Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all
the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and
against Jerusalem. 3And
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 — Zechariah 12:2-3
In the first two parts, we covered the history of
Jerusalem from its earliest days 4,000 years ago until the year 2000 AD. David
3000 years ago captured Jerusalem and made it his royal city and God’s holy
city. The ark of the covenant and eventually Solomon’s temple resided here. A
1,000 years later Jesus of Nazareth, son of David, was enthusiastically
received by the city on His triumphal entry. Yet within a week He had been
betrayed, rejected, and crucified. Victoriously, Jerusalem was the site of the
resurrection and ascension of Jesus. It was here that the Christian Church was
born and from its walls the gospel of Christ spread throughout the world.
Since the destruction of the city by Rome in AD 70,
Jerusalem had a series of foreign rulers (Roman, Byzantine, Persian, Arab,
Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk, Ottoman, British and Jordanian). Then in June 1967,
with Israel’s conquest of the Old City, Jerusalem returned to Jewish
sovereignty for the first time in 1,900 years. Yet Israel annexation of the
city did nothing to stop of dispute over Jerusalem’s ownership. This is called ‘The
Jerusalem Question’ and we looked at it in Part 03. Once Jerusalem was put on
the negotiating table in the year 2000 Camp David negotiations, it could not be
taken off.
Cup of Trembling & Burdensome Stone
Zechariah prophesied that in the last days Jerusalem
would become a ‘cup of trembling’ for the neighbouring nations
(Zechariah 12:2). Anyone who drinks from this cup becomes senseless. There’s
more: Verse 3 says Jerusalem will be a ‘burdensome stone’ for all people.
Anyone who burdens themselves with it will be cut into pieces, despite the fact
that all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. The
implication is that those who meddle with Jerusalem are inviting injury and
defeat.
Why does Jerusalem attract an inordinate amount of
international attention? The reasons are not political but theological and
spiritual. Jerusalem is not merely ‘David’s city;’ Jerusalem is the city where
Almighty God Himself has placed His name (I Kings 11:36; II Kings 21:4, 7;
23:27; II Chronicles 6:6; 33:4, 7). Furthermore, the promise of the
Davidic Covenant, that David would have a son and heir to sit on his throne
forever, is also stirring up the nations (Psalm 2:1). David’s throne is in
Jerusalem. This link to the Son of David and throne of David is why Jerusalem
is called ‘City of the Great King’ (Psalm 48:2; Matthew 5:35). Revelation 21-22
describe the New Jerusalem as our eternal home. No wonder the forces of
darkness are working overtime to thwart Jerusalem’s divine destiny. They will
fail, of course, but that doesn’t stop them trying.
Will the issue of Jerusalem and its ownership morph
from mere international concern to international conflict? Will the nations
of the world actually go to war against Jerusalem?
The Scorecard
Consider the following:
1. UN Resolutions: Jerusalem has been the
subject of 57 resolutions from 1947 to 2006;
2. Foreign Embassies in Tel Aviv: All
countries who have diplomatic relations with Israel refuse to accord de jure
recognition of Jerusalem as capital to the Jewish state. Foreign embassies are
located in Tel Aviv, 64 kilometres (40 miles) away;
3. ‘Jerusalem is Not Negotiable:’ After
Israel captured and annexed the Old City in June 1967, it declared ‘Jerusalem
Is Not Negotiable,’ meaning it would remain a united city under Israeli
sovereignty and this would not be up for discussion in peace negotiations. This
position lasted until 2000 when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered
Palestine Authority President Yasser Arafat most of the West Bank and part of
Jerusalem for a future Palestinian state. Though Arafat rejected Barak’s offer,
the ‘genie’ of a negotiable, divisible Jerusalem never returned to the bottle -
it has remained on the table ever since;
4. The Prime Minister of Israel: The
PM, who is based in Jerusalem, is the most visited political in the world after
the President of the United States;
5. UNESCO Resolution October 2016:
It refused to recognise the importance of the Western Wall and Temple Mount,
known to the Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, to the Jewish people. It is
as if the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque were the only shrines to ever
exist there. Note: UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova and UN General
Secretary Antonio Guterres did make conciliatory remarks to Israel; the latter
affirming there was a Jewish temple on the mount. Both the United States and
Israel have withdrawn from UNESCO because of this perceived bias;
6. UN Resolution 2334 December 23, 2016:
Led by New Zealand, Senegal, and Malaysia, the Security Council passed this
resolution saying all territory not in Israel’s hands on 4 June 1967 (the day
before the outbreak of the Six Day War), including the Old City, is ‘occupied
Palestinian territory.’ That includes the Western Wall, Jewish Quarter, and
Mount of Olives Jewish cemetery. The Obama Administration abstained.
7. Famous funerals: When former Israeli
President Shimon Peres died in 2016, 70 nations were represented at his
funeral. The same with the funeral of slain PM Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.
8. Paris Peace Conference January 2017:
70 countries came to discuss the fate of Israel, Palestine, and Jerusalem - 70
countries!
Yes, the world cares about Jerusalem and one day it
will turn to conflict.
What’s All the Fuss?
Despite the furious opposition of the nations, the
status of the holy city will be determined from heaven. According to Zechariah
14:3-4, the nations will fail and the Messiah’s feet will stand on the Mount of
Olives. When that happens, it means ‘game over.’ The kingdoms of this world
will become the kingdom of His Lord and Christ (Revelation 11:15). Jerusalem
will be His capital.
This is a day worth looking forward to.
Zechariah’s scenario is quickly coming into focus.
That is why people of faith are called to ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem’
(Psalm 122:6).
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