Jerusalem

Jerusalem — the holy city, "Zion" — was the city of David and of the Temple, the place of Christ's death and Resurrection, and the image of the heavenly city to come.

Overview

• Jerusalem, also called Zion, was the capital King David established and the site of the Temple Solomon built — the one place where God set His name to dwell.
• It is the city of Christ's Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection, and of the Church's birth at Pentecost.
• Scripture makes it a figure of the whole people of God and of the "new Jerusalem," the heavenly city of the age to come (Revelation 21.2).

Summary

Jerusalem is the holy city at the center of the biblical story. Taken by King David and made his capital, it became the home of the Ark and then of the Temple — "the city of the great King" and the heart of Israel's worship. It was destroyed by Babylon, rebuilt, and grandly enlarged under Herod; and it was there that Jesus entered in triumph, was crucified, rose, and ascended, and that the Holy Spirit descended on the Church at Pentecost. Its earthly history — chosen, glorious, unfaithful, judged, and restored — makes it a living image of the people of God. And Scripture lifts the name higher still: the goal of salvation is the "New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God" (Revelation 21.2), the city where He dwells forever with His people. Cross-link The Temple, The Passion, Pascha, Pentecost.

Sources

[^1]: 2 Samuel 5 (David takes Jerusalem); the Gospels' Passion narratives; Acts 2 (Pentecost). [^2]: Revelation 21.2 (WEB) — the New Jerusalem descending from heaven.