Volume 1, Issue 48
30 Jul 2016
 Many of you may protest my identification of “the great city” of Revelation 11:8 in our last issue of Piecing Together Bible Prophecy as America, the Gentile world power of the last days. As it is commonly interpreted today, you believe that “the great city” is undoubtedly Jerusalem. After all, it is referred to as the city which is “spiritually called Sodom and Egypt” and “where also our Lord was crucified.” How, you argue, can it be any other city but Jerusalem, especially in light of the latter, the fact that our Lord was crucified there.
One reason I part company with this common interpretation of “the great city” as Jerusalem is that Jerusalem is never referred to in Scripture as “Sodom” or “Egypt.” Although Judah’s rulers are referred to as “the rulers of Sodom” in Isaiah 1:10, nowhere in Scripture is Jerusalem referred to as Sodom or as Egypt. Both Sodom, which symbolizes sinful debauchery, and Egypt, which symbolizes the oppression of God’s people, serve as types-of-the world throughout Scripture. Was Jesus Christ not rejected and crucified by the world, not merely by the Jews of Jerusalem?
The second reason I part company with the popular interpretation of “the great city” as Jerusalem is because, much to the surprise of many, “our Lord was” not “crucified” in Jerusalem. According to Hebrews 13:12-14, Jesus was not crucified in Jerusalem, but outside the city; that is, outside the “gate” or “camp.”
Golgotha, where Christ was taken to be crucified was located outside the city gates of Jerusalem. The name Golgotha means “the place of the skull” (John 19:17-18). It is better known today by its Latin name, Calvary. Calvary was a place where the worst of criminals—murderers, rapists, and thieves—were taken to be executed. Adding insult to injury, the worst of the lot was always crucified in the middle, where Christ was crucified between two thieves.
Jesus was actually crucified by Rome—the Romans—not by Jerusalem—the Jews. Remember, the Sanhedrin had to take Jesus to Pilate in order to have Him executed, since the Jews lacked the authority to crucify anyone (John 18:28-31). Only Rome had the authority to crucify Jesus. Thus, Jesus was actually crucified by the Babylon—the Gentile world power—of His day.
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PUBLICATION SEND YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS TO: don@timefortruth.org
Don Walton
|
