Jerusalem
On June 7th, 1967, the city of Jerusalem was reunited for the first time since its partition in 1948. On June 14, 1967, the rubble was cleared from the Western Wall Square. Once again, the holiest place for all Jews was open, and all were invited to visit. It was estimated that 200,000 Israelis visited the Western Wall, though they had to pass through six police barriers to reach the site.
As we approach the 41st anniversary of this momentous event, the Jews are again faced with the prospect of their beloved city being divided for the sake of appeasement. Israel faces not only the bias of the entire Arab world, and many in the European Union, it faces unwarranted bias from our own U. S. State Department’s refusal to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
And yet more than 3000 years ago, God told King David: "...I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there: and have chosen David to be over my people Israel." (II Chronicles 6:6)
WHY SHOULD CHRISTIANS SUPPORT JERUSALEM?
1. Because God does! "He claims Jerusalem as His own." (II Chronicles 37:7)
2. Jerusalem is the only city for which God commands us to pray. (Psalm 122:6) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they prosper who love you [the Holy City]!
3. The Holy Scriptures reveals that Zion (Jerusalem) is to be the very seat of the Messiah’s earthly reign. (Zechariah 7:3) And to speak to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and to the prophets, saying, [Now that I am returned from exile] should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself as I have done these so many years [in Babylon]?
4. When we support Jerusalem, we are preparing for our Lord’s coming!
5. When we pray for Jerusalem, we are saying, "Maranatha, come Messiah! "When the Lord shall build up Zion, then shall He appear in His glory!" (Psalm 102:16)
6. Because God’s Word is true! "The Law will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (Isaiah 2:3)
7. God will bless those who bless Jerusalem! "The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life." (Psalm 128:5)
8. God says we are to comfort Jerusalem. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people saith your God. Speak comfort to Jerusalem." (Isaiah 40:1)
9. Because God Almighty has preserved Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem has been leveled to the ground five times. Her people have been carried away captive, yet Jerusalem rises from the rubble because God has ordained it through the centuries! (Amos 9:14-15)
10. God wrote His name in Jerusalem! "I have chosen Jerusalem that My name might be there." (II Chronicles 6:6)
11. When you pray for the peace of Jerusalem, you are praying a commanded blessing on your life! "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper that love thee." (Psalms 122:6)
When you stand on God’s Word concerning Jerusalem, you are binding Satan. (Isaiah 14:13, Satan declares he would battle God Almighty from Jerusalem.) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
"You declare, my friend, that you do not hate the Jews, you are merely anti-Zionist. And I say, let the truth ring forth from the highest mountaintops. Let it echo through the valleys of God’s green earth. When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews. Zionism is nothing less than the dream and ideal of the Jewish people returning to live in their own land." (Martin Luther King)
