A Drama In Three Acts

01 Jan 1970

In the unfolding revelation of God to man, Jerusalem fulfils a double function. It provides both the stage upon which truth is enacted and the centre from which it is disseminated. We can think of this revelation as a drama in three acts, spanning three millennia, of which God Himself is the Director. Each act has its special theme and each is set in Jerusalem. For Act I, we go back to the days of David and Solomon—the beginning of Jerusalem’s history as a city of importance.

The theme of Act I is the blessedness of a nation united under God. The climax of the revelation is Solomon’s temple, with its unimaginable splendour, set in the midst of a people enjoying peace, well-being, and abundance without parallel in human history.

Yet God’s purpose in sending such prosperity—as in all His dealings with the Jews—was not for their sakes alone. He designed that the testimony of this blessedness, and the reason for it, should go forth from Jerusalem to all nations.

At the apex of Solomon’s reign this purpose was fulfilled. Royal visitors from all lands, the Queen of Sheba among them, came to Jerusalem to marvel at the glory of the temple, the wealth and the wisdom of Solomon, and the prosperity of all Israel.

Later, the southern part, known as Judah, with Jerusalem as its capital, was defeated by Babylon. Jerusalem and the glorious temple were destroyed; Judah was removed to exile in Babylon. In due course a remnant of Judah came back to reoccupy Jerusalem and the surrounding territory. For the next five centuries the Jewish state that was thus restored struggled along in the shadow of various pagan empires, culminating with Rome. And the stage is set for Act II...