The Jewish prayer shawl is called a tallit (tah-leet). An in-depth study of the many different traditions associated with wearing a tallit would be too long for this article plus it is not my purpose to discuss that anyway. My purpose is to provide information about the flags of Israel and Jerusalem. Those who are interested should Google “tallit,” if they want more information.
The modern flag of Israel was designed in 1889 by David Wolffsohn, a man who got his inspiration from a tallit. Religious Jews wear a tallit at special times and places (during their morning Scripture studies; prayers at the synagogue; on Feast Days, etc.). Many Christians believe the first three Jewish Feast Days (Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits) prefigure the first coming of Jesus. Some also believe that the last three Jewish Feast Days (Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles) prefigure the second coming of Jesus.
All tallits are not identical (the stripes can be black, blue or multi-colored; there can be two stripes or many stripes; the shawl can be made of wool, silk, etc.), but there are many similarities because a partial list of instructions for a tallit were given by God to Moses (Num. 15:37-41). The tallit David Wolffsohn used when he designed the flag of Israel had two blue stripes, a large Magen David (Star of David) in the center and four corners.
Blue is the color of the sky and it reminds God’s peculiar people that we should walk in a heavenly way. Stripes remind Christians that Jesus was beaten and by His stripes we are healed (Isa. 53:5). The Star of David reminds Christians that Jesus came the first time as a descendant of King David to die for the sins of the world (Matt. 1:1, 9:27, 12:23, 15:22, 20:30). Jesus also came as that Star out of Jacob (Num. 24:17) and He is the bright and morning star (Rev. 22:16). Placing the star in the center of Israel’s flag reminds God’s peculiar people that Jesus should be the center of our life. And the four corners remind God’s peculiar people that God will gather the Jews from the four corners of the earth during the Millennium (Isa. 11:12; Jer. 31:8).
In 1949 (one year after Israel became a nation), Jerusalem officials held a competition to design a city emblem that would reflect two things: 1) Jerusalem’s past history, and 2) Jerusalem’s present and future status in the world. A designer named Eliyahu Koren suggested that the city use the Lion of Judah in front of a brick wall with the word “Jerusalem” above the Lion of Judah and two olive branches beside the Lion.
The Lion of Judah reflects Jerusalem’s past history because it was the symbol of the Tribe of Judah, the tribe that controlled and protected Jerusalem in ancient times. The brick wall also reflectsJerusalem’s past history because it pictures an actual segment of the Wailing Wall that was part of the support structure for the Jewish Temple. The olive branches reflect Jerusalem’s present and future status because olive branches are a symbol of peace and hope. The word Jerusalem means “city of peace.” Jews view Jerusalem as a city of peace and hope in the future.
In 1950, city officials approved Koren’s emblem, but they also wanted an official flag for Jerusalem. They decided to keep the tallit (tah-LEET) or prayer shawl with a white background and two blue stripes. But to be different from the flag of Israel, they decided to replace the Star of David with the official emblem of the city ofJerusalem. In other words, they kept the blue color that reminds God’s peculiar people that we are supposed to walk in a heavenly way. They kept the stripes that remind God’s peculiar people that by His (Messiah’s) stripes we are healed. They kept the four corners that remind God’s peculiar people that God will gather the Jews from the four corners of the earth during the Millennium. But they removed the Star of David that reminds God’s peculiar people that Jesus came the first time as a descendant of King David to die for the sins of the world. And they replaced it with the Lion of Judah that reminds God’s peculiar people that Jesus is coming a second time as the Lion of Judah.
When Jacob blessed his twelve sons he called Judah a lion’s whelp (Gen. 49:9). Jacob said, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Gen. 49:10). The Lion of Judah is the One that will gather the Jews from the four corners of the earth. John the Revelator was called up into heaven where He saw Jesus holding a seven-sealed scroll, “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof” (Rev. 5:5). One of the twenty-four elders in heaven called Jesus the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
Jesus came the first time as the Son of David and the root of Jesse. He is coming a second time as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. The flag of Israel symbolizes the first coming of Jesus. And the flag ofJerusalem symbolizes the Second Coming of Jesus.
On Monday September 22, 2012, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stood before the United Nations General Assembly and declared that the Israelis have “no roots” in the Middle East. He needs to look at the four-cornered flag of Iran because it has stripes, an emblem and words that pertain to Iran’s Islamic roots. Then, he needs to look at the four-cornered flags of Israel and Jerusalem and realize that they have things that pertain to Israel’s roots in theMiddle East and Jehovah’s view of the world’s future.
FYI: Kindle owners can download eight of Daymond Duck’s teachings at amazon.com and I would love for you to leave a review.
Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck