In Berlin, Germany, after World War II, there stood a church in the center of the city with nothing left but the Gothic arch which framed the main door. Over the arch were these words from Luke 21: “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words remain forever true." I would like to talk about that today.

The author of Psalm 48 was enthralled with the strength and beauty of Jerusalem. Her towers seemed immovable; her citadels appeared immutable; her temple looked like nothing less than something immortal. Yet, in the midst of his rejoicing, the author comes to realize that even holy cities have a life span and great towers crumble with the passing of time. Of course, his foresight was right. Jerusalem has been totally destroyed two times in history and continues today as a hotbed of great r…