In my last blog entry I wrote that man-made peace in Israel is not, nor will it ever be, possible. While I believe that, according to Scripture, we will experience peace for a period of time, this will only be a temporary and false peace. This will be a conditional peace for a short period of time. One must understand that in order for there to be true peace, there needs to be a true change of heart. And a true change of heart can only come when one acknowledges Yeshua as the Messiah, repent of his iniquities, and put his trust in Him.

When our Messiah was here on this earth, in the flesh, He stood on the Mt. of Olives and said some of the most compassionate and loving words, which are connected to Jerusalem; these words were also full of pain and longing:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! “For I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me until you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’ ”Matt 23:37-39

I believe that this verse holds the key to understanding what praying for the peace of Jerusalem really means! Yeshua did not say to Jerusalem that He would leave her forever; He gave a condition. The condition for His return was that the inhabitants of Jerusalem would come back to Him. In essence, He repeated the wonderful words from the prophet Hosea to the Children of Israel:

“I will go away and return to My place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” Hosea 5:15

When we ask (pray) for the peace of Jerusalem, we are praying for Israel’s return to her first love, God, and ultimately for the second coming of our Messiah, who will return as King to restore Israel and to reign. Until Yeshua comes back, we will not see true peace in Israel.

The prophet Zechariah spoke of a wonderful time of restoration in Israel, but only after a terribly difficult period. In fact, it is to the same Mt. of Olives that Messiah will come: ” Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. And you will flee by the valley of My Mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! And it will come about in that day that there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light. And it will come about in that day that living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.” Zechariah 14:1-8

As disciples of Yeshua the Promised Messiah (both Jew and Gentile), we are to be devoted to ask (Pray) daily for His peace to come to Jerusalem. We need to understand that until then, Jerusalem will see much turmoil and suffering. However, as Zechariah beautifully describes it, a day will come where streams of living waters will flow from Jerusalem to the Eastern and Western seas. It is interesting to note that the Eastern Sea is the Dead Sea, which I believe will become full of life, hinting that His rule will bring life from the dead.

I want to invite you to join me in praying daily for the return of Israel back to God, and for the second coming of our Messiah.

I am looking forward to the day when… “the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.” Zechariah 14:9

Until that Day…

Moran