The Prophetic Significance of Jerusalem

Why is Jerusalem so important in the Bible, and why does it still dominate headlines today?

No other city claims to be where God dwells. Psalm 132:13-14 tells us,

For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: “This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”

Jerusalem is the site of the Temple—planned by David, built by Solomon, rebuilt by Zerubbabel, and expanded by Herod.

Luke 21:6 records that as people admired the Temple, Jesus prophesied,

“Not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.”

This was fulfilled when Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., and later when Hadrian plowed the Temple Mount and renamed the region Palaestina in an effort to erase all memory of Israel.

Today, only the Western Wall remains—a retaining wall of the Temple Mount, the foundation upon which the great Temple once stood.

Jesus continued in verse 24,

“They will … be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

The times of the Gentiles have now been fulfilled. God promised in Jeremiah 31:35-36 that as long as there is a sun and moon, the Jews will be a people. Over the centuries, they have suffered unimaginably, yet they have endured.

As Ezekiel 37:13-14 says:

“Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land.’”

Today, the Jews have returned to Israel from all over the world to live in their own land, with Jerusalem as their undivided capital.

These are days of comfort for Israel. As Isaiah 40:2 says,

“Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her.”

Yet God warns in Zechariah 12:3:

“And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.”

The Battle of Armageddon is the battle for Jerusalem. Already, the nations of the world are gathering against Israel. Now more than ever, we must heed the command of Psalm 122:6:

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

We can also join in declaring Psalm 126:1-2 to the world:

When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion,…they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

God bless you.

Scripture is quoted from the NKJV.