Jerusalem: Twice Chosen by God, Deut. 12:1-5; 2 Chron. 6:3-6; Zech. 8:1-3

Happy New Year friends.  We pray that these coming days will see great growth in being conformed to the image of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

As has become our pattern we have just arrived in Jerusalem at the Garden Tomb.  We arrived around midnight Saturday night, 12/30/17.  The drive from Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem was almost as exciting as the first time in 2010.  We drove through the Valley of Aijalon where the sun and moon stopped their journey while Joshua and Israel gained an important victory.  We passed the burned out military vehicles (freshly painted and lit up), reminders of Israel’s war of independence.  We passed Abu Gosh, possibly the Biblical Emmaus, where the resurrected Lord Jesus revealed Himself to two of His disciples.  Up, up, always up to Jerusalem.   As our driver noted, wherever you are in Israel you can be sure something important happened there.  The land of the Book, as some call it, and Jerusalem, the Holy City: how can anyone who has studied the Bible not be excited to be here?

In terms of the flow of history we are here shortly after the United States acknowledged Jerusalem to be Israel’s capital, an acknowledgment that by most accounts has resulted in great turmoil.  We will tell you what we see, living in “East Jerusalem” where the tensions are often high: life is going on as at other times.  It always appears to us that the general populace would gladly do well together if it were not for the authorities who take it upon themselves to stir up trouble.  That’s how it appears!

We will not take time to give a history of Jerusalem.  We would, however, like to remind ourselves of a few Biblical markers concerning Zion.

·        Genesis 14:18-24: First mention in the Bible and history was in the days of Abraham and his worship before the King/Priest Melchizedek.

·        Psalm 78 (v56-72 esp.): Chosen by God, over Shiloh, as the city in which He would place His name, have His dwelling in the Holy of Holies, and from which He would rule the nations.

·        Destroyed, with God’s permission, first by the Babylonians (2 Chron. 36:15-21) and then the Romans (Luke 19:41-44).

But the Biblical markers do not end there.  Many are current and future.

·        Zech. 1:16-17; 2:12: God will return to Jerusalem in mercy; He will again choose Jerusalem/Zion.

·        Zech. 2:4: Jerusalem will be inhabited as towns without walls.  The formerly walled city will far outgrow it’s walls, as it does today.

·        Zech. 2:10: God will again dwell in Jerusalem, a promise fulfilled in the Messiah who is, was and will be The LORD our righteousness (Jer. 23:6), the Word made flesh (John 1:14), Emmanuel/God with us (Matt. 1:23).

·        Zech. 3:2: This choice of Jerusalem will be a major battle-ground issue in the ages-old contention of Satan with God.  Satan will do damage through the man of sin (Rev. 11:1-14; Zech. 14:1-2) but God’s protection will be a rebuke to the wicked one.

·        Zech. 8:2-3: The LORD’s zeal for Zion and His return to dwell there will result in Jerusalem being the City of Truth, the Mountain of the LORD of hosts, the Holy Mountain!

Jerusalem is none of these things today.  And for many people that is an obstacle to recognizing what the City has been and will be.  But rest assured, the glory and faithfulness of God rests on His fulfilling His promises to Zion.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  Pray for the salvation of Zion and all Israel.