The Divergence of Ideas on the Question of Jerusalem

The question often asked is why is there controversy over Jerusalem? Jerusalem is described as a city built compact together, where the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord. To the Testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord, for thrones are set there for judgement, the thrones of the house of David (Psalm 122: 3-5). By its very name Jerusalem is meant to be a city of peace though it will also be a place from which justice is administered. "To Christians and Moslems, Jerusalem is a place where extremely important things happened, long ago. To them, therefore, it is an object of pilgrimage. To Jews, on the other hand, it is the living centre of their faith or, if they have no faith, of their identity as a people. To them, it is a place to be possessed, today and forever. There is no essential incompatibility between these differing needs. Jewish political possession of Jerusalem and absolute freedom of access to it by Christians and Moslems – these have always been twin declared principles of the State of Israel" (The London Daily Telegraph of June 25, 1967).

Another question is how many countries can share in this city? The greatest difficulty facing Israelis in the 21st Century is the fact many of them want peace so badly that they have convinced themselves that their beloved city can be parted into small segments and that that partition will usher in the much talked about - elusive - peace. The Israelis have been on a quest for peace for six decades. Once the Jewish State was proclaimed, the enemies around about Israel have engaged this Sovereign nation in a battle over what is rightfully theirs. Never mind the historical account that Israel’s second King, David’s reign in Jerusalem lasted for 33 years (see 1 Chronicles 3:4). Under David, Jerusalem was a unified city designated for the praise of the King of kings, the Lord God Almighty… no other gods. There was no room for compromises. Jerusalem was at that time the capital of one State and it remained that way for centuries.

However, we live in an era of compromises. Consequently, the planned Middle East Peace Conference scheduled in November in the United States is designed to accomplish just that; compromises. Compromises where the United Nations have failed… ETGAR LEFKOVITS, in an article in The Jerusalem Post dated October 8, 2007 notes that a Minister in the Palestinian Authority demands that any solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will require the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in all of east Jerusalem, Palestinian Authority Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Adnan Husseini told The Jerusalem Post Monday. Furthermore, "The outline for Jerusalem is very clear," Husseini said. "East Jerusalem is for the Palestinians and west Jerusalem is for the Israelis." (Jerusalem Post, www.jpost.com, October 8, 2007).

The difference in opinion is so deep rooted that dividing up the city into many “halves” would not bring peace. There is enough evidence in the Scriptures to support this view. From the very beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens (Genesis 2:4). And the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). And so from creation there is a serpent always seeking to challenge the Word and authority of God. Hence the conflict! However, God said in 2 Chronicles 6:6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there, and I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.' 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 [Hebrew Ornan, a variant of Araunah ] the Jebusite, the place provided by David (2 Chronicles 3:1; www.bible.com). Today we have another temple on Mount Moriah. We have another people making claims to the city of God. Do you think that this is a coincidence? It is the serpent, the same one that deceived Eve, still on a rampage today deceiving billions into believing that the State of Israel has no right to exist and that the city, though small belong to three or possible more religions. When in fact it’s the city of God!

Now you might be asking the question, who is the serpent? He is that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world… (Revelation 12:9). Yes, it’s the devil who is seeking to undo all that God has done and that is why in the future there will be the ultimate battle between an angel of the Lord and the devil. John in Revelation 20: 1 & 2 notes that he saw an angel (note it just took one angel)coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

Beware, so that you would not be deceived by the old serpent. Jerusalem is the city of the Jewish State. The whole city, that means east and west, north and south the entire Jerusalem, because God says so. This God is the God who said of Himself, He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

Cherub A. Nicholls
Monday October 8, 2007

References:
www.jpost.com
www.bible.com
The London Daily Telegraph of June 25, 1967
John C. Hagee, General Editor, Prophecy Study Bible, New King James Version (NKJV), (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997);
• Psalm 122: 3-5
• 1 Chronicles 3:4
• Genesis 1:1
• Genesis 2:4
• Genesis 3:4
• 2 Chronicles 6:6
• Revelation 12:9
• Revelation 20: 1 & 2