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Almighty
God & Jerusalem, Pt.2
Chosen
Royal City of The Almighty
by Pastor John Hamel
“PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM: THEY SHALL
PROSPER THAT LOVE THEE. Peace be within thy walls,
and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I
will now say, Peace be within thee. BECAUSE OF THE
HOUSE OF THE LORD OUR GOD I WILL SEEK THY GOOD.” (Psalm 122:6-9)
In part one of
this two-part study on Almighty God and Jerusalem, we saw three
primary things concerning Jerusalem.
First,
although the name “Jerusalem” means “The City
of Peace,” it has been nothing short of a city of conflict since King David
captured it from the Jebusites 3,000 years
ago. Upon doing so David purchased approximately eight acres of land
from King Araunah, the Jebusite,
on which his son, Solomon, built the Temple of the
Almighty.
Although others may claim that their “god” has given
Jerusalem to them, it is not
true. (Israel’s God made their
god.) Jerusalem belongs to David’s
descendents, the Jews. Somewhere, there’s a Bill of Sale to prove
it. God alone knows where that is.
Second, we saw that Jesus is passionate about the
city of Jerusalem. As
Believers in Christ and the Bible, we, too, must share Jesus’ passion for
Jerusalem and the events
that surround her. To not do so is not “neutrality” at all, as some
say. It is anti-Semitic.
Jesus Himself has gone on record as
saying that there is no neutrality concerning anything that He came to
teach, including what is in His heart for Israel and
Jerusalem. (Matthew 12:30;
Luke 11:23)
Third, we saw briefly that the Almighty looks at Israel and
Jerusalem as far more than
just a vast wasteland. He sees Israel and
Jerusalem as they once were
and as they will once again be, an oasis of productivity, flourishing with
abundance, a land that flows with milk and honey. Jerusalem will one day soon
forever be the Capital of Almighty God on Earth. (Revelation 21:1-3)
For now though, Jerusalem is a troubled
city, a city of conflict. It seems to me that Satan somehow believes
that if he can destroy the city of Jerusalem that he can alter
the eternal plan of the Almighty, forcing Him to choose another city.
This just goes to show to what degree Satan was stripped of wisdom during
his attempted overthrow of the planet Heaven and the
Throne of the Almighty. (Isaiah 14:12-19; Ezekiel 28:13-19)
Bible facts are very stubborn things. They refuse to
change or to accommodate Satan or unbelieving man in even the slightest
ways. (Isaiah 55:8-11; Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:32-33)
One
stubborn Bible fact that will never change is that the Almighty will not
tolerate anyone tampering with Jerusalem or Israel in any way.
(Genesis 12:1-3; Psalm 122:1-9; Zechariah 12:3)
The Almighty has a
special love for Jerusalem and promises to
protect her in every possible and impossible way. (Psalm 2:1-6; 50:2;
78:68; 87:2; Isaiah 8:18; Matthew 19:26; Mark 9:23; Luke 1:37)
A former Mayor of the city of Jerusalem, the last Arab
Mayor, acknowledged God’s watching over it when he said, as he fled in
front of the oncoming Israeli army, “Jerusalem is a golden bowl
full of vipers. They that put their hand in the bowl, die.”1 This truly is
a lesson that is not only taught in the Scriptures, but it is also
confirmed continually throughout the pages of human history.
There are volumes that could be written concerning the
Almighty’s relationship with His precious city of Jerusalem. In this web
study we will look at just a few more simple, yet profound facts that we
trust will serve to shift any Believer in Jesus out of “neutral” and into
“drive” concerning Jerusalem. Those who
truly love the Almighty will find themselves falling in love with
Jerusalem, even as He is in
love with Jerusalem.
Jerusalem
Is the Chosen Royal City of The Almighty
“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in THE CITY OF
OUR GOD, in the mountain of his holiness … As we have heard, so have we
seen in THE CITY OF THE LORD OF HOSTS, in THE CITY OF OUR GOD: God will
establish it forever. Selah.” (Psalm 48:1,8)
The city of Jerusalem is the “City of
our God.” It always has been His chosen city, it is His chosen city now
and it always will be His chosen city. (Psalm 46:4; 87:3)
Jerusalem is not only the
chosen city of the Almighty, but it is also the
Royal
City of the
Almighty. This is the city from where Jesus Christ, the Son of the
Almighty, will eventually reign as our Great King for
all of Eternity future. (Psalm 2:6; 146:10; Isaiah 24:23; 52:7; Micah
4:7)
“Beautiful for situation, THE JOY OF THE WHOLE EARTH, is
mount
Zion, on the sides of
the north, THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING.” (Psalm 48:2)
One day in the not too distant future, Jerusalem will be completely
rebuilt and restored to a glory greater than it has ever before
experienced. (Revelation 21:1-22:21) At that time it will become the
Capital of all World Government and the very center for World Worship
forever. (1Chronicles 23:25; 2Chronicles 33:4-7; Psalm 48:8; Isaiah 2:2-4;
11:11-12:6; Jeremiah 17:25; Ezekiel 34:1-35; 43:7; Joel 3:17,20; Micah 4:7;
Zechariah 8:3-23; 14:1-21) This is why the Psalmist referred to it as
“the joy of the whole earth.” But this will not occur until the end
of the seven-year Tribulation Period. The end of the Tribulation
marks the beginning of the Millennial Reign of Christ. From the first
day of His Millennial Reign and throughout all of Eternity future, Jesus
will reign from Jerusalem over all the
nations of the world. (Psalm 48:1; Isaiah 2:2-4; Ezekiel 48:1-35; Zechariah
14:1-21)
Why
The Almighty Has Chosen Jerusalem
“But I HAVE CHOSEN JERUSALEM, that my name might be there; and
have chosen David to be over my people Israel.” (2 Chronicles
6:6)
The Almighty has chosen Jerusalem because He loves
her. It seems as though nothing can match His exceptional love for
Jerusalem, Israel and the Jewish
people. Why does the Almighty have such a strong love for
Jerusalem particularly when
her people have resisted Him so resolutely? It is my personal belief
that He loves the Jewish people so deeply because it is through their
lineage that Christ the Messiah
was allowed to come into the Earth.
The Almighty gave dominion of the Earth to a man named Adam.
(Genesis 1:26-28) That man Adam was deceived into giving his world
dominion over to Satan. (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-24) The Almighty could
not just come into the Earth and take world dominion back from Satan.
It was not His to take back. He had given it to His man. A man had given it away and now only a man could
legally take it back. It was through the Almighty cutting
covenant with the man Abraham that His promise in the Garden to send a
Kinsman Redeemer became possible. (Genesis 3:15) In cutting covenant
with the Almighty, Abraham was technically and legally giving the Almighty
access once again to the human race. (Galatians 3:8,13-14,29) Through
Abraham’s miracle child, Isaac, the God-man Jesus would come and legally
retrieve man’s dominion from Satan. (Genesis 3:15; 12:1-17:27; Leviticus
25:25-49; Job 19:25; Philippians 2:6-8; Colossians 1:12-22; Hebrews
2:14-15)
The blood of the Jewish people is so precious to the Almighty
because it was their flesh that provided a human body for the
Redeemer to live in. (Leviticus 17:11; Psalm 72:14; 132:11-12;
Hebrews 10:5,10) That is not to say He does not love Gentiles equally
as much as He loves Jews. Jesus said that His Father loves everyone
as much as He loves Him. (John 17:23) But had Jesus not been given
access to the Earth through the Hebrew people, the Almighty would not have
been able to save the Gentile people. The Almighty loves the Hebrew
people because He loves all people and the Hebrew people gave Him
access to all people. (John 3:16-17)
Jerusalem is the
Capital
City of the Nation set
aside by the Almighty for the Hebrew people. It is understandable why
He has such a love for this city. His love for the Jewish people is
reflected in His love for this city. (Psalm 9:11; 76:2; 132:13; Isaiah 8:18; 14:32; Zechariah 3:2)
The
Almighty Promises to Protect Jerusalem
“God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: GOD SHALL
HELP HER, and that right early.” (Psalm 46:5)
A normal father’s love for his children is undying. Being
a father myself, I know what it is like to experience love for a child that
is undying even when the most adverse circumstances have come in attempting
to remove that love. The Almighty’s love for Jerusalem and His desire to
protect her is like the love of an earthly father for his offspring, only
much greater. No doubt someone is thinking, “If the Almighty loves
Jerusalem so much and
promises to help her, why has that city gone through over thirty sieges in
its lifetime, including the recent horrific, continuing homicide
bombings?”
I will answer that question with two questions. “Have you
ever been disciplined by your earthly parent? Has your earthly parent
ever allowed you to endure the painful consequences of your rebellion against him or her knowing that
it’s the only way you are going to learn to despise rebellion?”
The Bible reveals that the Almighty has been dealing with Israel, Jerusalem and the Jewish people
in this way for centuries. It is called “learning from your mistakes”
and although it grieves the heart of the Almighty to have to allow the
Jewish people to suffer, it comforts His heart knowing that the end result
will be the salvation of “all Israel.” (Romans
11:25-27) See the study in this Israel Study Centre, “Almighty God, Christianity and Israel, Pt. 2.”
Because the Almighty has been willing to allow Jerusalem and Israel to reap the
consequences of their disobedience, many “theologians” have severely
misinterpreted this to mean that He no longer is in covenant with the
Jewish people. These “theologians” have propagated this false
doctrine, presently known as “Replacement Theology,” since the early beginnings
of the New Testament Church.
No sooner had the newly-birthed Church
of the 1st Century gotten its legs under itself when along came
religious-minded theologians, ignorant of the whole counsel of God,
preaching this unscriptural lie.
In the 2nd Century,
approximately 160 A.D., Justin Martyr ignorantly stated to a Jew, “The
Scriptures are not yours, but ours.”
In approximately 177 A.D., Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon, went on record as saying,
“Jews are disinherited from the grace of God.”
In the 5th
Century, Augustine, in his book, “The City of God”, made it clear that he
did not see a need for a Jewish Nation in the future of the New Testament
Church.
I realize that all of these
men are highly respected in many Christian circles. However, all of these boys needed a good
Bible education.
These beliefs held by such renowned men of God are
unfortunate. They are each one a lie characteristic of today’s
“Replacement Theology” lie. Replacement Theology is an attempt by
unlearned Christians to steal from the Jews Covenants and Promises which
the Almighty has made to them and to them alone. Christians are
supposed to understand that the Bible says, “Thou shalt
not steal.” (Exodus 20:15)
Replacement Theology is properly named, however, because it is
an attempt to replace the truth of God’s Word with a theological lie.
Others actually teach that “because the Jews are solely
responsible for the death of Jesus, they are eternally cursed.”
Unfortunately this lie can be traced back to another highly respected
Christian named John Chrysostom, in the 4th Century. This
is as much of a lie today as it was then. The Jews were not alone in
sending Jesus to the Cross.
The fall of Adam sent
Jesus to the Cross. (Romans 5:14-21) The religious pride of the Pharisees, Peter’s anger, Judas’
betrayal, Herod’s lust, the adulterous woman, Martha’s spiritual lethargy,
Pilate’s fear of man, Caiphus’ compromise, the
Roman soldiers’ blind political obedience, the crucifixion crowd’s thirst
for bloody entertainment that day and every other sin of thought, word and
deed committed by you and me and everyone else who ever has or who ever
will live on this Earth, sent Jesus to the Cross.
It is anti-Semitic to blame the Jews alone for what we all have
caused Jesus to suffer. (John 3:16-17)
This is not to mention the fact that Jesus said, “Therefore
doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it
again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay
it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to
take it again…” (John 10:17-18) The Jews did not take Jesus’
life. Jesus gave His life, willingly, for all of us.
Replacement Theology and placing sole responsibility for Jesus’
death upon the Jews are the result of “theologians” misinterpreting the
Almighty’s willingness to allow Israel and
Jerusalem to reap the
consequences of their disobedience. Although He allows them to reap
the consequences of their disobedience, He will never abandon them.
This is why anyone whom the Almighty uses to discipline Israel and
Jerusalem, who goes too far, attempting to exterminate them, always has suffered
and always will suffer dire consequences.
The
Most High God will not tolerate the
utter destruction of Hebrew Scripture, history, real estate or
people. The Almighty promises to confound, to shame and to turn back
everyone that hates Israel and
Jerusalem.
Unfortunately
millions have died and will yet die as the Almighty brings to pass His
promise of protection to them. (Psalm 125:1; 129:5; 133:3; Isaiah 63:1-8;
Ezekiel 38:17-21; 39:2,17-21; Joel 3:1-21; Zechariah 14:1-21; Revelation
29:11-21)
As for me, I would prefer to choose the team with the Star of
David on their jerseys and to be blessed by the Almighty by being a
blessing to them. (Psalm 122:6-9) Why be dumb when you can be
smart? Dumb brings a tremendous curse. Smart brings tremendous
blessing! (Genesis 12:1-3) I have tried dumb. I have tried
smart. Smart is better. Far better.
A
Word of Exhortation to Christians
“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”
(Romans 11:29)
In closing, I would like to speak a word to every Born Again member of the New Testament Church. There
are times in many of our lives as Believers when we lose our way, falling
away from the will of God and returning to a lifestyle of sin and
rebellion. When this occurs, our Father, Almighty God is faithful to
send laborers to remind us that He still loves us and to lead us back into
the Way. (Matthew 12:31; 18:12,13; Luke 15:4,7; Romans 3:12; Acts 9:2;
18:25; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22; Galatians 6:1; 2Peter 2:15; James 5:20;
1John 1:9)
Often times when a fallen Believer is being led back to the
Lord, they are reminded that they can be forgiven and restored because,
after all, “…the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” (Romans
11:29) This is very true. The Almighty does not delete or
retract our gifts or our callings when we fall. As
Believers it is always proper to remind one another of this truth when someone
is in need of restoration.
But really, Romans chapter 11, verse 29, was not written by the Apostle Paul to remind Gentile Believers
that the Almighty will never give up on them. Romans chapter 11,
verse 29, was written to remind Gentile Believers that the Almighty will
never give up on Jerusalem, Israel and the Jewish
people.
Because the Almighty will never give up on them, we must
never give up on them. There is absolutely no Scriptural basis for
“Replacement Theology.” History has proved and will continue to prove
that the Almighty is “… jealous for Jerusalem and for
Zion with a great
jealousy.” (Zechariah 1:14)
Allow me to remind you of what we have discovered in this
two-part study on the Almighty and Jerusalem. Although
Jerusalem means “City of
Peace,” it has been a
city of raging conflict for 3,000 years. David conquered it,
purchasing the Temple grounds and it
belongs to no one but his descendants. As Christians we must all
share Jesus’ passion for the city of Jerusalem and the Nation of
Israel. The Almighty sees beyond what Mark Twain once called a “vast
wasteland.” He sees Israel as it once was and
as it will one day again be. Jerusalem is the chosen,
Royal
City of the
Almighty.
It is my personal belief that He loves Jerusalem so deeply because
it is the Capital
City of the Nation
whose people provided the world with a Savior. The Almighty promises
to always protect Jerusalem, Israel and the Jewish
people. Gentile Christians must beware that they never find
themselves in opposition to Jerusalem, Israel or the Jewish
people in any way, whether it be through “Replacement Theology” or what I
call “Blame-Shifting Theology.” We are all responsible, Gentile and
Jew, for Jesus’ death. (Romans 3:23)
Israel and the Jewish
people have a Covenant with the Almighty that is approximately 4,000 years
old. No nation on this Earth has been around for even half that
length of time.
The Almighty has not cut covenant with any other
nation in the world in the way that He has cut covenant with Israel. (Genesis
12:1-3)
Jerusalem is the
Capital
City of that unique
Covenant Nation.
Those who oppose Jerusalem always find
themselves directly opposing the Almighty because Jerusalem is “...a
burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall
be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be
gathered together against it.” (Zechariah 12:3) Amen and so be it!
Past,
Present & Future Biblical Names for Jerusalem
The name “Jerusalem” is used 814 times
in Scripture and I cannot list them all. It is also called “Zion” 152 times in
Scripture. It would be impractical to list all of them as well.
I will give only a few examples of each.
Jerusalem (814
times, Joshua 10:1,3), Jebusi (Joshua 18:16,28), Jebus (1Chronicles 11:4,5), Zion (152 times, 1 Kings
8:1; Zechariah 9:3), The City of David (2Samuel 5:7), Salem (Genesis 14:18;
Psalm 76:2; Hebrews 7:1), Ariel (Isaiah 29:1), The City of God (Psalm
46:4), The City of The Great King (Psalm 48:2), The City of Judah
(2Chronicles 25:28), The Throne of The Lord (Jeremiah 3:17), The Holy
Mountain (Daniel 9:16,20; Zechariah 8:3), The Holy City (Nehemiah 11:1,18;
Revelation 21:2; 22:19), The City of Solemnities (Isaiah 33:20), The City
of Truth (Zechariah 8:3), Aholibah (Ezekiel
23:4), The City of Righteousness (Isaiah 1:26), The Faithful City (Isaiah
1:26), The City of The Lord (Isaiah 60:14), The Zion of The Holy One of
Israel (Isaiah 60:14), Hephzibah, My Delight Is In Her (Isaiah 62:4),
Sought Out (Isaiah 62:12), A City Not Forsaken (Isaiah 62:12), The Throne
of The Lord (Jeremiah 3:17), A Green Olive Tree (Jeremiah 11:16), The Lord
Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 33:16), The Lord Is There (Ezekiel 48:35), The
Mountain of The Lord of Hosts (Zechariah 8:3), The New Jerusalem
(Revelation 3:12; 21:2), The Tabernacle of God (Revelation 13:6; 15:5;
21:3), The Bride, The Lamb’s Wife (Revelation 21:2,9), The Holy Jerusalem
(Revelation 21:10), The Heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22) and The Father’s
House (John 14:1-3).
 Be blessed as you bless Jerusalem and the Jewish
people.
John and Barbara
Hamel
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