Jerusalem - God’s Chosen City

 

Introduction

 

1. There is no better place to see Old City Jerusalem and the City of David than from the Mount of Olives.

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2. Jerusalem has been the center of God's dwelling place on earth throughout the Old Testament, and will be the center of His dwelling place during the Millennial Reign of Christ on earth after the Tribulation Period.

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• Psalm 122:6: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you!

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• Psalm 132:13-14: For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: 14 “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

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3. Jerusalem is mentioned 791 times, and Salem 4 times in the Bible. It's the most mentioned place in the Bible.

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4. Understanding its history is paramount to understanding the Bible.

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5. We're going to soak in the view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives and learn all about it and the City of David.

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Location

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1. Jerusalem is in the central part of Israel, about 33 miles (53 km) east of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Sea.

 

2. It’s situated at an altitude of 2,600 ft. (800 m) above sea level and is one of the highest cities in Israel.

 

3. It’s located on a mountain that is well protected. For this reason, it was hard for enemy forces to capture.

 

4. Jerusalem rests primarily upon bedrock, so everything was well preserved.

 

5. The Temple Mount is where the original temple Solomon built, and is where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah.

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Historical Background

 

1. Jerusalem means “City of Peace.”

 

2. It’s mentioned over 500 times in the Bible.

 

3. It’s first mentioned as the city in which King Melchizedek, King of Salem (Jerusalem) lived (Gen. 14:17). Melchizedek was a figure of Christ as he had neither beginning of days or end of life.
Hebrews 7:1: For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.

 

4. Jerusalem is the special dwelling place of God on this earth.
Psalms 76:2: His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.
Psalm 135:21: Praise be to the LORD from Zion, to him who dwells in Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.

 

5. It was in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, that Abraham was to offer Isaac, his firstborn son, to God, on the very place the temple would later be built.
Genesis 22:2: Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

 

6. Jerusalem was partially conquered by the Israelites when they entered the Promised Land.

 

7. Jerusalem was then later fully conquered by King David.

 

8. King David purchased the original Temple Mount in Jerusalem from Araunah when it was just a threshing floor. He purchased it to build an altar to the Lord.

 

9. Afterward, King David set up his throne in Jerusalem, and it became the ruling center of Israel from then on.

 

10. King Solomon then built the Temple in 960 BC on the exact location where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac. This exact location was also the very threshing floor that King David had purchased.
2 Chronicles 3:1: Then Solomon began to build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father, David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David.

 

11. And at the dedication of the temple Solomon built, the temple was so filled with the glory of God that the priest had to withdraw and suspend their dedication service.
1 Kings 8:10–11: When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.

 

12. Jerusalem became the center of worship in Israel.

 

13. The kings of Israel reigned from Jerusalem.

 

14. The prophets of Israel spoke and ministered in Jerusalem.

 

15. Unfortunately, the first temple built by Solomon was destroyed in 586 BC by Babylon because of God’s judgment on Israel for their disobedience to Him.

 

16. The altar and foundation of the second temple were built by Zerubbabel in 535 BC.

 

17. The construction of the second temple was completed in 515 BC.
Ezra 6:3: In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid.

 

18. Nehemiah then arrived to rebuild the city and walls of Jerusalem in 445 BC.
Nehemiah 2:17: Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.

 

19. The Temple Mount Platform was enlarged by the Hasmoneans around 140 BC and then later enlarged tremendously by King Herod in 19 BC.

 

20. On top of the Temple Mount Platform (and over the existing second temple, which was later removed), a new massive temple was built by King Herod in 19 BC and was made more beautiful than any before it.

 

21. It was at this temple built by Herod that Christ and the disciples would minister.

 

22. Jesus was circumcised at the temple in Jerusalem after being born in Bethlehem.

 

23. Magi from the east came to visit Jerusalem to witness the birth of Jesus, the Messiah King.
Matthew 2:1: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem.

 

24. Scripture records that Jesus appeared in Jerusalem at the age of 12, and His parents visited there regularly.

 

25. The temple in Jerusalem is the place where Christ was tempted by the Devil to throw Himself down headlong.

 

26. Christ visited and ministered in Jerusalem at least 10 times during His ministry years.

 

27. Christ died on the Cross in Jerusalem.
Matthew 16:21: From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

 

28. Christ ascended to heaven in Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.

 

29. Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit happened in Jerusalem.

 

30. The Early Church was born in Jerusalem.
Acts 2:1, 5–6, 41: When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

 

31. The Apostle Paul grew up in Jerusalem under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He probably sat at the Southern Stairs (Rabbi’s Stairs) learning from Gamaliel.

 

32. Stephen was martyred in Jerusalem as recounted in Acts 7.

 

33. Unfortunately, Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans as a result of Christ’s judgment on it for the Jews’ rejection of Him as their Messiah.

 

34. It was destroyed again in 132 AD in the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Later, Hadrian rebuilt and renamed it Aelia Capitolina.

 

35. It was later conquered by Muslims in 636 AD.

 

36. In 691 AD, the Dome of the Rock was built where the temple once stood.

 

37. Jerusalem was captured by the Crusaders in 1099 AD.

 

38. It was recaptured by the Muslims in 1187 AD.

 

39. It was ruled by the Mamluks in 1291 AD.

 

40. It was ruled by the Ottomans in 1516 AD.

 

41. Most of the walls and gates of Jerusalem that exist today were built around 1537 AD.  

 

42. The nation of Israel was supernaturally re-gathered after almost 2,000 years of being scattered and became a nation again in 1948.

 

43. Christ will return to Jerusalem in power and great glory on the Mount of Olives at the end of the Great Tribulation Period.

 

44. The final judgment at the end of the Great Tribulation takes place in Jerusalem in the Kidron Valley.

 

45. Christ will reign for 1,000 years from Jerusalem after the Great Tribulation Period.

 

46. There will be a New Jerusalem that will be the center of the new heavens and new earth for eternity. 

 

Places of Interest

 

1. Temple Mount
2. Western Wall
3. Southern Stairs
4. Church of the Holy Sepulchre
5. Kidron Valley
6. Garden of Gethsemane
7. Triumphal Entry
8. Mount of Olives
9. City of David

10. Gihon Spring

11. Pool of Siloam

12. Pools of Bethesda

13. House of Caiaphas

14. Upper Room

 

Faith Lesson from Jerusalem

 

1. Jerusalem has played a key role as the center of God’s dwelling place and ministry on this earth.

 

2. It will be the place Christ returns to in power and great glory at the end of the Great Tribulation Period. Believers will return with Him at this event. Will you come with Him in glory, or be judged by Him when He comes?

 

3. Christ will reign in Jerusalem over all the earth during the Millennial Reign. Will you be among those who reign with Him?

 

4. There will be a New Jerusalem created by God, which will be His new eternal dwelling place on the new earth. Those who are followers of Christ will have the privilege of living in or visiting this new city forever. Are you saved, and will you be in heaven where the New Jerusalem will be?