An unbelieving Jew may be very proud of their capital Jerusalem as the center (Ezek 5:5) or the navel of the earth (Ezek 38:12). But that was only at the time of the Old Covenant, that is, before Jesus Christ the Davidic Messiah came. Now as the Messiah Jesus has come and established his new Covenant community, the church, the picture and concept of Jerusalem has to be radically transformed. The church, which is the body of Jesus Christ, is now New Jerusalem (Rev 21:2), Jerusalem above (Gal 4:25-26), and heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22). All the promises in the Old Testament about the restoration and prosperity of Jerusalem are now being fulfilled in the church. [믿지 않는 유대인은 자기네 수도 예루살렘이 지구의 배꼽이라고 (겔 5:5, 38:12) 매우 자랑스러워 할지 모른다. 하지만, 그것은 구약 시대에 한정된 일이었다. 즉 다윗 후손 메시아 예수께서 오시기 전까지만 예루살렘은 세상의 중심이었다. 이제 메시아 예수께서 오셔서 새 언약 공동체인 교회를 세우셨으며, 예루살렘에 대한 사고는 근본적으로 변화되어야 한다. 예수 메시아의 몸인 교회가 이제 새 예루살렘이다. 구약의 모든 예루살렘 회복과 번창에 관한 약속들은 이제 교회에서 성취되고 있다]Zech 2:4 (Heb, 2:8) foretold "Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it." A similar prophecy about Jerusalem occurs in Zech 8:4-5 when it says "This is what the LORD Almighty says: once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there." [슥 2:4은 (히, 8절) 예루살렘이 너무 많은 사람과 가축들 때문에 성벽 없는 도성이 되리라고 예언했다. 유사한 예루살렘의 번창 예언은 슥 8:4-5에서 나타난다]This prophecy of Jerusalem might have found its partial fulfillment in the period of returning from the Exile (1st in BC 538 under Zerubbabel; 2nd 457 under Ezra; 3rd 445 under Nehemiah). But as a matter of fact, the promise of Zech 2:4 could not be fitting in with the returnings from the Exile. There are several reasons for that. [이 예루살렘에 관한 예언은 추방 이후 귀환기 동안 일부 성취되었다고 말할 수 있을지 모른다. 그러나 사실은 슥 2:4의 약속은 추방에서 귀환하는 것과 어울리지 않는다. 그 이유는 몇 가지이다]1) The restoration of Jerusalem's fortune will occur at the time of God's coming to it (Zech 2:5, 10). But God never came there to be glory among them during the period of returning from the Exile. The Jewish rabbis recognized that fact and acknowledged that God's glory had not been in Jerusalem temple. No ark or glory (Shekinah) was there in the 2nd temple.[예루살렘의 번창 회복은 오직 하나님께서 그곳에 임하실 때에야 일어난다 (슥 2:5, 10). 그런데 하나님은 추방에서 귀환하는 기간에 예루살렘에 오셔서 영광이 되신 적이 없다. 유대인 랍비들도 제2 성전에는 하나님의 영광이 없었다고 인정한다]Zech 2:5 says, "And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,' declares the LORD, 'and I will be its glory within.'" God promised that he would come to Jerusalem to dwell there ("Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD, Zech 2:10). [슥 2:5은 내가 친히 예루살렘 주변을 두르는 불 성곽이 되리라; 내가 그 안에서 그 영광이 되리라 말씀한다. 하나님은 예루살렘에 임하여 거기 거하리라 하셨다 (슥 2:10)]2) The promise of Zech 2:4 was to come to true only when the remnant of the Gentiles would come to Yahweh for worship. But during the retuning period not so many Gentile converts came to Jerusalem.[슥 2:4의 약속은 이방인 남은 자들이 야웨께 경배하러 올 때에만 성취될 것이었다. 그러나 귀환 기간에 이방인들이 야웨께로 많이 개종했다는 증거가 도무지 없다]Zech 2:11 says "Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you."[슥 2:11은 많은 열방이 그 날에 야웨께 연합하여 내 백성이 되리라 한다]3) The time of fulfillment of the restoration of Jerusalem (or Israel) was the time when Israel's long waited Messiah King would arrive on a donkey at Jerusalem (Zech 9:9). Matt 21:5 indicates that Zechariah's prophecy of Israel's king on a donkey has been fulfilled when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. [예루살렘 혹은 이스라엘의 회복 성취의 때는 이스라엘이 오랫동안 학수고대한 메시아 왕이 나귀 타고 예루살렘에 임하실 때였다 (슥 9:9). 마 21:5는 슥 9:9의 나귀 타고 예루살렘에 입성하는 메시아 왕의 예언이 예루살렘에 나귀 타고 입성하신 예수님의 행동으로 성취되었다고 말씀한다]These elements show Zech 2:4 can occur only when Jesus the Messiah came to Jerusalem to rule over Israel. When Jesus Messiah came to rule? He came and was baptized in Jordan river. That baptism was we say his enthronement ceremony though it was informal compared with the one depicted in Rev 5 (cf. Rev. 5:5, 6; Rom 1:3-4). Jesus' baptism contains three key elements of enthronement if we consider Solomonic accession in 1 Kings 1:33-35. 이런 여러 요소들은 슥 2:4의 예루살렘 부흥과 번창 약속이 메시아 예수께서 예루살렘에 임하여 이스라엘을 통치하고자 하실 때 일어날 수 있다는 점을 보여준다. 언제 예수 메시아께서 통치하러 오셨던가? 그분은 오셔서 요단강에서 세례를 받으셨다. 그 세례식이 우리가 보기에 그의 즉위식이었다. 비록 그것은 계 5장에 묘사된 그분의 공적 즉위식에 비해 약식이긴 했지만. 예수님의 세례식은 왕상 1:33-35에 언급된 솔로몬 즉위식과 비교해 보건대 세 가지 요소들을 갖고 있다]1) Cleansing ceremony at the fountain Gihon, 2) the anointing by the prophet Nathan, and 3) the assumed pronouncement of God's decree by the priest Zadok, You are my son, today I have begotten you (Ps 2:7, 2 Sam 7:14). [1)기혼 샘에서 정결 의식; 2)나단 선지자가 솔로몬에게 기름 부음; 3)대제사장 사독이 "너는 내 아들이다, 오늘날 내가 너를 낳았다"고 하나님을 대신하여 선언]When Jesus was baptized there were also three elements: 1) cleansing through baptism in the Jordan river, 2) anointing by the Holy Spirit and 3) the heavenly voice You are my son whom I love! [예수님의 세례식에서도 세 가지 요소가 나타난다: 1) 세례를 통한 정결의식 2) 성령님의 임하심 (기름 부음), 3) 너는 내 사랑하는 아들이라는 하늘의 음성]That means, Jesus became the messianic king through his baptism. Of course, only after his ascension he could assume the formal enthronement glory as Rom 1:3-4 and Rev 5 show. [이는 예수께서 세례식을 통해 메시아 왕이 되셨다는 것을 의미한다. 물론 그분이 구속 사역을 모두 마치고 승천 하신 때에 정식으로 영광스런 즉위식이 하늘에서 일어났었다 (롬 1:3-4, 계 5장)]Jesus' public ministry of preaching the Kingdom (kingship) of God was his kingly rule activities, if we accept our proposal above. Through his ministry, his suffering and death on the cross and resurrection, he has fulfilled all the prophecies of redemption of man and Israel. The full-fledged reign began when Jesus poured out the Spirit on those who called on the name of Lord, on the Pentecost. The Spirit of God came to dwell in Jerusalem Church (the believers of Jesus Christ). With his indwelling in the saints or the church the glory came to be in Jerusalem, the church. And as James proclaimed at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:16-17, citing Amos 9:11-12), with Jesus' ministry and vicarious death on the cross, the fallen kingdom of David has been restored and the remnants of the Gentiles enter it. [예수님의 하나님 나라 선포 사역은 그의 메시아 왕으로서의 활동이었다. 그의 사역과 십자가와 부활 사건을 통해 그분은 인류와 이스라엘 구속/ 회복의 예언들을 모두 성취하셨다. 그분의 본격적 통치는 예수께서 오순절에 주의 이름을 부르는 자들에게 성령님을 부으신 때에 시작되었다. 성령께서 예루살렘 교회, 곧 예수 그리스도의 성도들 안에 거주하러 오셨다. 그분의 성도들 (교회) 안에 거주하심으로 하나님의 영광이 예루살렘에 임한 것이다. 야고보는 예루살렘 공회에서 (행 15:16-17에서 암 9:11-12의 성취 선언) 예수님의 사역과 대속 죽으심으로 무너진 다윗 왕국이 재건되었고 이방인 남은 자들이 그 안으로 들어오고 있다고 선언했다]Thus the restoration of Jerusalem began to occur only when the believers of Jesus the Messiah form the New Covenant community, the church. As for the restoration of Israel, the main theme of second part of Isaiah, it also began to find its fulfillment when the church began to grow. So the article below written by a Jew shows total ignorance of God's work through the messiah Jesus. Jesus and his church fulfill all the promises of God in the Old Testament. [이처럼 예루살렘의 회복은 오직 메시아 예수님의 성도들이 새 언약 공동체 교회를 형성할 때에 시작되었다. 이스라엘의 회복에 관하여 말하자면, 그것은 이사야 후반부의 주요 주제인데, 그것은 교회가 부흥할 때 성취되기 시작했다. 그래서 아래에 유대인이 기록한 예루살렘에 관한 소논문은 메시아 예수님을 통한 하나님의 사역에 대한 완전 무지를 드러내고 있다는 것을 보여준다. 예수님과 그의 교회가 구약의 모든 약속들을 성취한다]In the New Testament the church is called "Jerusalem above" (Gal 4:26) in contrast to Jewish earthly city Jerusalem, which is called "the present Jerusalem" (Gal 4:25). The city Jerusalem in the middle east, which was the center of Judaism, was at the time Paul in slavery with her children (Jews adhering to Judaism)(Gal 4:25). Even nowadays Jerusalem in the middle East is in slavery to the Law with its Judaism. Also the church is described to be the New Jerusalem, which is the bride, the wife of the Lamb (Rev 21:2, 9, 10, 3:12). The author of the Hebrews called the church Mt. Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem, where we saints have arrived (Heb 12:22). [신약에서 교회는, 종살이하는 지상의 '현재 예루살렘'과 대조되어 '위의 예루살렘' (갈 4:26)이라 불렸다. 중동의 예루살렘은 바울 당대에 유대교의 본산으로서 그 거민들과 함께 종살이하는 노예였다. 오늘날도 중동의 예루살렘 동시는 유대교의 본산으로서 여전히 노예에 불과하다. 교회는 어린 양의 신부요 아내로서 '새 예루살렘'이다 (계 21:9, 2). 히브리서 기자는 교회를 시온산과 하늘의 예루살렘이라 칭했다. 성도들은 이미 그곳에 도달했다]--------------- JERUSALEMThe Navel of the EarthWritten by Victoria Radin Every synagogue in the world is built facing Jerusalem. Whenever a Jew prays, he faces this Holy City in accordance with the petition of King Solomon: "And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place." (1 Kings 8:30) Even though the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, it is believed that the Divine Presence never left the Western Wall, the wall that was closest to the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant once rested. Even during the Jewish wedding ceremony, at the happiest time of one's life, the groom proclaims that Jerusalem is still his highest joy when he recites: "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy." (Psalm 137:5, 6) The reason for this great love and devotion on the part of the Jewish people is that Jerusalem is believed to be the place through which the lifeblood and nourishment of G-d flows from heaven to the world. It is the navel of the earth, so to speak. In reciting the history of the city of Jerusalem, Leon Uris in his book Jerusalem, says: "Of all the cities founded by the ancients, Jerusalem alone retains her ancient glory and her special relationship to G-d (p.14)...[David] envisioned it as the center of the earth, a unique and sacred place...the link between man and G-d." (p. 56) Jerusalem is said to consist of seven hills (Next Year In Jerusalem, Teddy Kolleck, Harvest House, 1995, p. 8), the number of G-d's perfection on earth. The city is divided into two main sections: the Lower City [to the east] and the Upper City [to the west]. The Upper City was formerly known as the Land of Moriah, where G-d led Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham called the place Yehovah Yira, translated, Jehovah will provide (Genesis 22:14). The Lower City was known as Salem translated Peace. Melchizedek, meaning, king of righteousness, was its earliest recorded king and priest (Genesis 14:18). When Joshua entered the Promised Land to conquer it for Israel, the Amorites had united the Upper and Lower Cities. In Hebrew it is called Yerushalayim, a plural word reflecting the fact that it was two cities. Prophetically, it means: Peace will be provided there by the King of Righteousness. G-d inspired David to instruct us to pray for that hidden promise contained in the name Jerusalem: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem...For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, 'Peace be within you'. For the sake of the house of the L-rd our G-d, I will seek your prosperity." (Psalm 122:6, 8, and 9) G-d said that He has put His name on Jerusalem (see also Deuteronomy 12:5; 2 Chronicles 33:4; 1 Kings 9:3, 2 Kings 21:4): "Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel." (2 Chronicles 6:6) An amazing phenomena that has become known only in the current century due to the development of aviation, is that the name of G-d literally appears on the physical city of Jerusalem. Shaddai, one of the names of G-d, meaning the "All-sufficient one", is written with three Hebrew letters: shin, dalet, yod. These letters form the acronym Shomer Daltot Yisrael meaning Watchman of Israel's gates or Protector of the doors of Israel. The single letter shin which stands for the word shomer (watchman), however, represents G-d's signature. It appears on every mezuzah placed on the doors of Jewish homes. It is said that G-d looks down from heaven and sees His signature, the Hebrew letter shin, on Jerusalem and on the doors of Jewish homes calling them to His remembrance for protection. The L-rd, in speaking of Jerusalem, told the prophet Haggai: "in this place I will give peace" (Haggai 2:8). This scripture, it is said, instructs us that Jerusalem is the key to peace. Because G-d put His name on it and promised that Jerusalem is the key to G-d's peace, Satan desperately wants to either take it for himself or destroy it. Zechariah records that this ancient contention over Jerusalem will one day erupt into an earthly war: "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and 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." (Zechariah 12:2, 3) Consequently, Jerusalem has seen more wars than any other city on the face of the earth: "Jerusalem has known the hosts of thirty-six wars. She has been reduced to ashes seventeen times. She has risen eighteen. She has been sanctified by blood and martyrdom. She knew the hoofbeat of Assyrian war chariot, chilled to the besieging battering machines of Rome, heard the hissing arcs of Saladin's sabers and the rattle of crusader mail...and the tattoo of Israeli paratroop gunfire. She has seen more passion and love and more human savagery than any other place in the world." (Jerusalem, Leon Uris, p.9) In fact, the Bible teaches that the Battle of Armageddon, the final war of all wars, will be fought over Jerusalem, the city of G-d. That is why the political situation of the nation of Israel serves as a barometer to measure how close we are to the coming of the L-rd. In the same way that Jerusalem was chosen by G-d, the site for the Temple was also chosen by G-d Himself: "Then Solomon began to build the temple of the L-rd in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the L-rd had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David." (2 Chronicles 3:1) G-d stated His purpose for this Temple: "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." (Exodus 25:8) The Hebrew translation actually says: "...that I may dwell inside them." Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, in his book, Jerusalem, The Eye of the Universe, says: "Through this Tabernacle, G-d's presence would dwell in the heart of each and every Jew."(p. 19) G-d required all Israelite men to go to Jerusalem three times a year for the three major feasts: Passover, Shavuot (Feast of Weeks), and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). Sacrifices could only be made at the Temple in Jerusalem. The Israelites were, therefore, compelled to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem three times a year as well as at other times to offer sacrifices for their sins. Jerusalem served as the place where they received spiritual renewal, regeneration, and teaching. Every Jew that does not live in Israel is living in exile, in galut. Galut refers not only to political exile, but also to spiritual alienation from G-d. G-d's punishment for Israel's rebellion was to be banished from the Land. In Israel, the nation is called Ha Eretz which means The Land. To be in G-d's blessing is to be in or restored to The Land: "I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered..." (Ezekiel 20:41) Today, G-d is sending fishermen to the nations (Jeremiah 16:16) to tell the Jewish people to return to The Land, their land of blessing. If they do not listen, G-d will then send the hunters to hunt them down throughout the world wherever they have been scattered. Those who revolt and rebel against the L-rd will not be permitted to return to Israel: "Although I will bring them [the rebellious] out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel." (Ezekiel 20:38) Jews living in the Diaspora (all lands where the Israelites have been scattered) express their desire to once again be in G-d's blessing, living in the land of Israel when they exclaim at the conclusion of each Passover: "NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!" Rabbi Kaplan says that this exclamation is a prayer tied to the coming of the Messiah: "...nothing less than a prayer for the inception of the Messianic Age." (P. 71) The stone on which Jacob rested his head when he dreamt he saw a stairway reaching into heaven (Genesis 28:12) is believed to be the Evven Shetiya or Foundation Stone on which the Ark of the Covenant rested in the Holy of Holies. Jacob called it the gate of heaven (Genesis 28:17). Author Aryeh Kaplan states that this has an important implication: "Just as things can go in through a gate [prayer], so can they emerge [prophecy]. Thus, all spiritual sustenance and blessing come only through Jerusalem, as it is written, 'G-d will bless you from Zion' (Psalm 128:5). It is taught that G-d first sends a blessing to Jerusalem, and from there it flows to the entire world." (P. 42) The sages taught that the Evven Shetiya was actually the Foundation Stone of the entire universe because it was the point at which G-d began creation. This, Kaplan explains, is why there is so much interest in Jerusalem, not only by the Jews, but by the rest of the world as well: "Jerusalem, and particularly the Foundation Stone, is therefore a place of gathering, first only for the Jewish people, but ultimately for all mankind. As all men return to their spiritual source, they tend to strengthen the spiritual concentration in this place." (P. 81) Kaplan states that when prayers are directed toward the Foundation Stone, they are directed toward G-d. For those who know that the Messiah has already come, the Evven Shetiya takes on a special significance: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed." (Isaiah 28:16) Yeshua (Jesus) said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the L-rd's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes." (Matthew 21:42 quoting 118:22, 23) "He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." (Matthew 21:44) G-d's purpose in having a Temple was to fellowship with man. Men could pray to G-d through the Gate of Heaven which is the Foundation Stone, Yeshua (Jesus). Likewise, G-d would speak to man through this same Gate of Heaven: "Yeshua (Jesus) answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (John 14:6) At the beginning of the Millennium, the prophet Ezekiel declares that a new name will be bestowed upon Jerusalem by the mouth of the L-rd: Jehovah Shammah, meaning: THE L-RD IS THERE "You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the L-rd delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your G-d rejoice over you." (Isaiah 62:4, 5) ARE YOU OBEYING G-D'S WORD BY PRAYING FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM? G-D WILL BLESS YOU FROM ZION." (Psalm 128:5) |