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Hasten The Day!
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. [See Table of Contents for all End-Time Prophecies covered here, best viewed on a big screen]
Prophecies Fulfilled in OUR Generation (last 100 years)
REOCCUPATION OF JERUSALEM (June 6, 1967)
The 6-day war of 1967 was nothing short of another miracle. In her 1948 war for independence, Israel held her enemies at bay for months and survived. In 1967, she defeated enemies on all sides in a mere 6 days. Like David and Goliath, Israel – a tiny country, the size of New Jersey – beat a group of much larger foes.
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In the early 1960s, the President of Egypt decided to establish his nation as the leader of the Arab world. Part of that strategy was the demonization of Israel. After several years of gaining Arab support, he announced:
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The armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon are poised on the borders of Israel… while standing behind us are the armies of Iraq, Algeria, Kuwait, Sudan and the whole Arab nation… the critical hour has arrived. We have reached the stage of serious action and not declarations.
The Israeli leaders decided it would be suicidal to wait for the attack, and so, on June 5, the Prime Minister gave the order to launch a preemptive attack on Egypt. The entire Israeli Air Force, except 12 planes assigned to defend Israel’s air space, took off in the early morning, and in less than two hours they destroyed over 300 Egyptian aircraft sitting on the ground. A few hours later, they destroyed all the Jordanian air force and half of Syria’s on the ground.
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These overwhelmingly successful surprise attacks guaranteed an Israeli victory before the ground war could get started. After just six days of fighting, the Israeli forces on the ground had captured the Sinai, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and the Golan Heights. Most importantly, they were able to conquer the Old City of Jerusalem and regain control of the sacred Temple Mount. It was clear that God was with her.
There is no other city on the face of the earth as important as Jerusalem. What other city can claim to the “city of God” or “the city of the Great King?” It is mentioned in Scripture more than any other city – about 800 times!
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660 verses in 2/3 of the OT books
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142 verses in almost ½ of the NT books
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2 Chronicles 6:6 Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there.
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Ps 132:13 For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place:
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Ps 48:8 In the city of the Lord of hosts, In the city of our God: God will establish it forever
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Is 60:14 …And they shall call you The City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
God loves Jerusalem and He intends to dwell in it eternally.
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Jerusalem is where the Son of God shed his precious blood
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It is where Jesus ascended into heaven
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It is where Jesus will return to be crowned king of kings
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It is the city from which Jesus will reign over all the nations of the world
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It will be the scene of history's last battle when Satan rallies the nations at the end of the millennium and leads them in revolt against the Lord
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And finally, Jerusalem is where God himself will come to reside eternally with the redeemed
It is no wonder Jerusalem has always been such an important topic in Bible prophecy! Do not be misled by current events – Jerusalem belongs to the Lord and His people! And Jesus said that the Jewish re-occupation of Jerusalem would be one of the surest signs of his imminent return. From 70 AD until this 6 day Arab-Israeli War, Jerusalem had been under Gentile control. Now it is back in control of the Jews.
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Lk 21:24 … And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
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Ez 39:23 The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. 24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them.” ’ 25 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name …29 And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord God.”
​Exodus 15:17-18 – The Song of Moses
Ex 15:17 You will bring them in and plant them In the mountain of Your inheritance,
In the place, O Lord, which You have made For Your own dwelling,
The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.
18 “The Lord shall reign forever and ever.”
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2 Chronicles 6:3-6 – Solomon’s Speech upon Completion of the Work
2Ch 6:3 Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 4 And he said: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His hands what He spoke with His mouth to my father David, saying, 5 ‘Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a ruler over My people Israel. 6 Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’
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Zechariah 3:1-2 – Vision of the High Priest
Zec 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
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Zechariah 12:6 – The Coming Deliverance of Judah
Zec 12:6 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem.
Joel 3:1-3 – God Judges the Nations
Joel 3:1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.
3 They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot,
And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.
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Zechariah 14:1-11 The Day of the Lord
Zec 14:1 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
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10 All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.
11 The people shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction, But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
Micah 4:7-8 – Zion’s Future Triumph
Mic 4:7 I will make the lame a remnant, And the outcast a strong nation;
So the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever.
8 And you, O tower of the flock, The stronghold of the daughter of Zion,
To you shall it come, Even the former dominion shall come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”
Psalm 132:13-16 – The Eternal Dwelling of God in Zion
Ps 132:13 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.
15 I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation, And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
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Zechariah 2:10-13 – Future Joy of Zion and Many Nations
Zec 2:10 “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. 11 “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. 12 And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. 13 Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”
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Zechariah 8:2-8 – Jerusalem, Holy City of the Future
Zec 8:2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor I am zealous for her.’
3 “Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’
4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem,
Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age.
5 The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls Playing in its streets.’
6 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days,
Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’ Says the Lord of hosts.
7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east And from the land of the west;
8 I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.’
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Psalm 68:15-16 – The Glory of God in His Goodness to Israel
Ps 68:15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
16 Why do you fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks?
This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in; Yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever.
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Psalm 48:1-8 – The Glory of God in Zion
Ps 48:1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain.
2 Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.
3 God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.
4 For behold, the kings assembled, They passed by together.
5 They saw it, and so they marveled; They were troubled, they hastened away.
6 Fear took hold of them there, And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs,
7 As when You break the ships of Tarshish With an east wind.
8 As we have heard, So we have seen In the city of the Lord of hosts, In the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah
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Psalm 87:1-3 – The Glories of the City of God
Ps 87:1 His foundation is in the holy mountains.
2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion More than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! Selah
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Psalm 102:12-16 – The Lord’s Eternal Love
Ps 102:12 But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
13 You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come.
14 For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, And show favor to her dust.
15 So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord, And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For the Lord shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory.
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Psalm 126:1-3 – A Joyful Return to Zion
Ps 126:1 When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us, And we are glad.
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Isaiah 52:1-10 – God Redeems Jerusalem
Is 52:1 Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion;
Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city!
For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you.
2 Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem!
Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!
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8 Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together;
For they shall see eye to eye When the Lord brings back Zion.
9 Break forth into joy, sing together, You waste places of Jerusalem!
For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 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.
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Isaiah 60:14 – The Gentiles Bless Zion
Is 60:14 …And they shall call you The City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
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Ezekiel 5:5 – A Sword Against Jerusalem
Ez 5:5 “Thus says the Lord God: ‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her.
Ezekiel 20:40-42 – God Will Restore Israel
Ez 20:40 For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord God, “there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things. 41 I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles. 42 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers.
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Jeremiah 30:18 – Restoration of Israel and Judah
Jer 30:18 “Thus says the Lord:
‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents, And have mercy on his dwelling places;
The city shall be built upon its own mound, And the palace shall remain according to its own plan.
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Daniel 9:27 – The Seventy-Weeks Prophecy
Dan 9:27 Then he [Antichrist] shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”
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Indicates that Israel will have a temple in Jerusalem where they are making sacrifices and offerings.
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Matthew 24:15-16 – The Great Tribulation
Mt 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
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Indicates that Israel will have a temple in Jerusalem
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Luke 21:24 – The Destruction of Jerusalem
Lk 21:24 … And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Jerusalem in History and Prophecy
A Background Study By Dr. David R. Reagan
https://christinprophecy.org/articles/jerusalem-3000/
On September 25th of 1995, a very special Jewish new year began. It was the year designated by the government of Israel as the 3,000th anniversary of the conquest of the city of Jerusalem by King David.
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The City’s Significance
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There is no other city on the face of the earth as important as the city of Jerusalem. All the other great cities of the earth — New York, London, Moscow, Paris, and even Rome — pale by comparison. What other city can claim to be “the city of God” or “the city of the Great King”? (Psalm 48).
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God loves Jerusalem, and He intends to dwell in it eternally. Psalm 68:16 says that God has desired the mountain of Zion “for His abode” and that He intends to “dwell there forever.” Psalm 132:13-14 contains a similar promise: “The Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. ‘This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.'”
When you read these kinds of statements, you can understand why Jerusalem is identified in Ezekiel 5:5 as “the center of the nations” and in Ezekiel 38:12 as “the center of the world.”
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Jerusalem is where the Son of God shed His precious blood. It is where Jesus ascended into Heaven. It is where Jesus will return to be crowned King of Kings. It is the city from which Jesus will reign over all the nations of the world.
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And Jerusalem will be the scene of history’s last battle when Satan rallies the nations at the end of the Millennium and leads them in revolt against the Lord. Finally, Jerusalem is where God Himself will come to reside eternally with the Redeemed.
It is no wonder that Jerusalem has always been an important topic of Bible prophecy.
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The City in History
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But before we look at Jerusalem in prophecy, let’s briefly remind ourselves of its history.
The first mention of Jerusalem in the Bible is probably found in Genesis 14:18 where we are told that Abraham paid tithes to the King of Salem, Melchizedek. (This was about 2,000 years before the time of Jesus.) Although we cannot know for certain that this is a reference to Jerusalem, it seems likely because Abraham was in that geographical area, and the city’s name, Salem, is the root word of the city’s later name, Jerusalem.
Later, we are told that Abraham went to Mt. Moriah, just north of ancient Jerusalem, to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:2). That mountain was later incorporated into the city of Jerusalem during the time of Solomon, becoming the Temple Mount.
The first mention of the city by the name of Jerusalem is found in Joshua 10:1 where we are told that the city’s king, Adonai-zedek, led a coalition of kings against Joshua and was defeated in the famous battle in the Valley of Ayalon when the sun stood still. However, the city of Jerusalem must not have been taken at this time by the Israelites because after the death of Joshua, we are told in Judges 1:8 that “the sons of Judah” captured the city, “struck it with the edge of the sword, and set it on fire.”
But the Jebusites must have reclaimed it because it is later referred to in Judges 19:10 as the city of Jebus. And it was still in Jebusite hands two centuries later when David conquered it and made it the capital of the Jewish nation.
The story of the city’s capture by David and his forces is recorded in 2 Samuel 5 and 1 Chronicles 11. According to these passages, David reigned from Hebron for seven years while he served as king of Judah. But after he was crowned the king of both Judah and Israel, he decided to move his headquarters northward to a more central location.
The city he selected was Jebus, which was also known as “the stronghold of Zion” (2 Samuel 5:7). After he conquered it, the name was changed to Jerusalem, but it was often referred to as “the city of David” (2 Samuel 5:9). This occurred 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus — or some 3,000 years from where we stand now in human history.
Now, with this brief historical sketch as a backdrop, let’s take a look at the Bible prophecies that relate to Jerusalem.
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Jewish Jerusalem
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The first set of prophecies relating to Jerusalem are those that pertain to it as a Jewish capital before the time of Jesus. Keep in mind that the kingdom of David split into two nations after the death of his son Solomon.
The northern nation of Israel was totally apostate from the beginning. It was given over to idolatry and did not have one righteous king in its 200 year history. In sharp contrast, the southern nation of Judah was blessed with many righteous kings. It was also blessed with Jerusalem as its capital. And it was blessed even more by having the Shekinah glory of God residing in its Temple.
But despite all these blessings, the people of Judah became proud and began to drift in their relationship with God. As the nation began to turn its back on God, the Lord mercifully raised up prophets to warn them and call them to repentance. When they refused to repent, the prophets prophesied that the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed and the nation would be taken into captivity.
The first of these prophecies was delivered by Micah in the 8th century BC — about 130 years before the city was actually destroyed. Micah spoke out against both political and religious corruption, saying, “Her [Judah’s] leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, Her priests instruct for a price, and her prophets divine for money” (Micah 3:11).
He lamented the fact that every time these leaders were called to repentance lest the city be destroyed, they always responded arrogantly by observing, “Is not the LORD in our midst? [A reference to the Shekinah in the Temple.] Calamity will not come upon us.” To which Micah replied: “Therefore, on account of you, Zion will be plowed as a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, And the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest” (Micah 3:12).
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One hundred years later Jeremiah also warned that Jerusalem would be destroyed (Jeremiah 7: 12-15). Speaking for the Lord, Jeremiah declared, “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant” (Jeremiah 9:11).
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When the people refused to believe his words and even sought to kill him as a traitor, Jeremiah reminded them of the previous prophecy of Micah (Jeremiah 26:18). But the people still refused to repent, and the prophecies were fulfilled in 587 BC when Nebuchadnezzer destroyed the city and its temple.
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Consider one of the saddest statements in the Bible:
And the Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy. — 2 Chronicles. 36:15-16
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Gentile Jerusalem
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After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, the Jews returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt their temple and their city. But they refused to receive their Messiah, and so the Lord gave a second group of prophecies relating to a period of time when Jerusalem would fall under Gentile control.
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Jesus Himself delivered these important prophecies during the last week of His life. As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives talking with His disciples, He pointed at Jerusalem and its temple and said: “As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down” (Luke 21:6).
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Later, in the same discourse, Jesus stated that the city would be surrounded by armies which would proceed to desolate it (Luke 21:20). Referring to the Jews in the city at that time, He said, “they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations…” (Luke 21:24a).
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These prophecies were fulfilled 40 years later when the Romans, under Titus, completely destroyed the city, including the Temple.
But notice, Jesus made another prophecy about the city in the same speech: He said, “Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21: 24b). The Romans were followed by the Byzantines, and they were succeeded, in order, by the Muslims, the Crusaders, the Mamelukes, the Turks, the British, and the Jordanians.
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Just as Jesus prophesied, the city suffered under a long period of Gentile control until June 7, 1967 when — for the first time in 1,897 years — the Jews regained sovereignty over the city. It was on that day that Rabbi Shlomo Goren went to the Western Wall and cried out: “I proclaim to you the beginning of the Messianic Age.”
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The third group of prophecies about the city explain why he said these words.
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End Time Jerusalem
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Four hundred years before Jesus, the prophet Zechariah gave a remarkable series of prophecies about the events that would affect Jerusalem in the end times, right before what we call the Second Coming of the Messiah. These prophecies are recorded in Zechariah 12:1-6. Specifically, the prophecies are as follows:
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The Jews will be back in the land of Israel.
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The Jews will be back in the city of Jerusalem.
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The Israeli army will be like a “firepot among pieces of wood.”
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Jerusalem will become the focal point of world politics.
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All the nations of the world will come together against Jerusalem.
Please note that these are prophecies that have been fulfilled! The Jew is back in his land and his city. Despite the minuscule size of the nation, its military forces are considered to be among the most powerful in the world. They have truly been like a “flaming torch among sheaves” in war after war.
Israel became the focal point of world politics in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War. When the West came to the aid of Israel, the Arabs pulled an oil boycott (remember those long gas lines?), bringing the Western nations to their knees. The result was that all the nations of Western Europe withdrew their support from Israel and either took a neutral position or else lined up with the Arabs in their determination to annihilate the Jewish state.
Concerning the last prophecy cited above, in just the past few years, all the nations of the world, including the United States, have come against Israel, forcing her into a suicidal appeasement policy of trading land for peace.
Zechariah lists some other end time prophecies regarding Jerusalem that have not yet been fulfilled. These exciting prophecies are contained in Zechariah 12:8-10. They state that the Lord will defend Jerusalem against its enemies and that the result of all the end time battles will be the repentance of a great remnant of the Jews “who will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10). In response, the Lord will save this remnant by opening a fountain of salvation in Jerusalem “for sin and for impurity” (Zechariah 13:1).
In chapter 14, Zechariah describes in detail how the Lord will rescue Jerusalem at the last moment when there appears to be no hope: “then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle” (Zechariah 14:3). He will speak a supernatural plague that will kill all the enemy soldiers in their tracks (Zechariah 14:12). Verse 9 tells us that the outcome of this momentous day will be the coronation of Jesus as “king over all the earth.”
This wonderful promise introduces us to the fourth category of prophecies that relate to Jerusalem.
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Millennial Jerusalem
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A glorious day is coming for Jerusalem, for when the Lord returns, He is going to reign over all the world for a thousand years, and His reign of peace, righteousness and justice will be based in Jerusalem: “For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3 and Micah 4:2).
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Jerusalem will be the political, economic and religious center of the world (Micah 4:1-7).
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The city will be very different from the one we know today. The great worldwide earthquake that will occur when Jesus returns will radically change the earth’s topography, including that of Jerusalem (Isaiah 40:4, Revelation 6:12 and Revelation 16:18). The Bible indicates that Jerusalem will be greatly expanded in area and will be lifted up higher, perhaps becoming the highest point on the earth (Zechariah 14:10).
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The city will be considerably enlarged and greatly beautified, and the most magnificent temple in history will be built in the midst of it under the personal supervision of the Messiah. That temple is described in detail in chapters 40-48 of Ezekiel.
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The glory of Jerusalem in those days is best summarized in Isaiah 62:1-7 where we are told that the city will be “a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord” (verse 3). The prophet also says the city will be “a praise in the earth” (verse 7). For the first time in its long bloody history, it will be a refuge of peace (Joel 3:16-17 and Zephaniah 3:14-20).
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It will also be the greatest wonder on the earth. Think about it — it will house the Prince of Peace and will contain His temple. It will also serve once more as the home of God’s spectacular Shekinah glory. But that glory will not be contained within the Holy of Holies. Incredibly, Isaiah says that the Shekinah will hover over the whole city of Jerusalem as a cloud by day and a fire by night, providing a canopy to protect the city from heat and rain (Isaiah 4:5-6).
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Zechariah says the nations of the world will send delegations to Jerusalem each year to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. And the last verse of Ezekiel says that in that day the name of the city will be changed from Yerushalyim to Yahweh-Shemmah, meaning “The Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35).
Eternal Jerusalem
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Finally, the prophets tell us that the millennial Jerusalem will be replaced by a new Jerusalem which Jesus is preparing in Heaven now.
At the end of the Millennium, after the earth has been renovated by fire, the new Jerusalem will be lowered down to the new earth, and the Redeemed, in their new glorified bodies, will live in this new city in the presence of Almighty God, who will come down from Heaven to live forever with His children (Revelation 21:1-3). This very clear teaching from the book of Revelation comes as a shock to a lot of Christians who have always been taught that they will live eternally in an ethereal world called Heaven.
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What an amazing city this new Jerusalem will be! The Apostle John devotes 24 verses to its detailed description in Revelation 21 and 22. It will be a 1,500 mile cube with 12 foundations made of precious stones — each one named for one of the 12 apostles. Likewise, there will be 12 pearly gates, one named for each tribe of Israel. The walls will be made of jasper. The city itself will be pure gold, like clear glass.
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Have you ever stopped to think about the shape and size of this phenomenal city? For example, why will it be 1,500 miles high? The reason, of course, is that in our glorified bodies, we will be immune to the laws of gravity. We will thus be able to utilize all the space of the city, and not just the ground floor.
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And how much space will we have? Will there be enough for all the Redeemed? Henry Morris, founder of the Institute for Creation Research, has calculated the space that would exist for each person, assuming that at least 50% of the area would be used for common purposes (streets, parks, recreation centers, etc.) and assuming that 20 billion people have been saved in the course of human history. The result is astounding: each person would have a cube with 75 acres on each surface! That’s certainly more space than most of us have now.
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But the best part of this city will not be its beauty or its spaciousness. The best part will be the personal presence of Jesus our Lord and Almighty God, the Father. Revelation 22 says we will eternally serve God in this city and that we will “see His face.” I think that means we will have intimate, personal fellowship with our Creator eternally. And that causes me to stand in awe.
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The Message for Us
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What does all this mean for you and me? Does it have any relevance to Gentile Christians today? The answer is that it certainly does.
First, it means that God is faithful. Just as He has fulfilled prophecies about Jerusalem in the past and is doing so now, we can be confident that He will continue to do so in the future. There is going to be a millennial Jerusalem and there is going to be an eternal one, and we, the Redeemed, are going to be richly blessed by both — beyond anything we can imagine.
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Second, the record of Jerusalem in prophecy means that God is sovereign. He is in control. Even when everything seems to be out of control here on earth, we can be assured that God has the wisdom and power to orchestrate all the evil of Mankind to the triumph of His will in history.
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Third, God is calling you and me to live with an eternal perspective. In Hebrews 11 we are told that Abraham lived by faith as “an alien” in this world, “looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:9-10). Isn’t that interesting? Abraham did not consider his arrival in the Promised Land to be the fulfillment of God’s promises to him. Rather, he lived yearning for his ultimate reward, namely, life with God in an eternal city — the new Jerusalem.
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In Hebrews 11:13 it says that all the heroes of the faith who are listed in that chapter lived their lives as “strangers and exiles on the earth” because they desired the city which God had prepared for them. The book of Hebrews concludes with a reminder to us that in this world we do not have a lasting city. Instead, we are to seek “the city which is to come.”
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Jesus is adding rooms to that city right now to accommodate the members of His body (John 14:1-4). Let us therefore live as aliens and strangers in this world, never becoming comfortable with it. Let us live looking for the coming of the Lord (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
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And let us live praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), realizing that in doing so we are really praying for the return of the Lord, for Jerusalem will never experience true peace until the Prince of Peace returns.
Prophecy of 10 Jubilees – Rabbi Judah Ben Samuel (1217 AD)
“When the Ottomans (Turks) – who were already a power to be reckoned with on the Bosporus in the time of Judah Ben Samuel – conquer Jerusalem they will rule over Jerusalem for eight jubilees. Afterwards Jerusalem will become no-man’s land for one jubilee, and then in the ninth jubilee it will once again come back into the possession of the Jewish nation – which would signify the beginning of the Messianic end time.”
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Prophet
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Dt 18:21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
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Was Rabbi Judah Ben Samuel one of God’s real prophets? Have his words come to pass?
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Jubilee = 50 years
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Lev 25:10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you;
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Turks will rule over Jerusalem for eight jubilees
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8 x 50 = 400 years
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1517 – Turks take control of Jerusalem
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1917 – Turks lose control of Jerusalem (exactly 400 years later)
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In the year Judah Ben Samuel died, 1217, he prophesied that the Ottoman Turks would rule over the holy city of Jerusalem for eight Jubilees. Now, keep in mind, he made this prediction 300 years before the Turks seized control of Jerusalem in 1517. In fact, the Ottoman Empire, as it would become to be known, did not even really exist yet in 1217. Exactly 400 years after the Ottoman Turks took control of Jerusalem in 1517, they were driven out of the city and the Holy Land in 1917 by the Allied forces under the command of Gen. George Allenby – on Hanukkah, by the way. 1917 was a Jubilee year.
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Afterwards Jerusalem will become no-man’s land for one jubilee
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Israel under the British Mandate 1917-1947 (30 years)
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Israel under the Jordanian Rule 1947-1967 (20 years)
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The rabbi also prophesied that Jerusalem would be a “no-man’s land.” This is exactly what happened from 1917 to 1967, due to the fact that the Holy Land was placed under British Mandate in 1917 by the League of Nations and literally “belonged” to no nation. Even after Israel’s war of independence in 1948-49, Jerusalem was still divided by a strip of land running right through the heart of the city, with Jordan controlling the eastern part of the city and Israel controlling the western part. That strip of land was considered and even called “no-man’s land” by both the Israelis and the Jordanians.
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In the ninth jubilee it will once again come back into the possession of the Jewish nation
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After the 6-day War in 1967, the Israelis regained control of Jerusalem
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It was not until the Six Day War in 1967 when the entire “west bank” of the holy land was conquered by the Israeli army that the whole city of Jerusalem passed back into the possession of Israel. So once again the prophecy made by the rabbi 750 years previously was fulfilled to the letter. 1967 was a Jubilee year.
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Luke 21:24 … And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
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Signify the beginning of the Messianic end time
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Judah Ben Samuel also prophesied that during the 10th Jubilee Jerusalem would be under the control of the Jews and the Messianic "end times" would begin. If he's right, the 10th Jubilee began in 1967 and will be concluded in 2017.
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Sept 23, 2017 – The Great Sign of Revelation 12:1-2
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Acts 20:31 Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.​
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Ezekiel’s 2520 Prophecy – Date of Jerusalem's Return Prophesized
Israel’s history as recorded in the Bible is a continuing cycle of blessing and punishments for Israel’s obedience and disobedience to God’s law. Throughout times of victory and defeat, kings and judges, priests and prophets, restoration and exile – the Israelites are blessed when they obey God and disciplined when they do not.
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Ez 4:4-15 Siege of Jerusalem symbolized – Ezekiel lays on his side, 1 day for each year of their sin
390 days Judgement against Israel – LF side
+ 40 days Judgement against Judah – RT side
430 years Total judgement against the nation of Israel
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In 606 BC, Israel (Judah) was taken into captivity by Babylon for exactly 70 years
430 years Total judgement against the nation of Israel
-70 years Judgement fulfilled during the Babylonian captivity
360 years Years remaining in judgement against the nation of Israel
Leviticus 26 Blessings and Curses
Reward for Obedience (Blessings) – 11 verses, 13 blessings
Punishment for Disobedience (Curses) – 36 verses, 98 curses
Lev 26:18 " 'If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over.
21 " 'If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve.
23 " 'If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, 24 I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over.
27 " 'If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, 28 then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over.
33 I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. 34 Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. 35 All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it.
7X Factor
360 years Years remaining in judgement against the nation of Israel
x 7 The prophetic ‘7X’ factor
2,520 years Years of judgement remaining against the nation of Israel
2,520 years Years of judgement remaining against the nation of Israel
x 360 days Days / year on the Jewish calendar
907,200 days Days of judgement remaining against the nation of Israel after the Babylonian captivity
907,200 days Days of judgement remaining against the nation of Israel after the Babylonian captivity
/ 365.25 days Convert to the Julian calendar (the .25 adjusts for the leap years)
2,483.78 years Years of God’s judgement remaining against the nation of Israel
606 BC Israel taken into Babylonian captivity – first time (Israel no longer a sovereign nation)
- 70 years
536 BC End of the 1st 70 years of judgement (-536 in math for BC)
+ 2,483 Years remaining of God’s judgement
+ 1 year There is no “0” BC or AD
1948 AD Israel restored as a sovereign nation
586.62 BC Israel taken into Babylonian captivity – last time (Jerusalem and Temple destroyed)
In the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the month
August 14, 586 B.C. (226th day of the year) = 586.62
- 70 years
516.62 BC End of the 1st 70 years of judgement (-516.62 in math for BC)
+ 2,483 Years remaining of God’s judgement
+ 1 year There is no “0” BC or AD
1967.38 AD Restoration of Jerusalem
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