Christ’s first and second coming to Jerusalem in Israel as a King is in two segments. The first coming was as the Son of Man, John 1:1,14, when He came to earth to do the will of the Father, John 6:38. At His second coming to Jerusalem He will be as an awesome, conquering King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Prophet, Priest and King
For thirty years Jesus lived in obscurity. Then He reached the age where Jewish men could become priests at the Temple and began His earthly ministry.
Throughout the Gospels Jesus was revealed as a Prophet, starting at Matthew 14:5. He also fulfilled major prophecies. Jesus was also a Priest, Hebrews 7:13,14, and is the coming King of Kings, Revelation 17:14.
Christ’s First Coming to Jerusalem – Entering as a King
Christ’s first coming to Jerusalem as a King was at the celebration of Passover. It was an open declaration of His kingship, Mark 11:1ff.
However, this king did not ride a horse, the symbol of war. Instead, He rode an unbroken colt of a donkey, a symbol of humility and peace. Donkeys were seen as servile, stubborn and stupid, but in this instance, a symbol of peace and humility, service and suffering.
Jesus did not ride in as a conquering king but as a lamb slain before the foundation of the world, Revelation 13:8. He came not to please the people, but to fulfil the will of His Father. It cost Him His life and terrible suffering at the hand of man. It was a cup so bitter, Matthew 26:39, we cannot comprehend it. He took the sins of the world and paid the price of death, for the wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23.
Crowd Cried Hosanna
As Jesus entered Jerusalem the crowd spread their coats in an action of welcoming a new king. This Galilean had worked miracles for three-and-a-half years, healing the sick, calming the storm, feeding the multitudes and casting out demons. Surely, He was their long prophesied and awaited Messiah. He would free them from the yoke of Roman oppression. They cried out, “Hosanna”, which means ‘save now’.
They also waved palm fronds, a symbol of victory, triumph, peace and eternal life. Palm fronds were also the symbol of abundance, righteousness and wisdom. In Ancient Greece and Rome palm fronds were given to victorious athletes, or gladiators and is a Jewish national symbol.
Crowd Cried Crucify Him
Under the influence of the Temple hierarchy, a few days later the crowd cried “Crucify Him”. The crowd rejected Jesus because He did not provide them with the political/military deliverance they longed for.
Palm trees have long provided many of the necessities of life. The palm tree also self-cleans, shedding itself of dead fronds. If Jesus wasn’t their ‘Messiah’ the crowd had no further need of Him. They discarded Him like an unwanted branch.
King
Jesus had entered Jerusalem as a King, but the King was arrested in a most spectacular and illegal way. Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, betrayed Him.
The temple authorities came with 300-600 armed Roman soldiers. When they said they were looking for Him, He answered simply, “I Am”. These weapon-brandishing men and pompous Temple authorities fell backwards onto the ground, through the power of His word, John 18:1-11. Jesus revealed the all-powerful I Am of Genesis 3:14.
Openly Mocked
The priest and elders of the Temple never attended a crucifixion. Yet they attended the crucifixion of Jesus to make sure the crowd did not disobey their orders. They openly mocked Him, Matthew 27:42, and crowed in delight at his defeat. The people had to understand that the One who claimed He was the Messiah, was in fact a fraud and their actions were totally justified. The peoples’ hopes of release from Roman oppression were ground underfoot.
However, the Roman ruler, Pilate ordered a public sign to be placed on the Cross, proclaiming Jesus King of the Jews in three languages, John 19:20. No one could be in doubt what was written there. What no one understand was that Jesus was doing the will of the Father. Jesus was total God, and God was providing the way of salvation.
Judgement
They judged the Son of God and crucified Him on a cruel wooden cross. How the demonic realm rejoiced to see the total degradation of the one who dared to claim, ‘Before Abraham was, I Am’, John 8:58.
It was a hollow victory, for Jesus fulfilled what the prophets had proclaimed and all that He had told His disciples many times. On the third day He rose again. The grave could not hold the Son of God, Acts 2:24.
Satan’s Undoing
Calvary was Satan’s total undoing, as promised in Genesis 3:15. Jesus disarmed the powers and authorities, and made a public display of them, triumphing over them, Colossians 2:15. That is the language of a victorious general triumphantly parading before the people. How heaven must have rejoiced.
Jesus always held the keys of death and Hades Revelation 1:18, for only God says who goes to heaven or hell. That which Satan devises to evil, God means for good, Genesis 50:20. God always has the final say.
The shed blood of the Son of God opened the way of salvation, which was something that animal sacrifices could never achieve. No one can come to the Father except through the Son, John 14:6. Whosoever believes on the Son of God, shall have eternal life., John 3:16. Everyone has the choice of being part of God’s Master Plan.
Christ’s Second Coming to Jerusalem
The Second Coming of Christ to Jerusalem will be much more spectacular than the first coming. He will come back as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, this time on a white horse, the symbol of power, Revelation 19:11-16. Jesus will be accompanied by the armies of Heaven and His glorified saints. He will judge the nations, separating the sheep nations from the goat nations, Matthew 25:31-46.
It is so typical of Satan’s counterfeit nature, 2 Corinthians 4:4, that in the satanic realm ‘riding on a white horse’ is the vernacular for being high on cocaine or heroin.
Hosanna From the Heart
Israel will have been through the cleansing of the Great Tribulation, under the rule of the Antichrist. At the end only a remnant of Israel will remain, Isaiah 10:20. They will accept their King and Messiah and truly cry Hosanna from the heart.
Israel will finally take her rightful place, which God designed for her from before time began. The place where Israel will reflect the glory and goodness of God.
King of Kings
As The King of Kings, Jesus will destroy all that is evil. He will slay with the breath of His mouth, the man of lawlessness who has tormented the world for seven years, 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
Christ will set up His millennial and global kingdom and reign from the holy city, the New Jerusalem with His Bride, Revelation 1:6; 510. There is a great revival during the Great Tribulation, Revelation 7:9, probably in the first three-and-a-half years. This multitude without number will rule over nations with a rod of iron, Revelation 2:26.
At the second coming of Christ, life on earth will change from everything we now know. The horrors described in the book of Revelation will be over and Satan will be bound. It will be the beginning of a thousand years of peace, where natural people will be born.
The Victorious King
The One who was judged, beaten and crucified in His first coming, returns to Jerusalem as the victorious King and Judge, who destroys all that is evil.
God has given us a free will and we need to make the choice now, to be part of that glorious reign. The option is ours. Like the thief on the cross, Luke 23:42, simply accept that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God, the only source of our salvation. He alone holds the keys of death and Hell, and the only way of eternal life. All else is eternal separation from the God who created you. He has a future waiting for you, that you cannot begin to comprehend.
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