Topical Bible: Jerusalem: Prophecies Respecting: To be a Terror to Her Enemies

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Jerusalem, the city chosen by God as the spiritual and political center of Israel, holds a significant place in biblical prophecy. Throughout the Scriptures, various prophecies highlight Jerusalem's future role as a source of fear and terror to her enemies. These prophecies underscore the divine protection and favor bestowed upon the city, despite the numerous challenges and sieges it has faced throughout history.

One of the key prophetic passages concerning Jerusalem as a terror to her enemies is found in the book of Zechariah. Zechariah 12:2-3 states: "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples. When the siege is against Judah, it will also be against Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth gather against her, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who try to lift it will injure themselves severely."

This prophecy indicates that Jerusalem will become a burdensome stone for all nations that attempt to come against it. The imagery of a "cup of drunkenness" suggests that those who oppose Jerusalem will be confounded and overwhelmed, leading to their own downfall. The divine intervention promised here ensures that any attempt to besiege or conquer Jerusalem will result in severe consequences for the aggressors.

Isaiah also speaks to the future of Jerusalem as a source of terror to her enemies. In Isaiah 29:7-8 , the prophet declares: "All the many nations going out to battle against Ariel—even all who war against her, laying siege and attacking her—will be like a dream, like a vision in the night, as when a hungry man dreams he is eating, but he awakens hungry still; as when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking, but he awakens faint and parched. So will it be for all the many nations who go to battle against Mount Zion."

This passage portrays the futility of the nations' efforts against Jerusalem. Their plans and attacks will be as insubstantial as dreams, leaving them unfulfilled and defeated. The imagery of hunger and thirst emphasizes the emptiness of their endeavors, as God will protect and preserve Jerusalem against all odds.

Furthermore, the prophet Micah reinforces this theme in Micah 4:11-13 : "But now many nations have assembled against you, saying, 'Let her be defiled, and let our eyes gloat over Zion.' But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD or understand His plan, for He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor. Arise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns of iron and hooves of bronze to break to pieces many peoples. Then you will devote their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth."

Here, Micah prophesies that although many nations will gather against Jerusalem with malicious intent, they are unaware of God's sovereign plan. The imagery of threshing suggests a decisive victory for Jerusalem, as God empowers her to overcome and subdue her enemies. The wealth and spoils of these defeated nations will ultimately be consecrated to the Lord, highlighting the divine purpose behind Jerusalem's triumph.

In summary, the prophetic Scriptures consistently affirm that Jerusalem will be a terror to her enemies. Through divine intervention and protection, the city will withstand the assaults of nations and emerge victorious, serving as a testament to God's enduring covenant with His people and His chosen city.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Zechariah 12:2,3
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling to all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

New Testament History and Prophecy.
... last word in the New Testament history respecting the Apostle ... The prophecies take
the form of symbolical images and ... In Jerusalem itself a reign of terror raged ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter x new testament history.htm

The Sins of Communities Noted and Punished.
... they take place in this world; respecting the latter ... that he shed, for he filled
Jerusalem with innocent ... in some measure illustrated by other prophecies; but as ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xxix the sins of.htm

Interpretation of Prophecy.
... minute description of a New Jerusalem, with its ... In the classes of prophecies that
have been ... There are two questions, especially, respecting which interpreters ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxviii interpretation of prophecy.htm

Elements of Prophetic Interpretation.
... HIGHLY FIGURATIVE, or SYMBOLIC Prophecies"the laws and use ... New Jerusalem"The redeemed
Church, or the Bride ... who are to form a judgment respecting the subject ...
/.../a brief commentary on the apocalypse/elements of prophetic interpretation.htm

The Seven Trumpets.
... more appropriately pertaining to other prophecies, the defence ... corresponding time
in its fulfilment, respecting the immediate ... unto me, both in Jerusalem and in ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the seven trumpets.htm

The Christ of the Gospels. By Rev. Professor Schaff.
... performed by him, and the prophecies fulfilled in ... pregnant with the deepest meaning
respecting the counsel ... the impenitent Jews in the destruction of Jerusalem. ...
/.../the christ of the gospels.htm

Period iii. The Critical Period: AD 140 to AD 200
... Romans and sojourners, yes, and in Jerusalem, Jews and ... He says, also, that even the
prophecies were derived ... writes in these very words respecting the appendages ...
/.../a source book for ancient church history/period iii the critical period .htm

An Essay on the Scriptural Doctrine of Immortality.
... and the visible temple at Jerusalem, just because his ... be regarded as an epitome of
these prophecies. ... We are farther informed respecting Noah's preaching, which ...
/.../an essay on the scriptural.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... this same period of stress and terror, there came ... born in the village of Anathoth,
near Jerusalem, being descended ... given at the beginning of his prophecies (i.1 ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

Book ii. Jerome Answers the Second, Third, and Fourth Propositions ...
... which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem." For the ... of compassion, afterwards
was an object of terror to the ... I am to infer His wishes respecting ourselves. ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book ii jerome answers the.htm