Jerusalem is a place where the footsteps of pilgrims from around the world never cease every year. For Christians, it is the site of the gospel history where the traces of Jesus are left behind; for Jews, it is the “Promised Land” where the temple stood; and for Muslims, it is also considered a holy site. In the Bible, Jerusalem is recorded as a sacred place chosen for the name of God (1 Ki 11:36). However, there is a somewhat unique mention of Jerusalem in the book of Galatians in the New Testament.
But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. Gal 4:26
The Jerusalem that is above (in heaven) is referred to as “our mother.” Why did Apostle Paul call the heavenly Jerusalem the mother of the saints? Let us examine who the Jerusalem Mother, testified by the Bible, is.
Jerusalem, the Place of Salvation
In the Bible, Jerusalem appears as a place closely associated with the salvation of the soul. The prophets of the Old Testament foretold that nations would come to Jerusalem and receive true spiritual comfort, and that the water of life flowing out from Jerusalem would spread throughout the entire world.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. . . . Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip.” Isa 60:1–4
“All you who love her [Jerusalem]; . . . You will be comforted over Jerusalem.” Isa 66:10–14
On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter. Zec 14:8
Many people visit Jerusalem in the Middle East, hoping to receive comfort of the soul and blessings of the water of life as prophesied in the Bible. Unfortunately, the present-day Jerusalem, marked by ongoing conflicts related to politics, religion, and other issues, appears far from the peace and salvation described in the Bible. So what does the Bible mean by Jerusalem, the “place of salvation”?
The Reality of Jerusalem Is God the Mother
In fact, in the prophecies of Isaiah and Zechariah, Jerusalem refers not to the earthly Jerusalem but to the heavenly Jerusalem. The heavenly Jerusalem represents the heavenly city of God, but it also carries another meaning.
But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. . . . Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. Gal 4:26–28
Apostle Paul referred to the heavenly Jerusalem as the “mother” of the saints who will receive salvation. Jerusalem represents the mother of spirits, namely, God the Mother. Paul went on to refer to those who believe in the Jerusalem mother as the “children of promise.” God’s promise is eternal life (1 Jn 2:25). For the saints who will receive the blessing of eternal life, there is not only the Father of spirits (Mt 6:9) but also the Mother of spirits. Let us understand more about the existence of God the Mother, the reality of Jerusalem.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,” . . . So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Ge 1:26–27
This scene depicts the creation of human beings in the beginning. Here, God expresses Himself not as I but as we, using the plural form. Moreover, God created humans in His image, and both man and woman were created. This implies that there are both male and female images within the image of God. Until now, those who believe in God have known and referred to God as “Father,” assuming only the male image of God exists. However, when we look at the Bible, it is evident that there is not only a God of the male image but also a God of the female image, the “Mother.”
Jerusalem Mother, Giver of Eternal Life
In this way, the reality of Jerusalem, expressed in the Bible as the place of salvation, is God the Mother. Then what specific connection exists between salvation and God the Mother?
God created all things by His will, allowing us to discover His presence and divine nature through everything He made (Rev 4:11; Ro 1:18–20). Let us contemplate life among the myriad of things God created. Many living beings in the world inherit their life from both a father and a mother. While a father is undoubtedly essential, the act of conceiving and giving birth to children is primarily carried out by the mother.
What does it mean that God intended a mother to have a crucial role in the birth of life? This illustrates that just as life is given through a mother, eternal life promised by God to humanity will also be granted through the Mother of spirits. It is only through God the Mother that one receives eternal life, that is, salvation. This fact is evident even through the creation of the first human beings, Adam and Eve, created in the image of God. Adam, the first person created in the image of God, represents Jesus Christ, who is to come to this earth.
Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. Ro 5:14
According to the biblical teaching of the Holy Trinity, God the Son, Jesus, is of the same essence as God the Father, Jehovah (Isa 9:6). In other words, Jesus is fundamentally God the Father. If Adam represents God the Father who is to come, then Adam’s wife, Eve, represents God the Mother who is to come.
Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. Ge 3:20
“Eve” in Hebrew means life. The reason for naming the first woman created in the image of God “Eve,” or life, is because women, as mothers, play a crucial role in giving life to their children. The biblical reference that describes Eve as the “mother of all the living” points to the fact that eternal life is ultimately granted through God the Mother.
Jerusalem Mother Appears in the Last Days
In the Bible, the timing of the appearance of God the Mother, who gives eternal life, is recorded. Two thousand years ago, Jesus repeatedly told His disciples, “I will raise them up on the last day,” meaning he would give them life on the last day (Jn 6:39, 40, 44, 54). Even though Jesus, the Savior, could have given life at that time, why did He postpone that task until the last day? The reason is that the prophecy foretells the appearance of God the Mother, who grants eternal life in the last days.
This providence is also revealed in the prophecy of the Creation. The six-day Creation is a prophecy about God’s redemption work. The creation of Eve on the sixth day, the last day of the Creation, is a prophecy of the appearance of God the Mother in the end of the redemption work. Since eternal life promised by God to the saints will ultimately be given through God the Mother, Jesus emphasized that life would be given in the last days when God the Mother appears.
Let us examine the direct prophecy about God the Mother, who will appear in the last days.
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. . . .” Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” Rev 19:7–9
It is written that the wedding of the Lamb has come, and that His wife has prepared herself. Since only the Lamb, Jesus Christ, appeared at His first coming, this statement is a prophecy not about Jesus’ first coming but about His second coming. The wife of the Lamb appears when Jesus comes again, which occurs in the last days. Apostle John also recorded about who the wife of the Lamb is.
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he . . . showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. Rev 21:9–10
The angel said he would show the bride, the wife of the Lamb, and showed the “Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven.” Therefore, the bride, the wife of the Lamb is represented by the heavenly Jerusalem. Apostle Paul clarifies that the heavenly Jerusalem is “our mother,” and refers to the saints who will be saved as “children of promise” and “children of the free woman” (Gal 4:26–31). He clearly testifies that the saints who have received the promise of eternal life have the heavenly Jerusalem Mother, who is free.
The Old Testament prophets prophesied that Jerusalem would be the source of comfort, like a mother comforting her children, providing the restful haven of peace, and ultimately becomes the source of the water of life. The Jerusalem seen through the eyes of the prophets is none other than God the Mother. In the present time, the place we should seek for salvation is not the earthly Jerusalem but the heavenly Jerusalem, our God the Mother.
