On December 6, 2017 President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on behalf of the United States. In addition, he announced his intention to move our nation’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This all has huge prophetic significance.
We ARE living in the days leading up to the tribulation and thus to Jesus’ return for His church before the start of that time. So many things point to this. If there ever was a time to watch for our redemption (see Luke 21:28), it is now.
Since Jerusalem is so much in the news now, let me begin to explain why this is so based on a prophecy regarding this city.
The Prophecy
In Zechariah 12:2-3 the Lord said this, “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.”
Through the prophet Zechariah, God prophesied some rather specific events that would occur in the last days. Here is a breakdown of what he predicted:
1. The nations of the world would become obsessed with Jerusalem. Do we see this today? Absolutely! Almost every world leader had something to say about the President’s recognition of Jerusalem; most condemned it. Turkey stated its intention to sever relations with Israel because of this (another prophetic sign of the end times to be discussed later.) Russia, Iran, and Turkey gathered their forces in Syria in order to support that nation and fight terrorism. Now, however, their focus is Jerusalem.
In anticipation of President Trump’s announcement, the UN general assembly voted overwhelmingly to dissociate Jerusalem from Israel. Jerusalem is the object of the world’s attention as no other city. Only a handful of nations recognize Jerusalem as belonging to Israel. The nations are indeed “staggering” as drunk people over Jerusalem just as Zechariah said they would do.
2. The nations will desire to move Jerusalem’s boundaries. When the Lord says he will made the city “a heavy stone for all the peoples,” He is referring to the intentions of the nations to move the boundaries of Jerusalem. In ancient times, people marked boundaries with large stones. Every peace plan put forward in the past several decades divides Jerusalem; they all move the boundaries of the city exactly as Zechariah said would happen in the last days.
Every peace plan put forward in the past several decades divides Jerusalem; they all move the boundaries of the city exactly as Zechariah said would happen in the last days.
3. God will judge the nations who seek to divide Jerusalem. This Scripture further prophesies that the nations who seek to move the city’s boundary stones will be “severely hurt.” The King James Version says they will “be cut in pieces,” which gets to the heart of what God says He will do.
The United States has put forward several peace initiatives in the past several decades that all divide Jerusalem. Today, as a nation we are more divided both racially and politically than at any time in recent history. I have never seen such hostility between various groups in our nation; most everyone has felt this in some way or another.
Could the sharp divisions all around us be the fulfillment of what the prophet meant by “cut in pieces?” I believe it could very well be a part of it. It will be worse, however, should such a plan actually divide Jerusalem.
4. The Nations of the world will gather against Jerusalem. I believe this part of the prophecy refers to the battle of Armageddon at the end of the tribulation. With the intense focus of the world upon Jerusalem, it’s quite easy to envision this happening in the future. The nations of the world will eagerly join with the antichrist in seeking to destroy Israel and its capital, Jerusalem.
Why Jerusalem?
On the surface, all the fuss about Jerusalem being the capital of Israel seems absurd at best. David captured the city three thousand years ago and the Hebrews built the first two Jewish temples in Jerusalem. Archeology has confirmed Israel’s historic ties to Jerusalem again and again. The Old Testament Scriptures refer to the city over eight hundred times (including the mentions of Zion, a hill in the city). The Koran contains zero references to Jerusalem.
Why are Muslims rioting in response to President Trump’s announcement regarding Jerusalem? Why are so many nations in an uproar over it? What is the big deal about a country choosing its own capital? Every other nation on the earth has such a right.
Is it not because Jerusalem belongs to Israel? The rampant anti-Semitism that increases worldwide each week feeds into this frenzy. It’s also the place God chose for His dwelling place. Psalm 87:1-2 boldly proclaims, “On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.” No other city on earth is as dear to the heart of the Lord as Jerusalem. All of Psalms 87 proclaims the Lord’s great love for Jerusalem.
Second Chronicles 6:6 says, “But I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there . . . .” This is not only the city that the Lord loves, but the one He had chosen. Is it any wonder that the devil wants to take it away from His people?
The Jewish people, however, believe President Trump’s declaration is a sign that the building of the third temple is near. That is the opinion of Yehuda Glick, a prominent politian in Israel and member of the Temple Mount movement. He said, “The prophets' words of prophecy are coming forth from the Bible and becoming facts right before our eyes.” He further compared President Trump to King Cyrus stating that his recognition of Jerusalem prepared the way for the third temple.
In my next article, we will examine why we believe there must be a third temple by the midpoint of the tribulation and how this also points to the nearing tribulation.
We cannot know the day or the hour of Jesus' return for us. We can, however, recognize the signs of the time and realize this is the season; we are living in the last days of human history.