A short account of Jerusalem after its destruction by Titus may be of interest, seeing, as we do from scripture, that the city and temple are yet to be rebuilt, inhabited by God’s ancient people, and brought into blessing. (See Isa. 62:6, 76I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, 7And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. (Isaiah 62:6‑7); Ezek. 48:3535It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there. (Ezekiel 48:35).)
For fifty years after its demolition by Titus nothing is heard of Jerusalem. In the time of Hadrian (A.D. 117-138) it again came to be the center of a revolt by the Jews. As the site of the city was naturally one of great strength, Hadrian thought of rebuilding the city, and making a fortress of it to prevent the Jews from again using it as a rallying point in their insurrections, but it would appear that the Jews had already partially rebuilt it. They were ready for revolt; and now a widespread conspiracy was formed. Bar-Cocheba, “the son of the star,” who was alleged to be the star that was to arise out of Jacob (Num. 24:1717I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. (Numbers 24:17)), was crowned king at Bether by the Jews, and was regarded by the common people as their Messiah. Multitudes flocked around him; they became masters of Jerusalem, and attempted to rebuild the temple. Hadrian, finding his troops could not put down the revolt, sent for Julius Severus from Britain to carry on the war. This conflict lasted two years before Jerusalem was taken, and then only after a fierce struggle. Bar-Cocheba was killed.
Jews Perished
Bether still remained, and since the city was strongly fortified, the Jews repulsed the Romans again and again, but were obliged to surrender because of famine and disease. More than half a million Jews are said to have perished here and elsewhere, and considerably more than this in the war altogether. The loss of the Romans also had been immense, so numerous and furious had been the Jews.
Bar-Cocheba was rich enough, and so far established as to have coined some money with the inscription, “Jerusalem the holy” or “To the freedom of Jerusalem,” but God’s set time to favor Zion had not come: all must fail till then, and this false Christ was cut off.
Hadrian rebuilt the city as a Roman colony and called it Ælia Capitolina (A.D. 136), and a temple to the Capitoline Jupiter was erected on the site of the temple of God. Christians and pagans only were allowed in Jerusalem; Jews were forbidden to enter it on pain of death, and this law remained long in force.
Jews Permitted
In the fourth century Jews were again permitted to visit the neighborhood, and afterward were allowed to enter the city once a year and weep over its desolation and its desecration. Jerome speaks of the wretched crowds in tattered garments weeping by the west wall of the temple, and paying the soldiers to permit them to prolong their visit.
It retained the name of Ælia until after Constantine built the “Martyrion” on the supposed site of the crucifixion. He destroyed a temple to Astarte, the Phoenician Venus, and built an oratory on the spot.
In A.D. 326 the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, visited the city, and various churches were built.
An Attempt to Build the Temple
In A.D. 362 the Jews made an attempt to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem, with the support of the apostate emperor Julian, whose object seems to have been to disparage Christianity, and to refute the scriptures that speak of it as superseding Judaism. The work was commenced with great zeal, and even the women carried away the rubbish in their aprons. Some foundations were laid, but a severe whirlwind and earthquake shattered them, and fire burst from the ground and burned all day. The terrified workmen ran to a church close by, but the doors slammed shut of their own accord, and numbers were consumed by the fire. Some took shelter in a portico, but this fell down in the night and crushed them. This account is not given simply by enemies of the Jews; a noble Roman also relates it, and attributes it to supernatural agency. If all this is true, it shows that God’s set time had certainly not come to rebuild the temple.
In A.D. 437 the walls were rebuilt by the empress Eudoxia. There were constant heart-burnings and collisions between the Jews and the Christians. The Jews delighted to buy Christian slaves, and refuse their redemption except at a very high price.
614. The city was taken and pillaged by the Persians under Chosroës II.
628. It is re-taken by Heraclius.
637. The city is surrendered to Khalif Omar.
1077. Capture and sack of the city by the Kharismians.
1096. Captured for the Khalif of Egypt.
1099. Taken by the Crusaders.
1187. Re-taken by Saladin.
1229. Ceded to the Christians in the treaty with the Emperor Frederick II.
1243. Captured by the Kharismian hordes.
1277. Nominally annexed to the Kingdom of Sicily.
1517. Passed under the sway of the Ottoman Sultan.
1542. The present walls built by Solyman. Jerusalem part of the Ottoman empire until 1917.
1917. The city under British rule
1948. Jerusalem partitioned between Israel and Jordan
The Lord’s Prophecy
Alas, how often has the city suffered since our Lord said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matt. 23:37-3837O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. (Matthew 23:37‑38)). We also read that “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:2424And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (Luke 21:24)). These times will not be fulfilled until our Lord appears in power and glory, at the end of the great tribulation. The Christian has a different hope, apart from all times and circumstances, to wait for his Lord from heaven, who said, “Surely I come quickly.” May the heart’s reply be, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:2020He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)).
Adapted from Walter Scott – Bible Handbook