Information Related to "Jerusalem: Focus of Biblical Prophecy"

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Jerusalem:
Focus of Biblical Prophecy

"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples...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"

by Darris McNeely

The Bible characterizes the ancient capital city of Jerusalem as a holy city as well as a type of Sodom and Egypt, two ancient cities that typified sin. This is quite a contrast for a city that three major religions revere.

Talks that seemed to promise peace suddenly broke down in 2000, leading to weeks of bloody violence in the last months of the year. The central contentious issue was Israeli and Palestinian disagreement on who should control Jerusalem.

A Tiled street sign in Jerusalem - in Hebrew, Arabic and English - reminds us of the city's competing cultures as well as its turbulent history.

An article in The New York Times during negotiations summarizes the problem: "Jerusalem is rarely publicly discussed by Israeli or Palestinian leaders in anything but black-and-white terms. It is the 'eternal, undivided capital' of Israel, on the one hand, and the future capital of the Palestinian state on the other: seemingly irreconcilable concepts that have led many intelligent politicians to recommend that the issue be left unresolved in the current, supposedly final, peace talks" (May 21, 2000).

The most hotly contested part of the city is the area called the Temple Mount, the site of two Islamic mosques as well as the Western Wall of the temple precincts destroyed by the Romans almost 2,000 years ago, which is important to the Jews. The Palestinians hope to claim permanent sovereignty over the site and gain a significant victory in the long-standing struggle between Arab and Jew.

Indeed, Jerusalem's status remains unresolved and a huge stumbling block in any effort to reach a meaningful accord.

Read the full article at www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn32/jerusalem.htm