Explore the profound prophetic significance of Jerusalem with Dr. David Jeremiah, as he traverses through its biblical importance, historical moments, and future roles. From the momentous events leading to the elevation of this sacred city to its central place in God’s plans, the episode delves deep into why Jerusalem remains the focal point in global religious dialogues and prophecies. Join the journey to understand how biblical prophecy interweaves with modern events, anchored by Jerusalem’s unmatched presence in history and faith.
00:00:05 Introduction to Jerusalem’s Prophetic Importance
00:24:50 Invitation to Alaska and Next Episode Teaser
SPEAKER 01 :
The prophecies of the end times affect the whole world, but one city in particular has been the focal point. Today on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah takes you to Jerusalem, the holy city where Christ was crucified and resurrected and where he will return to reign. For a look at this city’s prophetic importance, listen as David introduces today’s eye-opening message, Jerusalem, a Geographical Prophecy.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, today I want to talk to you about one of my favorite places in the whole world. I have been to Jerusalem numerous times, and one of the stories I like to tell people is that when I go there, I feel an aura about Jerusalem. the place. I walk through the city and then there’s some special feeling about being in Jerusalem. One day I discovered what that was because the Bible teaches that Jerusalem is God’s city. It is God’s—there’s no city in the Bible mentioned where it says it’s God’s city but Jerusalem. And when you’re there, you feel like you’re in God’s city. It’s a special place. If you’ve never been there, I hope you get to go sometime. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to go again, but I know this. One of the greatest joys of my life was to go through the city of Jerusalem and to see all of the things around that city that speak of the Word of God. Today we’re going to talk about how that city fits into the future, how it’s a part of prophecy. Before we get to the study, let me remind you that during the month of March, we’re featuring as our resource of the month, a brand new publication from Turning Point called Understanding Biblical Prophecy, a 30-day Bible study. This book is like a workbook to help you Get into the Bible and understand especially the prophetic sections of the Bible. I think this will be a wonderful month-long study for you, and we’d love for you to have it. It’s available from Turning Point during this month for people who send a gift of any size to help us. We need your help. We don’t try to be… anything but clear about that we know that we can’t do this by ourselves and we’re so grateful for all of you who help us with your with your gifts and your finances and we’d like to add value to your life with this book and tell you thank you for your gift when you send it we’ll be making sure you get this book right away and be sure to ask for it when you send your gift here is part one of jerusalem a geographical prophecy History was humming in the air like electricity on May 14th, 2018. A blue ribbon crowd assembled in front of the new American embassy in Jerusalem. The event coincided with the 70th birthday of the state of Israel. The weather was mild and sunny and the gallery was filled with sunglasses and smiles. After years of vacillation, the United States of America was officially moving its ambassador and diplomatic staff to the true capital of the Jewish state, to Jerusalem. Amen. There were 800 guests in attendance that day, including members of the United States Congress, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, members of the Trump family, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, the Middle East Peace Envoy, representatives of 33 other countries, pastors and rabbis, and of course, Israel’s President and Prime Minister. Standing in the sunshine before giant flags of the United States and Israel, an emotional prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, punched the podium with his finger and exclaimed, what a glorious day, remember this moment, this is history. Well, I’ve had the privilege of visiting Jerusalem many times. And each occasion has been memorable. As you drive in from the east, the sight just takes your breath away. Emerging from a tunnel, your attention leaps to the left. There, shimmering in the sunshine, is the Temple Mount, the Wailing Wall, the glistening Dome of the Rock, Bel El Mosque, the Mount of Olives, Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The walls around the old city reflect a golden hue, and at night they’re burnished with an eerie glow from great spotlights. The sight of these walls day or night almost brings tears to your eyes. This is the old city of Jerusalem. By moving the United States Embassy to this hallowed city, the United States made an historic statement in support of Israel. illustrating a unique union between two of the greatest democracies on planet Earth. Since then, other nations have moved their embassies to Jerusalem. Though the decision to do so is controversial, in fact, as you probably remember, everybody predicted it would create a war, which it did not do. Certainly asks a lot of questions and begs some answers. So here is the question. Why should there be such a deep emotion about a piece of real estate no bigger than the state of New Jersey? Why should love and hatred for Jerusalem be so strong? One answer is that Jerusalem is bound up with prophecies from Almighty God. I can hardly believe that I was privileged to be alive when the state of Israel was reborn in 1948. I was seven years old. Now I have had the privilege of watching another prophetic domino fall with yet another elevation of Jerusalem. In the words of prophetic writer Randall Price, Jerusalem is now set to become God’s stage for the final drama. The city of Jerusalem, as you know, is sacred to Christianity, sacred to Judaism, and sacred to Islam. It’s the world’s most significant city, and it’s mentioned in the Bible 811 times. Now, that might not sound so awesome to you until I tell you that the second most mentioned city in the Bible is Babylon. It’s mentioned 200 and some times. Once you realize how prominent Jerusalem is, you’ll see it everywhere. Almost every place you turn, there’s something being said about Jerusalem. It is God’s city. Population of Jerusalem is growing. It is moving toward a million people. When Jesus was on this earth, 75,000 people lived in Jerusalem. And according to the Bible, I don’t know if you know this, there’s a special blessing that resides upon anybody who is born in Jerusalem. Here’s what it says in Psalm 87. And of Zion, or Jerusalem, it will be said, this one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself shall establish her. The Lord will record when he registers the people. Did you know that there are people who, when they find out they’re pregnant, go to Jerusalem so their children can be born under the blessing of God because there is a special blessing upon those who are born in Jerusalem. Don’t ask me to explain it. I’m just reporting it. So Jesus loved Jerusalem. On one occasion, he stood outside of Jerusalem, and we read this in Matthew 23. He prayed, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her, how often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Jesus loved Jerusalem, and he cried over Jerusalem because of their unwillingness to accept him as their Messiah. And if you study the history of the early church, you know that it all started in Jerusalem. The Bible says we’re to take the gospel to the whole world, from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world. Jerusalem is the center of world evangelism, according to the book of Acts. Now there’s several main reasons why Jerusalem is so important and why it’s such a constant subject even in the secular news. First of all, Jerusalem is a central city. Jerusalem is the center of Israel in the same way that your heart is the center of your body. No city on earth has captured the world’s attention throughout all the centuries, like the city of Jerusalem. Ezekiel the prophet put it this way. This is Jerusalem. I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her. Yes, Jerusalem is the city in the center. It is the center of man’s hopes and God’s purposes. God loves Jerusalem. Satan hates Jerusalem. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit descended into Jerusalem. The nations are drawn to Jerusalem, and one day Christ will return to Jerusalem and reign over the city. Indeed, the destiny of the world is tied to the future of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a central city. Here’s something I didn’t realize at the depth that I now realize it. Jerusalem is a chosen city. Do you know that Jerusalem was chosen specifically by God for her role in the history of Israel, in the life of Jesus, and in the events of his return? According to 1 Kings 8, 44, Jerusalem is the city which God has chosen. In Deuteronomy chapter 12, five times we are told that God chose Jerusalem for his name. This is God’s city, the city of Jerusalem, chosen by God, set in a place like no other city. Here’s a passage that uniquely helps you to understand that. This is 2 Chronicles 6, 5 through 6. You might want to write this passage down. Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, God is speaking. 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. But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people.” In other words, God said, since the beginning of time, I never selected any city. There was no special city. But I have selected Jerusalem. Jerusalem is my chosen city. Jerusalem has my special blessing upon it. It’s the city that has my name connected to it. And it helps me to understand what happens to me when I go to Jerusalem. I’ve been going there now for a number of years, and I’ve tried to explain even to my wife how when I walk into that city, it’s like a spell comes over me. It’s sort of almost surreal. In those moments, it’s like I’ve got one foot in the past and the other in the future. And the walls and the buildings are made of a kind of pale golden limestone that’s used a lot in the United States even now. It’s called Jerusalem stone. There’s always just a whiff of tension in the city of Jerusalem because everybody knows that the ground beneath their feet is the powder keg of the earth. I don’t feel unsafe in Jerusalem. That’s not it. I mean, everywhere you look, somebody’s got a rifle slung over their shoulder. It’s the most armed city I’ve ever been in. Everybody who’s in Jerusalem, if you’re a citizen of Jerusalem, if you’re a young person in Jerusalem, you’re in the army. You’re a soldier. You don’t get to ask to be in the army. You are. And the reason they’re able to protect themselves so wonderfully when they’re attacked is the whole city is ready to respond. It’s the most prepared city to protect itself that I’ve ever been in. And there are places in Jerusalem where I literally walk where Jesus walked. We see some of the locations when we go there where Jesus performed his miracles and where he debated his enemies, where he faced his execution. Most of all, I love going to the quiet beauty of the garden tomb and visualizing how it must have been on resurrection day. So I’ve spent my whole life studying and teaching the Bible. And when I’m in Jerusalem, it’s as though I were jumping through its pages, transported to the very scenes of action. I hope you’ve been there. If you haven’t, I hope you go. But there’s just something about going to Israel that changes everything for you. When you come home, the Bible is never the same. You read something in the Scripture, oh, I was there. I walked on that place. But having said all of that, I still haven’t explained to you why I now understand I have such an overwhelming aura when I go to Jerusalem. I’ve discovered something that goes far beyond emotions and enjoyment. Men and women, as never before, I’ve realized that Jerusalem belongs to God as no other city ever has or ever will. There’s a biblical sense in which Jerusalem is eternal. It will never die. Jerusalem is God’s own unique, eternal city. And that fact, more than any other, explains the wonder of the holy city to me. When I go there, I’m walking in God’s city. I’m moving around in the city chosen by the Almighty. So Jerusalem’s a central city, and it’s a chosen city. It’s also a capital city. Jerusalem became the capital of Israel by decree of King David over 3,000 years ago, and it’s remained Israel’s capital ever since. Other nations have conquered and settled in the land of Israel, but no one has ever declared Jerusalem their capital. Over the past 2,000 years, even during times of occupation and persecution, a Jewish community has resided in Jerusalem and maintained it as their eternal capital. For many years, American opinion spoke in favor of moving the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and politicians agreed. Presidential candidates promised to do it. In October of 1995, the U.S. Congress called for the move to occur by May 1999, but one after another, our American presidents deferred, citing the fear of security considerations should they do such a thing. But in June of 2017, the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution 90 to nothing. that reaffirmed the 1995 congressional decision and called upon the president to implement it. And six months later, President Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the embassy away from Tel Aviv. And critics whined and complained, saying he should have used the issue to work with the Palestinians. But in short, the embassy was relocated to an area in western Jerusalem where Israel commands total sovereignty. And it is now in Jerusalem where you will find the United States embassy. And while that might be debated by some, and I don’t know where you stand on it, and it’s not really a big issue to me, but I know this, with that event, another key has been turned in the grand lock of biblical prophecy. And I’ll explain what I mean. Here’s the answer to that question. What does this mean? The second advent of Jesus Christ cannot happen without Jerusalem. Almost all the Christ-centered events in the future will take place in Jerusalem. Without Jerusalem, these events would be impossible. Were I living in Jerusalem today, if I was a citizen of Jerusalem, I would take these prophecies with a great sense of reassurance because they assume the continual existence of this city, a fact that seems at odds with the threats she continually faces every day. Every time I’ve gone to Jerusalem, I’ve had the opportunity to preach on the southern steps of the temple. In fact, if you remember, that’s where I conducted the wedding of Uriel Vega and his wife. There on the steps. It’s the largest wedding I’ve ever done. 1,200 people came to that wedding. I brought them all with me myself. As I stood there to conduct the wedding, I looked over to my right and I could see the Mount of Olives, the hilltop where Jesus ascended to heaven at the close of his gospel ministry. To this very place, we are told in the prophetic scripture, Jesus will come again. He will come again and his feet will touch the Mount of Olives from which he went back to heaven. Not only will Christ return to Jerusalem at his second advent, but that city will be the seat from which he reigns on the earth during the whole millennium. The thousand-year period of Christ’s rule on the earth will take place, and it will be centered where? In Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be the Messiah’s millennial capital and the home of a temple, and that’s only the beginning. The everlasting capital city of Jesus throughout eternity will be Jerusalem. In the Bible, we call it the New Jerusalem. Earthly Jerusalem, to which Jesus will return and from where he will reign a thousand years, is the prelude to another Jerusalem, a city whose foundations and builder is God. The new Jerusalem is the city we read about in the Bible in Revelation 20 and 21. And the Bible says in 21 too, the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. And men and women, this is a real city. The final two chapters of the Bible use the word city 11 times to describe the new Jerusalem. This isn’t a figure of speech. This is not some spiritual thing. Let’s face it, because our resurrection bodies are going to be real, The body of Jesus was real after he came out of the grave. We’re going to have resurrection bodies just like Jesus had because our bodies will be real. We’re going to need a real place to live, a real place in which to function. And the new Jerusalem will be just that. It will be a physical location. In the book of Revelation, we have our fullest glimpse of the details of that city. It is the capital city of heaven. And I want to read to you a rather extended section of Revelation chapter 21 so you can remember what the Bible says about this place, which be our eternal home. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain for the former things have passed away. Then he who sat on the throne said, behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, right, for these words are faithful and true. Now that’s a long section, but this description implies the holy city was designed and built and made ready for the earth. And John didn’t see the new Jerusalem being created. it exists now the new jerusalem is heaven it’s where my parents are it’s where many of your loved ones are it’s where we go when we die it’s the new jerusalem it’s in heaven but the bible says in the end times it will descend to this earth this four square city a lot of people say well how could that city be big enough to handle all the christians who are going to be there people who ask that question probably are overestimating how many christians are going to be there And they’re underestimating the incredible volume of space in a four-square city. What a city it will be. The city of my God. So try this exercise. What do you think this is going to look like? Think of the most beautiful spot you’ve ever seen on planet Earth. For me. It’s an island in the Aegean Sea called Santorini. I’ve been there twice. I have to tell you there’s some homes there, but it’s basically wall-to-wall jewelry stores. So I have quite an investment in this city. But it’s an amazing city because it’s built on the top of a volcano that obviously is dead, and everything is white. when you’re in a ship coming toward the city, it’s up high. You have to take an escalator to get up there. And when you see it, I remember saying to Donna, it looks like we’re floating toward heaven. That’s what it looks like. And it is a beautiful city, unbelievable. As we stood on the deck of the ship and looked at the white little town with its rounded roofs and quaint simplicity, It looked like it was suspended in space. But ladies and gentlemen, as breathtaking as Santorini is, it’s nothing compared to the beauty of the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem will be so overwhelming, you will not be able to take it in in one breath. I’ve written a lot about the New Jerusalem. And I’m not going to go back over everything I’ve written about it today, but I do want to summarize just a few things so that you’ll understand that what’s happened in Jerusalem now is a prediction of the Jerusalem that is to come. And that you’ll understand that Jerusalem in Israel is a city which in essence never ends. It’s an eternal city. The old Jerusalem will be replaced by the new Jerusalem and continue on forever and ever. And we’ll have more about that tomorrow. We’ll have more about Jerusalem and why it is so critical in the study of prophecy. I remember years ago when I first started to study the Bible, I was curious about how the end times events all centered around the city of Jerusalem. I understand that now better than ever, and I hope I can communicate that to you as we continue this study. Hey, friends, I want you to know that we are going to Alaska in a short time, and we’d love for you to come with us. This trip to Alaska, July 12th through the 19th, is aboard a very beautiful ship with special guests Michael Sanchez and Uriel Vega. along with David Michael. And we’ll have such a wonderful time studying the Word of God, seeing Alaska, enjoying fellowship with each other, and encouraging worship. So I hope you can come with us. Go to davidjeremiah.org and find out all about it. Get registered and plan to be with us when we go to Alaska in July. And thank you for listening today. We’ll see you next time right here on This Good Station.
SPEAKER 01 :
For more information on Dr. Jeremiah’s series, Where Do We Go From Here?, please visit our website where we also offer two free ways to help you stay connected, our monthly Turning Points magazine and our daily email devotional. Sign up today at davidjeremiah.org slash radio. That’s davidjeremiah.org slash radio. Or call us at 800-947-1993. Ask for your copy of David’s new book, Understanding Biblical Prophecy, a 30-day Bible study. It’s a powerful resource, and it’s yours for a gift of any amount. You can also purchase the Jeremiah Study Bible in the English Standard, New International, and New King James versions, available in a variety of handsome cover options. Get all the details when you visit our website, davidjeremiah.org slash radio. This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us tomorrow as we continue, Where Do We Go From Here? on Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah.
