(There is a special message at the end of this article for those who do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.)
As followers of Christ, we must all understand that God’s nature, His Word, and His laws, principles, precepts, and ordinances stand forever, unchanged and everlasting. His word applies to all peoples and through all generations. The Lord had His Word written from Genesis to Revelation, knowing that we would still be reading it even up to the present time. With the exception of the promises made specifically to the Jews regarding the preservation of the nation of Israel and their dwelling in their land (Jeremiah 31:35-37), the scriptures are universal to all peoples. There are no exceptions.
Whether Jew or Christian, we are all people called by His Name. Eventually, we will all be one people, but that is a topic for another article.
Our Savior is our Savior and the Jewish Messiah (Yeshua Hamashiach). “And He said, It is a light thing that Thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
On that basis; all God’s people are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls, And prosperity within your palaces.’ For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, ‘May peace be within you.’ For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good” (Psalms 122:6-9).
And he said unto me, “Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places” (Ezekiel 43:6-7).
The Lord declares that Jerusalem/Zion* is where He will place the soles of His Feet.
It is made clear that Jerusalem is God’s sacred possession and the place for His Throne when all things have been set right by His power and authority.
It is also clear that Jerusalem will become the physical focal point of the final confrontation between the Lord Jesus as the Lion of Judah and the forces of evil when He returns to crush evil and rescue His people, the nation of Israel. At that time, He will also rescue those who become believers in Him after the Rapture, and survive the seven-year time period (the Tribulation/Daniels 70th Week).
The Word of God declares that the Lord will bring about this confrontation Himself (Zechariah 12:1-6).
“The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
“In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God. In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.” (Emphasis added by me.)
Earthly Jerusalem will be unmoved and preserved until the day that the Lord makes all things new.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be a death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’
“And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’ Then He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son” (Revelation 21:1-7).
“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion in the far north, The city of the great King” (Psalm 48:1-2).
Now to the crux of this article.
When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, what are we, in reality, asking for?
- The peace of Jerusalem will not occur until the Lord Jesus returns as the Lion of Judah.
- The Lord Jesus will return, as He promised, when His people cry out: “Baruch Haba B’shem Adonai.”
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13:34-35). This promise is reiterated in Matthew 23:37-39 as well. Underlined in common meaning.
- And when does that happen? “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:1-16). (Emphasis added by me.)
And who, my brothers and sisters are the “armies which are in heaven”?! (v14)
Why… it’s us. The Bride of Christ. We will have been with the Lord for Seven years by this time with our Lord and Savior!
When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem in this life, we are:
- Being obedient.
- We are also being “Pro Salvator Vigilans (Watchful for the Savior).”
- We are looking to the day when we will have already been delivered from this sorrow-filled world by waiting on Him in His good timing and wisdom.
- And we are also praying for destruction of evil and the end of the Tribulation judgments.
In the meantime, I know there are many who are struggling and weary. I’m one of you.
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3).
My brothers and sisters, keep witnessing, keep praying, keep looking up, listen for the Last Trump and the shout of the archangel! Pray for the peace of Jerusalem… and Watch!
For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life.
You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior.
It requires that you come before God on His terms.
And, what are His terms according to His Word?
- Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
- Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
- Acknowledge that you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
- To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
- Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross.
- To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.
God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him under His terms that will be refused.
- No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
- No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
- Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.
If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.
John 5:24: “Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life.”
There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.
The answers are in the Word of God. The Bible. If you ask God with all your heart, He will hear you.
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Pro Salvator Vigilans
To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com
*From Encyclopedia Britannica: [In biblical usage, however, “Mount Zion” often means the city rather than the hill itself. Zion appears in the Old Testament 152 times as a title of Jerusalem; over half of these occurrences appear in two books, the Book of Isaiah (46 times) and that of Psalms (38 times).]