Luke 21:20-24
Why can’t there be peace in Israel and on earth? It’s all about having the right person in charge in Jerusalem, and at the end of history there will be a Jew who has the authority not only over Israel but also over the world. He has the right to this power because He alone uses power justly and compassionately.
In the spring of AD 33 at the Passover, thousands of Jews basked in the glory of one of the wonders of the first century world—the Jerusalem Temple. In the fall of AD 66 the Jewish zealot movement ignited into revolution and the Romans were expelled from Jerusalem, but by August 29, AD 70 the armies of Titus had surrounded Jerusalem, broken through the fortifications, the Temple caught fire, and in the desolation, not one stone was left upon the other. Josephus records that 1.1 million Jews were killed and 97,000 taken captive.
Thirty-seven years before Titus took Jerusalem, Jesus predicted these days of siege, that the Temple would be destroyed, and He even gave instructions that when you saw soldiers begin to encamp outside the walls, it was time to get out of town.
“Now whenever you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that her desolation is near. Then those in Judea should flee into the mountains, those in the midst of Jerusalem need to leave, and those in the country should not enter her for these are the days of punishment when all the things written will be fulfilled.
O the distress of those pregnant or nursing babies in those days. For there will be great trouble in the land and anger against this people. By the point of the sword, they shall fall and many will be led away captive. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21:20-24
In the 1967 War Israeli paratroopers fought through the Old City, burst through the Lion’s Gate, rushed to the Wailing Wall, and eventually took control of Jerusalem. Since then they technically have authority over the Temple Mount, but the daily administration is controlled by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf. This present murky and constantly boiling cauldron of compromises about who has the right to rule in Jerusalem, especially the Temple Mount, remains at the core of the Palestinian–Israeli war.
We must pray that until the Prince of Peace does finally solve this conundrum that wise heads will come up with temporary solutions that can stop the blowing up and death of both Israelis and Palestinians. Years of war have hardened hearts on both sides. Most of all pray for personal religious freedom so that both Palestinians and Israelis can decide for themselves about Jesus’ claims.
LORD, I do pray as the walls get higher between Palestinians and Israelis that You will generate solutions that will give the opportunity for both Jews and Palestinians to hear the truth about Jesus. I pray today for Messianic congregations in Jerusalem and throughout Israel where Israelis and Palestinians are living out that they are family because they have united in Jesus.
