I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth – Isaiah 62:6-7^KJV.

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Why is there only one city in the world that the Bible explicitly calls on us to pray for? It’s not Rome or New York, London or Los Angeles. It’s Jerusalem. We’re asked to pray for the peace of Jerusalem – Psalm 122:6.

Critics of the Bible have asked, “Why is the Creator, who counts the immensity of the universe as His domain, interested in a very specific, small piece of land on the earth where Jerusalem is situate?” The Bible does not directly answer this question. It reveals to us that God chose Jerusalem as the place to set His name there (Nehemiah 1:9, Zech. 1:17). Concerning this divine choice, might one ask:

1. Does Jerusalem have a direct relationship to the Garden of Eden at the beginning of creation (Revelation 22:14)? Then its choice connects with God’s purpose to restore the earth to the condition of paradise that it had at the first.
2. As the place where Abraham brought his son Isaac to offer him as a sacrifice, does Jerusalem memorialize two fathers acting to offer up their sons? Abraham was obedient to God’s command because he believed that Isaac would be brought back from the dead after he took his son’s life (Hebrews 11:17-19). God, as the Father of Jesus, chose Jerusalem as the place where He would later sacrifice His son to reconcile the world unto Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Both these possibilities recognize Jerusalem as the place where Heaven connects with earth through man’s obedient response to God’s will. In Jerusalem to come, God’s purpose in redemption will be accomplished.

Last updated 2026-05-19 Next update scheduled 2026-06-20