J is for Jerusalem And Jesus
Christ
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Picture Credit.
Confident Living Magazine |
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| Pic. by Dr. Woodrow Kroll |
Jerusalem: It is the holy city for Jews, Christians and
Muslims. It is the capital city of a tiny
land called Israel.
In the 1948 Arab
Israeli war it became divided into two Israel and the Arab Country of
Jordan. Israel held West Jerusalem and
Jordan controlled East Jerusalem. Israel
won East Jerusalem in the brief Arab-Israeli war of 1967 and combined it with
the western zone. West Jerusalem is the
modern part of the city. East Jerusalem includes the Old City the place for many
ancient monuments of holy places.
Jews consider it a holy city
because it was their political and religious center in Biblical times. Around 1000 B.C. King David made Jerusalem
the capital of the united Israelite tribes, later David’s son Solomon built the
first Temple of the Jews in the city. Christians
consider it holy because Jesus Christ was crucified there, and many events in
his life on earth took place in this city.
Muslims believe that Muhammad, the founder of Islam rose to heaven from
this city. It is their third holiest
city after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
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| Pic. Credit. A to Z Challenge |
Jerusalem‘s three-fourth
population is Jews. They live in West Jerusalem
where some Christians and Muslims too live. At the same time East Jerusalem’s
majority are Arabs, about four-fifth of them are Muslims. Rest is Catholics of
the Byzantine Rite or people belonging to Greek Orthodox or Roman Catholic
churches. In short this city stands
like a glittering diamond in the geographical centre of the earth. And the destiny of all mankind is bound up in
the life of this unique city.
Interestingly this city is also
known as the city of three Sabbaths—Friday (Muslim)
Saturday (Jewish) and
Sunday (Christian).
As said, though it is a tiny little
land its presence is visible almost every day in newspapers and other visual
media. If one look from the perspective
of the Word of God, one begins to understand the battle that is raging over the
status of Jerusalem, the immigration of Russian Jews, the resettlement of Judea
and Samaria, and the very principle of Israel’s continued existence. From its inception it has been set apart from
other nations. That uniqueness of separation
is still continuing and it’s fighting for its survival in the midst of a
hostile world.
Why its presence is visible every
day in the media? What is it that important to this little nation of over a
five million people, occupying less than the one percentage of the earth’s surface? Why such a nation be a stumbling block in
international affairs, major nations are discussing it seriously in their debates
and decision making? And why is it the
most sought after fiercely contested piece of real estate in the world?
To find out an answer to these
questions one need to go into the pages of Bible and need to set Jerusalem and
Israel apart from the rest of the world.
The Bible says: "The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness, the world
and those who dwell therein" (Psalm 24:1). However God lays special claim to Israel
in general, calling it “My Land” and Jerusalem in particular, calling it “My
City”
In the eyes of man this city may
not qualify as the biggest, the brightest or the best city in the world. Yes, it lacks many features as the world
count as best or greatest city. Yet it
holds a great splendor and glory that is incomparable to many other cities of
the world.
Yes, its uniqueness stems from
the fact that God has chosen this city to be the capital of His Kingdom. From His Throne in Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus
will rule over the nations, and from the nations people will come up to
Jerusalem to worship the King. The whole
earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord and that glory
will emanate from Messiah’s Throne in Jerusalem!
Of all the cities in the world,
only Jerusalem is referred to as
The Holy City (Isaiah
52:1)
The City of the Great King (Matthew 5:35)
The Throne of the Lord (Jeremiah 3:17)
The Place of God’s Name (2 Chronicles 33:4)
The Object of God’s Love (Psalm 87:1-3)
The Cause of God’s Joy (Isaiah 65: 19)
The Dwelling Place of God (Psalm 135:21)
The Seat of God’s Government (Isaiah 2:3)
A Crown of Glory and a Royal
Diadem (Isaiah 62:3)
The City of Truth (Zechariah 8:3)
In this sense, Jerusalem is the
most ‘elevated city on the face of the earth!
But today it may be a dim
reflection and at worst, a contradiction of its God-given designation. But people of faith can see through the eye
of the Spirit, the restoration of all things that the prophets have
spoken. This process of restoration will
be completed in the day of our Lord’s appearing
Jesus Christ: The Savior of the
World.
But unfortunately for many Jesus
Christ is just a leader of one of the greatest religion in the world.
Yes Christianity or Christian religion
was founded on His life and teachings.
But a majority of Christians believe that He is the Son of God who was
sent by God the Father to earth to save humanity from their sins. Even a good number of non-Christians too
believe that He was a great and wise teacher lived ever. In reality He is the Savior of the world. Those
who believe in Him have everlasting life.
Yes this belief in Jesus Christ has united people from many lands. Christians make up the largest religious
group in the World. Muhammad, the
founder of Islam regarded Jesus Christ as a great prophet and adopted many of
His ideas. Moral standards of equality,
responsibility and care for the weak owe much to Jesus’ lessons in brotherhood
and kindness.
The first four books in the Bible’s
New Testament tell about Jesus Christ and His life. These books are called Gospels (Good News).
You can read these books here at these links:
Here is a visual treat for those who want to see these Holy places. No need to go to Jerusalem, sit at home and see those lovely places. To watch and read more about this visual effect please click on the below link:
Thanks For Your Precious Time.
P V Ariel & Associates
Secunderabad
A.P. India.
Source:
Bible Sabdasaagaram, G Susheelan
Halley’s Bible Handbook Halley
The Holy Spirit and Israel, Bruce R
Israel’s Final Holocaust. Dr. Jack Van
The World Encyclopedia
Church History
Google.com
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