The city of Jerusalem is mentioned directly in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible for the first time during the struggle of Joshua and the Israelites to take the land of Canaan. - Joshua 10:1-5 - Their efforts to take the city were unsuccessful, although the areas surrounding the city were taken and the land was given to the tribe of Judah. Still remaining in the fortress of the city itself were the Jebusites. Thus, the city was called Jebus. After the death of Saul, the first king of the United Kingdom of the Hebrew people, David was named the new king of Israel. One of his first efforts was to unite the tribes of the north and south by capturing Jerusalem from the Jebusites, making the city the political and religious capital of the Kingdom. - 1Chr. 11:4-9 - It was David who gave the city the name of Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem of New Testament times contained a temple that had been built years before by Herod, the Roman leader. Although the main portion of the Temple was completed in 18 months, other areas of this building were still under construction during Jesus' ministry. In fact, the Temple was not completed until A.D. 67 - only three years before it was finally destroyed by the Roman leader, Titus, and the Roman army. As Jesus had prophesied in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 23, the city of Jerusalem was completely destroyed in A.D. 70. The Temple was destroyed and the high priesthood and the Sandhedrin were abolished. Eventually a Roman city were erected on the site and Jerusalem was regarded as forbidden ground for the Jews.
In the New Testament, the wise men who sought Jesus after His birth came to Jerusalem because this was considered the city of the king. - Matt.2:1-2 - Although Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Jerusalem played a significant role in His life. It was to Jerusalem that Jesus went, when He was 12 years old. Here He amazed the Temple leaders with His knowledge and wisdom. - Luke 2:47 - In Jerusalem, Jesus cleansed the Temple and chasing away the money changers who desecrated the holy place with their selfish practices. And, finally, it was Jerusalem where He was crucified, buried and resurrected.
Jerusalem continued to play a significant role in the early spread of Christianity. After the martyrdom of Saint Stephen, the early believers scattered from Jerusalem to various parts of the Mediterranean world. - Acts 8:1 - But Jerusalem always was the place to which they returned for significant events. For example, the Book of Acts, chapter 15 records that when the early Church leaders sought to reconcile their differences about the acceptance of Gentile believers, they met in Jerusalem. Thus, the city became a holy city for Christians as well as Jews.
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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