The chaos of Israel’s divided kingdom was revealed the day the prophet Ahijah took a new garment and ripped it into 12 pieces (1 Kings 11:30). Ten tribes to the north and two for the south. It was the end of Solomon’s reign and the beginning of a downward spiral that would never recover. Even still God spoke a word of consequence that exists today. 1 Kings 11:36 I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name.
Jerusalem is the city where God put His Name. There is no other place on earth that houses such power; no other physical location where His Name is promised to be found. Jerusalem is the city of the Name!
Though the people turned away from God’s Law, He preserved the city for the sake of His servant. 1 Kings 11:32 But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.”
The fact is this: Washington D.C. is not the center of the world. Consider the ease of becoming consumed with national news. Cable television, Youtube, Facebook, and other media outlets must sell a story, whether true or not. The American church is often drawn into such things. We tend to think of our nation as the pivot point of the world. Yet the world time clock and the prophetic forecast does not revolve around America. At best we are to be worshipers of the Name and are privileged to be givers to the cause of the Gospel. Jerusalem is the focus of the prophetic age.
Reading articles and “staying up on the news” might be beneficial (that may be debatable). However, knowing the Signs of the Times demands a clear view of the Middle East. It is arrogant to think that God’s final call hinges on our American progress or revival.
Our task is to provide a place of worship where His name can be praised. Our desire is to live a holy, separate life as unto the Lord. The mission is to reach our city with the Gospel found in Acts 2:38. Our objective is to construct a House of Worship for the body to grow.
We are people of The NAME: Jesus! We pray in His Name. We marry and bury in His Name. We baptize in His Name. We carry His Name on our lives which is the honor of the saints.
And in that final day, John offers us this promise: Revelation 22:3-4 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole