Jerusalem, My Home (Part 2 of 4)

This is part 2 of 4 in the teaching series, "Jerusalem, My Home" by Rebecca J. Brimmer, International President and CEO of Bridges for Peace. May you be blessed by reading this teaching letter.

Centrality of Jerusalem

Ezekiel speaks of Jerusalem as the center of the world (Ezek. 38:12, NASB). If you go into a poster shop in Israel, you can find copies of ancient maps, which show Jerusalem as the center of the world.

Jerusalem has a special importance to the Jewish people. Throughout nearly 2,000 years of dispersion, every year at Passover, their prayer has been, “Next Year in Jerusalem.” The Jewish people are the people God chose from all the families of the earth to represent Him and His character through the Holy Scriptures, and Jerusalem has been their most beloved city throughout history.

Teddy Kollek, one of Jerusalem’s beloved former mayors, said, “For three thousand years, Jerusalem has been the center of Jewish hope and longing. No other city has played such a dominant role in the history, culture, religion, and consciousness of a people as has Jerusalem in the life of Jewry and Judaism. Throughout centuries of exile, Jerusalem remained alive in the hearts of Jews everywhere as a focal point of Jewish history, the symbol of ancient glory, spiritual fulfillment, and modern renewal. This heart and soul of the Jewish people engenders the thought that if you want one simple word to symbolize all of Jewish history, that word would be Jerusalem.”

Jerusalem also has special meaning to God. He chose this city as His dwelling place. Several Scriptures reveal that God loves Jerusalem more than any other place on earth. “…Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there...” (1 Kings 14:21). Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a ruler over My people Israel. Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel” (2 Chronicles 6:5–6).

Christians view Jerusalem as the Holy City because it is the location of many events that took place in the Bible and in the life of Yeshua. Jerusalem is the major destination on their pilgrimage to the Holy Land. My father brought groups to Israel 67 times. He always saved Jerusalem for last as the highlight of their Israel experience. I remember him leading the pilgrims in singing an old song: “We’re marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion. We’re marching upwards to Zion, the beautiful city of God.” Many Christians, on their first visit to Jerusalem, feel an incredible love for this city and a feeling of being “at home.” 

Jerusalem is also important to modern-day Muslims, who view it as their third holiest city. They claim that Muhammad visited Jerusalem in a night vision. However, the city of that visitation is not named in the Koran and was not associated with Jerusalem until much later. Jerusalem has become a landing place for journalists. Did you ever wonder why Jerusalem and Israel are on the front pages of newspapers around the world on a regular basis? It has been said that there are more journalists in Israel than in most other places in the world. Certainly the eyes of the world are on Israel. I have talked with school children in the United States and asked them: “How big is Israel?” Invariably they think that it is a huge country, because they hear it talked about so much. Yet, it is only the size of the state of New Jersey in the United States, Kruger National Park in South Africa, Wales in the United Kingdom, Vancouver Island in Canada, the island of Shikoku in Japan, the region of Canterbury in New Zealand, and one-third the size of Tasmania in Australia.

I believe the eyes of the world are trained on Israel because of its importance to God and its centrality in the Scriptures. The city continues to be a focal point of spiritual and physical attack by those who seek to control her.

By Rebecca J. Brimmer

International President and CEO

Photos
www.israelimages.com/Dan Porges

 www.bibleplaces.www.israelimages.com/Hanan Isachar com/Todd Bolen

All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

© 2010
Bridges for Peace holds the copyright on this material. We encourage pastors, Bible teachers, and lay people to use these articles for preaching and teaching, and we hereby grant permission for a limited number of copies for such educational purposes. However, any other reproduction or transmittal of this material in any form—including reprinting, republishing, recording or use with any information storage and retrieval system—requires written permission from BFP International.

For the full version of this teaching letter please visit www.bridgesforpeace.com or click on the link provided http://www.bridgesforpeace.com/pics/TLWEB0507.pdf.

Jerusalem, My Home (Part 1 of 4)

This is part 1 of 4 in the teaching series, "Jerusalem, My Home" by Rebecca J. Brimmer, International President and CEO of Bridges for Peace. May you be blessed by reading this teaching letter.

Jerusalem, My Home

What do you think of when you hear the word “Jerusalem”? Perhaps you think of the Mount of Olives splitting in two, when Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) returns. “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south” (Zechariah 14:4). Perhaps you think of wars––past and future. Maybe you think of the prophecy in Zechariah (12:3), which says all nations will come up against Jerusalem. “And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.”

Many believers think about the rebuilding of the Temple, prophesied by Ezekiel (chapters 40–47). Maybe you think about the turmoil Jerusalem has faced in recent years as terror attacks ravaged the city. Perhaps you are reminded of the time when Yeshua spoke to His disciples of future events which would precede His return. He said, “…Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24b). Many biblical scholars believe that this prophecy was fulfilled on June 7, 1967, the 28th of Iyar on the Hebrew calendar, when Jerusalem came under Israeli sovereignty again. This year, the 28th of Iyar falls on May 16, the 40th anniversary of that event. This annual celebration is called Jerusalem Day. The streets are filled with music, dancing, and happy faces. Flags wave, and the people rejoice in a festive parade through the streets.

Certainly we are living in momentous days when the words of Israel’s prophets are being fulfilled in Jerusalem, and the words of Yeshua are living in front of our eyes. I reflect on all these things and more when I consider Jerusalem. But, there is another dimension to my thoughts. Having lived in Jerusalem for the past 17 years, when I think of Jerusalem, I am thinking about my home.

Jerusalem of Significance

Jerusalem is unique. In the entire world, there is no other place like Jerusalem. Did you know that you always “go up” to Jerusalem? It is said that if you were in a helicopter flying over Jerusalem and you fell out, you would still fall “up to Jerusalem”!

Geographically, ancient Jerusalem did not have any of the characteristics that make a city great. It was located off the main trade route along the coast. It had no great water source, only the Gihon Spring. It was not an important location for an army to conquer. Yet, Jerusalem is filled with the history of the events of the Bible and of the world. In fact, the name “Jerusalem” is mentioned a total of 881 times in the Bible (667 times in the Old Testament, and 144 times in the New Testament). Interestingly enough, it is never mentioned in the Koran. Additionally, scholars say there are over 70 poetic or descriptive names for Jerusalem. The Hebrew name Yerushalayim (first mentioned by this name in Joshua 10:1) means “city of peace” and has a plural ending. Thus, it is a city of double peace!

By Rebecca J. Brimmer

International President and CEO

Photos
www.israelimages.com/David Rubinger

Philipe Ryckner

All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

 

© 2010

Bridges for Peace holds the copyright on this material. We encourage pastors, Bible teachers, and lay people to use these articles for preaching and teaching, and we hereby grant permission for a limited number of copies for such educational purposes. However, any other reproduction or transmittal of this material in any form—including reprinting, republishing, recording or use with any information storage and retrieval system—requires written permission from BFP International.

For the full version of this teaching letter please visit www.bridgesforpeace.com or click on the link provided http://www.bridgesforpeace.com/pics/TLWEB0507.pdf.

Messiah (Part 4-4)

This is part 4 of 4 on the series “Messiah” written by Rebecca J. Brimmer, International President and CEO of Bridges for Peace. May you be blessed by reading this teaching letter.

Understanding Yeshua’s Hebraic World

As we have seen in this short study Yeshua definitely viewed Himself as the Messiah. While He did not directly say, "I am the Messiah" or "I am the Son of God," in a first-century rabbinic way, He makes it very clear that He was the Messiah. It is important for all Christians to begin to understand the Hebraic world that He knew so well, if we are to understand His words. As Robert Lindsey pointed out: "One must always keep in mind when reading the Gospels that they preserve words and ideas that originally were spoken in Hebrew against a backdrop of rabbinic thought. Today, this is utterly foreign to most Christians. Hidden in the text of the Scriptures are words and concepts that are Hebraic. When they were spoken in the Hebrew of the first century, they were not hidden, but clearly express things that now seem obscure to us. If we want to know more about who Yeshua was and what He said, we need to learn more about the language He spoke and the milieu in which He lived.”

Future Hope

As Christians, we eagerly anticipate the coming of Yeshua. Certainly, we see many signs of the end times, which were prophesied by the Hebrew prophets.

We are not alone in this expectation! Many of our Jewish friends are also looking at the fulfillment of Bible prophecy and anticipating haolam haba (the world to come). David Rubin, a modern Orthodox resident of Shiloh believes that the day is coming when we Bible believers (both Jews and Christians) will be united. He sites Zechariah 14:9: “God will be King over all the land; on that day the Lord will be One and His Name will be One.” He explains, “In other words, on that day, there will be no confusion or disagreement between Jews and Christians about the ‘Messiah question’ or any other questions of theology. All of the theological disagreements that have tragically been the catalyst, even the excuse, for so much Jewish pain and bloodshed in the past will remain, in the past. There will be unprecedented unity among the peoples of the world in the desire to praise God in the proper way, which will be clear to all of us on that day.”

In recent years, I have been in many conversations with Jewish people, including Orthodox rabbis, in which the concept of a shared future when together we will follow the Messiah was discussed. One oft repeated suggestion is that when Messiah comes, we should get a committee together of Christians and Jews and ask the Messiah this question: “Sir, have you ever been here before?”

In one such conversation, I was asked by a Jewish friend if I didn’t believe there were two ways to heaven, one for the Jews and one for the Christians. While it would have been more comfortable for my Jewish friend if I had agreed, I was unable to do so. I told him, I believe in the Shema: “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5). I went on to say, “We may not agree on the identity of the Messiah, but there is only one Messiah, just as there is only one God. When He comes, I know we will both follow Him.” I pray that He will come soon and usher in the Messianic Age we all so eagerly anticipate.

By Rebecca J. Brimmer

International President and CEO

All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Bibliography

Benner, Jeff A. http://www.ancient-hebrew.org

Blue, Lionel and Jonathan Magonet. The Jewish Guide to the Here and Hereafter. New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1989.

Donin, Hayim Halevy. To Be a Jew: A Guide to Jewish Observance in Contemporary Life. Basic Books (a division of Perseus Books Group), 1972.

Eckstein, Yechiel. How Firm a Foundation. Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 1997.

Flusser, David. Jesus. Jerusalem, Israel: The Magnes Press, 1998.

Gorenberg, Gershom. The End of Days. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Kempinski, Moshe Avraham. The Heart of the People. Jerusalem, Israel: Shorashim of the Old City Publications, 2006.

Lindsey, Robert L. Jesus, Rabbi and Lord: The Hebrew Story of Jesus Behind Our Gospels. Cornerstone Publishing, 1989.

Rich, Tracey R. http://www.jewfaq.org

Rubin, David. God, Israel and Shiloh: Returning to the Land. Jerusalem, Israel: Mazo Publishers, 2007.

Smith, James. The Promised Messiah. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993.

Wikipedia. “Messiah.” www.wikipedia.com

Wilson, Marvin R. Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 1989.

Pictures:

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For the full version of this teaching letter please visit www.bridgesforpeace.com or click on the link provided www.bridgesforpeace.com/pics/TLWEB0208.pdf.