Scripture mentions Jerusalem 810 times. The references fall into three categories: the city of Salem, the later capital of Judah (Yerushalem), and the prophesied New Jerusalem that has its origins in heaven.
Jerusalem’s first mention appears in Genesis 14:18 in the aftermath of a local war in which two groups of minor kings fought each other. The skirmish resulted in the capture of Lot, Abram’s nephew, then living in Sodom, by Chedorlaomer and his allied kings, Tidal, Amraphel, and Arioch.
When Abram (later, Abraham) learned of the fate of his brother’s son, he armed his 318 household servants. Though Abram was not a military man, he devised a plan to defeat Chedorlaomer and the other kings by dividing his men into several groups and then attacked the raiders at night. Routing them at Dan, he pursued them as far as Hobah, west of Damascus. Not only did he free Lot, but he also rescued prisoners from Sodom, and all the plunder Chedorlaomer and the other three kings had seized (Gen. 14).
The king of Sodom told Abram that all he wanted was his people back, but Abram could have all the goods seized by the four kings. Abram declined to accept any of it. Instead, he explained to the king of Sodom that he had vowed to God to refuse it lest he is accused that the king of Sodom had made him rich, whereas Abram knew that it was the God of heaven who had greatly blessed him (Gen. 14:22-24).
At this time, Melchizedek, king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God, came out from his city and prophetically blessed Abram. Recognizing Melchizedek as a priest of God, Abram gave him a tithe of all he had (vv. 18-20). Some years after Abram’s encounter with Melchizedek, he offered his son Isaac on Mt. Moriah, one of the hills in the vicinity of Jerusalem (Gen. 22). Many people may not realize that God had His loyal followers scattered around the ancient world. So even at this early stage in the existence of Salem, the Lord knew that His people were there, taken care of by the priest Melchizedek.
It is important to note that the name “Salem” means “peace.” The concept of peace is retained in the extended name by which we know this place, Jerusalem, which means “City of Peace.” The only other mention of the name Salem in the Old Testament is in Psalm 76:2, which links it with Zion, another common name for Jerusalem.
We do not know when God decided that Salem would become Jerusalem and a special place on earth for Him and His people. Significantly, though, several times before the site’s occupation by the Israelites, He referred to a place where His “name shall be known.” Probably the earliest occasion appears in Exodus 20:24, although it is more of a general statement rather than a specific reference to the city. More relevant are several passages in Deuteronomy 12:4-14. These verses are especially meaningful when read in light of the dedication of Solomon’s Temple and its filling with God’s presence (1 Kings 8).
Jerusalem has had a checkered history for hundreds of years and more than one name change. As already noted, it was at one time called Salem, but that may have been a contraction of the full name we know as Jerusalem, or more correctly, Yerushalem. “Shalem” is linked with the name of God, and “yeru” has the sense of “a foundation stone.”
Early in Israel’s occupation of Canaan, Joshua defeated the city of Ai. As a result, the people of Gibeon sought peace with Israel. The king of Jerusalem at that time was, interestingly, a man by the name of Adoni-zedek, who may have been a descendant of Melchizedek. Adoni-zedek feared that the Israelites would attack and defeat them, so he appealed to four other local kings to help him (Josh. 10).
Historically the Jebusites, a branch of the Amorite tribe, occupied Jerusalem. The armies of Judah attacked the place after Joshua’s death, defeating the Jebusites, although they re-settled it sometime later and renamed the city “Jebus.” It was not until shortly after David was anointed king over all Israel that he permanently defeated the Jebusites. At that time, David made the stronghold of Zion his city and built greater Jerusalem around it (2 Sam. 5:6-7; 1 Chron. 11:4-9).
In 605 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar’s army destroyed Jerusalem and its temple and took most of its citizenry as captives to Babylon. About 70 years later, King Cyrus of the Persian Empire approved the return of a party to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Alexander the Great, ruler of the Greeks, assumed control of Jerusalem in 332 BC, but the Romans defeated his successors in the battle of Corinth in 146 BC. Herod the Great not only added new buildings to the city of Jerusalem but also began remodeling the second temple, especially its platform.
During Jesus Christ’s ministry on earth, He wept over this city whose history could have been vastly different if Israel had obeyed God as Moses had challenged them to do before they entered the Promised Land (Matt. 23:37-39; Deut. 27:11–30:20). No doubt, the most significant event in earthly Jerusalem’s history did not take place within the city but outside its walls. That was, of course, the crucifixion of Christ, who thus became the Saviour of the world (Heb. 13:12-13).
The almost utter destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army in AD 70 marked the end of the city as the center of Jewish worship and rituals. Since then, various powers have controlled the Levant, including Persians, Arabs, and Crusaders. The Ottoman Empire ruled Jerusalem and much of the Middle East during the period 1516-1917. After World War I, Britain took control of that area, staying until Israel became an independent state in 1948.
Today the Temple Mount is the holiest place in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam. Jerusalem is also an important place for Christians because Jesus taught in the temple and was crucified outside the city wall. But the New Testament turns its attention from the earthly Jerusalem to a new city in heaven, principally in Revelation 21 and 22. However, Paul’s letter to the Galatians and the book of Hebrews also refer to the heavenly Jerusalem.
In Galatians 4:21-31, Paul contrasts people who operate under one of two covenants. The first, an “earthly” covenant based on human performance, is compared to the offspring of Hagar. Paul says this covenant corresponds to “the present city Jerusalem” (v. 25); in other words, the Jerusalem of Paul’s time. He then immediately declares, “but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all” (v. 26). The other covenant includes the “children of promise” (v. 28). Paul concludes his argument in v. 31 in which he says, “So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.” This last reference is linked with verse 26. Reading them together, we can see that, in spiritual terms, those who live by the second, or new covenant, are effectively children of the Jerusalem that will descend from heaven (Rev. 21:2).
Hebrews 12:22 states that those who have accepted Christ are not in the fearful state of their ancestors who gathered before Sinai when God spoke to them (vv. 18-21) but “have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” So, we see in these passages that the early church was not only well aware that “their” Jerusalem would come to its end, but that they could look forward to an infinitely more wonderful Jerusalem that would descend from heaven to be His dwelling place forever after.
A thoughtful reading of Revelation 21 reveals that the New Jerusalem will be a city like no other. The earthly Jerusalem has hardly been a city of peace. But the heavenly city will be an abode of eternal peace. Its dimensions are staggering, and it is not made of humble materials. Instead, its impact on the redeemed will be one of awe, for John says that it will be “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2)
The question each. one of us must ask ourselves is: Will I be a citizen of that heavenly Jerusalem?