“The Holy Land” Is Any Place Where God’s Name Is Called
Many people often equate the “Holy Land” with the present-day nation of Israel – thinking that Israel = the Holy Land. But is this understanding completely correct?
- The Holy Land – What is it according to the Bible?
According to God, the Holy Land is not just a fixed land in the physical sense, but the place where God chooses to place His Name, the place where His people call on His Name. It is a place set apart for prayer, worship and communion with Him.
“But I have chosen Jerusalem, that My Name may be there.” – 2 Chronicles 6:7
“My house shall be called a house of prayer.” – Luke 19:46
However, God’s presence is not limited by walls or geography, nor is it confined to a physical temple as in the Old Testament.
- Jerusalem – Once a Sacred Center, But Not Permanent
Although Jerusalem was once chosen as the place where God’s Name was placed in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, when the temple curtain was torn in two, God no longer resided in that physical temple in a special way.
Worse, Jerusalem at that time had been turned into a place of selling gods and holy things, where religious rituals became a tool for profit. Therefore, the apostle Peter in his epistle metaphorically called that place Babylon – a symbol of the decadent religious system:
“The church in Babylon greets you.” – 1 Peter 5:13
- “The Temple Ground” Is No Longer Limited – But Expanded
Since Jesus came to the world, the Temple has been expanded. It is no longer a specific land, but wherever people call on the Name of God, that place becomes holy ground.
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” – Matthew 18:20
Whether it is a simple meeting room, a small kitchen corner, or under a fig tree, if there is the invocation and presence of the Name of JESUS – that place is the Holy Temple:
Under the fig tree: “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” – John 1:48
The disciples’ meeting room: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” – Acts 2:1–4
On the road to Emmaus: “Did not our hearts burn within us while He spoke to us on the road?” – Luke 24:32
The family table: “And when He had broken the bread, He gave thanks, and their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him.” – Luke 24:30–31
- So What Is the “Holy Ground” From a Biblical Theological Perspective?
The Holy Land is not a physical “sacred” place, but a place where:
God is present
People call upon His Name sincerely
The Name of Jesus – the only name of salvation is manifested
If Jerusalem or any place is misused – a place for profiteering, for selling piety – it is no longer a holy land, but becomes “Babylon” – a symbol of false religion, an outward form without life.
- Conclusion:
“The Holy Land” is not tied to geography – but to the presence of the Name of Jesus.
Wherever there is a heart seeking Him, there He will come down.
Wherever there is a person calling upon the Name of Jesus, that place becomes holy – whether in the house, in the field, on the road, or in the heart.
“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” – 1 Corinthians 6:19