Why Pray for Israel?

Let's see what the Bible says about the importance of praying for the Jews and Israel; (God's chosen people and His Holy land).

As more and more Christians are becoming familiar with the Bible, they are realizing they have a Biblical mandate to share their faith with the Jewish people and to pray for them.

Genesis 12:2-3 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Psalm 121:1-4 "I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."

Romans 11:11-12 "Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!"

Based on the above, we can say that we are reaping God's blessings due to Israel's unbelief and denial of her Messiah. This is God's way of provoking the Jews to jealousy so they will envy us and desire what we have; 'the blessings of the new convenant through Jesus'. However, our God is a good God and He keeps His promises! He has not forgotten His chosen people! He wants us to pray for the Jews daily so they'll turn away from their sinful ways and accept Yeshua as their Messiah.

Unfortunately, our actions in the past and even now have not made us trusthworty in the eyes of the Jews. Israel has suffered persecution after persecution under the hands of many, including Christians. Therefore, we need to pray for Israeil and re-introduce them to Christ by showing them love and compassion so we can win their trust.

When we study the Bible diligently, we gain knowledge and realize the importance of defending Israel and praying for her. God says "I'll bless those who bless you". As we truly pray for the Jews, God will intervene and create in them a spiritual awakening like never before.

The Bible says: "all peoples on earth will be blessed through Israel".

Romans 11:21-24 " And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

Romans 11:25 "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.

Ezekiel 39:22 "From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God.

Ezekial 39:29 " I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD."

Zechariah 2:8-9 "For this is what the LORD Almighty says: "After he has honored me and has sent me against the nations that have plundered you - for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye. I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me.

Some scholars argue that the contents of the Bible are not applicable to the present times and they chose to ignore the prophecies. The Bible is God's Word and we should not twist its meaning. It is what it is! God is the same yesterday, today and forever!

When we hear about the persecutions of Christains and Jews just like the prophecies have predicted, we should not get overwhelmed. Instead we should pray and ask the Lord to give us strength and courage so we can face anything that comes against us. The Bible prophecies are not meant to scare us, but to prepare us. Although the media may be one-sided in reporting only the bad news, there are a lot of good things happening around the world that we don't hear about. God is raising up a whole new generation of radical Christians who are winning souls everywhere and who are making a difference for God's Kingdom.

God's chosen people, His holy land and all His believers will live through it all no matter what. Even if Israel's enemies claim they will wipe her off of the face of the map, Israel's future is in God's hands and no one can snatch her out of God's hand. What Israel's enemies do not realize is that the war they plan to have against Israel will be a war against the Mighty God of Israel and God will win that war!

The United States has prospered and has been blessed because of the support and prayer she has been providing Israel in the past. However, if we keep trying to negotiate with Israel's enemies for the sake of politics, peace and safety, and try to divide her land, we will anger the Lord and His curse will come upon us. We are already seeing some of the consequences of those negotiations that the U.S., UN and EU are making with the corrupt Palestenian and Jewish officials for the sake of peace and safety.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 "While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."

Joel 3:1-2 "In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat (the Mount of Meggido). There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land."

Ezekiel 24-26 "No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God."

Jeremiah 16:14-16 "However, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when men will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers." But now I will send for many fishermen, declares the LORD, and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks."

Ezekiel 37:21 "and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.God will gather the remnant of His chosen people to the Holy land again. He will breathe new life into them and the whole world will recognize who the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is once and for all!

Ezekiel 37:3 "He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live? I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."

Ezekiel 37:5-6 "This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "

Ezekiel 37:6-8 "So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them."

Jesus gave us lots of hints to prepare us for end times. Most of the Bible prophecies have already been fulfilled. The greatest one that amazes theologians is Israel is back in the land and Jerusalem is once again under the rule of the nation of Israel, just like the prophets had foretold! A thing of impossibility with men, but possibility with our great God!

Luke 21:28 "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

Luke 21:32-33 "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

Although we may not know the exact day or time of our Lord's coming, the Bible clearly states that what we are going through now is "labor pains". When Noah started building the ark out of obedience to the Lord, people were teasing him and labeled him as 'crazy' - they saw it as foolishness. Noah chose to ingnore the critizism and remained obedient to the Lord. When finally Noah had finished building the ark and the animals started coming, Noah and his family knew that the time of the deadly rains was nearing. For the other folks, it was business as usual. They were too busy with their worldy things and were not concerned about anything else. The flood took them by surprise and they all perished. God is not a mean God, He gave them plenty of warnings to turn away from their wicked ways and to repent, but they chose not to. In the end, we are responsible for our actions and we reap what we sow because of our disobedience.

Matthew 24:36-37 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."

Thesselonians 5:2-3 "For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape".

Other major signs, which are rampant in the U.S. and throughout the world are self-centerdness, materialism, addictions of all sorts, hatred, pride, anger, divorce, persecutions, self-righteousness, etc. Natural disasters are on the rise as well. This is what the Bible says:

2 Timothy 3:1-5 and John 17:21-23 "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."

In addition to all the above, multi-belief system is growing too (i.e. new age, scientology, universalism, etc.). These folks claim to be 'open-minded' and 'free-thinking'. They cling to any belief system that would make them feel good. They pick whatever quinches the fleshly desires and feeds the inner cravings.

Idols such as money, material possessions, friends, status, etc., are all temporary and short-lived. No matter how much of these things we have, we will still feel empty, lonely and unhappy if we don't have Jesus. Jesus is the Living Water and only He can quinch our thirst. True joy and contentment comes only through Jesus Christ!

Exodus 20:3-7 "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."

Matthew 5:19 "Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."

When we pray, we are showing God that we are obedient and we are totally depending on Him. God will do wonders when we pray. The Bible predicts that during the latter days, a lot of unbelievers will turn to Jesus in alarming numbers through visions, dreams and other venues. A major revival is taking place as we speak all around the world and the Lord is lifting off the veils from the eyes of many so they can see "Truth". All this is happening because of the prayers and obedience of God's warriors throughout the world. Prayer is a powerful tool and it works!

The gospel is being preached to a lot more people and at a lot faster rate than ever before due to high-tech systems. God is raising up a new generation of young, radical warriors who are hungry and thirsty for God and who are willing to go the extra mile without intimidation and despite satan's efforts to stop them. At the same time, God and His army are busy in the spiritual realm helping people to come to Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Savior.

For instance, with all the attacks that Israel has encountered, Israel should not even exist! Consider her size; approximately the size of New Jersey with a population of less than 6 million, also, she is surrounded by enemies from left and right whose population exceeds 300 million, but Israel still stands and stronger than ever! God has supernaturally protected her.

It is amazing to me that not only Israel exists, but Israel is reborn and thriving! Israel is a wealthy nation and has some of the highest technologies in the world. Israel has also given birth to numerous Nobel Prize winners for their inventions. This is not a coincidence, it's the hand of God, fulfilling what the prophets have foretold us. So let's stay encouraged because God is still in control and He will never leave or forsake us.

Yes, days of persecutions are still ahead for Jesus' followers, but He will be right there with us to give us strength, courage and wisdom to do what's right. We just need to pray daily to strengthen our faith so we don't grow weary and give up.

The Bible says: "...and you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved".

So why does the world hate Israel? Why do the Arab nations want to wipe Israel off of the map? There is real evil in this world! Satan is well and alive and he knows that the promises of God will not be accomplished if Israel is destroyed and annhiliated. Satan also knows that his time in this world is almost up and God will come to take over and reign forever. The devil is fighting with all that he's got to destroy God's people and God's plan!

No matter what the devil and his followers do, we should not lose hope because the glory of Zion and the glory of all God's children is drawing near! Jesus has aleady won the battle and we have the victory, but because of God's mercy and grace, He is willing to give us a chance after chance after chance to repent and to turn away from our sinful ways while we're still alive, but once we die without accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then there would be no more chances. We will be in eternal darkness, separated from God (the Light of the world). God wants 'all' His children to be saved, not just some. However, the choice is up to us; we can follow the world's way or Jesus' way.

Zechariah 12:10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." (the Old Testament is talking about Jesus long before His birth... but Israel didn't see it - they chose to be blind to the truth)

Revealtion 12:12 "Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."

Isreal will come to the realization of what she's done to her prophets and Messiah and she will repent. The restoration of Israel is near! The Jews are regathering in Israel from every corner of the world just like the Bible has prophesized. The Jews have an undying desire to return to their homeland without realizing that their actions are fullfilling Bible prophecy.

Acts 3:19-21 "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus - He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets."

Isaiah 60:1-3 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brigthness of your dawn."

Zechariah 12:3 "On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves."

Those nations who vow to annhiliate Israel are not aware that their war will be against the God of Israel. Israel's enemies will be the ones who will be wiped off the face of the map while the whole world will watch in amazement, and because of that, a lot of people will come to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Zechariah 14:2-3 "I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle."

As we near to the Lord's second coming, our troubles will escalate for sure. Believers in Jesus will be faced with tribulations, anguish, afflictions, sufferings and persecution. It will become clear that the battle is between "good" and "evil". Satan and his army will be fighting ferociously, but they'll lose and harvest will come for God's people.

The future is bright even if it seems dim right now. We should not waste our time and energy on the temporary things of this world, instead we should focus on what is unseen; the promised eternal life in heaven with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, where there will be no tears or suffering! But in the meantime, we need to continue to be responsible, hard working, honest, kind, and compassionate Christians so we can win more souls for God's Kingdom!

Hebrews 12:1 “Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back.”

1 Corinthians 7:31 "Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 "We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Matthew 13:30 "Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."

1 Thessolonians 4:13-18 "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."

The blindness is coming off of the eyes of Jewish people in greater numbers since the first century. If we want Jesus' return, we need to do our part to reach out and spread the gospel to as many people as we can and that should include the Jewish people!

Isaiah 1:18-19 "though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient,you will eat the best from the land."

Isaiah 11:10-13 "In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth."

Matthew 23:39 "For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

If end-time prophecies interest you, you may also want to read Psalm 83, Ezekiel 37 and 38, the book of Zachariah, and Daniel, etc.

God Bless,
Lucine