The Fight For Control

Benjamin Netanyahu, on Jerusalem Day, May 22, 2009, said, "Unified Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Jerusalem always has been and always will be ours and it will never be divided again... I stand here today… saying what I said in my visit to the US: Jerusalem will never be divided again. Only Israeli sovereignty over the city would ensure the freedom of religion for the three faiths, and it is the only thing that can guarantee that all minorities and congregations could continue living in it."

Judaism, Christianity, & Islam

The city of Jerusalem is considered hallowed by three different religions. They are Christians, Jews and Moslems but they all believe in the spoken word of God and the Christians and Jews use the same sacred Bible. The Christian Bible is made up of two parts--the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Jewish Bible is the first part of the Bible, the Old Testament. The word Bible comes from a Greek word, biblia, meaning books. The stories in the Bible teach us how people lived, fought wars and worshipped thousands of years ago. The lands described in the Bible are located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem is situated in the Judean hills 35 miles from the Mediterranean Sea.

The 2000 Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem lists 1204 synagogues, 158 churches, and 73 mosques within the city. Jerusalem has been sacred to the Jews since King David proclaimed it his capital in the 10th century BCE.  Christianity reveres Jerusalem not only for its Old Testament history but also for its significance in the life of Jesus. According to the New Testament, Jesus was brought to Jerusalem soon after his birth and later in his life cleansed the Second Temple. And, Jerusalem is considered the third-holiest city in Islam. Before it was permanently switched to the Kabaa in Mecca, for about one year the qibla (direction of prayer) for Muslims was Jerusalem.

History of the Religions

Jerusalem, the capital of Israel is declared the holy city of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In 1949 at the end of the first Arab-Israeli War Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan. But, in 1967, Israel took control of the entire city. Jerusalem was officially proclaimed the capital of Israel in 1980. Today, Jews make up about 75% of the population in Jerusalem and Arabs about 20% and both the Hebrew and Arabic language are spoken.

Judaism

Jews can worship at the Wailing Wall, their most sacred shrine. This is the only remaining portion of the original wall of King Solomon's Temple. After the Jews were banished from the Temple Mount the Wailing Wall became their most sacred place of worship. Just above the wall is the Dome of the Rock, where Moslems worship. For Jews the city of Jerusalem is the site of their ancient Temple and their historical background.

Christianity

You will find many places of worship located in Jerusalem. Christians can worship at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This church was established in the 4th century AD and was rebuilt by the Crusaders beginning in 1099. The church is believed by Christian historians to stand on the hill of Calvary or Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified. For Christians the city is the site of many events in the life of Jesus Christ and his followers.

Islam

Moslems can worship at the Dome of the Rock, which is also known as the Mosque of Omar. On top of the Temple Mount is the gold-domed Dome of the Rock (built around 661 AD) and the silver-domed al-Aqsa (built around 710 AD) mosques. Behind the Dome is the Mount of Olives, important in Christianity as the site of the Garden of Gethsemane. In 638 AD, the Arabs took Jerusalem and built the Dome of the Rock on the site of the Temple. For Muslims, the city is their third holiest because it is the site from which Muhammad is said to have risen to heaven and the location of their mosque.

In 1917 the British occupied Jerusalem and it became the capital of Palestine. During this time the Arabs rioted against the Jews. In 1948 United Nations called for internationalization of the city but the Arabs rejected. From 1949 Jerusalem was divided into an Israeli and Jordanian region. In 1967 Israel took the complete city following the Six-Day War, when Israeli forces occupied the districts of Jordan. The city is reunited today under Israeli government, which promises religious freedom and refuge of all holy places.

The Prophecy for Jerusalem

One day soon Messiah will stand on the Mount of Olives and split apart the Great City with a massive earthquake, and fighting over the holy sites between the three religions of Jerusalem (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) will be vanquished as the buildings fall in ruins (Matthew 24:2).  Starting with Jerusalem, He will bring an end to powerful cities and corrupt governments worldwide, and with the global destruction the schemes of Satan will fail: "The Seventh Angel poured out His bowl into the air, and out of the Temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The Great City [Jerusalem] split into three parts [dividing the three religions of Jerusalem, which have joined together with Antichrist against God], and the cities of the nations collapsed," Revelation 16:17-19.  "Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south... You will flee [in fear] as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah," Zechariah 14:3-5.