Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem! - Part 2

Both Jesus Himself and the prophet Daniel (chapter 9:26) predict that there will be neither permanent peace nor permanent rest for Jerusalem between the Messiah’s first and second comings. This doesn’t mean that there must be constant war; of course, there can also be brief periods of quiet. But war and devastation will repeatedly come to Jerusalem. It began in 70 AD, with Jerusalem’s siege and destruction by the Roman general Titus.

After that, Jerusalem was repeatedly conquered and devastated for two thousand years. Whether by the Persians or Byzantines, the Islamic conquerors or Crusaders, Saladin, the Tartars or Mamluks—Daniel’s prophecy and the words of Jesus were being fulfilled with terrifying precision.

During Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, Jerusalem’s Old City was conquered by Jordan, and all resident Jews were expelled. Eventually, on June 7, 1967, Israel recaptured the Old City and the Temple Mount. That wasn’t the end of the times of the Gentiles, but since that date, the end has begun to gleam.

Avoiding speculation, we can still say that since that date, the world and redemptive history have entered the home stretch before Jesus’ return. But Jerusalem’s devastation isn’t yet complete. Just consider the 1990 riots on the Temple Mount, or the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000, both of which were inextricably linked to Jerusalem. Add to that the attacks and assaults in the city. But the final violent attack is still to come: when the multinational force under the Antichrist’s command will penetrate Jerusalem. The city of God on earth will seem to be on the verge of destruction. We read this in Zechariah 14:2. Then Jesus will visibly return and save Jerusalem and Israel, and judge mankind. The Bible associates the judgment of the nations with this event.

We see that Jerusalem can have no true peace between Jesus’ first and second comings. This fact should shield us from taking on a fanatical attitude in our prayers. We can pray for the protection of the city, but always with the knowledge that it can only provide breathing room until Jesus returns, rather than definitive rest and peace. This knowledge also draws a clear line of separation from all the fanatical, ecumenical, and interreligious prayer hype that is occurring around Jerusalem.
 
PRAYER FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM, AND JESUS’ RETURN
This brings us to the actual fulfillment of Psalm 122, and to the prayer for the peace and tranquility of Jerusalem that is associated with it. Jerusalem’s peace and tranquility will only come with Jesus’ visible return. Isaiah 66:10, 12-13 also speaks of this time:

“‘Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her’ … For thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.’”

As in Psalm 122, this passage is speaking about those who love Jerusalem. Haggai 2:9 also speaks of the future peace of Jerusalem: “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.”

This passage is also speaking about the perfect sacrifice of our Lord, who made peace with God at the gates of Jerusalem. This is the basis of Jerusalem’s future peace in the Messianic kingdom, which this verse also speaks of. Let’s consider the promises for Jerusalem in Isaiah 2 and Micah 4, and how the peace will apply not only to Israel and the city itself, but also to all peoples in the Millennial kingdom.

It’s therefore very clear that praying for the peace and tranquility of Jerusalem is meaningless, apart from praying for Jesus’ return. If this isn’t the goal of our prayers for Israel and Jerusalem, then our prayer is nothing more than religious-sounding nonsense. 

As I mentioned before, we should pray for the preservation of Israel and Jerusalem here and now, especially in light of the shocking events of October 7th. But the plea for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel always boils down to the return of the Lord, who alone can create true peace. This external peace will be a consequence of the peace that Israel receives through the perfect sacrifice of its Messiah.

In any case, prayer for Jesus’ return is something that we as the Church in the West have greatly neglected overall. For one thing, this is connected with our enormous prosperity; and for another, with all of our pious navel-gazing. In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John is shown how the exalted Christ reigns sovereign and, despite all opposition, brings God’s plan of salvation to completion. In this book, the final chasms of darkness and of a humanity in rebellion against God, open up. But John sees that God achieves His purpose through everything. In Revelation 20, he writes of the thousand-year Messianic kingdom, and from chapter 21 onward, of the new creation. All of this brings him to the final prayer of the Holy Scriptures, which we find on the last page of the Bible. It says: 
“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20b).

We have the promise of Jesus’ return, and we have the promise of Israel’s salvation. But God wants us to pray for His promises so that His goals become ours.
Now someone might say, “Praying for Jesus’ return is all well and good. But what about the people I care about who aren’t saved yet?” In that case, you can simply pray, “Lord, come soon, but first save my loved ones and many more. But please come soon!”

Whether it’s the shocking events of October 7th and their fallout, or all the developments of the past few years, our Lord truly wants us to start praying for His return—that He will soon complete His Church and save Israel and Jerusalem. That He will come again to judge evil and the power of sin. Praying for the peace of Jerusalem, therefore, always includes praying for Jesus’ return to save Israel and Jerusalem.

In Isaiah 62:1, the Lord says that He will not keep silent for Jerusalem and Zion’s sake, until His righteousness breaks forth like brightness and His salvation like a burning torch. The whole book of Zechariah speaks of God’s zeal for Jerusalem. It is the city that God has chosen, a special object of His love. Jerusalem is inseparably linked to God’s glory. With the final events surrounding Israel and Jerusalem at Jesus’ return, God will reveal Himself to mankind. Because it is a matter of His honor and His concern, we read the command in Isaiah 62:6-7:

“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the LORD in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.”

Hopefully, it’s now clear to us that the watchmen on Jerusalem’s walls aren’t a requirement for us to travel to Israel and perform some sort of spectacle on the city wall—which ultimately distorts our Lord. We also find the watchman in Ezekiel and Habakkuk, standing on his tower to look out for God’s answer. Each instance figuratively shows an accord between spiritual vigilance and an expectant attitude. From Matthew 6, we know that our prayer life belongs behind closed doors, and is incompatible with theatrics or public proclamation.

Who are these watchmen who are supposed to be reminding the Lord? In the Old Testament, it was the prophets who carried out the watchman’s office. But present-day Israel no longer has prophets, and won’t until the two witnesses of Revelation 11 appear and Jesus returns.

So, who is reminding the Lord about His promises for Jerusalem until they are fulfilled? One commentator simply calls these watchmen, the people who are looking out for God’s coming in glory. It could also be said they are the ones who are watching for Jesus’ return. These people are the Church of Jesus until the Rapture.

As I said, God has inseparably linked His own honor with the matter of Israel. Jerusalem is and remains a special object of His love, as we read in Psalm 87:2: “The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.”

Everything that pertains to God’s glory and His special love, must be of interest to us as the Church. When the Lord one day rejoices over Jerusalem and Israel, we will too. I heard a pastor say a few years ago, “God will take care of Israel, and we don’t have to do a thing.” Imagine that my wife had a concern that didn’t impact me directly, and I told her, “That’s no concern of mine; it has nothing to do with me!” I would rightly be called a narcissist, and I’d be anything but a loving husband.

The matter of Jerusalem is always one of God Himself. What foolishness to say that He will deal with it Himself, so we don’t need to worry about it. If God’s concerns are also ours, Jerusalem can never be a matter of indifference to us.

I’m not saying that Jerusalem and Israel should be the only subject of our prayers. This unhealthy one-sidedness exists among some Christians. For them, if Israel and Jerusalem didn’t come up in group prayer, then it meant nothing. But in the New Testament, we find many concerns we should be praying for: the spread of the gospel, salvation, the Church and fellow believers, all people, authorities, Jesus’ return, and more. This spectrum also includes prayer for Israel and its salvation. This concern is sometimes truly forgotten, because we’re so busy with ourselves that we lose sight of God’s concerns and goals.

CONCLUSION
In the introduction [in Part 1], I wrote about the flocks of birds in Israel, and our unfortunate similar experiences with other enthusiasts. In order to not get carried away ourselves, we need to stick close to the Bible. First, we did a brief biblical inventory of Jerusalem in connection with Psalm 122. Then, we said that between our Lord’s first and second comings, Jerusalem will be repeatedly plagued by war and devastation. And lastly, we noted that prayers for peace and tranquility in Jerusalem must always have Jesus’ return in mind; otherwise, all prayers for peace are just empty religious babble. Only the returning Lord will save Jerusalem and Israel and judge mankind. He will make His final promises for Jerusalem come true in the Messianic kingdom.

And finally, we have seen that the Lord wants to be incessantly reminded of His promises for Zion, until He has made Jerusalem a glory on earth.

So, pray for peace in Jerusalem—because it is always connected with our prayer for Jesus’ return, as it says in the next-to-last verse of Revelation: 

“Come, Lord Jesus!”

New From Israel - 02/2025