THE reign of King Solomon gives us a prophetic glimpse of the future. During his royal rule Israel reached its pinnacle of wealth and glory. Solomon was both a wise king and a master organizer. He built a magnificent temple to Jehovah, various government buildings, and a royal palace, as depicted below. He established administrative districts that, on a rotational basis, provided the royal household with a variety of food, regardless of the season.

Solomon’s rule was a time of genuine peace and security. This well foreshadows the peaceful reign of the Messiah, who “will have subjects from sea to sea and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth.”​—Ps 72:8.

Solomon built a temple for Jehovah after Israel had settled in the Promised Land and had come into possession of the city upon which Jehovah later put his name. The architect was Jehovah himself. Solomon’s father, David, had received “the architectural plan of everything . . . by inspiration.” (1Ch 28:11, 12) More than 180,000 men worked for seven and a half years to construct the temple, completing it in 1027 B.C.E. (1Ki 5:13-16; 6:1, 38) The temple, like the tabernacle before it, represented the “true tent,” the spiritual temple of Jehovah.​—Heb 8:1-5; 9:2-10, 23.

ANCIENT Jerusalem was the place where Jehovah chose to put his name. (2Ch 6:6) It served as both the center of pure worship and the seat of government for Israel. Kings ruling from Jerusalem were said to sit ‘on Jehovah’s throne.’​—1Ch 29:23.

King David wrested the stronghold of Mount Zion from the Jebusites and made it his capital. Solomon enlarged the city and built it up to the peak of its grandeur, constructing a magnificent temple as well as an impressive complex of governmental buildings on Mount Moriah and its slopes. Jerusalem was a city closely associated with Jehovah’s name.

This helps us to appreciate why Jerusalem is given such prominence in Bible prophecy. It serves as a fitting symbol of the heavenly part of Jehovah’s organization and his Messianic Kingdom in the hands of Jesus Christ.