Holy City, 2-25-68

by Dr. Wesley A. Swift - 2-25-68

We want to talk to you about the Holy City, for there is not question of the fact that the Bible talks about a Holy City.

We will turn to the 21st chapter of Revelation and we read, ‘I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and first earth were passed away and there was no more sea.’ Alright, John saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and first earth were passed away and there was no more sea? John saw a ‘New’--a Holy city--a New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven prepared as a bride for her husband. There is much speculation on the part of theologians as to their declaration. Many prefer to talk about a new heaven and a new earth. Of course, some of the evangelists and some of the theologians think that this earth is going to be consumed by fire and everything burned up. Then after this, there is going to be a new heaven and a new earth. But the Bible tells us that the earth is to be inhabited forever and forever. I want you to know that there is not going to be an extermination of the people of earth or a destruction of the earth. What does it mean? Well, actually, the meaning is ‘I saw a new order in the heavens, and a new order is in the earth, for the first order has passed away, and there will be no more raging masses of people in violence symbolized by the raging sea. This is the kind of sea which swallows up Great Babylon, the utter evil put out by them. When we see a new heaven and a new earth, this is the upper air and the lower earth. When talking about this, it is referring again to prophecies of victories.

Lucifer was the prince of the powers of the air. He still is called ‘prince of powers of the air.’ He was also prince of this earth. And it is under his dominion before his rebellion. Therefore, he has been both prince of the powers of the air and prince of the powers of the earth.

When it says a new heaven and a new earth, it means that the powers of the New Age are going to come in and totally sweep away the powers of Lucifer and all the hordes of darkness and the dominions he has had a part of .

The earth is also referred to in the writings of Peter, as he talks about how the elements will dissolve in fervent heat and this world order will pass away. This isn’t however, talking about the Kingdom of God or areas of administration over the Kingdom of God, but he saw nuclear war. He saw the destruction of the powers of darkness. And he saw the new order take over. But it does not mean that the earth will be destroyed.

Now there is another group of people--old orthodoxy, and they say, ‘Oh, yes, God is going to come and snatch up HIS church from the earth. There is going to be a great transition. Then when they are in the sky, HE is going to totally renovate this earth. There will be a new world order, then they are all coming back to it. And there will be a new world order for the old has passed away.’

Now, if that is true, what happens to all these people who are not Israel, not Christian. Where are they going to go? When you came back, there wouldn’t be any of them left. The earth would be swept clean and you would have a new earth. So there wouldn’t be any of them left. But the scripture says, ‘All flesh shall be saved.’ It tells you how, during the millennium program of the Kingdom of Christ that you are not only are going to scatter the ‘Word’ thru out the ends of the earth, but the nations of heathens who are pagan are going to know the Truth of God. They are going to know HIS name from one end of the earth to the other. So this is not a ‘rapture story.’ Rather, that is a story that is to be a sweeping victory by the hosts of God. They will be triumphant. Of course, the ‘Rapture’ story is just a story without any Biblical background---just one of translation.

We do know that Christ is going to return and we will be battling the hordes of darkness. And we will be glad to see the forces of Christ come in. And we will be crying ‘LORD JESUS please come.’ I don’t think you are too far from that now, because the design is to destroy America, to bring war, to bring in the forces of darkness which is even now upon you. They are planning a Communist strike against you using the Negroes. But this just means you will be battling all over the world against (Jewish) World Communism. But says that there will be a New Heaven and a New Earth. And I (John) saw the Holy City, a New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride for her husband.

Let’s go back to the days of Abraham, remembering that in the books of Hebrews, that Abraham had a great, great faith. Abraham was told to go out to a place where he would receive his inheritance and he didn’t know where he was going. But by Faith, he sojourned in a land of promise. But he was in a strange country. He dwelt in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, also heirs of the same promise. And ‘He looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God.’

Now, Abraham was so pleased with this city, that he would think of the promises that God had made. God told Abraham that HE would multiply and increase them, until they would be as the sands of the seashore and the stars of the heavens. This was YAHWEH’S promise. HE promised him a city. This promise because he was the offspring of God, for only that which is Holy comes out of God. In fact, thru Abraham, comes the history of the prophets, the great men before him. And he knew that the Israel people, the Adamic race, had descended out of the MOST HIGH.

Now, he also looked forward to the building of this Holy City which was to be finally built. And you turn over here to the book of Revelation and John sees this city. It has been coming down out of heaven from God, right out of the Throne of God. And it has been emerging right here on earth.

If you go into the book of Daniel, you see how the Satanic world powers are to be broken and destroyed by the Kingdom because of their evil and control by Satan’s children who could mingle with the miry clay and the symbol of Iron. Alright, it says the Kingdom--a stone uncut by human hands was going to sweep down and destroy this image, and grew into a Holy mountain in the midst of the earth. This Holy mountain which strikes the image is a descending Kingdom--a program of God for the earth.

Now, we want to point out that this Holy City---New Jerusalem, is like that great stone uncut by hands which proceeds out of the Throne of God. Remember, that the Adamic Race on the face of the earth are HIS children. HE brought them to earth, has been bringing them to earth, and into the bodies of the Adamic race. You are the children of God after the Spirit, from the heavens, and the children of Adam after the flesh. Adam as the son of God, gives you the bodies God has begotten for HIS race as well as spiritually the Celestial seed which you possess from the heavens.

Therefore, I see a Holy City coming down out of God. And God says, ‘Behold, this city is My Bride.’ HE prepared this bride in the heavens. God doesn’t marry stones. HE marries the House of Israel. HE said, ‘I am married unto you, O, Israel.’ HE talks about Israel as HIS bride. HE talks about how HE, God, united with HIS people, produces HIS many sons. And so by this cause, you see that the HOLY City is marked as Israel referred to here in the book of Revelation as the Bride of God. Therefore, he saw it as a bride adorned for her husband.

I want to point out that the HOLY CITY is well marked as the great spiritual Household of the MOST HIGH, descending from heaven to earth. Nothing else came out of the heavens from the THRONE OF GOD, but GOD’S KINGDOM, the CHILDREN OF THE KINGDOM.

Now, since the Holy City is made up of people, then it is not made up of stones and bricks, but of spiritual stones. Peter said, ‘Ye are living stones which grow into a Holy Temple unto God, in which HE is the chief corner stone.’ The symbolic pyramid emblem in your nation showing that you are the New Order of the Ages,---you build up a spiritual temple with God as the capstone with the ‘All Seeing Eye’ upon it seeing every stone fitly framed into its proper place. Therefore, you are the living stones of a Holy City.

Now, I want to bring something else to your attention. In the book of Corinthians, the Apostle Paul is talking to the Israelites, the people who constitute the Church, and he says, ‘Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you?’ In ‘I Corinthians’ as the Apostle Paul starts his teaching concerning the great mysteries concerning HIS Household, he says, ‘We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the wisdom and mystery of God ordained before the world--unto your glory.’

Another reason why you have had the mysteries revealed to you by the spirit, is the above. And then it makes this declaration that you did not receive the spirit which is of the world, when begotten into this earth, but you received the spirit of God. And you can know freely the things which are of God. A typical man of the world order cannot receive the spirit of God. Has no capacity to receive the things of God. But you--you can understand, you can receive. Because the Spirit is you is--the ‘spirit’ of God. And your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

Turn again to Corinthians and Paul tells you not to be unequally yoked with darkness, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? What union hath light with the darkness? Again, what concord hath Christ with Belial? What concord hath a believer with an infidel? What concord hath the believer with an idol worshiper? What agreement hath the temple of the Living God with idols? HE hath said, ‘I will dwell in them, walk in them, and they shall be MY people.’

Now, there are a lot of people who think that somewhere up in heaven, they are building a great big city. They think it is going to be 1500 miles or 50 miles square and will be let down on golden chains. I don’t know what the sky hooks are going to fastened to, but they are going to let it down and set it on the earth. Then suddenly, out of the mysteries of all times, is going to come this Holy City setting down on the earth. In fact, some people say they know this is true because Ezekiel measured every inch of it. But---yes, Ezekiel measured a Jerusalem which is going to be built in the days of the Millennium and thereafter, and it is to be built by the hand of man. He measured every inch of it and told what would happen as Christ came, how old Jerusalem would be destroyed, how the Dead Sea would be lifted up and then a City fifty miles square would be built there. And there will be a temple in this city patterned after the other, and celebrations of Israel’s history will be portrayed there. People will re-learn all about Israel’s history. But this city which Ezekiel described is not the Holy City, because it is to have a temple in it while the ‘Holy City’ has no temple. And this city described by Ezekiel is to be built by man. But that city in that little land which is too small for Israel of today, is not the ‘Holy City’ of Revelation.

No, you can’t lay this temple of Ezekiel’s down on the ‘Holy City’ and set all these imaginary patterns of prophecy in the hands of some clergy on this description of the ‘Holy City’ of Revelation. So let’s turn and see what this city in Revelation is all about. It is talking about a race coming down out of God, a race---people who are a ‘Holy City’ unto God. Remember that cities are not made out of stones, they are made out of people. You can have a city in the desert with people, but this is the ‘Holy Seed’ of the MOST HIGH descending from heaven unto earth.

‘I (John) saw a Holy City.’ A race coming down thru Adam, Seth, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob---a Holy City of YAHWEH’S own making. Remember that stone uncut by hands--meaning not by man but by the MOST HIGH. And how HE talks about HIS Kingdom? Therefore, a great voice came out of heaven saying, ‘the tabernacle of God is going to be with men, and HE shall dwell with them and they shall be HIS people, and HE shall be their God.’ And we are told that God shall wipe away all the tears from their eyes, there shall be no death, neither sorrow nor crying. Neither shall there be anymore shame. All the former things shall have passed and the world order even has passed away, as the Kingdom of God takes over.

Now, John heard the voice of God saying, ‘It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.’ And I will give unto him that is athirst, the fountain of the Water of Life freely.’ Then came unto me one of the angels with the seven vials of the last plagues and said to me ‘come hither and I will show ye the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ This again, if the embodiment of God--HIS Household--the wife of God.

Now, of course, we have the strange philosophy in Christianity that we have ‘three gods.’ And we have to get a bride for each one of them---a bride for God, the Father, and for Christ, the son. And some think, that a special calling out of the Church will be the bride of the ‘Holy Spirit.’ But all of this is again a misinterpretation of the Holy Scripture. For ‘Hear O Israel, YAHWEH thy God is one LORD.’ Then also, God said, ‘I am married unto Israel.’ Thus, Israel is the bride of God. And it says here, ‘Come hither and I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ It is the same people all the time. And the Angel said, ‘come I will show you this bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ This is not a pile of rocks a preparation of man’s hand. This Holy City of God is something much more than this. ‘And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain.’ This is the structure of the Kingdom, for this stone uncut by hand grows into the image of a great and high mountain and it fills the whole earth. Thus, the program of God’s Kingdom is symbolically measured as a great and high mountain which fills the whole earth, a nation, an administration. So we see the declaration as HE shows John this great city, great mountain or administration which has descended out of the heavens, as the offspring of the MOST HIGH. The Apostle Paul says, ‘His spirit bears witness without spirit that we are the offspring of God, we are the progeny, the children of God.’ How many times in his Epistles does the Apostle Paul bear witness that we are HIS offspring spiritually begotten in the heavens of God and in the flesh the descendants of Adam.

And John says, he is carried away and is shown this Holy city---this New Jerusalem of God. It has the Glory of God and her light is like a stone. This is God who is speaking here concerning the bride, and HE said her light is most precious. And as John beholds this, remember ‘Arise and shine, for the Glory of God has risen upon thee.’ Therefore, this city is one of illumination and of light and glory. We are told that it has the Glory of God and the ‘Light.’ Remember when speaking of this that in the book of Isaiah, that God says, ‘My glory I will not give to another.’ Only Israel, MY offspring will receive My Glory, for My Glory I will not give to another.’

Now, therefore (this holy city) has a wall wide and high with 12 gates. And above the gates there are 12 angels. And over the gates are written the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. This Holy Jerusalem, this city of Living stones, the only way you enter in and participate in the administration of the Kingdom of this New Jerusalem is that you are begotten into it. You come in thru this begetting into one of the tribes. And everyone of the White race is from these 12 tribes. These are the people who will run the administration of this Kingdom of the City of God. Therefore, there are 12 gates and on them are the names of these 12 tribes of the children of Israel.

Then you are shown the symbols of the beauty and the majesty of this Holy City. And you are told that the foundation of this city is symbolized as the riches of God’s great Glory.

Then the 12 gates have 12 pearls and even several gates in as tho it was one pearl. The street of the city is pure gold altho as it were transparent as glass. So God, again, brings out the symbolism and mysteries of HIS Spirit, and the processes of HIS Spirit as HE has done in the writings of the Apostle Paul, as well as back in the writings of Enoch, talking about the symbolism of spiritual purity. These symbols of wealth and magnitude all are embodied in a Living Household.

Now, ‘I say no temple therein.’ Listen. ‘I saw no temple therein,’--for YAHWEH-YAHSHUA (God) was the temple in it.

But when you go back to the city which Ezekiel talks about as that built as a great memorial where people will come and visit---after God has smashed, straightened out Old Jerusalem and that area, and leveled it out to balance the land, Ezekiel described so that this great memorial can be built to stand thru out the ages. But this city of Revelation, my friends, has no temple, because the children of the ALMIGHTY GOD are the Temple. And the ALMIGHTY GOD is the Chief Cornerstone of this Temple. As your bodies become the Holy Temple, HE abiding in you, is referred to as tabernacling with you. And it says that God is the Temple of a great Living society, a great New Order--- ‘Novus Ordo Seclorum’--made up of a people, not something lowered out of the heavens. But something which came by the process of birth. Whereas the Holy City is the result. Therefore it says, ‘I saw no temple therein.’

Now, the city did not have a need for a sun, or a moon. For the glory of God did lighten it. The Lamb, the embodiment of God did lighten it. But it did not say that the sun and moon would not be there. Just that there was no need of their light. Instead, it is talking about the Glory which will rest on the House of Israel. This Glory of God rests on the City known as the Bride of the Living YAHSHUA. This them is the ‘Holy City,’---the New Jerusalem which John saw coming down out of heaven.

If you want an exact pattern of this city, you can find anywhere in the United States, that there could be a city 50 miles wide and long. The scripture has a great way of verifying the prophecies. And you can also find this land for the Holy City which is so wide, long and high. God has said, ‘I have carved out the rivers, placed within this land the great majesty of My plantings. I have planted the great Red Woods, the Olive tree, and the Myrtle Wood tree. I have spread out on you the marks that you are My Israel.’

I want you to know that it is only in the Western part of the United States and in Palestine that the Myrtle Wood tree grows. The great gargantuan Red Woods like the ancient Cedars of Lebanon, these miracle trees, grown also along the Western Coast of our nation. HE put here also, the Pine tree, and the Box Tree forever. This is the land which God says, ‘I am pleased to know, and to call MY land here. I will do well with Israel.’

After all, you can’t take U.S.A. out of the heart of JerUSAlem and have much left. They may build a city alright, in the heart of this nation, but remember, it is of this nation which God says, ‘This is My dwelling place.’

We turn once more to Revelation and it says, ‘I saw no temple there.’ But there shall never be a period thereafter when this Holy City shall not reign. This is the city (people) of the LIVING GOD---a Holy City---A LIVING city not made by hands, but made up of the Household of the LIVING GOD.

All the fantasies which come out of the interpretation of these places in the scripture, there are people standing, watching and waiting for something which is not going to happen. And yet, they are a part of the great miracle of God that is happening. And they don’t understand that they can thank God for the fact that the Holy City is a real city.

The race which was to emerge out of his loins, was the thing which Abraham was rejoicing about---the great masterful structure of society which would some day encompass the earth. He thanked God for it. And God imputed righteousness to Abraham because he believed God.

So when the Apostle Paul tells you that you are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit dwells in you, then when he talks about the Living Stones, he is talking about the great pyramid temple of the Living God. He is talking about a Living City.

There shall be cities built, monuments built. But they are not coming down out of heaven on golden chains. But YAHWEH-YAHSHUA will join HIS people for the great and tremendous victory which HE has declared in HIS Holy Scripture.

We look out on you and see a great growing city, a city of deliverance of the MOST HIGH GOD. And we know that HE shall reign and rule with you. There are many more passages of scripture, but as you read, you will note that HE has declared that HIS Glory shall not depart out of Israel. HE will reside in Israel. HE will fill the land with HIS Glory.

(End of sermon)