Prophecy Practice: Micah and the Christ, Part 7 of 12

Micah does say the former dominion given to Zion/Judah, will be restored.

“You, tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion,
To you it will come,
Yes, the former dominion will come,
The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”
Mich 4:8.

This also is something else which clearly has not happened yet.

Then it urges the daughter of Zion to be in pain as child birth, Mic 4:9-10

It reminds me of Revelation 12.

“She was with child. She cried out in pain, laboring to give birth.”
Rev 12:2

It is as if what he says is dealing with that new kingdom coming into being, and that is indeed the case. The Jews are pictured as coming to Babylon in the end of Mic 4:10

“For now you will go forth out of the city,
And will dwell in the field,
And will come even to Babylon.
There you will be rescued.

There Yahweh will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.”
Mic 4:10c-g

And that is what happened, and they returned the first time in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. This fits the Old Testament history which we know. Notice this is NOT a strict chronological treatment, for being rescued from Babylon obviously had to happen first.

But then it pictures “many nations” gathering against “Zion,” Mic 4:11

that too is a subject of many prophecies, but it is by no means clear that this has happened to either literal Zion or Spiritual Zion. This is major subject in Psalm 2, Ezekiel chapters 37 to 39, and Zechariah chapters 12 to 14. It appears that there will be two great periods in history when “all the nations” oppose both Christianity and the Jews. This is discussed in detail in my coming book “Jewish Chronicles.”It is also discussed in “Revealing the Christian Age,” and to a lesser extent in “Prophecy Principles.”

The enemies of God do not realize that God is the one who has gathered these nations against Zion.

“But they don’t know the thoughts of Yahweh,
Neither do they understand his counsel;
For he has gathered them like the sheaves to the threshing floor.”
Mic 4:12

And why do these things not fit the Assyrian,
or Babylonian or Roman invasions?

But gather them God will, and daughter of Zion will thresh them, Mic 4:13. God will make Zion’s horns to be of iron, and her hoofs of brass. Now tiny Judah did have some successes against the Greek Seleucid kings of Syria in the second century BC. But this pictures the Jews threshing “many peoples,” and then taking their property, which has never happened to date!

“Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion;
For I will make your horn iron,
And I will make your hoofs brass;
And you will beat in pieces many peoples:
And I will devote their gain to Yahweh,
And their substance to the Lord of the whole earth.”
Mich 4:13

No. This has NOT happened, YET.

We will come back to this later.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Prophecy Practice: Micah and the Christ, Part 6 of 12

We are pressing on in our review of Micah to see what he has to say about Bethlehem.

Now Israel is going through bad times, morally,
politically, and internationally.

Micah is protesting all this wickedness in his prophecies, and he has said early that these things will cause Judah and Israel to be destroyed. Then he points out in Mic 4:1-2 that what seems to be a new law (and it was) going forth from Jerusalem. It did in the first century of the Christian age. Then he says that this will lead to end of all wars (but that is really only in the world to come). Then he drops back to talk about what will yet happen to Israel and Judah.

So how will these things turn out for a
Judah and an Israel that is to be
destroyed because
of their sins?

Vivid pictures of a future peace and prosperity are in Micah 4:4. Then it goes on to say that God says,

“6 “In that day,” says Yahweh,
“I will assemble that which is lame,
And I will gather that which is driven away,
And that which I have afflicted;
7 And I will make that which was lame a remnant,
And that which was cast far off a strong nation:
And Yahweh will reign over them on Mount Zion from then on, even forever. ”
Mic 4:6-7

Micah foretold the destruction of both Israel and Judah in Mic 1:6-9. Here then Micah says God will take some of the survivors, the lame, those who have been driven away, those God has afflicted and cast off, and make them a strong nation! Then it says Yahweh Himself will reign over them “even forever.”

Now it is clearly said in more than one prophecy that Jesus will reign forever over Jacob/Israel/Judah.

“33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his kingdom.””
Lk1:33

Without discussing all of the issues of both Jerusalem below and Jerusalem above, it is easy to see thatl a few survivors did come back from the destructions around 586 BC, and we see the survivors in the Bible books of Ezra and Nehemiah, and Haggi and Zechariah and Malachi.

But there are problems here.

This second regathering is a subject dealt with in detail in Fain’s new book, Jewish Chronicles, due for release in the fall of 2020.

You see they never became a really mighty nation with Yahweh Himself ruling over them. Shall we record this as a failed prophecy? Many would and do. Even so, Jesus says, Scripture cannot be broken, Jn 10:35.

So Micah pictures some Jewish survivors of catastrophe that are lame and weak and dispersed, whom God rescues and makes into a nation and reigns over them forever! And it has’t happened yet, so it has to happen.

Zechariah, who was with the survivors in Ezra and Nehemiah, says there will be a second dispersal of the Jews (which clearly happened in 70 AD), and a second regathering Israel, Zech 10:9-10. Also Isaiah, speaking before the first regathering, speaks of a second regathering, Isa 11:1.

So this gathering of the lame and the afflicted, and making them
a “strong nation,” is yet to come.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Prophecy Practice: Micah and the Christ, Part 4 of 12

Micah says they should cry and plead and repent

He says it will go badly for those who plot wicked schemes, especially in those final times when Yahweh will call all of us to account. In chapter 3 Micah is rebuking the rulers and all of the false prophets

Will all of this end in nothing but disaster? Starting in chapter 4, Micah says no, and that will lead to our verses about Bethlehem. The immediate context starts in Micah 4 with a description of the coming of the gospel.

“But in the latter days, It will happen …” Mic 4:1
Good Things Are Coming!

That is according to this ancient prophet Micah, and his contemporary Isaiah. Isa 2:2-3 and Mic 4:1-2 are just about the same. Compare them for yourself in almost any translation. However it does says that despite all of the horrors of their times that,

“1 But in the latter days,
It will happen that the mountain of Yahweh’s temple will be established on the top of the mountains,
And it will be exalted above the hills;
And peoples will stream to it.
2 Many nations will go and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh,
And to the house of the God of Jacob;
And he will teach us of his ways,
And we will walk in his paths.
For out of Zion will go forth the law,
And the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem;”
Micah 4:1-2

Now the Mountain of the Lord’s House
is an important subject.

It was pointed out in the posts on mountains in September of 2019 that mountains continually carried religious significance in themselves. “Mountains for Places of Worship,” “Mountains a Blessing, Mountains a Snare.” Lastly “God’s Mountain Will Rule ALL,” which is what Isaiah 2 and Micah 4 deal with.

It does say that “out of Zion will go forth the law,” at the end of verse two. The gospel was preached first on Mount Zion in Peter’s sermon to the worshippers in Acts 2. In this way “the law of Christ” (1Cor 9:21, Gal 6:2) began going forth. And nations have streamed to this glory, and are still doing so.

Then it goes well beyond anything that
has happened so far.

In Mic 4:3 it says the Messiah will judge between many peoples. And then it says

“Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
Neither will they learn war any more.”
Mic 4:3d-e

This has NEVER happened, either spiritually or physically. Wars are still going on, both physical and spiritual, and we are to put on the full armor of God (Eph 6:13) and wage the good warfare (2Cor 10:4). Jesus says not a single letter of this can fail, Mtt 5:18. But this WILL happen. How much time is between Mic 4:2 and Mic 4:3. We do not know.

Then notice how prophecy works

It relates the immediate thing of which the prophet speaks, to the end, the objective, of all things. We will look at a very easy to understand example of this in Part 5.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Prophecy Practice: David, Jesus and the Righteous in Psalm 69, Part 9 of 9

Psalm 69 is explicit about those who reject the Messiah of the Jews.

“27 Charge them with crime upon crime.
Don’t let them come into your righteousness.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life,
And not be written with the righteous.”
Psa 69:27-28

That means eternal death of course, if you are not in the Lamb’s book of life. That is of course is echoed in Scripture after Scripture, of both the Old and the New Testaments. Of the Christ it says,

Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
For his wrath will soon be kindled.
Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.”
Psa 2:12

And we also, Christians, are counted as sheep for the slaughter,
Rom 8:36

Jesus promises us,

“… If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also.”
Jn 15:2-

So this psalm is very relevant to the Christian and his struggles, Christian Age long!

Though in pain, the psalmist praises God, Psa 69:29-30.
The humble will see this and be glad!

This sacrifice He makes will be exceedingly pleasing to the Lord. It does indicate that God will in the end save Him from all of this unfaithfulness and treachery.

“31 It will please Yahweh better than an ox,
Or a bull that has horns and hoofs.
32 The humble have seen it, and are glad.
You who seek after God, let your heart live.

33 For Yahweh hears the needy,
And doesn’t despise his captive people.”
Psa 69:31-33

Ah! At last it specifically make an application that is wider than David and Jesus. “His captive people.” Are you among the humble who hear?

Lastly this psalm indicates that even the Jews
will finally recover from this rejection

Neal Fain’s new book Jewish Chronicles is to be relesed in the fall of 2020. It describes how the Jews will turn to their own Messiah in a time of severe persecution of both Christians and Jews, well before the second coming.

“For God will save Zion, and build the cities of Judah.
They shall settle there, and own it.
Psa 69:35

One could argue that “Zion” applies to Zion above in Psa 48:2, and Gal 4:24-26, and Heb 12:22. But God building “the cities of Judah,” seems clearly to speak of Judah of this earth! Likewise Zechariah, after the first return from captivity pictures says,

“… “‘Jerusalem will be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of men and cattle in it.”
Zech 2:4

But that has never happened … YET! And that is NOT Jerusalem above, because it has walls, Rev 21:1-2, 12-15. And Jesus says not one jot or a tittle of prophecy will fail until ALL of it has been fulfilled, Mt 5:18. So there remains a rebuilding by God of Jerusalem in Judah.

And who among the Jews will share this blessing?

“The children also of his servants shall inherit it.
Those who love his name shall dwell therein.” Psa 69:36

Of course these last verses are yet to happen. It is not that Jesus will at last relent and have a worldly kingdom. Rather that in a later time of distress, the Jews will repent, and will become a strong Chistian nation, Deut 4:30, Deut 30:6, Rom 11:11-12.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Mountains in Scripture

An audio lesson.

Mountains have commonly been associated with high and exalted worship. Take for instance the Greek “gods” were associated with Mount Olympus. This association also exists in Scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament. Jesus told the Samaritan woman,

“Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father”
Jn 4:21 WEB World English Bible

Of course the ultimate mountain for worship is Mount Zion in the heavenly Jerusalem, of which the earthly is only a type, Heb 12:22-24. It is NOT “a mountain that might be touched,” Heb 12:18.

Listen to this audio lesson here, or click on the Audio Player to download as an MP3 file.

Keys to Prophecy: God Makes Choices

God chose a place for Israel to worship Him.

“But to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, even to his habitation shall you seek, and there you shall come;”
Deut 12:5 WEB

Then when God made a choice, Israel was obligated to perform all of their formal worship in that place.

God choose Jerusalem in ancient times, both a the one and only place where the Jews could carry on the formal worship of God, AND as a type, symbolic of the heavenly Jerusalem where God actually “dwells.” Compare Heb 12:22 and Rev 21:1-2.

“Only your holy things which you have, and your vows, you shall take, and go to the place which Yahweh shall choose:”
Deut 12:26 WEB

Also God has the right to choose who will be allowed
to approach Him for worship.

“and he spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, In the morning Yahweh will show who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to him: even him whom he shall choose will he cause to come near to him.”
Num 16:5 WEB

We might compare it to our being able to choose who will come into our house to visit with us, so God has the right and does choose who can approach Him. In the test that followed in Numers 16, the presumptuous Korah was rejected as a priest, and he and all his house then entered Sheol alive, for their trying to push their choices on God!

And chose a special family for His Christ.

“Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph,
And didn’t choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which he loved.”
Psa 78:67-68 WEB

He can do that. If we can make decisions, God surely can.

“He also chose David his servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds;”
Psa 78:70 WEB

Then from that family Yahweh will bring His special One, His Messiah (Hebrew), His Christ (Greek).

“Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights: I have put my Spirit on him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.”
Isa 42:1 WEB

And of course, He did.

At a time, a still future time, God can “the second time recover” the Jews.

Of course the first time that God recovered the Jews from “Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath,” was in the time of Ezra of Nehemiah. However, before even that first time happened, Isaiah foretold that God would recover the Jews a second time!

“It shall happen in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, who shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.”
Isa 11:11 WEB

He can do that, He can decide that, and perform whatever He wishes.

And God choses the time when He will judge
the heavens and the earth.

“When I choose the appointed time,
I will judge blamelessly.”
Psa 75:2 WEB

God makes choices.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Keys to Prophecy: There is more than one Jerusalem

David did say,

“For David said, Yahweh, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people; and he dwells in Jerusalem forever:”
1Chron 23:25 WEB

Forever,” David says. That is in line with the prophecy in 2Samuel 7 about that special son of David who would build the temple of the Lord. Solomon does tell us by inspiration that he was the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Yahweh has established his word that he spoke; for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh promised, and have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ”
1Kgs 8:20 WEB

That indeed seems to fit 2Samuel 7, and there it is that it says,

“Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before you: your throne shall be established forever.”
2Sam 7:16 WEB

That would fit 1Chron 23:25 reviewed above. Still there are problems.

For Solomon’s throne only lasted until 586 BC.

For another 50 years few Jews lived in Jerusalem. Further, starting in the second century AD Jews were banned from living in Jerusalem for many centuries. None of which sounds like “forever”, and I am sure it caused many to wonder if these prophecies were false.

Nonetheless, are other factors at work here?

For starters, Heb 1:5 says that 2Samuel 7 refers to Jesus the Christ. That would have Solomon as a “type”/symbolic of Jesus. Of that fulfillment Isaiah seems to speak of a Mount Zion and Jerusalem beyond the moon and sun passing away!

“Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Yahweh of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem …”
Isa 24:23 WEB

Present Jerusalem, pictured above with the Mohammedan “Dome of the Rock” sitting where Solomon’s Temple used to sit, is symbolic of the New Jerusalem in the New Heaven and the New Earth.

Additionally Isaiah writes of a time of no more mourning or crying in Jerusalem. For instance,

“For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more; he will surely be gracious to you at the voice of your cry; when he shall hear, he will answer you.”
Isa 30:19 WEB

Further, Isaiah clearly speaks in more than one passage of this earth, and this universe being completely destroyed. For instance in Isaiah 13, and Isaiah 34. Isaiah writes well before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. So what are the missing parts of the puzzle.

For Isaiah writes of a new
heavens and earth.

“17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 18 But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.”
Isa 65:17-18 WEB

And that is the context in the New Testament. When God makes everything new (Rev 21:5), He make a new Jerusalem.

“I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.”
Rev 21:2 WEB

Some of those Old Testament passages are about the “new,” heavenly, Jerusalem. And that one, of that kingdom, indeed will be forever!

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Keys to Prophecy: There is more than one Mount Zion

Both Mount Zion and Jerusalem are symbolic
of heavenly entities.

Also both the earthly Zion is spoken of in Scripture, and also the heavenly Zion. For instance you can see this in Psalm 11. In Psalm 11 David is being told that he had better run for his life, because the wicked are getting ready to shoot him in the dark, Psa 11:1-2. David then asks very mournfully, if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do, Psa 11:3? Indeed, David has already said that Yahweh lives on Mount Zion.

“Sing praises to Yahweh, who dwells in Zion,
And declare among the people what he has done.”
Psa 9:11 WEB

But there is more to the story.

Despite this, David by inspiration also says in Psa 11:4, “Yahweh is in his holy temple.” There is more to point out even here. In English, and in many languages, there is a word for a temple, and word for a palace, and these are different concepts. In Hebrew however the word hekal does double duty as the word for both a king’s palace and a religious temple. In this sense then, the temple of God is really God’s palace to the Hebrew mind. The other term used in Hebrew is to call it “the house of God,” which is the ordinary term for in Hebrew for a “house,” byet, which even further enforces the idea that God lives there, and David did say Yahweh lives/dwells in Zion, Psa 9:11 above.

Solomon of course denies the literalness of God
living on earthly Mount Zion,

“But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can’t contain you; how much less this house that I have built!
1Kgs 8:27 WEB

But David says more that once more.

“Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth. ”
Psa 50:2 WEB

Or again, and of course Jerusalem is Jeru-salem, David speaks of the original tent of meeting.

“His tent is also in Salem;
His dwelling place in Zion.”
Psa 76:2 WEB

And God’s rule goes forth out of Zion (a double meaning do you think?)

“Yahweh will send forth the rod of your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of your enemies.”
Psa 11:2 WEB

Or another time, but perhaps more mysteriously

“Yahweh is great in Zion.
He is high above all the peoples.”
Psa 99:2 WEB

All the same, David gives details in Psalm 11.

Yes, Yahweh is in His holy temple, Psa 11:4a, and then he tells us,

Yahweh is on his throne in heaven,” Psa 11:4b

The palace of God, the real palace, is in heaven.

God’s rule is not threatened by the rule or
opposition of someone on earth.

The old earthly temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem is only symbolic (a type) of the heavenly temple on the heavenly Mount Zion (the fulfillment).

“5 Yahweh examines the righteous,
But the wicked and him who loves violence his soul hates. Psa. 11:6 On the wicked he will rain blazing coals; Fire, sulfur, and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. ”
Psa 11:5-6 WEB

Earthly Zion is only symbolic, a type, of the true palace of God and His throne.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Which Jerusalem? Part III of III

I think it is fair to say that most of the references in Scripture to Jerusalem are about Jerusalem of this present earth. That is to say,

“Jerusalem that exists now,” Gal 4:25 WEB

But when you read prophecy you must ask,
“Of which Jerusalem does
the prophet speak?”

Some are obvious, while others are not as clear.

It is true that there are some incredible things yet to happen with Jerusalem that now exists. Zechariah prophesied during the first return from exile (around 520 BC, Zech 1:1), in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. Seemingly speaking of what Paul calls “Jerusalem that now exists,” Zechariah sees a day when,

““… ‘Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: “My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and Yahweh will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem.”’””
Zech 1:17 WEB

In context he seems to speak of present Jerusalem. He speaks of it as an abundantly prosperous city, Zech 2:4, and a city faithful to God,

I will strengthen them in Yahweh;
And they will walk up and down in his name,” says Yahweh.”
Zech 10:12 WEB

That clearly has not happened YET! Zechariah clearly pictures ALL the families of Israel (Zech 12:14) being converted to “ to me whom they have pierced;” Zech 12:10 WEB, and in Zechariah 13. This is spoken in Scripture as bringing a world revolution of righteousness (something Mystery Babylon deeply dreads). Paul says of those times.

“Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness? ”
Rom 11:12 WEB

So some incredible good things are yet to happen with present Jerusalem.

But Peter says this present universe will vanish.

“… the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth … will be burned up.”
2Pe 3:10

He goes on to say “we look for new heavens and a new earth in which dwells righteousness.” 2Pe 3:13 WEB.

So when it says in Isaiah 65,

“17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 18 But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.”
Isa 65:17-18 WEB

… in context, the “Jerusalem” in Isa 65:17 is part of that “Jerusalem that is above” of Gal 4:26, and part of the new universe, the “new heavens and a new earth” of 2Pe 3:13.

The “never again”/ “no more” / “neither … any more,” and
all the “forever” sort of passages

are all about “Jerusalem” above, and what we call “heaven.”

So when the prophet David says of Jerusalem, “I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they … be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first,”
2Sam 7:10 WEB

The prophet really speaks of heaven here. Only heaven is “forever.”

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Which Jerusalem? Part II of III

Many Great Claims were made for Jerusalem.

“Blessed be Yahweh from Zion,
Who dwells at Jerusalem.
Praise Yah!”
Psa 135 WEB

Or,

“As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So Yahweh surrounds his people from this time forth and forevermore.”
Psa 125:2 WEB

And again,

“For David said, Yahweh, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people; and he dwells in Jerusalem forever: ”
1Chr. 23:25 WEB

But this make you wonder. A mere 400 and something years later God rejected His people Israel because of their sins, and had Jerusalem destroyed, in 586 BC. Then there was a return to Jerusalem in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. But a little over 600 years later there was another expulsion from Jerusalem, again as prophesied by God’s prophets (Zech 10:9-10 for example, which was spoken after the first return from captivity). The second fall of Jerusalem was also prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24, etc., and happened in 70 AD.

The Jews were a rebellious people and unfaithful to God, and it did not make Jerusalem a place of peace, all seemingly very contrary to many prophecies.

But Paul says there are two Jerusalems.

Paul says that two women Sarah and Hagar are an allegory of two covenants

“These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar.”
Gal 4:24 WEB

So Paul is saying that Hagar is symbolic of Moses law.

“For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children.”
Gal 4:25 WEB

Ouch! But there is another Jerusalem. Jerusalem above.

“But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”
Gal 4:26 WEB

So there are TWO Jerusalems!

Present Jerusalem is in bondage with her children. Sad but true. But Jerusalem above is the mother of all true believers in Yahweh and His Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. Jerusalem above is seen coming down out of heaven in Revelation 21.

“1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.””
Rev 21:1-4 WEB

Again, there are TWO Jerusalems

And one of them is not of this world (Jn 18:36), that is, not of this creation. Sorting out which is which is often a major task.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901