The Banner Over Me is "The New Jerusalem, The Heavenly City"

Our License Plates
JRUSALM & JERUSLM
WHY?
By James Eugene Barbush
2021 Blue Mountain Parkway
Harrisburg, PA  17112
(717) 514-5549
JamesEBarbush@GMail.com



I have had vanity license plates for many years, since about 1989.  For our 2 cars at the time, I had JRUSALM for one car and JERUSLM for our other car.  Why?
Initially, I wanted to get MT ZION, but when I applied at Penn DOT for that one, I was told it was taken.  So, I stood there at the counter and came up with JRUSALM and JERUSLM, one for each car.  Why?
  • First, a vanity license plate usually says something about the person and conveys a message.  The person wants to convey to other people a message about themselves or something.  What is the message I wanted to convey?  I will get to that.
  • Second, a license plate is can be a banner that we express over our lives and in our lives.  Again, a message is being conveyed about what a person believes about themselves. It can be a form of the person’s identity. What is the banner I wanted to convey over my life and the lives of those in my family?  I will get to that.
  • Third, regarding identity, a person’s name conveys something about their identity.  That’s a biblical concept.  Such as, Jabez.  Jabez means “pain”.  He was named that because his mother had great pain in her delivery of Jabez.  Now, that does not sound very pleasant for a name.  A much more pleasant name is Michael, which means “in the image of God”.  Another one is Jacob.  Jacob means “schemer” or “conniver”.  From birth into adulthood, Jacob was a “schemer” or “conniver”.  His character included such qualities.  However, later in life, Jacob’s character changed and therefore God gave him a new name, “Israel”, which means “father of many”.  He became the father of 12 sons who were the beginnings of the 12 tribes of Israel (the country).  What is the identity and character I wanted to convey over my life and the lives of those in my family?  I will get to that.
WHAT PROMPTED THE SEEKING OF THE VANITY PLATE
In 1989, I believe that I was led by God through a spiritual experience that affected my entire life and the lives of some of my family members.  The experience lasted for several weeks, and my investigation and study of it lasted for many years thereafter.  God showed me something in the physical world around me while I was employed and working on special project.  Here, in this writing, I will not get into the specifics of what God showed me because it is just too large and involved to discuss here.  I will give you a brief description of what the experience related to.
  
The Ancient City of Jerusalem
The experience concerned the physical city of Jerusalem and the spiritual Heavenly City, the New Jerusalem.  Both the physical Jerusalem and the spiritual Jerusalem are also each referred to Mt. Zion.  Starting in July of 1989 and continuing for months and years later, I was led into a study of the physical Jerusalem and the spiritual Jerusalem.  This involved much study of the physical Jerusalem and the spiritual Jerusalem in scripture and much investigation of the physical Jerusalem in the library (no internet at the time this started).
I was so impacted by what I was seeing and learning in the physical and in the spiritual realms that the “project” was all consuming.  The project concerned the physical Jerusalem, the spiritual Jerusalem, and Mt. Zion.  Thus, Mt. Zion and Jerusalem became something that was very unique for me.  Thus, as I investigated, studied, and learned, I became more and more involved and learned about Jerusalem in the physical and spiritual realms.  It was a message that was not just for me, but was also for others.  Therefore, I spoke about it everywhere I went and at every opportunity I could.
What is the message, the banner, the identity, and the character I wanted and still want to convey?  Once again, I don’t know how to tell this briefly because it is very involved.  But, let’s try.

The New Jerusalem 
seen by John
The Bible says that Christians are looking for a city that is not physical, but one that is spiritual and heavenly, the Heavenly City, the New Jerusalem.  The Bible says that we have not come to Mt. Zion (Mt. Sinai) as Moses and the Israelites did after leaving their enslavement in Egypt, but we have come to a heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, the church of the firstborn (Jesus Christ, the first resurrected from the dead), and other things.  It’s a city we have been searching for.
A preacher once told me that “the physical” will drive you into “the spiritual”.  In the physical creation, we should be very impressed to see God for who He is and what He does.  In our circumstances, first there is a “physical manifestation”, then there is a “spiritual manifestation” of something. 
First there is the Old Testament, then there is the New Testament.  Someone once said, “The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed.  The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.”  The Old Testament is physical stories (true stories) that have a hidden spiritual truth.  The New Testament is teaching that reveals the spiritual meaning of the Old Testament.
First there was the first Adam (Adam as man) then there was the second Adam (Jesus, the spiritual man).
First there was Jacob (a physical man), then there was Israel (a spiritual, godly man).

The Temple Seen by Ezekiel
The Book of Ezekiel is my favorite book of the Bible.  The prophet was given a view of the Temple, starting in the Book of Ezekiel, Chapter 40.  That chapter has a very detailed description of what the future physical temple will look like.  Then, in the Book of Revelations, there is a presentation of the Heavenly Jerusalem.  First the physical Temple, then the spiritual Temple.

Everything about this experience and "project" involved the physical Jerusalem, the New Jerusalem, and Mt. Zion.  Thus, the message, the banner, the identity, and the character was about Jerusalem and Mt. Zion.  Thus, what better license plate for me to have than MT ZION, JRUSALEM, AND JERUSLM. 

Jerusalem's Wailing Wall of Prayer

That’s the brief discussion.  A detailed discussion is really needed because of the uniqueness and vastness of the lessons that I was learning myself and sharing with people.  I saw something in the physical that drove me into the spiritual meaning of what that something was.  It's truly an amazing revelation to me.
My experience was so unique, that when I told it to people, they most likely thought I was just off the wall and not to be heard.  A few special people heard it, received it, and understood it.  Most do not.  But, I know better that it is true and real because I lived the experience that God took me through. 
We had a license plate for my car and a plate for Yvonne’s car.  When we traded in Yvonne’s car some years ago, we let the JERUSLM plate go because we felt unnecessarily exposed in the current political and religious climate of our day.  I kept the JRUSALM plate for my car.  An example of that is as follows.
I experienced some prejudice a couple of years ago because of my license plate.  Here is the story that I posted on Facebook:
Monday, June 1, 2015 at 8:58am EDT
DID I EXPERIENCE ANTI-SEMITISM? 
I was driving a local winding road with a speed limit of 25 mph.  This guy was tailgating me aggressively, very close.  I know that you do not exceed speed limits here because police are watching and stopping cars.  I came to a stop sign and pulled out.  He was still on my tail.  I put my flashers on and he was still tailgating me.  I reached the bank to go through the drive through ATM.  The guy followed me into the drive through.  I got to the ATM and started my transaction.  The tailgater behind me yelled out his car window, "Get your money from your own country."  Probably an expletive in there somewhere. 
Is this anti-semitism?  I'm not Jewish.  However, my license plate is "JRUSALM".  Why do I have that license plate?  I wanted MT ZION, but it was taken.  I am not a Jew by blood, but, as the Bible says, "if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree".  Thus, I am a Jew who is grafted into the tree of life. 
I thank God for having had this experience.  I received some feedback that indicates how this is such a teachable moment for all of us.  Thus, I have no animosity for the man.  I do pray God's protection over me and other Christians in this day we are in.  I pray for the salvation of others. 
My wife and I discussed this and we got the idea to sit down and discuss this and what it means, what Jerusalem means to Christians and Jews, and more .  .  .  .  .  .  and make a video of the discussion, then post it.  My wife can speak great understanding into this subject. 
We are chosen for such a time as this .  .  .  .  .  stay tuned.  What's wrong with people?

That’s the brief of why I lable myself with a license plate saying "JRUSALM".  If you’re ever interested in the BIG STORY, let me know.  I will gladly convey it to you

James Eugene Barbush
2021 Blue Mountain Parkway
Harrisburg, PA  17112
New Jerusalem seen by John
Ancient City of Jerusalem

   
 Temple Seen by Ezekiel

Jerusalem's Wailing Wall
of Prayer






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