20150224- Religious buildings Again? FernvaleGate-JurongGate- PearlyGatem- Rev 13

Photo: Artist impression of the Fernvalegate -  Eternal Pure Land Pte Ltd   'temple cum columbarium'

Will our New Jerusalem look like this?

Just as the Fernvalegate had begun to wind down in the news, yet again another news popped up recently on a combined church development in Jurong.

Religious buildings on Earth. A never ending topic!
So I went back to re-read on Rev 13 . My favorite dream home.
That purity of gold that has become transparent! 
All those gems except those silly worthless diamonds made of carbon.
All those trees  
Not having a mark of the silly 666 from the beast but that of "YWHW" HIs Name  on my forehead.

In my previous blog, I talked about the White House and Istana - one that houses only the prevailing president elect. Built for the Number 1 man living and governing the land.

But a crematorium? Mmmm.. One that houses the ashes of the dead. Hell of a money making machine too which charges S$6,000 plus to house that urn.

And church buildings ? Trying to accommodate the numbers of worshippers at any one service.

And Chinese & Hindu temples ? One that allows folks to walk in and out for prayers

And Mosques ? One that houses only men who prostrate themselves , perhaps 5 times a day.

Reflection
Do we really need a religious space for 'worship' to our God? Which one would depend on your faith.In the OT, we saw Solomon who ended up building the temple, not his father David. 
And the tabernacle of worship in Moses time while he led the Israelites out of Egypt the land of slavery, was no longer relevant when Jesus Christ came. For in 2 Cor 5:1 it says that for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Yes, houses made with hands here in red dot is indeed costly - millions required. 

But in John 4 the story of the woman at the well who spoke to Jesus "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship the Father"

And what did Jesus reply" V21 "Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem  worship the Father"
 V23 But the hour comes, and now is, when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth

Question:
Setting aside this earthly obsession of church and temple or mosque building craze to house 'worshippers" which is so limited in space due to the scarcity of land - are you a true worshipper that the Father seeks? Going to church every weekly does not make one more spiritual than the rest of the week, or praying in the mosque 5 times a day for the Muslims.

The day we die on earth is the day of a transfer of the citizenship status.
I won't like to see myself in urns housed at Fernvalegate
I want to worship beyond the Juronggate of mult-denomination congregation.
I want to be admitted into the PearlyGate , worshipping in spirit and in truth, meeting my Maker face to face for the first time.

How about you?
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BY MELODY ZACCHEUS (STraits Times) dated 23/2/2015

The Lutheran Church has hit a bump in the road in its bid to develop a $25 million multi-denomination hub in Jurong for small and medium-sized churches.

Some of the congregations which had initially pledged to jointly develop the complex have pulled out, citing a lack of funds.

It means the Lutheran Church, which told The Straits Times of its church hub plans last February, will now have to shoulder most of the development's cost.

Its bishop Terry Kee said the new arrangement puts more pressure on them to raise funds.

"It is a challenge for us financially, but we are pushing forward in view of the great need for religious space in Singapore, as the population and Christian community continue to grow."

There are more than 500 Protestant churches today and Christian worshippers have almost doubled from about 588,000 in 2000 to around 930,000 in 2010.

The site for the hub is currently leased by the Lutheran Church's Jurong Christian Church, with about 50 years left on the land lease.

The old two-storey Jurong Christian Church building was demolished on Jan 2. Piling works for the new five-storey complex started on Jan 26.

The hub is expected to be ready by September next year.

The Lutheran Church, which has so far raised $10 million for the project, will now act as the landlord. It will rent out the space to churches such as the Jurong Tamil Methodist Church, King of Glory Church and possibly New Life Baptist Church.

The only church contributing to the project's development cost is S-Word, a branch of the Evangelical Free Church.

It will pump $6.3 million into the development and occupy half a floor there for 30 years, with an option to renew.

Bishop Kee said the new building will have three service halls that can seat 400, 500 and 600 people.

The 60,000 sq ft hub will also have classrooms, a kindergarten, offices, multi-purpose halls, as well as a prayer chapel and garden on the rooftop.

Bishop Kee said the hub aims to address the space crunch faced by religious groups.

He has been meeting the authorities over the past four years to explore solutions to the lack of space for religious use.

Last December, the Ministry of National Development called a Request for Information to seek views and proposals on the idea of housing multiple groups of the same religion in multi-storey buildings.

The ministry said that these hubs will likely be located within or on the fringe of industrial areas.

Pastor T. Jeevanantham of Jurong Tamil Methodist Church said religious hubs make sense for small churches, which often struggle to find their own place.

"It's convenient to share the place with other churches as we are resource-tight and cannot pay large sums upfront for a new building," he said.

melodyz@sph.com.sg

BACKGROUND STORY

Unhappiness over loss of Sengkang bid

The struggle to find space is something religious groups grapple with.

Take the case of the Taoist and Buddhist bidders who lost to columbarium operator Eternal Pure Land for a plot of land in Sengkang last July.

The Taoist Peng Hong Association is unhappy about losing to the business' controversial $5.2 million bid.

It had bid $4 million - a figure it thought would secure the space, said chairman Tan Aik Hock. There were plans to build a $7 million temple which would also provide free medical consultations.

The 800-member association now uses a cramped two-storey terrace house in Geylang Lorong 3.

It is busiest on the first and 15th day of each month. It resorts to erecting tents on the road outside its building to cater to the crowds. This can be an inconvenience to others, said Mr Tan.

The Sengkang site's third bidder, Xing Guang Maitreya Society, also wants its own permanent and legal worship space.

The house temple, which is based in a two-storey bungalow in Telok Kurau, had offered $1.8 million.

While house temples like Xing Guang's are illegal, they are very common. The Taoist Federation said there are as many as 2,000 such temples in Singapore.

MELODY ZACCHEUS

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/25m-hub-churches-jurong-hits-snag-20150223#sthash.RbAHrrSp.dpuf




Question: "What is the New Jerusalem?"

Answer:The New Jerusalem, which is also called the Tabernacle of God, the Holy City, the City of God, the Celestial City, the City Foursquare, and Heavenly Jerusalem, is literally heaven on earth. It is referred to in the Bible in several places (Galatians 4:26;Hebrews 11:10;12:22–24; and13:14), but it is most fully described inRevelation 21.

InRevelation 21, the recorded history of man is at its end. All of the ages have come and gone. Christ has gathered His church in the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17). The Tribulation has passed (Revelation 6—18). Thebattle of Armageddonhas been fought and won by our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:17–21). Satan has been chained for the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth (Revelation 20:1–3). A new, glorious temple has been established in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40—48). The final rebellion against God has been quashed, and Satan has received his just punishment, an eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7–10.) TheGreat White Throne Judgmenthas taken place, and mankind has been judged (Revelation 20:11–15).

InRevelation 21:1God does a complete make-over of heaven and earth (Isaiah 65:17;2 Peter 3:12–13). The new heaven and new earth are what some call the “eternal state” and will be “where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). After the re-creation, God reveals the New Jerusalem. John sees a glimpse of it in his vision: “The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). This is the city that Abraham looked for in faith (Hebrews 11:10). It is the place where God will dwell with His people forever (Revelation 21:3). Inhabitants of this celestial city will have all tears wiped away (Revelation 21:4).

The New Jerusalem will be fantastically huge. John records that the city is nearly 1,400 miles long, and it is as wide and as high as it is long—a perfect cube (Revelation 21:15–17). The city will also be dazzling in every way. It is lighted by the glory of God (verse 23). Its twelve foundations, bearing the names of the twelve apostles, are “decorated with every kind of precious stone” (verse 19). It has twelve gates, each a single pearl, bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (verses 12 and 21). The street will be made of pure gold (verse 21).

The New Jerusalem will be a place of unimagined blessing. The curse of the old earth will be gone (Revelation 22:3). In the city are thetree of life“for the healing of the nations” and the river of life (verses 1–2). It is the place that Paul spoke of: “In the coming ages [God] might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). The New Jerusalem is the ultimate fulfillment of all God’s promises. The New Jerusalem is God’s goodness made fully manifest.

Who are the residents of the New Jerusalem? The Father and the Lamb are there (Revelation 21:22). Angels are at the gates (verse 12). But the city will be filled with God’s redeemed children. The New Jerusalem is the righteous counter to the evil Babylon (Revelation 17), destroyed by God’s judgment (Revelation 18). The wicked had their city, and God has His. To which city do you belong?Babylon the Greator the New Jerusalem? If you believe that Jesus, the Son of God, died and rose again and have asked God to save you by His grace, then you are a citizen of the New Jerusalem. “God raised [you] up with Christ and seated [you] with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). You have “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1:4). If you have not yet trusted Christ as your Savior, then we urge you to receive Him. The invitation is extended: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17).Recommended Resources:Heaven by Randy AlcornandLogos Bible Software.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/new-jerusalem.html#ixzz3Sc3X17iD