June 12, 2015, Friday, 3:18 PM

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For years, the whole world was made to believe that the Dome of the Rock was built on top of the original location where the temples built by King Solomon and Zerubbabel were once situated. But Dr. Ernest L. Martin asserted that the Ophel Mound is the real site of the First and Second Temples which he claims in his book, “The Temples that Jerusalem Forgot.” In that book he emphatically asserted that what is commonly known as the Temple Mount today is in fact the Roman Fort Antonia.

In his booklet, Jerusalem’s Temples, Mr. Gerald Flurry even wrote,

“Dr. Martin’s book contains astonishing material about the ancient temples. In his introduction, he stated that the ancient temples were located on the Ophel mound – not what is known as the Temple Mount today. The Ophel mound is just south of the ‘Temple Mount’ and includes the area Herbert W. Armstrong College students have been digging in for several years.” (p. 3)

So it is indeed very significant for the Philadelphia Church of God to be involved in the exact and correct site where the First and Second Temples were situated. That was the context of the decree of King Artaxerxes in 457 B.C. – the house of the Lord at Jerusalem – the Second Temple, and not King David’s palace as previously have been thought of. Even King Cyrus knew about this very important fact.

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:1-3)

Yes, again let’s ask: Who is there among you of all His people? If God really is with you, then go and support the archeological dig there in Jerusalem to “CLEAN UP THE FILTH AND RUBBLE IN THAT AREA THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL JERUSALEM AND CITY OF DAVID” to prepare that place for the Messiah. God shall yet choose Jerusalem! Not Edstone or any place in Britain and definitely not Ireland!

The Millennium will all be about Jerusalem and none else. We ought not to compare Bricket Wood or Ireland to be the gauge or measuring stick to picture the Millennium. It should only be Jerusalem! Or else we are already committing SPIRITUAL ADULTERY! It is even comparable to marrying strange wives as the Jews did in 408 B.C.! (Nehemiah 13:23, 26, 27). The Ark of the Covenant will be found in Jerusalem and not in a SECRET PLACE in Tara Hill in Ireland as suggested by PCG Regional Director Brad Macdonald!

Aside from that, the archeological dig in Ireland will not continue on until the Millennium, but the Jerusalem excavation will.

In other words, THE JERUSALEM EXCAVATIONS WILL CONTINUE RIGHT ON INTO THE MILLENNIUM. “The capital seated on her hills shines conspicuous as the only elevation in a very wide region,” says Lange. Jerusalem, in a very literal sense, will be a city that is set on a hill (Matthew 5:14). “And it shall come to pass in the last days,” the Prophet Isaiah wrote, “that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it” (Isaiah 2:2). How wonderful are the prophecies of God! Yes, there is a great spiritual excavation going on in preparation for Christ’s return (see Amos 9:11-12). But as Mr. Armstrong brought out in his 1968 letter, there is also a physical preparing for the Messiah’s appearance. “If the spot of the original throne of David is, in fact, to be the coming seat of world government, then all that accumulated debris of  century after century must be cleared off before that event can occur! Exciting?” Mr. Armstrong asked (Plain Truth, op. cit.). “Beyond words to describe, it is!” (The Philadelphia Trumpet, May 2007, p. 9)

But now that the eyes of the 25 top leading ministers of the Philadelphia Church of God has chosen Britain and Ireland over Jerusalem, what do you think will God feel? The Eternal has chosen Jerusalem, yet this 25 men turned their backs on God! Look at what PCG Evangelist Stephen Flurry has done to Jerusalem – HE LED THE PEOPLE TO LEAVE JERUSALEM!

Well some in the Philadelphia Church of God will say, “This is God’s Church!” But let us consider what Mr. Gerald Flurry said:

It’s one thing to be God’s people. It’s another to be doing His Work. The big question is not “Are we God’s Church?” It’s “Are we doing the CONTINUAL Work of God?” (Daniel Unsealed At Last, p. 7, 2012 printed edition)

Look closely at what’s inside Stephen Flurry’s heart as reflected in his Twitter account:

With Edstone being chosen over Jerusalem, let us ask ourselves: “Are we doing the CONTINUAL Work of God in Edstone?” and “Is it really God’s land as Stephen Flurry claims?” We ought to be honest with ourselves and answer these questions on our knees praying to God for understanding. Consider this Key of David episode where Mr. Gerald Flurry said:

“THE BIBLE SAYS THAT GOD HAS CHOSEN JERUSALEM. Now, why would God choose Jerusalem? And surely if God chooses a city, Himself, you’d think that would be, well, pretty impressive news in this world. BUT NOT MANY PEOPLE PAY ATTENTION TO THAT, and yet we are to become perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48), SO IF HE CHOOSES JERUSALEM, THEN THAT STRONGLY TELLS US WE SHOULD CHOOSE IT, AS WELL.” (Why You Must Watch Jerusalem, Feb.11, 2015)

Yes, “GOD HAS CHOSEN JERUSALEM …BUT NOT MANY PEOPLE PAY ATTENTION TO THAT” including his own son, STEPHEN and the other PCG leading ministers. God even calls them the drunkards of Ephraim – they are a SIGN that Christ is about to return!

This astonishing scripture reveals why this evil Joshua and the Laodiceans became captives of Satan, and how we can avoid falling into the same trap.

The Eternal has chosen Jerusalem: God is showing us that the Laodiceans got into serious trouble because they stopped focusing on new Jerusalem. THEY QUIT THINKING LIKE GOD. GOD’S MIND IS CONTINUALLY SET ON NEW JERUSALEM: HIS ENTIRE PLAN IS BUILT AROUND NEW JERUSALEM. But Joshua and his followers allowed their minds to stray from God’s vision of new Jerusalem. That led to what is probably the worst disaster ever in God’s Church.

Verse 8 says, “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.” Notice, God says He is going to bring forth the Branch, Jesus Christ. God the Father is directly and intimately involved in these events. He brings forth His Son. But what happens just before Christ, the Branch, returns? Joshua’s fellows are looking to Joshua rather than the Father and Son; they have lost the Eternal has chosen Jerusalem vision. The expression men wondered at would better read men of sign. THEY ARE A SIGN THE MESSIAH IS ABOUT TO RETURN! The bad news is still good news—a sign of the most wonderful news we could hear.” (pp. 33-34, Zechariah: The Sign of Christ’s Imminent Return)

With His own Church turning its back on Him on His Jerusalem plan, God has to do something in this last end to restore “The Eternal has chosen Jerusalem” vision – He started another Jerusalem work to JUDGE the spiritual Edomites inside His own Church who chose another estate:

“And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.” (Obadiah 1:21)

And that Jerusalem work has been revived starting TODAY to PREPARE JERUSALEM FOR ITS KING! As Mr. Gerald Flurry said, “IT ALL BEGINS AND ENDS IN JERUSALEM!”