Jerusalem! jerusalem! by Joseph H. Hunting

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JERUSALEM! JERUSALEM!

FOREWORD Of all the great cities, both ancient and modern, that have their particular charm, architectural interest or historic value, none has captured the love of both God and man as has Jerusalem.

The Divine Love: "Can a woman forget her nursing child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, they may forget, but I, I will never forget you. Behold, I have graven you upon the palms of My hands. Your walls are continually before Me." (Isaiah 49:15-16.)

The Human Love: "By the river of Babylon, there we sat and wept as we remembered Zion.

"On the willows in the midst of her we hung up our harps.

"Our captors asked us there for the words of a song; our tormentors asked for a song of mirth, 'Sing us one of Zion's songs'.

"How can we sing a song of the Lord in the land of strangers?

"If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget her skill; let my tongue cleave to my palate, if I fail to remember you, if I fail to exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy". (Psalm 137:1-6) Joseph H. Hunting Melbourne 1973

Published by David House Fellowship Inc P O Box 318 Bentleigh East, 3165 Victoria, AUSTRALIA Tel O3 9570 5582 Email vineyard@ozonline.com.au UK Address: 78 Woodville Road CARDIFF WALES CF24 4ED Tel 2920 39 9119 Email dhf1@btclick.com

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Jerusalem's History to Nebuchadnezzar

Chapter 2 The Period of the Gentiles

Chapter 3 The Period: A.D. 70 – 1948

Chapter 4 The Western Wall

Chapter 5 The Gates of Zion

Chapter 6 Jerusalem, a Burdensome Stone

Chapter 7 Return of Israel's King-Messiah

Chapter 8 The Future Judgment, and Final Glory of Jerusalem

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Chapter 1 JERUSALEM'S HISTORY TO NEBUCHADNEZZAR Three thousand years ago King David captured a small fortified city situated high in the Canaanite hill country. The city, known in those days as Jebus, had been the stronghold of the Jebusite kingdom for centuries, and had held out against the Hebrews since the time when Joshua invaded the land nearly four hundred years earlier.

Seven years after David had been crowned king in Hebron he led an assault upon the Jebusite fortress and then made the city his capital. Not only did he change its name to Jerusalem, but the whole character of the city underwent a dramatic transformation during his reign.

Jerusalem's history extends over four thousand years. The name means "City of Peace", yet no other city has been fought over with such ferocity for so long a period. And, paradoxically, no other city has captured the undying love and affection of its people over the millennia as has Jerusalem.

The city is first mentioned in Scripture as Salem when Melchizedek, whose name means "king of righteousness", brought forth bread and wine to Abraham after his victorious battle with the four kings. Inscriptions discovered at Tel el Amarna, which date back to the fourteenth century B.C., refer to Jerusalem as "URUSALIM".

A strange feature of this city which has claimed such a prominent place in history is that it is isolated from the coast where the commerce of ancient times brought prosperity to Tyre, Sidon, Akko and Joppa.

Several hundred yards north of the city captured by David is a small hill known at Mt. Moriah.

Three thousand years ago Araunah threshed wheat on its summit where the Dome of the Rock stands today. It was on this threshing floor that David "built an altar there to the Lord nd and offered up burnt offerings of peace". (2 Samuel 24:25.)

Nearly one thousand years earlier Abraham and Isaac climbed this mountain. Their conversation concerned a sacrifice which Abraham had been commanded by God to make on Moriah's summit. Isaac was puzzled because, although everything else has been prepared, there was no lamb. To his perplexed question his father replied, "My son, God will provide Himself a lamb". The lamb which God did provide proved to be Isaac's substitute for the sacrifice.

How fitting that Solomon should build the Temple of the Lord upon Mount Moriah. Surely, no other spot on earth is as holy as this.

After David's death, Solomon extended the border of Jerusalem to include Mount Moriah within the city walls. In the fourth year of his reign, four hundred and eighty years after the Exodus from Egypt, Solomon commenced building the Temple which, in all probability, was the costliest building ever constructed.

Labour costs alone were astronomical. Ten Thousand men were detailed to hew the cedars of Lebanon. The logs were floated as huge rafts down the Mediterranean coast to the mouth of the Yarkon river where Tel Aviv now stands. The cedars then hauled over the rugged Judean hills to Jerusalem. Even with today's sophisticated methods of transport this would be a major undertaking. Furthermore, Solomon employed an army of eighty thousand stonemasons, seventy thousand labourers, in addition to three thousand, eight hundred and fifty foremen who were employed for seven years on the building project.

The Illinois Society of Architects made the following estimate in 1925. Apart from the salaries agreed upon by Solomon and a bonus amounting to over $33,000,000, the food bill for this vast army of workmen was $344,385,440.

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Materials other than gold reached the staggering figure of $12,726,685,000! The priests' vestments and silver trumpets were valued at $11,050,000. The talents of silver and gold used in the Temple's construction were estimated at the colossal sum of $34,399,110,000!

The total cost of Solomon's Temple was $87,000,000,000! According to present-day values this figure would be many times greater!

The lavish splendour of Jerusalem during King Solomon's reign was revealed to the queen of Sheba who commented: "The report about your understanding and wisdom that I heard in my land was true; I did not believe it until I came and my own eyes saw it. Truly the st half has not been told me; your wisdom and wealth exceed the report I heard." (1 Kings 10:6-7.)

Furthermore, "Solomon received about 20,000,000 dollars in gold annually besides what came in from mercantile taxes and the profits from trade with the Arabian kings and st the governors of the land." (1 Kings 10:14-15.)

If we are awed by the cost of the building of Solomon's Temple, we are just as impressed by the method of its construction.

Close to the Damascus Gate in the present walls of Jerusalem is a cave-like entrance hewn out of the solid rock face beneath the wall. On passing through the entrance, one immediately approaches a vast cavern which slopes gently in the direction of Mt. Moriah. No sound from the outside world penetrates this eerie underground quarry. One has to explore the great galleries to appreciate fully the magnitude of the project, and the skill of Solomon's stonemasons.

Thousands of tons of rock were hewn from the very heart of Jerusalem for the construction of the Temple in what must have been the most amazing building project ever undertaken. It has been estimated that some of the building blocks weighed as much as twenty tons. These were hewn to exact measurements before being taken to the Temple site.

The magnitude of this task becomes apparent when it is realized what a variety of blocks were needed for the Temple. Apart from the chief corner stone, there were the massive foundation stones upon which the whole structure would rest. Some of the stones were specially fashioned to fulfil specific functions such as the key stones which locked the magnificent arches in position, or the coping stones to crown the entire building. Throughout the building of the Temple, every stone. Regardless of its function, was but to exact measurements prior to being laid position.

Note the strange method adopted by Solomon's workmen – "The house was built of stones dressed at the quarry; there was no sound of hammer, chisel, or any other iron tool st while the house was being built" – surely a unique procedure. (1 Kings 6:7.)

Solomon's Temple continued as the place of worship and sacrifice in Jerusalem for nearly five hundred years, when Nebuchadnezzar's armies destroyed both the City and the Temple on th the 9 day of Av, 586 B.C.

Chapter 2 THE PERIOD OF THE GENTILES Many Bible scholars believe that "the Period of the Gentiles" refers to the time during which non-Jews exercised military and political control over Jerusalem.

This period began with the destruction of the city by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C., and according to Christ's prophecy: "Jerusalem shall be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles is completed." (Luke 21:24.)

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THE GENTILE DOMINATION OF JERUSALEM In order to clarify the significance of this prophecy, it is well to recall that a succession of Gentile (or non-Jewish) conquerors occupied the Holy City from the time the Temple was th destroyed and the inhabitants were led away captive into Babylon, until June 7 , 1967, with the exception of a brief period during the Maccabean revolt. Many Bible scholars agree that the termination of "the period of the Gentiles" heralds the coming of the Messiah.

The Babylonian captivity commenced with the destruction of the Temple on the 9th Av, 586 B.C. Jeremiah prophesied that this captivity would last for seventy years. Following the captivity, a small remnant of the Jews returned to Judaea and rebuilt Jerusalem "in times of affliction."

DANIEL'S PROPHECY CONCERNING JERUSALEM Toward the end of the seventy year Babylonians captivity: "Daniel took notice from the Scripture of the number of years about which the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah, the prophet – that Jerusalem would lie desolate for seventy years. Then I turned my face to the Lord God to pray and to supplicate in fasting and in sackcloth and ashes. I interceded with the Lord my God and made confession, saying . . .

"Lord, in view of all Thy righteousness, please turn away Thy anger and Thy indignation from Thy city Jerusalem, Thy holy hill; for, due to our sins and the officers of our fathers, Jerusalem and Thy people have become a disdain among all those around us." (Daniel 9:2,3 and 16.)

Even while Daniel prayed, the angel Gabriel appeared to him for the specific purpose of giving clear understanding of the prophetic destiny of Jerusalem and the Jewish people. This prophecy is so amazing in its accurate reference to the coming of the Messiah that the text is quoted in full: "While I was still speaking in my prayer, and confessing my sins and the sins of my people Israel, pouring out my supplication before the Lord my God on behalf of my God's holy hill; while I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the previous vision, came close to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He came and said to me, Daniel, this time I have come to enlighten your understanding. At the beginning of your petitions a message went forth and I have come to bring it to you; for you are greatly appreciated; so, notice the message and get hold of the vision: Seventy weeks are settled on for your people and for your holy city to restrain the transgressions, to end sins, to atone for the guilt and to bring in everlasting righteousness; to confirm the prophetic vision and to consecrate the Holy of Holies. Know, and understand, then, that from the going forth of the message to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the coming of a Prince, a Messiah, there are seven weeks, and for sixty two weeks Messiah shall be eliminated, although there is nothing against Him. The people of a prince, who comes, shall destroy the city and sanctuary; its end shall come overwhelmingly and till the end there shall be warfare; ruins that are determined. For a week He shall make a covenant prevail for many, and in the middle of the week He will cause sacrifice and offering to cease. Then on a wing of horrors shall a desolator come to bring ruin until a fully determined end comes down on the desolation." (Daniel 9:21-27.)

THE INTERPRETATION OF THE PROPHECY The first key to unlock this prophecy is the meaning of the expression "seventy weeks". The literal translation is "seventy sevens." Most Bible scholars agree that the time element has to do with years and not the normal seven-day week. Hence, the period of time involved in this prophecy would extend through seventy sevens of years, amounting to a total of 490 years.

Thus, 490 years were determined upon Daniel's people, the Jews, and upon the Holy City, Jerusalem, (1) to restrain the transgression, (2) to end sins, (3) to atone for the guilt, (4) to

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bring in everlasting righteousness, (5) to confirm the prophetic vision, and (6) to consecrate the Holy of Holies.

The second important key to the prophecy is to know when this period of 490 years began.

The decree to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes in the month Nisan th in the 20 year of his reign (Nehemiah 2:1-8.)

The Angel told Daniel: "Know and understand, then, that from the going forth of the message to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the coming of a Prince, a Messiah, there are seven weeks, and for sixty two weeks it will be in process of restoring and rebuilding with squares and streets even in times of affliction." In other words, the period from the issuing of the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem unto Israel's Messiah was to cover the first two sections of the seventy weeks: namely, seven weeks and sixty two weeks combined, or 483 years of the total 490.

This period of 483 years coincides with a most important event in Israel's history relating to the Messiah. If we take as our starting point the date of going forth of Artaxerxes' commandment, to which event of singular important in the history of Jerusalem and the life of the Messiah will the 483 prophetic years – years of 360 days each – bring us?

There is one day which is recorded in the New Testament which has outstanding significance.

It is the day of Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem as the long-promised King-Messiah of Israel. On that day the whole multitude of disciples hailed Him with shouts of: "Blessed be the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" And when the Pharisees urged Him to rebuke them He answered: "I tell you, if these kept silence the stones would cry out!" (Luke 19:37 ff.) How important that occasion must have been for Christ to speak in that way!

As Matthew records it (Matthew 21:8 ff): "Many of the multitude, too, spread their clothes on the road, and others cut branches from the trees . . . and the crowds, some marching ahead and some in the rear, shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"

Moreover we are told that this remarkable occasion was the fulfilment of Zechariah's prophecy: "Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king shall come to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zechariah 9:9.)

How significant was this occasion in the light of Daniel's prophecy! Christ well knew the importance of this day, for He wept over Jerusalem, and said: "If you only knew personally even today how you might enjoy peace – but that is now hidden from your eyes." (Luke 19:42.)

Apart from the importance attached to this day because of fulfilment of Zechariah's prophecy, and the fact that Christ wept over Jerusalem and drew especial attention to "even today," there is further significance concerning this one day in the history of Jerusalem.

Calculating from the first day in the month Nisan, on which day, it is believed, Artaxerxes gave his commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem, we find that the 69 weeks, or more specifically, the 483 years of 360 days each, terminated on the very day of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

This astonishing fact has been established by Sir Robert Anderson, K.C.B., LL.D., who has th shown that the first day of Nisan in the 20 year of the reign of Artaxerxes would correspond th with the 14 day of March, 445 B.C. The day of Christ's entry into Jerusalem in the fulfilment th th of Zechariah's prophecy was the 10 day of Nisan, or the 6 of April, 32 A.D. The period embraced was 173,880 days which, divided by 360 days to the year, gives exactly 483 years, thus fulfilling to the very day Daniel's prophecy "unto the coming of a Prince, a Messiah . . ."

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What of the seventieth week, or the final seven years that terminate with the six-fold promise of cleansing from sin and the restoration of blessing in Jerusalem? It has been conclusively established that certain years are not reckoned by God in His prophetic program for Israel.

Those years were the periods of time when Israel was out of fellowship with God due to sin.

Does this throw light on the strange fact that none of the six-fold promises to both the Jewish people and Jerusalem have been fulfilled at any time following Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem? Certainly, no one has made a covenant with Israel for one week, or seven years, and caused the sacrifice and oblation to cease in the midst of that period.

Do not these strange facts suggest that the last week, or seven years, of Daniel's prophecy, has been postponed? Israel's tragic rejection of her Messiah almost immediately following the Hosannas on the tenth day of Nisan caused the interruption between the termination of the th th 69 week and the commencement of the 70 week – in the case, a period of almost 2,000 years.

Jerusalem's long and tragic history has been epitomized in Christ's lament over the Holy City: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murdering the prophets and stoning those sent to you! How often have I wanted to gather your children as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings; but you were unwilling. See, your house is left forsaken to you; for I tell you that you will no longer see Me at all until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'" (Matthew23: 37-39.)

When Christ spoke of the desolation of the magnificent "house" of His day, the Temple in Jerusalem, He foretold that His people would not see Him again until they acknowledged Him with the words: "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."

Chapter 3 THE PERIOD: A.D. 70 – 1948 Sixty years after the overthrow of the Holy City in 70 A.D., Simon Bar Kochba led a successful revolt against the Roman garrison stationed at Jerusalem. He retook the City and possessed it for three years.

The Romans then recaptured it, and the city was completely destroyed. Their method of preventing any further revolt was to remove all trace of the city that was so dear to the Jews.

Jerusalem was plowed over, and a new, completely Roman, city was built on its site. As a further act of desecration, a temple to Zeus was erected on the Temple Mount. The new city was called Aelia Capitolina, and Jews were denied entry for centuries.

During the reign of Constantine Christian churches replaced the pagan temples, and Jerusalem became the religious centre of pilgrims until the Caliph Omar captured the city in A.D. 638. Then for four hundred years Jerusalem was overrun by the Moslems. It was during this time, in A.D. 691, that the Caliph Abdul Malik built the magnificent Dome of the Rock over the Holy Place itself. Some years later, the Caliph Walid 11 built the El-Aqsa Mosque just south of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount.

A new era for Jerusalem commenced with the capture of the city by the Crusaders in 1099.

This was a tragic period for the Jewish inhabitants. Most were massacred, and those that escaped were forbidden entry to the Holy City.

Ninety years later, in A.D. 1187, Saladin's warriors conquered the city. A century later the Egyptian Mamelukes took over and occupied Jerusalem until 1518 when the Turks overran the Holy Land and once again Jerusalem changed hands.

Tremendous changes took place during the reign of Suleiman the Great. In 1535, the walls and gates as we know them today were built. The Turkish rule was to last four hundred years th until 1917, when, on the anniversary of the Jewish festival of Chanukkah, on December 11 , General Allenby removed his cap and entered the Holy City on foot, a strange act for a

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conquering hero! Indeed, this was the only time in history when Jerusalem was captured without bloodshed. And it was the only enemy stronghold to be captured in World War I without a single shot being fired either side.

That same year the British Government ratified the Balfour Declaration which welcomed "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." This triggered off a wave of Jewish immigration and the Jewish population swelled from about thirty thousand in 1917 to six hundred thousand when the British Mandate of Palestine ended in 1948.

After Israel's War of Liberation in 1948 the Old City of Jerusalem was occupied by Jordan under U.N. trusteeship. In spite of the fact that Israel and Jordan signed an Armistice agreement which provided for free access by Israelis to places of worship, to the Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives and the Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus, these pledges were never honoured by the Jordanians. Instead, they embarked on a monstrous program of desecration. Ancient synagogues were destroyed with priceless Scrolls of the law.

Jewish graves were ripped open and bones scattered, and the words Jeremiah, written for a previous occasion, took on fresh meaning: "His hand hath the enemy spread over all her magnificent things, for she (Jerusalem) hath seen nations entering into her sanctuary."

Not one of the nations listened to Israel's pleas for justice in the U.N., and the prophet's words concerning Jerusalem have a poignant ring: "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?

Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which is being dealt out to me . . . " (Lamentations 1:12.)

Chapter 4 THE WESTERN WALL Jerusalem is the focal point for three great religions, and countless millions of Jews, Moslems and Christians from every corner of the globe call it "The Holy City". Each religion has its holy shrine. Moslems occupy the most famous – the Temple Mount with the exquisitely beautiful Dome of the Rock dominating the Holy Place, and the Aqsa Mosque but a short distance away.

Christians are less sure of any one particular spot directly associated with the sacrificial death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some believe the site of Golgotha and the Tomb to be the rigged cliff known as Gordon's Calvary, located adjacent to the Jordanian but terminal.

Others place the location at the traditional Church of the Holy Sepulcher within the present walls of the Old City.

The Jews, denied the Temple Mount for nineteen centuries, have turned their longing gaze to a relic of Jerusalem's former glory – a rugged wall that has withstood wars and conquests for nearly three thousand years.

Originally, the foundations of the walls were, in all probability, laid by Solomon's master craftsmen. A shaft sunk recently by archaeologists at the base of the Wall reveals a further forty feet of wall below the present surface.

After Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, the city and Temple were rebuilt. Four hundred years later, Herod the Great commenced a massive rebuilding program. A huge retained wall was erected along the western side of the Temple Mount. At least two magnificent archways were built to give direct access to the Temple from the Upper City. Remnants of these archways, known today as Wilson's Arch and Robinson's Arch, are still evident.

When the Roman armies again destroyed Jerusalem, and by strange coincidence, on the th anniversary of the same day that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city, the 9 of Av, a portion of the massive retaining wall between the two archways was left standing as a memorial to generations to come of the majesty and power of Rome.

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Through the succeeding centuries this massive remnant of the glory that was once Jerusalem became a holy Shrine where Jews wept and mourned over the departed glory of their Temple.

Although the succeeding waves of conquerors swept across Jerusalem with savage ferocity and built their shrines and holy places on the soil sanctified by David as The City of the Great King, the Wall remained intact.

Jews in the Dispersion cherished the fact that, although the Gentiles trod underfoot their Holy Place, at least the Wall remained theirs. It became an inseparable link with the Jerusalem their fathers had wept over: "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept as we remembered Zion." (Psalm 137:1.)

Through the centuries the stones of the walls were worn smooth by the kisses and caresses of those who came to pray and weep. Tiny scraps of paper contained a prayer or verse of Scripture were lovingly tucked into the crevices between stones.

Then in 1948 a dream came true. After the horrible nightmare of the Nazi holocaust, the dream that had sustained the Jews through two thousand years of homelessness was realized. The doors of the Homeland were flung wide open – but the Gates of Jerusalem remained barred for nineteen years – so near, and yet so far! The very places so dear to the heart of every Jew were beyond their reach. th

Then, on June 7 , 1967, the seemingly impossible happened. The Holy places were back in Jewish hands. Young Israelis, amidst the crash of battle for the Holy City, stood and wept unashamedly when they reached the Wall.

On this memorable date did not the prophecy come to pass concerning the termination of 2,500 years of Gentile control of Jerusalem? "Jerusalem shall be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles is completed." (Luke 21-24.)

How significant are the Psalmist's words in the light of Divine over-ruling in the destiny of Jerusalem: "Thou shalt arise and have mercy on Zion, for it is time to pity her. Yes, the set time has come, for Thy servants hold dear her stones; they show sympathy for her dust." (Psalm 102:13-14.)

Thus, the tears of sorrow and mourning for nearly two thousand years gave way to tears of joy and thanksgiving over the very stones that were preserved as a memorial to commemorate the Holy City's destruction – strange irony indeed!

Chapter 5 THE GATES OF ZION "THE LORD LOVES THE GATES OF ZION MORE THAN ALL THE DWELLINGS OF JACOB . . . WALK ABOUT ZION, MAKE A CIRCUIT AROUND HER, COUNT HER TOWERS." (Psalm 87:2 and 48:12.)

There can be few more delightful experiences than to "walk about Zion." As good a place as any to commence such a walk around the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem would be at the southern extremity of the Temple Mount at the base of the wall known as the "pinnacle."

Above, the Moslem Aqsa Mosque occupies the southern portion of the platform known as the Temple Mount. Below, the Ophel Ridge, upon which stood the Jerusalem of King David's time, drops away to the Pool of Siloam where the Kidron and Hinnom valleys meet.

In the year 1535, Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilt the walls and gates of Jerusalem, which are standing today. Most sections of the wall were built on the ancient foundations which were breached by the Romans in A.D. 10. Indeed, the Citadel, situated close by the Jaffa Gate, was originally built by Herod the Great. The massive stones with which Herod loved to build still form the foundations of the towers that are landmarks in the Old City of Jerusalem.

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As we make our way westward along the debris of centuries there is no trace of the magnificent Hippodrome which once stood here. Much of this area still awaits probing by the archaeological teams now working in this vicinity.

Just beyond the Temple area the Dung Gate overlooks the Ophel Ridge. Refuse from the City was once disposed of via this gate.

As we walk westward from the Dung Gate the ground rises to a prominence that was mistakenly named Mt. Zion by the Crusaders. Although the true Zion of David's time was situated close to the Temple Mount and the Ophel Ridge, Jewish and Christian tradition has sanctified this western hill as the site of David's Tomb and the Room of the last Supper.

Nearby, at the south-west corner of Jerusalem, is the bullet-scarred Zion Gate.

Turning north, we follow the Wall along the ridge on the eastern side of the Valley of Hinnom toward the Jaffa Gate. In Bible times this valley was the scene of horrible sacrifices to pagan deities. It was here King Manasseh sacrificed his son by having him burned alive on the altar of the god Molech.

Just beyond David's Tower and the massive bulwarks of the Citadel we enter Jerusalem through the Jaffa Gate. This gate was so named because the caravans and commerce from the sea-port town of Jaffa once entered the Holy City through its narrow portals. At this spot the wall has been breached, and instead of camel caravans and pilgrims, Jews, Arabs, and tourists by the thousand, enter Jerusalem in ever-increasing numbers.

At this post a wide boulevard skirts the wall in a northerly direction. If one chooses to walk along the base of the wall, one can see places where archaeologists have excavated, revealing massive stones and walls of buildings long forgotten. One could be forgiven for missing the New Gate as it has been bypassed by the mainstream of both tourism and commerce.

Not so, however, the Damascus Gate, some four hundred yards further north. Like the Jaffa Gate, this one derived its name from ancient times when the ebb and flow of traffic passed this way from northern cities as far afield as Damascus.

Today, a constant stream of humanity jostle at the Damascus Gate. Entering the Old City through this gate, one soon merges with a stream of tourists seemingly drawn from the four corners of the earth. Like the Jaffa Gate, this one is an artery that leads right to the heart of Jerusalem. A turn to the left leads to the Via Dolorosa along which, some believe, the Lord Jesus bore the Cross. Or one may pass through a narrow archway into an exotic Eastern Bazaar with all the attendant noises and smells.

Furthest north in this section of the wall is Herod's Gate which, like the New Gate, has been bypassed by the mainstream of hustling and bustling twentieth century humanity as it converges on the Holy City.

Here, the wall of the Old City skirts the northern perimeter. Along this section Suleiman built the wall completely devoid of gates. This was possible due to the fact that most of the invading armies attacked Jerusalem along its northern border.

The wall the skirts the Kidron Valley which divides Jerusalem from the Mount of olives. At a spot looking towards Mount Scopus an angry crowd, nineteen centuries ago, stones to death the first Christian martyr, Stephen. And the gate today is called St, Stephen's Gate, or the Lion's gate, because of four bas-relief lions which are carved in the masonry over the gate. It was through this gate that the Israeli paratroopers stormed into the Holy City on the th memorable June 7 , 1967. And on that day almost 2,500 years of Gentile domination of Jerusalem ended.

To complete our "walk about Zion" we thread our way among Moslem tombs at the base of the wall and make our way to the Golden Gate. In Biblical times this was also called the Gate

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Beautiful and was the one which gave access to the Temple area. The Golden Gate faces directly eastward and has a commanding view of the Mount of Olives. Inside, it faces the Temple area upon which now stands the Dome of the Rock. It has been sealed up and looks across the Kidron Valley to Gethsemane and beyond to the Mount of Olives, covered with thousands of tombs of pious Jews awaiting the resurrection and the coming of the Messiah.

There is no road leading to the Golden Gate which was sealed by Suleiman soon after he'd completed the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

In spite of attempts by various rulers and military general to open this gate, it has remained sealed for over four hundred years.

It was through the Golden Gate, which stood on this site two thousand years ago, that the Messiah rode into Jerusalem in the fulfilment of Zechariah's prophecy: "Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king shall come to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zechariah 9:9.)

But today, the great multitudes that shouted, "Hosanna, to the Son of David. Blessed be He that cometh in the Name of the Lord," have long departed. This could well be the quietest and least frequented spot in all Jerusalem.

When Suleiman gave the order to seal up the Golden Gate he unconsciously fulfilled another prophecy concerning this gate. Two thousand five hundred years ago Ezekiel prophesied: "Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east, AND IT WAS SHUT. The Lord said to me: This Gate shall remain shut; it shall never be opened, and no man shall enter by it; for the Lord, the God of Israel, entered by it; therefore it shall remain closed." (Ezekiel 44:1-2.)

Here is a unique prophecy fulfilled. How did Ezekiel know that it was the Golden Gate, of all the many gates of Jerusalem that was to be sealed up? Surely the Spirit of God makes no mistakes.

Chapter 6 JERUSALEM A BURDENSOME STONE The prophet Zechariah foretold a time when all the nations of the world would assemble themselves in the last great battle known as Armageddon (chapter 14).

A few years ago such a prediction could well have been dismissed because of the almost negligible role which Israel, then mostly in dispersion, played in world politics. This situation was vastly changed when General Allenby liberated the Holy Land from the Turks in 1917.

During the Mandate period, from 1922 to 1948, Jerusalem's role changed rapidly as Jewish immigrants resettled the western area outside the Old City walls.

In 1948 the newly-formed State of Israel fought a desperate battle to retain the Old City, but the Jordanian forces held Jerusalem's only link with the rest of the State, the Tel AvivJerusalem highway. Finally, the Old City fell to the Jordanians. After the cease-fire, the U.N. partitioned the city of Jerusalem. The West belonged to Israel, but the Old City was given to Jordan to administer.

For the next nineteen years the Jews were denied access to the Old City until June 7th, 1967.

In the fiftieth year, the year of Jerusalem's jubilee following the partial liberation of the City by General Allenby, Jerusalem was totally delivered from the yoke of Gentile domination by young Israelis, many of whom had never set foot inside the Old City until that memorable day.

Whereas for nineteen years no voice among the nations was raised in protest against the Jordanian desecration of Jewish synagogues and tombs as well as the injustice of barring all

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Jews from worshipping at their holy shrines in the Old City, immediately following the removal of all barriers separating the Old and New sections of the city, a clamour of voices arose demanding that Israel return its ancient capital to the Arabs.

Even Israel's so-called friends, as well as her enemies, joined in the chorus. The U.N., Britain, France and America joined with Red China, together with 40,000,000 Arabs of the U.A.R. plus 500,000,000 Muslims in countries stretching from Morocco to Pakistan. In spite of this clamour Mrs. Golda Meir's response on behalf of 3,000,000 Israelis has been a quiet, but firm, NO! 2,500 years ago Zechariah predicted: "Behold, I shall make Jerusalem as a cup that causes reeling for all the nations around it, and also against Judah will it go in the siege against Jerusalem. In that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensome boulder for all people; all those that lift it shall be severely injured. All the nations of the earth shall be gathered against her." (Zechariah 12:2-3.)

It has been suggested by some Bible scholars that this prophecy applies to a past situation in Jerusalem's long and embattled history. Certainly, the city has known more than its share of wars and sieges down the centuries since the time Zechariah made his prophecy, but not under the circumstances so graphically described.

In A.D. 70 the city was besieged and destroyed by the Romans with terrible suffering inflicted upon the defenders. Since then, the Arabs, Moors, Crusaders and Turks have fought over the city, but at no time have "all the nations of the earth" been gathered against Jerusalem.

It is interesting to note that Zechariah's prophecy speaks of a time when the Holy City will become a "burdensome boulder for all people." Surely this condition applies already.

The two super-powers, America and Russia, are endeavouring to produce a formula which will take the heat of the explosive Arab-Jewish relationship. The U.N. and its special envoy, Mr. Gunnar Jarring, have tried all known channels to produce a peaceful solution – to no avail.

It is also important to note that, according to Zechariah's prophecy, it will be the Jews who are in possession of Jerusalem at the time of its fulfilment. And this could be possible only since th June 7 , 1967!

Zechariah describes a time yet future, the events of which will culminate in a climax of grief and profound sorrow such as the nation has never before experienced.

Strangely enough, this time of weeping will follow the greatest victory in Jerusalem's history.

Instead of rejoicing in their victory and deliverance there will be "Mourning in Jerusalem" which Zechariah graphically describes.

"In that day the lord shall defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David and the house of David like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. In that day I shall seek to exterminate all the nations that come up against Jerusalem. Then I shall pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, and they shall look upon Him, whom they have pierced; they shall wail for Him as one wails for an only son, and they shall be in bitterness for Him like the bitterness for the firstborn. In that day the mourning in Jerusalem shall be like the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo. The land shall mourn, each family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; all the families that remain, each family by itself and their wives by themselves." (Zechariah 12:9-14.)

Thus, Zechariah tells of the great heart searching and grief that overwhelms the nation of Israel, when both nationally and individually they recognize their Messiah-Redeemer.

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Chapter 7 THE RETURN OF ISRAEL'S KING MESSIAH The return of Israel's King-Messiah has captured the interest of Jews and Gentiles alike for nineteen centuries. Rumours of His return upset the early Church at Thessalonika and the Apostle Paul set their minds at rest with the words: "But we beg of you, brothers, relative to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and out meeting together with Him, not to allow your minds to be readily unsettled or disturbed, either by a spirit or by a message or by a letter allegedly from us, as if the day of the Lord had arrived. Let no one in any way deceive you; for the apostasy is to come first, and the man of sin is to be revealed, the son of doom, the adversary . . . " (2nd Thessalonians 2:1-3.)

There have been similar rumours all through the centuries up to the present time, in spite of the Apostle's warning. The Disciples also desired to know what signs would accompany His return. Their question: "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" surely must have been regarded by the Lord as an important matter as His reply is one of the longest single discourses recorded by the Gospel writers.

Both Matthew and Luke complement each other's account with highlights of history from the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 to the final battle for the Holy City at the end of this age.

Luke describes the events which led up to the overthrow of the Holy City by the Romans and the dispersion of the Jews which spanned nineteen centuries.

"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then be assured after that her ruin is pending. Then those in Judea should flee to the mountains, and those inside her should escape, while those in the country must not enter her; for those are the days of vengeance in fulfilment of all the Scriptures . . . They shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be carried off as prisoners to all nations; Jerusalem shall be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles is completed." (Luke 21:20-22,24.)

It happened just as Christ said it would. Jerusalem fell to the Romans. Tens of thousands were out to the sword or crucified. Pitiful survivors were carried off as prisoners. And ever since that time, exactly as prophesied, Jerusalem has been trampled down by the Gentiles – until June 1967.

What will be the sign of His coming? Surely the liberation of Jerusalem supplies part of the answer given by Christ to His disciples. He also spoke of "signs in the sun, moon and stars, with distress on earth among the nations . . . men swooning from dread and apprehensions about events that are taking place in the world . . . Then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." (Luke 21:25-27.)

Chapter 8 FUTURE JUDGEMENT AND FINAL GLORY GLORY OF JERUSALEM The great prophets of Israel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, spoke of the final regathering and restoration of the People to the Land. Isaiah referred to it as the second regathering: "In that day it shall be that the Lord will stretch out His hand a second time to recover the remnant which is left of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. He holds up the banner to the nations; He will gather the outcasts of Israel and shall assemble the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth." (Isaiah 11:11f.) It is important to note that this regathering is from "the four corners of the earth," and not just from those lands immediately north of Israel into which the people were taken captive during the first dispersion.

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Jeremiah foretold a time when the Lord would cause His people return to the Land. Again it is important to differentiate between the time when the Messiah would gather the people amidst much rejoicing and the events described by Jeremiah.

Who can deny that the great stirrings that commenced with Theodore Herzl, and later became a floodtide that swept aside all opposition during the halcyon days of David Ben Gurion, Chaim Weizmann and the Second Aliyah were the events which brought about the present possession of the land?

Hear the words of Jeremiah: "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write all the words that I have spoken to you in a book. For note, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will return the captivity of My people Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. And these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah.

"For thus says the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling; there is terror and no peace. Ask now and see, can a man bear a child? Why when do I see every man with his hands on his loins as a woman in travail? And why has every face turned pale?

Alas! That day is great; there is none like it. It is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it . . . For I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you; for I will make a complete end of all the nations among whom I have scattered you, but of you will I not make a compete end." (Jeremiah 30.)

Thus Jeremiah associates the return to the Land with the terrible time of "Jacob's Distress" – the time of which Christ warned, "Except those days be shortened, no flesh should be saved."

Of this time Ezekiel prophesied: "As I live, says the Lord God, I will rule over you with a strong hand and an outstretched arm and with indignation poured out . . . I will make you pass under the rod and bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge from among you the rebels and the transgressors of My law." (Ezekiel 20:33 ff.)

The events of the past fifty years combine to tell the world that God is fulfilling His promises to His people Israel.

But there is one awful sequence yet to be enacted that will be the grand finale to Jerusalem's long and often bloody history.

Of all the battles that have been fought over the Holy City, none will compare in magnitude with the battle described by Zechariah. Not one nation, nor a confederacy of nations, but ALL nations will come against Jerusalem. Nothing can save the City. This time the odds are too great and all is lost. Enemy forces take control again.

Let Zechariah describe the climax of the Ages which culminates with the return in great power and glory of Israel's mighty Deliverer, the King-Messiah.

"For I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to wage war. The city shall be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished; half of the city shall go into captivity; but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.

"Then the Lord will go forth and wage war against those nations, as He fights in a day of war.

"His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives.

"Then the Lord my God shall come and all the holy ones with Him. "The Lord will become King over all the earth in that day; the Lord shall be One and His name One." (Zechariah 14:2 ff.)

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At this time, God has promised that He will give His people a new heart and a new spirit. At this time also the lord will establish His throne in Jerusalem. Listen to the words of the prophet: "I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy; with glowing jealousy I am burning for her. Thus saith the Lord; I have returned to Zion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain.

"Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Notice that I am saving My people from the land of the sunrise and from the land of the sunset, I will bring them home, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness." (Zechariah 8:2 ff.)

THE FINAL GLORY OF JERUSALEM The glory of Jerusalem in the reign of King Solomon will not compare with the splendour and magnificence that will adorn the Holy City during the reign of Israel's Messiah.

Not only will Israel worship the lord in their midst, but the nations will also come up to Jerusalem to bless His holy Name. According to Isaiah: "Many people shall go and exhort, Come! Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; so that he may teach us concerning His ways, and that we may walk in His paths.' For from Zion shall instruction go forth and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall arbitrate between the nations and shall decide (disputes) for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more." (Isaiah 2:3-4.)

Universal peace and blessing shall follow the reign of Christ Zechariah tells of that day: "Shout and rejoice, daughter of Zion, for I am coming, and I will dwell among you – it has been declared by the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. I will dwell among you, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to yon. The Lord shall possess Judah as His portion upon the Holy Land, and He shall again take pleasure in Jerusalem. Hush, mortals, in the presence of the Lord; for He has roused Himself from His holy habitation!"

(Zechariah 2:10-13.)

"Jerusalem! Jerusalem! . . . I tell you that you will no longer see Me at all until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'"