Holy War?

The concept of a “Holy War” is repulsive to the ears of a modern reader, and the fact that these two words can even go together may seem unconscionable. But history has united them into a bloody phrase that has cost the lives of millions and the wounding, starvation, and misery of millions more. 

From kings to popes to sheiks and many others throughout history, Holy Wars have been declared, fought, and changed the face of world history time and again. The misuse of this term and the religious zeal stirred up in God’s Name, or the name of any god for that matter, should give one cause to pause.

The Middle Ages saw much bloodshed in so-called Holy Wars. Crusading Knights fought against ferocious Mujahideen over Jerusalem, a city that served as a powerful symbol of victory and military might to whoever controlled it. At its core, this conflict became a question of which God was more powerful: the God of Christianity or the God of Islam.If the Christians were defeated and lost hold of the city, it was because their God was angry with them. If the Muslims were defeated and lost hold of the city, it was because their god was angry with them. Both sides saw Jerusalem as vital to the veracity of their religious claims. Yet neither side ever stopped to ask what God thought about all of this.

The holiest land, which contained the holiest city, in which was found the holiest mountain, upon which was built the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence dwelt, was continuously ransacked and then rebuilt. Jerusalem endured a never-ending cycle of successes and defeats. Before the Crusaders, it was under the control of various Muslim Caliphates. Before the Muslim Caliphates, it was under the rule of the Byzantine Empire. Prior to that, it was controlled by the Romans, Hasmoneans, Greeks, Persians, and Babylonians. After the Crusaders, it was the Mamluks, Ottomans, and, finally, the British, before becoming the capital of the Modern State of Israel. 

All of these nations wanted a “piece of the pie,” as it were, when it came to controlling the city, which is described in the Psalms by the sons of Korah as “The City of the Great King” (Psalm 48:2 NASB). Yet none of these nations asked, “What does the Great King want to happen here?” Rather, the nations wanted to control, dominate, and move world history according to their own plans and desires. 

Whoever controls Jerusalem controls the destiny of the world. Unfortunately, most nations, kingdoms, and peoples fail to align their destinies with the ultimate destiny that God, the God of the Bible, has spoken over this very special and specific location.

To clarify, the God I refer to in this article is not the Allah of Islam. He is not the Marduk of the Babylonians nor the Zeus of the Greeks.

Here is how He defines Himself according to His own words:

* The God who dwells in Zion (Psalm 9:11)

* The LORD God of Israel (1 Kings 8:15)

* The Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 43:14)

* The Chooser of Zion (Psalm 132:13)

* The God of Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 32:19)

God is the one who chose Zion/Jerusalem. He chose it as the place where His presence would dwell, and He chose it as the place from which the redemption of the world would come forth. God chose Jerusalem for a mission: a place from which His presence could be manifested into the whole world. 

As it says in Isaiah 60 concerning Zion, “Darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you. ‘Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising . . .’”

There will come a day when Jerusalem will be a place where all the nations of the world will come to receive God’s light, which will be streaming out of Zion. 

As it goes on to say in the same chapter: “The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, and all those who despised you will bow down at the soles of your feet; And they will call you the city of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (emphasis mine).

The nations of the world that had once opposed Jerusalem, who had perhaps even at one time tried to control it, will come in humility, admitting to the fact that Zion is the city of the LORD. 

King Baldwin IV, Saladin, Nebuchadnezzar, Suleiman, and Herod will all have to admit that Jerusalem does not belong to them; it belongs to King Messiah, the son of David.

Unfortunately, the days of King Messiah are yet to come. However, the struggle over Jerusalem continues to this day. Who is in control of it, who can go where, and who has the right to claim its most sacred spaces?

In some ways, this ongoing conflict represents a deeper spiritual confrontation—an attempt by the nations to assert their own vision and destiny for the city that God Himself has chosen as the epicenter of redemption. Throughout the ages, world powers have attempted to control Jerusalem—consciously or unconsciously—in an effort to delay or even prevent the redemptive process that is destined to emanate from this holy city.

This desire of the nations to dominate Jerusalem can be seen as an attempt to prevent God’s promises from coming to pass. This connects to the words of the Prophets, where Jerusalem is described as both a stone of stumbling for the peoples (Zechariah 12:3) and the ultimate source of peace and blessing for the world (Isaiah 2:2-4). 

Jerusalem is not simply a pawn in the game of nations. In the biblical vision, it is the centerpiece of a holy plan for humanity. 

The ongoing conflict for the control of Jerusalem may be viewed as the nations’ desire to write their own destiny in the face of God’s desires and plans. Yet, as the biblical prophets declare, the day will come when the nations will recognize Jerusalem’s unique role and humble themselves before God. 

Until then, this Holy War will continue until God establishes His kingdom from Jerusalem, and all nations will stream up to it. 

For even as the Prophet Isaiah states: “The Redeemer will come to Zion . . .”