Have you ever stopped to wonder why Jerusalem matters so much?
I mean, seriously. In all actuality, from a agnostic perspective, what value does it really have? Pull up a map and look at it.
Jerusalem isn't sitting on enormous oil reserves. It isn't one of the world's largest cities. It isn't an economic superpower. It doesn't control the world's oceans or dominate global trade.
It's an ancient city occupying a relatively tiny piece of land in the Middle East.
And yet presidents talk about it. Prime ministers debate it. The United Nations deliberates over it. Religions claim it. Wars have been fought over it. Peace agreements wrestle with it.
And generation after generation, somehow, the eyes of the world keep coming back to Jerusalem. World news media’s cover it intensely.
Why?
Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised, because roughly 2,500 years ago, the prophet Zechariah wrote something remarkable: “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about…” -Zechariah 12:2
Then the language becomes even stronger: “And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” -Zechariah 12:3
Read that again.
Jerusalem would become a problem the nations couldn't seem to put down.
Isn’t that essentially the picture today?
Imagine a massive stone lying on the ground. Everyone wants to move it. Everyone has an opinion about where it belongs. Everyone thinks they know what should be done with it.
But everyone who grabs hold of it discovers that the stone is heavier than they expected. That's the image God gave Zechariah. And thousands of years later, Jerusalem remains one of the most sensitive geopolitical and religious questions on earth.
That alone should make us pay attention. But here's where this gets much bigger- Zechariah wasn't merely predicting political controversy.
Sometimes Christians stop at verses 2 and 3 and immediately begin matching them to modern headlines. But keep reading, because Zechariah 12 isn't ultimately about the United Nations.
It's about Jesus.
God says: “In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem…” -Zechariah 12:8
Then, “I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” -Zechariah 12:9
And immediately afterward comes a powerful statement in Old Testament prophecy: “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him…” -Zechariah 12:10
Wait. Who was pierced? Hm.
Centuries later, outside Jerusalem, Roman soldiers drove nails through the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. And when John described His crucifixion, he deliberately pointed his readers back to Zechariah: “They shall look on him whom they pierced.” -John 19:37
That isn't a coincidence John accidentally stumbled across, he's telling us to connect the dots.
And it even gets more interesting; Revelation opens with this declaration about Jesus: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him…” -Revelation 1:7
Zechariah. John. Revelation.
They all speak of the same pierced Messiah.
But we're still not finished. Let’s follow the story one more chapter.
Zechariah 14 describes a future moment when nations gather against Jerusalem and then a moment that changes everything: “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations…” -Zechariah 14:3
And then Zechariah even tells us exactly where He will stand: “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east…” -Zechariah 14:4
Now hold that thought.
After Jesus rose from the dead, He spent forty days appearing to His disciples. Then one day He brought them out near Jerusalem where they watched as Jesus physically ascended into heaven.
And while they were standing there staring into the sky, two angels appeared and told them:
“This same Jesus… shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” -Acts 1:11
And where were they? The Mount of Olives.
Now let’s put all of the pieces together.
Zechariah describes Jerusalem becoming a burdensome stone among the nations. He describes the nations gathering against Jerusalem. He describes the Lord intervening. He describes people looking upon the One they pierced. He describes mourning and repentance. He describes cleansing from sin. He describes the Lord standing upon the Mount of Olives.
And centuries later Jesus is pierced in Jerusalem, rises from the dead, ascends from the Mount of Olives, and His disciples are told:
This same Jesus is coming back. That's not something I can casually read past.
So are today's events fulfilling Zechariah 12?
Maybe we're watching pieces of the stage being set. Maybe we're seeing shadows of something Scripture says will eventually happen. I, for one, think this is exactly the case. Have you tuned in to all of the other renowned ministry voices of our time? Everyone is saying the exact same thing. For the first time in history. Granted, we should have enough humility not to turn every breaking-news alert into fulfilled prophecy. Jesus warned us against deception. Scripture calls us to discernment. And Christians have embarrassed themselves plenty of times by confidently assigning biblical prophecies to events that came and went.
So let's stay anchored to what the text actually says. Zechariah 12–14 describes something much greater than political tension. The prophecy reaches toward a climactic moment when nations gather, God intervenes, the pierced One is recognized, and the Lord reigns as King.
And that's why Jerusalem is worth watching. Not because every action of the modern Israeli government is automatically endorsed by God, and not because Christians should become consumed with geopolitical speculation... we watch Jerusalem because Scripture tells us that God's story with Jerusalem isn't finished.
There is still a King coming. There is still a pierced Messiah who will be seen. There is still a Mount of Olives waiting for the feet described by Zechariah.
And there is still this breathtaking promise: “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.” -Zechariah 14:9
That's where this story ends. Not with the United Nations. Not with Israel. Not with Palestine. Not with America. Not with Iran. Not with another war.
With Jesus.
The King will return.
The nations will discover that history was never ultimately moving according to their plans.
And Jerusalem, the ancient city the world has fought over, negotiated over, prayed toward, argued about, conquered and reconquered, will find itself once again exactly where Scripture said it would be- at the center of a story God began telling thousands of years ago.
So the next time Jerusalem appears in the headlines, pay attention.
Don't sensationalize it.
Don't force prophecy onto it.
But don't ignore it either.
Not one Bible prophesy has failed to come true. With a 100% track record, about 2,500 years ago when God told Zechariah that a day was coming when the nations of the world would find Jerusalem impossible to ignore, only the foolish wouldn’t take pause.
And to me, the most incredible part of Zechariah's prophecy isn't that Jerusalem would matter. It's who eventually shows up there. It’s been written and therefore only a matter of time. How much time, that’s to be determined.
~Devin
Devin Osborne
The Early Church
