Insights from Israel O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!
by Mike Ginther
Jerusalem, the ancient capital city of Israel, has long been a topic of discussion in many sectors of society and in nearly every nation. With the recent American election, the word Jerusalem surfaced many times as the Republican candidate, like others before him, promised to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv, Israel to the capital, Je- rusalem. Both praise and condemnation for such a move was quickly expressed, but it remains to be seen if indeed it will transpire. What makes the discussion of such a move such a debated
topic? Tis column does not allow for a full discussion. How- ever, a few truths need to be considered: Scripture affirms that Jerusalem was designated by divine appointment to be the capital city of King David’s kingdom (see 1 Kings 15:4 compared with 2 Kings 19:34). Scripture also affirms that God chose the city of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount for the location of his dwelling place. Te Lord declares that “Tis [Zion, ancient name for the Temple Mount] is my resting place forever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it” (Psalm 132:13). Sometimes the argument is presented that this is all Old
Testament and is irrelevant to the age of grace in which we live. Perhaps the truth that “all of scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), which would have applied mainly to the Old Testament at the time it was written, should be re-examined. Is not all of the Bible God’s word? Furthermore, some have argued that according to Ezekiel chapter 10, the glory of God, the Shek- inah glory departed from the temple aſter the Babylonian exile so God is no longer concerned with the Temple Mount. Is this actually the testimony of the Bible? Today, on the Temple Mount stands not a temple in which to
worship Yahweh, but a temple dedicated to the false god Allah. Te worshippers of Allah contend that this is the permanent dwelling for the Dome of the Rock shrine. Jews contend that there will be a third temple on the Temple Mount in the future, and the later chapters of Ezekiel seem to speak to just such a time. Tis spiritual tension which exists today is very real, and having lived in Jerusalem briefly, I can genuinely attest to this daily reality.
Te prophet Zechariah affirmed the perpetual tension in
chapter 12, but also declares that even though Jerusalem will be besieged, it will remain immovable. In fact, those who seek to move her will injure themselves. As Paul declared in Romans 11:1, God cannot be finished with the Jewish people, nor is he finished with the city of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Tis was the perpetual hope of the Jewish people, a hope that has not and will not ever be abandoned. It is a perpetual hope instilled by God as the Psalmist declared: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. 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” (Psalm 137:5-6 NIV). As those who trust in the Holy Scriptures and believe in the
God of Israel, how can we do otherwise? God calls upon us to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure” (Psalm 122:6 NIV). Te prophet Isaiah passionately called for even more: “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch … You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth” (Isaiah 62:1-7 NIV). Is God finished with Jerusalem? Tis is not the testimony of
Scripture. It behooves us to call upon the God of Israel to estab- lish Jerusalem in his appointed time. Not only so; it is necessary and scriptural for us to stand with the Jewish people in their defense of Jerusalem as their capital city — undivided. Whether President Donald Trump moves the American
embassy to Jerusalem or not really remains a moot point, for the God of Israel, the Holy One of Israel, even our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Messiah will one day establish his Divine Embassy there and rule and reign from the Temple Mount. Praise be to the Holy One of Israel!
Mike Ginther has been teaching and preaching God’s Word at Compass Immanuel Church (Rapid View, Sask.) since 1989.
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Fellowship Focus, March/April 2017
FellowshipForward.org Photo courtesy of Trevor Kirsch
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