Jerusalem - The City of God

The city of Jerusalem today is the central point of the whole world. People’s eyes everywhere are concentrated on this city. What is the real reason for the popularity of the city and why is there so much attention?

The only answer we have is from the Bible. Jerusalem is one of the most ancient cities in the world and its greatest significance is that the city is the property of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  The Bible teaches us that Yeshua is going to rule the world from the city of Jerusalem and that His throne will be established there.

I want to bring to your attention the Biblical truth about Jerusalem and its future. I’m going to start with Genesis 12. Abram was called by God to leave his household and his own country, (which in modern days we believe is Iraq) and go to the land God was showing him to be situated. The reason was that God was getting Abram to be involved in His plan of redemption that involves the land, Israel and our Messiah Jesus.

Abram had to travel hundreds of miles on foot just to get to the Promised Land. When he got there, the LORD showed him the land from the east to the west, the north from to south and said that this is the land that He is going to give to his ancestors to begin His plan.

The interesting point is that in chapter 14 of the book of Genesis the Bible for the first time describes to us Abram’s identity or we may say nationality. In verse 13 it says, "One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram." Obviously there were other nations that were living in the land at that time. Yet God chose Abram the Hebrew to posses that land and to claim the land to be his own.

In verse 18-20 there is another significant moment which confirmed the plan of God concerning the land and the city of Jerusalem. The Bible says, “18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.  20 And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”  Here we must pay careful attention to what the Bible says. Notice that Melchizedek was the king of Salem which is Jerusalem today, Jeru-salem (city of peace) His very name means the king of righteousness. And he didn’t come to meet anyone but Abram.  His visitation was to confirm to Abram that one day the city of Jerusalem will belong to Abrams people. According to the Bible, King Melchizedek had a very interesting genealogy that fit only to one person – Yeshua, Jesus.

Let me bring you seven points to show that Melchizedek was a type of Yeshua:

1. The Genealogy: Melchizedek- Hebrews 7:3. Yeshua -  Micah 5:2
2. Sacrifice: Melchizedek - Genesis 14:18. Yeshua - Luke 22:14-30.
3. Endless Priesthood: Melchizedek - Hebrews 5:10, Hebrews 7:3.
   Yeshua: Psalm 110 and Hebrews 6:20
4. KING – PRIEST: Melchizedek – Hebrews 7:1. Yeshua – Zachariah 6:12-1
5. Greater than Abraham: Melchizedek – Hebrews 7:4-8. Yeshua – John 8:55-58
6. King of Righteousness: Melchizedek - Hebrews 7:2. Yeshua – Hebrews 1:8
7. King of Peace: Melchizedek  - Genesis 14:18. Yeshua – Isaiah 9:6

Yeshua is the Jewish Messiah and the Savior of the world. The connection here is so incredible! When you put all the information together from Genesis to Revelation, you see one and one thing only, that God has chosen the land which we call Israel with its capital city which is Jerusalem to be His own. The second point of that information is that He has chosen the Jewish people, the Hebrews, to inherit that land and to keep the land until the Second coming of the Messiah. Moreover, the time is coming when Jesus our Messiah will rule the earth from the city of Jerusalem where everyone, Jews and Gentiles will be welcome to live there under His Lordship and only!

In the book of Zachariah 14: 20-21 it says,

“On that day HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the LORD's house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD Almighty.”

As you can see these verses are about Jerusalem and Jesus reigning there in the end times.

So my dear friend as the Bible says is Psalm 122, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem for they that love you shall prosper.“  Jerusalem is the city of God and that is where His people will await Jesus’ return!

By: Rabbi Gennady Livshits