The lesson covers the figurative meanings of “heaven” and “earth” in Bible prophecies about the end times. Heaven can represent God’s dwelling place or tabernacle among his chosen people. Earth often symbolizes people or flesh. The book of Revelation describes three main end times events: rebellion, destruction, and salvation. These are also alluded to in other prophecies like Matthew 24 using different symbols. The “abomination that causes desolation” in Matthew 24 represents the same destructive force as the “beast” in Revelation 13 that wages war against God’s people. Jesus promises to be on “Mount Zion” at his Second Coming after the rebellion and destruction, providing salvation for those who “flee to the mountains.” Understanding and being prepared for these prophetic events through diligent Bible study is crucial for entering God’s kingdom when Christ returns. The lesson emphasizes the importance of spiritual discernment, obedience to God’s Word, and being among the faithful remnant gathered to Christ at his coming.

 

Study Guide SCJ Bible Study

Secrets of Heaven: Figurative Heaven and Earth

Today, we’re going to cover a very deep lesson regarding heaven and earth.

 

In the Bible, the word “heaven” is often mentioned. It’s one of the most frequently used words in the Bible, for sure. Normally, when we think of heaven, the first thing that comes to mind is heaven in the spiritual realm, right? The Holy City, New Jerusalem. 

 

That’s typically what we envision when we hear the word “heaven.” And when we think of “earth,” usually the first thought is the planet we live on, the globe and the people inhabiting it. However, what we’ll learn today is that the Bible not only mentions heaven in the spiritual realm and the physical earth, but there are times, especially within the prophecies, where God uses the words “heaven” and “earth” figuratively as a parable to represent something that is to appear in the future.

 

So, if we want to understand God’s plan regarding heaven and earth, we must first know the meaning of these words. That’s why we’re studying today’s lesson. Do we all understand the importance of studying this?

 

Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been here for as long as you have, which is almost five months now. By God’s grace, you’ve been attending for about four and a half months. And if you really think about it, it’s not easy what you’ve been doing – studying three times a week, two hours each time, participating in small groups, one-on-one meetings with your evangelist, and studying for tests on the Bible. I highly doubt that’s something you ever imagined would happen in your life. But as the saying goes, “In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

 

And the steps that the Lord determined led you here to this class. So, glory to God for that. And now, you’re here, learning the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, understanding revelation, and comprehending God’s plan. That’s a huge blessing.

 

Tonight, in the whole world, how many people do you think are studying the secrets of heaven? Not many, actually. We’re so blessed by God, to be honest, that’s all we can say. We’re so blessed because He is revealing these secrets to us. You know the verse, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). So, there must be a plan that God has for all of us, as He’s teaching us the secrets of the kingdom of heaven – for our hope, to become the people of heaven by being changed.

 

By a show of hands, how many of us want to be those who can enter the kingdom of heaven? I didn’t even finish the question, and some of you were already raising your hands. Yes, all of us want to enter the kingdom of heaven. So then, what should we do? We should be those who are changed.

 

One question we always have to ask ourselves is, “Who am I according to the Bible? What relationship does this word have with me?” These are questions we should always, always, always ask ourselves.

 

So today, we’ll also examine who we are according to the Bible and who we are according to the promises in the book of Revelation. And what do these promises have to do with our lives of faith? All very deep things that we’ll study through today’s lesson.

This is a great promise. What does it promise? It promises that God’s dwelling will come and be with His people once again. And when that happens, there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. Let this promise be fulfilled soon.

 

Do you all hope for this promise to appear? I really hope so. We have to have faith that is also based on the promises. Faith is being sure of what we hope for. You know that verse, right? Hebrews 11:1. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not yet see or what we do not see. Oh, what we hope for is God’s promises to be fulfilled. And what promise do we want the most to be fulfilled?

 

It’s God returning to His people, as promised in Revelation 21. So in this verse, why was it chosen as the main reference in verse one? How many heavens do you see mentioned in verses one and two? 

 

You see three heavens mentioned in verses one and two. Why three? It says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.” So there’s one, a new heaven. Why is there a new heaven? It says because the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

 

So there’s a first heaven that passes away, and then there’s a new heaven. And then what about the third? It says in verse two that the holy city, New Jerusalem, comes down. But that holy city is heaven in the spiritual realm, heaven in the spiritual world. That’s why there are three mentioned: the first heaven, the new heaven, and heaven in the spiritual world.

 

This is the book of Revelation that we’re talking about. So this is history that we’re reading, right? If you said yes, the answer is no. It’s not history. It’s not moral teachings either. What kind of content is the book of Revelation?

 

Revelation is a book of prophecies in the Bible. And how do we know? Revelation 1:3 says, “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy.”

 

That’s what it says. So Revelation is a book of prophecy, which means it is recorded in parables. We always have to remind ourselves of that figurative language. And it was recorded in this figurative language, not just to make it fun or interesting to read, but actually, God’s purpose was to hide His plan from the enemy. That’s why it was recorded in parables.

 

So what is God’s plan regarding the first heaven and first earth, the new heaven and new earth that is promised in the book of Revelation? This is what we’ll understand by God’s grace through today’s lesson. So what is the figurative meaning of heaven and earth?

 

Don’t misunderstand, okay? There is heaven in the spiritual realm. Please remember this. And there are times when the Bible also talks about the physical earth. But today, we’re looking at prophecies. So in this case, God uses heaven as a parable to hide something else. God uses earth as a parable to hide something else. So what does it mean?

 

Heaven figuratively represents the tabernacle of the chosen people. 

And earth figuratively represents flesh or saints, meaning people. 

 

For example, people are referred to as soil. Remember, your heart can be one of the four fields. So we’re like soil. Our heart is like soil where the seed is sown. So earth refers to people, specifically though flesh, like people or saints, people that belong to God. So the secrets of the figurative heaven and earth are: heaven represents the tabernacle of the chosen people, and earth represents the flesh or saints.

 

1. Physical Characteristics of Heaven and Earth

Was everyone also reading along in the Bible together? I hope so.

 

Sometimes it could be a little difficult, but it’s better to do that because the Bereans examined the Scriptures to see if what was being said was true. So we should all have a diligent habit of checking with the Scriptures. That way, we know the answer is coming from the Word, not from a person’s words, right?

 

So in Isaiah 55:8-9, it talks about God’s thoughts versus our own, and God’s ways versus our own. Whose ways and thoughts are higher?

 

God’s thoughts are higher, and His ways are higher. It says as the heavens are higher than the earth. So think about it.

 

That’s how vastly different our thoughts are in comparison to God’s – the difference between heaven and earth. How big of a difference is that?

 

A huge, huge difference. So what does that mean? It says here to become the people of heaven by being changed. A lot of times, part of being a believer is changing our thoughts and changing our ways to match the higher ways and the higher thoughts, which are God’s. So it takes a lot of humility to be a believer, doesn’t it? It takes admitting that you were wrong at some point.

 

For example, I’m sure many times we’ve written down the meaning of the parable in our notebook before the meaning was given. How many answers did you get wrong? I know when I was studying the Word, I got a lot of answers wrong personally.

 

But it’s not for no reason. Actually, all those wrong answers didn’t just happen out of coincidence. The only reason why somebody wouldn’t know the meaning of a parable is if the Word is sealed to them.

 

That’s the only reason. If the Word is open, then they should know the meaning. So we have to realize from when was the Word open to us? And before that time period, it was sealed. If we’re hearing the open Word now, the number one thing we should be towards God is thankful.

 

Our ways and our thoughts are two completely different things. For example, when we looked at the book of Revelation, how many of us thought of it as physical at first? Yeah.

 

Okay. So even just that shows different thoughts already, right? We thought physical, but God actually was thinking, this is parables.

 

This is figurative. So it required our thoughts to be changed, right? Now it’s just obvious to us that the book of Revelation is in parables.

 

This is how it is. But it took some adjusting. So that kind of changing process will always, always, always take place as you study the Word more and more.

 

So are you willing to change or no? If it’s for God, don’t change for me. Don’t change for your evangelist.

 

Change for God and for the sake of entering the kingdom of heaven. Heaven, it says, the heavens are higher than the earth. So heaven is very high up there.

 

It’s above. Heaven is high, and the earth is low. It’s lowly.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is how many of you saw the eclipse?

 

Hopefully with your glasses, not without them. So if you looked up at the sky, right, with your glasses on, you could see the sun, and then the moon was passing over it. And at nighttime, you can also see the stars at night, depending on where you live.

 

So if you look up at the sky, if you look up to heaven, you can see the sun, moon, and stars. Why is that important? There are parables in the book of Revelation about the sun, moon, and stars.

 

And the first thing to understand about those parables is that the sun, moon, and stars are located in heaven. Can you keep that in mind for next time’s lesson? The sun, moon, and stars, they’re located in heaven.

 

Heaven equals the location of the sun, moon, and stars.

2. Spiritual (True) Meaning of Heaven and Earth

We need to examine the scriptures to understand how, in certain cases, the term ‘heaven’ figuratively represents a tabernacle or dwelling place for the chosen people. Our goal is to uncover the meaning conveyed in the Bible regarding this concept.

1. Heaven = Tabernacle of the Chosen People

In Exodus 25:8-9, God, through Moses, commanded the Israelites to build a sanctuary or a tabernacle for Him to dwell in. When God instructed Moses to build the sanctuary, He did not say, “Moses, build it however you think is best.” Instead, God said, “Moses, make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you” or “like the pattern shown you on the mountain,” depending on the version.

 

This sanctuary or tabernacle was very serious to God. It was not something that Moses could build according to his own thoughts, but there was a very specific pattern, a blueprint, that God wanted him to follow precisely.

 

The reason God gave Moses this blueprint and instructed him to build it accordingly was that God would not dwell just anywhere. Just as you would have certain criteria for an apartment, such as the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, flooring, wall colors, or room sizes, God also had specific requirements for the place where He would dwell among the people.

 

God said, “Make the sanctuary so that I may dwell among the people.” Therefore, it had to be made according to a certain specification, a certain blueprint or pattern that God desired. He would dwell in a place made according to the blueprint that He showed to Moses.

 

This tabernacle or sanctuary was a place where God would dwell. The question is, what was the blueprint that God showed to Moses? The blueprint was actually heaven. How do we know this?

The scripture states that the tabernacle or sanctuary they served in was a copy and a shadow of heaven. It was a copy of heaven, and because it was a copy, when Moses was instructed to build it, God told him, “Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you, without any mistake.” This was because the tabernacle was a copy of what existed in heaven, and Moses had to build that copy on earth.

 

Consider the Lord’s prayer: “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It’s the same situation. What Moses saw was heaven, the blueprint in the spiritual world. After seeing it, he built the tabernacle on earth.

 

If you have a full-size car and place a replica on top of it, which one would you call a car? Both, right? You would call them both cars.

 

Similarly, there’s heaven in the spiritual realm, but what about the tabernacle built as a copy? If it’s a copy of heaven, it can also be called heaven. Additionally, God wanted to dwell in this tabernacle. If God is present in a place, that place becomes heaven because of His presence. So, the tabernacle or sanctuary that Moses built can also be called heaven, but it’s heaven in the physical world, built according to the pattern of heaven in the spiritual world.

 

There’s heaven in the spiritual realm, but then there’s this tabernacle, which is heaven here in the physical world. Heaven can mean a tabernacle where God’s chosen people are gathered. This is the first meaning of heaven.

2. Heaven =  God’s dwelling

Like the Lord’s Prayer, how does it start? It says, “Our Father in heaven.” Why? Because God’s dwelling is in heaven. 

 

Matthew 6:9. So, what does this mean that heaven is God’s dwelling? Even in the spiritual realm, if God was not there, would it be heaven? What makes it heaven is the fact that God is there. That’s where God dwells. So, it can be called heaven.

 

But what if God comes down and dwells in this tabernacle? Then what can the tabernacle also be called? It can also be called heaven. 

 

Let me exaggerate a little bit so that you can understand. What if God comes down and dwells together with McDonald’s? Then what does McDonald’s become? You change the M to an H, because now it’s heaven. Okay, do you understand it? Wherever God is with, that place becomes heaven.

 

So, at the Second Coming, in the Book of Revelation, can you think of any place that God comes down to that becomes heaven? Maybe a place that sings a new song. Maybe a place where the Lamb also said He will be. It’s Mount Zion, Revelation 14:1-3, because it is promised that the throne of God will be on Mount Zion, according to Revelation 14:3. Because that promise exists, then Mount Zion becomes heaven. Heaven in the spiritual realm, heaven in the physical realm, heaven here on earth. Because a mountain figuratively represents a church. So, if God and Jesus are working in a place that is like a church, then that place is like heaven, and I should stay there. But the opposite is also true.

 

What if Satan and demons are working within a place? Then what can that place be called? The opposite of heaven, which is hell.

 

So, being in a place where God is, and being in a place where God’s Word is, versus being in a place where false teachings are being taught, is the difference between, on a Sunday, walking into heaven or walking into hell. I don’t think any of us want to be in the other place. So, all of us must discern. 

 

Today, what kind of mountain am I on? Am I either on Mount Zion, or am I in Babylon, the home for demons? And how do I know?

 

That’s also why today’s lesson is important. You’ll get a bit more clarity on that kind of discernment. So, I really pray that today’s lesson would help us increase our ability to discern. It’s an important ability that every believer should have.

3. Earth = Flesh (people)

Isaiah says, “Hear, O heavens, listen, O earth.” You might think Isaiah is literally yelling at the sky and then down to the floor, saying, “Hear, O heavens, listen, O earth.”

However, it’s not like that. In verse 10, he clarifies who he’s speaking to. “Hear, you rulers or leaders of Sodom, and you people of Gomorrah.”

 

So, in this context, “heavens” refers to leaders, and “earth” represents the people.

 

“Earth” refers to the people or the flesh.

 

This is where I’m going to challenge you a little bit because these are things that we need to understand well. And the reason why is because of John 14:29, before we even get started on what we’ll study next.

3. Heaven and Earth at the Second Coming

What did Jesus say? He said, “I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.”

 

What is this about? “I have told you now” refers to prophecy. “Before it happens” means before the prophecy takes place, and when it does happen, that’s called fulfillment.

 

“I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.”

 

Why do you think God goes through all the trouble of recording all these different prophecies? The reason is so that when they happen, when they’re fulfilled, we can do our part, which is to believe in their fulfillment.

 

We’re not called doubters, are we? We’re called believers. So what is it that we should believe in?

 

First, we have to believe that Jesus exists. We have to believe that God exists. We have to believe that Jesus is our only Lord and Savior. We have to believe that He resurrected. But we also must believe that He’s going to return, and that all the promises in Revelation will be fulfilled. And when those fulfillments appear, I have to believe in their reality.

 

That’s also faith too. So what if somebody only believes in what happened at the first coming? You think when Jesus comes again, that person will be acknowledged and accepted by Jesus?

 

It can’t be, because they don’t have the right faith. We have to believe in Jesus, don’t we?

 

But believing in Him does not only mean He came 2,000 years ago, bore the cross, and resurrected. Today, for us, faith is also believing in His promises and in their fulfillment when they appear. That is true faith at the time of the second coming.

 

The kind of faith that people need to have changes depending on the era they’re living in. If you and I were living in Noah’s time, we would not be talking about Jesus. We’d be talking about getting on that ark, wouldn’t we?

 

If you and I were living in Moses’s time, we wouldn’t be talking about believing in Jesus. We would be talking about putting the blood on the doorframe and getting out of Egypt, right? At the first coming, then, okay, yes, we must believe in Jesus.

 

We have to believe in Jesus. But it’s kind of similar to this. Like, have you ever walked on the street, or gone on the train, and asked someone for the time—although people don’t really do that anymore—but, like, you ask someone for the time, and they pull out a Motorola or a Nokia flip phone?

 

Today, have you ever seen someone do that? No?

 

Okay, then, those are rare occurrences now, but they pull out a Nokia or a Motorola flip phone, and you think, that’s kind of not from around this time anymore, is it? Right? It’s an old phone, an older phone, and you think they need to upgrade.

 

Or, for example, standard today is a lot of things are touchscreen. These days, if something isn’t touchscreen, it’s kind of substandard, almost. But, like, 15 years ago, touchscreen was revolutionary.

 

So, in that same way, too, we don’t want to have a life of faith that is only focused on what happened 2,000 years ago—outdated, in other words. We believe in Jesus, we love Jesus, but that also means we must know what He promised at His Second Coming. Because isn’t it hypocritical to say, “I believe in Jesus, I love Jesus,” but then we don’t know anything about the mountain that we have to flee to?

 

Or, “I believe in Jesus, and I love Jesus,” but He promised food at the proper time, yet I have no idea what that food is.

 

How am I going to eat it?

 

How am I going to flee? How am I going to obey Jesus’ teaching and show Him that I love Him if I don’t know what they mean? It’s not possible.

 

I might be able to keep the moral teachings in the Bible, but there are prophecies in the Bible that we must keep and also obey, too. And I pray that we can come at this with a heart of understanding. The purpose is for us to develop according to the time that we’re living in today.

 

You think we’re further from Jesus’ return or closer? Every day brings us one day closer. So when that time comes, shouldn’t we be those who have the oil and are dressed in the wedding clothes?

 

And when Jesus returns, shouldn’t He find us on that mountain? He should.

 

He shouldn’t find us in Babylon when He returns or without having any oil or wedding clothes. This is why we’re studying the parables. It’s not just to learn nice meanings, but it’s so that we can be prepared for His return.

 

Have you ever had a guest show up at your house unexpectedly? No, I don’t like that personally. I can’t stand it when somebody just shows up and says, “Hey, I’m around town. You want to hang out?” No, I don’t actually. Because it’s out of the blue. I didn’t expect that. You need to give me some time to prepare. But to be very honest, we don’t know the day or the hour.

 

So we just need to be prepared from now on. Aren’t we thankful that we now know what the oil represents? And you know what the mountain represents. You know you have to flee. You know what the food at the proper time represents. What else? You know what the wedding clothes represent. Now it’s just a matter of doing it. Amen.

 

I’ll tell you one other story before we get into this part because once we start, there’s no going back. We’re going all in on this part, Heaven and Earth at the Second Coming.

 

Currently, I was apartment hunting for some time. You’ll see why I’m sharing this. I promise you it’s not just some personal story for no reason. I was apartment hunting for some time. And how many of you have done that before? Apartment or house hunting? How many of you have ever had fun while doing it? Me neither. Yeah.

 

So I was looking for all these apartments. And then finally, this one person contacted me and said, “I want to meet you through Zoom.” And this was the apartment that I was like, “This one has to be the one. I really want that one.” Because everything was nice about it. That’s the point. And it was also a good price point too, affordable.

 

So when it came to have that Zoom meeting, guess who was early to the meeting? Me, Yeah. Guess who was really trying to sell myself as a good tenant? Yeah, me, I was. Guess who was really trying to be kind and really making sure that I showed that I was really trying very hard for that meeting? Why? Because I wanted the apartment.

 

But imagine if I had wanted that apartment, and I showed up late to the meeting by 10 minutes, or I showed up, and even though the person was very respectful and had their camera on, I had mine off. But the point was for them to meet me. That puts them in a very awkward situation, right? Or if I showed through my attitude that I’m not going to be a good tenant, then of course, I’m not going to get the apartment, no matter how much I wanted it.

 

Or like for a job, for example, how many of you have interviewed for a job? If you’ve interviewed for a job you really, really wanted, but then you showed up late to the interview. Or you showed up on time, but once you got to the interview, you kind of threw your feet up on the desk in front of the boss. No matter how much you wanted that job, you’re not going to get it, right? Because of the attitude that was displayed during the actual time of the interview. So why am I mentioning this, you might wonder. Unfortunately, there are so many students who pray and pray and pray, “Father God, help me to have understanding, help me to understand your word, help me to understand your will.”

 

But God gives them a chance to understand and study, and they give their absolute worst. They show up late, camera off (of course, during certain situations, this is understandable if communicated). And then even when they’re in the class, not taking notes, not reading along in the scriptures, not paying attention, doing something else. Even if that person prayed, do you think God is going to give them understanding? Do they deserve it?

 

The one who decides who gains understanding is God, not a person. Right? Who can open hearts? Not a person. Who can open minds? Not a person. Only God can. So for us here too, as students of this class, let’s be the best students we can be for God. Amen?

 

So when it comes to keeping our cameras on, I believe we can all do it. And when it comes to not doing two things at once, I believe we can all do it. Not because of the person in front, but ultimately, the one we pray to for understanding is God. And he will grant it or he will not grant it based on whether the person deserves it or not. So let’s study hard.

 

I have great faith in this class. Let’s do it. Amen?

 

All right. Are you ready to study the final part of today’s lesson? How ready are you on a scale of 1 to 144,000? I believe you are 144,000 ready.

 

So, regarding the events of the second coming, we’re going to think of a cone. We’re going to start very broadly and then go into details. Okay? We’ll start broad and then go deep into the details. 

 

Firstly, by a show of fingers, how many main events are promised to take place during the second coming? Three events. Three main events.

 

What are those three events? I’m sure the answer that came to your mind was rebellion, destruction, and salvation.

 

So what verse came up to prove that?

ONE – So first, verse number one is important because it lets us know that this is a prophecy concerning the second coming. It says in verse one, ‘concerning the coming.’

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him. When Jesus returns, how many of us want to be gathered with him? I know I do.

So where do we need to be? Where did Jesus say he’ll be when he returns? That’s a mountain.

 

Revelation 14:1 states, ‘the lamb is on Mount Zion.’ So, we need to be gathered with Jesus on Mount Zion when he returns.

It says, ‘concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him.’

And then in verse three, it says, ‘don’t let anyone deceive you in any way.’ Why not?

 

That day, meaning when we can be gathered together with Jesus, that day will not come until two things happen before. Until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. Or simply saying, three events: rebellion, destruction, and salvation.

 

Is everyone following along up to here? It’s easy to understand, right? It’s easy because the word is open.

 

That’s why if the word was sealed, it would be difficult for us. Now, we would probably just read 2 Thessalonians 2 and then close it because we wouldn’t be able to understand what it means. But because the word is open, we’re able to understand that these are events promised to take place at the time of the second coming.

 

So, if this is a New Testament prophecy for the second coming, in which book do you think we can find more details about rebellion, destruction, and salvation? Revelation.

 

In the book of Revelation, each chapter can be categorized into rebellion, destruction, or salvation. Because those are the big events that happen at the coming, the general events. So, to rewrite 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, second coming events equal rebellion, destruction, and salvation.

 

Salvation being the most important. Now, pay close attention to this question, as it might be a little difficult to catch the first time, okay?

 

The main events of Revelation are rebellion, destruction, and salvation (RDS). Now, in the other prophecies throughout the New Testament, don’t you think we’d be able to see the work of rebellion, destruction, and salvation within those prophecies as well? Yeah, we should be able.

 

The thing that you have to remember, though, is that because God has to hide his plan, the parables he uses to describe the exact same thing might be different.

For example, if I say ‘seed,’ the meaning is the word. If I say ‘water,’ the meaning is the word. If I say ‘light,’ the meaning is the word.

And if I say ‘fire,’ even though fire and water are opposites, spiritually it means the word.

 

So God can use different parables to describe the exact same thing because he has to keep his plan hidden.

 

Let’s understand God’s intention behind that too. He has to keep his plan hidden. So where else can we see rebellion, destruction, and salvation just worded in a different way?

 

We can actually see it in Matthew 24.

TWO – You have heard this prophecy multiple times. It says when you see something standing in the holy place, what is standing in the holy place? It says in the holy place, there is this abomination that causes desolation. 

 

So it enters into the holy place. So when you see that abomination that causes desolation, which by the way, desolation is another word for destruction. So when you see standing in the holy place, that abomination, what should you do?

 

It says flee to the mountains. Though it is worded differently, everyone should be able to see rebellion, destruction, and salvation. How so?

In this holy place, do you recall another time when we heard about the holy place, like in the Old Testament?

I’ll give you a hint. Do you remember the tabernacle that Moses built? It had two rooms in that tabernacle. 

 

One was the most holy place, and the first room was called the holy place. And in the holy place, there was a certain furnishing that we’ve studied about that you can only find inside of the holy place.

 

So in the holy place, there was a lampstand. The difference that you have to note, though, is in era or in time.

 

There was this tabernacle in Moses’ time that had a physical lampstand inside it.

But then in Matthew 24, this is a prophecy for the second coming. And at the second coming, it’s promised that a holy place will appear.

So what’s the proof that a place is the holy place? Well, if you look inside, what you’ll find is a lampstand.

 

That’s what you’ll find. So for the time of the second coming, there’s also a holy place with a lampstand inside that’s promised to appear. And then there’s this abomination that has to destroy the holy place.

 

Why would God allow the holy place where his people are to be destroyed?

Historically, do you know why that happened? Why God’s people were destroyed? It was not for no reason. 

It was actually because they had sinned and betrayed God. That’s why. And even though he would give them many chances to repent, still they would persist in their rebellion.

 

So eventually we get to a point where it was allowed for those people to be destroyed so that they can wait for and expect a salvation that is to come. So in this holy place where the people of God are gathered, it’s being destroyed. Why?

 

Because of rebellion or betrayal. Oh! Rebellion? 

Destruction? What about the mountain? That’s where Jesus promised to be.

 

Therefore, if our Savior is there fleeing to the mountain, that’s part of the work of salvation. Part of the event of salvation for the second coming.

 

So concerning this holy place, this abomination, we should be able to find more detail in the book of Revelation about these things. So in the book of Revelation, this abomination is called something completely different, but it refers to the same entity. 

 

How do we know? Their action, the work of destruction.

There is a prophecy about a beast with seven heads and ten horns that emerges from the sea. This beast has the appearance of a lion, a leopard, and a bear. What kind of animals are lions, leopards, and bears? 

 

Do you recall? They are animals of destruction. This beast with seven heads and ten horns represents the entity that will carry out destruction at the time of the fulfillment of the Book of Revelation, during the era of the second coming.

 

But what does this destruction actually look like? 

This beast is given authority to blaspheme, exercise authority, and make war against the saints or God’s holy people, depending on the version of the Bible you have. Where do you find saints or God’s holy people? You find them in a tabernacle or a church. So this beast with seven heads and ten horns enters into a tabernacle that is also called God’s dwelling, which is heaven.

 

I’m telling you, this is very deep, with many parables combined into one. This is the place where a war happens. Remember, we talked about different types of wars last time? There needs to be a battlefield for war to occur.

 

The first war is between the beast with seven heads and ten horns and the saints in heaven or God’s chosen people. These are the people here in this tabernacle, the holy place where the lampstand is. The second war is between the male child and the beast with seven heads and ten horns. This time, the male child wins, remember? After that, God’s kingdom can be established.

 

After rebellion and destruction, there’s salvation, fleeing to the mountain. We want to be on this mountain, which represents a church. How can you know if you’re on the right mountain? Here’s a good question to ask: Was this mountain created after rebellion and destruction? I caught some of your attention with that one, didn’t I?

 

Why is that? Remember, the place where we need to be gathered with Jesus is where he will come, which is Mount Zion, right? We all know Revelation 14:1. But our being gathered with Jesus, which is salvation, only happens after rebellion and destruction.

 

So, the mountain where Jesus promised to be, when would it appear? Not before rebellion and destruction, but actually after those events take place.

 

Next time you’re wondering if the place you’re in is Mount Zion, just ask, “Was this place established after rebellion and destruction?” And some reactions you’re going to get are, “What are you talking about? What do you mean? Rebellion and destruction? Where did you hear about that?”

 

In your mind, you’re thinking, “Don’t let anyone deceive you,” as stated in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3. There are so many different ways to check and prove whether a place is Mount Zion or not.

 

The only reason why it’s emphasized so much is because Jesus promised he would be there. If there was no such promise about Jesus being on Mount Zion, then there would be no need to talk about it so much. But Satan is very crafty.

 

If Jesus says he’ll be on Mount Zion, then where would Satan try to prevent us from going? From Mount Zion to Mount Zion. If Jesus says, “flee to the mountain,” Satan will want us to think, “flee away from the mountain. Don’t go there.” Satan always tries to make God’s people do the opposite of what they should.

 

When you hear “flee to the mountain, flee to the mountain, flee to the mountain,” and you feel some resistance, please understand that this resistance does not come from the spirit that tells us to flee to the mountain. Even the spirit working within us, we have to discern. God’s spirit would want us to obey the word, but Satan’s spirit would want us to feel something against it.

 

Sometimes, we hear the word, and it doesn’t convict us, but it offends us. Do you think God wants us to be offended by the word if it’s true? Satan wants us to take offense.

 

Just like the Pharisees, when they heard Jesus speak, they were offended. So I have to check my heart when I’m listening to the word.

As I hear these things, they’re based on the Bible, and they’re true, and I’m getting offended.

The Bible is not the one that’s wrong. Someone else has to change, or someone has to change. We cannot change the words of the Bible.

 

We can only speak of what is promised there, and it’s promised that Jesus will be on Mount Zion. So let’s be there too. What else can we say?

 

Let’s get there together, let’s go there together.

Let’s help each other. Amen? Let me ask you one last question before we finish.

Wouldn’t it be hypocritical for someone to say “flee to the mountain” if they themselves don’t know where it is? It would be hypocritical, wouldn’t it?

 

It’s like somebody saying you need to be healthy, and they have no care at all about their own health. It’s hypocritical. So we may have not heard so much before about “flee to the mountain, flee to the mountain,” the reason being is because people actually just don’t know that they have to.

 

They don’t know.

 

Even though it’s promised there, even though we may have read Matthew 24 multiple times, if somebody’s blind spiritually, no matter how many times they read it, it won’t make any sense. But now we’re hearing it all the time, every class almost. Flee, flee, flee, flee.

 

Have you found the mountain? Have you not found the mountain? Are you on the mountain?

What kind of place is the mountain?

 

We’re hearing about those things, not just to be repetitive, but those are the events of the second coming, and we need to be prepared because if we’re not prepared, we’ll be caught by surprise. You know who was surprised? The man without the wedding clothes.

 

You know who was surprised? The virgin without the oil.

You know who was really surprised? The ones who prophesied in Jesus’s name, drove out demons, and did miracles, and didn’t do God’s will, and when Jesus saw them, he said, “I don’t know you.”

They were surprised. Let’s not be surprised in the end times.

Let’s make sure that we’re doing everything that we can to prepare. So what should we do to prepare? Number one, study the parables. Check.

Glory to God. Number one, study the parables. That’s what you’re doing now.

 

About the Test

That’s why you have a test. The test is not to burden you. The test is to make you study those parables.

The hope is that everybody would get 90 percent or above on the first try. Now, you might think, “Whoa, how am I going to do that?”

 

Has anybody ever taken an organic chemistry class? Okay, for those who raised their hands, did you like that class? No? Alright, then I can say I’m very sorry that you had to go through that experience. In organic chemistry classes, I’ve heard, and those who have taken it can confirm whether it’s true or not, that people’s test scores are so low that even 10 percent is considered a passing grade because everyone else is performing at that same low level.

 

My point in bringing that up is not because of organic chemistry itself. My point is that the reason why the standard is 90 percent or above to pass is because most students are actually able to get that score pretty easily. That’s why it’s set at 90 percent or above.

 

I actually believe all of you can get 100 by God’s grace, of course, if you study. But really, my hope for this class is that on the first try, you’ll pass, and then we can start the next level as quickly as possible. We can start studying Revelation soon, as quickly as possible, so that before Jesus returns, we can get that oil. Does that sound like a deal?

 

So please study diligently for that test, and think of any habits that you might need to change for the next level, to become a better student – for God, not for people. Don’t do it because you’re hearing it from someone in the front, but do it out of a conscience towards God.

 

He’s the one we need to please anyway, not people. So let us do our best when it comes to studying the Word for God, and I believe you’re all really trying very hard. The evening class is actually very difficult because you’re coming from all your different obligations, and then here you are, listening to somebody say, “Flee to the mountain,” all the time, after your boss has just told you to do this and do that. Now you have to hear it again. But anyway, I’m very thankful for you all.

 

Thank you for studying diligently for today.

Memorization

Let’s Us Discern