Jerusalem – when He comes
... the joy of the whole earth... Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.
~ Psalms 48:1-2
Christians do well to pay attention to what is happening in Jerusalem, not because it is a shrine and not because it is more important than the New Jerusalem that is to come. Jerusalem is a time-clock for events of the last days.
Here are four reasons for Christians to watch events in Jerusalem:
- Jesus is coming again
Jesus ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives, on the east side of Jerusalem, and Jesus is coming again to the same place. [Acts 1:9-12 and Zechariah 14:4-5]
Acts 1:9-12
After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.
×Zechariah 14:4-5
On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.
You will flee by My mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.
×Jesus is not coming to London, New York or Rome. Jesus will return to Jerusalem in glory.
His coming, this time, will not be difficult to discern. It will be sudden and, for many, unexpected. [Matthew 24:44; Mark 13:36]
Matthew 24:44
“So you also must be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”
Mark 13:36
If He comes suddenly do not let Him find you sleeping.
×Jesus’ return will not be in secret. [1 Thessalonians 4:16-17]
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
×It is a good reason to keep an eye on events in Jerusalem. Jesus said: Watch! [Matthew 24:42].
- The final battle will centre on Jerusalem
This is not pleasant to contemplate, but it is what the Bible says.
It would seem, from these verses, that it is at this climax that Jesus will return. The Bible also says that He could come at any time, like a thief in the night, so we must be careful not to be conclusive on this question.
The time of this battle at Jerusalem is when Israel is being regathered and restored. That is clear from the first verse of Joel chapter 3. Those days have begun.
The reason for the battle is given in verse two above. It is because the nations have divided up God’s land. That is happening now. Governments are pressuring Israel to make peace by trading off parcels of the Promised Land.
The Valley of Jehoshaphat is the Kidron Valley, which lies between Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives. The valley runs down to the Dead Sea.
- God has promised salvation for the remnant of Israel
The final number will turn to God in Christ, in the land of Israel.
- God is faithful
God will prove Himself faithful with final events in Jerusalem.
If God would forsake the Jews, after making unconditional promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants, then how could Christians, with their faith in the Jewish Messiah, have confidence in Him to complete what He began in their lives?
But, because God is trustworthy, because He will not give up on Israel even though they have resisted Him, we have assurance for our salvation.
What should Christians do?
- Pray for the peace of Jerusalem
Christians are called to involve themselves in the spiritual battle for Jerusalem.
- Proclaim the regathering of the exiles
It is for His glory that God is doing what He is doing in Israel today. He wants this broadcast so that people will know that He is at work, so that He will be praised.
- Proclaim the gospel to the Jewish people
Israel has been blinded for too long, in part by the traditions and religiosity of much that has passed for Christianity.
They, like the sons of Ishmael, need to hear the good news.
Romans chapter eleven promises spiritual blessings for all the world when the Jews turn to God in the Messiah.
- Be ready to meet the King
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