Why We Should Pray For Jerusalem

Why We Should Pray for Jerusalem and the Jews by Gary Hedrick

sons.

Why should Christians pray for Jerusalem and the Jews? There are seven biblical rea-

1. The promise of God’s blessing. In Psalm 122:6, David said, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” Notice that the admonition is accompanied by a promise: If we pray for the shalom of Jerusalem, and love God’s people, He will prosper us. One of the first promises in the Bible is that God will bless those who bless His people Israel. In Genesis, Chapter 12, we read, “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: AND I WILL BLESS THEM THAT BLESS THEE, AND CURSE HIM THAT CURSETH THEE: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:1- 3). With those words, God him self established the irrevocable principle that those who bless the seed of Abraham will be, blessed, and those who curse the seed of Abraham will be cursed. Throughout history, anti-Semites who have tested this principle have done so to their own detriment. 2. Our indebtedness to the Jewish people. We should pray for Jerusalem and the Jews because we owe it to them. First, they gave us the Bible. Speaking of the Jewish people, the Apostle Paul said, “. . . unto them were committed the oracles of God” (Rom. 3:2). The Greek word for “oracles” is logia, from logos (“word”). The Jewish people were the custodians of the sayings of God as recorded in the biblical writings. For thousands of years, the Scriptures were passed down from one generation to another by Jewish priests and scribes who painstakingly handcopied every word on scrolls or parchments. (They didn’t have printing presses or typesetting equip ment like we have today.) Every thing had to be copied by hand, one word at a time. It was a very slow and tedious process. The priests and scribes were devoted to the preservation of God’s Word and went to great pains to eliminate any possibility of error in their work. For example, they would count the number of Hebrew characters (letters) in a manuscript before making a copy of it. Once they were finished, if the number of characters in the copy didn’t perfectly match the number of characters in the original, the copy was destroyed immediately. The seriousness with which the priests and scribes approached their work was also demonstrated in their treatment of the divine name. Whenever a copyist came to the name Yahweh (the Tetragrammaton), he would flush the ink out of his pen with clean water, insert new ink, and bathe himself in the mikvah (a Jewish baptistry) before writing the name. Then he would empty and clean the pen again, reinsert the old ink, and continue writing. Every time the scribe came to the Tetragrammaton he would repeat the process. CJF Ministries

www.cjfm.org

Why We Should Pray for Jerusalem and the Jewish People by Gary Hedrick

Page 2

Even today, Orthodox Jews handle the Word of God with great care and respect. And they will not write or pronounce the name Yahweh, so they substitute another divine name, Adonai, instead. No wonder God chose the Jewish nation—the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to be the custodians and guardians of the Word of God. Second, they gave us the Messiah. His Hebrew name is Yeshua Hamashiach. Yeshua is the Hebrew name for Joshua, which means “Jehovah Saves” (compare Luke 1:2633). The translators of the Septuagint rendered it with the Greek lesous, from which the anglicized form “Jesus” comes. Mashiach is the Hebrew word for Messiah, or Anointed One. So Yeshua ha Mashiach is literally “Jesus the Messiah,” or “Jesus the Christ.” Never forget that the roots of our Christian faith are in biblical Judaism! Yeshua of Nazareth was born of a Jewish family of the House of David, descended from the tribe of Judah. He was raised and lived as an observant Jew. He preached in the Jewish synagogues, offered sacrifices in the Jerusalem Temple, and fulfilled the messianic prophecies in the Jewish Tanakh (Old Testament). From beginning to end, the Old Testament exhibits the clear and consistent teaching that Messiah would come. Dozens of times we read such promises as, “. . . behold, thy King cometh unto thee . . .” (Zech. 9:9); “Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, . . .” (Isa. 40:10); “. . . the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, (Mal. 3:1); and “The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, . . .” (Deut. 18:15). The divinely-inspired Scriptures even specified the time of Messiah’s coming. The Prophet Daniel predicted the arrival of “Messiah the Prince” in A.D. 33 (see Daniel 9:25, 26), the precise date of our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.1 Those messianic expectations found their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Prophecies about His birth, character, family, forerunner, ministry, place of residence, teachings, rejection, betrayal, and crucifixion —- all were fulfilled down to the smallest detail. 3. Israel’s priority in God’s plan. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). The Gospel was to be proclaimed to the Jew first. It was a priority not only in time, but also in privilege. Paul wasn’t merely saying that historically the Gospel would be preached first to the Jews. He was also pointing out that they enjoy a priority in privilege. They have a special place in God’s plan. Jesus said, “. . . salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). The Jewish nation, however, was not set apart because of its superior merit or magnitude (see Deuteronomy 7:7). Neither were the Jews chosen because of any partiality on God’s part toward them (see Acts 10:34). The selection of Israel to be a light to the nations was based not on human merit, but on divine grace: “. . . because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, . . .” (Deut. 7:8). Israel’s election was a matter of practical necessity. The unfolding of God’s plan of redemption had to begin at a particular point in time with a particular people, so He chose the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In turn, it would be their responsibility to take this good news to the rest of the world (see Isaiah 42:6; 49:6). CJF Ministries

www.cjfm.org

Why We Should Pray for Jerusalem and the Jewish People by Gary Hedrick

Page 3

The Jews, therefore, were first in privilege. The covenants were made with the Jews. The promises were made to the Jews. The prophets were sent to the Jews. In the Old Testament, God made His earthly dwelling place among the Jews. So it was perfectly fitting that when Messiah came, the Jewish people were the ones who were to hear about it first. “. . . ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” ( Acts 1:8). That’s the biblical priority: to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. The real tragedy is that in much of Christendom today, the order has been reversed. Some denominations are eager to take the Gospel to everyone but the Jews. Even among evangelicals, “to the Jew first” has all too frequently become “to the Jew last”! 4. Israel’s need for spiritual illumination. We should pray for the Jewish people because of their need for spiritual illumination. The Apostle Paul declared, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of th is mys tery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (Rom. 11:25). According to the Berit Hadashah (New Testament), there are five “mysteries” that were previously undisclosed in the Tanakh (Old Testament). One of those mysteries is explained by Paul here in Romans, Chapter 11. It is the outworking of God’s grace whereby Jew and Gentile, after a period of disobedience by both, will be granted a place in God’s Kingdom. The Greek word for “blindness” in this passage literally means a “hardening,” “petrifying,” or “callous.” Of course, a callous is a buildup of hardened skin at a point of sustained irritation. A callous may form on your foot, for instance, where the skin rubs your shoe. The callous will grow thicker and harder until finally there’s no more sensitivity. That’s the sort of “blindness” Israelis experiencing. She has said “no” to God so many times, she’s become hardened and numbed. When Israel wouldn’t listen to the Prophet Elisha, God sent the Assyrians. When she wouldn’t listen to Jeremiah, God sent the Babylonians. When she wouldn’t listen to Jesus the Messiah, He sent the Romans. And every time she has rejected God’s way, Israel’s heart has gotten a little harder. In the Book of Exodus, you will recall, Moses went before the Egyptian Pharaoh time after time, asking for the release of the Children of Israel. On each occasion, Pharaoh refused. We are told that Pharaoh’s heart was “hardened,” or calloused. Notice the progression. At first, Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Ex. 7:13 -14, 22). In later confrontations, the foolish king persisted in his stubborn defiance of the Lord (8:15, 19, 32; 9:7). It wasn’t until after the sixth plague that the Lord confirmed Pharaoh’s willful action by hardening his wicked heart for him (9:12). Pharaoh hardened his own heart by refusing to listen to the Lord. With contempt in his voice, he bellowed, “Who is this Jehovah that I should obey him?” Every time the Egyptian king said “no,” his heart got a little harder. The callous got a little thicker. Finally there was a point where God hardened his heart. At that point, it became a judicial hardening, a sentence imposed upon him by God. That’s what has happened to Israel. Her heart has been hardened. The rulers of Israel refused to recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as Hamashiach (the Messiah) be cause He didn’t come on their terms. His resume’ didn’t conform to their messianic job description. They demandCJF Ministries

www.cjfm.org

Why We Should Pray for Jerusalem and the Jewish People by Gary Hedrick

Page 4

ed a Davidic Shepherd-King who would lead them to victory over their Roman oppressors, restore Israel’s independence, and inaugurate the long- awaited Messianic Era. Instead, the lowly Nazarene came as the prophesied Suffering Servant, “. . . despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: . . .” (Isa. 53:3). So Israel rejected Him. Two aspects of Israel’s blindness are mentioned in Verse 25 of Romans 11. First, it is only partial: “. . . blindness IN PART is happened to Israel. . .” (emphasis added). It’s not total blindness. There is an elect remnant of Jewish people from whose eyes the scales have fallen. Like Rabbi Saul of Tarsus, they have encountered the living Lord and come to faith in Him. Nearly half a century ago, a young Jewish lad named Charles Halff came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Messiah, and this ministry was born. In 1986, an Israeli rabbi named Joseph Azriel—son of a former chief rabbi of Casablanca—placed his faith in Jesus Christ. Two years ago, our friend from California, Itzhak YahShaia, from the Hasidic sect of Orthodox Judaism, became a believer in Jesus. You see, the blindness is only partial. God has a faithful remnant among the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We’re told that the Messianic Jewish movement in Israel is growing at an unprecedented rate. A Jewish friend, Yehiel Yisrael, told me not long ago that the only known, living Nazir (Nazarite) in the world is a Messianic Jew who lives in Israel. This Israeli Jew believes God has called him to live by the Nazarite vow of the Old Testament (Num. 6:2- 3, 13)—not as a legalistic requirement, but as a testimony to His people Israel. We’re hoping to meet this gentleman when we’re in Israel this coming March. The second thing we are told about Israel’s blindness is that it is only temporary: “. . . that blindness in part is happened to Israel, UNTIL the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (Rom. 11:25; emphasis added). Once “the fulness of the Gentiles” has come in—that is, once the last of God’s elect from among the Gentiles has been saved and the Church Age draws to a close—the process of restoring Israel’s spiritual eyesight will begin. 5. It’s an investment that will yield future dividends. The fifth reason we should pray for Jerusalem and the Jews is that it’s one of the few investments whose future performance is guaranteed in writing. Romans 11:29 says, “For the gi”s and calling of God are without repentance.” That is, the elective purpose of Almighty God is irrevocable! This means that in spite of their present state of unbelief, God’s plan for the Jewish people remains intact. The Book of Revelation gives us a prophetic glimpse of the significant role of the Jewish people during the coming Tribulation Period: “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel” (Rev. 7:4). These 144,000 Jewish evangelists will preach the Gospel of the coming Kingdom during the Tribulation. Jesus himself prophesied this massive evangelistic campaign during the seven-year Tribulation when He said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matt. 24:14). The end of the Tribulation will not come until the Gospel has been preached to every nation on earth. Once the Church has been removed from the scene in the Rapture, God will turn to His people Israel once again. They’ll be His messengers and the response will be CJF Ministries

www.cjfm.org

Why We Should Pray for Jerusalem and the Jewish People by Gary Hedrick

Page 5

like that never seen before. Multitudes will come to faith in Christ. “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands” (Rev. 7:9). We believe in doing all we can to win both Jews and Gentiles to Christ. However, I can’t help getting particularly excited about the future of Jewish evangelism. The Jews will come to Christ en mass after the Rapture, and they’ll be the ones who will carry on when we’re gone. Quite possibly, some of the Jews we’re witnessing to today will be the Gospel evangelists of tomorrow. (Recommended reading on this subject is Dr. Halff’s booklet, The Mystery of the 144,000. Call or write for ordering information.) 6. The resurgence of anti-Semitism in our generation. The sixth reason we should pray for Jerusalem and the Jewish people is that antiSemitism is on the rise once again in many parts of the world. Germany’s neo-Nazi movement is larger now and growing faster than at any other time since World War II. Also, Jewish families are being heavily persecuted in some areas of the former Soviet Union, where memories of past pogroms still linger. What’s even more alarming, however, is the infiltration of anti- Semitism into the American church. There are areas of the United States today where white ( Aryan) supremacy groups thrive. Unfortunately, many of them claim to be “Christian.” They’re strongly anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist (that is, opposed to the nation Israel). Some of these groups adhere to British Israelism, an archaic, discredited theory advocating that today’s European and North American nations are the true, biblical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. A more subtle form of anti- Semitism that’s creeping into the church today is the socalled “Dominion,” or “Kingdom Now ” movement Its proponents advocate a modified version of classic post-millennialism and proclaim that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s economy. They are in direct conflict with Romans 11:1 when they say that God has set aside Israel permanently because of her unbelief. Today’s escalation of anti- Semitism makes it all the more urgent that we pray faithfully for our Jewish friends. After all, if fundamental, Bible-believing Christians won’t stand with Israel and the Jewish people, who will? Liberal Christendom and its apostate puppet, the National Council of Churches, both have a long track record of siding against Israel and the Jews on many issues. Most of the mainline denominations don’t stand with Israel. So who will? It has to be us, my friend. Those of us who are evangelical Christians must stand with Israel and the Jewish people—praying for them and supporting them in every way possible. 7. They are the key to God’s future blessings for the world. The final reason we should pray for Jerusalem and the Jews is that they, in turn, can bring blessings to the world. The Lord told Abraham, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and THOU SHALT BE A BLESSING: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and IN THEE SHALL ALL FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED” (Gen. 12:2- 3; emphasis added). CJF Ministries

www.cjfm.org

Why We Should Pray for Jerusalem and the Jewish People by Gary Hedrick

Page 6

All the nations of the earth have been blessed as a result of Messiah’s first advent at Bethlehem. When He comes the second time, the world will enjoy the benefits of God’s new world order of peace and prosperity. In Christian the ology, this future age is known as the Millennium—the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ, the Son of David. Our Jewish friends call it the Messianic Age, when Mashiach ben David rules the world from His throne in Jerusalem. There are indications that Messiah’s return may be near. The hand of God is evident in an unprecedented way in our genera tion. In 1948, national Israel was reborn as a sovereign state for the first time since 586 B.C. In 1967, the old city of Jerusalem came under Israeli control for the first time since A.D. 70. When the Jewish pioneers began returning to Eretz Israel a hundred or so years ago, Palestine was a howling, desolate wilderness. Then, gradually, the swamp land started to come alive and the sand dunes blossomed as a rose. Today, agriculture is one of Israel’s leading industries. Jewish scientists have figured out how to draw warm water from deep under the desert to allow vegetation to grow year round. Writing 2,500 years ago, Isaiah prophesied that the day would come when “. . . in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert” (Isa. 35:6). As we approach the end of this age, we should heed David’s ad monition to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: . . .” (Psalm 122:6). The Scriptures teach that true, lasting peace will elude the Middle East— and the rest of the world — until the Prince of Peace appears. Only then will the prophecy of Isaiah 2:4 come to pass: “. . . they shall beat their swords into plow shares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nei ther shall they learn war any more.” 1

Messiah was to come 483 years (that is, seven times seven plus 62 times seven) after the command of Artaxerxes to restore and rebuild Jerusalem in 444 BC (see Daniel 9:25). When the OT prophetic year of 360 days is incorporated into the equation, and a one-year adjustment is allowed for the transition from BC to AD, the year of Messiah’s “cutting off” should have been AD 33 (see Daniel 9:26). This article was adapted from a series of messages Dr. Hedrick delivered on Messianic Perspectives radio network recently. The cassette (GT-13) includes all of the programs in the series and is available for a suggested donation of $6. ***** Dr. Gary Hedrick is President and CEO of CJF Ministries in San Antonio, Texas, a Messianic Jewish organization that provides the Good News about Yeshua HaMashiach—Jesus the Messiah—through publications and a daily radio program, Messianic Perspectives. Dr. Hedrick leads tours to Israel and is considered an authority on contemporary events in the Middle East and their prophetic significance. He also has written many articles and study booklets, and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs.

CJF Ministries

www.cjfm.org