Behold Your God!

God’s people today must consider the implications of an end-time prophecy delivered by the Prophet Amos.

“And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword” (Amos 7:9). As our booklet on Amos explains, “high places of Isaac” is a coded expression referring to the Laodiceans—a religion that started with God’s great power and then turned away from God (request a free copy of The Lion Has Roared). The religious places of Isaac are going to be desolate. They need to be warned about that. Of course, that won’t be a popular message. In fact, Amos shows that it will lead to a direct confrontation with the Laodiceans.

“Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words” (verse 10). This verse prophesies of a major governmental attack against God’s very elect in the end time. The “priest of Bethel”—or God’s own house—is sending this message to the king of the land: Amos has become a traitor! Our Amos booklet explains how this describes a direct confrontation between the Laodicean and Philadelphia churches.

There is a reason Amos uses the name Jeroboam for the leader in this scenario. Anciently, this message went to Jeroboam ii, about 35 years before Israel fell. He was the last leader the prophets appeared to directly. But this also points back to the Jeroboam who assumed rulership over the 10 tribes of Israel when they broke away from Judah. From that point forward, Israel never again had a righteous king! Judah did and was able to last longer. But Jeroboam changed Israel’s day of worship away from the Sabbath, and he moved the dates on which Israel kept the festivals, among other anti-God acts.

This indicates the kind of leader the United States will have when God’s people flee to a place of safety! Though he may appear religious, that individual is going to come in the evil, anti-God spirit of Jeroboam! We must face this—we shouldn’t be surprised when it happens.

The fact that the land can’t bear all our words must mean the problems are so serious that people can’t ignore what we are saying! But if the people cannot bear the message, what are they going to do to the messenger?

Prophecy shows that they’re going to cast out God’s people (Isaiah 16). “Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court” (Amos 7:12-13). For some reason, they want to exile us to the land of Judah, today called Israel. This may be how God’s people will begin their journey to the place of safety.

It appears God puts that thought into the minds of the persecutors. It is also quite possible that they know we have an important work in Judah. How would they know about that? Could it be because of some impressive archaeological find? Is it because of the key of the house of David, and what we’re doing over there even now, and what that will lead us into? Perhaps that is why they will say, Look, you’re over in Judah—get out of this country and go over there and prophesy!

Will those events flow directly into Isaiah 40:9?

Perhaps, after being booted out for prophesying to the Laodiceans and Israel—the first two of those commissions—we will be sent to Judah on our way to the place of safety. God may say to us, You’ve been kicked out of that country—now I want you to go to this country and lift up your voice—in person—and tell the Jews, “Behold your God! He is coming to sit on David’s throne—right where David sat on it!” Or maybe we will just conclude our message before the Tribulation then. Regardless, there is an interesting connection to Judah.

Be Not Afraid

There in Isaiah 40:9, God tells us, “[L]ift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid”! Don’t be afraid! Don’t be timid! Use the Spirit of God, and tell them the Messiah is about to arrive!

We must have strong courage to lift up our voice and not be afraid!

Will you be afraid? Will I be afraid? Will we be Laodicean—or will we be Philadelphian? These are important questions. If we’re not Philadelphian now, how will we be then? If we’re acting carnally now, how are we going to be spiritual then, and not be afraid? The only way to fulfill that job is with the power of God! We need to be growing in that power today!

Though authorities disagree on exactly how Amos died, several sources say it was some kind of martyrdom. One says Uzziah killed him by hitting his forehead with a glowing iron. Another says Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, fatally struck him in the head. Whatever happened, it gives you an idea of just how fierce the opposition to God’s message can get. It will take a pretty tough Christian to be able to endure.

Could God rely on any of the Laodiceans to deliver His message? They can’t do it—they’re too weak! What about us?

Can you see why this might be a burden on Eliakim’s shoulder? We all need each other’s prayers.

But this is not a negative message—it’s a message of good tidings! We can’t be timid about it. We’re telling the Jews and everyone else that the Messiah is about to arrive!

Mighty Captivity

Notice something else that God connects to the key of the house of David in the context of Isaiah 22: “Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulcher here, as he that heweth him out a sepulcher on high, and that graveth a habitation for himself in a rock? Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee” (verses 15-17). This talks about a modern type of Shebna being a part of a mighty captivity—a captivity that will befall Judah (the Jewish nation), Ephraim (Britain) and Manasseh (America) simultaneously (e.g. Hosea 5:5). “He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord’s house. And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down” (Isaiah 22:18-19).

It is right after this that Isaiah speaks about Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah (verse 20), being given the key of the house of David (verse 22). Lange’s Commentary says, “On the day when Shebna must quit his post, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah will occupy his place. … He was in all probability of the priestly race. For Hilkiah, as his father was called, was a common name of priests.” We are looking at that spiritually, but it is all connected.

There is a captivity associated with the key of the house of David. This talks about Shebna having his authority stripped from him and given to Eliakim, and Shebna being carried away in a mighty captivity. This is a serious warning—to all of us.

Jerusalem is about to be trodden underfoot by the Gentiles into the muck and mire in the worst captivity ever known to man! (Luke 21:24; Revelation 11:2). That is a chilling prophecy about Jerusalem—and it applies to all Israel! The stormy, outer edges of the “times of the Gentiles” Christ spoke about are already here!

The Message of the Key

Lange’s continues on the subject of the key, “[T]he key opens the entrance to the house, to the apartments and to all that is in them. He, therefore, who alone has this key, has alone also the highest power [or authority]. The expression reminds us … of Isaiah 9:[6] (‘on his shoulder’ is a symbolical representation of the office as a burden to be carried) ….”

This key is a burden on this man’s shoulder. It is specifically talking about the message of the key of the house of David!

Can you imagine, as we deliver the message of Isaiah 40, how much we might be talking about this archaeological dig? What a message we could deliver to Judah if we built it around the excavation in Jerusalem! We could talk about David’s throne and how and why it left the city. When Jeremiah emerged from the dungeon, he had to take that throne to another country because Judah was going into a mighty captivity and the temple was going to be utterly destroyed!

We could tell them about David’s throne and that history, and about The United States and Britain in Prophecy. We could explain why we are so excited about a dig in Jerusalem: because it connects to the coming of the Messiah! We could also show what is prophesied to happen before He gets here. There is a powerful warning about a mighty captivity! And it’s all connected to that dig.

There is quite a message in what Dr. Mazar has uncovered and what it means for Judah. There is such a story—such a history and such a prophecy—revolving around that dig! It’s surely one of the most incisive, piercing messages they could possibly hear. True, the message is for all Israel, but the Jews who are right there can understand some of it far better than the nations of Britain and America can.

After quoting several biblical passages, Mr. Armstrong drew these conclusions in The United States and Britain in Prophecy: “1) The king of Babylon slew all the sons of Zedekiah who were heirs to the throne of David.

“2) He also slew all the nobles of Judah so as to leave no possible heirs for that throne.

“3) Finally, after putting out Zedekiah’s eyes, the king who sat on David’s throne was himself taken to Babylon where he died in prison.

“4) Thus, as it appears, and as the whole world has believed, the throne of David ceased, with no possible heirs, or sons, to keep the dynasty alive. Certain it is that from that day on, the throne never again has existed in Judah, in Jerusalem, or among the Jews!”

But did that throne just cease? To the world, it looked like that was the end. But that would have broken God’s promise to David! So what happened to that throne? Well, it’s still in Israel—not the Israel of the Middle East, but the Israel of the Bible. And even though Nebuchadnezzar and Satan did everything they could to destroy any heir to that throne, Jeremiah was able to take a daughter of Zedekiah with him to sit on it.

All of this is clearly explained in The United States and Britain in Prophecy (request your free copy). It is prophesied in your Bible!

The Jews need to know about that history! They need to know why we are helping to dig and to clear all the rubble away. They’re going to suffer the mightiest captivity ever inflicted upon mankind! How can you even endure such a brutal and horrifying captivity unless you KNOW that the Messiah is about to come? This message may agitate them today—but the time will come when it will give them hope! They need hope and inspiration, and so do America and Britain.

Royal Seals of Jeremiah’s Accusers Found

The two largest finds in Dr. Mazar’s dig at the City of David were David’s palace and Nehemiah’s wall. But the two smallest finds contain the strongest warning.

During the last days of the kingdom of Judah, the Prophet Jeremiah warned the residents of Jerusalem of their impending captivity at the hands of the Babylonian army. But, instead of heeding that warning message, the princes of King Zedekiah’s administration attacked the messenger and plunged him into the depths of a miry dungeon (Jeremiah 38:1-6).

One of Jeremiah’s accusers, Gedaliah the son of Pashur, had his name stamped on a small clay seal that was recently discovered about 600 feet south of the Temple Mount. Dr. Mazar found the bulla in early 2008, in mint condition, while wet-sifting debris excavated under a tower at the north end of the City of David—the original site of ancient Jerusalem.

In 2005, Dr. Mazar had found another seal bearing the name Jehucal the son of Shelemiah on it—mentioned twice in the book of Jeremiah. The Jehucal bulla was found on the platform above the Stepped Stone Structure, where Dr. Mazar has uncovered a small section of what used to be King David’s palace.

Both princes, the Bible relates, unsuccessfully petitioned for Jeremiah’s execution and were responsible for his imprisonment on two separate occasions.

Incredibly, the Prophet Jeremiah survived the destruction and captivity.

Mazar’s two clay seals survived as well—buried under 2,600 years’ worth of debris. “It’s not often,” Dr. Mazar said, “that such discoveries happen in which real figures of the past shake off the dust of history and so vividly revive the stories of the Bible.”

We need to be reminded of what Jeremiah’s commission was: “See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:10). This verse reveals Jeremiah’s commission and the main subject of this whole book.

Jeremiah not only had a commission. He understood the greatest vision in the Bible: the key of David.

Here is an excerpt from The United States and Britain in Prophecy: “Notice, Jeremiah was set over nations—more than one kingdom. He was a Jewish lad, living in Judah. He was set a prophet over Judah—but not Judah alone. Over nations—over kingdoms! He was set over these kingdoms to do two things: first to ‘pluck up,’ or ‘root out,’ to ‘pull down,’ or to ‘overthrow,’ and second, to build and to plant. …

“It is well known that Jeremiah was used in warning Judah of the impending captivity, and the ‘pulling down’ or ‘overthrowing’ of the throne of David in the kingdom of Judah. …

“But note it! See it in your own Bible! Jeremiah was divinely commissioned to pull down and to overthrow that very throne of David in Judah—but notice the second half of the commission. To build and to plant! To build and to plant what?

“Why, naturally, that which he was used in ‘rooting out’ of Judah—the throne of David which God swore He would preserve forever! Jeremiah was set over not just the one nation, Judah—but over nations. Over the kingdoms—the kingdom of Israel as well as Judah!

“He was used in ‘rooting out’ that throne from Judah. Then what was Jeremiah commissioned to do in Israel? Notice the second half of his strange and little-understood commission—to build and to plant!”

He built and planted the throne in Ireland. Later it was moved to Scotland and England.

The Jews and all of us need to know what happened to Jeremiah in the process of rooting out the throne of Judah. For years he was warning Judah as the Jews violently persecuted him. This was part of the rooting out process!

Just finding the two small clay seals reminds us of how Jeremiah had to suffer in rooting out David’s throne from the rebellious Jews and fulfilling the commission that God gave him.

Jeremiah also prophesied that David’s throne would return to Judah when the Messiah comes. And here is the terrifying part. What the Jews suffered under Babylon was only a type of their suffering and captivity just before the throne is returned to Jerusalem at the Messiah’s coming. The Jews will experience the worst suffering ever on this Earth!

Anciently, Jeremiah had a strong warning for Judah. “Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people …” (Jeremiah 38:1). Here are the two princes whose names were on the royal seals: Gedaliah, the son of Pashur, and Jucal (or Jehucal), the son of Shelemiah. Both of them hated Jeremiah’s message.

“Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt” (verse 4). Again, both these princes tried to have Jeremiah put to death!

It is phenomenal that we found the clay seals of these two princes. What a hideous warning it is for the Jews today!

God’s end-time prophecies warn the Jews of a much greater catastrophe than Nebuchadnezzar inflicted on them. This modern Babylon is going to create the holocaust of all holocausts!

Jeremiah was put in prison and was about to die of hunger (verses 6-9). There was no more bread left in Jerusalem. That is only a type of the famine that is about to strike in three nations of Israel: Manasseh, Ephraim and Judah.

Our Relationship With the Jews

The Jerusalem dig was an open door for Mr. Armstrong. God also used the dig itself to open many more doors in Israel. Mr. Armstrong had a number of close contacts among the Jews that all came about as a result of his involvement with that archaeological project.

In November 1968, Mr. Armstrong visited Jerusalem to decide whether to enter a joint participation on Dr. Mazar’s archaeological dig. He said he wasn’t sure whether to do it at first. I’m sure he thought, Well, let’s see. I’m to get this message out to the world. Does God really want me involved in Jerusalem in an archaeological dig? I can understand why he didn’t make an immediate decision.

He returned a few weeks later, however, and decided to proceed. This time he met with the Israeli president, along with those involved in the dig. “It was a memorable—perhaps an historic—meeting with President Zalman Shazar and our Israeli friends at the preceding visit,” Mr. Armstrong wrote. “On that date we formally entered into the joint participation with Hebrew University and the Israel Archaeological Society. Some little time after that we entered into participation in the iccy (International Cultural Center for Youth), founded by Eleanor Roosevelt and Minister of Tourism Moshe Kol. We have continued both participations. Beginning with the summer of 1969, we sent students every year during summer vacation to work on the dig—some years up to 100 students” (Good News, February 1979).

Having hundreds of students on that dig over the years was impressive. But where are they today? Did they learn what they were supposed to learn from that dig? What good did it do them? Not very much, if you look at the whole picture.

Mr. Armstrong’s contacts in Israel began to flourish. The mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek, visited Ambassador College in Pasadena and was very impressed—then he wanted to show Mr. Armstrong his own efforts to beautify Jerusalem. Receptions and dinners were held in Mr. Armstrong’s honor. Mr. Armstrong funded the construction of a children’s playground at Liberty Bell Park in Jerusalem. It was meant to promote friendly relations between Arab and Jewish children. In some ways, that was a minor project—but Mr. Armstrong really did know the way to peace. Here he showed that in a practical way by reconciling Arab and Jewish children. Also in Jerusalem, there is a courtyard measuring about 75 by 100 feet that was named the Herbert W. Armstrong Square.

Mr. Armstrong also wrote, “Sunday, 7:30 p.m., the mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek, hosted a special dinner in my honor at Mishlenot Shaananim. Many of Israel’s most prominent people were present.

“Monday, a luncheon in my honor at Beit Mayersdorf in the Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew University, hosted by Professor Mazar and Dr. Aviram and the deputy prime minister of Israel, Yigael Yadin. This luncheon also was attended by many of Israel’s most prominent people.

“Tuesday was a very busy day. There were several meetings at the Knesset, with Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan, Shimon Peres, who was prime minister two different times, chairman of Israel’s leading Labor Party, and the speaker of the Knesset Itzhak Shamir. Then a visit at the president’s residence, with the president of Israel, Itzhak Navon.

“All in top offices in Israel were enthusiastic about starting another decade of mutual cooperation and friendship” (ibid).

Those Israeli leaders wanted that friendship to continue perpetually! But the Laodiceans let that relationship die. In fact, they killed it.

How do you suppose Mr. Armstrong became such close friends with all those prominent people?

Notice this end-time prophecy in Hosea 11:12: “Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.”

Was Mr. Armstrong’s relationship with the Jews prophesied? You try to develop friendships like that in 10 years. See what you can do in reaching that level with a government in this world. God says here in this prophecy that the people of God would find favor from the Jews. That is the primary reason those contacts developed so quickly and deeply.

Look at what is happening even with God’s Church today in Israel. We too are finding incredible favor over there. Was that prophesied as well?

God is so deeply involved in these events! After all, the Messiah is about to sit in Jerusalem and rule from David’s throne!

The Palace ‘Established Forever’?

Mr. Armstrong believed that Christ’s throne will sit on the same spot where David’s throne sat anciently. If you were to go to Jerusalem and look for where David’s throne was located, how could you find that if you couldn’t find David’s palace?

Another scripture seems to indicate that not only will David’s throne last forever, but also the palace—though not in its original form. This is speculation, but it is based on a passage that seems to be more than just speculation. These verses made me think again about the fact that so much of David’s palace has been preserved, only to be uncovered in our day—as if it was just waiting for us to find it!

In 2 Samuel 7, God gives the Prophet Nathan a message to deliver to King David. It draws specific attention to the palace of David. In verse 11, for example, God promises David that “he will make thee an house.”

Verse 12 reads, “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.” That is talking about Solomon. “He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever” (verse 13). There God refers to a “house for my name,” which is talking about the temple. The house of God is the temple of God, which Solomon built.

God continued, saying to David, “And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever” (verse 16). This is a promise that there’s going to be a throne established forever, and that there will be a kingdom throughout the ages and eternity to sit on that throne. The throne is referring to the royal office, and the kingdom is referring to the royal family sitting on the throne of David.

But notice! This verse also says that David’s house, or his palace, would be established forever. The word house is the same as in Isaiah 22:22. Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon calls it “a royal house, a palace” or “the house of God.” The house of God is the temple. But this is spoken to David, and it says not only “your kingdom,” and “your throne,” but also “your house.” It’s not God’s house, but David’s.

David certainly seemed to understand that God was talking, at least in part, about a physical house. “[W]hat is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?” he asked. “[T]hou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come” (2 Samuel 7:18-19). David was amazed at how much emphasis God put on a palace for David.

Read how David continued talking to God about this in verses 25 through 29: “And now, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said. … [L]et the house of thy servant David be established before thee. For thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house …. [T]hou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.”

We know that David’s throne is going to remain forever, not only from this scripture, but also based on Isaiah 9:7 and Luke 1:30-33. Perhaps the palace will last forever as well. Why else would God say David’s palace will be there forever? It certainly looks like that is what this is saying—though again, I would still consider this speculation. But this scripture is difficult to explain any other way.

That palace didn’t remain whole, but somehow it was preserved, just waiting for us to dig it up. I’m absolutely certain that God had a hand in preserving that palace, particularly in light of Isaiah’s prophecy that He would give the key of that palace (a symbol of the house of David) to Eliakim in this end time!

Again: We can’t find where the throne was if we can’t find the palace! You must have the palace in order to locate the throne room where Christ is going to establish His throne when He returns. Christ had to preserve that. He could easily also preserve a palace for David throughout eternity.

I believe this is a very interesting scripture. Will David’s palace always exist, as well as David’s throne? I’m not sure, but I think it could fit within the temple in the Millennium—perhaps in the center of it, or on the top of it. I don’t know how you can read these scriptures any other way. Of course, there would be changes; it would be a different kind of palace when the new Jerusalem gets here, but there could still be a palace of David.

When God is ruling this Earth, there will be many people who were human like David that will be there as eternal sons of God. They will be ruling from David’s throne with Christ. That should not seem peculiar. After all, men and women were created to enter God’s Family and rule with Him forever!

Perhaps these new God beings will dwell in David’s palace forever.

“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David” (Luke 1:31-32). David bridges the gap between God and man. Again, we must not forget, this is not really the throne of David—it’s the throne of God! But God wants to bring men into His Family, and make us royalty of the highest level.

This is all tied to the Jerusalem dig. Mr. Armstrong prepared for it in a spectacular way. Those who followed him showed nothing but contempt for the work he did there, and look where they are spiritually today. Consider the vision behind that project, and you can understand why God would say that they are unfit to be His royalty!

That project is about Jesus Christ returning to sit on David’s throne! God has given us the key of the house of David! We are preparing Jerusalem for its King!—even in a physical way. Mr. Armstrong was given the key of David, and God has even expanded our understanding about that since Mr. Armstrong died. Now He has also given us the key of the house of David! We are getting so close to the end of this age of man, to the point where we are clearing off the very spot where Christ is going to put His throne! That’s what this project is about. It’s about Christ ruling the Earth for a thousand years—and then ruling the universe for eternity under God the Father!

The Throne in the Millennium

Here is a picture of how the Messiah will use the throne of David in the Millennium: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land” (Jeremiah 33:14-15). All of Israel will unite around that throne. Everyone will become a part of spiritual Israel.

The archaeological excavation of King David’s palace is actually the beginning of this prophecy! We are preparing—even in a specific, physical way—for the imminent return of Jesus Christ. Christ is going to sit on that throne, which will undoubtedly be right where it sat when David ruled on it, and that area needs to be cleaned up. God is helping us grasp and prepare for that future by involving us in a physical project anticipating Christ’s return.

Jerusalem above is the mother of us all (Galatians 4:26). So we are concerned about physical digs that have such profound spiritual meaning. God the Father and His Son have a vested interest in that place—after all, the greatest event ever to occur in the universe is about to happen in Jerusalem! The Son of God is coming. Then, a little over a millennium later, the next greatest event ever to occur in the universe will happen in Jerusalem! The Father is coming. World headquarters is going to be in Jerusalem shortly—and then, when God the Father comes to Earth, universe headquarters! It’s all about Jerusalem!

“Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name” (Revelation 3:12). Look at what we are a part of! Jerusalem is truly special to the people of God! We are going to be there with Jesus Christ, and then with God the Father, forever!

Can you see why God will have no Laodicean as a part of this? God is going to put us in headquarters forever because we have remained loyal to David’s throne—and because we’ve been given so much that we can teach!

How much do we thank God for this wonderful future?

Do you understand what is happening? God is already getting us focused on Jerusalem. It’s not about Jerusalem today. In fact, it’s not even about Jerusalem during the Millennium. The ultimate goal is new Jerusalem when God the Father comes down and all converted people enter into the Family of God and begin to rule the entire universe. That is what the Jerusalem dig is ultimately about!

The Jerusalem dig is only a tiny beginning. It introduces us to what is about to explode on the world scene!

This world is about to become a God-ruled utopia. All of the dreadful evils of this world are about to disappear forever. God’s majestic glory is about to fill this Earth!

The building program for the entire universe is about to begin in Jerusalem!

What a wondrous dimension to this prophecy God has added through this archaeological dig. We are so close to the end! The key to David’s palace is an inspiring conclusion. God is making it vivid and tangible. The whole world can see it! We’re getting ready for the spectacular return of Jesus Christ, and we have students digging with their hands in the dirt to prepare for Christ’s throne. He is about to come back, and we are on schedule.

That is a real message! This is the conclusion to all that we’re doing on this Earth today. What an honor God has given us to be a part of this inspiring, wondrous Work!

Continue Reading: Chapter 13: Looking to New Jerusalem