Anne Lastman

“Oh, Jerusalem the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings and you were not willing!

See your house is left desolate for I tell you will not see me again until you say “Baruch haba B’Shem Adonai” (Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord)

There are three times that we are told in scriptures that Jesus wept (Jn 11:25, Lk 19:41-44, Heb. 5:7-9) at these times he was in a place in his soul where the suffering of the people moved him deeply.  There was much suffering in the people themselves and in the land.  The Roman rule was harsh for the Jewish people and he himself was close to what would be his own suffering we can imagine what he felt for their suffering and that which would come to him also. “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears, to him which was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence” 

The Jerusalem which Jesus looked over and wept would in time, after with his death, come to be understood as the new Jerusalem and which would be seen and preached by the Christian community and preachers belief at the literal level where a new Jerusalem would be built after the destruction of the Old Temple (70AD) and the diaspora, however, it’s possible to see at a different level a new Jerusalem. A spiritual Jerusalem.

Another understanding of the new Jerusalem would be the Church. The City of God. 

Unlike the temple which Solomon built, this new temple was not made of bricks and mortar, but it would be become a heavenly city with a heavenly temple and Jesus wept for both.

As Jesus wept, he looked into the future and saw the new church and the persecution it would undergo. The violence against it, the persecution, the wars, murders, and wondered had they forgotten his sacrifice. Had they remembered that he had died for them, the persecutors?  The wars and violence and hatred he had taken on his own body and soul in order that it would not visit them.  His sacrifice would lead them to new understanding of life and eternal life.  He looked into the future and saw that his sacrifice slowly became dim, distant, abandoned, together with the work of his Father, and the Spirit.  The new Jerusalem, the Church, the beloved city, beloved people (Rev21-27). 

This new city which had come down from heaven, from God, the new city, Jesus, within whom was to be found renewal. 

The final chapters 21 and 22 are the two chapters of the Book of Revelation which conclude with St. John are the two chapters of the new heavens and the new earth, and his vision of the new city, the holy city, the New Jerusalem, Much different from the Old Jerusalem made by hands. This new Jerusalem was made by the Father Himself with the desire from the Son and the blessing of the Spirit. The new city had within it a new population without pain and hurt and persecution. The new Jerusalem, new city, according to John, is also described as the “Bride” the “spouse of the lamb” the Church where the “water of life flows” Rev 22. The life-giving waters, no longer the waters where they had sat and wept as they remembered their old city of Zion and when they were carried into captivity and longing for freedom. 

Again, in the vision we see John taken to a high mountain (Tabor?) in the Spirit to see the New Jerusalem, (City), Jesus descend from heaven. The new city coming out of heaven. Descending, to Eden? The new city with flowing waters of life replace the tree of death, The tree where no waters flowed.   Jesus the new Jerusalem, the new City in the glorious vision is surrounded with all the treasures of earth which makes its beauty with each and every dimension (human being) same as the Holy one, the tabernacle, the household of God on earth but also each and every human a temple of the Holy Spirit. (Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed”) The temple with its tabernacle a place where the Lord finds a resting place. The first being when he laid his head on his chest and died, “The son of man has no place to lay his head” (Mt 8:20) but on the cross where he found a place to lay his head and rest. 

The new tabernacle made of every precious gem, the new Jerusalem, the new City does not consist of buildings and walls and gems of human understanding but it’s a tent or City of meeting where God gathers his people and speaks to them.  The Shekinah, (the Holy Spirit) the temple, which is God himself, gathering his people, inviting them to shelter under the Tent. The same God who walked in the Garden of Eden but remained hidden (Ex 33:22) after sin.  “and it shall come to pass, while my glory passes by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock and will cover thee with my hand until my   glory passes by” and the glory of the same God showed his divinity to three closest friends by becoming visible (Transfiguration Mt 17:1-13).  The divine Jesus was seen in all his glory on the mount. Hidden on the mountain  

Sinai (Ex 33:22) so that his glory would not destroy the new Jerusalem, the new Bride of the new City (Jesus) but now visible as human being as Adam and Eve had been created.

The new City heals the past sin and past barrier because the tree of life grows there and is fed by the flowing river, “holy sacrificial blood” flowing his pierced side.  The tree of life untouched by sin (in all ways like us but sin Heb 4:15) heals and destroys that original sin.  “behold the lamb of God who takes away the Sin of the world (Jn.1:29) that sin which no human could take away, because of the new City, (Jesus) who has the same power as the Creator Father and same holiness as the Holy Spirit and is in the image of the Triune’ and who concurred “we” will make man in our own image (Gn 1:2) and he is to be also in the image of the created man. His name is Holy City and the crown, which is on his head, he is as new temple which will never be touched by sin. This temple will never know sin.

The temple referred to (Jesus) is always described as descending from heaven and the expectation is that the new Jerusalem, the glorious shining city (and his face shone like the sun) will be restored to original holiness, as the Holy City, Tabernacle of God, Heavenly Jerusalem, shining city on the Hill (Transfiguration) New Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem (Holy City-Jesus) descends in order to ascend leading those who had been excluded from creation.

Reference is made to the 12 tribes of Israel and 12 Apostles who would begin to preach and tell of the new Jerusalem The new City (Jesus)who has come down from heaven, who died for all sins and now has ascended back to his rightful place back in heaven next to his Father, having completed and founded a New Holy City, a New Jerusalem, and presenting his New Bride, the Church.  

This short article has been written as my exploration of Jesus looking over the holy city and weeping over what he saw. He saw the reaction of the chosen people towards those who had been sent by his father to help restore the people, and their treatment of those sent had been rejection.  Finally, God sent his son (Mt 21:35-39) Jesus, and he too was rejected and killed, like the prophets of old, but not before he had accomplished (Jn 19:30) the task of renewing the old and bringing back man back into the now re-opened Eden where no longer darkness prevailed but the light of the son, the New Holy City, Jesus lit all of creation. For all time his light would shine.  The keys of the kingdom of darkness will not prevail because the new Jerusalem” the “bride” the “Church” like her groom, will be spotless. 

We are also reminded of false Jerusalem (the territory of darkness) and this when Jesus before the beginning of his public ministry was led by the spirit   to a desert (Mt 4: 1-11) where he was tempted by the devil, and tempted in all manner, and promised all the cities of the world and all its wealth if he bowed down and worshipped him, and of course Jesus refused.   From this we can read that the devil already knew that the cities of the world would be in great sin, and that he already possessed them. However, Jesus knew looking over Jerusalem and into the future and wept that indeed the cities of the world had followed the one who had tempted him.  The fallen angel who had rebelled against the Creator God tempted the weaker creature and as a human, the devil wanted to tempt the Son of God to rebel against his father.  The promise to give Jesus the false sinful cities showed that the devil had stained and darkened cities, into the future.  but Jesus was the new Jerusalem, the Holy City, the unstained City, the New church which came down from heaven to reclaim those cities owned by the devil.  He descended in order to ascend carry in his body reclaimed creation. Those who would come with him.

It appears the theme of descending and ascending pervade the Gospels and I suspect that Jesus descended to defeat the one who had been thrown out of heaven.  He saw with sorrow the state of the physical Jerusalem and spiritual Jerusalem and wept. His sorrow and weeping like “Rachel who wept for the children who were no more (Jeremiah 31:15) Jesus looking into the distance also saw the past and present children and those who were to come and wept for their loss. He saw the murders, the wars, the loss and rejection of children, he saw children whose own fathers and mothers put them out to die, he saw the sick and elderly and those not respected. He saw the loss of their trust in God. He saw the rejection of the new “City” (Jesus) of God. He saw the abandonment of the new way home, then and looking into the distance he saw that nothing had changed from the beginning when sin entered the garden and he wept.  He saw visibly the fruit of the tree of death and its fruits which would continue to be planted into time still to come, and yet his Church would always stand high on a hill (Calvary) and a perpetual light shining out and being seen by those seeking.

I enjoy reading the Book of Revelation because it speaks so much on many levels, about humanity from the very beginning until the end of time.  It’s a writing with many layers and each new layer surfaces a new word. Its many layered and leaves one both satisfied but also unsatisfied in order to desire to return for more.

Revelation is not about the various churches and their deficiencies, (even so in some ways) but a story of that church (those who abandoned the New City) loss and could not return to the City on the hill which was darkened from their eyes.

More, much more than this it’s a writing in which the whole life/story and ministry of Jesus is told. It’s a story which can be read and understood differently in each generation, in different times, eras and hearts. 

Indeed, it’s a prayer which illumines our minds and souls in order to be able to see more. To see Jesus as not only a man like all men but a Divine Jesus with many appellations.

It has been said that Revelations is a very difficult book to read and indeed its very difficult to read and discern but as one reads it a new vision of the beauty of divine life is.  It is said to be difficult but it cant be any other way because we are trying to describe a situation which is both human and divine but using only very limited human language.