The Church and the city of Jerusalem: A HISTORIC RESTORING

Published in PASUGO August 1997


The historic return of the Israelites from Babylonian captivity was repeated by the restoration of the Iglesia ni Cristo to Jerusalem after being held captive by the apostate church – the Catholic Church.

AFTER ALMOST 2,000 years of exile from the city of Jerusalem, the Church of Christ has finally been restored to its original abode where it was founded by the Lord Jesus Christ in the first century. On the last day of March a year ago, the fulfillment of the divinely-inspired mission to restore the Iglesia ni Cristo to its place of origin in Jerusalem, Republic of Israel, has undoubtedly made its mark in the history of the Church.


The first-century Church in Jerusalem
Recorded in the Scriptures is the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ founded His Church in Jerusalem (cf. Mt. 16:18; Lk. 12:32; Acts 20:28, Lamsa Version). After declaring that He would build His Church, Christ told the apostles that He “must go to Jerusalem” (cf. Mt. 16:21). From there, the Lord and His apostles propagated the words of God in Galilee and Judea. After Christ’s ascension, the apostles and some 120 disciples gathered in the city of Jerusalem and became witnesses to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of the Pentecost.

The Administrator of the Church in Jerusalem then was Apostle James the Less. His authority and the primacy of the Jerusalem Locale over the other locales of the Church in the first century were recognized by the other apostles like Peter and Paul. In fact, when the controversy arose regarding the implementation of the Mosaic tradition among the Gentile converts, it was to Jerusalem where the elders and the apostles went and it was Apostle James who made the final decision after hearing the opinions of the bickering groups.

History, however proves that the Church which flourished in Jerusalem suffered great persecution that caused its members to disperse and wander to different parts of Palestine. Despite their difficult situation, the early Christians painstakingly propagated the gospel among their Hebrew kindred.

How did the Church in Jerusalem vanish into oblivion, thus, making necessary its restoration after almost 2,000 years? Roman imperialism and apostasy were the factors that led to the annihilation of the Church of Christ in Jerusalem. The Christians were already forewarned of the impending destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman legions that as early as 66 A.D., they began to leave the said city.

When the city rebelled against Roman rule in 70 A.D., it was ransacked and totally destroyed. By then, the Christians from Jerusalem were already in Pella, a city in Transjordan. Some historians say that this group became the Ebionites, an obscure Jewish-Christian sect – so obscure, in fact, that they were later on forgotten by history.

When a group of “Christians” reappeared in Jerusalem in 120 A.D. or after the death of the apostles, their beliefs and practices were no longer similar to what the apostles and the original Church in Jerusalem upheld. This was expected because during that time, apostasy had already crept into the Church. Various unscriptural beliefs surfaced and, as a result, the Church gradually turned away from the true Christian faith. What then prevailed was the apostate church.

With the apostasy overtaking it, the true Church of Christ in Jerusalem had to be restored.

God’s abode forever

King David established Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel over 3,000 years ago. It became the center of the Jewish religion as Solomon built God’s temple there. But not even the turning of the Israelites away from God could change His decision to make Jerusalem His permanent home. Nor could the conquest of Jerusalem by Babylon’s Nebuchadnezzar stop God’s will that His chosen people be returned to this beloved city. The historic return of the Israelites from Babylonian captivity was repeated by the restoration of the Iglesia ni Cristo to Jerusalem after being held captive by the apostate church – the Catholic Church.

According to the Holy Scriptures, God has chosen Jerusalem as His permanent home:

“O Lord, you have chosen Jerusalem as your home: ‘This is my permanent home where I shall live’, you said, ‘for I have always wanted it this way. I will make this city prosperous and satisfy her poor with food. I will clothe her priests with salvation; her saints shall shout for joy’.” (Ps. 132:13-16, Living Bible)

Jerusalem is God’s abode forever. “Jerusalem” symbolizes three things: (1) the literal Jerusalem or the capital of Israel also called Zion – a home of God; (2) the Church whose members are registered in heaven – the home of God in spirit; and (3) the heavenly Jerusalem or the Holy City – the New Jerusalem – God’s home where all those to be saved will live with Him.

Bible scholars attest to the fact that Jerusalem symbolizes the Church:

“ZION

“A name for Jerusalem (Matt. 21:5; John 12:15); or symbolically, for the church of Christ (Rom. 9:33).” (Master Study Bible: Authorized King James Version, p. 1840)

The true Church, the Church of Christ, would carry out God’s promise that Jerusalem would be His home forever. To fulfill this, the Lord prophesied that He will bring His people home again:

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring the happy news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns. The watchman shout and sing with joy, for right before their eyes they see the Lord God bring his people home again.” (Is. 52:7-8, LB)

Those who would be brought home will come from the distant east, thus, distinguishing this fulfillment from Israel’s return led by Ezra and Nehemiah:

“Do not be afraid – I am with you! ‘From the distant east and the farthest west I will bring your people home’.” (Is. 43:5, Today’s English Version)

Emancipation from Babylonian captivity

But before the restoration of the Church to Jerusalem would take place, God prophesied that His chosen people in these last days or the members of the Church of Christ must first take off the slave bands from their necks:

“Rise from the dust, Jerusalem; take off the slave bands from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For the Lord says, When I sold you into exile I asked no fee from your oppressors; now I can take you back again and owe them not a cent!” (Is. 52:2-3, LB)

This signifies freedom from enslavement. According to prophecy, what held God’s people captive is “Babylon and all it represents” (cf. Is. 52:11, Ibid.) A book entitled A Verse by Verse Commentary on Daniel and the Revelation states that “the term Babylon is used exclusively as a symbol of apostate Christianity” (cf. p. 843). This clarifies that the Catholic Church is the modern Babylon which has apostatized from the first-century Church of Christ and has held God’s people in bondage for close to two thousand years. Thus, those from the Far East will be taken out by God from the Catholic Church and would be brought back to the true Church.

The throwing off of the yoke of enslavement will occur at the “ends of the earth” (cf. Is. 52:9-10, LB). “Ends of the earth” is the time immediately preceding the end of the world or Judgment Day heralded by signs, among which is the outbreak of a great war (cf. Mt. 24:3, 6-8), the First World War being the fulfillment. Thus, the freedom from enslavement prophesied by the Scriptures would coincide with the First World War which broke out in 1914.

The emergence of the Church of Christ in the Philippines, a country in the Far East, in 1914 is the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the emancipation of God’s people from modern Babylon. The establishment of this Church right at the very heart of Catholicism in Rome on July 27, 1994 symbolizes its complete emancipation from the apostate church.

After being delivered from the captivity, the Church of Christ must now return to its former home. This was fulfilled when the Church was officially established in Jerusalem last year – when the true Church finally returned to its original abode.

The carrying out of the restoration

The work of the Church’s full restoration began when the messenger chosen by God from the Far East in the person of Brother Felix Y. Manalo started preaching the Iglesia ni Cristo. From the Philippines, God’s people in these last days also had to be gathered in the Far West. This was fulfilled in 1968 when the first two overseas locales of the Church were established in Hawaii and in California.

This Church also had to be restored first in the city which is the seat of apostasy – Rome, Italy. This was fulfilled in 1994 when the locale of the Chiesa di Cristo (Italian for Church of Christ) was established in the city of the seven hills. And on the third month of 1996, the Church was finally restored to its original home, Jerusalem, the city founded by King David.

During the restoration worship service, Brother Eraño G. Manalo declared that it was God’s will that they were allowed to complete this important mission. He proclaimed that this is God’s plan and design and, thus, no one can hinder it. The Church Administrator stressed to the brethren present in that worship service that right before their very eyes, the Almighty God has brought His people home again.

Indeed, the restoration of the Church of Christ in Jerusalem last year is God’s will - another manifestation that the Almighty God continuously fulfills all His promises to this Church. The establishment of the Iglesia ni Cristo in this city is a historic unfolding, a historic restoring of God’s chosen people to their original home.