Posted on 01/13/2011 3:36:43 PM PST by wmfights
Jerusalem should be your favorite city! After all, it’s the city that God has chosen for Himself (1 Kings 11:13). In Psalm 87:2,3 we read, “The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.” Ancient maps put Jerusalem in the center of the world, and I think those maps are right! Jerusalem is also God’s timepiece. The final events of world history will culminate there with the glorious return of Jesus Christ to the Mount of Olives.
What about Jerusalem’s ancient past? In Genesis 22:2 the Lord asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on “Mount Moriah.” The only other passage where this name appears is 2 Chronicles 3:1 where we read, “Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah...” So, evidently Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah, which was the exact spot where the temple was later built in Jerusalem. When you look at the temple area today, remember this is where that dramatic event happened.
Jerusalem was a Jebusite city when Joshua came to conquer Canaan. But after David became king, he conquered the city and made it his capitol. Here briefly are five periods in Jerusalem’s fascinating history.
The First Temple Period (1000 - 586 BC)
Solomon, David’s son, built a beautiful temple in Jerusalem. We can only imagine what it looked like. Its glory was greater than anything that had ever been built in the ancient world. And we read, “It came about when the priests came from the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord” (1 Kings 8:10,11).
But after Solomon’s death the kingdom was split; Samaria became the capitol of the northern tribes. This city succumbed to the Assyrians in 722 B.C. Thousands of captives were taken to Assyria and never heard from again.
In 586 B.C., the Babylonians captured Jerusalem, the southern kingdom. After three sieges, Solomon’s beautiful temple was totally destroyed. Many Jews were carried off to Babylon where they lived for seventy years. When the Persians later overthrew Babylon, the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland. Jerusalem, however, lay in ruins.
The Second Temple Period (538 BC - 70 AD)
When the Jews returned from Babylon, a small temple was constructed where Solomon’s beautiful edifice stood. Many of the older men remembered Solomon’s temple and wept when they saw this smaller edifice. Zechariah the prophet encouraged them by asking, “For who has despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10). Incredibly, this smaller temple served the Jews for nearly five centuries.
In 19 B.C. the Roman ruler, King Herod proposed the idea of reconstructing a beautiful temple in Jerusalem. He promised the Jews that he would not tear down Zerubbabel’s temple, but build a new one over it. In effect, the building of the new one and the tearing down of the smaller one would happen simultaneously. Worship would not be interrupted. He also trained one thousand priests as masons so that no Gentiles would have to work in the sacred areas.
This beautiful structure was not yet finished when Jesus Christ was on earth. After cleansing the temple, the Jews asked that He give them a sign and Jesus answered, “`Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews therefore said. `It took forty years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking of the temple of His body” (John 2:19-21). This temple had been under construction for forty-six years and was not yet completed. Though Herod was long since dead, work on the temple continued.
One day Jesus and His disciples were on the Mount of Olives overlooking the temple area. They noticed that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts. Christ explained, “As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down” (Luke 21:5,6). Thus Christ predicted that the second temple would be totally destroyed, and destroyed it was.
In 70 A.D. the Emperor Titus came to put down a revolt in Jerusalem, so he surrounded the city of Jerusalem and captured it. He starved the city. And when people would sneak out at night to find food or water, they were crucified until rows and rows of crosses stood outside the city walls. Jerusalem was then destroyed and the temple taken apart stone by stone. Christ’s prophecy was meticulously fulfilled.
The Gentile Era (70 AD - 1948)
Recall that Christ said, ...”And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive into all of the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). Let’s take a tour of this Gentile period noting seven different eras that span nineteen centuries.
1. The Roman Period (70 - 33) The Romans brought their own people to repopulate the city.
2. The Byzantine Period (330 - 638) This is the period after Constantine (See chapter on Rome).
By the way, Constantine’s mother, Helena, made a trip to the holy land and established the various traditional sites regarding the life and ministry of Christ. Even today her identification of places such as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher are considered by some to be authentic. Various churches and fortifications can be seen dating back to the Byzantine Period with its unique architecture.
3. The First Muslim Period (638 - 1099) Mohammed began the religion of Islam and conquered the city of Jerusalem with the sword.
Today, Jerusalem is the third most holy site for this religion after Mecca and Medina. During this era, the Dome of the Rock was built, believed to be the place where Mohammed ascended into heaven. Just think, this beautiful building was constructed 1300 years ago and is still an architectural wonder!
4. The Crusader Period (1099-1187) Pope Urban II issued a decree saying that anyone who was willing to go to the holy land to liberate it from the Muslims would (1) be forgiven all sins: and (2) if unable to go, the same benefits would extend to those who contributed financially to send a substitute. Hordes of Europeans went to Jerusalem after the initial liberation. Today, crusader churches and walls still can be found throughout the land, all of them nearly a thousand years old.
5. The Later Muslim Period (1187-1517) Once again, the Muslims dominated the land of Israel for four long centuries.
6. The Turkish Period (1517-1917) The Ottoman Turks defeated the Muslims, and Suleiman ruled from Constantinople over the eastern wing of the Roman Empire. Under his reign, the present walls of the city of Jerusalem were built, nearly four hundred years ago.
7. The British Period (1917 - 1948) The British asked the United Nations to resolve the conflict surrounding the city and the land was given to the Jews in 1948. Jerusalem was divided up into four sectors - Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian. But in the war of 1967, the city fell to Israeli hands and the territory all the way to the Jordan River (known as the West Bank) became a part of the Israeli State. Many people believe that this ended the domination of the Gentiles which Christ spoke about. Recall that He said, “Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). This explains why some people think that Christ’s return may be near.
Jerusalem In The Future
The fourth period is still future. The battle of Armageddon will spill over to Jerusalem. Zechariah writes, “For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city” (Zechariah 14:2). This then marks the great sorrow that will yet come to the city of Jerusalem as all the nations of the earth turn against the Jews.
After Armageddon, Jerusalem will experience exaltation. “Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem...” (14:3,4). Christ will come and defend His people; the Jews living at that time will look upon their Redeemer and recognize Him to be the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Then Jerusalem will enter what is know as the Millennial Kingdom, “...the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war” (Isaiah 2:3,4). After Judgment comes blessing.
The New Jerusalem
The fifth major era is when the earthly Jerusalem gives way to the New Jerusalem that comes from God out of heaven. This heavenly city is not so much an extension of the old, as it is a new substitute for all that has ever been known here on earth. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:1,2).
Later we read, “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal clear jasper (vv. 10,11).
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city” (22:14).
“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
I help him repost an old reply does not mean i believe everything stated direct your concern to
one Lord one faith one baptism.
how else are your sins forgiven if they are not washed away in baptism? how else are you added to the Church, the Body of Christ, if you are not baptized into it? this is a perfect example of twisting a Scripture here or there and starting a new denomination on it. no one, i repeat, no one, denied baptismal regeneration before the 16th century. the nicene creed states “one baptism for the forgiveness of sins” what kind of pillar of truth do we have if no one understood baptism until the 16th century?
thanks again!
Agreed, a truly central focus of much of Scripture and prophecy. Still there are those who will discount the importance of Israel in God’s plans for the future. That is to discount the very words of God and His prophets.
if you truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will have your sins washed away just as Saul did in Acts 22.
Whoa! Don’t take it personally. I was responding to the words I quoted. I didn’t infer that you wrote them, in fact I realized that you didn’t but they were included in your post so it was reasonable to reply to the post that contained the words.
You're right.
I go back and forth with our Evangelical Brothers and Sisters that are in Reformed churches about this. The Preterist and Amill views are strong among them. I think Romans 10, 11, 12 makes it clear God is not done with Israel.
http://www.johnmcternan.name/
I once watched a video that showed when the United States dissed or respect Israel he would show the results. Interesting!
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I . . . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11).
In Mark 10:38,39 Jesus refers to His crucifixion and calls it His “baptism” and says that the disciples will be baptized with the same “baptism”.
Mark 10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
When you accept and proclaim Jesus as your Lord and Savior you are baptized in the Holy Spirit. Water baptism is only a symbol and has no legal function of salvation.
To claim anything more then the death and resurrection of Jesus is needed for salvation is to deny the perfection, completeness and totality of His sacrifice once and for all for our sins.
Hadn’t seen that site before. I just did a cursory look and it has some interesting stuff! Thanks.
“all the nations battling against Israel”, does not mean literal Israel! all the nations, refers to the unsaved, Israel is the Church. Towards the end of the world ( 2011? ), there will be a great falling away ( apostasy ) of the Church. I was born in 1959, and have witnessed this falling away, the chrches of europe are dead, not much better in the usa, south america is gone, the social gospel and marxism have replaced Christ, sin is not preached therefore there is no need for a Savior! because they lost their first love, the Church is being overcome by the world, until at the very end ,( the tribulation period ) the two witnesses ( the Church ) will be killed and the world will rejoice ( the Pope or Bishops will probably deny Jesus as the only way to salvation ) there will be a relatively small remnant that will keep the Faith and then Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives in triumph!! The fig tree is literal Israel and since it is in bloom, we know He is at the door, stay awake!
>> I go back and forth with our Evangelical Brothers and Sisters that are in Reformed churches about this.<<
I do to. I grew up in the Reformed Church and it pains me to see many of them deny true prophecy. I have seen not only Preterism but also Dominionism present.
i appreciate your thoughtful reply and i can post a number of verses that indicate baptism is how your sins are washed away. how do we know who is right? well, Jesus founded a Church and He gave it authority to TEACH. the Church has taught baptismal regeneration for 2,000 years. Please cynicalbear, show me from history any group that believed as you did before the 16th century! When Arius was denying Jesus’s divinity, where was your Church that taught what you posted? the Bishops at Nicea crafted a Creed that you can’t hold to. think about what you are saying! the pillar of truth was apostate from 95ad until the 16th century! if we don’t have baptism right, we don’t have the Scriptures right!
I believe it is the Church and Israel at times especially since 1947 The birth of Israel. That’s in my humble opinion. Remember what happens in the last days. The miracle of modern Israel!
i believe the fig tree ( Israel ) is a sign to the believer the end is near. a bigger sign, is the startling falling away we are seeing from the Church!
another sign is the immorality we see all around, especially the rise and acceptance of homosexuality. “as in the days of Noah....”
True.
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