In just a few days I will be leaving on the trip of a lifetime. I’m going to Israel, the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants some two-thousand years before the birth of Christ.
I will celebrate my fifty-sixth birthday in Jerusalem, “the city of peace.” There is no city on earth like Jerusalem. While the first biblical occurrence of the name “Jerusalem” appears in Joshua 10:1, the first reference to the city is found much earlier in Genesis 14:18 along with its mysterious king, Melchizedek.
Known as Salem (peace), or Jebus (the home of the Jebusites), the city was conquered by David early in his reign (2 Samuel 5:6-9). So it was that “the city of David” became Israel’s capital.
Of all the great cities of earth, Jerusalem is the only city with eternal significance. Isaiah spoke prophetically of the coming Prince of Peace who would reign on the throne of David (in Jerusalem). This will come to pass in the Millennial Age. The reign of Christ on David’s throne will continue for all eternity in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2).
Of Jerusalem alone it is said God put His name there (2 Chronicles 6:6). Not New York, London, or Paris. Just Jerusalem. People often put their names on items belonging to them as proof of ownership. God put His name on Jerusalem. The city uniquely belongs to Jehovah. Despite the desire of it’s enemies to wipe Jerusalem off the map, the city will endure under the protective care of God Himself.
So I am looking forward to my trip to Israel. I can’t wait to visit the Garden Tomb, stand on the Mount of Olives, climb Masada, swim in the Dead Sea, see the Jordan River, and spend the night in Galilee. But most of all, I long to see Jerusalem.
Pastor Todd Weston
I will celebrate my fifty-sixth birthday in Jerusalem, “the city of peace.” There is no city on earth like Jerusalem. While the first biblical occurrence of the name “Jerusalem” appears in Joshua 10:1, the first reference to the city is found much earlier in Genesis 14:18 along with its mysterious king, Melchizedek.
Known as Salem (peace), or Jebus (the home of the Jebusites), the city was conquered by David early in his reign (2 Samuel 5:6-9). So it was that “the city of David” became Israel’s capital.
Of all the great cities of earth, Jerusalem is the only city with eternal significance. Isaiah spoke prophetically of the coming Prince of Peace who would reign on the throne of David (in Jerusalem). This will come to pass in the Millennial Age. The reign of Christ on David’s throne will continue for all eternity in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2).
Of Jerusalem alone it is said God put His name there (2 Chronicles 6:6). Not New York, London, or Paris. Just Jerusalem. People often put their names on items belonging to them as proof of ownership. God put His name on Jerusalem. The city uniquely belongs to Jehovah. Despite the desire of it’s enemies to wipe Jerusalem off the map, the city will endure under the protective care of God Himself.
So I am looking forward to my trip to Israel. I can’t wait to visit the Garden Tomb, stand on the Mount of Olives, climb Masada, swim in the Dead Sea, see the Jordan River, and spend the night in Galilee. But most of all, I long to see Jerusalem.
Pastor Todd Weston
