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Photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash
Jerusalem - City of Peace?
Everyone knows about Jerusalem for it is the centre of much
interest and controversy in the media, but not everyone knows that
Jerusalem is central to God’s plan with the earth as explained in the
Bible. The name Jerusalem means abode of peace but as the title
suggests it does not at present live up to its name.
Jerusalem in the Past
The first mention of Jerusalem in the Bible is in the book of Joshua [Joshua
10.1], but it is generally agreed that Salem where Abraham went to
meet the king-priest Melchizedek [Genesis 14.18] is the same place. The
mountain in the land of Moriah [Genesis 22.2] where Abraham went
to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, was also part of Jerusalem which is built
on the four hills – Zion, Acra, Moriah and Bezetha [Genesis 22.2 and 2 Chronicles 3.1].
The significance of these two events which took place at
Jerusalem immediately identifies the city as central to the Divine plan.
Melchizedek, the king–priest of God Most High, shared bread and
wine with Abraham prefiguring the sacrificial work of Jesus as
explained in the letter to the Hebrews chapter seven. Similarly, the faith
in God shown by Abraham and his willingness to sacrifice Isaac,
established the principle of justification through faith and
demonstrated that God would provide a lamb as a sacrifice. John the
Baptist identified Jesus as The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Jerusalem is a special place chosen by God and this is explained
in more detail in the record of the life of David. David went to great
lengths to capture it, fortify it and transfer his throne there. Then he
was able to bring the Ark of the Covenant into the city.
Finally, he bought the site for the temple and assembled the materials for his son
Solomon to build the temple there.
In all of this David was guided by God and we see many parallels between the life of David and that of
Christ. Both shed tears over Jerusalem and both were destined to return to Jerusalem in triumph.
When Solomon dedicated the completed temple, he explained
that God, who made the universe, could not be
contained even in the heavens let alone a house [1 Kings 8.27].
But the temple was the place promised by God
where The LORD your God chooses to make his name abide.
- Artists impression of the Temple in Jerusalem built by King Solomon
Prayers made towards this special place would be heard by God.
God accepted Solomon’s prayer [1 Kings 9.3] and repeated the promises
made to David to establish his throne for ever [2 Samuel 7.12-16].
This is yet to be fulfilled when Jesus returns to the earth and was confirmed
when the promise was repeated to Mary prior to his birth [Luke 1.32].
This all happened at Jerusalem.
When the temple was completed and the ark was put in the Holy of
Holies, the Glory of God filled the temple as a cloud [1 Kings 8.11].
These dramatic events represented God's intention to build a temple of
saints who would have His spirit and a world that would give Him
glory. Jesus Christ was to be the corner stone of this temple.
As Paul explains: Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
Abraham, David and Solomon all recognised that Jerusalem was a
special place, as it represented the importance of the
presence of God in the lives of all who worship Him acceptably. All
through the Bible Jerusalem takes a central role. It was the capital of
the kingdom set up by David and Solomon. It was central to the
national identity of Israel when they returned from
the exile in Babylon to rebuild it.
At the time of Christ it was again the centre of worship for the
Jews. After the Jews revolted (AD 66–70) the Romans recognised its
importance to the Jewish nation so they razed it to the ground.
Jerusalem Today - Contention between Jew and Arab
For nearly 2,000 years it was the hope of the Jews to return to
worship there as they eventually did in 1948
- Jeremiah 30.18-20 and Jeremiah 31.10-14
Have their hopes now been realised? The answer of course is ‘only in
part’ and that has only been achieved after fighting for their survival on
a number of occasions since 1948. The land they occupy is only a
fraction of that promised to Abraham Isaac and Jacob
- Map of King Solomon's Kingdom at its peak 990 BC (in yellow)
As the map above shows, they do not even have the land
occupied by Solomon’s kingdom. In fact, in spite of winning several
wars with the surrounding nations they do not have any land east of the
River Jordan. They returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in 1982, and
the Palestinians have been granted self rule in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip areas, which almost cuts Israel into two halves. They are still
surrounded by hostile, mainly Moslem countries, including Lebanon,
Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Only in 1967, after the ‘Six Day War’, did Israel gain control of the
whole of Jerusalem. It is still a constant cause of contention with the
Palestinians who object to Israel extending the city settlements to the
east of the city into what they consider to be their territory. The
presence of the third most holy Islamic shrine, ‘the Dome of the Rock’
on the original temple site and the Jewish reverence of ‘the western (or
wailing) wall’ which is all that is left of Herod’s temple, produce two
flash points in the city. Both Jews and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as
their capital city. No compromise is ever offered on that point. When
one realises that Jerusalem is a centre of worship for Roman Catholic,
Greek and Russian Orthodox and numerous Non-conformist Christian
sects and all demand access to their shrines, we see that the result is a
ghastly mix of religious fanaticism that only the return of Jesus Christ
will ever solve.
Israel has been in control of Jerusalem since 1967 bringing to a
close the Gentile occupation as prophesied by Christ himself:
...they (the Jews) will be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Jesus included this in the Olivet prophesy which spoke of the end time just prior to his return:
Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory
He said that not only would the kingdom of God be established at
that time but ''This generation will by no means pass away, till all
things are fulfilled'
How long is a generation? It is now more than 40 years since Jerusalem came under the control of Israel.
In the meantime the mayhem continues with terrorism a constant concern.
Any activity like an archaeological dig near the temple site is an excuse for more conflict.
Truly the words of the prophet Zechariah are being fulfilled:
...In that day…I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it
The day that Zechariah refers to is ‘the day of the LORD’ or in other
words the day of the return of Jesus Christ. The prophet repeated the
phrase many times as he foretold the events that would lead up to the
Jews eventually recognising Jesus as their Messiah – ''they will look on
me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for him as one mourns for
his only son''
Then the prophet tells us that ‘in that day’ God will be in control of Jerusalem:
...in that day…I (God) will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem
As the days of the last generation pass, we can see again that the
city of Jerusalem will be the focal point of the interaction between God
and man. The interaction will be destructive for those who know not
God but a great day of salvation for the faithful. We do not know
exactly what will set off this political powder keg. At the time of
writing attempts are again being made to engage in yet another round
of ‘peace’ negotiations and there is talk of turning Jerusalem into an
international city in an effort to meet the demands of Jews and Arabs,
Christians and Muslims..
But centuries of oppression and atrocities make for implacable
hatred in the area and a human resolution seems as far away as ever.
It seems impossible that the ‘City of Peace’ will ever live up to its name
but the Bible clearly states that God is in control and Zion (Jerusalem)
is ‘the apple of His eye.’
Jerusalem - Future Capital City of the World
- Photograph of a sunrise over Jerusalem
So what does the future hold for Jerusalem? The Bible is full of
references to its glorious place in the kingdom of God, which Jesus
will establish on his return. To quote just one passage, we read:
. . . be glad and rejoice for ever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her . . .
But the prophets also tell us that Jerusalem will experience a time of
great trouble, until a faithful remnant of Israel return to the true worship
of their God
Only then will God intervene in the
person of Jesus Christ, who will stand in that day on the Mount of
Olives in Jerusalem. A huge earthquake will ensue and the
Mediterranean will be joined to the Dead Sea along the major fault zone
in that area. Jerusalem will then be elevated above the surrounding hills
[Zechariah 14.8-10]. After the destruction and rebuilding of both the
geographical and national boundaries, Jerusalem will really become a
city of peace and Jesus, the Prince of Peace will reign there. It will be
‘safely inhabited’ as Zechariah puts it.
The prophet Ezekiel describes in detail the building of the new
temple in the city in Ezekiel chapters 40 to 47.
The long closed eastern gate will be opened when Christ returns to the city and true worship of the Almighty God re-established.
People from all over the world will travel to Jerusalem to worship there in recognition of its unique position as
the meeting place chosen by God, and where the one mediator between
God and man – the Lord Jesus Christ dwells.
- For example see Zechariah 14.16
Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; he will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths.” For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem
Jesus will then be King on the throne of David in Jerusalem, as the angel Gabriel told his mother Mary:
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants for ever; his kingdom will never end.
This is the destiny of Jerusalem!
However there is a deeper spiritual aspect to the city that is
described in the Revelation given to John. John saw a vision of postmillennial
Jerusalem:
Then I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God...And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them..."
Just as there was a real temple but also ‘a temple of saints’, so there
is a real city of Jerusalem, but also a city ‘new Jerusalem’ of saints.
God will be present in the temple and the city of saints in the sense
that they will be immortal and reflect His character just like His son
Jesus Christ does now. The City of Peace teaches us lessons about the
purpose of God and the Prince of Peace its future king.
As we think about the great future that is assured for Jerusalem let
us echo the words of the Psalmist:
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces”
Author: Richard Griffiths, Norfolk, UK
Source Light on a New World - Volume 21/11
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