Olivet Views

Israel has made tremendous strides in every field over her relatively brief modern history. Jerusalem today is a bustling, modern metropolis. The city is continually expanding with massive construction projects, including a light rail to connect distant parts to the center. Yet the peace she longs for has been elusive.

The search for peace has been central to all the initiatives, accords, plans and road maps proposed by men to end the Arab/Israeli conflict. Jerusalem figures prominently in the overall picture for any settlement. Because of the impasse, Israel is seen by many as the greatest threat to world peace. Some even view the current "road map" as the last chance for any peace agreement with the Palestinian people.

God's "road map" for peace has always been "through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:20). A just and lasting peace cannot come until the Gospel is welcomed. The Scriptures foretell the day when peace and safety will be declared, only to be followed by the sudden destruction of God's wrath (I Thessalonians 5:3-9). According to Zechariah 14:1-2, Jerusalem is the catalyst for that "day of the Lord."

Prior to Jerusalem's glorious restoration and establishment as the center of worship and government in the earth, the Lord must first cleanse Israel of unbelief "by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning" (Isaiah 4:2-6). Only then will the nation fulfill the Lord's solemn condition for His return: "Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." (Matthew 23:39)

The Lord will not reject national Israel forever (Lamentations 3:31-33). Her destiny is to be grafted back into the olive tree of His grace (Romans 11:24-28). In the day of her salvation, "Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, the Lord our Righteousness." (Jeremiah 33:16)