The Future of Jerusalem

The Future of Jerusalem

The Gentile Nations will soon be Governed from Jerusalem

future of Jerusalem

Jerusalem Old City at Dawn. Image: Free Israel Photos

Why concern ourselves about the future of Jerusalem? Aren’t cities like London or New York more important? In fact, in the foreseeable future, no, they aren’t. Jerusalem is perhaps the most contested city in the world and in the immediate future wars will be fought over who owns Jerusalem. The political war already rages!

The good news is that in the coming age (the so-called ‘Millennial Age’) such issues will be settled and Jerusalem will be at peace. Prophecy says Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) will soon return to rule the nations from Jerusalem, and He will be ‘King over all the Earth’. He returns to the exact place from where He ascended, to the Mount of Olives. At this time, this rather small, rounded mountain opposite Jerusalem and above the Jordan valley splits in two making a great valley (Zech 14.4).

Incidentally, did you know that the Jordan Valley marks the joint of a tectonic-plate fault and that an east-west fault runs through the Mount of Olives, link, link?

Intriguing that maybe, the main point here is that true the Messiah of the Jews – Yeshua – will soon return and rule the earth from Jerusalem, and nations will go up year by year to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. Now that’s even more intriguing!

 

The Names of Jerusalem foretell her Future

Some biblical names of Jerusalem are prophetic and depict the character and status of Jerusalem in the future – Jerusalem tomorrow. Examples of prophetic names are: “the City of the King” (Ps 48.2), “the City of Righteousness” (Isa 1.26), “the Holy City” (Isa 52.1), “the Throne of the LORD” (Jer 3.17), “the LORD is there” (Ezek 48.35), “the City of Truth” (Zech 8.3). Although Christ walked there 2,000 years ago, He did not come as a “King” with a “throne” – these prophetic names have yet to be realized.

So today, Jerusalem bears only a glimmer of the glory of the city in a future dispensation of time. When we look at Jerusalem in prophecy, we see a more glorious and literal Jerusalem on the Earth. This is during the so-called Millennial Age lasting 1,000 years. Prophecy describes a time when the whole world lives in peace and security as Christ rules as King from Zion (Jerusalem) – a time when the world at last acknowledges Israel as God’s servant and witness (Zech 8.22,23, 14.9-21).

And the Lord will be King over all the earth … the (world) government will rest on His shoulders
(Zech 14.9, Isa 9.6)
For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He will judge between nations
(Isa 2.3,4)

Kings are reverenced and respected, and at this time the whole world recognises the call to worship the LORD at Jerusalem:

Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths
(Zech 14.16)
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will worship before You
(Psalm 22.27)

But prophecy also reveals that, in time, this glorious scenario on earth is replaced by the perfect city of the future – the symbolic New Jerusalem embracing the New Earth. So there are really two future Jerusalems seen in prophecy, one literal and one symbolic!

It will Happen Soon

Today we see prophecy being fulfilled as God prepares Israel for such a glorious age on this earth. The nation of Israel is already restored and God’s people are being drawn back from the nations – the ascent to Jerusalem or ‘aliyah’ has been underway for over 100 years. As prophesied, the land of Israel is starting to blossom (Ezek 36.8), the nations rage over Jerusalem, and there are advanced plans for a restored Temple in Jerusalem, link, link. Today, the temple mount in Jerusalem is one of the most holy and important places on the planet since it marks the place where Abraham sealed the covenant with YHVH-God. Will Christ rule the Earth from there? See Rebuilding the Temple.

GO DEEPER

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