The Heavenly New Jerusalem
This post begins a series with extracts from Life-Study of the New Testament, Conclusion Messages: The Church, the Kingdom, and the New Jerusalem* by Witness Lee. The posts are based on eleven messages about the New Jerusalem (#254 to 264) in this publication.
Galatians 4:26 says, “the Jerusalem above is free, which is our mother.” This is the first clear reference in the Bible to New Jerusalem. Galatians 4:21-31 is a contrast of two covenants: the old covenant of the law and the new covenant of grace.
These are presented as an allegory. The two covenants are pictured by earthly and heavenly Jerusalem, by Hagar and Sarah, by slavery and freedom, and by Ishmael and Isaac.
The mother of the believers is the heavenly Jerusalem, which will eventually be the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21:1-2). She is the mother of the New Testament believers, who are not slaves under law but sons under grace. We, the New Testament believers, have all been born of her from above.**
Galatians 3:26 tells us that we “are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” We have all been born of the heavenly Jerusalem by faith and are growing in this heavenly life to become mature believers who are part of the New Jerusalem.
* Published 1998 and © by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, California. Available in print and available online.
** From the referenced publication, message 254, p. 2666.
Posted by Don on September 16, 2024
https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2024/09/16/the-heavenly-new-jerusalem-1/
