Introduction by Gerry Wagoner:
“For years I heard relatives refer to Palestine (Israel) as the holy land. After becoming an Adventist and studying the Bible carefully, it became evident that a place was holy only because God was there.
Why was the land of Palestine holy? Because of the presence of God! That’s why a mountain can be holy. Or a bush.
They are not holy in themselves, but rather because God was in them. The Land of Palestine was holy because of the Shekinah Glory that dwelt in it. Did this glory ever leave the land? Yes. Once in the days of Ezekiel the glory of the Lord departed from the temple, and therefore the entire land was desolate (Ezekiel 10:4-19, Eze 33:27-29).
Notice that the Glory of the Lord departed through the east gate. In a striking parallel, our Lord departed from the temple through the east gate again in Matthew 24 and once again desolation followed the departure of the Glory of the Lord, only this time it was permanent (Matthew 23:37-24:2). Amazing parallel.
Consequently there is no longer any geographical “holy place.” Where Jesus is, is the holy place, and He dwells among His people wherever they are (Isaiah 57:15, Matt 18:20).
Eugene Prewitt has written a profound theological poem that expresses this beautiful truth way better than I could. Enjoy.”
HOLY LANDS
I walked today where Jesus walked
So very long ago
And if you seek for holy land
I'll tell you what I know
The hilly meadows that He loved
The garden-like retreats
Have long-since been replaced by men
With masonry and streets
The temple mount now holds a mosque
A place you cannot go
But that won't hurt you e'en one bit
When the facts you know
When Moses found a holy place
A bush engulfed in flame
That land was set aside and blessed
A wasteland with no name
And why was it called "holy land"
With no chapel near?
The angel answered this for us
"The Lord your God is here"
And so today, for those who seek
To find a holy place
If you invite the Lord to come
And ask the Spirit's grace
You can have his presence true
In any hill or dale
His promise "I will not leave you"
Is certain not to fail
Jesus loved the garden.
And often plied the sea
His word once spoke with power
And flowers came to be
So not in old Jerusalem
Where crowds vie for a view
But in a quiet nature walk
Your Maker comes to you
And that will be your "Holy Land"
A venerated place
A church of highest privilege
Of heaven a foretaste
—Eugene Prewitt—
[Eugene & Heidi Prewitt are laboring faithfully for lost souls in Bangladesh. They are trying to purchase a nice piece of property for this purpose. If any of you would like to help them in this very worthy cause, please send donations to Mara Vision, PO Box 240; Addy, WA 99101. Online donations can be made HERE. Pick "Bangladesh" from the pull-down menu after hitting the "donate" button at the bottom of the page.]
HMS Richards loved poetry and theology, and liked it best when they were together. I believe brother Richards would like this poem. I hope you do too.
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