Word for the Month & for Sat., July 1

Saturday, July 1, 2017

We have just marked 50 years since the liberation of Jerusalem and its restoration to the Jewish people. Last month I wrote to you concerning America's abandonment of Israel at the United Nations under Barack Obama, specifically over the issue of Jerusalem. All this lines up with end-time prophecy and Zechariah 12. But who is it that has the right to Jerusalem? In the Law of Moses, God spoke of it as the place in which He would put His name. Until the time of King David, Jerusalem was in pagan hands. David would establish Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and under Solomon it would become the holy place of God's dwelling. rnIn 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar's armies took the city, razed it to the ground, and took its people captive to Babylon. Years later, the exiles returned and rebuilt the city and the temple. It was to that Jerusalem that Messiah came, and over that Jerusalem that He wept as He foretold its coming destruction. In 70 A.D. the armies of Rome, as did the armies of Babylon centuries earlier, invaded the city and left it a burning heap of ruins. The Jewish people would then be driven into exile to the ends of the earth. rnUnder the Romans, Jerusalem was made into a pagan city. Under the Byzantines, it was "Christianized." Then came the armies of Islam that made Jerusalem into a Muslim city called "Al Quds." Then from Europe came the crusaders who drove out the Muslims and killed Jews and Christians along the way. Then Jerusalem was retaken by Muslim Arabs, who held it until their defeat at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. The Turks held the city for four centuries, until they were defeated by the British during WWI. The British held Jerusalem until May 15, 1948 - the day of Israel's birth. Jerusalem then fell into the hands of Jordan for 19 years. Then, on June 7, 1967, in a miraculous war, Israel returned to its ancient city, vowing never to leave it again. rnIn all those four thousand years, only one nation has had Jerusalem as its capital - Israel. Beyond that, Israel is the only nation in the world whose title deed to the land and to the city is the Bible itself, the Word of God. It is also the only capital of any nation that the world refuses to recognize, as well as the only city over which the world continually rages and upon which the peace of the world hangs. Why? Because the enemy knows that when the Jewish people come back to Jerusalem, so too will Messiah. Therefore, let us all the more be committed to 'pray for the peace of Jerusalem', for the redemption of His ancient people, and for the day that Messiah Yeshua, Jesus, will reign from His throne - in Jerusalem. As it is written, we are the children of Jerusalem. God greatly bless you! Your brother and co-laborer in His love and service, Jonathan

See Message: The Cup of Reeling: Jerusalem