Why is Jerusalem Important as the Capital of Israel?
Amid the noise and angry clamor regarding Israel and specifically Jerusalem, it’s helpful to step back and do two things: observe and think. Instead of primarily observing the current news, we observe established history and the words of the scriptures. Instead of thinking the thought we’re given by the television network commenters, we conclude original thoughts of our own. We can do all these things quite easily. Some simple questions can help us arrive at true, simple conclusions.
1. It’s the location from which Israel’s rulers governed. (Neh. 11:1, 2 Sam. 5:5-6; 1 Kings 11:42, 15:10, etc; 2 Kings 9:28; 1 Chron 11:1-4; Ezra 4:20).
– Why would this city hold prominence for the kings of Israel, if it wasn’t their center of government from ancient times?
2. It’s long and well-established as the spiritual focal center of Israel. (It is also called Zion.) (1 Chron 6:10,6:32; 1 Chron 15:3; 2 Chron 3:1;2 Chron 32:9)
– Why would the entire religious focus of the Jewish people be on this one city, if it was not theirs from ancient times?
3. The LORD chose Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:13, 11:32, 11:36, 14:25; 2 Chron 6:6, 30:1; 2 Chron 32:9; Ezra 7:19; Neh 2:12; Psalms; Is 66:20).
4. It’s common knowledge – among the heathen from ancient times – that Jerusalem and the land of Israel are the land of the tribes of Judah. (Ezra 1:2-3)
** Bible study: verses that contain both “Judah” and “Jerusalem”
5. It’s a recurring theme that the enemies of the people of Israel oppose their living in Jerusalem. (Ezra 4:6, 4:12; Neh. 4:7-8; Psalm 137:7)
6. The Jews know that Jerusalem is their inheritance, given to them directly by God. (Neh 2:20)
Putting aside the modern evidence for a moment (such as David’s palace, found in Jerusalem in 2013), we also have very old Jewish traditional history regarding Jerusalem. One very interesting belief is that the city was founded by Shem (where we derive “Semitic”) and Eber (of the line of Abraham, where we derive the word “Hebrew”). In Jewish legend, Shem is identified with Melchizedek, the priest and ruler of Jerusalem from its beginning (see https://www.ancient.eu/jerusalem/). People still wonder who Melchizedek “really” was. Some go so far as to identify him as a pre-incarnate Jesus. Even if he was not literally Jesus, he definitely typified Jesus – who will one assuredly one day take possession and rule over the city of Jerusalem (Jer. 3:17, 33:15-16).
No matter what anyone says about this city today, no matter what claims anyone makes to this territory today, no matter which threats anyone makes regarding this city today…that one thing is certain: Jesus the Messiah will be its king soon. It would be much better for the world to accept and embrace that fact now, rather than later. It’s certain who will win: the LORD. And He claims Jerusalem for His own. It’s best to be on His side, and that means to side with His people in His city. Psalms 122:6 tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and gives a promise that “they shall prosper that love” it.
Another Institution Destroyed: Boy Scouts Now Accept Girls Who Dress As Boys
In over 100 years of its existence, the Boy Scouts of America’s admission policy was “hateful” by today’s more “tolerant” standards: it would only allow boys to join. However, it’s now 2017 and they’ve made some progress (by leftist standards).
In a move that The New York Times claim is “sensible” and “profound,” the Scouts will now permit any girl who claims she’s a boy to join:
To quote the NYT article, “The Boy Scouts are recognizing transgender boys for what they genuinely are: boys.”
So, the Boy Scouts now accepts so-called transgendered boys, and the enemies of normalcy cheer. For the rest of us who know that there are only two genders and who like to keep things simple, we see another formerly great American institution gone. The Boy Scouts that you once knew and honored is long gone. It’s been replaced with an imitation of its former self, and now has been completely sown with confusion (1 Cor. 14:33).
Feminist Movement Now Promoting…Sharia Law?
The “women’s march” of a few weeks ago was supposedly pro-woman, and led by feminists. It identified itself as “feminist”. But what you weren’t told by the major media outlets was that it was actually led and promoted by a shariah law advocate. It cannot be stressed enough: sharia law denigrates and harms women. (See here, and do some quick searches for more info on “sharia law and women’s rights”.)
From one article:
“Linda Sarsour is a principal organizer for Woman’s March on Washington following President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Her rise to liberal stardom following the march has occurred in spite of her support for anti-feminist views and outrageous attacks on anti-Sharia women leaders.” [Source: Breitbart]
Shariah is decidedly anti-woman in its outcomes and policies. And, more importantly, it is a system that stands in opposition to Biblical obedience and thought (see: “What You Need to Know About Sharia Law“. Why should a Christian care or be aware of these things? Because we, as believers, should be wise (Matt. 10:16) and should not be ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Cor. 2:11) – meaning, the things he devises against not only believers but people.
Think about how most people were fooled by this massive march, so easily – and read the background of the organizers and the funders. You will easily see that the so-called women’s march was totally anti-Christ in everything it stood for. And all the news media fawned over it as a great event for all women even though some people attempted to tell the truth.
Contrast this with the media coverage of the March for Life which occurred a few days afterward. The pro-life march – which was also largely had women participating – got almost NO media coverage. It was a march that opposed abortion and lifted up women and upheld the things we as Christians should stand for. Even the Washington Times noted that the “Women’s March” got 3 times more coverage than the March for Life.
We’ve said it before, and will continue to state it plainly: the world system is opposed to Christ, and the media will lie to you as it pushes it’s goals. Do not be fooled, and do not allow yourself to be programmed by the programming. Things are not what they seem.