Having marked the anniversary of the establishment of the New Church this week, today we share the first of a two part article looking at what the new Jerusalem is, what it means that it is Jerusalem, and what it means to be a part of the “the holy city, New Jerusalem.” -Editor.
Why Jerusalem? Have you ever wondered about that? Why not Bethel or Bethlehem? Maybe I should back up a bit.
We’re talking about the establishment of the New Church today (the actual anniversary was on the 19th). Often around June 19th we talk about stories from the book of Revelation because some of the elements in the stories are symbolic of the New Church. And at the end of the book, chapter 21 and 22—the last 2 chapters of the whole Bible—there’s this vision of a huge, golden, holy city, coming down from heaven.
Let’s read a little bit of the vision.
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:1-2
Lots of different aspects of this city are described and the detail that caught my attention this time was Jerusalem. It’s called “the holy city, New Jerusalem.”
Why Jerusalem?
Why not the city of Bethel which means “house of God” or Bethlehem where the Lord was born? Or why not Durban? Or why not just call it the holy city and have no name attached? So it’s a bit of an intellectual starting point but as I researched it I realised that I think the holy city being called the new Jerusalem has something important to teach us about what it means to be part of the New Church, or any church for that matter.
Let’s start exploring this with some fun facts about the word Jerusalem in the Bible. The word Jerusalem occurs 806 times in the Bible, 660 times in the Old Testament and 146 times in the New Testament. In a list of the most frequent words in the King James Version of the Bible it’s number 123—that’s in a list including words like a, and, the, and God.
And if you take a list of the most frequent nouns, it’s in the top 20. There are no other cities in the top 100. And the only location that’s more frequent is Israel and I would guess that the only reason that’s more frequent is because that word can also be used as a person’s name and as a way of referring to the people, as in “the children of Israel.”
Short version: the word Jerusalem is used a lot in the Bible and is the most frequently mentioned location, especially if you were to throw in other words referring to Jerusalem like “the city” and “Zion.” So that’s interesting. It doesn't really answer the question but it does make sense that if there was going to be a vision at the end of the Bible of some location that it would be the location mentioned most often in the rest of the Bible.
But what will really help us to understand why Jerusalem is used at the end of the Bible is to get a sense of the different ways that Jerusalem comes into the story.
So, we’ve got 806 instances to get through; we’re going to be here a while. Don’t worry we’re not going to go through all of them; but I do want to give you enough so that you can hear what the name Jerusalem evokes.
The name Jerusalem means foundation or city of peace—the salem part is like the word shalom for peace—so Jerusalem is dwelling place of peace. And Jerusalem is first mentioned as the city of an enemy people (Joshua 10). You know those lists of people in the land—Hivites and Girgashites and Amorites.
The people who lived in Jerusalem were the Jebusites. And they were tenacious enough that the people under Joshua weren’t able to drive them out of the land so they stayed there (Joshua 15:63; Judges 1:21). They were able to do this partly because of where Jerusalem was. Jerusalem was located in the Southern part of the land of Canaan but fairly centrally overall.
It was built on 2 mountains, at the edge of a high table land and had steep ravines on some of its sides. This meant that it was a difficult city to attack. And it had a spring that supplied it with water which meant that it could last longer under siege than other cities. When David became king he conquered it and made it his capital city (2 Samuel 5) and it became the largest city in the land of Canaan.
And then he brought the ark of the covenant into it, making Jerusalem where all the people would come to worship (2 Samuel 6). David’s son Solomon built the temple there, fully establishing that Jerusalem, with the temple in it, was God’s dwelling place with the children of Israel (1 Kings 6-7). Then, when the kingdom split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah it was the capital city of Judah.
It had good times and bad times, largely dependent on the character of the king at the time and whether he was following the Lord or following other gods. Jerusalem and the temple in it were eventually destroyed by Babylon and the people taken into captivity (2 Kings 24-25). And then eventually they returned and rebuilt the temple and Jerusalem.
During that whole period many psalmists and prophets of the Lord spoke about Jerusalem. Its holiness and its special place in God’s care. Its corruption and its profaneness. Its restoration and its beautiful future.
Here’s a sample:
Because of Your temple at Jerusalem, Kings will bring presents to You.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds His people From this time forth and forever.
Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home, A tabernacle that will not be taken down; Not one of its stakes will ever be removed, Nor will any of its cords be broken.
Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, That you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
For thus has the Lord of hosts said: ‘Cut down trees, And build a mound against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished. She is full of oppression in her midst.’
I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a den of jackals. I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
Thus says the Lord: ‘In this manner I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.
I have seen your adulteries And your lustful neighings, The lewdness of your harlotry, Your abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! Will you still not be made clean?
Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will bring such a catastrophe on this place, that whoever hears of it, his ears will tingle.’
All who pass by clap their hands at you; They hiss and shake their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem: ‘Is this the city that is called “The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth”?’
Thus says the Lord God to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the land of Israel: ‘They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their water with dread, so that her land may be emptied of all who are in it, because of the violence of all those who dwell in it. Then the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall become desolate; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’
And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.
Micah 4:2 (cf. Isaiah 2:3)
Many nations shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’ Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand because of great age. The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.’ ….
‘So again in these days I am determined to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear. These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbour; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbour; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,’ says the Lord.
‘Yes, many peoples and strong nations Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, And to pray before the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’
For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Back and forth—such beautiful imagery and such terrifying imagery, such promise and such destruction.
Next week we will continue looking at the places that Jerusalem is mentioned in the New Testament and the way that the Writings talk about its meaning as the church and the New Church - and our role as the imperfect people coming to the holy city.
Malcolm is about to become the head pastor of New Church Westville in South Africa. He enjoys having a job that involves digging into the richness of the literal sense of the Word and getting to share what he finds with other people.