Jerusalem has played and will continue to play an important role in the work of God. God used the vicinity of Jerusalem to establish His plan for mankind. This becomes evident as we read and search the scriptures in the Old Testament. God realized that there must be a standard of time and a place or location where time is to begin on this round earth. Man, in his infinite wisdom, thought to change time by using the middle of the Pacific Ocean to establish time by arbitrarily assigning time zones every fifteen degrees. Man's time zones are divided into twenty-four zones with twenty-four hours in each day. The new day begins at the International Dateline--an imaginary line drawn from the North Pole to the South Pole. The zero degree longitude line is located in England. If a person travels one hundred and eighty degrees east or west, he will come to this International Dateline in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. God's time is simple. God's time begins with a lunar-solar calendar that revolves around calculating time from sunset to sunset--even to even. "It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath" ( Lev. 23:32). "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day" (Gen 1:5). God, long before man thought of it, utilized a twenty- four hour day. Notice John 11:9, "Are there not twelve hours in a day?...." This twelve hour period of daylight is consistent with a twelve hour night; and over a period of a year, averages and maintains this consistency. Since God has placed such an emphasis on Jerusalem in the role of Christianity in the past and in the future, it is only logical that time should be calculated for the future location of God's headquarters for the Church of God. "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev. 21:2)..

Now, let's look in the Bible and see what God has in store for Jerusalem and His people. God chose Abraham and told him to get out of the land he lived in and move to a land that God would show him. This was the land of Canaan. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom (Gen. 13:12). After moving to Hebron (Gen. 13:18) Abraham met Melchizedek (Jesus Christ) King of Salem. Salem is known as the Jerusalem of today. "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high GOD" (Gen. 14:18).

As we trace the story of the family of Abraham, we find that Abraham has moved to the land of Canaan which plays a major role in our lives today. "A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year" (Deu. 11:12). The family of Abraham was the chosen family. The people of Abraham became the people of Israel--chosen by God. David understood that Jerusalem was the chosen city. David knew that God would keep His word when He said He would establish Jerusalem forever for His people. For David said, "The LORD God of Israel hath given rest unto His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever" (I Chron. 23:25). God established His Name in Jerusalem forever. "Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall My name be for ever" (II Chron.33:4). "But I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name might be there; and have chosen David to be over My people Israel" (II Chron. 6:6). "For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there for ever: and Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually" (II Chron. 7:16). "And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before Me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put My name there for ever; and Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually" (I Kings 9:3).

In the time of Ezra and Nehemiah the temple at Jerusalem was restored. They knew that God had established Jerusalem forever. Even the rulers of the Gentile nations knew that God's temple was at Jerusalem. "In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits" (Ezra 6:3). "As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah" (Psa. 48:8).

When Christ returns and sets up His government on this earth, He will rule from Jerusalem. "And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, 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 shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem" (Isa. 2:3). "At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart" (Jer. 3:17). "Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain" (Zec. 8:3). As stated earlier, the logical place to calculate time from is Jerusalem--the new Jerusalem.

At the end of the White throne judgment, the earth will be renewed and GOD THE FATHER will come down to rule with Christ forever in a New Holy City, NEW JERUSALEM. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev. 21:1-2). "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev. 21:10-14). When the time comes for GOD THE FATHER AND JESUS CHRIST to rule this new heaven and new earth there will be no need for a temple. There will be no need for the sun and moon for the Lamb will be the only light and truth we will need. "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord GOD Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of GOD did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof" (Rev. 21: 22-23).

We see from history presented in the Bible that Jerusalem will once again become the center of the government of God, when the Kingdom of God is set up on this earth. The standard for keeping time will be calculated from the area of Jerusalem. As GOD is the great law giver, we must follow HIS example and calculate from Jerusalem time today to start our count for the days, months and years, God's way should be our standard. (We keep the same time as it occurs in our area). The day is kept from sunset to sunset as God instructs in Genesis. The Sabbath (the day, the time) is kept as it occurs in your area based on time calculated in relation to Jerusalem. Time is like a runner in a relay race. The runner starts running for a distance then passes the baton (time) to the next runner and hands him the baton. The relay is repeated until the last runner with the baton (time) runs back to the starting point. All the world has shared a twenty-four Sabbath or Holy Day as it occurs from Jerusalem time zone!

TIME STANDARDS: Time in common use is for regulating the ordinary affairs of life. It is derived from the sun. When that celestial body is on the meridian of any place we call the time at that place noon, or 12 o'clock. It follows that when it is noon at any given place it is similarly noon at all other places having the same meridian, and at places that have different meridian, it is either forenoon or afternoon. In other words, when it is noon in a given place it is already afternoon in places to the eastward, and still forenoon in places to the westward. The farther east one travels, the later is the local time.