The peace of Jerusalem does not depend upon the

Transcription

1 A Commentary by Bob Sullivan All eyes on Jerusalem Scriptural basis: Psalm 137: 5-6 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. 6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. 1 Kings 9:3 The Lord said to him: I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. Luke 21:24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. The peace of Jerusalem does not depend upon the peace of the world; the peace of the world depends upon the peace of Jerusalem! These words may sound strange, especially in a world dominated by cities like New York, Washington, D.C., Paris, London, etc. Tiny Jerusalem is so seemingly insignificant today that it is astonishing to think that it could somehow affect world peace. Yet, the Bible tells us this is precisely what will occur in the last days. There are hundreds of references to God s end times plan throughout the Bible. For now, we will address two

2 significant components of that plan: the status of Jerusalem, and the status of the Temple Mount. Highlights from other commentaries on the Folks in the Pews website support the beliefs that: God has a precise end times plan that centers around Israel. The final sevenyear time of judgment for the earth that the Bible prophesied is, in large part, intended to get Israel s attention. God personally created the Jewish people. He identified Abraham as the first Jew and promised that his descendants would exist forever. His everlasting devotion to the Jewish people is mentioned numerous times in the Bible. While God will never disown the Jewish people, it became necessary to punish them for their disobedience by dispersing them from their land for two thousand years and subjecting them to centuries of persecution. In spite of their rebellion, God promised that he will show himself holy through the Jewish people. (Ezekiel 36:23) We do not know the precise details of God s plans, but we can, with a high degree of certainty, state that Israel s enemies are in for a very rude awakening. Jerusalem has always been the capital of Israel. In terms of strategic significance, Jerusalem does not rank with other major world cities. It is neither a seaport, nor a major 2

3 exporter of commodities, nor does it posses any natural resources necessary to the security of foreign nations. Jerusalem is significant because it is the holy city of the world s three major religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. We do not believe Jerusalem s religious significance is coincidental. To the contrary, Jerusalem will increasingly become the focus of world attention precisely because of its religious significance. Chapter 12 of the Old Testament Book of Zechariah predicts that Jerusalem will become a cup that sends all surrounding people reeling and immovable rock to the entire world in the last days. It is important to understand how God feels about Jerusalem. Four thousand years ago King David, requiring a strong capital in Israel, conquered Jerusalem. Psalm 137:5-6 makes it clear that God will never forget Jerusalem; in fact it is his highest joy. God does not change. His feelings about Jerusalem are the same today as they were when Psalm 137 was written approximately 2600 years ago. Tucked in a corner of the Old City of Jerusalem is a 35-acre plot of land known as the Temple Mount. It is the site of the most sacred Jewish, Moslem, and Christian shrines. The Temple Mount is the place where the first and second Jewish Temples once stood. King David s son, Solomon, in 3

4 accordance with God s specific instructions, constructed the first temple. It was completed in approximately 919 BC and stood until 586 BC when the Babylonians destroyed it. In 1 Kings 9:3, we read that God consecrated the temple and put his Name there forever. This is an eternal scripture; therefore, his name is still there, and his eyes and heart are upon the Temple Mount today. Solomon s Temple, or the First Temple as it is often called, was the dwelling place of God s divine presence, often referred to as his Shekinah glory. Israel continually violated God s commandments throughout the Old Testament by succumbing again and again to various idolatrous forms of worship. As a result of Israel s rebellion, chapters of the Old Testament book of Ezekiel record that the Shekinah glory departed approximately four hundred years after God s divine presence first entered the Temple. God s resident glory made the Temple safe and secure. When his glory departed, the Temple became vulnerable, no longer immune to destruction. When the Temple was initially consecrated, God warned Solomon and his descendants that if they turned away from him and refused to observe his commands and decrees or served other gods, it would be destroyed (1 Kings 9:6-9). 4

5 The Jews failed to heed God s warning and ultimately did turn to other gods. In 606 BC, the Babylonian Empire, under King Nebuchadnezzar, attacked Jerusalem and took the Jewish king as well as ten thousand nobles and skilled laborers to Babylon. During a second invasion in 597 BC, additional Jewish citizens were taken to Babylon. During the third incursion into Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC, the Temple was destroyed, precisely as God had warned in 1 Kings 9. The Prophet Jeremiah predicted that Jerusalem and the Temple would lay desolate for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12). In 538 BC, the mighty Babylonian Empire was defeated by the Mede-Persians. Two years later, in 536 BC, precisely seventy years after the Babylonian attack, Cyrus, the Persian King, decreed that the Jews could return to Jerusalem to rebuild their city and their Temple. (Ezra 1:1). The second Temple was modest compared to the first, but in 19 or 20 BC, Herod the Great began a massive renovation and expansion project. Even though the second Temple was considered one of the wonders of the world when it was completed, God s divine presence did not return. In 70 AD, just six years after Herod s project was completed, the Roman army attacked Jerusalem and 5

6 completely destroyed the second Temple. Thirty-eight years prior to its destruction, Jesus had prophesied that a time would come when not one stone of the Temple was left upon another. (Matthew 24:2). To this day, all that remains visible of the second Temple is one quarter mile of its Western Wall. The precise location of the foundation used for the temples is not certain, but it is somewhere beneath the surface of the Temple Mount, likely in the vicinity of the Islamic Dome of the Rock. Muslims believe that their Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven on the back of a white horse from the Temple Mount. As a result, the Temple Mount is considered to be a Muslim holy place, their Haram al Sharif, or noble sanctuary. The site is also purported to be the Muslim Al Asqa, or place of far off worship, which is vaguely mentioned only once in the Koran. The religion of Islam does not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and rejects the prior existence of the Jewish Temples. It is significant that the Koran does not mention Jerusalem, whereas it is referenced 818 times in the Bible. From our reading of 1 Kings 9:3, it is clear to us that God s name will exist forever at the site of the Jewish Temple. All of the books of the Bible were finished by the end of the 6

7 first century, and Islam did not appear for another 500 years. The Bible simply does not hint in any way that God s name will forever be in the Dome of the Rock, Al Asqa Mosque, or any other Islamic shrine. The Temple was, and always will be, a Jewish possession. Christ also prophesied that from the time of the destruction of the Temple, Jerusalem would be trampled upon until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:24) In other words, Jerusalem will be under the control of Gentile nations until their appointed time is finished and exclusive control of the city is returned to Israel. Exactly as Jesus prophesied, after 70 AD Jerusalem came under the control of various Gentile empires including the Byzantines, Muslims, Mongols, Spain and Great Britain. On June 10, 1967, Israel regained control of its holy city. As a result of the Six Day War with Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria, Israel annexed Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights; however, something surprising and unexpected occurred on June 19, Out of respect for Islam s holy sites, and concern over world opinion, Israel granted administration of the Temple Mount to the Muslim Supreme Council, also known as the Wakf. Since then, the Muslims have successfully established de facto control over 7

8 the Temple Mount, and the Israelis have passively allowed it to continue. Today, Israel still does not exercise control over the Temple Mount, even though it has the right to do so. While many feel that the times of the Gentiles Christ spoke of began to draw to a close when the Jews took control of the Jerusalem in 1967, it is clear that complete fulfillment of this prophecy will not occur until Christ physically returns. A case can, however, be made that at least a partial fulfillment of this prophecy has occurred. The Bible makes it clear that God s heart will forever be associated with Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, and one day his divine presence will return to a new and glorious Temple that will sit directly upon the original foundation. In the meantime, we have the still unresolved matter of Muslim sovereignty over the Temple Mount. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and other Arab leaders have made it clear that they intend to one day control all of Jerusalem. It was reported in the Washington Times on December 4, 2002 that Shiekh Hassan Nazrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group stated, By Allah, if they [the Jews] touch Al Asqa, we will act everywhere around the world. Al Asqa, as noted above, is the Temple Mount. The 8

9 threat of terrorism everywhere around the world is a clear indication of just how critical this 35-acre plot of land is becoming. As great as the tension surrounding the Arab/ Israeli conflict is currently, it is going to get far worse, and its impact will spread to other regions. Tension between the Palestinians and Israelis has existed for many years, but matters took a much greater turn for the worse in September of 2000 when Israel s Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, visited the Temple Mount. In response to his visit, the Palestinians began the latest intifada, or uprising, that has resulted in the loss of hundreds of innocent people. In the meantime, Israeli citizens have been denied access to the Temple Mount in an attempt to avoid even greater violence and control negative world opinion against them. Amazingly, therefore, Jews cannot visit their own sacred sites within their own sacred capital city. Contrary to what many believe, Israel is exercising considerable restraint. One has to wonder how long Israel, especially with pressure also coming from within a number of Jewish religious groups, will continue to allow the Palestinians to exercise illegitimate control over them. It is inconceivable that a compromise, especially with respect to control of the Temple Mount, can ever be achieved. 9

10 It is for these reasons that the peace of the world will depend on the peace of Jerusalem. At the heart of the Jerusalem / Temple Mount dilemma is the fact that it was necessary for God to discipline Israel and the Jewish people, but he promised that they would eventually return to the land, and their persecution would one day cease. Just as he did to facilitate the return of the Jews to the land, God will take matters into his own hands and personally end the controversy over Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. It s a forgone conclusion because his name is at stake. Eventually, God, in the person of Jesus Christ, will enter a new and glorious Jewish Temple that will be built in the same exact location where the original two temples were located. Christ and God, the father, are one and the same, so when Jesus Christ re-enters the Temple, God s divine presence and his Shekinah glory will be there forever. We live in perilous but exciting times. God is orchestrating his divine plan to usher in the age when Christ will rule from the Temple in Jerusalem. As we watch events unfold, especially regarding Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, we know that God is preparing matters so that Christ s glorious return will occur.! 2003, The Folks in the Pews Ministry Reprint guidelines: You are welcome to share this commentary in its entirety with the inclusion of authorship and copyright information. 10