Jerusalem: Why It’s Important to America

President Trump has officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Since Congressional law declared it the capital in 1995, Trump has been the only president with the courage to endorse the law. This White House declaration is more than a political move. It is an act that acknowledges and honors God and His eternal plan for the holy city.

The Arab-Israeli war of 1947 that reestablished the State of Israel left the Palestinians controlling the east half of Israel’s regained capital, Jerusalem. The subsequent war of 1967 ended with Israel in control of all of the city. However, the Palestinians still claim the east half as rightly theirs. The U.S. opened their embassy in 1966 in Tel Aviv, since control of the capital was an international controversy. To this day, no nation has located their embassy in Jerusalem. On Wednesday, our president began the history-making process of relocating our embassy to became the first ever in the legitimate capital. I am excited about this well-overdue decision and strongly believe it is right politically, but most importantly right spiritually.

Politically, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital is a bold statement that America is an unwavering ally of Israel. Although many say the move will jeopardize peace initiatives in the region, I believe it will give us better opportunity to negotiate with the Palestinians from a position of strength and resolve. One of the primary reasons peace in Israel has been elusive is because, for decades, we have been perceived as waffling in our support for their government. Our reluctance has been rewarded with violence against Israelis and Americans as well as very little effort toward peace.

From a spiritual perspective, the relatively small city of Jerusalem is the most important city in the world. Three thousand years ago, God led King David to conquer Jerusalem and establish his palace there. Later, the first Jewish temple was constructed on Jerusalem’s Mount Zion. Succeeding kings and governors of God’s people led from this national capital. In AD 70, the city came under the total control of Rome scattering the Jews throughout the world. From then to 1947, when Israel became a nation again, the land never had a recognized government. During these centuries, a remnant of Jews lived there among foreign occupiers and always claimed Jerusalem as their seat of government. In addition to Romans, the foreign occupiers included Byzantines, Arabs, and Brits. Therefore, Jerusalem has never in history been a capital of any nation or people groups other than the Jewish people. For years before the repatriation of massive numbers of Jews began in 1947, the land of Israel was called Palestine, and its majority population was termed Palestinian. However, Palestinians do not comprise a nation. They never have. They are a conglomeration of mostly Arab people who have filled a long-time vacuum left by native Jews. They don’t have a capital city–they don’t have a country. The capital of the Jewish people, Israel, has been Jerusalem for over 3,000 years, and America finally officially recognized that this week.

But, what makes Jerusalem even important to America and the rest of the  world is that it will be the capital of the universe when Christ comes again as both He and the prophets before Him have prophesied for thousands of years. According to the Bible, He will reign from Jerusalem on the throne of David for eternity. I am already a citizen of that Kingdom, but I also want to be a citizen of the nation that recognizes Jerusalem as not only the capital of Israel, but also the capital of Heaven on earth one day soon.

Referring to the future nation of Israel, God told the father of His people, Abraham, “…I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you, I will curse.” I believe recognizing Jerusalem for what it is and moving our embassy there is America’s way of blessing Israel in spite of the possible repercussions. Now, sit back and watch those who will oppose our president’s decision and will try to block the embassy move. It’s called political naivete and spiritual blindness.

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