"The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof. OUT OF ZION, THE PERFECTION OF BEAUTY, GOD HATH SHINED." --Psalms 50:1-2.
God has called the earth! He has called from the rising of the sun in the east to its setting in the west.
For over two thousand years, the Chinese characters used for Japan, both in China and Japan, have meant "Source of the sun." Therefore Japan is called. "Land of the rising sun." Now we know that the day begins with Japan, or east Asia, and the day ends somewhere in the Pacific west of Hawaii. When you cross that line going west, you suddenly enter tomorrow, and when you cross that line going east, you suddenly enter yesterday.
"OUT OF ZION, THE PERFECTION OF BEAUTY, GOD HATH SHINED." This is a thrilling verse. It tells us about a Zion, a city, that is the perfection of beauty.
I have read where someone said, there is not anything on earth that is perfect. Even the most beautiful, prize winning, rose has some flaw in it, if closely examined. That's because this world is cursed with evil things, vermin or bacteria and such, to prevent perfection. But this Zion spoken of, is the "perfection of beauty."
Zion of the Scriptures, had three meanings. First, it was the name of a hill in Jerusalem, upon which King David built his palace. Afterward, it referred to the city of Jerusalem, itself. But in other places, As in our text, Zion can only mean the city of God in heaven. It is "A city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." --Hebrews 11:10.
A few years ago my son, Donald, and family visited Palestine, and they walked the streets of the old city of Jerusalem. I asked about the city, if it was beautiful and clean. "Oh, my no!" was the reply. "It was a very dirty place." But the Zion from which God shined, was the perfection of beauty.
At this season of the year, the world remembers when that wonderful light shone out of Zion. The Son of God willingly, in obedience to the Father, left that city of perfection to come down to this dirty, filthy old world.
He came, "not to be served, but to serve others," and "To give His life a ransom for many." He came because, "God is love." (1 John 4:8) And "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish (Go to Hell.), but have everlasting life." (Eternal life with Him in that beautiful city of Zion, the New Jerusalem.) I wish that all the world might know John 3:16.
Without light, you cannot see dirt, and without Jesus, you cannot see sin. Without Jesus, the Bible cannot be understood.
Jesus said, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12) Jesus came as light into this world, that people might see the grimy filth, of this place and of their own lives, and look to Him for cleansing and escape, from these filthy surroundings, to that city of God, the perfection of beauty. It is His Father's house of many mansions, and He is preparing places there, for all those who put their trust in Him.
In this world, Jesus had no home. He said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.' (Matthew 8:20)
At last, the wicked people of this world became so jealous, they took that ONE PERFECT MAN, and nailed Him to a cross. Forsaken by man, and forsaken by the Father, He hung in agony, His life's blood dripping down. Friends put His dead body away in a tomb, with a huge stone covering it.
After three days had passed, Jesus arose from the grave, alive. His tomb was empty, and hundreds of people saw Him alive.
Then in full view of His disciples, He ascended into the skies, back to the beautiful, heavenly Zion, from which He had come. There He ever liveth, to make intercession for those who come unto God by Him. (Hebrews 7:25)
In this world, people tend to look at sins as big sins, and little sins. Someone said that people all carry two bags, one in front and one behind. In the front, they put other peoples faults and sins, and in the one behind, they put their own faults and sins, so they cannot see them.
But in Gods eyes, the biggest sin anyone can commit, is to reject His beloved Son, Jesus, and turn down the free gift of eternal life through Him. "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
Jesus, God's son, died on the cross for you, and then you turn Him down. Hell, is then a place too good for you. The lake of fire will be your doom.
Up there in Zion, where Jesus went, the Bible tells us, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, ...and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:9-10)
You have the opportunity to turn to Christ today, but someday soon, you will be forced to bow before Him, and confess Him Lord; but then, it will be too late to be saved.
Jesus has all power in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18) He is the one, all mankind ought to love, and glorify, and trust. For those, who have given themselves to Him by faith, He says, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." __Hebrews 13:5. He gladly hears you when you pray.
After forty years together, my wife, Mary, left for that city in heaven, in 1986. Then in July, 2000, my darling son, Ricky, was taken from me, by death. My only comfort, was to remember that Jesus loved him, more that I ever could.
Now I am 97 years old, and still, my joy is to spread a little of that light of the Lord Jesus Christ in this dark old world. The apostle John, was about my age when in exile on the Isle of Patmos, God revealed to him, many things about the end of this world, and a new heaven and a new earth.
John also saw the New Jerusalem, the Zion of God above, coming down upon the new earth. According to the measurements given, that city was fifteen hundred miles square and also fifteen hundred miles high. There is lots of room in the Father's house. I think the new earth will be much larger than this earth, and it will be a place "wherein dwelleth righteousness." --2 Peter 3:13.
Back in the nineteen twenties, a great Baptist preacher named Hinson, lived here in Portland. Around 1927, after examining him, his doctor told him he had only a few months to live. The following Sunday, he stood before his congregation, at East Side Baptist Church, and told what the doctor had said. "When I went home," he said, "that evening, I went outside and I looked down at the river below, and I said, 'O River, when you have long since ceased to flow, I shall be living on." I looked up at Mt. Hood, and I said, "Mountain, When you have long since have passed away, I will live on." And I looked up at the stars in the sky, and said, "'O stars, when you have long since ceased to shine, I shall be living on." That is what it is like to know Jesus, and that you have ETERNAL LIFE.
WILL YOU TAKE A POSITIVE STAND FOR LANDMARK DOCTRINES, HISTORIC BAPTIST INDEPENDENCE AND DIRECT MISSION PRACTICE? THEN SIGN UP FOR A SUBSCRIPTION TO THIS PAPER AND SPREAD THE TRUTH AS IT IS IN THE WORD OF GOD.