Based on Luke 9:51, we may recognize a divine principle as in the form of the Body of Christ on earth, which calls us to go forward with the right spiritual direction fully focused. This focus means not to turn with our gaze either to the left or to the right on our path.

 

Luke 9:51:
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

 

Here the fulfillment of a certain phase of time is of particular importance because it can be accompanied by a new spiritual movement or progress according to the will of God (cf. Galatians 4:4).

 

Galatians 4:4:
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, …

 

Spiritual advancement requires the right focus so as not to be influenced by ‘falling’ on the right or left side (cf. Psalm 91:7 i.c.w. Proverbs 4:25-27; Proverbs 17:24).

 

Psalm 91:7:
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

 

Proverbs 4:25-27:
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

 

Proverbs 17:24:
24 A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

 

However, if we change our focus and turn away from the center of God’s government which is symbolized by the city of Jerusalem, the adversary will begin to use the adversities on the right and the left to set up his communication of destruction. This is intended to create and produce false conclusions in our minds. With these wrong conclusions we can fall into hopelessness and finally come to a standstill in our walk with Christ Jesus.

 

Therefore, it is necessary that we look straight ahead with our spiritual eyes and increase in the wisdom that is there, much like Daniel did when he was in captivity in Babylon.

The reason Daniel did not lose his divine focus despite being in captivity is because he had his eyes fixed on Jerusalem and Israel, allowing the Spirit of God to move in revelatory power. This is evident in the windows opened by Daniel to Jerusalem (cf. Daniel 6:10).

 

Daniel 6:10:
10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

 

 

Jerusalem is the navel of the earth and Israel is the apple of God’s eye (cf. Ezekiel 38:12; Zechariah 2:8).

Ezekiel 38:12:
12 I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the centre of the land (Note: the navel of the earth).’

Zechariah 2:8:
8 For this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you – for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye – …

 

Spoken in a spiritual context, the character of the capital city of Jerusalem is akin to an open door in heaven based on intimacy with Christ as the Bridegroom in the form of walking in first love and continuous true relationship with Him, as the city is called the bride and also wife of the Lamb (cf. Revelation 21:2.9-10).

Revelation 21:2.9-10:
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. …
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

This city amounts to a new dimension of knowing Christ as the eternal King. This dimension is a higher spiritual level. This is made clear by the Bible passage from Revelation 19:11-16. There John sees heaven opened in a new realm and recognizes Christ as the eternal King who, riding on a white horse with His royal army, reveals Himself warlike in various facets.

 

He is the Faithful and True One, the Hidden One – by name known to none but Himself; as the Word of God, King of kings and LORD of lords, He moves forward.

Revelation 19:11-16:
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.
12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no-one knows but he himself.
13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron sceptre.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of kings and lord of lords.

 

The heavenly or messianic Jerusalem can grant entrance through Christ Jesus in twelve different characters, resulting from the assigned angels of the 12 tribes of Israel, who are assigned to the four winds in an alliance of three units each (cf. John 10:9 i.c.w. Revelation 21:10-13.21a).

 

John 10:9:
9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

 

Revelation 21:10-13.21a:
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. …
21a The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.

This area of access through the pearl gates of the city includes access into the kingdom of heaven, since this itself is like a pearl (cf. Matthew 13:44-46).

Matthew 13:44-46:
44 ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

 

 

This spiritual focus on Jerusalem includes an increase in apostolic governmental understanding as well as the close love relationship with Christ Jesus as bridegroom and husband (cf. Revelation 21:2.9-10).

 

Revelation 21:2.9-10:
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. …
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

 

Moreover, the Heavenly Father in the form of the Almighty and the Lamb of God as the temple dwell in the city (cf. Revelation 21:22).

 

Revelation 21:22:
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

 

Having the right spiritual focus brings an elevation to a higher spiritual level, which includes a so-called going away to be in another higher place, as described in Luke 9:51. Going higher with the right focus can result in people rejecting us, as Jesus experienced with His disciples as they passed through Samaria while Jesus had His eyes fixed on Jerusalem.

 

This should not intimidate us, but in this context it is necessary to pay attention that we do not connect the presence of God’s grace with our own/selfish will (Note: what we think is right), but with His plan of redemption as God’s will. This helps to ensure that we are not too hasty to pronounce judgment, but sovereignly continue our journey focused with Christ (cf. Luke 9:52-56).

 

Luke 9:52-56:
52 And he (Note: Jesus Christ => salvation) sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.
54 When the disciples James (Note: self-will according to one’s own imagination) and John (Note: grace of God) saw this, they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?’
55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.

 

Whenever we go forward with the right spiritual focus, it means to be aware of the presence of God’s grace in order to combine it with the necessary truth of God’s Word, similar to what happened at the time after the evangelizing of Samaria by Philip. This evangelizing resulted in the apostolic team of truth (Note: Peter) and grace (Note: John) being sent out from the center of Jerusalem to confront the sorcery still present in Samaria practiced by a man named Simon.

 

Simon the sorcerer manipulated the people with his ‘gift’ by performing signs and wonders. His goal was to be recognized by the people, which is why he was driven by drawing the focus of society away from Jesus Christ to focus it solely on Him and His ministry.

 

Furthermore, he cooperated with the power of the root of all evil, namely mammon as the love of money. This becomes clear from the statement of Simon the sorcerer, who wanted to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit from the two apostles (Note: Peter and John) in order to be able to exert even more influence with the people and manipulate them as well as keep them from the truth (cf. Acts 8:5.9-11.18-23 i.c.w. 1 Timothy 6:10).

 

Acts 8:5.9-11.18-23:
5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. …
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practised sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, ‘This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.’
11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. …
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money
19 and said, ‘Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’
20 Peter answered: ‘May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.
23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.’

 

1 Timothy 6:10:
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

 

With the help of the mentioned events from Luke 9:51ff. and Acts 8:4ff. it becomes clear that the city of Jerusalem carries a special meaning. One time it was about the movement in Samaria with the focus on Jerusalem and the other time it was about the movement from Jerusalem to Samaria.

 

We can see that the movement of the ‘body of Christ’ with the focus to Jerusalem entails the sparing from judgment, whereas the apostolic movement from Jerusalem entails a righteous judgment for those who have a corrupt heart attitude.

 

 

In progressing with Christ Jesus, it is essential that we have the power of His grace (Note: symbolized by John) in the right correlation, which is the unrestricted connection to salvation (Note: symbolized by Jesus) and truth (Note: symbolized by Peter), without trying to implement God’s plan in the given situation out of human zeal (Note: symbolized by James).

 

It is the power of God’s saving grace that educates people to renounce the ungodly nature and lusts of the world. We are called to live prudently, righteously, and in the fear of the Lord, while waiting in patience for the appearing of the glory of God and the presence of His Son (cf. Titus 2:11-14).

 

Titus 2:11-14:
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
12 It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

 

Humanly driven zeal, without the presence of God’s redemptive power and truth produces conclusions and thus statements that are not according to God’s will.

 

Therefore, we should go forward as the people of God in the messianic (Note: anointed) apostolic understanding of the kingship of God, which starts from the spiritual principality of ‘Jerusalem’ and carries as its center the Heavenly Father and the Son of God (Note: dimension of the temple).

 

Focusing on this helps us to make the right decisions according to the will of God, because all decisions spring from the intimate relationship with the Father and the Son (cf. Revelation 21:22).

 

Revelation 21:22:
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

 

It is the Messianic Jerusalem that bears the apostolic measure of the Tenakh, also called ‘Old Testament’, in the form of the twelve pearl gates of the tribes of Israel as well as the “New Testament’ in the form of the 12 foundation stones of the apostles of the Lamb.

 

Revelation 21:10-14:
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west.
14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm