1
THE LAND

`It is the Land your God cares for'
In the times in which we live there is coming into the Church a slow but sure understanding that the Jewish people and the Land of Israel are joined by God in an indestructible relationship. The words of Scripture spoken by God to Abraham are clear and unmistakable in their meaning: (Genesis 15:18)

" On that day the LORD made a Covenant with Abram and said, `To your decendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates'. "

Earlier in Genesis God spoke to Abram concerning the land: (13:15)

" All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. "

We know, of course, that there are many within the Church who would allegorise such words as these and point, in particular, to such Scriptures as Hebrews 11 where it says:

" By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise, for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. "

Such people would suggest that Abraham was a shadowy picture of the `Christians' who were to follow, those who would inherit some kind of spiritual land - a mystical, non-physical `land' of God's Presence! However we would prefer to take God's Word as it stands in a literal sense whilst also looking for the type or prophetic revelation contained in such Scriptures. To do otherwise would leave us with a `mystical, non-physical' Jesus and (to take this to its logical conclusion) would lead to a `mystical, non-physical' salvation and resurrection! The two need to walk in parallel - the physical and the spiritual together. The Scriptures are a living word: They are `God-breathed', said Paul, when writing to Timothy, and if read with spiritual eyes they will reveal the living breath of God in them. The words of Hebrews 11 reveal God's `breath' - verse 8 talks of `the place (the land) he would afterwards receive as an inheritance'. Abraham walked in obedience to what he knew God had spoken, totally trusting in God's faithfulness to His spoken word. Abraham knew that he would receive an inheritance in a physical land and `by faith he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country'. He also expected it to be a land that he could see and touch and live in - a place where his descendants `as numerous' as the stars in the sky' would dwell - and so he made his home there `like a stranger in a foreign country'.

Many fine sermons have been given on the 11th chapter of Hebrews, all pointing us forward to the new `Land of Promise' - the new Jerusalem. Such sermons are correct and proper for we all need to understand that our final reward is not in this world and that we too are `strangers dwelling in a foreign country'. However, a careful reading of this Scripture will reveal that he also `looked forward to a city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God', and we would suggest that there is progressive revelation in these words. By faith Abraham lived in the Promised Land. It was a desert land, sparsely populated by wandering tribes - hardly the land of promise anyone would want! Yet, trusting in the faithfulness of God to His word which He had spoken, Abraham `saw' by faith a city with real foundations - a real city which would be filled with his descendants who would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Abraham had no ability to outwork this for himself and he knew that the architect and builder of that city in that land would have to be God. He believed and trusted for a real land with a real city because he believed in a God Who had made an unbreakable and unconditional Covenant which spoke of real descendants living in a real city.

What Abraham didn't see, but by faith believed for, was a city called Jerusalem - the real city of Jerusalem. He `saw', through trust in the faithfulness of God, the twelve tribes of Israel! He `saw' the land occupied! He `saw' David, king over the whole nation of Israel in the Promised Land, reigning in the city of Jerusalem! Mount Zion was in his `sight'! Beyond that Abraham `saw' the real children of promise - the redeemed people of God who had accepted the Messiah Jesus as the Son of God - who even now wait with Abraham for the real `city with foundatons whose architect and builder is God' . . . the new Jerusalem of Promise for the people of God . . . `the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God'. Hebrews 11 reveals a progression of revelation, and each stage of that progression has to be grounded in reality as well as faith. The reality that we are living in now (yet still by faith) is that the nation of Israel and the land of Israel are in a God-given Covenant relationship which is an unbreakable, unconditional Covenant made, kept and outworked by God alone!

As we continue these notes we want to examine the reality of the present stage of progressive revelation regarding the Promised Land for both of God's Covenanted people -the nation of Israel and the Church of the Firstborn. There is a growing understanding of the Jewish `right' to the land of Israel, and this has led many to a correct understanding of the love God has for His people Israel as a nation! Unfortunately it has also led to a certain pride (pride of knowledge) amongst Jewish and Gentile Christians `who understand these things'. There is also a certain pride in the Jewish nation who have an awareness of God's promises to the nation of Israel. However we want to go one step further and look at the importance of the land and the progressive revelation for both the nation of Israel and the Church, and see why the Land is mentioned so often in connection with Israel - and yet is so often ignored! As is usually the case we need to step back to the beginning, for if we look at present circumstances we will find that the path of the journey we are on has become somewhat `muddied' with constant use - in other words, many `theological feet' have walked this path! A recent Christian newspaper's headlines stated: `Five reasons why Israel should have the land' - and this is but one case of `theological feet' muddying the path. Genesis 1:1-2 tells us:

" In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty; darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the water. " This opening verse of the Bible clearly states that the `Title Deed' of the earth has God's name stamped on it. This earth belongs to God, for He created the heavens and the earth. We next find in Genesis 2:8:

" . . . . the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there He put the man He had formed. "

The following verses give a description of the Garden of Eden and name a river flowing out of Eden and dividing into four headstreams. Many Bible students have entered the game of trying to identify the location of the Garden of Eden from the names of these four headstreams, forgetting that God sent the waters of the Great Flood to cover the earth and destroy `all living things that moved on the earth' and the formation of the earth created by God in the beginning changed dramatically. Again later in Genesis 10:25 we read of Peleg, coming from the line of Shem (one of Noah's sons), who was so named `because in his time the earth was divided'. Clearly the Scriptures reveal that by the time of Peleg (whose name has the Hebrew meaning of `division') the formation of the earth had changed dramatically and the Garden of Eden was lost from human sight. We would suggest. however, that God had implanted His `Footprint' on a particular part of this earth, making it His own. The formation and shape may well have changed, but the ownership of it remains the same. The Scriptures clearly reveal this, and we doubt if any Christian - or indeed any sensible person who acknowledges that God exists - would question this statement. God could not be God if He didn't own all He created!

We shall move quickly on to a period recorded in Genesis, to the time of the Patriarchs, and in particular to Abraham (or, as he is first called, Abram). The story of God's call and His promises to Abraham are recorded in Genesis and are well known to any Bible student. We shall choose Genesis 15:18 to illustrate the main theme of these events:

" On that day the LORD made a Covenant with Abram and said, `To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates - the land of the (and here are listed ten tribes or kingdoms that occupied the land)'. "

Again we clearly see the `owner' of the land - One who could give it to Abraham and take it from the other ten kingdoms - but giving it to Abraham and his descendants has in no way disturbed the ownership of it. It was clearly God's possession that He might take it from others in order to give it to Abraham and make a Covenant concerning it. We also see from Genesis 15 that the Covenant made by God with Abraham was unconditional and did not in anyway depend upon Abraham - in fact it was made by God whilst Abraham was in a deep sleep. The Covenant was sealed by a sacrifice and with the Presence of God: `a smoking fire pot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces (of the sacrifice)'. This sealed the Covenant on behalf of God and Abraham. It became an unconditional and unbreakable Covenant, giving `the land' to Abraham and his descendants for ever. Yet we have seen that the meaning of `possession' of this land was not the same as the meaning we give today - in the sense that possession of something means that it becomes that person's property to dispose of as they wish. The ownership of the land is never in any doubt; it belongs to God alone. Here the word `possession' has a meaning of `Covenanted tenancy for ever'. God's Footprint is still firmly on His land.

By the time of Moses and the formation of the recognisable nation of Israel, Abraham's descendants through Isaac and Jacob, there was this clear understanding. Leviticus 25 records: (verses 1 and 23-24)

" The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai . . . `The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is Mine and you are but aliens and My tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land'. "

Chapter 15 of the Book of Leviticus reveals that this understanding of possessing the land, but never owning it, had been built into the Law given by God to Moses for the Israelites. The chapter's main emphasis is on redemption and is centered around the seven years' Sabbath and the seven times seven Sabbaths of the Jubilee Year, when the Israelites were called to return all mortgaged land and the people sold into slavery returned to their rightful and original owners. There is, of course, much profound revelation in this chapter, but here we would mention only the reminder that the land was God's possession, and as it is placed in a chapter which deals mainly with redemption the clear message is that the land is `mortgaged' and needs redemption - that is, the price must be paid to return it to its rightful owner. It is therefore clear that the land will one day be `returned' to God. There is a coming redemption for the land, but until that time the Israelites and their descendants are to possess it and make provision for its redemption. These Scriptures (and there are many more) give us a clear understanding of Who owns the land called Israel, and to whom it has been given to possess, through an everlasting Covenant right to occupy, whilst pointing forward to a final redemption yet to come:

" You shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own family. "

Many centuries later the prophet Isaiah showed how clearly the nation of Israel was tied to the land. Talking of the coming Jubilee Year he revealed: (Isaiah 62:4-50)

" No longer will they call you Deserted or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. "

So close is this relationship that it is referred to as a marriage, a one-flesh relationship, and if they are separated too long the people will be called `Deserted' and the land `Desolate'. Yet there were also clear warnings given that the Israelites' occupation of their possession was dependent upon their obedience to God, again reminding them that even though the land was given to them as an everlasting possession, the ownership remained firmly in the hands of God. Abraham's descendants were promised that the land was to be theirs unconditionally, and yet their remaining in the land was dependent upon their obedience to the conditions of the Covenant the nation of Israel had agreed to. This is clearly set out in Leviticus 26: (Verses 3:14:32-33)

" If you follow My decrees and are careful to obey My commands, I will send you rain in its season and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the fields their fruit . . . But if you will not obey Me and carry out all these commands . . . I will lay waste the land . . I will scatter you among the nations . . . " Nevertheless such words were always spoken by God to a people with whom He had made a Covenanted promise that they would possess the land for ever. In Leviticus 26:42 He affirms this Covenant:

" I will remember My Covenant with Jacob and My Covenant with Isaac and My Covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. "

This understanding of the conditions required for the nation of Israel to remain in the land of their Covenanted possession was again spoken of in Deuteronomy 27, where Moses was instructing the `second generation' of the nation who were about to cross over the River Jordan into the land. The people were commanded to stand on Mount Gerizim and on Mount Ebal to pronounce the blessings and curses which would come upon them as a nation, depending upon whether they kept God's commands or not: "And all the people shall answer and say `Amen'".

The nation of Israel under Joshua did indeed enter the land and possess it, and it was divided amongst the twelve tribes of Jacob, and we read in Joshua 24:1-28:

" Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. Joshua said to the people, `This is what the LORD God of Israel says: `I have given you this land on which you did not toil . . . Now fear the LORD and serve Him with all faithfulness . . .' Then the people answered and said, `We too will serve the LORD, because He is our God'. Then Joshua said, `You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD'. `Yes, we are witnesses', they said . . . Joshua took a large stone . . . `See', he said to all the people, `this stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us. It will be a witness against us if you are untrue to your God'. So Joshua sent the people away, each one to his own inheritance. "

Scripture reveals the outworking of these words spoken so earnestly by the people of Israel. The people did indeed now come into possession of the land - they did indeed `depart each one to his own inheritance' and begin to identify with their own tribal divisons - but it was to be many years before they became a unified nation under the rulership of David, and only then did they begin to fully understand their inheritance. The nation of Israel more fully possessed the land their God had given them as they came into `full flower' as a nation under David (and later Solomon). Their unified presence covered the land - possessed the land and, in a real sense, blessed the land - which in turn sanctified and blessed the nation. Many centuries later Isaiah was to proclaim that the nation of Israel was married to the land - to the point that each was incomplete without the other! Clearly there is a `progression of possession' here, but it took David `a man after God's own heart' to understand the heart of God. When he became the anointed king of Israel he entered further into the land given to his fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, unifying the people and covering the land so that both the nation and the land could be blessed.

The land needed the right people, chosen by God to reveal His purposess in the land of His own choice. Natural land left to itself is soon covered by weeds, but if carefully tended it will give life to the right kind of seeds planted in it and so become beautiful. The land of Israel needed people who were chosen by God to be planted in it so that it could bring beauty to them and in turn become beautified by their presence. This again brings us back to the passage of Isaiah 62, likening the people of Israel and the land of Israel to being married to one another. But first, under David, there would come the battles, and with his understanding of a unified nation possessing the land under one king he captured `the very heart of the land' when he overthrew the Jebusite city and established Jerusalem as Zion, the city of David, the City of the Great King. This was `progression of possession' indeed because many centuries earlier Abraham, when returning from war, was met by Melchizedek, King of Salem, who blessed him. Hebrews 7 records this meeting between Abraham and Melchizedek . . . a `king of righteousness' and also `king of Salem' (meaning `king of peace'): (verses 1-3)

" Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest for ever. "

Long before God made the Covenant with Abraham, giving him the land, His ownership was stamped upon it - seen in the person of Melchizedek, king of righteousness, king of Salem. which was to become Jerusalem, the City of the Great King. Long before Abraham the city of Salem was ruled over by a king of righteousness and peace, `without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life'! Here in Zion, in Jerusalem, David ruled as king over the nation of Israel, which was possessing the land and releasing and receiving the blessing of that union. There is archaelogical evidence that the Jebusite city that David conquered, before he made it the capital of the unified nation of Israel, was in the shape of a huge footprint covering an area of 1,250 feet by 400 feet. So in guiding David to make this Jebusite fortress the City of the Great King was God perhaps revealing His Footprint (His ownership) clearly stamped upon the land - seen earlier in Melchizedek, king of righteousness and peace? It was here that David built his palace, and he purchased the threshing floor of Araunah further up the ridge to build an altar. It was here, the city of Jerusalem, that he brought the Ark of the Covenant, the Presence of God. It was here, on Mount Moriah, that Solomon built the glorious Temple, and it was this Temple that was filled with God's Glory:

" Then the Temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the Glory of the LORD filled the Temple. "

It was here on Mount Moriah that centuries earlier Abraham was called to sacrifice his son Isaac: (Genesis 22:2)

" Then God said, `Take your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will show you'."

This story is familiar to all Bible students, and we know that a substitute was provided for that sacrifice: (verse 14)

" So Abraham called that place `the LORD will provide'. And to this day it is said, `On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided'. "

This story has provided many fine sermons on God's grace, revealed in the final Sacrifice the Father gave in Jesus His Son. But we also remember that the final sacrifice of Jesus was offered in the land of Israel. It was outside the walls of Jerusalem that the Blood of Jesus was spilt onto the land, and it was this sacrifice - the Blood accepted by God - that initiated the fulfillment of the New Covenant found recorded in Jeremiah: (Jeremiah 31:31)

" `The time is coming,' declares the LORD, `when I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah'. "

And yet God's `Footprint' was in the land, in Salem, the city of the king of righteousness and peace, long before David and even before Isaac was born - as we have seen in Mechizedek king of Salem (who was without father or mother). Clearly God's purposes have to be seen, not only in the nation of Israel but also in the land of Israel. The land was given to the Hebrews as an everlasting possession for a purpose, not just as a means to an end! The reign of David came to an end, and later, upon the death of his son Solomon, the nation was divided in two - the southern kingdom of Judea and the northern kingdom of Israel. This was now the age of the prophets, who called the people back to God as they watched apostacy sweeping the nation of Israel and desecrating the land. The results were devastating! First of all Israel fell to the power of Assyria. Later Judea fell and was taken into captivity into Babylon - and the land was made desolate. The Covenant made to Abraham and his descendants was unconditional, but the right to remain in the land was conditional - as confessed and agreed to by the people of Israel as a nation many centuries earlier!

A partial return to the land was made under Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah, but the land remained desolate compared to the glory it had known under the kingship of David and Solomon. In the Book of Ezra we read of the rebuilding of the altar so that worship could begin again, and at that ceremony we read: (Ezra 3:11-12)

" All the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the House of the LORD was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the first Temple wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this Temple being laid . . . . "

Later the prophet Haggai recorded a similar scene: (Haggai 2:3 and 9)

"`Who is left among you who saw this House in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD . . . The glory of this House will be greater than the former House,' declares the Lord of Hosts. "

We know from recorded history that this prophecy given by Haggai has still to be fulfilled, for in AD 70 the Roman armies of Titus completely destroyed the Temple built by Zerubbabel so many centuries before and so grandly restored by King Herod (who in doing so fulfilled another prophecy). Yet we know from such Scripture as Matthew 24:15 that once again there will be a Temple in Jerusalem in which will be seen `the abomination of desolation standing in the Holy Place' spoken of by the prophet Daniel. The Temple is also referred to in Revelation 11:3 where `I will give power to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth'. This is again referred to in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 where Paul is warning the people not to become unsettled or alarmed by certain reports of the man of lawlessness (the Antichrist):

" He opposes and exalts himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, and even sets himself up in God's Temple, proclaiming himself to be God. "

Linking this with the Old Testament we see the Temple also referred to in Daniel 9:27, where the one who exalts himself `will bring to an end the sacrifices and offerings and will set up the abomination that causes desolation'. In once again referring to secular history we can see that these Scriptures could not possibly refer to Herod's Temple for the `abomonation that causes desolation' had not been set up in this Temple before the Roman armies of Titus destroyed it in AD 70. Here again we see the `Footprint of God' on His Holy Mount! Because of the rejection of God's Sacrifice, Jesus, no Temple will be allowed to stand for long in Jerusalem until the Messiah returns to reign - certainly not one built by man and finally polluted by `the man of lawlessness'! Ezekiel records the building of the final Temple God requires in His holy city following the return of His Glory: (Ezekiel 43:4 and 7)

" The GLory of the LORD entered the Temple through the gate facing east . . . He said, `Son of man, this is the place where I will live among the people of Israel for ever'. "

These Scriptures reveal the glory of the Temple during the Millenium reign of Christ Jesus, David's Greater Son, in the land of Israel, in Jerusalem - Zion, the city of the Great King! Quietly wedged between these dramatic events (some past, some yet to come) we catch a glimpse of God's ultimate will and purpose being unfolded, for it was here . . in Herod's Temple . . in the courtyard . . that Peter stood up to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel of God: (Acts 2 in part)

" Fellow Jews and all of you who are in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you . . . Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God . . . This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross . . . But God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. "

Paul later describes this Good News, which was: (Ephesians 3:9-11)

" To make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. "

The full outworking of this `manifold wisdom' has yet to be seen. First must come the Temple where `the abomination that causes desolation' will be seen - followed by the glorious Temple of Christ's Millenium reign, as described by Ezekiel. Beyond that we see the glory of God's completed work - as revealed in the Book of Revelation, sometimes called `the Book of Sevens' - the new Jerusalem, without a Temple `because the Lored God Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple'.

We cannot ignore such Scriptural references to the land of Israel, and in particular the `Footprint of God' in Jerusalem, Zion the city of Peace and Righteousness. So clearly we have to look beyond our `Jewish roots' - and even beyond the right of the Jewish nation to `possess the land for ever'. But first we must turn to Ezekiel, and in chapter 36 we can once again turn our thoughts back to the land of Israel. Only then can we go `back to the beginning' in Genesis to see that it all begins and finishes with the LORD God Almighty. The opening words of Ezekiel 36 sets the scene for the whole chapter: (verses 1-36 in part)

" Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, `O mountains of Israel hear the word of the LORD. The enemy has said of you, `Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession' . . . Because they (the enemy) made you (the heights) desolate . . . so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations . . . Therefore, O mountains of Israel . . . the mountains and hills, the ravines and valleys, the desolate waste and the cities that have been forsaken . . . Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys . . . But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for My people Israel, for they will soon come home . . . I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. I will increase the number of men and animals upon you . . . I will cause people, My people Israel, to walk upon you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children. Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it with their conduct and their actions. So I dispersed them among the nations and they were scattered through the countries. For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. You will live in the land I gave to your forefathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. They will say, `This land that was laid waste has become like the Garden of Eden. Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken and I will do it. "

This chapter reveals the purpose of God in calling a people and setting them apart for Himself to take possession of the land He had given to them by a sworn Covenant. But by breaking that Covenant the nation lost the right to remain on the land, and they were scattered amongst the nations. They were scorned and ridiculed by those nations, and because of the scorn directed against them the Name of the LORD was profaned. So in order to sanctify His Name again He had to `gather you (them) from amongst the nations and from out of all the countries, and bring you (them) into your (their) own land'. In verses 25-26 we see a repeat of the New Covenant, which was also spoken by the prophet Jeremiah. The New Covenant promised to `sprinkle them with clean water' . . `to give them a new heart' . . . to `put a new spirit in them' . . . at last enabling them `to walk in His statutes and keep His commands to do them'. Historically we can see that this has not yet been fulfilled in the nation of Israel, although we know that the beginning of the New Covenant was inaugurated by the sacrifice, death and resurrection of the Messiah Jesus in Jerusalem . . . in the land some two thousand years ago! We know that it has not been fulfilled because there is yet no evidence of a new heart and a new spirit within the nation of Israel, and the present regathering of the nation into the land is not the fulfillment of Ezekiel 36. For the beginnngs of the present regathering we need to look at an earlier chapter of Ezekiel: (20:33-38)

" `As surely as I live', says the LORD God, `I will rule over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered - and with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath . . . I will make you pass under the rod (of judgement) and I will bring you into the bond of the Covenant', (the Abrahamic Covenant to possess the land - not the New Covenant). "

This earlier chapter of Ezekiel clearly reveals that the people will be brought back into `the bond of the Covenant' through God's outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. This signifies the return of a reluctant nation to the land - coming in unbelief and under pressure to pass under the rod of judgement - a foretelling of the Time of Jacob's Trouble or the Great Tribulation. Ezekiel 36 talks of ` a new heart and a new spirit' to enable them to remain in the land and walk in God's statutes and keep His commands, with the land becoming like the Garden of Eden - clearly talking of the fulfillment of God's purposes for the nation of Israel in the Millenium reign of their Messiah, Jesus! So from these two chapters of Ezekiel we can see that the nation of Israel has been chosen and called, and it will finally fulfil God's purposes in the land of Israel for, `I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it'. But we also see that this Covenanted relationship has to do with the land; it has to do with the nation of Israel possessing (occupying) the land which has God's `Footprint' stamped on the city of Jerusalem. God's deep love for the land is also revealed in Deuteronomy 11:12:

" It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. "

The great Jewish scholars have always been aware of this `Footprint of God' upon the land of Israel, and centuries earlier the respected Rabbi Maimonides had come to this understanding:

" Apart from the eternal reality of God in the universe there was also a spiritual dimension to His being in Jerusalem, for there the Divine Presence, the Shechinah of God, is more manifest. The city of Jerusalem may be conquered . . . the holy Temple desecrated . . . the people of Israel exiled and dispersed . . . but the indwelling of God (in Jerusalem) will never be nullified. "

From this comes understanding of the purpose of God in giving the land into the possession of the only people chosen by Him to occupy it - the nation of Israel. In Maimonides' writings there is the concept that the sanctity of the land (apart from Jerusalem, which has the `Footprint of God' . . the Shechinah Presence upon it) depends upon Israel as a nation occupying it, and the enabling of the nation of Israel to remain faithful to that call is what we see unfolding in our present time. The present regathering (which will intensify) of the nation back into the land to purify it as they pass under the rod of judgement will bring them to that final regathering, through an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They will be given a new heart and a new spirit (a rebirth) in the land of their inheritance as at last they receive their Messiah Jesus. We quote from an essay written by Rabbi Shlomo Risken:

" The land of Israel is awaiting the return of its nation in order for it to be sanctified. God is waiting for us, and the land is waiting for us. Hopefully, neither will be disappointed."

With these thoughts in mind, the incredible beauty of the words of the prophets is revealed. Such verses as:

Zechariah 2:12
" The LORD will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. "

Isaiah 27:13
" And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain of Jerusalem."

Psalm 46:4
" There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. "

Isaiah 52:1
" Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendour, O Jerusalem, the Holy City. "

Isaiah 60:14
" And they will call you `the City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel'. "

Now at last we are ready to go `back to the beginning' - to Genesis 1 - and seek the answer to the question of the importance to God of the land of Israel!

Genesis 1 records perhaps the most dramatic `first line' ever written: `In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth'. They are simple, almost stark, words, yet throbbing with Divine life. Verse 2 continues: `Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep'. The King James Version uses the words `without form and void' - which springs from Hebrew words meaning `to lay waste . . desolation . . indistinguishable ruin'. We find the same words in Isaiah 34:11 where the prophet talks of: `the measuring line of chaos and the plumbline of desolation'. Jeremiah 2:23 also says: `I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form and void'. In both these readings the same Hebrew words as in Genesis 1:2 are used, describing a desolation . . an indistinguishable ruin . . for in both passages the words are used in connection with the judgement of God falling upon great wickedness, putting an end to the form and shape of the world and the population upon it. With this understanding we can now look again at Genesis 1:1 and see that in the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth there followed a `time-gap' during which great wickedness was outworked. God judged that wickedness, causing the earth to be `without form and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep'. To find out what caused that judgement to fall, and to understand what was the great wickedness of that `time-gap' between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 we need to look briefly at two passages of Scripture. They are well-known, and we shall look first at Ezekiel 28 - where he talks of the ruler of Tyre. This was an historical figure, who, because of his great authority and ability, had considered himself to be a god: (v2)

" In the pride of your heart you say, `I am a god, I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas'. "

The passage goes on to say what the Sovereign LORD says about the ruler of Tyre: (v8)

" Because you have set your heart to be a god, I am going to bring foreigners against you . . . They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death. "

However from verse 11 onwards the passage changes from describing an historical human ruler of Tyre and begins to talk of `the king of Tyre', who displays the same pride and wilful arrogance as seen in the human ruler of Tyre - revealing this king to be a mighty created angelic being who was the real power behind the throne of Tyre. Today he is still the controlling force operating in the heavenly realm over the affairs of this world through proud and ambitious men!

The other passage of Scripture is to be found in Isaiah 14. In chapter 13 Isaiah recorded what he saw as `an oracle concerning Babylon' - and in verse 6 he goes on to describe the coming judgerment on that proud city-state:

" Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near. It will come as destruction from the Almighty."

As with the passage in Ezekiel, from verse 12 onwards the wording of the passage in Isaiah 14 changes from describing the judgement against historical Babylon and begins to describe the judgement of a mighty angelic being called `star of the morning, son of the dawn' (the King James Version calles him Lucifer . . the shining one). In harmonising these two passages of Scripture we now have a clear understanding of what happened in an age before the creation of the world as we know it - as described in Genesis 1:3 onwards - and why judgement was pronounced on the earth that God had created in Genesis 1:1. They describe a created angelic being of the highest order of creation - a cherub, who at some point in time was Lucifer `the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty', who was `anointed a covering cherub, for so I ordained you'. Here we see Lucifer, not only as one of the highest angeic beings but also anointed as a covering cherub - thereby giving him a position higher than all other angelic beings. We read of him as being on `the Holy Mount of God' - which in Scriptural language depicts not only a place or a throne of ruling authority but also `the Holy Mount' where God's Presecnce was manifest . . His Shechinah Glory seen! Here the Scriptural language is revealing a Temple . . a place where God's Presence was manifest . . a Holy Mountain! Lucifer is here described as `the anointed one, the messiahed one, a covering angel of God's manifest absolute authority. And not only was he anointed as a covering cherub on God's Holy Mount, he was also given authority over the world that God had created in Genesis 1:1. We see this in Ezekiel 28:13 where God says, `You were in Eden, the Garden of God. Every precious stone adorned you'. Verse 16 describes how Lucifer `walked amongst the fiery stones' which covered the earth. This tells us how the earth was originally formed . . a place of great beauty and covered in every conceivable precious stone, full of brilliance, with Lucifer (the shining one) walking amongst the fiery stones of his domain!

This passage cannot be describing the Garden of Eden in which Adam was placed, which is described in Genesis 2:8 as a garden in Eden with `all kinds of trees to grow out of the ground'. Neither can it be a spiritual or heavenly Garden of Eden because Ezekiel 28:16 tells of how he, Lucifer, was expelled `in disgrace from the Mount of God, and I expelled you, O covering cherub, from amongst the fiery stones'. We read of the reason for this disgrace in Ezekiel 28:17: Because of his great beauty and wisdom . . because of the authority given him as the covering or guardian cherub on God's Holy Mount . . because of his authority over the earth which was covered in brilliant fiery stones, Lucifer wanted more:

" Your heart became proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendour . . . "

Lucifer had said: (Isaiah 14:13-14)

" I will ascend into heaven; I will exhalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the Mount of the Assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred Mountain; I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. "

This great wickedness . . this total rebellion against God Himself . . brought judgement on everyone and everything under his (Lucifer's) authority: (Ezekiel 28:17)

" So I threw you to the earth, and I made a spectacle of you before kings. "

The judgement of God fell upon everything under Lucifer's authority, resulting in the earth being made a place of desolation - empty, formless and void - `and darkness was over the surface of the deep'. However, from Genesis 1:3 onwards we read that God again created the earth, and the heavens above the earth, in a form more familiar to us. He then formed Adam from the dust of the earth and took Eve from Adam's side to be a helpmeet for him. And they were given authority by God to rule the earth and subdue it: (Genesis 1:28)

" God blessed them and said to them, `Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves over the earth. "

and from Genesis 2:15 we know where God placed Adam:

" Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend it and keep it. "

Lucifer now appeared as Satan . . the Accuser . . the Devourer! In Ephesians 2:2 we read that `he is the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who now works in those who are disobedient'. From this position in the heavenlies immediately above the earth he rules over the affairs of the earth through disobedient mankind. His forces of evil are two-fold: Firstly, there are the angels who were under his authority when he rebelled against God and who were cast down with him. Luke 10:18 records the words of Jesus, who said, `I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven'. And in John 12:21 Satan is described as `the prince of this world', signifying not only Satan's power but also showing that he still has fallen angelic forces under his authority. Ephesians 6:12 describes them as:

" Rulers of the darkness . . authorities . . the powers of this dark age . . the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm . . . "

In Matthew 12 we are told that this spiritual kingdom of wickedness is well organised and effective. Jesus Himself acknowledged this. Speaking of Beelzebub, the prince of darkness, He said: (verses 25-26)

" Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? "

These Scriptures give us an understanding of the forces of evil under the authority of Satan, who as ruler of this dark world is now situated in the heavens above the earth. Firstly, there are the fallen angelic beings who seek to control the affairs of the nations. They are described as `rulers of darkness, authorities and powers, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm'. Secondly, there are demons, who are active on the earth, seeking to control people through the possession of their bodies. These demons are clearly not the angelic beings, who have their station in the heavenly realms above the earth. Jesus Himself warned that these demons (or evil spirits) are earth bound and seek entrance into people living on this earth: (Matthew 12:43)

" When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and not finding it. Then it says, `I will return to the house I left. "

There are, therefore, these two forces of evil under the authority of Satan. Firstly, the fallen angelic beings who control the affairs of the nations of this world through oppression, and secondly there are demons (evil spirits) who seek to control the affairs of individuals through possession of their bodies. With this background we can see that Satan is still continuing an unceasing and relentless battle to regain total control over the world which was originally under his authority, but which he lost through his wicked rebellion against God. This caused God's judgement to fall not only upon Satan and all under his authority but also on the world, as it was originally created - covered in fiery stones of great beauty. Then in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 we saw that the earth which God created after this judgement was placed under the authority of Adam, but Satan, coming in the form of a serpent, deceived Eve, and through Adam's subsequent disobedience and rebellion Satan was than able to usurp Adam's authority and now rules the earth from the heavens just above the earth as a usurper in direct conflict with God.

This gives us a deeper understanding of the relentless war being waged, for Satan is not only determined to regain what was originally under his authority but he also wishes to raise himself up in the heavenly realms `above the tops of the clouds', saying: `I will make myself like the Most High'. But God's `Footprint' is on His Holy Mount, and now we can begin to understand the importance of the land and the purposes of God in chosing a people to possess His land . . the calling of the Hebrews out of Egypt . . the forming of them into a nation . . the building of the Tabernacle, where God's Presence was manifest above the wings of the cherubim . . the journey into the Promised Land with the Presence of God in their midst . . the anointing of David, `a man after God's own heart who took the Ark of the Covenant of God up to Jerusalem . . the building of the Temple of Solomon . . all of these events were pointing forward to the final restoration of God's authority, seen on that Holy Mount against which Lucifer rebelled! God's `Footprint' is on the land of Israel, and in particular on Jerusalem. He has chosen a people and is preparing them, through great difficulties and tribulations, to stand in His `Footprint'. The nation of Israel is indeed `married' to the land . . their presence does indeed `sanctify' the land as God works out His purpose to bring about a total restoration of His creation.

But if we leave the matter there it would reveal only half the glory of the purposes of God, for there are two Covenanted peoples of God - the nation of Israel and the Church of the Firstborn - and both are called into the Covenant of the land for both peoples are found in the Olive Tree and share in the same nourishing sap from the Olive Root. The Root of the Olive Tree - the Covenant made by God to Abraham, and confirmed to Isaac and Jacob, is for the nation of Israel and for those branches who have been grafted into the New Covenant by acceptance of Jesus as Messiah and Lord. The spiritual blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant (the Root of the Olive Tree) is for all believers in Jesus who are now called to walk by the faithfulness of God into their inheritance. But these are fine spiritual words that need grounding in Scripture otherwise they remain just words! It is the Word of God which is life and produces life in the lives of the believers. Hebrews 12:22 was written primarily to Jewish believers who had accepted Jesus as Messiah but who were in danger of going back into Judaism:

" But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the city of the living God . . . to the Church of the Firstborn, whose names are written in heaven . . . "

The writer was revealing to the Hebrew believers that they were already in the Land of Promise, the heavenly Jerusalem, the City of the Living God. They had already come to the heavenly Mount Zion where the eternal `Footprint of God' was clearly stamped. This was clearly pointing forward to a spiritual inheritance which they had already received in the eternal order that was yet to come, but it was also revealing that the Church of the Firstborn were expected to live their lives now as possessing the land so that their presence could `sanctify' it. Clearly this cannot be the physical land where they live out their natural lives, and this misunderstanding has in the past led to serious consequences in the Church, most particularly in the Roman Catholic Church (but equally so with some `newly-arrived' brethren today, with their `taking the world for Jesus now' theology). The Roman Catholic Church, and, more to the point, most `State' churches believe (and outwork that belief) that they have already established the Kingdom of God on this earth now. This has led to gross corruption and temporal power being wielded in those church systems, and where these temporal powers have been inter-woven with secular, political and monarchial powers it has inevitably led to war and the destruction of God's people - Jews and true Christian believers alike!

If the Church of the Firstborn are reminded that they have already come to the heavenly Jerusalem, then clearly the land they are called to occupy (and, by their presence, sanctify) is a `spiritual land' which, when occupied, will so sanctify the heavenly land that there will be a noticable change in the physical land in which they are called to outwork their lives: (Ephesians 6:12)

" Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. "

Throughout the New Testament writings of Paul, we are clearly shown the spiritual battle which we are called to enter into in order to `sanctify' the land in which we live so that the Gospel can be proclaimed and more souls brought into the Kingdom of God. The Book of Revelation, where the Son of Man, `dressed in a robe reaching down to His feet and with a golden sash around His chest and holding seven stars in His right hand', reveals those seven stars to be the angels of the seven churches, created spiritual beings who are holding the seven ages of `Church history' as well as the seven specified churches of Revelation. In each specific church, and in each Church age, the message is the same: `To him who overcomes'. It is a spiritual battle against dark spiritual forces when the Church of the Firstborn meets in total harmony and releases physical blessings on the land where those churches outlive their authority. Throughout her long history the Church has been asked to stand against the spiritual forces of darkness who seek control over the physical land where once their master Satan ruled.

The fiercest centre of that battle is in the physical land of Israel, and it is at the epicentre of Jerusalem . . Mount Zion . . the `Footprint of God' . . where the most vehement attack will be experienced. The dark forces will try to stop - if that were possible - the return of the nation of Israel to `possess and sanctify the land' physically, and finally spiritually, as the nation receives her Messiah Jesus following the dark and terrible days of the Great Tribulation. But just as the nation of Israel is now being brought back into her inheritance of the land so that God's Righteousness can be demonstrated, so too the Church is being brought back into her full inheritance - into the spiritual `land' in the heavenlies - and finally together with `all Israel' into the fulness of the spiritual and physical land. Israel and the Bride of Christ, in harmony together, at last possessing the land, sanctifying it by the Presence of the living God ruling over his people!

But beyond the `epicentre of Jerusalem' there is for the spiritual nation of God, the Church, far more. When the redeemed people of God finally come to full maturity as the Body of Christ in the towns and cities where they live - and when they meet experientially as well as legally as one people under God - then truly the Body of Christ `will be able to do greater things than I do', as Jesus told His disciples. When at last they meet in lawful order and harmony the Church will ask Him for anything in His Name, and He will do it `so that the Son may glorify the Father'. It is a spiritual battle which, as it is fought and won through the Church meeting in lawful assembly and loving harmony as one people, will release spiritual blessings into the `land' through which they are travelling on their way to meet their Lord Jesus. Beyond that is the glorious Messianic Kingdom in the land of Israel, and the Temple (as recorded in the Book of Ezekiel). Chapter 42 records that Ezekiel saw in a vision:

" . . . the Glory of the God of Israel coming from the east . . . The Glory of the LORD entered the Temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the Inner Court, and the Glory of the LORD filled the Temple. "

To complete our understanding we would briefly refer to Revelation chapters 21 and 22 which describe the Eternal Order following on after the glorious Millenium Kingdom. Here we find recorded: (Revelation 21:2-5)

" Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the Throne saying, `Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them'. "

Verse 16 tells us that its walls are made of jaspar and the city of pure gold, pure as glass, and the foundations of the city walls are similar to those described in Ezekiel 28, which tells of `Eden, the Garden of God' of Genesis 1:1. This time God does not entrust the world to any created being - no matter what his beauty or wisdom might be. We also find in Revelation 21 that there is no Temple in this new City:

" . . . because the LORD Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple. The City does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the Glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. " (verses 22-23)

It is here we see the purpose of God coming to completion: The total restoration of His glorious Eternal Kingdom, filled now with those who have freely acknowledged Him as God through their acceptance of His Messiah . . His Christ . . the Anointed One . . the Lamb of God . . King Jesus: (Revelation 21:6)

" He said to me, `It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End'."

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. He gave a beautiful cherub great authority over the earth which He had created with `fiery stones' of great brilliance. Because of Lucifer's rebellion, God's judgement fell on him and all that were under his authority - including that beautiful earth which was covered with fiery stones - and it became formless and void! Finally there will come a new heaven and a new earth, where His Anointed One will no longer be a magnificent cherub `the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty' but God Himself . . Jesus the Lamb . . Who will be its lamp, reflecting the light of the LORD God Almighty. As in the beginning, the new earth is covered with `fiery stones' in all their beauty. Truly He is the beginning and the End . . the Alpha and the Omega . . and it is this we fix our eyes on . . our sure and certain hope. The words of Jesus are clear: (Revelation 22:7)

Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is he
who keeps the words of prophecy in this Book.

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