Looking Toward Jerusalem
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for from Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem”. Is 2:3
Thousands of years ago G-d promised His family a land. In that land they would build Him a temple , there He would dwell in their midst. It was part of the eternal covenant that HaShem made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For Israel, this land is forever linked to their existence and to their worship of Elohim.
After the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 A.D, G-d’s people declared :
"If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember you, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy." Psalm137:5-6
Seperating the Jew from Israel would be as impossible as seperating him from Sabbath. Love for this covenant land has been at the heart of their faith generation after generation. Even as G-d’s people were scattered across the globe and hounded by the agents of satan, the dream of returning to Jerusalem was a burning hope within them. No Catholic Inquisition, no Nazi concentration camp could remove from their hearts this hope. Why? What caused such an illusive promise to be held so tightly? Why such a passion for a piece of land? The answer, is in the scriptures.
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for from Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall decide for many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of the Lord."
Isaiah 2:2-5
"Awake, awake; put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; from now on there shall no more come to you the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake yourself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem; loose yourself from the bands of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus says the Lord, You have sold yourselves for nothing; and you shall be redeemed without money. ... How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace; who brings good news of good, who announces salvation; who says to Zion, Your God reigns! The voice of your watchmen is heard; together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord returns to Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." Isaiah 52:1-3,7-10
"Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you who love her; rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her; That you may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that you may drink deeply, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus says the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like a flowing stream; then shall you suck, you shall be carried upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem“. Is 66:10-13
For more than mere boundaries and landmarks, Jerusalem is the place of promise, it is the place of their future.
In The Last Days
The prophecies have declared that in the last days, the L-RD will set His family , once again, in their land, and there they will have shalom. It is to Jerusalem , that Messiah will come and establish His kingdom. This is the City of G-d. The hope to return here, to build again the temple of the Most High, this is the driving dream that enabled the people of G-d to defeat the forces that sought to destroy them.
However, there are forces that would seek to destroy G-d's covenant people, while claiming Jeruslem for themselves. G-d warned of such a time through the prophet Isaiah. He also spoke through the prophet Daniel, warning of an agreement in the last days, that would appear at first to be a blessing, but would in reality be a covenant with death. Yet G-d declared that the agreement would not stand and neither would those behind it.
“He said "Because you have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hidden ourselves;" Isaiah 28:15
" And your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then you shall be trampled down by it." Isaiah 28:18
This evil covenant will be a pact with the anti-messiah. It would initiate the final events of the last days prior to the Day of L-rd. Though many believed the Oslo Accords were this covenant, I think that it was simply a forerunner. Time , right now, is running out. Hostile forces are seeking the destruction of Israel. The ground is being made ripe for conflict and in turn a messiah. Soon the situation will be desperate for “salvation”.
The People Of G-d Respond
“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall have be in the seige both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem 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”.
Zech 12:2-3
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation , spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judea flee ... for then shall be great tribulation”. Matt 24:15-16, 21
Believers, we must watch, prayerfully, as events unfold concerning Jerusalem. This is the City of G-d. When Messiah returns, it will be to reign from this place.
"And it shall come to pass, that as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, but let your hands be strong. For thus says the Lord of hosts: As I intended to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, says the Lord of hosts, and I did not relent; So do I intend in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear." Zechariah 8:13-15
"And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for from Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall decide for many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of the Lord."
Isaiah 2:3-5
"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that every new moon, and every sabbath, shall all flesh come to worship before me, says the Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men who have transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die, nor shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be a loathing to all flesh." Isaiah 66:22-24
"Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts; I was zealous for Zion with great zeal, and I was zealous for her with great fury. Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the Holy Mountain“. Zech 8:1-3
We must keep our eyes on Messiah. He has promised to return and He will. HaShem has not left us ignorant concerning the last days. We do not sit in darkness, we walk in the light of His Word. Yeshua told us to be prepared, to be ready. With our hearts established in His promises, our ears open to the prophets words concerning the end times and our mouths filled with His praise. With this in mind brethren, I encourage you as well as myself .....
Pray for Jerusalem. Pray for the household of faith. Pray for the body of Messiah.