We see historically Jerusalem as the place where the Israelite’s gathered to celebrate the feasts and perform the sacrifices. Jerusalem means city of peace, or city of Shalom. Strong’s concordance connects shalom, with who we know as King Solomon. Solomon means peace. JeruShalom was the city of Solomon. Solomon was the physical representation of the son of David.
We know Christ is the real object of the son of David prophesy because all the gospels refer to Christ as the son of David. Solomon was an earthly fulfillment but he was not eternal so Solomon could not have been what God was referring to with the promise of “your son will build me a house for my name”, 2 Sam 7.13+16.
And this house was the center of the city. It was this city Yerûshâlaim (corrected to Hebrew) that all believers would come at the appointed times to celebrate the feast’s with the sacrifices and rest on the Sabbath. This is what Yahweh meant in Due 12. The Israelite’s having come out of Egypt were told by God to seek the place of the 12 tribes where Yahweh puts His name. It was in this place that the sacrifices would be performed, where they would rejoice and where His rest for them would be.
Jesus comes from the Greek name Joshua, which comes from the Hebrew yehôshûa, and the name means Yah-saved and he brings into the land as promised, meaning the place where the promises are fulfilled.
Now after the land was split up between the tribes they went back to war. In other words coming into that land was not the literal fulfillment of the promise or they would have no wars. They would be at rest. But the Holy Spirit was indicating to them and us, that the promise was not literal. see Hebrews 4.8 .
With this in mind we look at Solomon in the same light. The promise is not literal. If Solomon was the literal fulfillment he would still be alive and reigning in Jerusalem. The people got that and spoke of Christ saying “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”.
A question then arises. Does Yahweh put His name on a land or a people or a person?
The old covenant picture was the city. All the sacrifices and the feast’s were in the city. The city was in the land. And from Heb 1.1 god spoke at appointed times in various ways in times past to the fathers, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son. Meaning God communicated to them through these various ways but now the Son supersedes the pictures of something eternal, and brings you into the Eternal saying “The Kingdom of God is at hand”, an invitation still in effect at the time of this writing.
As Christ said “I will no longer speak to you in parables but I will tell you plainly about the Father”. What the land, the city, the sacrifices and the feast’s had taught about God, are now manifest by the son. Meaning, He brings the real deal.
When Moses first saw the Lord he was told “Take your sandals off for where you stand is holy ground”. Then he was instructed to make the things he saw on that mountain that was holy ground. This is where the blueprints and the calendar was obtained for the old covenant.
The whole purpose of the old covenant was to bring a certain people with a certain language to the place to worship God, in a certain land at a certain city on certain days with certain activities. This is very pinpointed and specific, to the law and the Jerusalem back then.
With Christ, John the Baptist said “it is He who comes after me who was preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to unloose”.
Instead of taking off sandals like Moses because the ground was holy, this time it was the man that was holy. Don’t touch his sandals. This marked the start of the new covenant. The promises of God were no longer at a certain place on a certain day but a certain person. This is the true place where God put His name, is not a land or a city like the old covenant, but a man, the Son.
Paul says that all the promises of God in Christ are yes and amen. That “in Christ” the promises dwell. All eyes were on the land and the city, are now should be on the Son. We can see that the Holy Spirit indicated that the land was not of this age, that the Son was not of this age. Does it seem strange that the land is not of this age? That the Son is not of this age? It is not the land that is Holy but the true son with Holy sandals He is Holy, and those who are “In Christ” are in the true land where the promises have their reality.
If the “holy land” has been replaced by the son who is Holy and those who were pictured “in the land” were just learning how to live “in Christ”, meaning the same thing. The same way those who honored King Solomon were learning to honor Christ as the real King.
Earthly Jerusalem or JeruShalom was given a king Sholom/Solomon. The city wears his name. We bear the name of Christ. We are of his city, we are a royal generation, a holy people. Why? Not because we are in a holy land, for that is an oxymoron but we by faith are in true Holiness or Holy land “in the Son” who has the Name, who sanctified all of this by His blood. He sanctified a people not a place.
So who are the citizens? John 1.13 those born not man or flesh but of God. Who then is the Jew? Rom 2.28 the jew is not the outward appearance but the inward circumcision of the heart.
Where then is Israel? Gal 6.15-16 “in Christ”. The only thing that matters is the new creation, as many as walk by this rule, peace, or Shalome be upon them, upon the true Israel of God.” Amen
It has never been about land and lavished buildings and extravagant festivities. These were all tutors to bring us to faith. To understand their eternal counterpart. (Galatians 4)
In this way, The Kingdom of God is at hand. Amen!