The lesson covers the parable of the “figurative mountain” which represents finding salvation by fleeing to the fulfillment of end times prophecies when that time comes. Mountains figuratively depict churches/organizations. There are three prophesied types: betrayal mountain (once belonged to God), destroying mountain (of Satan), and salvation mountain (Mount Zion where the Lamb and 144,000 are). The salvation mountain is where God’s people must flee when the “abomination of desolation” appears, in order to receive eternal life. The characteristics of a literal mountain correspond to spiritual concepts about the word of God and people. The lesson emphasizes understanding this parable and being prepared to heed God’s command to flee to the prophesied place of salvation.

 

Study Guide SCJ Bible Study

Secrets of Heaven: Figurative Mountain

We’re going over the figurative mountain parable, which is a parable that will shift your entire view of what God and Jesus intend for us to do.

I need everyone’s best attention and focus today. Please take really good notes, and we’re actually going to draw a lot of pictures today. Please draw along with us too. It doesn’t matter what your drawing ability is, but you’re going to want to see these graphics again when you’re studying this, so please draw along with us today.

This is such an important parable, and the reason why it’s my favorite is because it brings many parables together in one.

And it makes everything click together, making a lot of sense. That’s what this lesson does, and it helps us know, “Okay, this is where God wants me to go.” A question I get a lot as a Bible teacher is, “What is God’s will for my life?” I get that question a lot.

And I desperately wish I could say when that question is asked, “Flee to the mountain,” right? But often times, that person hasn’t even started studying the parables, so I can’t say that answer, or it will not make sense, so I say, “Study the word, and the word will guide you,” right?

And now the word has guided us to understand this very important parable.

So let’s all take a moment and write down what we believe the mountain represents. By this time, enough hints have been dropped that some of you might guess correctly. But know that the only reason you’re able to guess correctly is because you’ve been studying so far, and God’s natural logic is beginning to click into place.

So at the end of the lesson, please remind me to ask who got the answer right. But we won’t go over the answer just yet because there are a few things I want to cover first. But please write down what you believe the mountain represents.

Our hope for today is to find the mountain promised to appear at the second coming and flee!

What did the passage say? Our hope is to find the mountain, and a key part of this hope is promised to appear at the second coming, which means the mountain has not always been around.

Which means it hasn’t always been possible to flee to this place. It is only possible to flee once it has appeared. So keep that in mind.

God’s Will

At the beginning, I asked the question: What is God’s will? This is something I often get asked, but God lets us know His will, though it may not always be straightforward right away.

The Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plans to His servants, the prophets. So, God’s plan, also known as His will, is first delivered to the prophets.

What is the job of that prophet? When they hear something from God, they write it down. Why do they write it down?

It is for the people in the future—who will witness the events of God’s plan unfolding. They will need evidence that this is, in fact, what God had planned. A witness is the one who makes God’s plan known, testifying to the fulfillment of God’s plan. They will see it, hear it, and testify to it. So, the job of the witness is to testify, “This is what God has done according to what has been prophesied.”

 And this prophecy is the reason why we have to wait, right? This is a time of waiting, as stated in Habakkuk 2:2-3. It’s often a long time that we have to wait for God’s promise to be fulfilled.

But how blessed are those who exist at the time when it is fulfilled? 

Let me say this again to everyone. Is everyone listening carefully? You are more blessed than Peter, more blessed than John, James, Matthew, Luke, Mark, David, Solomon, Samuel, Elijah, and Elisha. You’re more blessed than every other person detailed in the Bible. Why? Why are you more blessed than all of them? What do we get to see that they could not see?

The fulfillment of prophecy and the open word. As Jesus said in Matthew 13:16-17, “Blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear.” You are finally able to witness what many righteous men have been waiting for but could not see in their lifetime because it was not time. You’re more blessed than them! You’re more blessed than those guys because they too were like, “Jesus, what are the signs of your coming and the end of the age?” And Jesus could only speak to them in parables.

So they’re like, “Man! I guess we’re going to have to wait.” But how excited do you think they are when Revelation is fulfilled? “I know, it’s happening. Let’s go.” It’s happening just like that. I pray they receive it well. Please listen. This is the word we died for. This is why we died like that. 

So what is God’s will for our life? For His prophecies to be fulfilled and for us to be a part of what He is doing.

Let’s look at God the same way an adult looks at their parents. A child’s relationship to their parents is “Me, me, me. I’m hungry, tired, thirsty, sleeping.” Some of us had a life of faith like that before. I did. “God, what can you do for me? God bless me. God give me this. God give me that.” What is God’s will for my life? “If you want me to do this or this,” we’re very close down here.

When someone becomes mature with the word, how do they interact with God? They say, “God, what can I do for you?” Because they want to be a part of what God is doing. They want to be a part of God’s work. This totally shifts the way they approach God. No longer are they asking for physical things; they are asking for understanding. “God, I want to understand your word. Help me do it. This parable represents something, but I don’t fully comprehend it. Please help me.”

“Please use my evangelist to give me the true word properly so I can understand because I want to be a part of what you’re doing today.” That’s what a mature believer does. 

That’s how a mature believer approaches God, seeking understanding and fulfilment of God’s prophecy, rather than fleeing from false hopes or lies. A mature believer asks, “God, let me be a part of your work. Help me understand the lesson and the seed of your word.” Let us strive to be a part of what God is doing.

Figurative Mountain

Main Reference

We’re going over this parable, so let’s break it down step by step.

Jesus referred to a prophecy from the book of Daniel. Interestingly, Daniel also saw many fascinating things, didn’t he?

Daniel said, “God, what does this mean? What is the end of these things?” And God replied, “Seal it up, for it is not for you.”

It is for people of a future time. This is found in Daniel 12. So, Jesus is quoting what Daniel said.

However, Jesus is quoting what Daniel said in Matthew 24 when he’s talking about the future.

This means the prophecy Daniel spoke was not for the time of the first coming but for the second coming.

That’s why Jesus referred to it, kind of like passing it on.

So, let’s draw the picture of what we see here in Matthew 24:15-16.

We see an abomination.

And this abomination enters a holy place.

This holy place is then referred to as Judea. This, of course, is a figurative representation.

And it says when the abomination enters this holy place, those who are in Judea must do what?

Flee to the mountains.

When we look at this, we should instantly have similar reflections. We should be thinking about other things that are very similar to this.

If we go back to the time of Lot, God actually said that Lot and his family should do a very similar thing.

Should we see?

God instructed the messengers to tell Lot, “Flee to the mountains. Don’t look back.” Why? Because destruction was taking place in the place they had to flee from. 

When it says “flee,” it means to move at full speed. Don’t move slowly and look around, for if you do, things will not end well for you. Remember Lot’s wife, who looked back at the destruction taking place and turned into a pillar of salt. We should do the same, everyone. 

When we realize it is time to flee, we cannot look back but only forward to the destination, the mountains.

Keep this in mind because Jesus said in John 16:25, “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.” 

So, this diagram that we’re drawing here is critical. We’re going to draw it dozens of more times, and each time we draw it, it will become more and more detailed. We’ll fill in things, understanding what this place represents, what the abomination represents. These details will begin to fill in, and a clearer picture will appear over time as we continue to study. 

But this is our main reference for today. Let’s first understand the place that we need to flee to, the mountains, which represent the fulfilment of prophecy and hope.

1. Physical Characteristics of the Mountain

So now, let’s look at the physical characteristics of a mountain and draw a mountain with me. And when you draw it, draw it big. Really big. Think about the physical characteristics of a mountain. Draw it really big.

Okay, so when you look at a mountain, a really big mountain, there are main things that you find on a mountain. Think about a mountain range, and think about a really big one, like one that reaches high into the sky.

At the top of mountains, there are clouds, right? So you’ll find clouds at the top of mountains. Do clouds have a spiritual meaning? Oh, yes, they do. What do clouds represent? Like in Hebrews 12:1, you are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Or you can even look at Ezekiel 1. When Ezekiel began to see his visions of heaven, he first saw a cloud. And then he saw angels ascending and descending from the clouds. So clouds spiritually represent the symbol of the invisible spiritual world.

Clouds produce a particular liquid. They occasionally drop this liquid upon us. And when they do, we have to bring an umbrella. What is the liquid that clouds drop on us on a regular basis? A really important liquid for life. Water, that’s right. Water. Clouds drop water. And we know what water represents. Water represents the word, as mentioned in Deuteronomy 32:2.

But I also want to give us a bonus.

So, what does God also compare snow to? The word, right? That makes a lot of sense. Water and snow are the same thing, just different temperatures. God said, as the rain and the snow fall from the heavens, so too does my word, and my word does not return to me without fulfilling the reason for which I sent it. Just as the water returns to the sky in the water cycle, so too does God’s Word complete its purpose. What I speak will be fulfilled, like water falling on a high place.

That water collects, and when it collects, what does it form? A spring. And that spring becomes the source of water on Earth. Of course, the water falls from the clouds above. And now we know what a figurative spring represents, don’t we? What is a figurative spring? A pastor and a temple, as mentioned in John 4:13-14 and Ezekiel 47:1-2.

And then, when the spring forms, it releases the water flowing from it. And that water becomes a stream, a river. And that river flows, often flowing into the sea. What is a figurative river? The heart of a disciple or evangelist, who takes the word of life they received and flows it to many people, as described in John 7:37-38.

And wherever a river flows on a mountain, what can you also expect to find? What do you find around rivers and in natural systems? 

You find rocks, animals like amphibians, birds, sheep. You can find all manner of animals dwelling on a mountain, dwelling around where the river is flowing because at that location, there is life.

You also find fish in the water. So, we should start getting a different image now because we’ve talked about all these things: animals, fish, rocks, trees, soil. Hmm, what do all these parables mean? What do all these parables about trees, rocks, animals, and soil represent? Living creatures, right? But they’re all representing a particular entity.

People.

They’re all representing people.

We have many verses that talk about this, like 1 Peter 1:20-14, which says all men are like grass. Or, for example, Matthew 25, which talks about sheep and goats. Or 1 Peter 2, which testifies about the rocks, saying, “You too are now living stones” (1 Peter 2:4-5). You see Jesus calling for fishers of men in Matthew 4:19.

You also see trees, like Jesus and his disciples.

A mountain is a place where the spirits of heaven reside. It’s where the word is delivered from the mouth of a pastor and flows through evangelists and disciples to feed people. What do you call this kind of place? A Church.

A mountain represents a Church or temple, an organization where God’s people gather.

You see why it’s my favorite? It brings everything together, all the parables we’ve been learning so far.

Now we understand why, so that we can comprehend what kind of place Mount Zion needs to be – a place full of Life.

I think back to some wonderful experiences I had in college. At the beginning of class, we talked about what our favorite mountains were.

I really wanted to participate, so I thought, “Okay, I’m just going to tell them when the lesson goes on.”

I went to school in Knoxville, Tennessee, right in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, which are the Smoky Mountains.

My friends and I would often hop in our cars and drive an hour and a half eastward to get deeper into the mountains, and we’d hike up the mountain early in the morning, at crack of dawn.

We’d leave around 3:30 am to catch the sunrise. When we climbed to the peak, it was still dark.

We were kind of really tired but really excited. We’d get to the top and then see the sun peer through these trees. It was so good, and we just felt grateful and energized.

At that time, this was long before I learned the open word. If I were to go through that experience again, I would have a very different experience.

Because I would be looking at all the things around me and think, “Oh, church, all people. Oh, this represents that. Wow, isn’t God beautiful? Isn’t he amazing?” I would have a totally new appreciation for the outdoors because I understand that God designed it all for a reason.

So when you’re walking about on the street and you see a tree, be thankful. “Wow, look how beautiful trees are. God helped me find a place like this that’s life for so many different things.”

When you walk about and see a little animal, you say, “Wow, look how cute this animal is, and this animal is so well taken care of by the animal’s master. Lord, help me find someone who can take care of me well, and let me be someone who is a good master too, like that. Lord, wow, this creation…”

2. Spiritual (True) Meaning of Mountain

So, what did verse 2 say? In the last days, the Mountain of the Lord’s Temple will be established as the highest or the chief among the mountains. God has been using this figurative terminology for a long time because He represents mountains as holy places for Him. He speaks very special things about this temple because it will be a place that is very special.

What are some of the things we learned about this place? The Mountain of the Lord’s Temple will be established as the highest or the chief among the mountains. So, although there are many mountains, in the last days, one mountain will appear that will be the chief or highest. The chief or highest mountain will appear at the end times, and at this place, many peoples will come and say, “Let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.” It is not an accident that the term “house” is used here; God’s house represents a temple.

What happens at this temple? He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths. The law will go out from Zion; from this mountain, the law will go out from this place, the law, also known as the word. But which word will come from Zion? And the word of the Lord will go from Jerusalem.

But see another verse that talks about a spiritual mountain being a house or temple for the Lord.

You have come to Mount Zion, the Church of the Firstborn, where many wonderful things happen. Angels gather there in joyful assembly. So, if we want to be those who find Mount Zion, we need to find this type of place – a place where heaven dwells and angels gather in joyful assembly.

In review, a mountain figuratively represents a church, and not just any church. It represents the church that appears at the end times, where people are supposed to go.

Now, let’s look at the three types of mountains that appear at the time of the second coming because there are three types. When we think about three types, we should be reminded of a previous lesson where we learned about three types. Does anyone remember what previous lesson taught us about three types?

BDS, right. When we looked at animals in prophecy. Does anyone remember what scripture details betrayal, destruction, and salvation? Let’s look at the three types of mountains, and they follow the same flow of revelation fulfillment.

3 types of Mountains

Betrayal, Destruction and Salvation

Second Coming Prophecy

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 is a really important parable or prophecy. It details the order in which the prophecy will be fulfilled. First, betrayers appear. A rebellion happens. Then, a man of lawlessness, doomed to destruction, appears and causes destruction. After that, the day of the Lord, the day of our salvation, can happen. This flow has to occur in that sequence.

So, if someone claims to be the witness we’re waiting for, they need to be able to detail the events of betrayal, destruction, and salvation in accordance with that order. They should explain what happened in relation to the betrayal, what happened in relation to the destruction, and what will happen in relation to the day of the Lord, the salvation. Otherwise, I mean, no thank you. I’m not interested in that claim.

So, let’s first look at the mountain related to betrayal. We’ll examine the prophecy related to that mountain in the Old Testament and also in the New Testament as well.

Mountain of betrayal

One key characteristic to understand about the mountain of betrayal is that it was a mountain that once belonged to God. However, it then descended to belong to Satan, meaning that they once had the word. But because of their betrayal, they lost the word.

Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “The enemy said to you, ‘Aha, the ancient heights have become our possession.'”

Is God really worried about the literal mountains of Israel that one can climb up on a trail? No, He is speaking figuratively. The mountains of Israel represent all the people who once belonged to God but now belong to the enemies.

“Oh, my church, my temple, the place where I want to dwell, but now I cannot because you belong to the enemies.”

God is not concerned about the physical mountains but rather the figurative meaning they represent. The “ancient heights” symbolize the fulfillment of prophecy, a parable of the word. The people have fled from the true God and embraced lies and false hope. The seed of God’s lesson is that His people have turned away from Him.

New Testament Prophecy

Revelation 8:8 is very important. It is a chapter that details judgment. And we’ll understand more about this judgment in the lessons to come. But what do we see here? A mountain. A huge mountain is all ablaze. And this mountain is then thrown into the sea. Oh my goodness, we should start to understand what this means because we now know all of the parables related to this prophecy. We know what the fire is. The fire is the word that consumes and judges. The mountain is a church, and the sea is Satan’s world. A church was judged and became part of the world. Revelation 8:8.

The question is, which one? That’s what we should be asking. We will continue to study. But that means that a mountain was from the Mountain of Betrayal. It is being judged and becomes part of the world. Okay, let’s now look at the mountains that were destroyed.

Destroying Mountains

The destruction and destroying of mountains always belong to Satan. They never belong to God in the first place. So, let’s look at this type of mountain in Old Testament prophecy. Such mountains always belong to Satan.

Old Testament Prophecy

Earlier in the chapter, God compared this destroying mountain to which nation? Babylon. Oh, that makes a lot of sense. God has always called Babylon a destroying nation because they physically destroyed God’s people in historical times.

Now, God is using the terminology of Babylon figuratively in parables and prophecy to represent a place that carries out the same type of destruction on God’s people. Let’s see the same Babylon in New Testament prophecy now.

New Testament Prophecy

Revelation 17 talks about the prostitute. Later on, in verse 5, we see that this prostitute is called the mother of Babylon or Babylon, the mother of prostitutes. 

She sits on a beast with seven heads and ten horns. Then, in verses 9 and 10, it states that these seven heads and ten horns represent seven hills. Hills figuratively represent mountains. Now, things make more sense regarding the figurative representation of heads, horns, and tails that we learned about earlier.

Do we remember that lesson? Heads represent leaders. Horns represent authority figures, and the tail represents false prophets who do the work of destruction.

So, Satan’s mountains, symbolizing evil forces, also appear at the time of the second coming. Alright, enough about the mountains that are portrayed in our destruction and the mountains that carry out that destruction.

 

Mountain of Salvation

Let’s now look at the mountains that represent the work of Salvation, the work of saving. And these mountains, of course, belong to God and always will. These mountains have the word, which has always belonged and will always belong to God.

Old Testament prophecy

See, I lay a stone in Zion. Then let’s read Isaiah 60:14 to see what this Zion is like.

We will call you Zion, the Holy City. Who is the “you” that is talked about in this passage?

The “you” refers to Jesus.

Jesus was the one who appeared, and Mount Zion, at His first coming, represented His organization and ministry.

Like His 12 disciples, people were supposed to come to Jesus to receive the promised word, the promised law.

He was the place where God dwelled.

The same thing is prophesied to happen at the second coming.

New Testament Prophecy

So, what did John see? Then he looked, and there before him was the Lamb. Who was the Lamb? It represents Jesus. And He is standing on Mount Zion. And He is not alone on this mountain, is He? With Him, there are 144,000 who have His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. And John heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound he heard was like harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. Well, let’s continue to fill in this picture of Mount Zion, to see who else is with the 144,000.

So, it’s not just the 144,000 who have a special role of singing the new song, but also a great multitude that no one can count, from every tribe, people, language, and nation, who wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. Wow, this place sounds great, doesn’t it?

But there is a word that must come from this place. Don’t worry; we’ll have a whole lesson on figurative language very soon. But what is the word or the law that must come out from this place? 

Well, we know the flow of how Revelation is opened, right? Can someone describe the opening of Revelation to us? How is the word opened?

It goes from God to Jesus, to the angel, to New John. The Apostle John is gone. Then New John is to give that word to many servants, to many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.

Then I was told, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.’ This represents the fulfilment of a prophecy, meaning you must give the word you have eaten to them. Why? Because they need to flee and come to this place to escape the place in which they are. But they don’t realize it yet.

So, let us flee to this place.

Now, you might be wondering, what is this place? How do I find it? The parable of the seed provides a lesson and hope. The word ‘flee’ does not represent a literal fleeing but a figurative one, fleeing from false lies to the true hope found in this place.

Send forth your light and your truth. Light? Psalms 119:1-5 refers to it.

Ah, that’s the word. Truth. Oh, John 17:17 mentions it.

What is the light in truth? It is the word. The word will guide you to where God dwells.

So, let us trust in the light and truth, and they will guide us.

Memorization

Let’s Us Discern