God’s holy name will be made known
“And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. (Ezekiel 39:7–ESV) Think David & Goliath.
“But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt.” (Ezekiel 20:9–ESV) Think Dagon.
“Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.” (Isaiah 52:6–ESV) Think Carmel.
“For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 1:11–ESV)
In history there have been moments where God seems absent, banished, forgotten, maybe even irrelevant. It is not always that way though; opposite type moments have come and gone as well. While God may at times seem to be absent from us and our world he is not. For his own reasons he allows his name to be profaned and may seem to be taking a backseat to the events of earth. It is not always that way, nor shall it be that way for ever after.
Western society tries to relegate God to a place of superstition. God would not have it that way, and in Jerusalem of the future at a time of God’s choosing there will be a great showdown between God and Satan, between God followers and God spurners.
A pivot point in history
1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. (Revelation 11:1-2–ESV)
In the picture you can see a model of the Jewish temple. There is inner area where the tall building represents the holy places in front of which is the altar. Around that but still inside another set of walls is the court outside the temple. Outside these walls would be the rest of Jerusalem called by God the holy city. These were the areas spoken of by God to John.
There are times which can be pointed to where history has gone in a different direction. This will be one of them as history narrows to a global focus in Jerusalem. John measured the temple demarcating it as God’s. It was a place where those who followed the Lord God would gather to worship.
Outside this is an area “given over” to the nations. Jerusalem, the holy city, will be occupied and trampled by these nations. The outer courts of the temple will even be desecrated, but the area measured by John will not be. It seems that the temple itself will be a place of refuge and the area surrounding it filled with a Gentile, or maybe non-Christian, non-Jehovah following occupation force.
Right now there are many religions throughout the world, but no globally accepted single focus. History will eventually pivot to a great spiritual showdown at the temple of God in Jerusalem. Remember the 144,000 that were set apart unto God? Remember that that number likely is a symbol of a much larger number? There are many, many things not worth speculating upon, but I think that we can bank on God’s protection at this place as a precursor to a spiritual showdown.
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