Jerusalem - The City of Peace?

The word Jerusalem means “City of Peace” and many of us have for many years referred to Jerusalem as the City of Peace.  Recently however I was thinking about this and I realised that in the history of Israel, there has hardly been a period of time in its history that it has actually had any peace. 

So the burning question is, how can it be a city of peace if it doesn’t have any?

What I mean is, from way back in Bible times there were numerous wars between Jebusites, Philistine, Babylonians, Persians and Romans.  In times other than Bible writings, Jerusalem has been at war with Greeks, Arabs, French, English, Turks, the English Again, and the Palestinian People. 

Jerusalem has been a place where everyone has wanted a piece of action and the chaos never seems to finish.  So – City of Peace? – What do you Think?

As I kept thinking the light dawned.  Jerusalem is not the City of Peace because it is at Peace (not at the moment anyway) but because that is where Peace was made by Christ between God and mankind.  It is the location where restitution was made on our behalf by Jesus and where things were reconciled for us. 

Jerusalem is the City of Peace because that is where Jesus, the Prince of Peace came and brought Peace.  And that makes a whole heap of sense to me.