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Israel What God is Saying in His
Word and What He is Doing in
History and Ramifications Around Israel Why the fuss over Jerusalem? The answer can only be
found in the Word of God. This is a spiritual battle. Satan declared in
Isaiah 14:13-14 that he would wage warfare against God Almighty not only from
Jerusalem, but from the Temple site. He declared, “I will ascend to the
heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned
on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will
ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Lies
About Israel Lead to Lies About Most Everything Else. Hopefully, on this
page, we’ve already reported some clarity of why that is. And you’ll continue to receive
additional illumination with the following truths.
God’s
covenant with Abraham was a seven-fold promise: - "I will make of you a great
nation" (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:16; 17:18-20; 24:34, 35; Gal. 3). - "Make your name great" (Gen.
12:1-3, Ex. 2:24, 25; 6:3-8). - "You shall be a blessing" (Gen.
12:1-3; Gal. 3:13, 14). - "I will bless them that bless
you" (Gen. 12:1-3; Matt. 25:31-46). - "I will bless you" (Gen. 13:14-18;
15:18-21; Gal. 3). - "I will curse them that curse
you" (Zech. 14; Matt. 25:31-46). - "In you shall all the nations of the
world be blessed" (Deut. 28:8-14; Isa. 60:3-5; 66:18-21, Gal. 3:16; John
8:56-58). God
Will Protect
Jeremiah 31:10 states, “Hear
the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the isles afar off,
and say, "He who scattered In May 1948, when the State of Israel was reborn after two thousand years, God ordained that this particular message should be proclaimed in every nation of the earth. It is being fulfilled before your eyes and in your ears today. Now we can say, "He who scattered Israel is gathering him and will keep him as a shepherd does his flock." These are days when absolutely no one knows, in the natural, what will happen tomorrow in Israel. A war could break out there within twenty‑four hours without any warning. But in the midst of it all, God will protect Israel as a shepherd protects his flock. There is a guarantee that no matter the political pressures and the violence that erupt, God will protect regathered Israel. The Lord gives us the same promise in Psalm 121:7‑8: "The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will
keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your
coming in from this time forth and forever" ( It is so good to know that God is with you, not only when you begin the journey, but also when you come to the end; not just when you go to work in the morning, but also when you come home again in the evening. God is still with you, and He will protect you and keep you from this time forth and forever. The Creator is our keeper. Healer
of the Brokenhearted
In Psalm 147:2‑3, we read, “The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He
heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (NIV). Those are beautiful words, but the most exciting thing about them is that they are being fulfilled in this generation, in our lifetime. Again, since the State of Israel was reborn in 1948, we have seen the outworking of those words. God is gathering the exiles of Israel. He is healing the brokenhearted and binding up their wounds. That is good news for all who will turn to God. It is good news for God's people, Israel. It is also good news for the church of Y’shua Messiah (Jesus the Christ) because the same God who is gathering Israel is gathering the church back to Himself, bringing us into our inheritance, healing our wounds, and binding up our broken hearts. There is an ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit that is very special—a ministry to the brokenhearted. It is a ministry to those whose hearts are wounded. If you carry a wound inside you, turn to God and say, "God, this is a time of restoration. It is a time of regathering. You are healing the brokenhearted. You are binding up their wounds. Lord, You know the wound I have carried so long in my heart. Will You heal me?" And the invisible finger of God, the Holy Spirit, will reach down where no surgeon can reach and touch that wounded place in your life to bring you healing and restoration. Showing
Mercy to Israel
It is important for us all to acknowledge the truth of what Y’shua (Jesus) said to the Samaritan woman at the well: "Salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22). Without the Jews, we would have no patriarchs, no prophets, no apostles, no Bible, and no Savior! Without all these, how much salvation would we receive? None! The Bible makes it clear that God requires the Christians of all other nations to acknowledge their debt to the Jews and to do what they can to repay it. In Romans 11:30‑31, Paul summed up what he had been saying about the debt and the responsibility of the Gentile Christians toward Israel. For as you [Gentiles] were once disobedient to God, yet have now
obtained mercy through their [Israel's] disobedience, even so these
[Israelites] also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you
[Gentiles] they [Israel] also may obtain mercy. In other words, because of God's mercy that has come to Gentile Christians through Israel, God requires us in our turn to show mercy to Israel. How shall we fulfill this obligation? The following are four practical ways that we may do so. First, we can cultivate and express an attitude of sincere love for Jewish people. Second, we can enjoy and demonstrate the abundance of God's blessings in Christ in such a way that the Jews may be made jealous and desire what they see us enjoying. Third, we can seek the good of Israel through our prayers and petitions, as the Bible exhorts us to do. (See Romans 10:1.) Fourth, we can
seek to repay our debt to Israel by performing practical acts of kindness and
mercy. Favor
for Zion—The Jewish Homeland
The Lord says that the regathering of Israel in our day is a banner raised by Him for the nations. Events in Israel and the Middle East today are at the center of world attention and media coverage. This period of Israel's regathering at the end of the age was marked out clearly on God's great prophetic calendar three thousand years ago. Here is one of the passages that make this clear: You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show
favor to her, the appointed time has come. For her stones are dear to your
servants, her very dust moves them to pity. The nations will fear the name of
the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. For the LORD
will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.... Let this be written for a
future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD. (Psalm 102:13‑16, 18 NIV) Now is God's appointed time to have mercy on Zion and to show favor to her. This is not something that Zion or the Jewish people have earned, but something that comes out of God's sovereign grace and mercy. One of the main purposes of what God is doing is to bring glory to His own name in the sight of all the nations by fulfilling His promises to Israel. The rebuilding of Zion is one of the great biblical signs that the time is at hand for the Lord to appear in His glory. We have the great privilege of living in the time that the psalmist here foresaw. We believe we are the ones being created as a people in response to what God is doing for one supreme purpose: to bring praise to the Lord. God of
Covenant
In Psalm 89:34, God said, "My covenant I will not violate, nor will I alter the utterance of My lips" (NASB). It is of tremendous importance that we grasp the fact that when God makes a covenant, He will never break it. We need to know that. Our Bible consists of two covenants: the old and the new. Therefore, the essence of divine revelation is centered in covenant. If God were to break His covenant, we would have no hope. We believe that if God were to break His covenant with Israel, we would have no reason to believe that He would not break His covenant with the church. You may say, "Well, Israel failed God." Undoubtedly. But can you honestly say that the church has not also failed God? We are not capable of presenting God's point of view, but in our limited understanding, we see Israel receiving a covenant and failing dismally. We see the church receiving a covenant and failing even worse than Israel. What is God saying to us about the restoration of Israel? We suggest that God is saying at least four things, all of them extremely topical, relevant, and important for the church of Jesus Christ, First, God is saying that the Bible is a true, relevant, up‑to‑date book. Second, God is saying that He keeps His covenant. Third, God is saying to us that He is sovereign. The fourth thing
the Lord is saying is that in restoring the Israelites to their land, God has
set the stage for the last act of the drama of this age. Every prophecy that
relates to the close of this age is predicated on one important factor‑the
presence of Israel as a sovereign nation within its own borders. God
Demands a Response
We believe that God requires a response from His believing people regarding what He is doing in Israel and the Middle East. We are not permitted to remain neutral, apathetic, or indifferent. God demands a response. In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet told us what the Lord commands us to do: Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost [or chief] of the
nations. Make your praises heard, and say, "0 LORD, save your people,
the remnant of The New American Standard Bible reads, "Proclaim, give praise, and say" (verse 7). Combining these two versions, we find there are five responses that God requires. In a sense, they are all vocal: sing, shout, praise, proclaim, and say (or pray). What are we responding to? The regathering of the remnant of Jacob. To whom is this command addressed? The church, we who believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that we ought to obey it. God is asking us to intercede for Israel. He is saying, "I am restoring My people. I am regathering them, and I am asking you to unite with Me and My purposes through prayer." We believe that we must all face this as one of the mysterious facts about God: when He intends to do something, He will say to His people, "Pray that I will do it." In other words, He says, "This is My intention, but it will not happen until you pray.” As Christians, we have a tremendous responsibility to be totally committed to the outworking of God's purposes in history. Praying
for the Peace of Jerusalem
In Genesis 12:2‑3, we read God's original promise to Abraham when He told him to leave Ur of the Chaldeans and go to another land: I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. (NIV) The Jewish people are the touchstone by which all other nations are going to be judged. Scripture gives us a warning in this regard: "May all who hate Zion,
be put to shame and turned backward" (Psalm 129:5 Any nation that opposes God's purpose for the restoration of Zion will be put to shame and turned backward. Nations determine their destinies by how they respond to the restoration of God's people. A beautiful and familiar promise of blessing for those who align themselves with God's purposes for Jerusalem, for Israel, and for God's people is found in Psalm 122:6: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper who love thee" (KJV). We cannot merely take a neutral attitude and say, "Let's see what happens." We have to actively align ourselves with what God is saying in His Word and what He is doing in history. The primary way in which we can
do this is through our prayers. We can pray for the peace of Jerusalem and
for its restoration‑for Jerusalem to become all that God has declared
in the Scriptures that it shall be. To those who pray and are concerned, this
is the promise: "They shall prosper who love thee." Seeking
Israel’s Good by Prayer
The Bible exhorts us to seek the good of Israel through our prayers. To pray effectively in this way, we need to search out from the Scriptures God's purposes for Israel and Jerusalem. Then, we need to set ourselves to pray intelligently and consistently for the outworking and fulfillment of those purposes. As we make this scriptural study, we will discover that, ultimately, righteousness and peace are ordained to flow forth from Jerusalem to all the nations of the earth. Thus, the well‑being of every nation is included in this prayer for Jerusalem and depends on its fulfillment. A challenging scriptural example of this kind of praying was provided by Daniel, who prayed three times daily with his window open toward Jerusalem. Daniel's prayers disturbed Satan and threatened his kingdom such that he used the jealousy of evil men to bring about a change in the laws of the entire Persian Empire so that Daniel's prayers would be rendered illegal. Still, praying for Jerusalem meant so much to Daniel that he preferred to be cast into the lions' den rather than give up his praying. Ultimately, Daniel's faith and courage overcame the satanic opposition. He emerged triumphant from the lions' den, and kept praying for Jerusalem. Cosider that making a commitment of this kind to pray for Jerusalem and Israel definitely stirs up a special measure of opposition from satanic forces. On the other hand, consider also that God's promise given to those who pray in this way holds true. This is a scriptural pathway to
prosperity—not merely financial or material prosperity, but also a prosperity
that encompasses an abiding assurance of God's favor. God’s
Restoration For His People
The call to pray for Jerusalem is directed at everyone who accepts the Bible as God's authoritative Word. God requires all of His people, from every nation and every background, to be concerned about the peace of one particular city: Jerusalem. There is a practical reason for this. God's purpose for this age will climax in the establishment of His kingdom. Each time we pray the familiar words, "Thy kingdom come,” we are aligning ourselves with this purpose. (See, for example, Matthew 6:10 KJV.) We must remember, however, that
the prayer continues, "Thy will
be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (verse To all who heed God's call to
love Reminding
the Lord
In Isaiah 62, God calls us to intense, persistent prayer, especially on behalf of Jerusalem: “I have posted watchmen on your walls, 0 Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6‑7 NIV) In the New Testament, Jesus related the parable of the unjust judge, whom a widow kept beseeching incessantly. Jesus concluded with this question: “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?" (Luke 18:7 NIV). Both these passages indicate that some themes are so important and urgent that they demand our prayers not only in the daytime, but through the night hours, as well. The restoration of Jerusalem is one of these themes. The prophet Isaiah also described these "watchmen" as those "who call on the LORD." The literal Hebrew meaning of the word translated "call" is interesting. It means "those who remind the Lord." In modern Hebrew, it is the word for a secretary. One important task of a secretary is reminding the employer of the appointments recorded on his calendar. This provides practical insight into the way God wants us to pray for Jerusalem. As His "intercessor‑secretaries," we have two main responsibilities: first, to be familiar with His prophetic calendar; second, to remind Him of the appointments recorded in it. One such appointment is God's end‑time commitment to restore Israel and to rebuild Jerusalem. Speaking
Comfort
How do we align ourselves with God's purpose for Israel? Here’s one simple suggestion. In Isaiah 40:1‑2, God said, "'Comfort, yes, comfort My people!' says your God. 'Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.'" Where it says, "comfort My people," because of the immediate reference to Jerusalem, we understand it to mean the Jewish people. The Jewish people cannot be comforted apart from Jerusalem. Their hearts are totally bound up with the city of Jerusalem. So, if we are correct, and "My people" is the Jewish people, to whom are these words spoken? They are spoken in the plural (in Hebrew) to somebody who would say, "Comfort My people." They must be spoken to people who accept the God of the Bible and the authority of His Word. Who can that be? You and me. People like us, believing Christians. What does God say? "Comfort My people, Israel." God requires us to comfort Israel. We were not called to criticize; rather, we have been commanded to comfort. Will you accept that responsibility? We believe this comforting is one way of preparing the way of the Lord. Centuries of prejudice, alienation, and misunderstanding must be broken down. They must be melted away by the warmth of real Christian love. We believe that is our assignment at this time. Peace
and Prosperity
Be strongly encouraged to pray daily for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel. We believe that when the Bible says, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (Psalm 122:6), it also means that we are to pray for the peace of Christ's body. We should be concerned not just about our own little area, but for the total needs of the body of Christ. We are not to judge other Christians; we are to pray for them. Psalm 122:7 says, "Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces." We believe that this verse illustrates the divine order: when we have peace, we will have prosperity. When we are at war with one another—criticizing one another, turning against one another, and undermining one another—we will not know prosperity. First, peace; then, prosperity. Verse 8 reads, "’For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, 'Peace be
within you.'" We want you to consider an additional basic principle. We need to escape from the tendency to be self‑centered. Self‑centeredness is the devil's prison. The more the devil gets you centered in yourself, the more he has you at his mercy. We have dealt with hundreds of people in deliverance from evil spirits, and we have found one almost universal feature of people who need deliverance—they are self‑centered. By deliberate effort and choice of our own wills, we must break loose from being self‑centered. Consider the lovely phrase of verse 8: "For the sake of my brethren and companions." It is not enough that things are going well for me. I need to be concerned about the needs of my brothers and companions—Christians from other backgrounds, other denominations, other prayer groups, and so forth. Thank you Derek
Prince Ministries. Learn more about Israel’s geography, politics, Zionism, people, culture, history, history of its friends, and enemies. Enjoy “Israel 101” Be aware of the anti-Semitic movement even within Christianity The Ramifications Around Israel
U.S.
to Abandon Israel?
The
Ramifications of Abandoning Israel
The
Ramifications for the Fight Against Radical Islam
And
What You Can Still Do
In 1948, Israel again became a
sovereign nation.
Even before the ink
was dry on her Declaration of Independence, Israel’s Arab neighbors attacked
in an attempt to drive the Jewish people from their newly-acquired homeland.
God miraculously delivered the tiny nation from her vastly larger enemies. Today the same
hatred and bigotry toward Israel and the Jewish people is alive and well in
our world. Powerful forces in Tehran, Damascus, and many other Muslim cities
would love nothing more than for Israel’s 64th birthday to
be her last. Extremist “twelvers” like Iran’s President Ahmadinejad believe
that a bloody war is an absolute necessity to bring about Muslim rule over
the entire world. The threat against
Israel today is the most serious the Jewish state has faced since her rebirth
in 1948. Today we MUST do all that we can to stand in the gap to deliver
Israel from destruction. Iran, an Islamic
state, has threatened to wipe Israel off the map and it is rapidly acquiring
the nuclear technology with which to make good on this threat. In the
meantime, Iran’s proxies in Hezbollah and Hamas are arming themselves at an
alarming rate, and Hamas has been firing missiles into Southern Israel.
Be
reminded of the promises stated, "I
will bless them that bless you" and "I will curse them that curse
you." Our nation will be
blessed or cursed depending on our actions toward Israel in the near
future. (see Joel 3:1-2) Our Direction in
Supporting Israel
A
short interview has been conducted and posted on the website of the Northeast
Intelligence Network (investigating
threats to our homeland). It is a sobering assessment of the direction the U.S.
government is moving with respect to support for Israel. (See link to the
interview below.) Americans who view the conflict between Israel and
the Islamic forces surrounding it as a Middle East regional problem fail to
grasp the ramifications for the global war against Islamic terrorism. History
demonstrates that Islamist military and cultural expansion was stopped, and
in some cases pushed back, when it was met with organized, effective
resistance. As Osama bin Laden stated shortly after 9/11, the
world is looking to follow the “strong horse.” Capitulation in the Middle
East will only serve to reinforce the growing belief in the Islamic world that
the West is the “weak horse” that is ripe for conquering. The stronger and
fiercer this belief becomes, the harder it will be to defeat it. The
Israelis have demonstrated their dedication to peace and have taken great
risks for it. Yet, as you know, these risks have not always paid off. When
Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000, the result was not peace but
thousands of Hezbollah rockets landing in northern Israel. When Israel
withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the result was not peace but thousands of Hamas
rockets landing in southern Israel. The new U.S. Democratic Party platform
includes removing mentions of God
and of Jerusalem
as the capital of Israel. Former
President Obama “Disowned Israel Over Iran Strike”
Iran
emboldened by US-led bid for fresh nuclear diplomacy
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