The Destiny of Jerusalem
Jerusalem is called the City of the Great King.
Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the great King. Psalm 48:2
Jesus also confirmed this description.
But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Matthew 5:34-35
Jerusalem’s destiny is to host the future rule of the great King Jesus, who is coming to rule all the nations of the earth from this city.
Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.’ For 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 2:2-4
The re-gathering of the Jewish people
God gave the Jewish people a special calling to be a light to the nations (Is 42:6, 49:6, 60:3). He entrusted them with His instructions and laws which they were to keep and be set apart as His people. However, they rejected Him, chose their own king and disobeyed His laws, causing such injustice and bloodshed in the land, even sacrificing their own children on altars to foreign gods. For this, God exiled them from the land but promised to re-gather them. He then returned them to the land and sent Jesus, whom many rejected. From the persecution that followed the believers after Jesus’ death, the message of the gospel would be spread abroad to the nations (Matt 24:14).
Even though the nation of Israel had already spent 70 years in exile in Babylon, Jesus predicted that once again they would be exiled amongst the nations and during that time Jerusalem would be ruled by foreign nations and left desolate until a restoration took place.
Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Luke 21:23-24 (emphasis added)
There are also many prophecies of a return of the Jewish people from the ‘ends of the earth’. For example:
Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover the second time with His hand the remnant of His people, who will remain, from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And He will lift up a standard for the nations and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Isaiah 11:11-12 (emphasis added)
‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘When the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; when the mountains will drip sweet wine and all the hills will be dissolved. Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; they will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit. I will also plant them on their land, And they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them,’ says the LORD your God. Amos 9:13-15 (emphasis added)
Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.”’ Ezekiel 36:22-28 (emphasis added)
The regathered Nation will welcome the Messiah’s return
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Matthew 23:37-39 (emphasis added)
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’ is a Hebrew expression meaning ‘welcome’ and is still used today in modern Hebrew. Jesus is saying that He will not return until the people of Jerusalem welcome Him back!
This prophesied regathering of the Jewish people from the ends of the earth and the restoration of the nation of Israel are the clearest biblical sign that the return of the Lord is imminent. The liberation of Jerusalem into the hands of a Christian nation was a huge step towards this being able to unfold. Our ANZAC soldiers were playing a significant part in this unveiling of history.
Psalm 122.
I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’
Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, that is built as a city that is compact together;
To which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the LORD—
an ordinance for Israel— to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
For there thrones were set for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you.
May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.’
For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, ‘May peace be within you.’
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.
Pictures:
1. Our feet shall stand – Wall hanging from Temple Institute, Jerusalem – Jill Curry