Bible Reading: Fourth Half of Part 7. From Olive Tree

“After the Babylonian exile, Jerusalem changed hands between different political authorities until the Roman Empire set it under the rule of a Jewish client-King. At Jesus’ birth, Jerusalem was the seat of King Herod, who was visited by the Magi on their way to find Jesus (Matt. 2:1-2). The temple of Jerusalem is where Joseph and Mary took Jesus to be purified after his birth and blessed by the prophets Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:22, 25-38), where Jesus was found at age 12 dialoguing with religious teachers (Luke 2:43), where the devil took Jesus to the rooftop for his third temptation (Luke 4:9), and where Jesus disrupted money sellers in the outer courts (Mark 11:15). The city of Jerusalem is also where Jesus was welcomed like royalty before being put on trial by Israel’s religious leaders and crucified by Rome’s political ones (Luke 19:28-38). In his teachings, Jesus predicted future unrest in the city and anticipated its destruction in AD 70 (Luke 21:24). Though Jerusalem was hailed in his time as the only place of true worship, He also predicted that God’s worship would not be confined by location (John 4:21). Nevertheless, Jesus expressed a nostalgic affection for the city before his death at the hands of its citizens (Matt. 23:37). After Christ’s resurrection, the disciples were instructed to remain in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). Peter gave the first evangelistic sermon in Jerusalem and the church began to grow (Acts 2:14, 6:7), despite persecution from the likes of Paul (Acts 8:1-3). Jerusalem acted as a base for the church where the apostles, elders, and other church officials resided (Acts 15:2). The first church council met in Jerusalem to determine the pivotal question of Gentile converts. They decided that Gentile believers could be Christ-followers without following Jewish legalistic regulations (Acts 15:1-29). Paul was later arrested in Jerusalem before his shipment to Rome for further trial (Acts 21:27; 25:12). In Revelation the new city of Jerusalem is portrayed as a God’s bride, a metaphor for God’s people (Rev. 21:2). The same city, then, which served as the center of Israel’s kingship and sacrificial system is the same city where the incarnate God revealed himself as humanity’s true king and true sacrifice, and which symbolizes God’s restored relationship with his people. Megiddo” Sent from Bible Study