What is “Jerusalem” for today’s Christians?- Part 2
This discussion is for those already familiar with “The Lords Recovery” and Witness Lee’s (and “the Blended Brothers”) preaching and teaching that todays’ Christian equivalent of the Jews’ “Jerusalem”, and of “Mount Zion with the Temple of God” in particular, the God-ordained place that Christians should gather and worship God, and Lee’s view that it is in “the local churches”. This is “Part 2” because to keep it short, I’d like to reference each New Testament reference for an equivalent of Jerusalem for Christians one verse at a time. The second such reference is in Galations 4:21-31 (
http://biblehub.com/context/galatians/4-1.htm) when the apostle Paul likens the earthly Jerusalem and its law keepers to Hagar (Abraham’s concubine who bore Ismael) and says the following about Jerusalem (New American Standard Bible):
“she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. For it is written,
‘Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear; Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; For more numerous are the children of the desolate than of the one who has a husband.’
And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. But what does the Scripture say?
‘Cast out the bondwoman and her son,
For the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.’
So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.”
From this we see that Jesus today’s Jerusalem is:
• Above
• Free
• Our mother
And we also see that the Christian brethren are:
• Like Issac
• Cause our “barren mother” to rejoice, break forth and shout, for her children are more numerous than the children of the earthly Jerusalem
• Children