3002 Prince George Road * Hattiesburg, MS 39402 * Phone (601) 268-9126

E-mail: koj@knowledgeofjesus.org Web: http://www.knowledgeofjesus.org

On Sunday May 22, I preached in North Alabama. This was my first time following JoAnn’s departure to be with the Lord. The first few minutes were rough because in times past her face was always in the congregation and she was praying for me while I delivered God’s message. I finally focused and rendered a message that I will now, in brief, share with you.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians (Gal. 4:22-31) and told of Jerusalem below and Jerusalem above. Paul said these are allegories of the two covenants, one of law or bondage and the other of grace or freedom. In verse twenty-nine we find that we can use Jerusalem above and Jerusalem below as examples of the flesh and Spirit, opposing forces in a Christian’s life. The son of the flesh, the first born, will persecute the son of the Spirit, our second birth (John 3:3-8).

Some people look at Kosovo and wonder how these things can happen. So, take a good look at "Jerusalem below" and think about the flesh of man, knowing that he is destructive by nature. In Ezekiel 24:9 Jerusalem below is called a "bloody city." When we consider this we must not think of a city by name alone. A city is actually a group of people that reside under one government.

In Ezekiel 23, we find that Jerusalem below (the physical) is called Aholibah, meaning my (God’s) tent, or dwelling place. Although she is His dwelling place she is full of corruption, and in Ezekiel 24:6 she is called a bloody city. Because of the blood that was shed by her, Jesus said, Wherefore, Behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them you shall kill and crucify; and some of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city. That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth ... (Matthew 23:35). In this verse, the Greek word translated "shed" was written in the present participle tense. It expresses continuous or repeated action without a time of the action. Therefore, when Jesus was crucified, His blood was added to all the bloodshed of the earth and when He came from the grave He brought with Him salvation to all that accepted Him. After the Cross, every Jew and Gentile could have been set free from their guilt, even that guilt mentioned above. Now think about the flesh being in opposition to the Spirit and understand the warfare within the Christian life. We can take this a step further by considering confusion that attacks Christians.

In Isaiah 25:10 "Jerusalem below" is called "The city of confusion"meaning Babylon. In Revelation 17:5 Jerusalem below is called Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth." Peter wrote, The church that is at Babylon, elected together, saluteth you; and so does Marcus my son (1 Peter 5:13). Therefore , one must believe that both John the Revelator and the Apostle Peter knew Jerusalem below by the Old Testament name.

In I Peter 5;1-10, we read about God giving grace to the humble and resisting the proud. As you read this statement, remember that King David said he humbled himself with fastings and his prayer returned to his bosom (Psalms 35:13). So, by prayer, fastings and the word of God we overcome the works of the flesh and enter into the peace Jesus made possible for us. As we take on the mind of Christ and are continually changed into His likeness, confusion diminishes and the flesh becomes subservient to the Spirit.

On May 28, Clyde Lott received information that causes him to believe that the first shipment of red cattle will leave the United States and arrive in Israel during December of 1999. This is a window established by the Israeli Department of Agriculture for these cattle to enter that country. The Temple Institute helped start this program, but now God has made it possible for Clyde to continue the program without them being involved. It is now a beef cattle, restoration of Israeli land program, and the government of Israel is helping bring this to fruition. On the other hand, if and when the Temple Institute needs a red heifer one will be available, in Israel, at no cost to them.. It appears that the outcome of the recent Israeli election will be good for the initial work Clyde and his friends have been called to do, take the word of God into Israel.

My family misses my brother Jack, my wife, JoAnn and my first cousin Margaret June. They have all gone to be with the Lord since August 31, 1998. But now, unless God heals him, we are facing the loss of my senior daughter’s husband, Robert (Bob) Jackman. Bob is only fifty years old. He and Glenice have three children and eight grandchildren. Will you please join us in prayer for this Christian man? He has already lost one kidney and a lung to cancer. Now there is a tumor in the other lung, one that doctors cannot remove.

Dean Hubbard