The Bible has a lot to say about the apple of God’s eye, Jerusalem. The mere fact the Holy City is mentioned over 800 times in Scripture should tell what the Lord thinks of Jerusalem. There is no way to understand the current unfolding events around us or the prophecies foretold by the Word of God without understanding what God has to say about his favorite city, Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is the center of the world in Scripture. It was David’s capital city; the site of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. It will be the place where Jesus rules the whole world with a rod of iron for a thousand years upon his return.
God has made eternal promises regarding the future of Jerusalem. His Word tells us no efforts or schemes of mankind or the devil will ever be able to undermine what he has purposed and planned for his capital city, Jerusalem.
The Lord tells us this in Isaiah 62:1-7:
“For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness go forth as brightness and the salvations thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the gentiles shall see thy righteousness and all kings thy glory and thou shalt be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name.
Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no longer be termed Forsaken; neither shalt thy land any more be termed Desolate, but thou shalt be called Hephzibah and thy land Beulah; for the Lord delighteth in thee and thy land shall be married a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold thy peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”
The Future of the Holy City
Today, my friends, Jerusalem is one of the major centers of world conflict. When the UN divided the land to give Israel a homeland once again, it placed much of the Holy City under the control of the Arabs rather than the Jews. During the 6 days war in 1967, Israeli forces captured the city.
The late Prime Minister Menachem Begin said many times that Jerusalem is “the eternal capital of Jewish state” just as the Scriptures states. Though Israel’s capital city is Jerusalem today, the government of America, like most other nations, refuse to recognize it. Today Jerusalem is a city living under threat, one day it will be a peaceful city, ruled by the Son of God Himself.
“So the angel communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
Therefore thus saith the Lord, I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.
Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem” (Zechariah 1;14, 16-17).
City of Truth
“Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for the very aged.
And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness” (Zechariah 8:3-4, 8).
No More Evil Hearts
“At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord; and all nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk anymore after the imagination of their evil hearts” (Jeremiah 3:17).
Battle of Armageddon
Just before the Lord’s return, there will one final battle centered on the Holy City. The enemies of the world will once again form in the valley of Meggido. The word “Armageddon” comes from a Hebrew word Har-Magedone, which means “Mount Megiddo” and has become synonymous with the future battle in which God will intervene and destroy the armies of the Antichrist as predicted in biblical prophecy (Revelation 16:16; 20:1-3, 7-10).
There will be a millions of people engaged in the battle of Armageddon, as all the nations gather together to fight against Christ.
The exact location of the valley of Armageddon is unclear because there is no mountain called Meggido. However, since “Har” can also mean hill, the most likely location is the hill country surrounding the plain of Meggido, some sixty miles north of Jerusalem. More than two hundred battles have been fought in that region.
The plain of Megiddo and the nearby plain of Esdraelon will be the focal point for the battle of Armageddon, which will rage the entire length of Israel as far south as the Edomite city of Bozrah (Isaiah 63:1).
The valley of Armageddon was famous for two great victories in Israel’s history: 1) Barak’s victory over the Canaanites (Judges 4:15) and 2) Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (Judges 7). Armageddon was also the site for two great tragedies: 1) the death of Saul and his sons (1 Samuel 31:8) and 2) the death of King Josiah (2 Kings 23:29-30; 2 Chronicles 35:22).
Because of this history, the valley of Armageddon became a symbol of the final conflict between God and the forces of evil. The word “Armageddon” only occurs in Revelation 16:16, “Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”
This speaks of the kings who are loyal to the Antichrist gathering together for a final assault on Israel. At Armageddon “the cup filled with the wine of the fury of [God’s] wrath” (Revelation 16:19) will be delivered, and the Antichrist and his followers will be overthrown and defeated. God will strengthen the hands of the defenders of Zion, and the enemies will be completely and utterly destroyed upon his return with just one look from the face of God.
Febble; as Strong as David
“In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplications and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:8-10).
The Utter Destruction
“And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord shall smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth” (Zechariah 14:11-12).
Jesus Sets Up His Kingdom
As promised the kingdom of the son of God on earth will be a time of perfect peace, justice and rest. Jerusalem will be the center of the World; the place to which everyone looks for leadership and guidance and joy.
“Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord has comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem” (Isaiah 52:9).
Pilgrimage to Jerusalem
“And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord” (Isaiah 66:20).
Believers and Jerusalem
So we who know the truth and have trusted Jesus Christ have then a responsibility toward God’s Chosen People and the Holy City, Jerusalem.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).
Beyond praying, though, we should be constant and steadfast supporters of the Jewish people.
Here then, are ten answers to one question answered by Scripture in the Bible.
Why should we support Israel?
Simply because God does. (Read Genesis 12:1-3.)
Because we are preparing for His return. (Psalm 102:16)
Because God’s Word is true. (Isaiah 2:3)
Because it brings God’s blessing. (Psalm 128:5)
Because God hates anti-Semitism. Zechariah 2: 8
Because God says we are to comfort Israel. (Isaiah 40:1-2)
Because God’s gift to Israel has not been revoked. (Isaiah 49:15)
Because God has preserved Israel. (Psalm 121: 4-8)
Because God said he would raise up intercessors. Isaiah 62:6-7
Because God has written his name in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 6:6)