Zion University.

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We are studying the twenty-first chapter of the Book of Revelation. This is a portrayal of the glorified Christian Church, the eternal dwelling place of God, coming down to rest on the new earth. God's solution to the chaotic confusion of the history of mankind is to save everyone who will come under the authority of the Kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ, and from this group of saved people to select a set of individuals who will be especially trained to worship God and to serve as priests and rulers over the remainder of the group of saved people. This set of individuals is the Church.

(6/10/2007) I realize Christian people find it difficult to understand that there will be two sets of people in the new world of righteousness—the Church, and then the larger group that is composed of nations of saved people. Until this simple concept is grasped, Isaiah, Chapters 60 and 61 cannot be understood, nor can the last two chapters of the Book of Revelation.

The concept is straightforward: God is preparing people who will serve Him as kings and priests over the remainder of mankind.

Think about Israel. Let's view all the Israelites as representative of the saved peoples of the earth. But inside the linen fence of the Tabernacle of the Congregation were the priests and Levites. The priests and Levites also were Israelites, but they were selected to be especially close to God and to serve the remainder of the Israelites as priests, judges, and (before Israel grieved God by demanding a king), rulers.

All Israel was a holy nation, a nation of priests to the remainder of mankind. But the priests and Levites were especially holy. Isn't that true?

To be holy means to be close to God and spiritually clean.

The eternal dwelling place of God, the Church, shall be with the remainder of mankind, wiping away their tears and being a source of healing and eternal life for them. This is the endgame, the ultimate goal of the Christian redemption.

A clause in the fourth verse caught my eye: "The old order of things has passed away."

Notice the following passage from Isaiah:

Many people's will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3)

Before I entered the role of pastor I was a public-school teacher at many levels, including that of college, and also served four years as principal of a public elementary school. So when I see the expression "He will teach us His ways," I naturally think of school.

Notice carefully that in verse four, of the second chapter of Isaiah, that the outcome of the teaching that proceeds from Zion and Jerusalem is that there are no more wars.

Now think: First the Scripture says the old order of things has passed away. Then it states that people will go up to Zion to be taught. The final result is, there are no more wars.

How would you like to go on a little visit with me, a possible vision of the future?

Let us say that when Jesus returns He establishes Zion University. He installs campuses all over the earth and all over the spirit world.

He then selects, from earth and from the spirit world, teachers of every area of endeavour, from the care and feeding of infants to theoretical physics. He selects school administrators. He chooses building engineers. He also selects angels who can supply spiritual wisdom and force to all the people who have been chosen to build and operate Zion University.

After He has provided opportunity and time for all of these people and angels to become acquainted with each other, He says: "People and angels, as President of Zion University I want to inform you of the purpose and operation of our school. Our goal is that every individual love God with all of his or her heart, soul, strength, and mind, and his neighbour as himself. The second objective, always secondary in importance, is that each person develop the talent he or she has been given.

For the transfer of knowledge, such a scientific knowledge, or geography, or history, there will be directors of multimedia presentations.

For proficiency in skills, such as music, art, athletics, handwriting and reading at the lower grades, there will be coaches.

All necessary seminars and practicum's in associated areas will be provided.

But the instruction of primary importance will that which deals with relationships, with social behaviour. Beginning with very young children, the supreme goal of education will be presented: that each individual love God with all of his heart, soul, strength, and mind, and his neighbour as himself. Personal development in these two dimensions of personality must always be held as more important than progress in any other discipline.

From the earliest years, role playing, playground supervision, and other more sophisticated devices will be employed to measure attainment toward the supreme goal. No person will be graduated from Zion University until his sponsors have determined that he has passed satisfactorily each objective that taken together compose the supreme goal.

Any individual who consistently demonstrates an unwillingness to love and serve God, or to live in love and peace with his neighbour, will be removed from the general populace and trained rigorously until all anti-Christ and antisocial tendencies have been removed.

Incorrigibles, those who absolutely refuse to be corrected, will be delivered over to severe and perhaps eternal punishment. While this may seem unduly harsh, it is better that an incorrigible suffer or be removed from society rather than to have lawful, Christ-loving, peaceful people endure the confusion, frustration, and agony that have characterized civilization from its earliest days

Because of our American love of independence and privacy, the above vision may seem intolerable. But let us keep in mind that to go our own way rather than to submit to Christ is the source of all sin, all agony of mind, emotion, and body. Is this what we desire? Is our right to be independent and self-willed worth the pain of life on earth? Do we desire a bloody, unbowed head? Is it actually better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven.

Not for me it isn't! I want to be the first student in Zion University. How about you?

You can hear the morning sermon at morning. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

You can hear the evening sermon at evening. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

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