The Prophecy of Zion: A Vision of Justice and Renewal

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Ancient fortified hilltop city with stone walls and domed roofs at sunset

“Zion will be restored by justice; those who repent will be revived by righteousness. But rebels and sinners will be completely destroyed, and those who desert the Lord will be consumed.”
Isaiah 1:27-28 NLT

In our journey through the first chapter of Isaiah, we should perhaps pause and consider the use of the word “Zion”. Today, some anti-semites refer to “Zion” as a descriptor and focus of their hate and anger against the Jews, and some nations and people groups want nothing more than to eliminate “Zionists” wherever they are. In the context of Isaiah 1:27, Zion and Jerusalem are synonyms, but originally, Zion was the Jebusite fortress captured by King David, and Mount Zion is a hill located within Jerusalem. Zion often serves as a synonym for Jerusalem, the Land of Israel, or the Jewish people, appearing 158 times in the Old Testament as a reference to the city.

Jerusalem was in a sorry state, being compared in Isaiah’s prophetic vision to a prostitute and being a city full of murderers, thieves, rebels, and corruption of every kind. God promised to refine it like silver, removing the dross slowly but completely, to restore Jerusalem as a city of justice and righteousness.

In his vision, Isaiah prophesied that “Zion will be restored by justice”. Note the future tense. This was something that was not going to happen quickly, and even today, we see a modern Jerusalem that still fails to meet God’s expectations. So, when would God bring about the restoration of Jerusalem in the future? In this context, perhaps Isaiah’s vision foresaw the restored Jerusalem after the exile, and as we read the book of Nehemiah, we can see that the rebuilding of Jerusalem began well. But was that God’s view?

Before we consider that question, a process of refinement and restoration had to take place. To restore justice, it was necessary to remove corrupt judges and leaders and to install in their place righteous judges, leaders, and counsellors. That was going to take time. In addition, the restoration of Jerusalem would require religious and spiritual refinement through repentance and a turning back to God. And the result? Zion will be transformed from a desolate “lean-to in a cucumber field” (Isaiah 1:8) into a secure, flourishing city that will serve as a beacon of truth and a joy to all nations. Has that yet happened?

Some theologians think that Jerusalem will not be a true city of justice and righteousness until Jesus returns, bringing the rule and reign of the Kingdom of God. Others look to Revelation 21:2, “And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband”. What a wonderful day that will be, with God living on the new earth in the new Jerusalem. 

In Isaiah 1:28, the prophet wrote, “But rebels and sinners will be completely destroyed, and those who desert the Lord will be consumed.” In the new Jerusalem, there will be no such people. Revelation 21:8, “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death”. Complete destruction for the rebels and sinners will not be a pretty sight and will take place in an eternity accompanied by the devil and his minions. 

We pilgrims can perhaps consider the reformed and refined Jerusalem as a spiritual state for ourselves. A place of holiness where we become the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body”. Peter wrote, “And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honour, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced” (1 Peter 2:5-6). 

The picture emerges that we pilgrims are perhaps becoming the spiritual Jerusalem that Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 1:27, a Jerusalem refined, reformed and restored, with Jesus as the Cornerstone for the focus of God within it, the Temple. A place of true justice and righteousness once again.

Heavenly Father. We look forward to being a part of the Jerusalem You desire with Jesus present there with us. What a wonderful place that will be! Thank You. Amen.

Salvation Comes Through the Jews

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews.“
John 4:19-22 NLT

‭Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “salvation comes through the Jews“. Of course, what Jesus said was totally true and accurate. The Old Testament was all about God’s plan for the salvation of mankind and it focused on one Person, the Messiah. Isaiah 53 sets out a graphic prophecy of the coming Messiah, and about Him we read, “But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins“. The Messiah, Jesus, finally came with a lineage that stretched all the way back to Abraham, as we read in Matthew 1. Jesus was, and still is, a Jew. He still is, because He is alive today.

But to many today, the thought, the reality, the truth, that through the Messiah and His crucifixion at Calvary, God finally completed His plan for the salvation of mankind, is a problem. Jesus, the Son of God, said in John 14:6, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me“. The reality is that there is only one way to Heaven and that is through Jesus. Only He can save us from the punishment we deserve for our sins. And He was, and is, a Jew.

As the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, the devil has been stoking up anti-Semitism on a scale never seen for many years. Most people correlate being a Jew and being an Israelite as one and the same thing, and Jews everywhere in the world have found that persecution has increased. But God promised to protect His people. We read in Deuteronomy 33:29, “How blessed you are, O Israel! Who else is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your protecting shield and your triumphant sword! Your enemies will cringe before you, and you will stomp on their backs!” In spite of many times of unfaithfulness, God has remained faithful to His people, because He made a covenant with them. And in many ways the Hebrew Scriptures read like a love story between God and His people.

The enemies of Israel walk a dangerous path, and if we want to know what will happen to them we only have to read the book of Revelation. Of course, this does not justify actions taken by the Israelites, as they too will have to stand before God one day and give an account for all that they have done in this life.

So what should we pilgrims do about the Jews, God’s chosen people? We pray. Psalm 122:6, “Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper“. And we keep praying in the certainty that we are in the will of God for His people. And we give thanks for the Jewish Son of God, who died for the sins of the world at Calvary so that many will be counted righteous.

Dear Father God. We thank You for Your plan of salvation delivered through Your people, the Jews, and through Jesus Your Son. We pray for Your people and for peace not only in Jerusalem, but in Palestine as well. We pray for the innocent people caught up in the conflict and pray that these days will be cut short. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jerusalem

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honour, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.””
1 Peter 2:6 NLT

In his letter, Peter quoted Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.” Isaiah’s prophecy in his chapter 28 was scathing about the rulers in Jerusalem, and he foretold their fate. Isaiah could see coming a time when there would be a righteous Ruler in Jerusalem but his prophecy is still to be fulfilled of course. Other prophets foretold of Jesus ruling in Jerusalem – we can read their prophecies in Zechariah 14 and Jeremiah 3. We refer to this coming of Jesus as His second coming, because we already know about His first coming, as a baby, born in a stable located in Bethlehem. Some 50 days after the resurrection, Jesus went out with His disciples to the Mount of Olives, located just outside Jerusalem, from where He ascended into Heaven. But Jesus is returning to this world, and we read about His return from the angels’ message in Acts 1:11, ““Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”” We knew this was at Jerusalem, because the next verse in Acts reads, “Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile”. Jesus Himself foretold of His return to Planet Earth in Matthew 24:30, “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

But why Jerusalem? Surely there are better places for Jesus to return to? Places where He could be a “cornerstone” far more effectively. Jerusalem is riven by conflict between Jew and Gentile, Israeli and Palestinian, Muslim and Jew. There are many more peaceful places on earth, we could argue. But it will be as God has ordained it. And we also need to remember that one day there will be a New Jerusalem that Jesus Himself foretold about, as recorded by John in Revelation 3:12, “All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.” In Revelation 21:2 we read, “And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband”. The names Jerusalem and Zion are synonymous and the author of the Hebrews wrote, “No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect” (Hebrews 12:22-23). 

There is something special about Jerusalem. It figures greatly throughout the Bible as God’s home and one in which we too will live one day. Whether we consider it as a physical place or a spiritual condition, we must never discount it, and must always be obedient to the Scripture, “Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6-9). There is much strife in 21st Century Jerusalem, but God will one day answer our prayers.

Dear God. We pray for the Holy City Jerusalem today, that peace will reign and Your Word upheld. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Peace in Jerusalem

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Pray for peace in Jerusalem. 
May all who love this city prosper. 
O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls 
and prosperity in your palaces. 
For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, 
“May you have peace.” 
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, 
I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.”
Psalms‬ ‭122:6-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Why should I pray for peace in Jerusalem? After all, I don’t live there; in fact I live a long way from it. The city of Jerusalem appears in news reports every now and then, usually in a context of war, strife and civil unrest. The alternative name, Zion, is a name that invokes hatred in other parts of the world. Surely this is a place to avoid.

The Psalmist probably intended for his thoughts and prayers to apply to peace and prosperity in his society; Jerusalem was often the focus of strife even all those years ago, but when it enjoyed times of peace the people flourished. So he prayed for peace in Jerusalem, much as we would pray for peace in our lands, in our societies. A land at peace flourishes.

If we transpose the theme here into spiritual terms, we are very much a part “of the house of the Lord our God“. And there will come a new Jerusalem, that we read about in Revelation 21 and 22. In John 14, Jesus encouraged His disciples that He was going ahead to prepare a place for them. So as Christians we have a very strong connection to Jerusalem. One day, in its reincarnation, we will be part of it. And we pray for peace to be there, both now and in the future. For the sake of the family of God in all its facets, in all its peoples, whatever nation or ethnic groups they come from. As we pray, God’s peace permeates all levels of His family, all over the world. Persecuted Christians in North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, wherever. And our prayers will lift the yoke of hardship from their shoulders, bringing to them “what is best“.

As a pilgrim through this life, we trudge on, come what may. But ever in our gaze is the New Jerusalem, the Heavenly home of our Lord and God. And somehow as we lift our eyes toward it, our steps are lifted. Our spirits are encouraged. Our journey becomes a concatenation of joy and hope, faith and trust, peace and prosperity. And as we meet fellow travellers we share the “peace of Jerusalem” with them. Enriching their lives as we have been enriched “seeking what is best for you, O Jerusalem“.