Watchmen for Jerusalem

Watchmen for Jerusalem

“I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.”

Isaiah 62:6-7

As I have told you so many times previously in this watchmen series, I passionately desire for you and me to be women who know how to look at current events from God’s viewpoint. Prophecy after prophecy is being fulfilled in our lifetime. We must understand what is going on in our world from God’s viewpoint on His throne. Today we focus again on Jerusalem in our series because God keeps focusing me on His city.

One of the main signs that Jesus’ return is very near is Jerusalem. When Jesus was telling of the signs of the end and His return, He said of Jerusalem in Luke 21:24, “They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Jesus told us of both the fall of Jerusalem and that one day the Jews would take back Jerusalem.

In the first century, Rome ruled the known world. The Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem. They closed all exits from Jerusalem including the tunnels under the wall. The siege continued for months. All hope for escape withered and vanished away. Tens of thousands of Jews were trapped behind the walls. The people in the city starved. In this military slaughter, Titus killed over one million people in Jerusalem, and 97,000 were taken as prisoners to Rome. Some were fed to the lions as entertainment for the Roman citizens in their coliseum. The strong became gladiators who fought to the death. Some were burned alive…Men and women…Young and old…Many of the Jews did not heed Jesus’ warning in His prophecy in Matthew 24:17-18 to flee so quickly that they didn’t go from the roof into the house to take anything or the one in the field to not return to get his cloak. The majority of the other Jews fled or were driven out of the land. This time is known in Israel as the Diaspora. The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were scattered to the ends of the earth. They did not return to their homeland as a nation until 1948.

Jerusalem means “dwelling of peace.” No other city on earth holds God’s heart like Jerusalem does. On the day of the triumphal entry, Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem because He knew what was going to happen to the people. The Greek word for wept is the strongest word to express one’s grief. Jesus lamented, wailed, shed tears, and had every external expression of grief. He cried because they did not know what would bring them peace. Our God loves Jerusalem, and He did not reject the Jewish people. The city of peace rejected the Prince of Peace.

In the Six Day war in 1967, the Jewish people took control of Jerusalem for the first time since 70 A.D. The sign that Jerusalem is no longer under Gentile control has been fulfilled. The reoccupation of Jerusalem has come true in our time. However, the kingdom of the air longs to strip away pieces of land to thwart God’s plan and stop the countdown to His Son’s return.

In every generation, God has posted a watchman to pray for Jerusalem. They are to call on the Lord until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. We are not to be silent. When you and I pray and call out to God for Jerusalem, we are fulfilling God’s Word. If God is so passionate about Jerusalem, then we should be relentless in our prayers to our Father about Jerusalem. May the Lord Almighty give us His heart for Jerusalem!

Pray with me: Lord of Hosts, Jehovah Sabaoth, You are all powerful and worthy of all praise. Praise You that the Gentiles no longer control Jerusalem. You have fulfilled Your Word and continue to prove that You are God alone. May all plans to take away any part of Jerusalem from the Jewish people be thwarted. Raise up leaders who understand Your heart and will not relinquish the land.

Someday the King of Glory will come to Jerusalem. We long for that day. When Jerusalem is secure (Zechariah 14:11), then there will be peace on earth. Lord, You put Your Name on Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 6:6) and said You would dwell there forever (Psalm 68:16). You love this city and its people. Give us a heart for Jerusalem. Strip the veils so we can see how much it means to You. Establish Jerusalem and make her the praise of the earth. We long for the day when there are no more moms crying because of what has happened to their children. We cry out for peace – true peace, everlasting peace. It is in the Name of the Prince of Peace that we pray, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name. Amen.

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