Jerusalem, more than any other city in the world, is the focal point of all Biblical events. It is the city with the most violent and controversial history. Nation after nation has claimed it as its own. Empires have warred over it. The Jews are the only ones with the divine blessing of ownership of it.

    Jerusalem is the oldest city in the world. In its most ancient days, it was known as Jebus. So, the Jebusites of the Old Testament were the residents of this city. In Genesis, when Abraham was returning to his home with all the spoils he had taken in battle, he crossed paths with a man named Melchisadek. Genesis calls Melchisadek "the King of Salem". This was also an early reference to the city of Jerusalem.

    After the Jews entered the Promised Land and conquered it, Jerusalem became the capital of Israel. With the coming of the period of the kings of Israel, Jerusalem was conquered. David established the city as the capital of his empire, which is why it was called the "City of David" in those days and even until today.

    The city continued on as the capital of Israel through the time of the divided empire (Northern and Southern Kingdoms) until the fall of the Southern Kingdom to Babylon, under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar, in 586 BC. The Jews then entered into the Babylonian captivity, which lasted 70 years (until 516 BC). At that time, the Babylonian empire was conquered by the Persians, under the leadership of Cyrus the Great. Cyrus then gave the Jews permission to return to their homeland and rebuild the city of Jerusalem. Over the course of the next few years, the Jews in Babylon returned to Israel, and, 49 years later, finished rebuilding the temple and the city.

    The Jews, because they understood the prophecies in the book of Daniel (and others) surrendered to Alexander the Great in 332 BC, while he was on his way to conquer Persia. His taking of Jerusalem began the "Golden Age" of Israel's history. This was the greatest time of peace and prosperity that the Jews had ever, and have ever, enjoyed.

    The world then entered into the intertestamental period (the period between the writing of the Old and New Testaments). This period was characterized by war and intrigue, and is chronicled in detail in Daniel chapter 11. Israel was the focal point of a power struggle between the Ptolemaic empire (centered in Egypt) and the Seleucid empire (centered in Persia).

    Onto this scene came the Roman empire, which conquered each existing empire one-by-one, making Israel a Roman province. The governor of the region at the time of Jesus was Herod the Great.  This brings us to the time of Jesus, and the events of the New Testament. The city of Jerusalem lasted nearly 40 years after the resurrection of Jesus until it was destroyed in AD 70 by Titus and the Roman army.

    During the Middle Ages, Jerusalem was fought over by many groups. In the 7th century, a new rival came onto the scene: the Muslims. Claiming Jerusalem as one of their holy cities, the Muslims ventured to take control of the city from the Jews and Christians. The Christians, in an episode that is an embarrassment to Christianity, fought several battles, called the Crusades, against the Muslims, in an attempt to regain control of the Holy City from the Muslims. The Crusades accomplished little, except to reduce Christianity to the same level of idiocy as Islam.

    Jerusalem once again came under control of the Jews when, in 1948, Israel once again became an independent nation. The city, though plagued with violence, has remained in Jewish control since that day.

    In the future, this great city will be the location of the Battle of Armageddon, and the center of Jesus Christ's Millennial Kingdom, from which He will reign.