'Jerusalem Rising': The Story of Jerusalem Through a Prophetic Lens
JERUSALEM, Israel – The new book, Jerusalem Rising, takes a historical and prophetic look at the ageless city.
Author Doug Hershey uses past and current photographs to show the extraordinary transformation of Jerusalem over the past 175 years. The book continues Hershey’s unique look at prophecy and the Holy Land.
“Much like Israel Rising documented the revival of the land, Jerusalem Rising is documenting the fulfillment, or at least the beginning processes of these Biblical prophecies, about Jerusalem being restored and what it’s leading to,” Hershey told CBN News.
Hershey and adventure photographer Edden Ram combed the city for just the right angles to capture its past and present.
“To be able to go to some of these locations and find the exact location where a photographer set up 175 years ago to capture what Jerusalem looks like and then go back today to the exact same location,” said Hershey. “Some of the oldest photos of Jerusalem ever taken were from 1844 and we have several of those in Jerusalem Rising and many of those – in fact, all of those I don’t think have ever been recreated ever."
One of those before and after photos takes place just outside the Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City walls. It looks back from this spot towards what’s known as the Tower of David.
Hershey says most any city on earth may look different over the course of 100 years, but Jerusalem is unique.
“There’s no other city on earth that’s had its history foretold from its destruction to its desolation to a revival as a world player … And so, to be able to see all of that beginning to unfold in our day is really amazing. So, that’s a lot of what’s been documented in Jerusalem Rising,” Hershey said.
Hershey says some of those prophecies can be seen on the streets of Jerusalem.
“In Zechariah 8, God says that he’s going to return to the city and He’s going to dwell with His people, which is a profound statement for one of the prophets to say to God, saying I’m going to return to Jerusalem and dwell with My people,” he explained. “He says that old men and old women will dwell safely in the streets, leaning on their canes and the children will be playing in the streets and the nations will begin to flood to Jerusalem.”
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Before COVID, Israel set records for tourism.
“Never before in history have the nations flooded to Jerusalem the way that they are in our day. And now, clearly, in Zechariah 8 is in the context of coming to worship the king in Jerusalem, but it’s undeniable that these are the very beginning stages, historically, that we’re seeing unfold in the city. It’s just never happened before,” said Hershey.
He believes if we want to understand Jerusalem, we must look to the scriptures.
“ says that God has placed Jerusalem in the center of the earth. So, locationally, it’s already in the center of the earth and one day soon, and even beginning now, it’s already becoming the center of the world’s attention,” he said.
Jerusalem is a city that for thousands of years has stood at the crossroads of history and prophecy.
”Jerusalem has been conquered and reconquered multiple times, has changed hands over 40 times, has been completely leveled at least twice. And there’s been, literally, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years where the city has just laid desolate according to eyewitness accounts,” said Hershey.
“Now we’re at a time where things are starting to revive…So, prophetic words from Zechariah 8 or Isaiah or any of these prophets, about Israel, about Jerusalem where once we thought were allegorical or spiritual or just abstract concepts, we’re finding that God is doing exactly what He said …Never before have these prophecies been fulfilled in such a dramatic and significant way. And it’s happening in our day in a really powerful and unique way.”
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