“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9 NKJV
In her book “Star of Wonder,” Angela Hunt wrote: “The people of Jerusalem lived in dread of Rome, with good reason, and they were desperate for relief. When Jesus entered Jerusalem the week before His death, Messianic fervor was at such a fevered pitch that the people shouted ‘Hosanna!’ (deliver us) as He rode in. They were about to be delivered, but from sin – an enemy far more destructive than Rome.”
“Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.’” John 12:14-15 NKJV
The song “The Holy City” (made famous by Mahalia Jackson): “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Lift up your gates and sing: Hosanna in the highest, Hosanna to your King!”
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NKJV
“The Holy City” continues: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Hark, how the angels sing: Hosanna in the highest, Hosanna to your King!”
The Rose Publishing “Book of Bible Charts, Maps, and Timelines” documents Jesus’ last week: events day by day, between the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday through His death, burial, and resurrection on Easter. “The Triumphal Entry – Sunday. On the first day of the week Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling ancient prophecy (‘Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ Zechariah 9:9). The crowd welcomed Him with ‘Hosanna” and the words of Psalm 118:25-26 – ‘Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.’ – thus ascribing to Him a Messianic title as the agent of the Lord, the coming King of Israel.”
In their book “Target Israel: Caught in the Crosshairs,” Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson quote Zechariah 12:3: “And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.”
News of conflict in the Middle East, especially throughout Israel and Jerusalem, is reported consistently on the nightly news.
December 8, 2017, the United States officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. President Trump signed the proclamation, and ordered the American diplomatic mission to relocate from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, establishing the United States Embassy on the site of the former US Consulate General in Jerusalem.
“Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’” Acts 1:6-8 NKJV
“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight … Then they returned to Jerusalem.” Acts 1:9, 12 NKJV
On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached the Gospel in Jerusalem, and about 3,000 people were saved.
Jesus’ followers obeyed the Great Commission and took the Gospel everywhere. Now it’s our turn. Use the Bible you have. God’s ABCs of salvation are available for you to distribute to anybody, anywhere. Invite every possible person to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Open your Bible. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Have you come to Jesus? This can be your moment of truth, your hour of salvation.
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 NKJV
When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, tell somebody! Jesus said, “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Where is your Jerusalem? Who will you invite to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?