In Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia, he speaks of the two cities of Jerusalem as being allegorical represented by the two children that Abraham had. His first child was through Hagar, Sarah’s maid; The second was the miraculous child of promise, Isaac, whom Sarah finally bore by faith through Abraham when she was long past the age of natural childbearing.
Paul spoke of the present earthly city of Jerusalem of his day as being in the bondage of law with all her children (Galatians 4: 25). He clearly meant the existing physical city of Jerusalem on earth, which was characterized by the legalism and bondage of the religious Jewish leaders and their hatred of the name of Jesus and everything Christian. Even now, the present day, physical Jerusalem continues to be the center of the legalism and deadness of three major world religions.
However, Paul also spoke of another Jerusalem that was heavenly. It was from above and, like Isaac, the child of promise, it came into existence through faith. He declared that she already existed in his day, was already free, and already was the mother of us all (Galatians 4: 26-28).
David declared in (Psalm 87: 5- 6) that all real believers were born in this spiritual city of Jerusalem. For all the true children of promise, this city is in existence. It is where we were born, and it is where we are already living, our spirit exists in this realm
The writer of the book of Hebrews also speaks to the city. In (Hebrews 12: 18-24) the writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit, compares the two mountains with the two cities. One is Mount Sinai, with its fear, darkness, and bondage of religion. The other is Mount Zion, with its joy, light, liberty, and a multitude of dancing angels. We’re told in Hebrews (12 22-23): you have come to mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an immeasurable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first born.
So where does the Church of born-again believers truly meet? The answer is in heavenly Jerusalem, which already is. This was a city that Abraham saw in in his spirit, and he embraced it from afar although he never actually entered it during his lifetime on earth.
Abraham saw this city whose architect and builder was God. As born-again believers, we have the means of appropriating the power that rules in heaven along with an innumerable company of angels to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. We can go on to possess the whole world for king Jesus and reap a vast multitude of new believers.
Jesus speaks of the city.
In Matthew 5: 13-15, Jesus said three things concerning the church. He said it was to be salt, light, and a city that could not be hidden.
Salt-in the days when the Bible was written, salt was the main means of flavoring food and of preserving it, thereby stopping decay and corruption. In spiritual terms, Jesus was saying that the salt of the Kingdom was to permeate all society with its flavor. In practice, individual Christians full of the power of the Kingdom would infiltrate every section of secular society, flavoring it with the joy, light, and righteousness of the Kingdom, thereby holding back the sin of darkness and the corruption that would otherwise completely fill secular society.
Light-the light represents the life of the Kingdom shining with all its purity in an individual Christian, a Christian family, a truly Christian business, a Christian school, a Christian medical practice, or any secular institution in such a way that the true light of the kingdom can shine forth without adulteration. As a result, it stands out as light against the darkness, in total contrast to the darkness, which is always present in similar situations of this world. It gives a clear manifestation of the Kingdom for all to see.
City-this represents the powerful city churches from which the government of the Kingdom is to be established over the whole land. They cannot be hidden but are known and can be seen for miles around by everybody.
Big trees and small bushes
An illustration of a regional city church is a typical Indian tea garden, in India. Tea grows on a Bush that reaches a height of four feet. The bud and the first two small leaves on each twig are picked to make the best tea leaves. Although a hot climate is needed to grow tea, it grows best in the shade, and the Bush struggles to survive if it is constantly exposed to the burning power of direct sunlight. For this reason, tall, shady trees are planted between the tea bushes to provide shade for them. As these trees grow in a mature tea garden, their branches spread out and touch each other to provide continuous shade to the tea bushes underneath. Under their protective shade, all the tea bushes are able to flourish.
God wants city churches or regional centers to arise like the big trees in the tea garden. These city churches would serve all of their aligned local churches and give them shade and protection from demonic attacks so that they could all flourish and grow just like the tea bushes in the tea garden under the shade of the big trees.
In Matthew 13: 31-32, Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that, contrary to nature, grows into a great tree. As it rises into the heavens and spreads out its branches, give shade and protection to the whole region. This mustard tree was an allegorical picture of these great city churches, which would spiritually function like the protective trees in the tea garden, giving protection to all the local churches and causing them to flourish. The birds that nest in the branches were symbolic of angels being much more actively involved in the life of the churches because the city churches facilitate their involvement.
Among the many new churches that are springing up all over the place, some of them are destined to grow into powerful spiritual city churches. These churches will have the ability and authority to penetrate the heavens and then exercise regional rule in the heavenly realm over the powers of darkness-for the benefit of all the churches in that region.
When these spiritual mustard trees have grown up all around the nation, their branches have spread out in the heavens until they touch each other. Thus, the covering will be complete, and they will give spiritual shade to a whole nation, protecting it from demonic rule and evil spiritual assaults Then we can expect times of unprecedented blessings upon earth.