A Biblical History of Jerusalem
References to the city of Jerusalem appear throughout the entire Tanakh"1 (and often incorrectly referred to as "the Old Testament"). Through the ages it has been called by many names: Salem, Mount Moriah, Adonai Urah, Jebus, Jerusalem,Zion, the City of David, and Ariel (Lion of God). Yahweh has declared that this is the place where He will establish His Name and will dwell there forever (1 Kings 9.3).
Jerusalem is a city rich in history, tradition and culture. It's also one of the main focal points of the United Nations and the world. This article will show the history of Jerusalem as it is presented in the Tanakh: without interpretation or speculation. The aspect of prophecy will not be addressed as this is not a part of the literal history of Jerusalem. To understand the periods of time, all dates are taken from known historical events, except in the time of Abraham.
The Beginning
The scriptural history of Jerusalem begins around 2110 bce after Abram defeated King Chedorlaomer of Elam and the kings with him, and rescued his nephew Lot. The king of Sodom went to meet Abram in the Valley of Shaveh (the Valley of the King). There King Melek Tzedek of Salem brought bread and wine to Abram and blessed him (Genesis 14.17-20).
Several years later (approx. 2082 bce), following a command from Yahweh, Abraham took Isaac, his only son by his wife Sarah, to Mount Moriah in order to offer him as a sacrifice to Yahweh (Genesis 22.1-18). As he was about to kill Isaac, Yahweh intervened and supernaturally provided a sacrifice in the place of Isaac. Abraham called that place, Yahweh Will See, of which it is said, "On the mount of Yahweh it will be seen" (Genesis 22.14). This is usually improperly interpreted as "the Lord will provide" or "the Lord who provides" since Yahweh provided a sacrifice in place of Isaac. However, there is actually two different statements there, which most people generally overlooked, and they each say something a bit different. By this we can see that Yahweh had already chosen Jerusalem as the place where He would establish His dwelling place. (The JPS version interprets the passage as On the mount of Yahweh there is vision.)
Around 1405 bce, "The sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it" (Judges 1.8). Most people think Jerusalem is located within the boundaries of the tribe of Judah but it is on the dividing line between Judah and Benjamin, on Benjamin's side. It is said that the sons of Benjamin could not drive out the Jebusites so they lived together (Judges 1.21).
King David and King Solomon
King David conquered Jerusalem by defeating the Jebusites in 1052 bce (1 Chronicles 11.4-9). It is interesting to note that, in the middle of a war with the Philistines, David, upon being anointed king over Israel, turned to Jerusalem in order to take the city as capital of his kingdom. He ignored the Philistines until Jerusalem was secured and established. He reigned there thirty-three years and built Jerusalem into a great city.
David desired to bring the ark of God into Jerusalem. His first attempt, however, was a disaster (1 Chronicles 13.1-14). It was not transported according to Torah and, as a result, cost the life of one of David's men. Eventually, David did bring the ark into Jerusalem using the method set forth by God (1 Chronicles 15.1-16.6; Numbers 3.31;7.9).
David wanted to build a house for Yahweh, but Yahweh told him that He would establish for David, a house, a throne, and a kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7.1-17). But because of the blood on David's hands, Yahweh did not allow him to build the house (1 Chronicles 22.8). David, however, did make preparations for his son, Solomon, to build it (1 Chronicles 22.2-5, 14-16).
The adversary maneuvered David into taking a census of Israel (1 Chronicles 21). This would put David's trust in the size of his army, rather than Yahweh. Even Joab recognized this and tried to dissuade David from taking the census. Nevertheless, David prevailed and the census was taken. Yahweh was displeased and gave David a choice in his punishment: three years of famine, three months of attack by his enemies, or three days of pestilence in Israel. David, not wanting to feel the ruthlessness of man, told Yahweh he wanted to fall into His hands. So Yahweh sent a pestilence on Israel and 70,000 men died. Yahweh then sent a messenger to destroy Jerusalem. When the messenger was standing over the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite, with his sword lifted to destroy Jerusalem, Yahweh stopped him. David, as well as Ornan, saw the messenger of Yahweh standing between heaven and earth with his sword drawn over Jerusalem. Davis asked Yahweh to stop His wrath against Israel as it was he who ordered the census, not the people of Israel. The messenger of Yahweh told David, through the prophet Gad, to build an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of Ornan. David bought the threshing floor from Ornan and built an altar on it. As the messenger of Yahweh put his sword back into his sheath, David offered a sacrifice to Yahweh on the altar. He then offered up burnt offerings as well as peace offerings. These were acceptable to Yahweh and He sent fire from heaven and consumed the burnt offering. David declared that "Here will be the House of Yahweh and here the altar of the burnt offerings for Israel" (1 Chronicles 22.1). The threshing floor of Ornan is located on the same place where Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed — Mount Moriah. (Many people today believe that it is the same rock which sits under the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.)
After David's death, Solomon (in 1015 bce) began to "build a house for the Name of Yahweh" (2 Chronicles 1.18). It took seven years and 183,300 men to build it (1 Kings 5.15-19;6.37-38). It measured nearly 90 feet in length, 30 feet in width and 45 feet in height (1 Kings 6.2). The Holy of Holies occupied one-third of the interior space and the Holy Place, two-thirds. The complete details are described in 1 Kings 6 & 7. When it was completed, the Glory of Yahweh filled the Temple (2 Chronicles 7.1).
However, because Solomon went after other gods due to the influence of his pagan wives, Yahweh turned His wrath against Solomon's kingdom, tearing it into two smaller kingdoms (1 Kings 11).
The Divided Kingdom
The land of Israel was divided into two kingdoms after Solomon's death (979 bce). The kingdom of Israel was in the north, while Judah was in the south.
Jerusalem was the capital of Judah (the Southern Kingdom). It would end up being ruled by a succession of twenty kings from 979 bce to 586 bce. Their reigns lasted from as short as three months (Jehoahaz and Jehoiachim) to as long as fifty-five years (Manasseh). The bleak history of the decline of Judah is told in 1 Kings 12.1-2 Kings 25.30, and 2 Chronicles 10.1-36.21.
Eventually, Jerusalem was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 bce. The city, as well as the Temple, was completely leveled and the articles of the Temple and its treasures were carried off to Babylon. The inhabitants that were not killed were also taken to Babylon. Jerusalem was to lie desolate for seventy years in order that the land might enjoy its Sabbaths (2 Chronicles 36.17-21/Leviticus 26.34).
The Rebuilding of Jerusalem
In 539 bce, Cyrus, king of Persia issued a proclamation to rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem (Ezra 1.1-4). A total of 42,360 people returned to Jerusalem and Judah to help rebuild the Temple, not including male and female servants and the singers. All gave according to their ability, in order to finance the work.
In the first year, in the seventh month, Jeshua and Zerubbabel led a group to build the altar in order to offer sacrifices in accordance with Torah. During this time, they celebrated Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) and the other festivals of Yahweh.
After gathering all the materials, they began the work on the Temple in the second year, in the second month. It was finally completed in 516 bce, on the third day of the twelfth month — a total of twenty-three years.
Seventy-one years later (445 bce) Nehemiah heard of the condition of Jerusalem. He lived in Susa and was the cup-bearer of King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah asked King Artaxerxes to allow him to return to rebuild the city. The king granted his request and Nehemiah set out for Jerusalem. The account of the rebuilding, along with details regarding the opposition to the work, is given in the book of Nehemiah.
This is all that is given of the history of the city of Jerusalem, according to the Hebrew Scriptures.
Conclusion
It's plain to see that Jerusalem has played, and will continue to play, an important part in Yahweh's deliverance of the earth. It is plain enough that we should seek His guidance and direction concerning this, His Holy City, and our involvement in it.
Additional Reading
Footnotes1. Tanakh is an acronym from the initial letters of the Hebrew words Torah, meaning "teaching" or "instruction," Nevi'im, meaning "prophets," and Ketuvim, meaning "writings"). It makes up the body of writings known as the Hebrew Bible (often incorrectly referred to as "the Old Testament") [return]
» Written by Lee Underwood
Jerusalem: A Separate Covenant
On November 29, 1947 the General Assembly of the United Nations passed a resolution that forever changed the status of Jerusalem in relation to its position in the world. Resolution 181 [II] was passed with hardly any notice, yet the full effect of this resolution is staggering!
This resolution established Jerusalem as a "corpus separatum". This is a legal term meaning a "body of separate covenant". In passing this resolution the United Nations (UN) declared that it has one covenant with Jerusalem (Resolution 181 [II]) and one with the rest of the world (the UN Charter). Israel as a country is to abide by the UN Charter. In the eyes of the UN, Jerusalem is seen as one entity (or body) and the world as another. This happened six months before the declaration of the State of Israel! It is important to understand that this has never happened before in history. No city has ever been set aside by a human government so as to abide by different laws than the rest of the world. The goal of the UN is to establish an "international regime" for Jerusalem (Resolution 194 [III] - December 11, 1948) to be created by the Trusteeship Council. This is a council of the UN that has been delegated full authority over Jerusalem. It is interesting to note that the five members of the Trusteeship Council are the same as the five permanent members of the Security Council. On April 4, 1950 the Council passed the "Statute of City of Jerusalem". This statute sets forth the guidelines and regulations for the ruling of Jerusalem by the "international regime". For reasons known only to the Lord, this statute has not yet been enforced.
Israel adopted its "Basic Law: Jerusalem" in August of 1980. To those who would question Israel's jurisdiction over its capital city, the "Basic Law" serves as a reiteration of the basic facts concerning Jerusalem and Israel's intention of maintaining their right to it. It was introduced into the Knesset in May of that same year.
On June 30, 1980, the UN Security Council (the only UN body with authority to enforce the resolutions) passed Resolution 476 [1980] by a vote of 14-0 with one abstention — the United States. It stated that it was "gravely concerned about the legislative steps initiated in the Israeli Knesset". The resolution is a general denial of Israel's right to Jerusalem and "urgently calls on Israel, the occupying Power, to abide by the present and previous Security Council resolutions..." The interesting element of this resolution is that it is based on a letter from the "representative of Pakistan, the current Chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Conference".
Later that same year, on August 20, the Security Council passed Resolution 478 [1980]. The vote, again, was 14-0 with one abstention - the United States. This resolution censured "in the strongest terms" the enactment by Israel of the "Basic Law" on Jerusalem. It stated that the enactment of the "Basic Law" constituted a violation of international law. The resolution also affirms the position of the Palestinians as "Civilian Persons in Time of War" as set forth in the Geneva Convention of August 12, 1949. Israel is seen as the "occupying Power" in the Land. Resolution 478 [1980] has been "repeated" by the General Assembly every year from 1981 up to, and including, 1987:
Jerusalem is the most contested and sought after city in all of history. Many nations and peoples have come against it: Assyrians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Arabs, Crusaders, Mamelukes, Turks, Britons, and Jordanians. If this were only a physical battle, it would be hard to understand the reasoning behind this. However, the heart of the battle is spiritual. Yahweh has declared that Jerusalem shall be His Throne (Zechariah 8:3). His has proclaimed that He will reign in Jerusalem forever. This fact is well known by Satan. Even from the beginning, Satan declared that he would sit on God's Throne (Isaiah 14:13). In rebuking Satan, the Lord even mentioned that He had chosen it: "Yahweh said to Satan, 'Yahweh rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you!'" (Zechariah 3:2). When the Lord was moving Israel into the Land from Egypt, it was Amalek who attacked the women and children, striking from the rear (Exodus 17:8-16). Seeing the true spiritual battle, Moses stated that there was "...a hand on the throne of Yah" (direct translation from the Hebrew Scriptures).
In 70 CE, Titus destroyed the Second Temple and all of Jerusalem. The Jewish remnant was driven into all the nations. On the morning of June 7, 1967, Jerusalem was retaken by Israel. However, there is still one part of Jerusalem that is not completely under Israeli control: Har Hakodesh (the Holy Mountain). For reasons known only to him, Yahweh, and Satan, Moshe Dayan (Minister of Defense at that time) allowed Moslem authorities to retain authority over this area. The prince of Islam has defiled this most holy place with a satanic veil as a covering over the entire mountain. However, Yahweh has declared He will remove this covering: "And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations" (Isaiah 25:7).
Jerusalem truly is a "corpus separatum". However, it is set aside by Yahweh, not by the United Nations. He declares, "Behold, I am going to made Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around" (Zechariah 12:2). He also said that He would put hooks in the mouths of all the nations and draw them into war against Israel (Ezekiel 38:4). The nations are beginning to gather against Israel, specifically Jerusalem. It is only a matter of time before the UN resolutions are enforced. All of the actions currently being taken by the UN are only preparations for the final conflict with Israel.
Additional Reading
» Written by Lee Underwood
What Is So Important About Jerusalem?
In 586 BCE, on 9 Av, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the First Temple. Two thousand five hundred fifty-three years later, on June 7, 1967 (28 Iyar 5727), during the Six-Day War, Israel regained control of biblical east Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount. Israel, for the first time in more than 2,500 years, was in complete control of the entire city. Within a few days, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan gave control of the Temple Mount back to the Moslems, while maintaining Israeli sovereignty over it. Thirteen years later, Israel adopted its "Basic Law: Jerusalem", declaring, "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel".
If the above had happened in any other nation, it wouldn't have garnered much attention from the rest of the world. But it didn't happen in just any other nation. It happened in the nation of Israel. Because of this, the entire world is in an uproar.
On November 29, 1947 — six months before the declaration of the State of Israel — the United Nations passed Resolution 181 (II). One of the main points of this resolution was the establishment of Jerusalem as a "corpus separatum" ("body of separate covenant"). This means, basically, that the UN separated the city of Jerusalem from the rest of the world and created a separate covenant for it. This has never been done before in all of history. In 1950 the UN adopted the "Statute for the City of Jerusalem" setting forth the regulations for the administration of the city of Jerusalem by the United Nations. It would be an international city; it would not be linked to, or controlled by, any nation or government except the United Nations.
Why would the world be so concerned with an ancient city like Jerusalem? It is located approximately 27 miles inland from the coast. It has no natural resources. Most of it is built upon the ruins of previous structures. What makes it so important that the United Nations would set it apart from any other city or nation in the entire world?
The interesting aspect is that Jerusalem has never been important to the nations unless it was important to Israel. When Israel started to return to the Land in large numbers during the late 1800's, the nations began to stir. It was just a little more than 50 years later that the UN adopted its "Statute for the City of Jerusalem".
The importance of Jerusalem lies in its spiritual aspect, not its physical makeup. It is a city that lives and responds to the Holy One of Israel. God declares to Ezekiel how He had mercy on Jerusalem, how He blessed her and made a covenant with her (Ezekiel 16.6-14). Jeremiah laments of her misery and suffering after God judged her (Lamentations 1.1-22). Yet God declared that He will not forget Jerusalem; He will establish an everlasting covenant with her (Ezekiel 16.60-63). Jerusalem is the center of the earth, according to Yahweh (Ezekiel 5.5). Its very existence continually proves that there is a God and that He will judge every man and hold him accountable for his deeds.
God has declared that Jerusalem is the place from which He will reign: "At that time, they shall call Jerusalem 'Throne of Yahweh'"" (Jeremiah 3.17a). Yahweh said He was "very jealous for Jerusalem" (Zechariah 1.14). Many of the prophets spoke of Yahweh's return to Jerusalem: "'I graciously return to Jerusalem. My House shall be built in her'—declares the Lord of Hosts" (Zechariah 1.16a; see also Zechariah 2.12; 8.3). More than 4,000 years ago Abraham understood the importance of the city when he declared concerning Mount Moriah, in the midst of Jerusalem, "On the mount of Yahweh there is vision." (Genesis 22.14).
Yet Yahweh also declared that Jerusalem would be a problem for the nations of the world: "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a bowl of reeling for the peoples all around. Judah shall be caught up in the siege upon Jerusalem, when all the nations of the earth gather against her. In that day, I will make Jerusalem a stone for all the peoples to lift; all who lift it shall injure themselves." (Zechariah 12:2-3). Yahweh also gave warning of His judgment against those who come against Jerusalem: "In that day I will all but annihilate all the nations that came up against Jerusalem." (Zechariah 12:9); "As for those peoples that warred against Jerusalem, Yahweh will smite them with this plague: Their flesh shall rot away while they stand on their feet; their eyes shall rot away in their sockets; and their tongues shall rot away in their mouths." (Zechariah 14:12).
Jerusalem is important to Yahweh, the Mighty One of Israel. It's the place that He has chosen to dwell in the midst of His creation. It is also the place where He will judge the nations.
Does this scenario sound familiar? It should. It is happening in our very day. Today, literally all of the nations of the world are gathering against Israel. The line has been drawn in the sand. It is the people of the God of Israel standing against all the nations of the world. Whose side will you be on? This is not the time to be straddling the fence. Now is the time to make a stand. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for through her peace will come the peace of the world. Enter into the battle, and stand and see the salvation of Yahweh.
Additional Reading
» Written by Lee Underwood
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Monday, December 19, 2016
A Biblical History of Jerusalem
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